#lot2

Everyone seems to think the writers didn’t do justice to their relationship, that Len would never have treated Mick this way, and yeah that’s another thing I disagree with. Like, I think maybe people are too used to seeing things from Mick’s perspective at this point, and automatically sympathize with him when other characters (the legends) treat him badly, which might make it more difficult to understand Len’s pov?

At the start of the episode, he really was trying to make Mick happy, and apparently the only reason Mick was allowed to keep his memories in Doomworld (or even exist at all) is because Len vouched for him with the rest of Legion - putting himself at Eobard beck and call in doing so (and we know how much Len values his autonomy). Mick knows this, because Len told him straight out, but he still betrayed him for his new friends.

This Leonard hasn’t been through LoT S1 with Mick, so he doesn’t understand why it’s suddenly so important to Mick that he shares his plans with him - that’s not how they did things: Len was the brain and Mick the muscle, the partnership worked. So he doesn’t understand why he’d pick Nate and the other losers over him. But despite this, despite the betrayal being unwarranted in his pov, he still chose to protect Mick afterwards.

Like this is important? Remember that time someone tried to leave his gang in Flash? “If you’re out, you’re out.” - he killed that guy without hesitation. And Mick didn’t even just leave. He knocked him out, and then joined a group of people that are intend on bringing back a reality where Leonard is dead. Len vouched for him with the Legion, he protected him, and now Mick is actively working with his enemies to basically erase him (he didn’t show it, but I think Malcolm’s reprimands about him not being able to control Mick and trusting him too much did hit home, at least a little bit). It must stung even more if you also take into consideration the fact that these are the same people for whom Leonard apparently sacrificed himself in another life, something this version of him probably cannot begin to comprehend (and that could be downright frightening to him, to know that they have this power to make him soft and destroy him in a way he never imagined he could be destroyed).

But Mick is one of the only two people in the world Leonard actually loves, so ofc he didn’t even think about getting revenge or anything like that. Instead he asked Malcolm and Damien for help to try and get him back before Eobard finds out. Despite everything, he was still trying to protect Mick. And when Mick did come back, he took him back as his partner without hesitation.

But then Mick betrayed him a second time. And I think Len could see it coming. Amaya told him she’ll always have faith in him and Leonard didn’t have anything to counter that (emotionally he wasn’t at a place where he could say what he’d need to say in order to counter that). I think he could see he was losing, he was hurt, so he had this moment of stupid jealous immaturity that only pushed Mick back toward Amaya harder. Mick handed over the spear to Amaya, and told her to undo this mess (this mess being a reality where Len lives). Killing her was self-defense, and his jab at Mick - “I know you loved her to pieces”? It’s basically poetic justice. Mick shattered his heart, Len shattered his. Fair game.

But the “good boy” and the dog comment, tho?

Well, that’s how the conversation went:

Leonard: Nice work, Mick! Now hand it over. Ray: Mick, no! You already gave it to him once. You know what happened. Damien: That was Thawne. This time will be different, big boy. Jax: Don't do this, Mick. Amaya: Mick, I don't care what anyone else thinks. I still believe in you. Leonard: Enough! Mick, hand it over. Like a good boy. Mick: You mean a good dog. That's all I am to you. An attack dog. Leonard: Now, that's not true. Sure, we both know you're not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that's why we're partners. Remember? Mick: You're right. I'm not a genius. [he throws the spear back at Amaya] But I'm no one's dog, Leonard. Not anymore. Leonard: Well. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Mick: Undo this mess.

The “good boy” comment came after Amaya’s “I still believe in you”. That’s what I meant when I said Leonard had a big jealousy-induced stupidity moment.

Amaya opened herself up to Mick. These last two episodes (or rather since the season started), Mick’s problem was that he didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere. The legends don’t trust him, Len put a tracker on him (I assume Sara and Amaya told him), and both sides underestimate him - they treat him like an idiot and a brute that has to be controlled (in Len’s case, he doesn’t know about the years Mick spent as Chronos or his time with the legends, he’s operating based on the outdated original terms of their partnership: Len’s the brain and Mick the muscles). So, to hear that there was somebody that believed in him, despite everything that happened (despite the fact he betrayed her last episode by siding with the Legion), Mick needed that.

And I think Leonard, who knew Mick more than anyone, can see that she genuinely touched him. It’s at this point that he gets impatient (“Enough!”), and demands again that Mick hand over the spear. Mick just gives him a stubborn look like “really?”. The thing is, Len can’t really one-up Amaya here, this version of him isn’t capable of admitting to seeing Mick as a friend and not just his partner (his muscle), or of having the sort of faith in him that Amaya does (Len isn’t capable of just having faith in people). So he can see he’s losing Mick by the look on his face, he gets jealous and annoyed and drops that “like a good boy”, which I think is some sort of stupid attempt on his part at reestablishing the status quo, to remind Mick of how they work (that he’s supposed to listen to him not anyone else), ask him to stop thinking and do what Leonard says because he’s more intelligent than him and knows what’s best for them. He doesn’t like having to compete for Mick’s loyalty (or anyone’s affection).

As for the dog comment, he denies that that’s how he sees Mick at first, in answer to Mick’s accusation. And I think that’s true? Like in his head they have an equal relationship where Len does all the thinking because he’s the genius one. He only calls him a dog after Mick throws the spear at Amaya, betraying him for the second time in like 2 days? So he’s just lashing out.