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That’s more like it, Legacies.
While the first two outings of the series wobbled between character intros and mythology whispers, “We’re being Punk’d, Pedro” cemented the show’s worthy inclusion in this universe.
Simply put: it found the sweet spot between character and mythos.
Yes, it’s still weird there are suddenly dragons and gargoyles in this world. But I have faith all will be explained and explained well.
Photo: Mark Hill/The CW
Presumably that explanation will go hand in hand with whatever Landon turns out to be.
In the meantime, the possibly supernatural boy was on the run with his werewolf brother. These two have great “us against the world” chemistry.
Their brief stint as runaway conmen landed them in the path of not one, but two hunters. One, a bad, dangerous man looking to kill Rafael and the other was Jeremy Gilbert.
Little Gilbert, you guys!
My feelings for the youngest Gilbert vary depending on the season. But I cheered at the (previously spoiled) reveal when he showed up to save the day.
(Give me all The Vampire Diaries cameos and Easter eggs, please).
Photo: Mark Hill/The CW
Jeremy saved the two teens and returned them to the school. It’s a little bit of a bummer we only saw Jeremy and his surrogate dad Alaric together from a long camera shot, but it still earned a smile.
Other than loaded, longing glances exchanged with Hope before she turned and walked away, Landon’s return barely registered at the school.
Mysterious thieves don’t compare to gargoyles trying to take down everyone with supernatural abilities.
The school scenes expanded this week to show us it’s not all teenage angst. There are younger kids there, too, like the titular Pedro.
After being humiliated (again) by the townies, Lizzie returned to school, hell-bent on giving Ric a piece of her mind. He opted for another punishment: helping with the younger kids.
Photo: Mark Hill/The CW
We’ve seen them before, in the wide shots when Rafael and Landon first arrived, but seeing everyone together, fighting a common enemy, gave us a new perspective.
Ric and Caroline started the school because they wanted a place for their kids to belong. Seeing those kids side by side with the teenagers served as a reminder as to what’s at stake.
Not everyone can protect themselves in a world that loves to torture those who are different.
Of course having Hope Mikaelson on hand continues to be a plus. She, along with Josie, was the one who ultimately brought down the gargoyle.
I appreciated their teamwork throughout the hour. Sure, it started as a way for Josie to stick it to Lizzie, but the girls have more in common than meets the eye.
Photo: Mark Hill/The CW
We had our first Caroline mention! She’s off doing recruiting, but she’s been gone longer than usual. Josie said that’s why Lizzie’s acting out.
This triggered one of the highlights of the hour: sensitive Josie’s realization that complaining about missing her mom to Hope might not be the best tactic.
But she countered by saying nice things about Hayley and apologizing for not reaching out to Hope after she died. Hope understood and some of the walls came down between the girls.
Elsewhere, MG proved to possess a heart of gold as well. His plan to use Dana to make Lizzie jealous worked right up until his conscious clicked in. His mama raised him better than that.
Too bad Kaleb decided to feed on Dana because of his cocky belief vampires deserve to be at the top of the food chain. That’s going to be a problem even if MG did agree to silence for now.
At the end of the hour, Dana and her bestie prepared to graffiti the Salvatore school only to find themselves in peril.
Welcome back, cliffhangers.
Miscellaneous Musings
-Caroline, Hayley AND Freya mentions! I hope we get to see Caroline and Aunt Freya by the end of the now extended season (16 episodes!)
-While Hope was ultimately right, Alaric should have learned after all his years in Mystic Falls that it’s never a good idea to let the students be in charge.
Photo: Mark Hill/The CW
-The show is doing friendships and tentative friendships so well, but none of the romantic ships are sailing for me yet. Disappointing.
-Emma turning the students invisible to the gargoyle was such a BAMF move.
-This was the first time the show emphasized Lizzie and Josie needing to channel someone else’s magic. The Gemini story was long and complicated, but I’m glad it seems like they’ll be exploring it more.
-Kai Parker is still alive in a prison world, you know…just thought it was worth throwing that out there.
-Kaleb is the worst, but like Penelope, he’s a teenager. This universe has a history of making flawed characters see the error of their ways.
-Seriously, someone hug Hope.
-(And maybe Landon, too).
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