Legacies Season 3 Ending & Cleo’s Fate Explained

Warning: SPOILERS for the Legacies season 3 finale, “Fate’s A Bitch, Isn’t It?”

Legaciesseason 3 ended with a number of characters’ fates up in the air, namely Landon and Cleo; here’s the ending explained and everything it sets up for Legacies season 4. The third season of Legacies was a bit uneven thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, but as always, defeating Malivore remained the central problem. Two unavoidable truths loomed over the season, the first being that Hope had to die in order to turn into the tribrid and defeat Malivore and the second being that Hope and Landon’s relationship is doomed; they are incompatible with each other as he’s the son of Malivore and she’s fated to destroy it.

Still, the third season found time to wisely expand storylines for other characters, bring new characters into the fold, and increase the visibility of others. The finale saw a number of season-long storylines coming to a head. A few episodes ago, Hope finally faced the inevitable truth of her being fated to die in order to become the tribrid. However, thanks to Clarke, of all unlikely people, she’s learned that she has friends and family she can rely on. Speaking of Clarke, his plan to escape Malivore seems to have worked, as he’s now apparently human and apparently reformed. Unfortunately, it was revealed that Landon wasn’t Landon at all, but Malivore in his body–and now Cleo is trapped in Malivore, as well, after the creature swallowed her whole.

The finale also offered further hope that Josie and Lizzie are growing away from their relationship hangups and codependence on each other. When Finch disappeared to another spot in the school, Josie’s instinctive reaction, as usual, was to worry Finch was mad at her. Finch assured her she wasn’t, but also made it clear she wanted no secrets between them, something Josie hasn’t always been great at doing. Meanwhile, Lizzie actually took a chance on herself and said yes to a date with Ethan, a sign she might be moving on from MG. As for MG and Kaleb, they’ve patched up their friendship and are back to being the dynamic duo, even rescuing some passengers from a car accident. As for Alaric, he’s taken a big step this season and has finally accepted that he can’t be overprotective of his students, evidenced by him sending MG and Kaleb on a mission to track down Cleo and Landon. The slightly uneven Legacies season 3 finale resolved a few questions and raised a number of others, with a few developments in the episode sure to have a major impact on character dynamics next season. Here’s the Legacies season 3 ending explained.

The Landon Double Bait-And-Switch Explained

Legacies season 3 pulled a bait-and-switch with Landon–two, actually. He returned from the prison world in episode 8, “Long Time, No See,” but a few episodes later, in episode 12, “I Was Made To Love You,” it was revealed that it hadn’t actually been the real Landon at all, but a golem of Landon brought to life by Cleo in order for Hope to get over him and focus on her job of becoming the tribrid. However, in the same episode the golem’s identity was revealed, the real Landon actually returned from the prison world. But the show pulled a bait-and-switch again by revealing in the finale that it again wasn’t the real Landon, but Malivore in his body.

The revelation explained a lot. Ever since his return from the prison world, Landon has been different, tougher, more assertive, and with newfound combat skills he didn’t have before. He addressed his change by explaining that in the prison world, he was constantly chased by monsters and he had to learn how to fight if he wanted to stay alive. The experience marked him deeply, but, as it turns out, it was Malivore all along.

The revelation is great from a plot perspective for next season. Malivore created Landon to be his vessel, and it appears the monster has finally achieved his aim. But that begs the question of what happened to Landon, exactly? If he’s still somehow inside his body, then the story will revert to its usual groove of Hope trying to save him, which illustrates the problem with the Malivore twist. For a few seasons, both Hope and Landon have been somewhat stagnant as characters and it was great to see the character viewers were led to believe was Landon finally experiencing some much-needed character growth this season. The revelation that it was never him at all raises the possibility of the show landing right back at square one in regard to Landon’s development if and when the real Landon is saved.

Is Clarke Really Reformed – And Human?

An unexpected twist in the finale was Clarke seemingly being human now. Clarke has been an interesting character throughout Legacies‘ three seasons, a sympathetic figure who has nonetheless been a clear villain at times. As Landon’s half-brother, it’s undeniable Clarke got the short straw when it came to their relationship; while Landon has been able to live his life as a human and unaware of his real parentage for years, Clarke was built by Malivore as a plaything and trapped in Malivore’s darkness almost all his life. But his arc over the past three seasons has seemed to hint at some sort of redemption, with Clarke moving from a straight-up villain, to having uneasy team-ups with Hope and the other students, to now, seemingly, just wanting a chance at a normal life. Beyond helping Hope track down Malivore solely to save himself, he seemed genuinely sad that Hope and Landon didn’t work out. And he should be given credit for giving Hope some motivation and reminding her that no matter what she faces, she has something he never did: friends and family to support her. Likewise, his shock that Hope saved him after Malivore, in Landon’s body, slit his throat and left him bleeding out on the hotel floor also seemed genuine.

