Legacies Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Hope Is Not The Goal
Paul Dailly
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If you thought Mystic Falls was deadly with the likes of the Mikaelsons, Katherine Pierce, and Kai, then you're probably wondering whether any of the villains that came before these mythical creatures would have stood a chance at winning a battle with them.
The Vampire Diaries and The Originals were well-known for the stunning twists, but Legacies has taken the best elements of both shows that came before it, thrown in some distinctly different ingredients and blended it into a unique drama.
On Legacies Season 1 Episode 4, the villain of the week was an enormous spider, and while the crumbs were cleverly plotted throughout the installment, I was still in disbelief when the thing appeared on the screen.
CW shows have lower budgets than shows on the big four networks. That's what happens when shows have much lower ratings, but the CGI on that spider was nothing short of amazing.
Sending the students to Mystic Falls High was a big risk, but there were a lot of unanswered questions about the disappearances of both Sasha and Dana.
Lizzie volunteering as tribute was comical and all, but this was a thinly veiled attempt to show her father that she was worthy of being ruled a hero as well as Hope.
If you watch Legacies online, you know that Lizzie has been battling insecurities of late, much of that has to do with Alaric's relationship with Hope.
But the youngster has proven to be resourceful when the opportunity presents itself, and I enjoyed the way she was stomping around the grounds of Mystic Falls High acting like the newest superhero.
The best part about her playing a huge role in the destruction of the spider was that it allowed her to grow the backbone she needed to clap back at her father.
Compulsion fail. Hope's probably doing a victory lap right now. What's with the performance anxiety?
Lizzie
Lizzie and Josie going on about not being taught defensive magic was right on the money. There's never really been a need for it because the villains in Mystic Falls were contained for several years until Landon made off with the sword.
Times are changing, and these kids are going to need to be prepared for whatever is coming their way. It was fun watching Lizzie and Josie siphoning from Hope to take down the creature, and I couldn't help but think to myself that those three girls are the only power of three we need on TV right now.
That said, the takedown of the spider was far too easy. It was mostly a cut and paste of what happened to the gargoyle on Legacies Season 1 Episode 3.
The issue with the villain was that there were no real stakes. None of the characters we cared about were in danger. Just two bratty teenagers from Mystic Falls High who serve nothing to the overall narrative.
Related: Legacies Sneak Peek: Welcome Back to Mystic Falls High!
You could say that Rafael and Josie were in danger, but it was obvious the werewolf, and the siphon witch would find a way out of the cobwebs.
I didn't expect the Josie to siphon from Rafael by locking lips with him. That came out of the left field, but I was definitely on board with it.
There was an instant attraction between these two characters, but putting them together would cause fire and fury if Lizzie got wind of it.
Rafael refusing to submit to Jed was about what I expected him to do. Everyone at the school seems to forget that just weeks before, he was a normal teenager who knew nothing about the supernatural world, so there was always going to be some growing pains.
Jed could have handled the whole thing better, but he was hostile to Rafael from the get-go, and it wasn't the warm welcome you would expect from someone asking you to submit to their cause.
It seems that the different beings in the school are supposed to stick with their own kind, and while the vampires and witches relax that rule, the werewolves follow a whole different rulebook.
In fact, the whole werewolf pack subplot gave me serious Teen Wolf vibes, and that's not a bad thing. Rafael needs to detach himself from some of the others for a while to give the whole werewolf thing a chance.
Nobody else in the school really understands him, so it's the best foot forward.
Related: Legacies Season 1 Episode 1 Review: This Is the Part Where You Run
As for Hope, I wanted to be mad at the way she was treating Landon, but she was exhibiting all of her father's traits on "Hope Is Not The Goal."
Landon: I know Connor. He's not a killer. Trust me.
Connor: Trusting you is what got us into this mess.
Forgiveness is not something Klaus could ever really offer up without a lot of nudging. She does need to take a step back and recognize that Landon is not this villain she keeps thinking he is.
I half expected both Landon and Hope to literally kiss and make up on the bayou, but the way he instilled in Hope that she was just a typical teenager was perfect.
Landon was attracted to Hope because she was not like the other girls his age, but treating him like crap made him realize that there was more to her than he first thought.
I suspect Hope will try to get back on Landon's good side, but it would be fun to watch her sweat it out a little.
M.G. continues to be one of the best characters, but Kaleb is starting to grate on my nerves.
I was so on board with M.G. when he pushed to find out the truth about whether his friend was the one behind the disappearances.
I half-expected Kaleb to make a snack out of Matty Blue Eyes during the closing moments because, well, who needs the perpetual human spoiling all the fun?
Matt has a duty of care to the residents of Mystic Falls, but he even rubbed me the wrong way with all of his empty threats to Alaric.
Does he seriously think his police force will be able take down all of the beings inside the school? It didn't surprise me one bit that the show is taking this route, but Matt needs to stop blaming the school for everything.
Last time I checked there were a bunch of vampires in Mystic Falls hiding in the shadows.
Okay, Legacies Fanatics! That's all I got for you on this one.
What are your thoughts on the way the show is going?
Hit the comments below.
Legacies returns November 29!
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
