Legacies Season 3 Episode 10, “All’s Well That Ends Well,” is a prime example of why this show succeeds when it lets go of the fact that Landon will die someday. This show has been on for three seasons, and it’s finally starting to make some expansive moves outside the Malivore story. Legacies can do that now because it’s getting out of its own way and allowing its characters to exist outside of the Salvatore School’s halls. This is all good, so good that I can’t wait to see what Legacies will do next when it returns from hiatus.
Cleo the Muse
At the end of the episode, we learn that Cleo is a muse, and she’s the key to Malivore’s master plan — not Landon. That’s amazing because it means that Hope can finally ease up on protecting Landon at all costs, and it means we’ll get to know Cleo more. The former doesn’t shake up to be as accurate as I hoped, but old habits die hard.
Legacies couldn’t possibly believe that any of us would be shocked to learn that the Banshee sees Landon’s death. It’s honestly laughable that any of the characters, especially Hope, appear surprised by this “news.” That said, it is a step in the right direction that Legacies is putting some space between Landon and Malivore. Therefore, Landon’s life is no longer the show’s main priority and shouldn’t be Hope’s main priority either.
It’s nice to hear Landon feel like a valuable part of the Squad by helping Alaric in the library. I honestly thought Ric’s crossbow was lying on the table behind them as a nod to when he used to wield that weapon. The truth undercuts all of this. The truth is that the crossbow is there for Ric to protect Landon because that’s what Hope wanted. Once again, my fingers are crossed that we will get to see Landon be a teenage boy living his life at a supernatural school with other issues than his father being a monster soon.
We get to see new sides of Hope and Cleo in “All’s Well That Ends Well,” and I’m not only talking about seeing Werewolf Hope for the first time in a very long time. Hope may still be giving Landon an overbearing amount of protection, but she’s easing up. She’s also leaning on people other than Landon, which is entertaining to watch. It’s intriguing to watch Hope navigate this new dynamic with Cleo.
They’ve both lost a lot in the past. We’re still learning about Cleo’s history alongside many of the characters on Legacies, but that’s abundantly clear from the little we do know. It’s compelling to watch Hope and Cleo walk the line of trying to stop that loss from happening again but with each other. It took Hope until the end of the episode to realize that Cleo is a person she’s lucky to have in her life, and she wants to keep her there. The other side of that is that Cleo was willing to walk away from the life she’s built at the Salvatore School to stop Hope from experiencing the loss of Landon yet again. That’s a genuinely selfless friend.
I’m excited to see if Hope (and the rest of the Super Squad) is willing to go to as many extremes as they have for Landon to protect the Muse from Malivore’s grasp.
The Super Squad’s Competition
MG and Ethan’s friendship is everything and then some. I seriously can’t get enough of it. It’s already amazing enough that Legacies spends so much time back at Mystic Falls High because it makes me nostalgic for the TVD days. To have these two sweet, kind boys want to help people with MG’s abilities make it even better.
Ethan is learning about the ins and outs of the supernatural world relatively quickly, and he’s taking to it much better than expected. Seriously, he’s courageous to take on a werewolf, but he did it to save his friend. He also put together a hero lair for him and MG. How can you not love them?
One of the most exciting moments in their scenes that I hope Legacies circles back to is when Ethan mentions the possibility of a bad version of MG out in the world that they would need to stop. Legacies already introduced MG’s Ripper gene, but there hasn’t been much discussion or action on that front in a long while. Ripper MG would be a darker version of him that Ethan is not ready to see, and Ripper MG would need to be helped and stopped.
This line could just be a throwaway one that references the guys’ love for superhero arcs in comics, but I want it to be so much more than that. There’s potential there, and as I said, Ethan is learning quickly about the supernatural creatures. Wait until he finds out about witches and tribrids.
Supernatural Rom-Com
Speaking of werewolves, Finch is one! The signs started to add up once it set in that it was a full moon, and Finch, who has been incredibly interested in Josie until now, is busy on that very night and probably the night after. Hopefully, this means that Lizzie running out of romantic comedies to fix her sister’s situation is a sign that Josie and Finch are about to carve out their own path in the genre — just like MG and Ethan are doing in the superhero department. I’m rooting for those Josie and Finch.
Lizzie takes the very protective sister route by not telling Josie the truth about Finch. In Lizzie’s defense, Josie’s wishes are to live as normal a life as possible, and Finch being a werewolf would complicate things. The hard truth is that Josie can’t run from the supernatural part of her world. She’s a witch, even if she doesn’t practice magic and doesn’t have her powers. Lizzie can try to protect Josie from the supernatural world and its effects for as long as she wants, but twin cuddle sessions aren’t going to shield Josie from that forever.
The reveal that Finch is a werewolf is an excellent reminder that not every supernatural child attends the Salvatore School. Even before Ric ran the school into the ground, Finch didn’t attend it. This means that Legacies can expand its focus beyond the Salvatore School’s walls and look at how supernatural teenagers exist in Mystic Falls, too. Those kids may need help and not want to attend boarding school. This decision opens up so many storytelling opportunities, and it’s only making me wonder why it took Legacies this long in the season to do it.
Other Spelltacular Moments:
- The Ric stuff in this episode is surprisingly great.
- Dorian deserves more screentime. He’s so good.
- Lizzie having an encyclopedic knowledge of romantic comedies is something so personal to me.
- Ethan bringing MG coffee
- Landon says the title this week.
- Josie being courageous and asking Finch out
- Where can I get a Salvatore School mug?
- Will I ever not tear up when I see the Gilbert house on Legacies? I truly did not expect to see scenes in that house again. It moved me.
What did you think of “All’s Well That Ends Well?” Let us know in the comments below!
Legacies is new Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.
