Legacies Review: Do All Malivore Monsters Provide This Level of Emotional Insight? (Season 3 Episode 9)
Hope and Lizzie must get over their bickering to fight an evil gremlin on Legacies Season 3 Episode 9, “Do All Malivore Monsters Provide This Level of Emotional Insight?” Meanwhile, MG tries to make friends on his first day at Mystic Falls High while not exposing himself.
Landon is finally back, and everything is good for Hope, but her relationship with Lizzie is severely strained after she attempts to give Josie black magic again. When it comes to Landon, there is virtually nothing Hope won’t do to get him back, including risking her own life. It’s a family trait that won’t be going away anytime soon.
Hope’s actions are what caused the issue, but it’s her inability to apologize and own up to her actions that continue to increase the hostility of it all.
Lizzie has had her fair share of bad mistakes and issues with owning up, but Hope deliberately tried to coerce Josie into using black magic again. Josie could have died, and Hope should understand where Lizzie is coming from to give a heartfelt apology.
The monster of the week is a Gremlin who likes to feed on the disrespect of others, and between Hope and Lizzie, he’s getting a four-course meal. Its super-speed and ability to cause drama is a perfect duo to cause trouble and allow him to gain in size. However, it’s also an excellent reason for Hope and Lizzie to reconcile.
Landon is right. Hope and Lizzie are more alike than they’d like to admit, and with Josie gone, it’s clear that Hope is becoming her replacement for Lizzie, and Lizzie is trying to manage to get used to it.
Lizzie and Hope may have made up for now, but I want to see Hope and Josie have a heart-to-heart.
Josie is in her self-growth phase and trying not to hold grudges or get involved with powers, which is why she and Hope need to talk. Josie is the one who almost had her entire life ripped from her again, and Hope was going to allow it to happen. Even if Josie doesn’t think it’s a significant deal, it is and very well could leave lasting effects on her.
The real sweet spot to “Do All Malivore Monsters Provide This Level of Emotional Insight” for me is MG and Ethan’s connection. MG feels like he doesn’t have anyone down for him after what happened at the boarding school, so he takes a note from Josie and moves schools.
It’s clear that his intentions and Josie’s intentions for being at the school are complete opposites, but a change of environment may be just what MG needs.
After all, being the popular new kid can always be a confidence boost. However, that’s not who MG truly is; he’s a nerd at heart, and deep down, so is Ethan.
Ethan has been a supporting character for a hot minute, but there hasn’t been any real emotional connection to him for the fans to grab on to. His vulnerability with MG and openness allows us to see a different side of him that we wouldn’t usually see.
With Ethan’s character being bumped to series regular, I think that bringing him in on the secret of vampires will be a decent twist. I don’t doubt that his curiosity will lead him to research more than just vampires, which will put Josie at risk of being exposed as well. The real question being: can he be trusted to stay quiet?
I don’t want to get too excited about the potential new dynamic duo because all it takes is one episode for that to go up in flames, and Alyssa Chang’s storyline is an excellent example of that.
Other Thoughts:
- I love that Josie is finally talking to Alaric about her interest in girls because Alaric’s character has been a dumpster fire lately, and I’d like to see him be more of a parent. His shenanigans as the substitute this week are gold.
- Josie confirms that she is staying with “Aunt Elena” in Mystic Falls at the old Gilbert home, which means it’s time I finally watch the last season of TVD to comprehend this interaction fully.
- Clark is seen at the beginning of the episode chasing after Albert Einstein because of an artifact he possesses, but how? Can he now jump through time, or was he there in real-time for when Einstein was alive? I need more information about this in next week’s episode.
What did you think of this episode of Legacies? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Legacies airs Thursdays at 10/9c on The CW.
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Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.