That was unexpected.
Christmas arrived at the Salvatore School a whole two months early on Legacies Season 2 Episode 8, and while it was a violent affair, the only person who lost their life was Clarke.
If you watch Legacies online, you know Clarke has struggled to feel a sense of belonging anywhere, and it’s all down to the way his father has treated him.
His whole life, he has been a glorified messenger for Malivore, and even though he had some major flaws, he was a nice man at heart.
It was typical of him to use his wish to his benefit, but the last thing I expected was for the latest monster sent from Malivore to want to kill him.
In hindsight, it made sense. Malivore wants people it can trust working for it, and Clarke’s loyalty is all over the place. He’s a young man with severe daddy issues, and it’s all down to the way his father has treated him throughout his life.
Clarke grew as a character throughout his relatively short stint on Legacies, and he was fully prepared to dive headfirst into the pit. That took guts.
Even though Hope was still reeling from him attacking her on Legacies Season 2 Episode 7, she understood that he was the only one who could help her find out the root cause of all the festive cheer in Mystic Falls.
Sometimes, you need to put your beef with someone aside to think of the bigger picture, and that was yet another moment that proved Hope is wise beyond her years.
Landon: I love you, Hope Mikaelson. I loved you when I couldn’t remember you. I loved you when I was dead. I think I always will.
Hope: I love you too, Landon Kirby. I loved you when you didn’t even know it… despite the way you looked in a football uniform.
Hope hating Christmas is not a negative thing. It’s just that, without her parents, she feels like she doesn’t have that much to celebrate.
It wasn’t that long ago she sacrificed her existence to take down the pit. In doing so, she also said goodbye to her relationship with Landon. That was a big thing to give up, but it showed viewers she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world.
I’m thankful Landon finally understood he couldn’t keep running away from his problems. He needed to confront them head-on, or he was never going to be able to settle anywhere.
His decision was easy. Hope was the girl he imagining every time he died, but that didn’t take away from the fact Josie was there when he needed her the most.
When Hope was out of his life, he knew something was missing, and Josie was happy to step in for the time being.
Granted, she got a little possessive when Hope returned, but we need to remember here that Josie had no clue about Hope’s past.
The dark Josie arc could have continued for much longer, but it appears that Josie understands the error of her ways and is ready to continue on a path of light … for now.
Speaking of relationships, is anyone actually digging Lizzie and Sebastian? There was something there earlier on Legacies Season 2 when there were a lot of questions about who the five-century-old vampire was.
Now, it seems the chemistry has fizzled out now that the mystery is gone from the relationship. It all seems like a teen romance aside from the fact Sebastian is a vampire.
The only positive here is that the pair are keeping each other happy, but there are always testing times during new relationships. Will they be able to keep people entertained for long?
It’s doubtful.
Now that Alaric is back at the Salvatore School, can we please never see Mystic Falls High again unless the producers decide to make it resemble the school from The Vampire Diaries?
On top of that, what does this mean for the honor council if people are just making wishes for decisions to be changed?
A person could not ask for a better partner, a better conscience. You are literally the best person who has ever had the poor judgment to hang out with me. I love the way you laugh, and your upside-down mouth, the way your face looks when you watch movies and…
Landon
There’s bound to be a great debate about this the next time the group has to make a big decision about something.
Still, storytelling wise, it was about time he returned to the school. Try as they might, the producers were not blending Mystic Falls High into the narrative as well as they should have been.
What does this mean for Mac, Maya, and Ethan? If there are no ties to Mystic Falls High, then where do these teenagers and their mother come into play?
Mac is a love interest for Alaric, and the Sheriff, so anything that goes wrong in Mystic Falls will naturally bring them together.
Maya and Ethan were introduced as characters who were allegedly going to fall for Hope. Thus far, there hasn’t been much from them.
Then there’s Rafael. It was about time he got some insight into his family lineage, and Landon being the one to help him through it worked very well.
Like many of the other characters, he’s struggled to belong anywhere, and it’s all down to the lack of answers about his past.
Now that he knows his father is alive, he can adapt and move on with his life. The nice thing here is that his father is understanding of his werewolf side, or so we’re being led to believe.
This universe has a habit of keeping us on our toes with new arrivals, but for now, I’m glad Raf is being fleshed out. He feels like a recurring player on Legacies Season 2, and that needs to change.
The Necromancer returning was the big shocker. Being one of the hooded figures, it makes me wonder whether the other one could be another one of the previous Malivore monsters or Sheriff Mac.
This could be how her storyline kicks into a higher gear.
As a whole, “This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent” was a solid effort at a special episode for the holidays.
What did you think of Clarke’s death? Are you shocked by the Necromancer’s part in all of this?
Hit the comments below.
Legacies returns January 16.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.