#ThisChristmasWasSurprisinglyViolent

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Season 2 Episode 8 “This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent” Promotional Pictures 1/2.

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The CW has released some more photos from the Mid-Season Finale episode "This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent!”

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Season 2 Episode 8 “This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent” Promotional Pictures 2/2.

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Bah. Humbug

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Legacies Finally Revealed Who Is Under That Red Hood

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of Legacies, "This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent." Read at your own risk!]

Ho-ho-holy crap! Christmas was 10 kinds of crazy at the Salvatore School. The midseason finale of Legacies took a small detour into absurdity by bringing both a Krampus and the actual Santa Claus to town, and the showdown between the two "monsters" was, like the episode title forewarned, surprisingly violent.

Besides a Christmas-themed showdown, the episode also brought some closure to the love triangle between Hope (Danielle Rose Russell), Landon (Aria Shahghasemi), and Josie (Kaylee Bryant). After returning to school, Landon finally made his decision between the two girls who are kind of perfect for him, and whether you love or hate his choice, you have to admire the epically romantic speeches he gave to both girls. In the end, Landon chose Hope, as we all kind of knew he would. It's hard to deny your first love, after all.

The Christmas cheer didn't last long, though, since the midseason finale also revealed just who has been under that red hood all season, and honestly, we're ashamed we didn't see this coming. A fan-favorite monster from last year, the Necromancer (Ben Geurens), turned out to be the one beneath the cloak! The control of zombies and other various dead body parts should have been the first and biggest clue that he was masterminding this whole thing, but alas, Legacies pulled one over on all of us!

What exactly the Necromancer is doing in Mystic Falls is anyone's guess, but he certainly seems to have an agenda involving Malivore. Is he seeking retribution for being gobbled up all those years ago? Or is he just the latest in a long line of servants Malivore has at its disposal?

We'll have to wait until the show returns to find out!

Legacies will return Thursday, Jan. 16 at 9/8c on The CW.

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Hope Isn't Feeling the Christmas Cheer in This Legacies Sneak Peek

The Christmas spirit has invaded the Salvatore School in the next episode of Legacies! Too bad it hasn't quite made its way to Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) yet...

In this exclusive sneak peek at Legacies' Christmas episode, airing Thursday, Hope isn't exactly amped up for the most wonderful time of the year, even if the rest of the school is (caroling witches included). Rather than joining in the holiday cheer, Hope is determined to find out which monster is causing everyone at the school to be so Santa-mental, and the most likely suspects on her list include Jack Frost, Heat Miser, the Yeti, the Grinch, and Frosty the Snowman. Honestly, we're a little disappointed the Ghost of Christmas Past isn't on her list.

It looks like Hope might be on the right track considering what Julie Plec told TV Guide of the episode. "We're very excited about it," Plec said. "It's hilarious. It's super Christmas-y. All I can say about it is it's not actually set on Christmas. So you have to say, 'What is making the Christmas spirit supernaturally infect Mystic Falls?'"

Show of hands, who thinks an evil version of Santa could show up and make a grab for Landon (Aria Shahghasemi)? Make sure to tune in for this episode — Yule be sorry if you miss it!

Legacies airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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'Tis the season.

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Sweater weather.

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Legacies | Season 2 Episode 8 | This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent Promo | The CW

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Legacies | Season 2 Episode 8 | This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent Scene | The CW

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The power of hot cocoa.

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It’s not just a stranger they met in the woods.

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❄️ Snow day! ❄️ Due to this delightful winter storm, classes have been suspended for the rest of the day. Enjoy the festive weather!

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Get into the holiday spirit during the midseason finale tonight at 9/8c!

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Someone get him his crossbow.

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Legacies Recap: Fall Finale Brings Sex, Santa Claus and a Surprise Return

Thursday’s Legacies found the students dreaming of a white Christmas, blissfully unaware of the holly jolly nightmare unfolding in their own backyard — er, chimney.

Hope first suspected that something was amiss when Mystic Falls’ perpetual haze of angst and despair was suddenly replaced by a mist of snow flurries and good cheer. And in the middle of October, no less. She watched in confusion and horror as her fellow classmates — along with Dorian and Dr. Saltzman — sang Christmas carols, downed hot chocolate and exchanged (gasp!) friendly tidings. It was awful, and Hope quickly put an end to the merry madness once she realized what was actually afoot.

