'Legacies': "Hope Is Not the Goal" Photos & Synopsis Released

The CW has released photos and the official synopsis for "Hope Is Not The Goal," the fourth episode of Legacies' inaugural season.

The episode will see Alaric (Matthew Davis) send Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) and some others to investigate the disappearance of two local high school students -- likely a big deal considering last week they faced off with a literal dragon in "Some People Just Want to Watch the World Burn". You can check out the gallery and the synopsis below.

Legacies 01x04 Gallery

FOLLOWING THE TRAIL — When two local students go missing, Alaric (Matthew Davis) sends Hope (Danielle Rose Russell), Lizzie (Jenny Boyd), MG (Quincy Fouse) and Landon (Aria Shahghasemi) to Mystic Falls High to investigate. Meanwhile, as Josie (Kaylee Bryant) helps Rafael (Peyton Alex Smith) adjust to his new life at the school, his reluctance to follow the wolf pack's rules puts a target on his back. Lastly, an unsettling discovery puts Alaric and Sheriff Donovan (guest star Zach Roerig) at odds with one another. Chris Grismer directed the episode with story by Brett Mathews and teleplay by Bryce Ahart & Stephanie McFarlane.

It's interesting that the synopsis mentions Alaric and Sheriff Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) being at odds. Long a friend and ally in The Vampire Diaries, showrunner Julie Plec said in an interview earlier this year that Matt isn't quite the same as fans might remember, a change that will put him in the position of being both friend and antagonist for Alaric.

"For the first time, Matt Donovan isn't torn by a commitment to protecting his best friends against other people in their peer group," Plec says. "His singular goal is to keep the supernatural business on the DL, if not out of Mystic Falls, and to protect the town. So that puts him continually at odds with Alaric and the kids at the school. He says very clearly in an early episode, 'If I get so much as a wind of your kids causing any trouble, I will come for them.' So, he's both friend and antagonist at the same time."

Hopefully he won't be so crazy that he will push away all of his friends. Steven R. McQueen is set to appear on Legacies this week in "We're Being Punked, Pedro", reprising his role as Matt's friend (as well as the brother/cousin of Elena Gilbert from Vampire Diaries) Jeremy Gilbert.

Legacies airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. "Hope Is Not The Goal" airs November 15th.