Legacies Review: Season One Episode One

Series Intro

I’m excited to present my first Legacies review! This will become an ongoing series for my blog. I will be reviewing each episode, starting with season one. It is one of my favorite shows from the TVD universe, aside from The Originals. If you are new to the series or are simply rewatching the series in anticipation for the new episodes coming this month, this is the blog series for you!

Review

Landon and Raf’s Bromance

The episode starts off with Landon and Raf meeting their foster parents at a Catholic church. Raf has been having trouble with his temper and their foster parents want him to meet with a priest. Landon has a bad feeling about it, but Raf just wants to keep the peace. It’s either that or risk being kicked out and separated from Landon, whim he views as a brother even though they’re not related.  This scene introduced the bromance between Landon and Raf, which I enjoyed very much. I love that they stand by each other and have each other’s back no matter what.

Landon and Hope Reunite

Landon and Hope are reunited as she and Alaric are trying to save Raf and bring him to the Salvator Boarding School. It turns out that Raf is a werewolf who set off his curse after his girlfriend died in a car crash that he was involved in. This sets off the main romance of the series.

If you have watched the Originals, then you would know that Landon and Hope met at the Mystic Grill while she was dealing with the Hollow.

Lizzie The Representation of Mental Illness

Lizzie is a very extroverted teen who has trouble regulating her emotions. This is seen when she has an outburst in the kitchen after Raf rejects her advances. Her father (Alaric) walks in and is almost hurt as he comes in to check on her.

Later on in this episode, there is a scene where Alaric tries to help Lizzie calm down using meditation. In this scene it is evident that she has had trouble with her outbursts before and that she may be struggling with mental illness. I love this scene because even if you take the magical elements out of it, it shows a father actively trying to help his daughter and reassure her that he loves her and that she isn’t “broken”. When Lizzie asks if she is in fact broken, Alaric responds by saying ‘I think your biological mother’s crazy ass witch ancestors left you with a legacy of darkness that you have to work through.’ And when Lizzie comments on how her twin sister Josie doesn’t have to deal with this darkness, Alaric says ‘Josie spends a lot of time worrying about other people’s happiness. It’s a supernatural phenomenon called codependency, and I’m pretty sure she got it from my side of the family.’

In this conversation we see Alaric acknowledging Lizzie’s challenges as well as their possible origins. I like that he is very informed about his and his deceased wife’s family’s mental health history and he openly shares it with his daughter. He even tries to find ways to help her regulate her emotions and does the exercise with her. He is showing many good traits of a father. I do wish he would’ve tried harder to get Lizzie to understand Hopes side of things and see that they have a lot in common. However, I do like that Lizzie doesn’t give Hope too much slack.

Josie and Lizzie’s Codependency

Josie feels compelled to protect Lizzie, while also depending on her for emotional support. She often gives up on things that may make her happy if she thinks it may make Lizzie unhappy. For example, in this episode Josie develops a crush on Raf and it seems like her may like her back. However, Lizzie also like Raf so Josie doesn’t say or do anything about her crush. Later in the episode, Josie catches her best friend MG kissing her ex-girlfriend. The first person she vents to is Lizzie, and Lizzie comforts her and gives her some advice. Lizzie tells her to move on to someone else and that having a crush to focus on might be good for her. Right as Josie was about to tell Lizzie about her crush on Raf, Lizzie tells Josie that she likes him, and Josie shuts down and says she’ll help Lizzie out with him.

Fears of Intimacy, Vulnerability and Betrayal

Throughout this episode – and series- Hope has a difficult time being vulnerable with people, especially Landon. As the episode went on, she opened up to him about being a tribrid and her father being known as a villain in many people’s stories. Landon tells Hope that she’s a good person and he likes being around her. He even feels safe around her. When he goes back to his cell, she does a spell that makes him feel like he’s outside because he’s claustrophobic and they kiss. Hope feels good that she finally connected with someone and sad that he may have to be compelled to forget her and the school.

Towards the end of the episode, it is revealed that they still couldn’t erase Landon’s memories and he stole a magical dagger. Alaric thinks he may have been lying about being human in order to steal it. When he tells Hope, she feels hurt and betrayed. She says ‘There’s no way that the one time that I choose to get close to someone, they turn out to be a liar. It’s not possible okay, I’m not that stupid!’

Yeah, Hope is going to have a LOT of trouble trusting people after this.

Conclusion

I loved this episode. It was the perfect set up for the series, with relatable themes and a bit of magic. Stay tuned for the next review!