Legacies Star Is Proud of Hope's 'Tough Decisions' in Season 4 Premiere, But More Landon 'Complications' Lie Ahead

Cleo remained a hot commodity on Thursday’s Legacies premiere, with both Malivore and the Super Squad stopping at nothing to rescue her and/or use her for inspiration to defeat the other. Whichever came first.

The wayward muse’s journey through the bowels of Malivore brought her to an alternate reality modeled after her home village, complete with her mother, her sisters and even her little frog friend. She regaled them with stories about how she’s been inspiring people all over the world, and everything felt right… until Hope and MG snuck into Malivore’s head and crashed the Sowande family reunion. Like a Real Housewives dinner party from hell, the meal immediately went from zero to down-in-flames, with Hope poking holes at the fabricated world until they were were all transported back to the endless darkness.

All of this activity earned the attention of Malivore, who kidnapped Cleo before putting Hope through a little test. He sent her back to the night that Landon’s phoenix powers were activated, offering her a chance to rescue him, so long as she agreed to leave MG bleeding out in the woods. Malivore was certain that she’d take the deal, opting to rescue Landon like she always does, but she surprised him by staying to heal MG.

“I was really excited to see that,” Danielle Rose Russell (aka Hope) tells TVLine. “It’s such a small moment, but it really says a lot about where she is, how much she’s grown and how selfless she’s become. That’s a theme that carries through the first four episodes of the season, leading up to everything coming to a head with Malivore. We’ll see how much she cares about everyone around her — even if that means making some tough decisions about people she loves.”

Lizzie and Josie were able to pull Hope and MG out of Malivore’s head before he could make good on his promise of epic torture, but Cleo was unfortunately left behind in his evil clutches. Feeling defeated, Hope turned to Lizzie during her latest existential crisis, and wound up receiving some surprising words of encouragement. After apologizing for dumping on Hope and Landon’s relationship all the time, Lizzie explained, “You guys have something that I never really had but I’m pretty sure that I want — love.” (I know Lizzie has Ethan now, but am I the only one still devastated that things didn’t work out with Sebastian?)

“Hope and Lizzie have one of my favorite relationships on the show,” Russell says. “It’s beautiful to see how far they’ve come over the last three years. And this is a very adult conversation that they’re having [in the premiere]. Knowing that they’ve both grown to the point where they can have this grounded moment is a beautiful thing to see.”

Of course, a pep talk isn’t the only thing Hope received at the end of the hour. Much to Malivore’s dismay, Cleo apparently gifted Hope with the inspiration she needs to take him down. Now, it’s just a matter of time. The question is: Even if Hope is able to defeat Malivore and save Landon, will things actually go back to normal for them as a couple? And what even is their “normal”?

“The theme of Hope and Landon is just complications,” Russell says. “Right person, never the right time. That’s something that will carry through [these first four episodes], as well. I don’t think there’s a world where they could just go back to the way everything was before. It’s safe to say that there will be a readjustment period where they may have to discover parts of themselves outside of each other.”

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