Legacies Season 3 Episode 1, “We’re Not Worthy,” is not a completely seamless continuation of last season. It feels rushed and forced at times. It is understandable that this had to be done in some respects to move the story forward into the new season after the last was cut short unexpectedly. It’s more likely that Legacies will find its footing again next week. It may be able to breathe again after this episode that doesn’t feel like it has even one second to spare for a breath.
Even in its rougher moments, “We’re Not Worthy,” is a warm welcome back to the Salvatore School. It packs in so many elements that make this show fun to tune into every week. My fingers are crossed that this premiere means Season 3 is only going to be bigger and better from here.
Brooke Davis Vibes
We need to talk about Lizzie Saltzman. She’s giving major Brooke Davis vibes in “We’re Not Worthy” and we need to unpack that. There’s a Brooke Davis quote in the final season of One Tree Hill that feels very Lizzie-esque, especially in this episode. Brooke says, “I used to be a bit of a bitch just for the sake of being one, but now I’m a bitch for the sake of my friends and my family.”
It’s easy to draw more than one line between Brooke Davis and Lizzie Saltzman. They have a lot more similarities than meets the eye. Plus, they’re both absolute icons. As far as that quote’s concerned, Lizzie finds herself in a different position this season. She’s done a lot or personal work that she should be applauded for, but she’s still got a lot to do. And that’s okay. Lizzie and Josie are so intertwined. It’s going to take more than a few episodes to for them to learn and maintain healthy boundaries.
It’s just refreshing to see Lizzie use her sarcastic force for somewhat good — to stand up for her sister. She’s not using it to deflect from herself, but to remind everyone that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them. If you come after her friends and her family, she won’t be so kind. And can you blame her? Of course, Lizzie doesn’t need to cut Alyssa down by bringing up the trauma of losing her parents. And then again, everyone makes mistakes. At least Legacies follows through and shows Lizzie being remorseful and having the intention of apologizing. It would have been nice to see Lizzie and Alyssa have that moment, but Alyssa has other plans with the Necromancer, I guess.
The Super Squad Is Worthy
There are so many connections between the Super Squad and well-known superheroes. I don’t know how much of this is a conscious decision by the writers and how much is a happy coincidence. Either way, I can’t get enough of it. Watching the squad go around and try to wield Excalibur felt a lot like watching the Avengers try to wield Mjolnir. It’s funny and meaningful all at once.
The cast’s chemistry and comedic timing save the day from a lackluster Monster of the Week. Nimue and the Green Knight look great, but they aren’t nearly as narratively compelling as those of Legacies‘ past. This isn’t helped by the fact that this episode is torn on how much time it wants to spend exploring each plot. The idea of someone being an ancestor of Arthur/royalty, or whatever that means on Legacies, is a riveting concept I want to know more about. It’s unfortunate that it feels like an afterthought in an episode that’s tying up last season’s loose ends.
King Rafael
Rafael hasn’t always been given a storyline of his own. It looks like Legacies is finally giving that to him this season. He’s notoriously sidelined when he has such potential. That makes it even more of a bummer that the royalty bloodline reveal is in this episode. There’s so much happening that it’s hard to know whether it’s Landon or Rafael who held Excalibur. It wouldn’t be shocking for Legacies to pull the rug out from under us and reveal that Landon is in fact in Raf’s body. Instead, the show does shock me by revealing that Rafael will go on a journey of his own this season.
It is a bit odd that the rest of Super Squad seems to be in on the fact that Rafael is worthy. They all have to hype each other up to even step up and try to wield it, and they are all confident that Hope could do it. Then, all of a sudden, Rafael appears and it’s like they were waiting for him the entire time. I know they believe in their friend, but it wasn’t Rafael they were wishing would show up until he was there. That disconnect is jarring. Although, it does go with the weird pacing of the rest of the episode.
True Love’s Kiss
Then there’s the Handon of it all. Legacies loves to play with fairy tales just as much as it does superhero lore so it’s not shocking that Hope is awakened with true love’s kiss. This moment is underwhelming in the sense that there’s no big hero move that brings Hope back. Then again, Landon choosing to live and love despite the dark magic consequences that will come is a pretty big hero move. Living and loving are brave things to do, especially when monsters keep coming after you.
It is a little cheesy that Hope ‘just knew’ that Landon was dead and that’s why she didn’t wake up. Cheesy isn’t always a bad thing, though. Hope Mikaelson should allow herself more cheesy moments. There was a lot of discussion last season about Hope learning when to let other people step up. The Super Squad is always evolving to let everyone contribute to saving the saving the day.
By doing so, Legacies can take Hope’s free time as an opportunity to let her have more quiet, cheesy moments. If not, I hope that she can be loud and messy without the weight of the world on her shoulders. Basically, I’m looking forward to seeing a new side of Hope Mikaelson this season on Legacies.
Other Spelltacular Moments:
- Can we have another field day that isn’t interrupted by a monster?
- I’m surprised Chad lasted that long.
- I love the way Ric judges the Necromancer. He can’t even hide it on his face.
- Wade is a permanent member of the Super Squad, right? He has to be.
- PEDRO. That’s it.
- I hope MG and Lizzie are an epic slow burn.
Legacies is new Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.
