Legacies Season 2 Episode 6 “That’s Nothing I Had to Remember” is yet another amazing episode for the show’s sophomore season. It has all of the things that drew fans to the TVD Universe in the first place, while also making sure Legacies stands on its own feet.
“That’s Nothing I Had to Remember” has so many great callbacks, character team-ups, and monster hi-jinx that it’s difficult to pick a favorite part. Whether it’s Lizzie and Landon’s brilliantly-paired comedic timing or Josie visiting a very familiar face for The Originals fans, this episode has it all.
A Pretty Little Liar
“That’s Nothing I Had to Remember” let viewers in on a bit of the very attractive and mysterious vampire Sebastian’s backstory. However, MG is a little too quick to understanding, especially since that leads him to reuniting Lizzie and Sebastian.
It is understandable that MG would want to give Sebastian the benefit of the doubt and believe the best, rather than the worst, but there should have been more resistance. Sebastian initially tells members of the Super Squad that he has killed multiple people, and it is known that he used Wade to revive his desiccated body, but none of those things set off alarm bells after Sebastian tells the story about him and Cassandra.
Yes, the story of Sebastian reeking bloody havoc on a town could be a reconstruction of his memories to account for missing Malivore monsters, but it seems suspicious that his memory would construct Sebastian as the monster of the tale. This posits that some part of Sebastian is capable of doing such a thing, if Sebastian is able to present that story to others with such conviction.
In that sense, Sebastian makes for a perfect foil for a character like MG. They live completely different lives and are products of completely different social standards and cultures. As interesting as it will be to see Lizzie interact with what she believed to be her literal dream guy, it will also be quite compelling to see the Sebastian and MG’s respective ideologies go head to head.
Always & Forever
This episode reunites Hope Mikaelson with her incredibly beautiful, powerful, and smart Aunt Freya (Riley Voelkel). There really aren’t enough compliments for Freya Mikaelson. She is truly a force to be reckoned with, and her few scenes in “That’s Nothing I Had to Remember” solidify that.
Fans of The Originals probably feel right at home at Rousseau’s, which is where Josie finds the infamous witch. Josie even sees the wall of Freya’s loved ones, some who have sadly passed away due to the events of The Originals. The recognition of those characters is the perfect reminder to fans that Legacies exists inside of such a rich universe with even richer stories.
This sentiment becomes even more obvious when Freya tells Josie that her wife, Keelin, is watching their son Nik that night. That’s right! Freya’s son is named after the legendary Klaus Mikaelson himself. Here’s to hoping that he doesn’t take after his mischievous uncle too much.
Though, the most emotional of Freya’s scenes comes near the episode’s end. Hope is all alone at the Commonwealth Day celebration, watching families and loved ones spend quality time with each other. Even after everyone’s memories are restored, Hope is still alone. At least, that’s what she thinks.
Freya appears just in time to give her niece the hug she so desperately needs. It gives Hope the chance to break and feel relief for once. Hope could crumble a bit in Freya’s arms and know everything would be okay.
The way Legacies seamlessly weaves Freya into this episode proves the strength of the TVD Universe. The Legacies characters have such strong bonds with so many different characters from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals that it is easy to let them interact. One can only imagine what will take place when Kai Parker pays Mystic Falls a visit in some way, shape, or form. Similar to Matt Donovan and Freya Mikaelson, these cameos only enriches the stories of everyone involved. They don’t feel self-serving; they’re organic, and that’s beautiful.
Self Love Isn’t Selfish
Josie goes through quite the journey in this episode, and a conclusion can be drawn from it. It’s not a new or remarkable one, as it has been relevant since Legacies’s series premiere. Josie needs to love herself before she can love anyone else. This is the same for a lot of the characters on the show, but for the purpose of this review, it is prevalent with Josie and Rafael in “That’s Nothing I Had to Remember.”
Josie doesn’t believe that Landon would ever choose her over Hope. This signifies that Josie doesn’t think she could be worth loving over Hope, that she wouldn’t measure up. While Hope and Landon have a sweeping romantic past, that does not erase what her and Landon had or even have.
Josie never gives herself the benefit of the doubt, and for her to truly be with someone, she needs to realize that she is a catch. Josie and Lizzie have been the most independent than they’ve ever been this season, and that has only influenced their individuality in good ways. Josie is clearly a girl with a giant heart who is too afraid of getting hurt to let herself fall too fast. This is only going to continue now that everyone’s Malivore’s memories are back.
If Landon does make the decision to break things off with Josie, it would only be beneficial for Josie to take the time that follows to get to know herself, to truly love herself.
Josie may even find some comfort in talking with Rafael, who once again subordinates his own feelings to benefit that of his best friend. Rafael always steps back when the situation can benefit Landon, and as admirable and lovely as that is, Rafael needs to put himself first every once in a while.
Rafael cannot continue acting as if his feelings don’t matter. It can’t be healthy for him to internalize all of that, especially as he grapples with being in his body again.
Let these two kids love themselves so they can love others, please and thank you.
Hypocritical Hero
Ric hasn’t been up to all that much this season, but what he does in “That’s Nothing I Had to Remember” doesn’t bode well for his character. Ric asks Kaleb to compel Sheriff Mac to forget that Ric told her about the supernatural world.
Ric has done this before to other characters over the course of the series, but it seems especially wrong now. This is not to say that Ric victimizing humans to compulsion without their consent at any point is a good thing. It just to say this the newest and most relevant case of this.
Ric was voted out of the position of Headmaster because the kids believed there needed to be change. That’s fine and fair. However, Ric has always stood by his beliefs and his rules. He is someone who has always believed in truth, knowledge, and justice. Those beliefs become flimsy when he manipulates them to benefit his situation.
Ric knows to keep his distance from Sheriff Mac even though he likes her and believes she would make a great partner in all of the supernatural-crime fighting, but he is honest with her. Then Ric compels that moment of honesty away in a deceitful action. He takes her agency from making a decision on the facts she knows and what he shared with her, because it is what Ric believes to be the best.
In a show that looks to tell supernatural stories with nuance and care, Ric’s journey this season looks to be telling quite an interesting story. Ric is someone audiences are meant to side with and root for as a hero. He is a renowned vampire hunter, historian, and general badass, but he also makes mistakes. He doesn’t always follow what he believes, and that is hypocritical.
This makes him an exciting character to watch this season. He’s blurring a lot of lines, which only proves there is still so much to learn about a character that has been on some fans’ TVs for a decade.
Other Spelltacular Moments
- All of Lizzie’s nerdy references are perfectly delivered.
- Hope saying, “Democracy isn’t what it used to be,” is a great moment of not-so-subtle shade.
- How long had Lizzie been hiding under that table?
- Sebastian better call everyone turnips forever.
- Kym is an official member of the Super Squad now, right?
- “I had a crush on Josie for a week when we were 14.” – Hope Mikaelson making the internet explode
- MAYOR DONOVAN. It’s what Matt deserves. Although, it can’t be easy being Ric’s lawyer.
Legacies is new Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.
