“Legacies” is doing a lot in the early outings. We’re getting old character development, new character development, monsters of the week, romance, friendship, twin stuff and more than enough magic. It’s definitely keeping the very basic things that attracted me to “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals” but flipping them just enough that this doesn’t feel like a third retread of the same nonsense. The supernatural school setting and the refocus on teenagers makes “Legacies” feel fresh in a way the franchise hasn’t felt in years.
Pictured (L-R): Kaylee Bryant as Josie, Jenny Boyd as Lizzie, Christopher De’Sean Lee as Kaleb, Quincy Fouse as MG, and Lulu Antariksa as Penelope | Photo: Annette Brown/The CW
This second outing actually feels much more like a third and I think we can thank the backdoor pilot during the final season of “The Originals” for that. Instead of spending two or three episodes establishing the school and the characters and what the whole deal is, we got that out of the way in one episode last season and then the pilot. That opens up episode two to jump right into the monster of the week premise we were promised and let me just say, it does not disappoint. I am slightly worried that they blew their monster budget for the season on that dragon, but what a cool dragon it was!
Let’s get back to the beginning though. “Some People Just Want to Watch the World Burn” is split between a flag football game at the school and the hunt for Landon and the knife he stole. Hope and Alaric take Rafael with them to search for Landon, but not before Hope does a lot of flirty threatening in his direction. I’m currently at the point in this show where I can’t decide who I’d prefer to be in a couple so I’m just latching on to anyone who shares a scene together.
It’s not too long before they find a mute woman wandering around the woods. Alaric goes with her to find out if she’s a survivor from the burned up bus, while Hope and Rafael find Landon in an abandoned shed. Hope really goes off the deep end for a little while about his betrayal and how she’s so sure he stole the knife on purpose and burned up the bus full of people. No matter how much he denies murdering a bus full of people or how much Rafael stands up for him, Hope will not be swayed.
Meanwhile Alaric realizes pretty quickly that the mysterious woman in the woods is actually a pyromancer when she tries to set him on fire with her breath. He narrowly escapes into the cabin with the kids and they realize, with some help from Dorian (?) back at the school, that they need to stab her with the knife that Landon stole. It’s a pretty quick fight which would have been disappointing if she didn’t then immediately turn into a huge ass dragon!
While Alaric and the kids are fighting an actual dragon in the woods, the twins and other students are back at the school playing co-ed flag football against the Mystic Falls team. Apparently this is an annual game and every year the Salvatore school has to lose so they don’t make the humans suspicious. Unfortunately, Lizzie is being bullied by a girl named Dana on the other team which makes her decide they should try and win despite the consequences. In my opinion, Dana is a real bitch and every single one of these kids is taking this flag football game WAY too seriously.
Back in the woods the gang also handily defeats the dragon/woman but it’s not long before Alaric realizes Hope brought some kind of crazy death spell. He does a really decent version of “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed” at Hope. But then he goes a bridge too far and criticizes her similarities to Klaus which was pretty rude in my opinion. Though he does have a point about her being too vengeful. Landon was clearly going through something and I believe he didn’t know he stole the knife until he was already on that bus.
In any case, Rafael and Landon skip out and start hitchhiking away while Alaric and Hope head back to the school. Lizzie and Josie have been at odds the whole episode about the aforementioned flag football debacle. They kind of both get what they want because the game is very close, but Josie uses her magic at the last minute to make sure they lose.
All-in-all it was a pretty packed episode that nonetheless gave everything the time it deserved and broadened relationships appropriately. Josie’s ex-girlfriend Penelope was also still there trying to help M.G. get with Lizzie…I guess? She’s definitely sticking around so I should get used to it but she’s also the least compelling part of the show so far. Next week it looks like we might be staying at the school for a gargoyle attack!
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Featured image credit: The CW
Kristin was a military brat growing up but now she lives in Orlando with her husband Will and their dog Egon. She and her best friend Wil (not the husband!) have written a novel together and recently started the podcast “So…I’m Watching This Show” where they discuss movies, TV shows and pop culture in general. Most nights you can find her drinking wine and live tweeting way too many things.