S01.E03: We're Being Punked, Pedro

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

As punishment for breaking the rules, Hope, Lizzie, Josie, and MG are forced to participate in a community service project in the Mystic Falls town square. Meanwhile, Landon and Rafael's attempt at a carefree life on the road takes a dangerous turn when they become unsuspecting targets. Finally, Alaric realizes that keeping secrets from his students may be causing more harm than good.

Promo:

Original air date: 11/8/18

[UNOSEZ]

Yo.. Rafael.. That dude Landon is a snake... Keep away... Old buddy was super quick to use ur wolf to make bank.. Then hides the fact you may be in danger.. Then after he gets caught.. Runs some old reverse psychology "ur better off without me" bullshit and you keep him around... Smh

MG.. Watch out for Kaleb.. Dude is a wild vamp... 

As for the rest... I'm enjoying it

[Lady Calypso]

So, I'm not sure why, but I think I enjoy Lizzie and Rafael the most out of the entire cast. Lizzie, in particular, is so fascinating to watch.

I don't mind Josie, and I did like her and Hope bonding a bit.

The Gargoyle stuff was surprisingly freaky. I enjoyed it a lot.

Hi Jeremy! I think you're supposed to be in your thirties by now. 

The vamp stuff? Meh. I guess I don't enjoy it because I've had about thirteen seasons in total of vamps being in the center of things, so I'm all vamped out. 

Alaric had some strong moments here. I forgot he's human because he looks exactly the same. 

[UNOSEZ]

24 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Not sure why, but I think I enjoy Lizzie and Rafael the most out of the entire cast. Lizzie, in particular, is so fascinating to watch.

Lizzie is the top spot for me.. But no. 2 is MG cuz GE seems like a good person without being too goody goody... RAF is in a tie for third with Hope.. But both of them are downgraded in my eyes because they seem enamored with Landon... Who has yet to show me anything worth caring about in a positive light and already shown more than a little to view negatively... Penelope and Prob Kaleb won't be featured as much so while interesting and potential foils they may only pop up ever so often.. Josie is ok.. But she comes off as a  martyr/pushover... But Landon so far is the worst... That letter he wrote to hope was arrrgh.. Like 390 words to show you I have a soul.. Now plz sleep with me.. Hes treated RAF oddly... Naw he can't be my lead male.. 

[Minneapple]

So far Lizzie is my favorite character on this show. I don't mind Josie sometimes -- I like when she called out Lizzie about throwing her under the bus -- but she really does come off as "woe is me" an awful lot. Also, poor Hope. Josie was basically like "YOU SHOULD HAVE LET HER DIE, DAD." But honestly so far the relationship between those three girls is the highlight of the show.

Landon remains super sketchy. He seems really manipulative. This may be one of those cases of the writers thinking they're writing a character one way but he's actually coming off another way. 

Jeremy! Love the old skool Vampire Diaries shoutouts.

I liked the gargoyle. Between this and the dragon last week the effects and mythical creatures have been quite impressive. Well done, visual effects department.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Minneapple

[Check Sanity]

2 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Lizzie is the top spot for me.. But no. 2 is MG cuz GE seems like a good person without being too goody goody... RAF is in a tie for third with Hope.. But both of them are downgraded in my eyes because they seem enamored with Landon... Who has yet to show me anything worth caring about in a positive light and already shown more than a little to view negatively... Penelope and Prob Kaleb won't be featured as much so while interesting and potential foils they may only pop up ever so often.. Josie is ok.. But she comes off as a  martyr/pushover... But Landon so far is the worst... That letter he wrote to hope was arrrgh.. Like 390 words to show you I have a soul.. Now plz sleep with me.. Hes treated RAF oddly... Naw he can't be my lead male.. 

