Legacies – Some People Just Want to Watch the World Burn

By starrymag | November 8, 2018

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

When Some People Just Want to Watch the World Burn opens Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) is not happy. She’s in the guidance counselor’s office and thinking of her brief but tragic love affairs with liars. Emma (Karen David), the counselor, thinks it’s more important to discuss why Hope performed dark magic on school grounds. There’s a beacon in the school that alerts her, and she wants to understand Hope’s choice. Hope deflects and says Landon (Aria Shahghasemi) stealing the artifact was her fault and he could expose them. She has to find him, but when pressed she doesn’t mention she had help with the illicit spell in the form of Josie Saltzman (Kaylee Bryant).

 

Elsewhere, the Saltzman twins are in considerably higher spirits. Lizzie (Jenna Boyd) is excited for the annual flag football game against Mystic Falls High School, but she has a question for Josie. She got sick this morning with symptoms of dark magic use, but hasn’t been dabbling in the dark arts so has Josie? Josie’s saved from having to answer by their father Alaric (Matthew Davis), but he comes bearing bad news. He can’t make the game as he’s got to find Landon. He leaves the disappointed duo with a reminder: no powers allowed, the locals need to think they’re normal.

 

Hope heads out to Alaric’s car and underneath it unexpectedly finds Rafael (Peyton Alex Smith). Raf’s just finished taking the car apart, but he’ll put it back together if Hope and Alaric let him tag along on the search. Hope tells Rafael to butt out; Landon’s a liar and a thief. And due to the barbequed bus from the last episode, she thinks Landon’s dangerous. Rafael says Landon is his best friend and considering Hope’s in vengeance mode, he’ll need the backup. Alaric interrupts the bickering and says Rafael can come as he knows Landon so he can be helpful.

 

Back with the twins, Lizzie’s upset Alaric’s missing the game. She worries aloud to Josie that their father loves Hope more than them, but she’s got an idea. They’re going to show their dad they take protecting the school seriously by losing the football game. This way it shows the world there’s nothing strange about the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. The girls glee is interrupted by sharing another tense encounter with evil ex Penelope Park (Lulu Antariska).

 

The hunt for Landon has taken Hope, Rafael and Alaric to the forest. Hope and Rafael are still squabbling about Landon. Alaric interrupts because they’ve got company. A women (Lauren Ridloff) appears before them confused and covered in ash. She doesn’t speak, but Alaric thinks she’s a bus crash survivor. Alaric wants to take her for help and sends Hope and Rafael back on the trail. He tells them not engage if they find Landon since he could be dangerous.

 

The game is just starting and there is a lot of tension between Mystic Falls High and The Salvatore School. The “no powers” rule guarantees a loss for the Salvatore school every year and a mean girl Dana (Kate Garfield) and boy Connor (Sam Ashby) never miss an opportunity to take digs at the Salvatore students. Kaleb (Chris Lee) is a new student and recently turned vampire who isn’t into taking the other team’s remarks lying down, but Josie reminds him they need to stay under the radar. Before the fangs Kaleb was a champion football player so he doesn’t look entirely on board with the plan.

 

In the forest Rafael’s got some questions about the bus. Hope says it was incinerated from the inside.  Rafael agrees that it was a horror show, but he has faith in Landon. The boy in question kept him sane during the worst time in his life. Hope looks unimpressed and says Raf needs new friends. Rafael fires back that Hope’s not really known for having any friends back at school. He says he’ll get the knife back and Hope should believe him because Rafael’s not a liar. Hope tells him everyone lies, but that’s beside the point as Landon’s in the cellar they just found. Rafael has three minutes to get the knife back or Hope’s going in.

 

This was a lie. Hope interrupts Rafael and Landon’s short-lived reunion to demand to know where the knife is. She’s not gentle about it either as she uses her magic to throw Landon against a wall as he swears that he didn’t burn down the bus.

 

In another part of the forest things have gotten strange for Alaric. The woman still hasn’t said a word but is distracted by shiny objects. She takes Alaric’s phone and when he tries to get it back, she shocks him by breathing fire at him.

 

On the field, the game’s not going well for the Salvatore students. On top of losing, Dana and Connor are still poking at the Salvatore Stallions. It’s taking its toll. On the sidelines, Penelope gives MG (Quincy Fouse) advice. He’s got a crush on Lizzie, but Penelope says he’ll never get her acting like a lovesick puppy. She advises him to be impressive in the next play.

 

Alaric has different problems as he’s discussing over the phone with Dorian (Demetrius Briggs) who’s standing in as a coach back in Mystic Falls. The two believe what almost scorched Alaric was a pyromancer, meaning a fire breathing witch. Dorian points out they’re supposed to be endangered and stick to Asia. That doesn’t seem to matter for the woman after Ric. Dorian’s going to do some research on how to keep Alaric from getting burned at the stake.

 

Outside Lizzie’s congratulating the team. Losing is winning, but not everyone’s happy with that. On the field MG disregards Lizzie’s instructions and scores, provoking her ire. Dana compliments him and Lizzie just Glares.

