This episode tries to manage three different sub-plots. It's not an easy task, but this one manages to do it fairly adequately.
Naturally, one of them follows Ray, as he attempts to recruit Nora Darhk to save Constantine. For a girl who was trying to remain hidden, she was surprisingly easy to find. It was nice seeing Sara use her dad as a frame of reference to add a piece to the puzzle, but it still seemed surprisingly quick.
Nora is initially willing to cooperate, but wavers a bit due to not wanting to succumb to the influence of dark magic again. It's an understandable and even admirable motivation for the character. Just as she was found rather quickly, she was convinced to change her mind rather quickly, but the episode has time limits and there are other plots to cover. I was surprised that Nora didn't make some pun surrounding her last name when Ray asked why "dark magic" had to be what was necessary to save John.
Seeing her willingly turn herself in was appropriately sad, but still a great moment for her. On the one hand, it seemed like the time bureau was really overdoing it, but at the same time, you have to be watchful for the old "I surrender, suckers' trap. It would be something that her father would do.
Overall, this plot line worked, but was hampered by time constraints. Like I said, parts of it feel abrupt, but overall, the good stuff was more than enough to make up for it.
There's a sub-plot with the Time Bureau that somehow becomes two sub-plots. You have Nate and Ava attending a Heywood family thanksgiving, but you also have Gary trying to woo the delivery girl (something he's surprisingly good at) and then deal with a breakout of mythical monsters.
Nate's dad gets some highlight moments. Him not hesitating to invite Ava to dinner was nice (as was the whole family welcoming her with open arms) and he also shows "papa wolf" tendencies when he is finally informed of what's going on and wants to do whatever it takes to make sure his son is safe. It allows the two to develop a better understanding of each other and grow closer as a result.
I was a little underwhelmed by the "awkward nightmare" that the family gathering was supposed to be. I didn't see anything that really felt hellish. Rowdy kids and having to wait for the turkey to cook seem like small potatoes all things considered. Nate comparing the monsters' behavior to his family's was pretty funny, though, I'll give it that. So was the air rifle bit.
How was there no mention of football games? The Heywood guys seem like the type who would make that a priority, but there wasn't even a hint of a desire to sit down and watch. It was a bit peculiar.
The main plot sees the rest of the team travel to 1950's Japan, where a mysterious giant creature is wreaking havoc.
Having the team go full force against a kaiju would have been really cool, but alas the show's budget doesn't really allow it and the team isn't really equipped for those types of battles anymore. Even when Sara and Charlie face off against the monster, it seems a bit clunky. The special effects and wire work weren't the best, but you could also see that as intentional, given the whole 1950's B-movie thing.
On the plus side, there are some great character bits. The filmmaker with whom the team aligns gets a great speech talking about the aftermath of Hiroshima. Yes, much like Godzilla, the monster here is tied to that event. The episode does something a bit different though, and in some ways, it works better. It brings the horror down to a more individual level, but also shows the power of art.
Speaking of, Mick manages to save the day. It turns out that the pen is mightier than the flame thrower, as he too brings a character to life to save the day. It was a twist that, odd as it is, makes sense in context and was foreshadowed with the earlier revelation that Mick is an aspiring novelist. While his creation is cool, seeing a Beebo vs Tagumo fight would have been interesting. Maybe they're saving that for "Tagumo Returns!"
On other fronts, Charlie is slowly getting acclimated to being part of the team. She's less useful here, but she does step up when it counts and does provide some contrast. Her line about humans using a magic book as a weapon really doesn't make any sense in context, given that that isn't what was happening, but it does foreshadow the closing wham line where Nate's dad reveals that, because the monsters can be controlled "Project Hades" is a go.
I'm guessing this is a DCAU Cadmus type deal, where the monsters are going to be used to protect the country from other monsters and/or threats. I mean, the Arrowverse is a pretty weird place at this point so it's understandable that unconventional resources might be considered. That's just a guess on my part, though, we'll have to see how things play out.
This episode wasn't quite up to par with others this season, but it does provide some solid character development and does move the plot forward on a few fronts. The fact that it had so many things to cover kind of worked against it, but all things considered, it did pretty well.
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