I saw you wrote this on tvline too. I'm curious if you watched the episode of The Originals that Landon was introduced in. So far Landon has shown typical signs of an abused foster kid. Alaric wasn't really helpful or realistic in regards to how he dealt with Landon's predicament. Nothing about Landon's behaviour has shown him trying to get into Hope's pants in some creepy or even usual teen boy awkward way. His behaviour with Raphael was reasonable, he tried to put Raphael's well being first in the premiere by leaving without a fuss. In this episode when he saw the note his explanation of "freezing" makes sense, and after seeing Hope he was shaken into moving.
Plus as a viewer the explanation he gave about the knife in terms of everything else that's been going on with "things that aren't supposed to be real" happening, also makes sense. That knife clearly is calling out to certain types of supernatural beings. Landon and his lack of being able to be compelled means he's likely more than human, and with the upbringing he's had, there's a slim chance he's aware of it. 

44 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

So far Lizzie is my favorite character on this show. I don't mind Josie sometimes -- I like when she called out Lizzie about throwing her under the bus -- but she really does come off as "woe is me" an awful lot. Also, poor Hope. Josie was basically like "YOU SHOULD HAVE LET HER DIE, DAD." But honestly so far the relationship between those three girls is the highlight of the show.

Landon remains super sketchy. He seems really manipulative. This may be one of those cases of the writers thinking they're writing a character one way but he's actually coming off another way. 

 

1

I don't think Josie is any more "woe is me" than Lizzie. Josie internalizes it and sure shows it in puppy dog eyes, but that's less irritating than the constant temper tantrums that Lizzie throws. I'm inclined to believe people like Lizzie more because of how much she reminds them of Caroline and the one-liners she gets (which I admit are fun). 

I'm not seeing Landon's behaviour as manipulation. However, I also tend to flip between watching things from the point of view of being immersed in the story but also from that of a writer. 

I'm concerned about Kaleb's vamp superiority line of thinking and wished he'd got to hear Jeremy's point to Raphael about those gifts not necessarily meaning the supernatural has the upper hand when there are hunters, etc. Plus with all these "not supposed to exist" creatures coming out of the woodwork... I'm waiting for Kaleb to be disabused of this notion real quick. Just hopefully not by way of death. Especially since that teacher seems not too long for this world now that he has the knife and Alaric said he trusts him. He was very right to demand a raise and benefits, though I don't think that'll save him. 

Oh! Also yay for a mention and some explanation for Caroline's whereabouts! Recruitment. I'm still curious how that works considering some of these kids would clearly have parents still alive. I'm not sure how they'd feel safe having their kids there after the gargoyle and now with other creatures likely coming to attack the school.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Check Sanity
typo

[Lady Calypso]

4 hours ago, Check Sanity said:

I don't think Josie is any more "woe is me" than Lizzie. Josie internalizes it and sure shows it in puppy dog eyes, but that's less irritating than the constant temper tantrums that Lizzie throws. I'm inclined to believe people like Lizzie more because of how much she reminds them of Caroline and the one-liners she gets (which I admit are fun). 

Well, for me, I actually stopped liking Caroline around season 4 of TVD but even before that, I was never a huge fan. The most I liked her was when she first turned into a vampire in season 2 and subsequently got together with Tyler to help him with being a werewolf. Plus, I don't see Lizzie being that much like Caroline. I guess, for me, I find Lizzie fascinating and fun to watch BECAUSE of the constant temper tantrums, because she's so unpredictable. I admit it might get more annoying later on but for now, it's entertaining for me. 

I totally get why Josie is the way that she is. It's clear that she's the quieter one and has had to suffer under the shadow of her sister because Lizzie doesn't internalize things. That's why I like Josie...I just like Lizzie a bit more. I see what Josie's story is going to be this season. She's going to work on breaking out from under her sister and be in the spotlight. I'm hoping the story is done well. 

My favourites go Lizzie, Rafael, Josie, Hope, Penelope, and then MG. The ONLY reason why MG isn't higher on my list at the moment is because I'm getting really tired of vampires. He's a really nice guy otherwise and I certainly don't hate him. TVD and The Originals have just wiped me out with vampires at the moment. 

[UNOSEZ]

After reading @Check Sanity I'm willing to give the writers a bit more time with Landon.. If they plan on explaining his actions better... But as it stands right now its not fun to watch... Especially if he's supposed to be the male lead.... As for Josie I feel like maybe ppl don't mind her internalizing or even being sad about things.. But the show constantly let's us see her make it known she's being calm.. But is sad.. But she's taking the pain for others.. And after a while that feels like martyrdom 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Haha, when did they put in a pond behind the Salvatore mansion?

