I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a relationship quite like Alaric and Hope’s on television before.

Their dynamic is contentious but cohesive, and it’s clear that each has things to teach the other. So much so, that it makes their age difference pretty much a moot point. But before we get too far into discussing their dynamics, it’s probably important to highlight where they both are coming from to begin with.

Alaric has always had the caretaker gene in his DNA. From the moment he stepped foot in Mystic Falls, he was the vampire hunter, desperate to help keep the innocent lives in this town safe. He took on the mantle of town protector right beside Matt Donovan. Hell, even when he was tricked into being an Original immortal (thanks to Esther and her plan to rid the world of her children’s ilk) he was still trying to protect the innocent above all else.

He continued down this path on The Vampire Diaries as he stepped in to play guardian for Elena and Jeremy after all their parental figures dropped one by one, but this role has definitely taken new form as an actual parent and headmaster. He is FIERCELY protective of his twin daughters, and has been more than happy to sacrifice himself rather than put his students at risk.

It’s natural, then, for him to take Hope under his wing when she arrives back at the Salvatore School, parentless and hurting from having to grieve one loss after another after another.

And Hope probably needs a regular parental-ish figure in her life. She grew up having limited contact with a large portion of her family because they were all in a dream-scape until her mother could pull together all the pieces to bring them safely back.

Then, just when it looks like she might have a chance to have a real relationship with her father and uncles and aunts, she watches as they are sent to the four corners of the world, forced to remain separate or risk releasing a force of absolute terror upon the world. Her mother takes her to the Salvatore school to give Hope some sort of stability, but her only glimpses of her father are horrific, as we saw in The Originals final season. She had some time to bond and say goodbye to her family before they departed this earth, but, ultimately, she’s been alone most of her life.

Which brings us to the Legacies premiere. We see that she and Alaric have an interesting dynamic from the get-go. They seem to function as a team at the best of times. Him, the seasoned hunter who has decades of experience to fall back on. Her, the powerful tribrid who has the strength of both her witch and wolf heritages combined with the power of original vampire blood pulsing through her veins.

They each know their strengths when it comes to battle, so their relationship in the field helping supernatural kids and shuttling them back to the school is pretty solid.

But that isn’t their only dynamic. Like it or not, he is her headmaster, and the closest thing to a father she is ever going to have. Alaric knows that he cannot fill the holes of the losses she’s suffered, but he can be a guiding force in her life. He tries to keep her from black magic and steer her all encompassing power toward good. He tries to advise her when he can, but knows that in her short lifespan so far she has seen and endured more pain and trouble than millions of people on this planet will ever know.

So, they push onward. Not student and teacher. Not parent and child. Not even really friends, but also each holds a crucial role in the other’s life.

Alaric needs Hope. Not just because her family’s fortunes helped to found the school, and surely help keep it in business, but because she has abilities he needs to be able to keep these children safe. He doesn’t have any power in his hands, but he knows how valuable that power is.

And Hope needs Alaric. She knows that her Mikaelson blood brings with it a hot temper and the capability to deliver a lot of pain and heartache to the world. She needs someone to reign in her worst impulses. To show her compassion so she can continue to learn who and what deserves compassion in this world.

I am grateful that we have the talents of Matt Davis and Danielle Rose Russell to bring all the delicate nuances of these characters to life. The platonic and almost familial chemistry between them promises a unique and original future for this story. I am beyond eager to see how both characters evolve as Legacies goes on to a second season and hopefully many more after that.