It’s Lizzie Saltzman’s Legacies now and you’re just watching it. From Jenny Boyd (who portrays Lizzie) doing the “Previously on Legacies…” voice over to the title card making it as obvious as possible, everything was all about Lizzie this week. This episode introduced us to a Legacies-themed multiverse that blossomed out of the mind of our dear Lizzie Saltzman. There were tons of Easter eggs for TVD and The Originals fans. That being said, this episode did so many things right, and one of them was letting Jenny Boyd step into the light and carry this episode. She was outstanding.
There is so much to unpack about the episode, so let’s get into it!
Not a Genie
The Jinni is the second monster that I really came to like; the first being the Dragon. While she wasn’t present for the entirety of the episode, she made her point and did so in a way that invested me in her journey. I respect her ability to play the long game with Lizzie for a chance at peace. The Jinni suffered 500 years of service for no reward. She endured centuries of putting everyone before herself. No one granted her wishes.
Lizzie could learn a thing or two from the Jinni. The Jinni spent so much time putting others first; Lizzie has the tendency to put herself before everyone else. The Jinni never found peace until a version of her own wish was granted, one that could allow her to put herself first eventually. Maybe Lizzie won’t ever find a personal peace until she starts putting others first every once in a while. There is no shame in prioritizing yourself and also knowing when it is better to prioritize others. Basically, even though Lizzie created this version of her world, she has to come terms with the fact that everything is not all about her all of the time.
A Disconnect with Ric
Lizzie’s first wish was was further proof that Lizzie is jealous of Hope and feels like there is a strain on her relationship with her father because of Hope. This wish showed that if Lizzie got what she wanted, Ric and ultimately his dream would be held back. Because of Lizzie’s jealousy of Hope, Lizzie created a world where her father’s dreams can’t be realized and the school is technologically challenged, among other problems. (The newspaper clipping made me laugh.)
This world proved that Lizzie, even as a teenager, has to make personal sacrifices. She needs to put her jealousy on the back burner, because it is abundantly clear her father loves her and will always love her. It is also clear that Ric’s dreams of opening a school rely on Hope’s presence and her father Klaus Mikaelson’s ease to write a very large check.
It seems as if there is only a disconnect between Ric and Lizzie because Lizzie makes one most of the time. Every time Ric, Hope, and Josie try to make a bridge, Lizzie knocks it down. Though, I do think it is easier said than done for Lizzie to believe that there is no replacing her in Ric’s heart. The sooner Lizzie comes to terms with the fact that Hope is a part of her father’s life no matter what, the sooner Lizzie can hopefully move past all of this. Though something tells me Lizzie may be better at grudges than acceptance. It does take her three wishes to have a self-revelation.
A Disconnect with Josie
Since Lizzie couldn’t do so in the world of her first wish, the one her second wish created literally puts her in the backseat of a very sensible car. Josie is the one in the front seat of this world. Josie shines and she doesn’t try to hide it. She even stands up to her sister, which real-world Josie finds very difficult. Really, this Josie says all of the things I am waiting for Present Josie to say. When she said, “I’m done letting you control my happiness,” I cheered.
Instead of Hope coming between Lizzie and her father, Hope comes between Lizzie and her sister in this world. The Salvatore School is now the Mikaelson Boarding School, thanks to Klaus Mikaelson being alive and thriving in this universe. Hope needs Ric to be the Headmaster while Klaus makes branches of the school elsewhere. This allows Josie and Hope to have some time to get to know each other, and it seems like Hosie is a thing in this world. And just like that, the space between Josie and Hope grew. Lizzie feels like she has to exert herself to be the center of attention because she feels as if she is lesser than Hope and Josie. Lizzie strives to find an inner peace and balance.
To switch gears for a moment, Dana makes a snide comment that Lizzie can’t up her dosage of her medicine because she’s already taking a very high one. Dana also mentioned something about Lizzie’s medicine in 1×02. Do you all think this is something that is going to keep coming up and never really be addressed or am I reading too much into it?
A Disconnect with Herself
The fact that Lizzie’s wishes are more about what her heart doesn’t desire rather than what it does (like the Jinni states) became abundantly clear within the world of her third wish. There is more than one way to look at her wishes. Yes, they are Lizzie’s way of trying to rid Hope from her life, however, they are also a cry for help about an inner turmoil that is infecting all of her closest relationships. Lizzie sees something wrong about what it is happening between her relationships with her sister and her father, and the world of her third wish really drives that home.
In the dystopian world where everyone has tattoos and scars and knows what they need to know, Lizzie still feels lost. Josie was sadly a casualty of one of Lizzie’s outburst. The world is burning and the Resistance is trying to stamp out the flames. Within that larger storm is Lizzie’s personal storm. There is a desire for peace within her, and that peace could help her come to terms with and potentially resolve the things her doesn’t desire. But all of that can only come after a lot of personal work and growth.
Lizzie’s revelation, thanks to the Jinni, that she is broken and can’t be broken anymore is groundbreaking. I believe that revelation stayed with Lizzie in her subconscious and allowed her to be self-aware in the present. Lizzie knows the tools her mother Caroline Forbes gave her aren’t doing the trick anymore. She knows she’s selfish and needs to work on herself or bad things are happen. Lizzie four wishes ago would have had a very hard time coming to any of those conclusions about herself. She should be proud of herself.
The Gemini Coven
The merge I’ve been hinting at and doing my best to avoid spoiling you about was finally discussed in this episode. It’ll be interesting to see if alternate universe Ric and Caroline will rub off on present Ric and Caroline and have them talk to the girls sooner. Dystopian Ric seemed really upset about his involvement of keeping information from the girls. It could have saved that Ric’s daughter. Though, it could also save present Ric’s daughters. Since that preconditioned response to the news of the merge is bubbling in Lizzie’s subconscious, there will be some desire in her to act out against Josie if they learn the news too late. At least that’s how I understood that whole scene.
Unsurprisingly, this is one of my most favorite aspects of this episode. I’m sure other TVD fans lost their minds when they say a certain someone’s name in the book Ric was holding in the final minutes of the episode. It’s Kai Parker; I’m talking about the legendary sociopath Kai Parker. With the book chronicling the history of the Gemini coven, containing a picture of an ascendant, and Kai’s name scribbled in the margins, I’d say Ric is up to something witchy. Part of me doesn’t want to get my hopes up. The other part of me is already throwing at party at the mere possibility that Chris Wood could make a guest appearance on Legacies as none-other-than Kai Parker.
Other Spelltacular Moments:
- Pedro and Lizzie chatting over PB&Js
- Hope’s right, Santa is creepy.
- “Damon Salvatore has been as generous as he can be, but him and Elena have kids of their own they have to take care of.” – Jose Saltzman
- I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING.
- The iconic set of Rousseau’s from The Originals made a return.
- “I should have found you sooner.” – Ric to Hope, making us all weep.
- Stefanie Salvatore!
- Josie’s pigtails!
- That cellar Ric locked Lizzie up in during her third wish is all too familiar for the TVD fans.
- I need to know everything there is to know about Klaus and Caroline’s life on the run as fugitives.
LEGACIES IS NEW THURSDAYS AT 9/8C ON THE CW, AND AVAILABLE NEXT DAY ON THE CW APP!