Lizzie totally acts like the privileged daughter of the headmaster. She KNEW why they were being punished (starting a fight at the annual football game) but she had the nerve to ask why they were being punished, and to top it off she was practically yelling at the top of her lungs as they tromped through the library. Never mind all the students who were in there trying to study! I noticed most of them took one look and then got the hell out of there so this must be a common occurrence. And then Lizzie had the nerve to try to blame Josie for the fight at the football game!

Somehow Alaric and Dorian thought the best way to have everyone do their community service was just to drop them off in the middle of Mystic Falls without any adult supervision and hope that the students being punished would all control themselves right after they didn't control themselves at the game? You don't just hand one kid a shovel and then leave!

When Emma said, "So in addition to father, teacher, mentor, you've also added linguist, slayer of mythical creatures, and demolitions expert to your resume," I just laughed. No, Emma, he's been doing all of those things for years! All of that stuff is already on his resume.

Lizzie, it only takes a second to slam the front door shut when a magical gargoyle is chasing you! And the gargoyle gave her grayscale? Like on Game of Thrones?

How did Lizzie get back to the school after Connor threw a milkshake at her? Did she just walk? Call an Uber? Hitchhike? Teleport? Use the flue network?

Awwww, Jeremy! I wish I hadn't seen his name in the credits at the beginning of the episode so that it would have been a surprise, but I'll take the TVD guest stars when I can.

It's kind of ludicrous that the show waited until the third episode for anyone to even mention Caroline. I'm fine with her not being a main character but since she is Lizzie and Josie's mom, you'd think she would have been mentioned sooner. Just the one sentence we got this week was enough of an explanation and should have been said by someone in the first episode so that people didn't keep asking where the hell she was.

Kaleb is definitely going to be trouble with that attitude. Maybe Jeremy needs to pay him a visit too.

I've been enjoying the MOTW stuff with the dragon and the gargoyle which has been kind of Buffyesque for me.

[Gwen-Stacys]

3 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Lizzie, it only takes a second to slam the front door shut when a magical gargoyle is chasing you! And the gargoyle gave her grayscale? Like on Game of Thrones?

How did Lizzie get back to the school after Connor threw a milkshake at her? Did she just walk? Call an Uber? Hitchhike? Teleport? Use the flue network?

I had these exact same questions! For the first one, I just chalk that up to movie/tv logic. No one ever closes and locks the door unless the writers are making the point that they're the smart and capable character. And the other, I can fanwank that there was more than 1 superviser and they drove Lizzie back. 

I don't agree with people's assessment that Hope is the Elena of the show. She has too much of her parent's in her and I doubt she'd ever come off as a damsel or even helpless. She's prickly and standoffish, and Alaric stubbornly spending time with her that he should be spending with his daughters has more to do with her father than her as a person. She's not even the one all the boys are after. If anyone's the Elena, it's Rafael. 

Landon doesn't bother me, but I don't like his relationship with Hope. He's a foster kid with a fucked up childhood, he's bound to be offputting. That's par for the course with most (not all) kids in the system. If you've ever worked with them....you kind of learn to give them a lot of leeway, I can't explain it. He makes sense to me, just not for Hope. He's too wishy-washy for her. Josie, on the other hand (but I don't they'd go there). 

I'm waiting for the Salvatore kids to go off on the Mystic Falls kid. Especially the blonde dude. I don't remember the kids at MF High School being assholes just because. And it can't be a money, thing. Aren't there other wealthy kids in the area? Or was that just the Salvatores and Lockwoods with money?

Jeremy's still looking good. That is all.

For me right now, my character ranking is: Hope, Josie, Raf, Landon/Lizzie, MG, Jeremy (he needs to recurring!)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

16 minutes ago, Gwen-Stacys said:

Jeremy (he needs to recurring!)

I'd totally be down to have him pop in every few episodes to tell one of the characters that they're dumb and they suck (which was basically all he told Rafael and Landon).

[UNOSEZ]

1 hour ago, Gwen-Stacys said:

He makes sense to me, just not for Hope. He's too wishy-washy for her.

