Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of Legends of Tomorrow Season 4, called "Tagumo Attacks!!!"
Legends of Tomorrow delivered a Darhk twist at the end of Season 3 when Damien Darhk died but Nora Darhk escaped the Time Bureau thanks to the gift of the time stone from Ray. In theory, Nora was to stay out of the limelight in Season 4 lest she be apprehended by the Time Bureau and locked up for her crimes when she was under her father's (and Mallus') influence. Ray brought her back into the action in "Tagumo Attacks!!!" when Constantine needed some magical assistance.
Given that Nora had been working as a waitress at a renaissance fair to avoid using her magic and therefore risk falling into darkness like her father, she was reluctant to engage in a kind of magic that usually requires the draining of a life force. Ray found a technological substitute for life force, but it was still dangerous for Nora. Ultimately, she decided to use her magic to save Constantine, then used the time stone to travel to the Time Bureau, where she was immediately arrested.
Ray was shocked at her decision, but Nora was determined to pay for her crimes and perhaps start to redeem herself. The decision could be quite impactful for the rest of the season. Brandon Routh, who plays Ray Palmer, had this to say about the lasting effects of Nora's twist decision:
She is recruited to help Constantine, to help revive Constantine, and that's very challenging for her because she's been keeping away from magic, as that has been a challenging thing for her to control, her ability to control magic and to not be taken over by it. So I'm asking a lot of her to help John in this way. Ultimately she does and comes through it and learns that she's stronger than she thought, which is what Ray has been kind of hoping and feeling, but seeing it also is great for Ray. It brings them closer and will help her character in the future with the Legends. The fact that she has done this for one of the members of the Legends.
Nora may have made her decision for altruistic reasons, but that doesn't mean she won't benefit from it in the long run. Her decision to risk her own recovery by helping Constantine when he certainly would have died means that the Legends will have reason to give her the benefit of the doubt and eventually trust her. Admittedly, Constantine is still a reluctant member of the team who isn't falling all over himself to make it official. Still, Nora can likely count the Waverider crew as her allies moving forward.
Ray's faith in Nora almost certainly played a role in her feeling the strength to save Constantine without falling into darkness, and it's difficult to imagine her turning herself into the Time Bureau if not for how he helped her. Unfortunately for Ray, who has clearly (and endearingly) been smitten with Nora, turning herself into the Time Bureau means no more spur-of-the-moment adventures with the Legends.
Brandon Routh went on during CinemaBlend and other outlets' visit to the Legends of Tomorrow set to say this about the future of Ray and Nora:
She gives herself over willingly, knowing that she's going to pay for her crimes and hopefully continue to rehabilitate herself, which is a strong power move of taking responsibility and making amends for what she's done. Ray is very proud of her and also sad because he didn't want her to do that. He's breaking the rules. As he's a rule follower, he would have rather had her free and away so he could spend time with her and she could be okay, but there is some interaction, some fun interaction that happens in the next couple episodes with her being in Time Bureau prison. Ray finds an interesting way to get to her, to see her, visit her. It does involve shrinking, yes.
The course of true love never did run smooth, but that course can be altered when it comes to the Legends! Ray won't let a little thing like Nora's incarceration by the Time Bureau put a stop on their funny little relationship, no matter how it develops. Although Brandon Routh didn't drop any details about Ray's visits to Nora, we can apparently expect shrinking to play a part. Fortunately, Courtney Ford, who plays Nora and just so happens to be married to Brandon Routh, shared a bit more information.
According to Courtney Ford, Nora and Ray will start writing each other letters. It sounds like their relationship should be a bright spot for both characters, which can only be a good thing for Nora now that she's no longer free. Ford elaborated on what it means for Nora to have made her decision to turn herself in:
I think it's really frightening for her, and it is something she struggles with because her magic is tied to her father and even though she had such incredible love for her father, that relationship was also dysfunctional and she received a lot of pain from it as well, and the world received a lot of pain from Damien Darhk, so right now, Nora's trying to figure out who she is without her father's influence, and without Mallus' influence... I mean, it's absolutely frightening, so she feels like, 'Okay, I want to see how I can be in the world, going straight, so to speak. Not using magic at all, trying to be a regular person, and it's frightening and it's confusing and she doesn't know who she is, and I think maybe all of us have felt that way at some point in our lives. What defines you? Who are you when you don't have something that is grounding you? It can feel very unsettling to not know your place in the world.
Using her magic to save somebody who hadn't been able to save her was a bold and brave move by Nora, and it bodes well for her continued development throughout the season. It's also a good sign that Nora seems aware of how unhealthy her relationship with her father had been. As long as she can distinguish between good and bad dynamics, there are reasons to hope that her recovery will be ongoing.
The question that remains is whether she really can continue the recovery process. A lot may depend on the goings-on at the Time Bureau. "Tagumo Attacks!!!" revealed a dark side to the Time Bureau, and we can only cross our fingers that the darkness there doesn't infect Nora. Courtney Ford shared her thoughts on Nora's process:
She finally does decide to use her magic, but in her mind she doesn't know. If I give myself over, am I gone now? If I use any magic at all, is it just what Constantine warns her about? Is it just down that road, or can you still be good? Can you still kind of be a complicated ally and use some magic? How much is okay? How much can she tolerate? It's also kind of addictive, that kind of power.
Tune in to The CW on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET to find out what's in store next for Nora, Ray, and the rest of the Legends on Legends of Tomorrow. The Legends won't be part of this year's big multi-show crossover, but they'll have an event of their own to keep the action going. For more viewing options in the not-too-distant future, check out our midseason TV premiere guide.
