Legacies is doing the unthinkable. 

It is keeping The Vampire Diaries franchise alive without the dreaded sophomore slump in its second season. 

From Legacies Season 2 Episode 1, it was clear the show had hit its stride, and it only continued to do so throughout the first half of Legacies Season 2. 

Hope's pain as the world she knew and loved forgot about her, Lizzie coming into her own, dark magic invading the walls of the Salvatore School are just some of the solid storylines that came out to play throughout the first eight episodes. 

We've put together our thoughts on how the series is progressing, as well as our thoughts on what the show could be doing better. Check out the full rundown below. 

Best New Storyline: Clarke Posing as Professor Vardemus

Clarke is a crafty individual. It's never immediately clear where his loyalty lies, and that's part of the beauty of such a character. 

When Alexis Denisof arrived on the scene as Professor Vardemus, we should have known Clarke was posing as the new headmaster. 

All of the signs were there, but on a show like Legacies, it's difficult to tell who is playing who. We're just happy Clarke has been exposed, and hope he returns in some capacity down the line. 

Worst New Storyline: Landon and Josie Being a Thing

The Vampire Diaries has had its fair share amount of love triangles, but the pairing of Landon and Josie ,while Hope was wiped from existence, was tedious. 

It was difficult not to be frustrated with Josie because her jealousy was out in full swing. She was ready to do what she had to do in order to keep her man and we're just thankful she made the right decision in the end. 

Landon and Josie were the heart of the show during Legacies Season 1. Their relationship burns bright, and despite Hope's chemistry with Rafael, the endgame couple here is Handon. 

Best Character: Lizzie Saltzman

Early into Legacies Season 1, Lizzie was a petulant teenager, but as the series has progressed, she has emerged as one of the best characters on all of TV. 

This is no doubt down to Jenny Boyd providing a masterclass in acting every single week, but the writers do get to take some of the credit here. Without them, we wouldn't have Lizzie's cosmic wit. 

Worst Character: M.G. 

This one is difficult to write because he was one of the many bright spots of Legacies Season 1. Instead of blossoming into an even better character in Legacies Season 2, he follows Lizzie around like a lost puppy. 

There may be a new love interest for him in Kaleb's sister, and we can only hope that the relationship is on full display during the second half of the season. 

Another problem is that he disappears for weeks on end. There have been plots he should have been part of, but was missing from the episode entirely. Give everyone what they want, Legacies writers!

Best Villain: The Necromancer

We may be cheating here because the Necromancer is a returning villain, but the twist on Legacies Season 2 Episode 8 that he was one of the people in the red cloaks was executed very well. 

If you watch Legacies online, you know he's cut from the same cloth as Klaus Mikaelson: He's a mischevious man, but will turn deadly if the opportunity presents itself. It will be nice to see where his storyline goes because it's likely he is about to go up against Malivore. 

Hopefully, the other cloaked person is the dryad. Pretty please!

Worst Villain: Krampus

Legacies Season 2 Episode 8 offered up the show's own twisted take on Christmas, but Krampus didn't feel scary enough. 

Maybe he should have killed someone off to prove he was this deadly being. Instead, we got someone who took on a glorified dance-off with Santa. 

The potential was there to make this villain one of the best, but we left this episode wondering why Krampus was boring. 

Most Emotional Storyline: A Land Without Hope

Hope made the ultimate sacrifice on Legacies Season 1 Episode 18, and the aftermath trickled through the first half of the second season. 

Hope was alone in the world and even considered fleeing Mystic Falls. When she felt at her worst, her Aunt Freya popped up, thanks to Josie breaking the spell. 

Danielle Rose Russell plays emotion well, and the writers are clearly milking that. Now, if only there was more Riley Voelkel because she would be an asset to the Salvatore School. 

Hopes for the Rest of Legacies Season 2

Despite the Salvatore School being stalked constantly, no lead character has died. That's unheard of in The Vampire Diaries Universe. There need to be higher stakes, and that means a big death that divides everyone. 

Malivore is the overarching villain, and even though it does some crazy stuff, keeping everyone alive is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. 

The Hope/Josie/Landon love triangle needs to be nipped in the bud. Even if the writers opt to keep Handon apart, it will be better than watching the trio of characters get cut up about what's going on. 

Love for Alaric! Any woman that gets close to Alaric ends up dead. Us OG series fans have witnessed it for a decade. It's time to give him happiness, and Sheriff Mac should be the woman in his life. They have a great connection.

Then there's the Kai of it all. Chris Wood is officially set to return during a February installment. That much we know, but we don't know the specifics of his return. 

He was wicked on The Vampire Diaries, but there needs to be some progression for him thanks to his years of solitude, thank to the prison world Bonnie sent him to. Hopefully, he finds a way to let his nieces live their life and forget all about the merge. 

Finally, the show needs to work on the blending of the plots. Some of the characters disappear here and there. While I understand they can probably only have so many people in episodes at once due to the budget, but still, do better!

Overall Grade: B+.

Many shows flounder in their second seasons, but Legacies has continued to expand the world and the mysteries. There's a lot to love about this series. 

What do you think of our report card? Hit the comments. 

Legacies returns Thursday, January 16 at 9/8c on The CW. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.