That's what drove him and her down in Myers ranking.. Is the fact I kniw the show is gonna smash them together like a particle accelerator and I think it'll make both characters suffer.. Because he's probably gonna continue to be iffy and she's gonna spend valuable screen time dealing with it... He may be better off with Josie.. Or for right now alone till we figure out who he is.. If its because of his crummy past ( which I think a bunch of these kids may have) fine but he's gotta unpack that before jumping into a screen-gobbling romance with the lead.. If not he'll make dumb decisions that we can all see are wrong and suck her down with him... The show should go RAF/Hope for all the chaos that would bring... And because in about 2.5 scenes together they smoked up the joint

[ursula]

Someone needs to start keeping score of all the inappropriate exchanges between Hope and Alaric.

So I had seen the promo photos but I still legit SCREAMED when I saw Jeremy Beefcake Gilbert looking like a badass snack in that hoodie and scruff. 

I didn't watch it live but I got caught up this morning (thank you Network gods for TheCW app) and I stayed off all spoilers for a grand total of 4 hours and everything was worth it.

11 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Yo.. Rafael.. That dude Landon is a snake... Keep away... Old buddy was super quick to use ur wolf to make bank.. Then hides the fact you may be in danger.. Then after he gets caught.. Runs some old reverse psychology "ur better off without me" bullshit and you keep him around... Smh

Yeah, glad to know that I'm not the only one feeling the anti-Landon vibe. Like the problem with the "he's an abused foster kid" argument is that Raf was an abused foster kid too so it's hard to have a lot of sympathy for Landon when his so-called BFF that he's pimping out and lying to had it just as rough as him. 

I do believe him about the knife. It's beyond ridiculous for him to keep lying about it at this point in the story. And we know from post-episode interviews from Plec that Landon is supernatural - he's not a human immune to compulsion like the late Papa Caroline was. But without that information, there's no hard evidence that Landon is supernatural.

Anyway, I feel that if the show had guts, it should make Hope/Lizzie a thing. 

 

Also, I think the knife's introduction is beyond clunky. I wish they had come up with a more exciting way to bring it into play. 

Also, I'm sorry but I have to say that MG compelling that girl because making out with her was "taking advantage of her" was beyond irritating. By her own words, she was making out with him to make her bff's boyfriend notice her. So it sounded like Mutual opportunity taking advantage off in that situation. Him now suddenly feeling guilty - when he had been willing 5 minutes ago to use her to get Lizzie's attention - was tacky, Puritanical, and honestly, sounded a bit like white feminism, making her out to be the victim of the scary black guy. 

Talking about scary black guys.... The snatch-and-grab Vamp Dude was talking about Lebron... In 2029. I mean, I know the guy is legend, but someone in continuity obviously goofed. 

Edited November 9, 2018 by ursula

[HunterHunted]

13 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

The Gargoyle stuff was surprisingly freaky. I enjoyed it a lot.

Luckily for the gargoyle no one at the Salvatore School of Werewolves, Witchcraft, Vampires, and Other Supernatural Ephemera (to be defined at a later date and promptly forgotten about) has ever seen a Doctor Who episode featuring the Weeping Angels.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, ursula said:

Talking about scary black guys.... The snatch-and-grab Vamp Dude was talking about Lebron... In 2029. I mean, I know the guy is legend, but someone in continuity obviously goofed. 

Ha, this made me laugh! Then I had to google to see where the hell on the timeline Legacies takes place. According to the internet, it's now 2026 so I guess LeBron could still be playing at the ripe old age of 41.

14 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Hi Jeremy! I think you're supposed to be in your thirties by now. 

Jeremy was born in 1994 so he should be 32 now. Since I had to look that up, I also checked on the other characters' ages and, not surprisingly, things don't quite add up. Alaric was born in 1976 so he is now 50. Caroline was born in 1992 so she is 34. Hope was born in 2012 so she should be 14 but on The Originals, Freya mentioned that Hope was 15. Lizzie and Josie were born in 2014 so they are supposed to be 12 but like most soap operas, they are conveniently aged up so they're closer in age to Hope.

[ursula]

33 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Hope was born in 2012 so she should be 14 but on The Originals, Freya mentioned that Hope was 15. Lizzie and Josie were born in 2014 so they are supposed to be 12 but like most soap operas, they are conveniently aged up so they're closer in age to Hope.

