Let's hear it for Lizzie Saltzman, this week's unexpected hero. 

On Legacies Season 4 Episode 16, Ken's supposed-to-be formidable presence was overshadowed by a bunch of earnest kids.

The takeaway? The Salvatore School is grossly unprepared for a war with the gods, but its students will fight shoulder-to-shoulder, their heads held high.

This was one of the most successful episodes to date because of Lizzie. 

That is not a sentence I ever thought I'd write, as someone who has openly disliked Lizzie in the past, but all of Lizzie's small steps forward culminated in a beautiful transformation.

When Lizzie got upset with Hope for not wanting to talk because she was dealing with her dark side, I rolled my eyes, thinking, classic, selfish Lizzie strikes again. 

Hope: Instead of apologizing, you want people to understand you, to excuse you.
Lizzie: Well, maybe that's because what I did was understandable, unlike you.
Hope: Well, I mean, I didn't work with Aurora, raise a bunch of evil gods.
Lizzie: I only did that to try and fix all of the things that you messed up.
Hope: You wanted to kill me.
Lizzie: And you actually killed me! After you beat my dad into a coma and went on a crime spree.
Hope: My humanity was off, I didn't get to choose that, but now I have to live with the consequences, and the worst version of me is still here, while the worst version of you is just you.

• Permalink: The worst version of you is just you.

I nodded along to Hope's criticism of Lizzie's behavior and inability to own up to her mistakes. I expected Lizzie to abandon Hope and run off to sulk. Lizzie proved me wrong. 

In what was a softly powerful scene -- when Lizzie returned to fix Hope -- she had shed her "worst version" of herself, showing that is not who she is nor who she wants to be. She expressed empathy and compassion.

Her willingness to help Hope and her honesty about her past feelings moved me to tears. Lizzie made me cry! Who would've thought?

I used to be a raging bitch to you, but it wasn't because I hated you, it was because I idolized you. You were cool and smart and mysterious, and I was always saying the wrong things and having these outbursts. A part of me thought you would never want to be friends with someone like me, so I pushed you away because that's what we do when we're afraid, we protect ourselves, we build defenses.

Lizzie

• Permalink: It wasn't because I hated you, it was because I idolized you.

Lizzie and Hope were like two halves of a whole. Lizzie let go of her fear, which had presented as anger, right before Hope let go of hers, which had manifested as darkness.

It was gratifying to see Hope listen to Lizzie, even more so when Lizzie took what Hope said to heart and apologized to her father. They helped each other become the best versions of themselves over the course of two conversations. How epic is that? 

They now feel more like sisters than Lizzie and Josie did, but maybe that's because we haven't seen Josie and Lizzie interact in a long while. 

Hope: Sorry, I'm a little rusty at big hero entrances.
Lizzie: You're doing great, sweetie.

• Permalink: I'm a little rusty at big hero entrances.

Farewell, Hope's dark side. You will not be missed. Though normal Hope also makes some questionable decisions, like putting the Super Squad to sleep and trying to take on Ken with only Lizzie as her sidekick. 

I love the confidence, but what was she thinking? I guess it's a good thing Hope did kill Lizzie because if she hadn't, that iron fence through the gut would've done the trick. 

Speaking of Ken, did anyone else find his entrance anticlimactic? 

He materialized in a blast of lightning with some scaly armor on and declared that everyone would die if he didn't get Jen back, like that hasn't been said before. Where's the originality? We need some Mikaelson-level threats. 

Ken didn't come across as a fearsome, omnipotent god. The only thing that made him look threatening was his facial hair. 

Then Jen appeared, rendering the preceding fight pointless, and Ken greeted her as his "darling," saying he'd missed her. I'm fairly certain the only thing he missed was her metalworking skills. No doubt he'll force her to forge weapons with which he'll annihilate Hope and her family. 

My father stood for family above everything. This school is my family, so if you're going to hurt them, you're going to have to go through me.

Hope

• Permalink: This school is my family.

Onto the next problematic god, well, demigod, Ben. Ben's every action contradicted itself. He planned to burn the town in the name of protection. He wanted to save the students of the Salvatore School but still beat them up. What is his real purpose?

How did hitting Kaleb in the head with a parking meter protect him? Sure, I see the twisted logic in injuring them enough to scare them off so that they never face Ken, but Ken's on a warpath; being a bus ride away wouldn't help in the long run.

Every few seconds, Ben would switch from looking tortured by his harsh actions to looking like a happy little mega-villain with piercing, unfeeling eyes. I am confused.

Ben: You may hate me for attacking them, and I can live with that because at least you're alive to hate me, which means I saved the life of someone that I love.
Jed: Is that seriously how you're going to tell me that for the first time?

• Permalink: Is that seriously how you're going to tell me that for the first time?

Kudos to Jed for giving Ben the cold shoulder, though it was sad to see after their heartfelt moments earlier in the season. I'm still rooting for them, but only if Ben does some serious soul-searching and stops bashing the heads of innocent students. 

We'll have to wait and see if Cleo has another Ben-related vision to determine his motives. He claimed he wanted to break his curse, but Jen said his goal has always been to resurrect his lover. Which is it? 

Now that we know Cleo can help change the future she sees, we can rest easy. The end may not be near. But what is she? 

Kaleb: There's no future except for the one that we make for ourselves.
Cleo: I wish I shared your confidence.
Kaleb: So share. There's plenty to go around.

• Permalink: There's no future except for the one that we make for ourselves.

She has Kaleb loyally by her side as she figures out her new identity. Can we take a minute to appreciate that Kaleb complimented Cleo's artistic talent upon seeing her apocalyptic drawing instead of panicking? What a king!

Let's talk about Landon, whose storyline still feels like an afterthought, but maybe that will change now that Hope is in Limbo. 

I had no memory of Seylah -- my brain is basically Malivore -- but her short time with Landon was sweet, especially when he and his big heart got her to peace. When he assured her she hadn't damaged him, I melted. 

Landon is pure goodness.

However, to bring his mom back for a single episode was filler rather than meat. It didn't advance the plot. 

Landon looked crushed when Seylah left. Clearly, he wanted more time with her. He yearned for the ice cream and mother-son bonding, but he's too selfless to prevent her from moving on. What an upstanding gentleman.

I believe Hope will help Landon get to peace, that she's what's holding him back, though I don't wish for him to leave. 

What's wrong with Ethan? How long will Hope be in Limbo? What is Cleo?

When will Ken return? Let us know what you think in the comments below. 

You can watch Legacies online right here on TV Fanatic if you missed the episode. 

Legacies airs Thursdays 9/8c on The CW.

Ashley Myers retired from TV Fanatic in May 2022..