Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Legacies episode “By The End Of This, You’ll Know Who You Were Meant To be.” Read at your own risk!
Legacies is gearing up for an epic battle against the god Ken, and we’ve already potentially seen the first casualty in the war. After Cleo refused Ken’s offer to hand over Hope, the god exacted vengeance by murdering Kaleb with a stake to the heart. Kaleb is presumably gone, and he might not be the only student to fall before the credits roll on the finale. Lizzie is also apparently destined to die by the end of the series, but will The CW series deliver that other major death before it bows?
The Salvatore students have spent weeks running probabilities with Vardemus’ magical device, and have finally calculated the best way for them to defeat Ken. Unfortunately, the best case scenario that they have to win at this stage is if Lizzie uses her Heretic powers to siphon Ken’s magic when the students trigger a massive explosion. There’s a chance that Lizzie could survive the blast given her abilities, but there’s a better chance that she’d die. Lizzie’s made her peace with this, and after consulting Caroline, Josie (who wasn’t shown on-screen), and Alaric, she’s prepared to lay down her life.
Legacies fans know the stakes but might wonder if the show will actually kill off one of its biggest stars. If there was a new season on the way, I’d say that Lizzie was definitely doomed, but only because this is Legacies and there are so many avenues for characters to resurrect. With the series finale ahead, though, it seems like a bummer ending to send things out with Lizzie dying. Do we really want the show to end knowing MG will be miserable for the rest of his days?
One thing we do know, courtesy of CW Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz, is that Legacies had the heads up that the end could have been nigh. In a press conference before The CW’s upfronts (via TV Guide), Pedowitz confirmed that he told Legacies creator Julie Plec that the show was in danger of cancellation in advance, saying:
I do know from a conversation that I've had with Julie [Plec] that there's a perfectly proper series finale.
In short, the answer on whether Lizzie lives or dies might ultimately fall on what viewers believe Julie Plec, who referred to the cancellations as a “red wedding”, and those involved with the show wanted to do. Keep in mind that The Vampire Diaries killed off Stefan Salvatore in its finale, and The Originals concluded with some big deaths as well, so there is a precedent of major characters dying in the finales of this franchise.
The fact that Lizzie’s death is being so transparently telegraphed, however, definitely makes it seem like she won’t be the one who dies after all. It’s not like statistical probabilities mean much in a fictional show with lots of supernatural elements anyway, so I wouldn’t write any online eulogies for the character just yet.
Legacies airs on The CW on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. There are only a couple of episodes left, so be sure to tune in, and take a look at what other new shows are coming this summer to find something to watch when it’s all over.
