Spoilers ahead for the March 17 episode of Legends of Tomorrow on The CW, called "Romeo V. Juliet: Dawn of Justness."
News broke back before Legends of Tomorrow returned for Season 5 that Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford would leave as series regulars, meaning no more of Ray, Nora, or their oddly touching romance. The actors themselves (who are married in real life) didn't make the decision to depart the series, but Legends gave them a loving sendoff after all its growing pains that likely already has fans wondering if, how, and when they can come back. Read on for how Ray and Nora left and what it means for their chances of returning!
In "Romeo V. Juliet: Dawn of Justness," Ray realized that he and Nora really needed to leave the Waverider to begin their life together as husband and wife, but he decided to complete one more mission as a Legend while trying to hide his upcoming departure from BFF Nate. If anything, this episode proved that Legends of Tomorrow could still incorporate Ray and Nora into stories, which to me makes their departures more tragic but the possibility of a return more hopeful.
Ray spent most of the episode trying to put off telling Nate that he was leaving and prolonging the mission to Shakespearean London, whereas the ladies of Legends (sans Charlie) were embracing "book club" and throwing Nora a wild farewell/belated bachelorette bash. Still, Ray and Nora were determined to go ahead with leaving, and they left without a whole lot of fanfare. In fact, aside from Nate making a bromantic dash back to the Waverider to see Ray one more time, they didn't say much of a goodbye to anybody aside from Ray to Gideon.
While the farewell between Ray and Nate, complete with confessions of love and confirmation that it "sucks" for Ray to be leaving, was the most poignant of the episode, it's Ray's final scene with Gideon that really leaves the door open for Ray and Nora to return to the Waverider. When Gideon asked if she'd ever see Ray again, he said this:
I hope so. Thank you for everything. And take care of the Legends for me.
Ray and Nora were both alive and as well as could be when they left the Waverider, and they didn't burn any bridges. In fact, the entire Waverider crew was unable to sleep because of the emotional impact of losing them, and they toasted Ray with glasses of his green juice.
In true Legends of Tomorrow style, the episode ended on a gag about the juice being super gross, but it was more bittersweet than heartbreaking. Even if the departure was "complicated" for the actors, the door is open for Ray and Nora as characters to return.
Personally, I'd be ready to welcome Ray and Nora back next episode if that was an option, but fans should all prepare for a Legends of Tomorrow without them. Losing Ray means Legends is down to only two of its original series regulars, and recent developments for Sara and Mick have me a little concerned about their longevity.
All in all, "Romeo V. Juliet: Dawn of Justness" was a fitting tribute to two important characters, although I felt it was a little harsh of Legends to go so hard on Ray making the decision to leave even though it sucked when Brandon Routh didn't actually want to leave and thought the exit was "not well-handled," and I spent a lot of the farewell scene between Ray and Nate wondering how much of Ray's heartbreak was actually Routh's.
See how Legends of Tomorrow works without Ray and Nora with the next new episode, which will see the Legends crossing over to Supernatural... sort of. That episode, called "Zari, Not Zari," will air Tuesday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. For some more viewing options in the not-too-distant future that likely won't be upset by the coronavirus impacting most of the entertainment industry, check out our 2020 Netflix premiere schedule.
