‘Legacies’ season 3 discussion: Let’s talk about Landon

Landon Kirby is a romantic, former-Phoenix, loyal friend, doting boyfriend, and now… we’re not quite sure what Landon is, other than in trouble. Episode 4 “Hold On Tight” was intended to be the season 2 finale (thanks, COVID), so we knew there would be drama galore.

I expected a big twist, as The Vampire Diaries Universe usually provides, but like many fans, I’m still putting together the pieces as to what actually happened, who/what the Big Bad is, and what’s really at stake. Let’s break it down.

Landon and Hope’s special moment

As a mother of two girls, it’s not lost on me how the show delicately approached Landon and Hope’s “first time”. Hope was ready, Landon was ready, and it felt right (other than the fact they had just emerged from Landon’s monster-dad’s pit of death, of course.) Landon and Hope go through the Malivore pit in the prison world they were sent to (in order to escape Ted’s wrath, a-la Alyssa and her newfound conscious), and they wake up… well, we aren’t quite sure where. All we know is that Landon was able to grab a couple milkshakes (but didn’t see anyone?), and he and Hope made love.

Afterwards, basking in their special moment, Landon starts violently puking up blood, and the episode ends.

So… what happened?!

TV Fanatic’s prediction is that it’s likely “Landon is not supposed to use the Malivore pit as a means of traveling between dimensions”. Additionally, TV Fanatic brings up “the prophecy”:

Another thing to consider is the prophecy. There was something about true love being the greatest danger of all, and given that Hope and Landon had sex for the first time mere moments before his death, could Malivore have made a stipulation that his son would die when he experienced true love? — TV Fanatic

If this all feels very familiar, it’s because it’s a page out of Buffy season 2. In episode 13, “Surprise”, Buffy and Angel make love for the first time, and Angel experiences a moment of “pure happiness”, thus enacting the gypsy curse on his soul to remove his humanity and become the evil, unforgivable Angelus. (And no, this isn’t a spoiler. If you haven’t watched Buffy it its entirety but are watching Legacies… you know better.)

Could this be the introduction of Stefanie Salvatore?

While I agree with several fans that the prison worlds are starting to lose their luster, I’m hopeful that this is all a distraction from an even larger plot twist: Introducing Stefanie Salvatore. It’s (semi) confirmed the daughter of Damon and Elena does indeed exist in this universe, even though we’ve yet to meet her. (See Josie talking about the Salvatore kids in season 1, and then Stefanie specifically in the alternate-universe episode.)

Here’s what we know: It’s likely that the trouble Landon is in is due to the prophecy or some other curse/spell Malivore has on his son. Hope will pull out every stop she has, digging into her family’s ancient, original, magic. I wouldn’t be mad if Aunt Freya made a cameo!

What usually happens when you dig into Mikaelson magic is you uncover loopholes only a Mikaelson would have access to/be aware existed. Like, perhaps… a doppelgänger.

Yes, Elena is now human, as is Damon, but that doesn’t mean buried deep in their daughter’s genes is the doppelgänger magic that could be used to break whatever curse/spell/etc. is hurting Landon. Elena’s blood was used in the ritual to unleash Hope’s father, Klaus’ hybrid-self, and then there’s all of that Traveler lore.

Additionally, Josie’s new storyline is putting her magic away so she can attend Mystic Falls High School and live a magic-free life for a while. Of course, this is where Stefani Salvatore would attend school. Does this mean we’ll get a Decade Dance on Legacies?! Then sign me up!