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‘Legacies’ 3×03 recap: Was this the best episode of the series, ever?
Queue the Birdy, y'all, because my emotions are all over the floor.
Legacies 3×03 “Salvatore: The Musical!” aired on February 4, 2021
Let me preface this recap by stating that I am actually sobbing right now. When I first started watching The Vampire Diaries over 10 years ago, I was living in a 400-square foot apartment, working three jobs, and the show was my solace. It was my safety net and what introduced me into my love of writing. Fast-forward 11 years and two kids later, I’m having more fun than ever geeking out over this universe.
This episode was all about breaking down barriers, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and finding peace through that vulnerability. It was unexpected, it tugged at our heartstrings, and it might be the best episode Legacies has done to date.
Now that I’ve established the personal nostalgia of this episode, let’s get into to the top moments.
The writing *chef’s kiss*
Thomas Brandon (producer/writer), you genius, you! (And the whole team involved.) “Salvatore: The Musical!” was written for fans both old and new, and hit all the high notes (literally.) This line wraps up the meaning of this episode and every character’s journey throughout:
Feeling loss means you’ve done something right. You’ve opened up your heart despite the risks. That is the legacy you will carry on.
Queue the Birdy, y’all, because my emotions are all over the floor.
The throwbacks
Honestly, where do I even start? Everyone trying out for Damon for the musical except for Jed made me actually LOL, and Kaleb as Damon couldn’t have been more perfect. Josie’s outfit was exactly like Elena’s, down to the flared jeans and navy blue chucks.
Revisiting the Mikaelson lore was another fun trip down memory lane, even through my annoyance when one of the student’s “discovered” that “Hope’s dad was like, a mass murderer.” (Klaus is smashing bourbon bottles on the “new” Other Side at that comment!)
Caroline Forbes’ (Candice King) cameo
Caroline magically sends a letter to Lizzie, and reading the voice over is none other than the actor who plays Caroline Forbes, Candice King. (Yes — I’m using present tense, because she’s not done yet!) When Lizzie confesses to Jo after she runs out of rehearsals that their mother was turned into a vampire and “suddenly everything clicked”, I immediately shouted, “Girl, your mom woke up in a hospital bed and stole a bag of blood and wolfed it down faster than me and a bag of Doritos in my third trimester.”
Reading the real journey to her mother’s clarity and calm helps ease Lizzie’s anxiety and reminds us all that a mental healthy journey is something we all are constantly working on. The show has tackled the topic of mental health from day one, and it’s great to see that continue in each season.
“Hello, Brother.”
This number was incredible. Putting Chris Lee (from Hamilton, y’all) on center stage as Kaleb portraying Damon with his theatre voice at full-throttle — what a treat! Props to Ben Levin, who plays Jed, for holding his own alongside the Broadway standout, and double props to Kaylee Bryant (Josie) for belting her own beautiful voice and crushing the choreography.
Team JJ (Josie and Jade)
I forgot that Jade (the vampire that was stuck in the prison world last season and dating Uncle Kai) was still at The Salvatore School, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy her moment with Josie. The Saltzman twin needed a win, and she needed a moment of pure joy (that wasn’t on the heels of the impending apocalypse.) In fact, everyone did. Our Super Squad has been hunting monsters and running against the clock nonstop, and they’ve forgotten what’s important along the way and why they’re all there in the first place: To be kids and truly live. Which brings us to our monster, the Sprite.
Is this really monster really a… monster?
Our monster this week was a Sprite, a cousin of the Fae and one who can manipulate minds into believing anything they say. In this case, it was that they’d known him their entire lives, and that they must put on a musical (AKA, distract themselves from whatever evil The Necromancer is cooking up.)
I may be way off, but I actually believed the Sprite, Mr. Goodfellow, in that he really wanted to break everyone down, only to lift them up. Maybe his plan all along was to rise our Super Squad from the ashes, because at their strongest is the only way they’ll truly defeat The Necromancer (or any evil thing, for that matter.) Because let’s be honest, they probably wouldn’t have been able to stop The Necromancer’s plan from taking action anyway, but now they have a chance to face him (and Alyssa, we’ll get to her in a minute) head on, with clear heads and camaraderie that would make any demon sick. Team Sprite!
Oh Alyssa… We were rooting for you!! We were all rooting for you!
OK, remember everything I said about Alyssa, defending her and stating how she could be redeemed? WELL, I TAKE IT ALL BACK. Alyssa astral-projects to M.G.’s room, warns him about the Sprite and begs him to leave, claiming her “teenage crush” for him is weighing on her. I actually believed her (and so did M.G.). When M.G. shows up at the end of the episode to vamp-speed Alyssa out of The Necromancer’s lair, she knocks him out to be sacrificed, and follows up with a classic villain-smirk, telling the audience that this was her plan all along. Ugh, Alyssa.
Because the smallest part of me still has hope for her, let’s quickly look at the facts:
- Alyssa’s life is tethered to The Necromancer, so she kind of doesn’t have a choice in wreaking havoc alongside him. It’s that or her ultimate death.
- Alyssa is very smart and very manipulative, so this may all be a ploy of her own to make The Necromancer think she’s on his side, but she’ll pull a fast one on him at the last minute. I’m all for this theory, because Ted being the ultimate baddie is starting to run its course. I’m not saying I want less of him, I’m saying we need another villain.
Notables:
- All of the Klaus and Hope references and call backs. All of them.
- While Hope and Landon breaking up and getting back together has been done like a hundred times on this show’s barely three seasons, it still gets me. I cried, you cried, we stan.
- Ric visits the sheriff to have a normal, adult date night, and I’m happy for that journey for him. I may be digging way too deep at the subtleties here, but the knocking-on-the-door-and-professing-his-love was definitely another TVD nod. Again, we stan.
Tell me your thoughts on the musical episode! Tweet me your thoughts @lizprugh and @pure_fandom.
Want to take a walk down memory lane? Check out all of Pure Fandom’s Legacies coverage here.
Legacies airs Thursdays at 9pmEST/8pmCST on The CW.