Wait, what year are you using as present day? In 2029, Hope would be 17 and the twins 15 which they are on the show. That's why they used younger actors to play Lizzie/Josie during their scene in the Originals season 5. Legacies starts 2 years after Klaus died. 

[RachelKM]

30 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Jeremy was born in 1994 so he should be 32 now. Since I had to look that up, I also checked on the other characters' ages and, not surprisingly, things don't quite add up. Alaric was born in 1976 so he is now 50. Caroline was born in 1992 so she is 34. Hope was born in 2012 so she should be 14 but on The Originals, Freya mentioned that Hope was 15. Lizzie and Josie were born in 2014 so they are supposed to be 12 but like most soap operas, they are conveniently aged up so they're closer in age to Hope.

The VD/O/L timelines confuse the shit out of me.  It was 2009/10 in Mystic Falls for, like, 3 or 4 seasons. I think Hope was actually born in 2011 if the Originals was in the same timeline as Vampire Diaries. And I think the twins would have been born in  There were two time jumps, a 3 year and then a 6 year (I think), that I recall and they were both after Hope and the twins were born.  At any rate, Lizzie and Josie should be 2 years younger than Hope. 

It was nice to see Jeremy again.  I like Lizzie, Rafael, MG, and Josie. I mostly like Hope, more when she's not being angsty and sullen (not that she hasn't earned it, but it's not fun to watched even if justified). It was nice to see her and Josie acting more like teens who have essentially grown up together (which is what they are) and to see Hope smile. 

Landon is annoying and a dick.  I'm not sure whether its the writing or the acting or both.  But if he is supposed to sympathetic, it's a miss.  Like, I get that he has trust issues and has had a hard life.  But a dick is a dick.  And the actor is not nearly charismatic enough to make asshat work.

Also... Vampire Football dude is awful. I'm not sure what the show wants to show with him, but I hope it's dealt with soon.

[UNOSEZ]

34 minutes ago, RachelKM said:

Also... Vampire Football dude is awful. I'm not sure what the show wants to show with him, but I hope it's dealt with soon.

Awful may be a bit too far right now.. But he's trending towards more bad than good.. I mean I haven't seen him murder anyone yet.. As all the other "heroes" in the TVD/ORI  universe have.. But he is def annoyed at being forced to be keas than all he can be.. It could be an interesting story there.. With his loss of football and well still being a black kid... Dunno how the show is gonna handle it.. But I do appreciate a less than noble black guy... They barely existed at all in TVD and were usually super noble... So a Grey/black hat black guy is progress to me  

[RachelKM]

8 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

Awful may be a bit too far right now.. But he's trending towards more bad than good.. I mean I haven't seen him murder anyone yet.. As all the other "heroes" in the TVD/ORI  universe have.. But he is def annoyed at being forced to be keas than all he can be.. It could be an interesting story there.. With his loss of football and well still being a black kid... Dunno how the show is gonna handle it.. But I do appreciate a less than noble black guy... They barely existed at all in TVD and were usually super noble... So a Grey/black hat black guy is progress to me  

I meant awful more in the sense of coming off as a shitty person and terribly written. He certainly doesn't have any body count that we're aware of.  But his whole vibe and the Vamps over Tramps thing had a very rapey feel.  I didn't like his attitude, his actions, or his bro-ing MG into covering. But also, he seems like a hamfisted Rape Culture Athlete stereotype, like he's just there to be That Guy.

Edited November 9, 2018 by RachelKM

[UNOSEZ]

41 minutes ago, RachelKM said:

But also, he seems like a hamfisted Rape Culture Athlete stereotype, like he's just there to be That Guy.

They could very well go there.. But I hope they don't.. But if he just continues to be like  vamp who doesn't really care for humans..  I won't be a fan... But I won't hate him...  Or if he's a morality foil like it seems Penelope might be I could go for that.. From the previews it seems he'll be in the storyline next week so I may just wait and see how they use him and then make a decision 

[ketose]

I'm pretty sure Landon is the hero of the world or whatever the blade does. That way, he can be in the main cast with the rest of them next season. I guess Caroline is on a scouting mission. I wonder if she ever comes back.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The one who wields the dragon knife has the power to save the world or possibly end all life as we know it. I wouldn't say no to Buffy stopping by to help stop an apocalypse or two. Just please don't start using the word "champion" or turn the knife into a gaudy necklace.