The episode set Clarke up to be the newest member of the Salvatore School’s collection of stray kids in Legacies season 4. Still, no one trusts him after the terrible things he’s done in the past, and if Alaric does agree to bring him into the school, Clarke will have to find a way to atone for the hurt he’s inflicted upon the other students. And it can’t be forgotten that Clarke is a master manipulator and Loki-like figure. Even if he is telling the truth, his entire life has been about survival. The big test of whether or not he was truly being sincere in the season 3 finale will be how he responds the next time he’s faced with a choice to do the right thing or to save himself.

What Does Malivore Want?

Malivore seemingly accomplished two of his goals in the Legacies season 3 finale: taking over Landon’s body as his vessel and catching and trapping Cleo. After a scene in which Cleo confronted Landon out in the parking lot, Alaric arrived at the hotel just in time to see Landon’s jaw unhinging and Cleo’s leg disappearing down his gullet, hitting Alaric with the realization it wasn’t Landon at all, but Malivore. Again, that revelation cleared up a number of lingering questions from before, but also a few beats from the finale itself, such as why Cleo’s locator spell to find Malivore didn’t work–if Malivore is right there in the room with her, after all, the map won’t move–and why Hope and Clarke’s own locator spell led them right to Cleo and Landon.

But it also raised just as many new questions. It’s not yet clear why Malivore has let Cleo survive to this point and why he didn’t just trap her in his darkness when he had the chance. For some reason, Malivore not only let her live, but offered to accompany her. Perhaps it was because he wanted to gather more information on any potential plan of Cleo’s that might hurt him. Or perhaps Malivore has the same motivation as his son, Clarke, and yearns to escape his pit entirely. Regardless, Cleo used her powers of inspiration on “Landon,” and his eyes flashed with the telltale golden glow of Cleo’s inspiration working–but what idea occurred to him isn’t yet clear.

Cleo Is Now Trapped In Malivore (& What That Sets Up)

Cleo inspiring Malivore and her now being trapped in Malivore set up two interesting scenarios. For starters, it’s not entirely known how Cleo’s powers of inspiration work. It’s certainly powerful; after all, it inspired Leonardo Da Vinci, but how exactly it manifests hasn’t been explained. Malivore is riding shotgun in Landon’s body, but simultaneously, all the people and monsters Malivore has consumed still reside inside him as Malivore is both a creature and a place, simultaneously. If Cleo hit Malivore with what was obviously a powerful flash of inspiration, it’s entirely possible that at least some residual inspiration affected some of the denizens of Malivore–including the real Landon, if he is, in fact, still trapped inside his own body. With Cleo now also trapped in Malivore, that raises the second interesting possibility that Cleo might actually meet the real Landon inside Malivore. More than once in the finale, Cleo remarked that this new Landon was very different from the old Landon Hope had described to her, foreshadowing that in Legacies season 4, she’ll finally meet the real Landon. With Cleo’s powers of inspiration and Landon being literally made of Malivore, surely the two of them teaming up from the inside will lead to a significant development. Malivore may very much come to regret consuming them both while giving both Cleo and Landon a better Legacies story arc.

The MG-Lizzie-Ethan Love Triangle

Last but not least, Lizzie agreeing to go on a date with Ethan was a small moment that sets up a very interesting dynamic for next season. Poor, plain old human Ethan has been abused throughout the last few seasons. As Josie explained to Finch in the Legacies season 3 finale, “Last year, I did black magic during a football game…and I completely ruined Ethan’s football career. And then this year, MG had to compel Ethan to forget the supernatural world and it cost him their friendship. We have hurt Ethan in so many ways he doesn’t even know and I just don’t want to see him get hurt again.” And Josie’s exactly right. Though what she did to Ethan was an accident, and what MG did to him was done in order to protect him, Ethan has historically had no agency when it comes to the supernatural throughout his time on the show.

That makes a potential romantic relationship between Lizzie and Ethan in Legacies season 4 all the more awkward. If Ethan is around the Salvatore School, the other students will either have to hide their supernatural gifts or eventually, Ethan will find out again–and this time, it would be beyond cruel to compel him to forget again. Beyond that, Lizzie and MG have been dancing around each other romantically for three seasons. Now that Lizzie and Ethan may start dating, it’s bound to bring up really complicated feelings for MG. Not only will he have to see the girl he’d had a crush on for so long dating someone else, but also see her with the guy he was previously close friends with but now doesn’t even remember their history. In a way, it may be like MG is losing two of his best friends simultaneously, and Ethan’s presence will either get Lizzie and MG to finally resolve and let go of their unconsummated feelings for each other, or they’ll realize they’re meant to be together. Either way, the Legacies season 3 finale set up a very complicated three-way friendship dynamic heading into next season. With the finale ending on a cliffhanger of Hope, Josie, Lizzie, MG, Kaleb, and Alaric confronting the newly-caged Malivore, Legacies season 4 is sure to start off with a bang.

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