How does the Legacies series finale end?

“Just Don’t Be a Stranger, Okay?” had the job of concluding three shows. However, bringing a satisfying ending to a universe is a heavy job. But, if anything, the series finale revealed the fates of many significant characters and plot lines in Legacies.

The overarching conflict of the episode follows Alaric’s struggle with knowing that yet another student has died. Between Malivore, monsters, and Ken, Alaric has never been able to keep up or manage everyone’s safety.

So, in the aftermath of Ethan’s death, Alaric sees no other alternative than to close the school, hoping it will mean many saved lives. But, Hope and MG are not willing to go down without a fight. The Salvatore School is not just their home but a home for many lost supernatural people wishing for a place to feel safe.

In the end, Legacies reveals the school’s fate. Although the Salvatore School will remain open, Alaric is leaving. Determining that he does not want to stay on as Headmaster, Alaric recalls what the school was meant to do and walks away.

Alaric, as a human, had always floundered with keeping up with so many witches, werewolves, and vampires surrounding him. Previous to Caroline leaving to search for a solution to the Merge, he had never run the school by himself for so long before. Still, it could be argued that Alaric, in the grand scheme of things, was not the most helpful person in dealing with whatever monsters or villains the group faced. So, as Alaric steps away, Caroline, in an exciting and surprising guest appearance, fills in as interim Headmistress.

Hope, meanwhile, faces the final question of where to scatter her father’s ashes on campus. The concept of the school potentially closing prevents her from doing it until she knows for sure the school will remain open. To help her make a final decision, Hope calls in Landon for one huge favor.

Hope needs to talk to Klaus to know where to scatter his ashes. Hope and Landon’s reunion confirms suspicions about the side effects of Landon sending back Jed, Kaleb, and MG. While Landon knows he loves Hope, he has no emotional reaction to seeing her. Still, Landon and Ethan team up to send Ethan to Peace and find Klaus. The duo gets one last message from Klaus to Hope as a beautiful final goodbye.

Hope does end up scattering her father’s ashes near the lake with one last favor to Landon not to be a stranger. It seems that after all they had been through, Hope and Landon recognize that while they will never forget each other, and they may have been each other’s first love, the duo would not be able to be together moving forward.

This is a monumental step forward from Hope’s dangerous obsession with saving Landon in season three. Hope accepts their reality and is willing to find closure in that.

However, Hope’s conclusion even involves Josie, including confirmation of where Josie has been. Josie has been in Europe, attending a school in Belgium. Given how messily Legacies had been with Josie’s whereabouts in the aftermath of her departure, the series finale needed to explain what happened to her.

But, it does not end there. Hope discovers Josie had been behind the plot to return her humanity, and knowing how much Hope can trust Josie, she also sends Josie the only weapon that can kill Hope.

As for Lizzie and MG, Legacies finally grants them the confirmation of forming a romantic relationship. MG was also a huge advocate for keeping the Salvatore School open, reminding Lizzie and Alaric they would be breaking up the Super Squad and stopping many people from having a place to call home.

Jed’s fate is connected to Landon bringing him back to life as his return also made him an untriggered werewolf. Rather than seeking to re-break his curse, Jed takes this as a second chance to find an identity outside of being the Alpha. Jed takes Ben up on his offer to leave the school but first must hand over the Pack to Finch.

Jed and Finch’s final moment is also crucial for Finch’s character growth. Legacies had blundered to figure out where Finch fit in after Josie left. Although Finch mainly was paired with Jed anyway, she was either kept in the background or never given a chance to forge strong bonds with the rest of the Super Squad. Finch officially taking over as the Alpha creates a more substantial ending for her character outside her previous relationship with Josie.

The final wrap-up in the series finale comes from Kaleb and Cleo as they try to figure out the next step. Sadly, Legacies did not reveal Kaleb’s whole backstory, choosing instead to have Cleo witness something else entirely: their future.

Cleo’s glimpse at their beautifully happy future creates Hope that things for them will be optimistic moving forward. But, Legacies does not conclude without giving at least one hint to what may await them.

As Cleo sends Kaleb out of the Headmaster’s office, she tells Kaleb something she needs to do for her future, then takes a seat in the Headmaster’s chair. When Caroline comes in, playfully wondering if she is already out of a job, it may confirm that Cleo and Kaleb’s future involves taking over the Salvatore School one day.

In the end, Legacies created a series finale that worked as a conclusion while crating enough open possibilities for what could have occurred had there been a fifth season. “Just Don’t Be a Stranger, Okay,” may not have been the massive finish to the thirteen-year franchise fans may have desired. However, the series finale does the job it needs to do in completing the storylines for Legacies, allowing the franchise not to have the feeling of ending unfinished.