[AngelKitty]

Landon is an asshole and I WANT TO SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD. Sorry, that was my Walking Dead persona coming out for a moment.

Ooh, there's another adult.

Finally a Caroline mention.

Josie reminds me of The Good Witch daughter, but she always looks so sad. I hope she smiles more.

Lizzie is but a shade of Caroline's snarky attitude of entitlement.

I really don't know how they think they can control the teen vamps. And how old are these vamps? Were they turned, like, yesterday?

[Rushmoras]

I liked this Gargoyle centric episode better than the last one at least. Also liked that there was very little teenage drama. Would be funny, if in the end of this episode, Damon is the one killing people (sure, he's dead and all (probably), but since when did that stop him) xD

[ursula]

50 minutes ago, Rushmoras said:

I liked this Gargoyle centric episode better than the last one at least. Also liked that there was very little teenage drama. Would be funny, if in the end of this episode, Damon is the one killing people (sure, he's dead and all (probably), but since when did that stop him) xD

I've always felt that TVD missed a golden opportunity in season 8 to have the show go full circle and make Damon the Final Big Bad. 

But IMO, the most likely chance of Voldemort Series Big Bad is Kai Parker.  But that could also depend on how Hope-centric they want the show to be. It makes sense from a TVD-perspective because of his link to the Gemini twins, and Alaric and even Mystic Falls in a sense. But there's no straight-through link to Hope except as an enemy for her to vanquish. Which I guess is why we have Landon and the Knife and this new mythology. Technically speaking, the greatest evil in Hope's life was the Hollow (and arguably her own father) and they're both dead. There are no more monsters out there for her so they need to invent some more. 

[Josie means Love]

On 11/16/2018 at 7:46 PM, Rushmoras said:

I liked this Gargoyle centric episode better than the last one at least. Also liked that there was very little teenage drama. Would be funny, if in the end of this episode, Damon is the one killing people (sure, he's dead and all (probably), but since when did that stop him) xD

Haha, no, he's not dead. He was 25 when he was turned, and, of course, when he was cured (same as Elena, as she's also 25 at the end of TVD). And as he was cured in 2018, he and Elena should both be 36 in Legacies. I'm really hoping we can see them at some point, at least Damon, because I don't know if Nina's ever coming back after the TVD finale. The show's awesome, but it would've been ever better if Bonnie and Caroline were recurring characters. I mean, Bonnie's grams was a professor, so Bonnie could've been a teacher in school. Not to mention that she's the perfect mentor for the twins... Caroline doesn't even need explanation.

[phoenix780]

I'm struggling with this show. I want to like it, but it's so bad it's almost a parody of this genre. Or, is that what it is? Are they mocking supernatural/teen dramas? 

It's making me wonder if the original show was bad and I just didn't realize it. But I'll still watch, because...it could get good at some point. 

[beeemkcl]

RESPONSES TO THE THREAD:

* Mystic Falls High School is a public school. I’m not sure how they could consider themselves ‘higher class’ than the local boarding school students.

The Gilberts had ‘primary doctor’ money. The Gilberts had a lake house. The Salvatores had real generational wealth and Stefan Salvatore simply went to Mystic Falls High to be around Elena.

The Lockwoods were wealthy and it seems Tyler went to Mystic Falls High School for the good of the political family.

The Mikaelsons are truly wealthy though—albeit money was never spread out over more than 7-8 people or whatever.

* Raf and Landon both grew up as foster kids together; however, Raf is tall, good-looking, and athletic. Landon probably got ‘picked on’ and Raf probably didn’t.

* I’m not sure how the pay would work for someone like Nina Dobrev to show up in Legacies. That may brush the “Very Special Guest Star” status.

Klaus never liked Damon Salvatore and it is doubtful Hope Mikaelson would like Damon. It’s unnecessary to cause tension between Hope and Alaric to have Damon show up.