Warning: Spoilers for Legacies season 4, episode 15, "Everything That Can Be Lost May Also Be Found."
In the most recent Legacies episode, Ben seemingly betrayed everyone but his sudden villain twist was executed poorly. The gods storyline in Legacies season 4 has somewhat come out of left-field, but the final showdown between Tribrid Hope (Danielle Rose Russell), Heretic Lizzie (Jenny Boyd), and the rest of the Super Squad could be interesting depending on how the season's last handful of episodes play out. Still, that doesn't change the fact that quite a bit of the drama this season has felt forced, with manufactured storylines that haven't always had the strongest logic.
Despite Ben's (Zane Phillips) introduction feeling rushed, however, his character has already become a really interesting new addition in just a few episodes. Outside of Cleo (Omono Okojie), who was trapped for centuries, Legacies doesn't have many characters like The Vampire Diaries and The Originals who are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, so Ben being an ancient demigod offered a new wrinkle not yet seen before. His blossoming romance story with Jed (Ben Levin) in Legacies also offered a first for the show, which is an open romantic relationship between two male characters. And, unlike most previous characters in his position, Ben was still good and kind despite an immortal lifetime of suffering and betrayal.
All of that is why his sudden villain turn in Legacies season 4, episode 15, "Everything That Can Be Lost May Also Be Found," was so disappointing. For six episodes, Legacies has set Ben up to be something rare in the Vampire Diaries universe: an immortal being who is a genuine hero with a strong moral compass. Despite his torment and life of being chased by monsters, he still had the desire to protect others from his family. In the beginning, he was even reluctant to stay at the Salvatore School and potentially find peace, willing to sacrifice his happiness for the sake of others. Ben suddenly abandoning those morals and goodness in order to unleash his father upon the world for the sake of his own benefit didn't feel like an earned heel turn. It felt like a forced pivot to manufacture drama; absolutely nothing in the previous episodes had even hinted it was a possibility.
He added insult to injury in the Legacies episode, as well. Not only did he betray his new friends and the world, but he specifically betrayed Jed. Ben agreed to work with Lizzie and Aurora (Rebecca Breeds) in their plan to wake Chronos if they would allow Chronos to send Ben back in time to be with his long-lost love, Ashur (Caleb Krassner). While it's understandable that he misses his dead lover, what had been delicately but earnestly growing between him and Jed seemed to be real. It was particularly important to Jed, who trusted Ben enough to finally admit for the first time in his life that he had always had romantic feelings for men. Ben being so willing to immediately drop Jed shows that he had either been stringing Jed along the whole time or that his feelings are fickle. Beyond the questionable setup, it's just an incredibly cruel thing to do to a character right after their huge coming-out episode.
Ben's inconsistent characterization is just an example of the inconsistent writing and characters that have plagued Legacies season 4 across the board. Dramatic reveals and betrayals can be incredibly strong moments, but only if they're properly set up and executed. Ben becoming the villain might have worked had there been any indication in the previous five and a half episodes that he was lying to everyone, was duplicitous, had an ulterior motive, or that he was still unwilling to move on from Ashur. But there was not a whisper of that, and, unfortunately, it means Ben's big villain twist is just another example of being a thing that happened in Legacies season 4 instead of a moment that's earned.
Legacies season 4 will return Thursday, April 28 on the CW.