And because every Christmas story needs a redeemable troublemaker, Clarke (still trapped in Simu-Landon’s perishable body) tricked Hope into letting him join the revelry, using the opportunity to wish for a visit from Malivore’s latest monstrous export. And just like that, along came Krampus, a horned beast accurately described by Clarke as the Anti-Santa. Unfortunately, Krampus wasn’t the hero Clarke had wished for; rather than bringing him the extra trident he requested, the snarly demon greeted him with a swinging hook.

It suddenly became clear to Clarke that the jig was up; Malivore knew that Clarke planned to double-cross him, and he wasn’t about to show his son any mercy. Accepting that there was no way out of this mess, Clarke volunteered to dive into the pit while the students took down Krampus. But when an arrow to the heart proved ineffective, a new hero arose, giving us The CW’s wackiest battle sequence since Mallus faced off against that giant Beebo on Legends of Tomorrow.

The person stuffed in Krampus’ sack turned out to be none other than Santa Claus, and he was itching for a fight after his lengthy entrapment. Trees fell, ornaments shattered and lights exploded as Krampus and St. Nick battled to the death, with the latter ultimately ripping out the former’s tiny heart with his bare hands. It was, in a word, perfection. Even this hand-crafted gif doesn’t do it justice:

Then came the best part of Christmas — the presents! Josie got Alaric a new headmaster sign to welcome him back to school, and Santa surprised Kaleb with the car of his dreams. (I kept waiting for that second one to have some kind of catch, but no. Good for him.) Still, it was Hope who received the best gift of all: an emotional reunion with Landon, who admitted that it was a mistake to leave in the first place.

“I love you, Hope Mikaelson,” he said. “I loved you when I couldn’t remember you. I loved you when I was dead. I think I always will.” It was very sweet, as was Hope’s response: “I love you too, Landon Kirby. I loved you when you didn’t even know it… despite the way you looked in a football uniform.”

And you have to hand it to the self-proclaimed coward for breaking things off with Josie before saying any of that to Hope. In case you missed a second of Landon’s heartbreaking conversation, here’s what he told Josie: “A person could not ask for a better partner, a better conscience. You are literally the best person who has ever had the poor judgment to hang out with me. I love the way you laugh, and your upside-down mouth, the way your face looks when you watch movies and…” She stopped him to say that she knew he was in love with Hope. “But that doesn’t mean I regret a single second, because you are beautiful and special and perfect,” he replied. “Nothing should ever be this hard.” (You can say that again, brother.)

Speaking of brothers, the episode’s final scene revealed that poor Clarke never made it into the pit. He was stopped (and beheaded!) by one of the hooded figures, who turned out to be — wait for it — the Necromancer. Honestly, I was not expecting to see his gross face again, but I’m sure glad we are.

Also worth discussing…

* While Hope was busy dealing with all of the above, Lizzy and Sebastian went searching for Landon, embarking on a road trip fueled by witty comebacks and sexual frustration. And gasoline, I guess. And although she initially rebuffed his advances, even telling him to (gasp!) put his shirt back on while he fixed one of her tires like a damn romance novel come to life, Lizzy eventually gave into Sebastian’s timeless, shirtless charms. Cue an instantly iconic sex scene on the hood of a car in the middle of nowhere. (For the sake of hotness, we’ll ignore the fact that Landon’s corpse was chilling in the trunk this whole time.)

* Rafael didn’t accompany Landon back to the Salvatore School, but he’s got a pretty good reason — he’s spending some time getting to know his father in North Carolina. Apparently Josie helped Landon track down Rafael’s relatives while he was stuck in wolf form, and Landon thought that reconnecting with his family might help Rafael feel like himself again. Considering how poorly MG’s reunion went with his own father, that was a risky little venture, but it seems to be paying off.

Your thoughts on Legacies‘ fall finale, including the Necromancer’s return, Hope and Clarke’s reunion, and Lizzy and Sebastian’s road trip? Grade the episode below, then drop a comment with your full review.