Aurora de Martel has been a crafty individual since her days on The Originals Season 3, so it was inevitable she would return to cause some havoc for Hope Mikaelson.

Legacies Season 4 Episode 8 confirmed the fan theory that the person contacting Hope on the phone under the guise of working with Triad was indeed Aurora.

When you consider how Aurora's storyline played out, she had to come back at one point, and it's nice to have her back in this universe all these years later.

Aurora's sentiments on the Mikaelsons were right on the money, and the way she managed to trick Hope into swapping their bodies proved there's a lot more carnage on the menu between these enemies.

Rebecca Breeds slipped into the role very well, and I hope she becomes a recurring player instead of a special guest star for a few episodes.

Stealing Hope's body was smart because it also meant she would inherit the pack of wolves Hope attained by killing the Alpha.

We don't know much about Aurora and her plan, but it was nice to see Hope in peril and forced to go on the run.

If you watch Legacies online, you know Hope has been all about that Tribrid life, asserting her power and influence wherever she goes, and maybe Aurora will be the one who turns her humanity switch back on.

I have the need to live up to this school that was literally created for me, and the pressure to save the school and my friends means I will never live a life of my own

Josie

• Permalink: I have the need to live up to this school that was literally created for me, and the pressure...

Hope now has to find a way to get the upper hand, and with her being outmaneuvered by the Tribrid, her existence will not be easy.

There is so much history between Aurora and the Mikaelsons, so it would make sense to bring Kol, Davina, Rebekah, and Freya back.

Hope has spent so long being this powerful being that now she'll need to regroup and entertain the prospect that she has to rely on someone.

That's a fun dynamic, but it will all come down to the execution of it.

Legacies Season 4 has been a much darker take on the series, proving that it can live up to its predecessors.

However, the therapy box has got to go. If this truly is a weekly plot device, I don't want it. The Therapy Box should be used sparingly, and using it to put the characters in different scenarios every episode is weird.

The Grey's Anatomy-Esque reality was bizarre and felt ripped right from a medical drama.

I know the writers and showrunner obviously wanted viewers to follow Josie's journey to realize she will always be tied to the school because it was built for her.

Daughter of the Count de Martel, first vampire of Rebekah’s sire line, your father’s lover and his greatest enemy, the object of his art, his desire and his depthless scorn.

Aurora

• Permalink: Daughter of the Count de Martel, first vampire of Rebekah’s sire line, your father’s lover...

Josie is selfless and needs to become more selfish if she genuinely wants a life independent from everyone who opposes her.

Josie feels like she has to be the person to save Hope, and she couldn't be more wrong. The whole scenario will drive a wedge between Lizzie and Josie, and I'm not sure how that would go down.

Lizzie is the only person truly thinking about the future of the school and the safety of her loved ones.

Taking a part of the tree was needed to make Hope vulnerable. Then again, Aurora accomplished that in a matter of scenes, so maybe it will come to a head soon enough.

In Lizzie's defense, she's lost everything she loves in recent weeks due to the events of the Tribrid being welcomed into the world.

Could you imagine if Lizzie got to kill Hope? The rest of the Mikaelsons would descend on Mystic Falls before long and lay waste to the school.

It would be a fun plot, and it's excellent the series continues to play with darkness. The show has really matured in recent episodes.

Alaric, Ted, and Landon in the afterlife were tedious more than exciting, largely thanks to Vera being brought into the mix.

Vera was a non-entity during her short run in the land of the living in Mystic Falls, so it was absurd to think Alaric had to apologize to her.

We don't know much about the parameters of this new other side, but we need a definite answer about what will become of these characters.

Will they return to the land of the living, or will they be left out to pasture? You never know with this show.

Landon returning could be the thing to change Hope's outlook on life, but Alaric has cheated death on countless occasions, so I'm not sure how to feel about everyone possibly returning.

Monsters being in this limbo is somewhat concerning. The lack of new monsters is the reason why the show has been flourishing.

If a way out is found from purgatory, some will probably escape and ruin some of the good.

With the midseason finale ahead, we should expect more peril for the characters, but the exciting part of this will be how Lizzie steps up to the challenge of saving the school.

M.G. wants to be a hero, but he knows so much more goes into it than he first thought.

The different factions of the super squad can accomplish anything if they work together.

What did you think of that big return?

Hit the comments.

Catch new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.

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