Legacies Season 2 Episode 12 Review: Kai Parker Screwed Us
Paul Dailly
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That was refreshing.
Legacies Season 2 Episode 12 threw it all the way back to The Vampire Diaries, delivering an installment that paid homage to the show that started the franchise, while also progressing a plot that was one of the franchise's best.
Love him or hate him, Kai Parker makes for good TV, and that's mostly due to the way Chris Wood embodies the character with every fiber of his being.
The character has been stuck in the prison world for over a decade, but Wood slipped flawlessly back into the role.
You would think Kai would be rehabilitated somewhat, but there are some people who don't respond well to being left alone. Kai is one of those people, and he'll be a killer for every day he lives.
Initially, it seemed like he had been softened during his years of solitude, but I let out the biggest sigh of relief when we learned that he had been playing Josie from the jump.
It was typical of Kai to amass a trio of followers during his latest stint in the prison world, and the fault for this lands squarely on Alaric.
Alaric: I need you to go to the meadow and get the sand clock before anyone else finds it. Then, I need you to come back here -- and hide. And stay hidden.
Josie: Dad, this is all my fault. If I hadn't done black magic in the first place, we would have never been in this mess.
Alaric: We all make mistakes.
The vampire, the witch, and the werewolf pulled off a heinous crime, murdering people from Mystic Falls, but Alaric failed to find out why they did the deed before banishing them to a prison world.
As the leader of the Salvatore School, he has to make tough decisions to ensure the safety of people inside the school and beyond. He took action first, before really coming to terms with his decision.
There was no reason to murder the people who opposed Jade, Wendy, and the werewolf, but when supernatural beings are pushed to the limit, they will react.
For Jade, this highlighted the fact that she was a ripper, even if she felt remorseful when the brutal slaying was carried out ten years before.
Instead of trying to find a way to get through to the teenagers, banishing them to the prison world did them more harm than good, and that's why Josie, Lizzie, and Alaric were offered up as new toys for them to play with.
Kai: Welcome. I call it Fort Parker. It's a bit moldy, but also rent-controlled, so I don't want to complain. Flavored vodka? It's no Zima, but then again, nothing is.
Josie: You're Kai Parker.
Kai: Oh, I am, and you are one of the Saltzman twins. I can smell the Gemini on you. The real question is ... are you Linda or Joanie? I can never tell you two apart.
Josie: I'm Josie. Named after my mom, who you killed.
Kai: Okay, here we go. Technically, I was trying to kill you and your sister, but that's all over now, so I say we move on.
Josie: Move on? You're a monster.
Kai: A monster would have let you die. That vampire who tried to turn you into a Capri Sun, she's the real monster. Her and her cronies run this world.
Josie and Kai's scenes were the highlights because Josie has so much hatred towards the man who murdered her mother.
The witty one-liners between the pair helped drive home the fact that these two could be a formidable force if they ever worked together.
I appreciated Josie making the miniature vodka bottle look like a vial filled with Bonnie's blood. It's like she ripped that one straight from her devious uncle's playbook.
The sheer terror on Kai's face when he realized he had been played by someone he tried to kill several years earlier was too much for Kai, and he was ready to give it all up.
Jumping into the Malivore pit was a surprise, mostly because he's never struck me as the type of person who would like to be wiped from existence, but it further proved how desperate he was to move on with his life.
Who is out there tonight? Is it Damon, Bon-Bon, Katherine? Well, whoever you are, that one goes out to Alaric Saltzman because he's the reason I am walking, talking, and singing, which I know we are all grateful for. So, thanks to Ric for dumping a bunch of students you couldn't control over here, because the second they got bored, they woke me up. Or, is that you, Ric? No, no, it can't be. You wouldn't be dumb enough to come here and check up on me would you? No, but grief is complicated, right? Widowers do strange things.
Now that he's awoken in the Salvatore crypt in the real world, he's going to cause carnage. Damon, Elena, Bonnie, and every single staff member and student at the school should be afraid.
Maybe this will be the storyline that allows Hope to use her powers that have mostly been stifled in this spinoff.
It's surprising that the finest episode of Legacies did not include Hope Mikaelson, but "Kai Parker Screwed Us" was one for diehard fans of The Vampire Diaries, so it makes the terrible fight to take down Cupin on Legacies Season 2 Episode 11 a little bit more believable.
Kai manipulating Josie into breaking the mora miserium was predictable because there had to be a plot that allowed the teenager to unleash her darkness.
The hourglass breaking had a surprising ramification for Josie with her being knocked out cold as a result. It's likely we're supposed to believe that Lizzie could die with Sebastian's blood in her system and to return as a vampire.
Would this really solve the Gemini Twin merge plot? It seems unlikely it would be that easy, especially with the plot feeling like it could span the entirety of the series.
But let's speak about Lizzie and Sebastian, because that was some bananas storytelling! Sebastian is a crafty vampire who has been joined to Lizzie's hip since bumping into her early into Legacies Season 2.
A love story was definitely brewing, but him wanting to make her a vampire was horrible. He should have been open and honest with her about his intentions because I'm not even sure he likes Lizzie for who she is.
He mistook Lizzie for his ex, proving that he was still clinging on to the past. This also made me wonder whether Lizzie looked similar to this ex-girlfriend, or if there's another doppelganger on the loose.
Alaric: You.
Kai: What can I say? I'm all heart. Hey, look at this, we're beard bros!
If you watched The Vampire Diaries online, you know that show brought a unique doppelganger plot to the forefront, before turning it into one of the most-used plot devices on the show.
Initially, I thought Lizzie killed Sebastian when she used her siphoning abilities, but with her taking him back towards the school, it's more likely she desiccated him to lock him back up.
Either way, this storyline will need to be addressed on Legacies Season 2 Episode 13.
What did you think of the big episode? Did you like Chris Wood as Kai? What do you think will happen with the merge now? Oh, and were you shocked to learn Bonnie is married?
Hit the comments.
Remember you can watch Legacies online right here via TV Fanatic.
Legacies airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