 

In the cellar Landon has an angry Hope to answer to. She doesn’t believe his story about miraculously surviving the burning bus or the fire breathing woman. More than that she points out he lied about being compelled. Landon says he doesn’t know why he took the knife and can’t even remember doing it. He only lied because he was afraid that if Alaric knew the compulsion didn’t work that he’d be thrown back in a dungeon. He reminds Hope he doesn’t do well in small spaces. Hope’s still not buying it until Alaric runs in and says there is in fact a fire breathing woman chasing him.

 

Hope’s surprised and the trio says the mystery woman wants the knife. Landon says he doesn’t have it, so they take cover while Alaric calls for backup from Dorian.

 

The game hasn’t turned around back home. The Stallions losing, and Dana finally takes things too far with Lizzie. When Lizzie asks her what her problem is Dana says she likes making fun of “crazies.” She brings up Lizzie’s medication, which makes Lizzie decide this year Mystic Falls High is going down. The gloves are off and the powers are on turning the game in the Salvatore school’s favor.

 

Plot twists in the cellar: 1. Landon lied about the knife as he panicked. 2. Dorian tells the gang what’s after them isn’t a pyromancer and it’s actually a dragon. Ric says it’s impossible, but Dorian points out they run a school for the impossible. He instructs them to go for the soft spot to kill it. Hope and Raf combine their abilities to take on the dragon. They come out on top, so it seems.

 

At the game things are going well, too well as far as Josie’s concerned. She tells the team the school can’t afford any more attention and they need to lose. Penelope, ubiquitous as ever, tells the team there’s a third option: win, but without their powers. Kaleb was a great player as a human and MG pipes in he’s an asset, too. Lizzie agrees that they’re going to win fair and square.

 

With the dragon dead, Alaric wants to give the woman a proper burial. Only problem, the dragon lady’s not dead but she is mad and has shifted into a full on “Game of Thrones” dragon. Hope and Alaric tell Landon and Raf to make a run for it. They’ll deal with the dragon.

 

Back on the field, “operation win fair and square” is in play, but Josie sucks at football, which is why Lizzie passes the ball to Kaleb. He would’ve scored, but here’s the thing about Josie Saltzman: terrible at football, great at covert spellcasting. She spells the ball right out of Kalebs hands and the Stallions lose.

 

In the forest Hope and Ric are facing off with the dragon. That is until Hope tells Ric to take cover. He doesn’t want to, but Hope convinces him by reminding him of his daughters. Once Alaric’s safely out of sight Hope starts doing some serious casting with a spell stashed in her pocket. It sends the dragon spiraling down back into human form. Hope stares down the dragon and in her human form it’s clear a choked up Hope is struggling with making the kill. Luckily, she doesn’t have to because Alaric swoops in and does it for her.

 

On the field the Salvatore Stallions are somber as they have to shake hands with their rivals. Josie, ever the good sport, congratulates Dana. Dana; however, insults her. That’s the final straw as Lizzie punches Dana square in the face. This sparks a brawl between the Salvatore school and Mystic Falls High.

 

We zoom in on the dead for real now dragon and Hope’s got some explaining to do. Alaric finds the spell she used and it’s a death spell, which means it is dark magic. She tries to defend herself, but Ric shuts her down. He tells her she couldn’t have known about the dragon, which means she meant to use the spell on Landon. The headmaster scolds her by telling her that dark magic poisons you and what Landon did was wrong, but he’s a kid. While he’s at it he reminds Hope that she is too and the hate and vengeance she’s been displaying is like her father: Klaus (Joseph Morgan). Alaric says he won’t allow her to turn into her dad and leaves a tearful Hope to bury the dragon.

 

In the Salvatore school’s locker room Penelope corners MG. She says today was a win and she’s willing to help him get the girl. MG thinks she’s got ulterior motives, but as she walks away he seems intrigued.

 

When we catch up with the Saltzman twins Josie makes two confessions to a bruised Lizzie: First, she made Kaleb drop the ball. Second, she did dark magic with Hope. Lizzie feels betrayed and says Hope’s made the twins feel like they don’t matter for the past decade. She hates that feeling. Josie apologizes and promises not to keep anymore secrets. Lizzie forgives her and thanks her for having her back, betrayal aside.

 

At the end of the episode we find out that Landon and Rafael made a run for it, but Landon left a letter. There’s a voiceover and in the letter we hear Landon apologizing to Hope. He explains that he truly doesn’t know why he took the knife, but he didn’t mean to hurt her. Growing up he was the spare, so he learned to protect himself in a world where he was never wanted. Landon says he’s not looking for pity, he just wants Hope to understand and closes the letter by promising all of the school’s secrets are safe with him as Hope tearfully looks at pictures of her family.

 

After a long day Alaric’s locking up the gates and has a heart to heart with Dorian. Today made Ric realize they’ve gotten a little too comfortable the past few years. There are a lot of things out there and Alaric doesn’t know how to protect the kids from things that shouldn’t exist. They head back inside and the final shot shows the statue outside the gates coming to life.