Warning: Spoilers for Legacies season 4, episode 11, "Follow the Sound of My Voice."
In an important scene, the most recent episode of Legacies subtly nodded to how badly The Vampire Diaries mistreated Bonnie Bennett's character. The show has been shaken up considerably, with some main actors departing in Legacies season 4 and new characters being added. Beyond that, the spinoff series has seemingly remembered that it's part of the Vampire Diaries universe this season, finally paying attention to previously established lore and creating numerous ties to TVD and its first spinoff, The Originals.
Where there haven't been direct ties, there have been a number of parallels between the two shows. Legacies season 4, episode 11, "Follow the Sound of My Voice" set up another one of those parallels between two characters, but with a twist. In an important scene for her character development, Cleo (Omono Okojie), whose inspiration magic as a Muse had been taken by The Originals' Aurora (Rebecca Breeds) in Legacies, admitted that she had secretly been tired of how much people ask of her. "I was so tired of people wanting inspiration all the time," she explained to Ben (Zane Phillips). Though she only joined the Super Squad in Legacies season 3, Cleo almost immediately became an indispensable member of the team, with other characters often relying on her powers of inspiration to solve impossible situations. Over time, that reliance has become something more like taking Cleo for granted, which she finally admits has been wearing on her.
The scene could be read as Legacies' tacit nod to how Vampire Diaries didn't particularly do right by Bonnie, arguably Cleo's mirror in that show. Throughout Vampire Diaries' run, it generated quite a bit of earned criticism for how it so often sidelined Bonnie's narrative and character development for the sake of the other main characters, a particular oversight considering Bonnie was the show's only Black main character. As a powerful Bennett witch, Bonnie often acted as the show's utility belt and eternal solution, and when she was rendered temporarily unable to do magic or trapped in the afterlife, the characters were all but lost without her to bail them out of the problems they often created for themselves. She wasn't completely fridged, but was too often treated as a plot device for the other characters rather than a well-rounded character in her own right.
Granted, Legacies' own development of supporting characters hasn't exactly had a stellar track record through the first three seasons. But Cleo's admission on Legacies hints that the same fate won't befall her. A time times in The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie all but said she was fine playing second-fiddle to the rest, explaining that her role was to support her friends no matter what–even when the "no matter what" led to her (temporary) death. While Cleo isn't any less supportive of her friends and has always been willing to put herself in danger to save the other members of the Super Squad, she at least seems to have a healthier sense of self and self-worth than Bonnie. Unlike Bonnie, who never acknowledged on The Vampire Diaries how often she was expected to magically save the day, Cleo has at least voiced that she's not infallible and has limits like the rest of them.
Now that Cleo is without magic in Legacies season 4, and not knowing if she'll ever get her powers of inspiration back, she regrets all the times she was tired of everyone asking for something from her. It's almost certain she'll get her magic back at some point in Legacies, and when she does, it's likely to give her a newfound appreciation for what she can do. But it would be good for her not to forget that she has limitations and to reset the expectations of others accordingly. Bonnie sacrificed her magic, health, and even her life at various points in The Vampire Diaries and it utterly destroyed her friends when they learned of it. Cleo–and the show–would be wise not to put herself through the same fate; she deserves (and Bonnie deserved) better.
New episodes of Legacies air Thursdays on the CW.