Legacies adds a dangerous new layer to Hope and Lizzie

As if Lizzie’s relationship with Hope was not complicated enough before “The Story of My Life,” the mid-season four premiere only makes it more difficult. Lizzie had spent the first half of season 4 preparing to kill Hope because the Tribrid left Alaric fatally injured. But unfortunately, her journey hit an obstacle when Hope killed Lizzie while Lizzie had vampire blood in her system, resulting in her transition to becoming a Heretic.

“The Story of My Life” reveals that Lizzie had not just taken any random vampire’s blood but had consumed Hope’s blood, leaving Lizzie with a sire bond to Hope. This effectively ends Lizzie’s ability to kill her, as the sire bond prevents Lizzie from inflicting fatal harm upon the Tribrid. However, it also strips Lizzie of her free will, as, under the sire bond, Lizzie’s actions are influenced by what Hope wants Lizzie to do.

Hope and Lizzie’s relationship has significantly evolved from their antagonistic behavior in season 1, leaving them very close friends before Hope’s transition into a Full Tribrid. But, given Hope’s actions with her humanity off, their friendship has taken some hits. The aftermath may only be addressed once Hope’s humanity returns, as only then may she be able to fully emotionally react to what she has done.

As a newly turned Heretic, Lizzie is still adjusting to the heightened skills she has gained from being a vampire. While a massive problem in her life, the sire bond is not the only new adjustment Lizzie is experiencing. But, being forced to do as someone else says and pushing her friends away is not something Lizzie enjoys doing, as Lizzie even acknowledges she did not like lying to MG.

As for breaking the sire bond, The Vampire Diaries had suggested ways, but it is uncertain which direction Legacies will go. For Tyler Lockwood, whose sire bond stemmed from being grateful to Klaus for no longer transforming during a full moon, willingly shifting into a wolf hundreds of times eventually broke the bond.

For Elena Gilbert, whose sire bond stemmed from her romantic feelings for Damon as a human before dying with his blood in her system, the bond ended when Elena’s humanity was turned off.

The sire bond has the potential to be dangerous for Hope and Lizzie. Where will their relationship be at the season’s end? How will Hope use the sire bond? What will Hope do when she regains her humanity? Will Lizzie turn off her humanity to break the sire bond?

“The Story of My Life” teases a lot for Hope and Lizzie’s future. Especially as they are about to embark on a quest together involving finding and killing Aurora, this pursuit can expand their friendship in a way the series never has before. It can create a new dynamic between them that, in the end, could strengthen their bond or be the reason for the need for trust to be built up again over time.

It took time for the duo’s dynamic to grow into the friendship it had been and depending on how events continue to play out, it may be an easier path back to that than anticipated.

The sire bond has been a cause of monumental problems in The Vampire Diaries Universe. However, considering the pre-existing conflicts the duo had faced, Legacies has plenty of directions to go with the new development.