Recap: 'Astrid & Lilly' Ep. 9 spells double trouble as one hero gets a doppelgänger & The Guardian emerges

When we last left our heroines, they had agreed to a "friend break," and it was uncertain whether or not, or even how, they would reconcile their differences. Their fraught partnership threatened to throw Pine Academy, and the entire world, into grave peril.

But then this week, call it fate, an element gets introduced into Astrid & Lilly Save the World that just might be the saving grace… or wreck the entire friendship for good. Determined to ignore her former bestie, Astrid (Jana Morrison) eventually finds herself not with one Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) on her hands, but two, after the latter gets impersonated by a cloning monster.

Will Astrid be able to tell the real Lilly from the fake? Or will the double vision overwhelm her powers of judgment? Or, to paraphrase Drake, if Lilly had a twin, would Astrid still choose her?

Time to get to work and find out.

**SPOILER WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Astrid & Lilly Save the World Season 1, Episode 9, "Doppelkopfel."**

Our dynamic duo is more like the divorced duo, as Lilly and Astrid are giving each other the cold shoulder while they're having trouble with their respective squeezes: Lilly and Candace (Julia Doyle) are still on rocky footing, and Astrid can't get in touch with Sparrow (Spencer Macpherson).

The situation is exacerbated by the arrival of the latest monster, one that targets Lilly in the guise of a mannequin and takes her human shape. Lilly sees double in the bathroom, and promptly rushes to Brutus's (Olivier Renaud) pad to spread the news. Only thing is, she was just there, or at least her double was, with Astrid. So now Brutus has to go through the whole explanation again...

This latest monster is called a Kesterlux, a parasite that appears as a blank body (in this case a mannequin) and then seeks to absorb the original until it's totally consumed them. The only way to vanquish it is by decapitation. As Lilly's erstwhile comrade has joined ranks with her doppleganger, Brutus offers to join her in the field. First thing they need is another decapitating weapon, so Brutus gives Lilly a really big knife. Really, dangerously large.

Back at Pine Academy, Candace runs into Lilly in the hall, and apologizes for treating her like dirt, then invites her to the opening of Romeo & Juliet Down Unda. Lilly accepts, but there's a problem: That's not Lilly. That's Kesterlux Lilly.

The tragicomedy of errors continues, with Astrid crossing paths with Sparrow in the halls. He's giving off strange, anti-Sparrow vibes, leading Astrid to believe he's a double too. But it's even worse: Sparrow was abducted by Christine (Geri Hall), and enlisted into The Guardian's cult army with the tattoo on his wrist as proof.

Meanwhile, Lilly is scouring the halls looking for her double when she runs into Tate (Kolton Stewart). He apologizes for getting in between her and Candace, and asks if there's anything he can do to make up for it. In fact, there is, and Lilly conscripts him into helping her catch the Kesterlux.

The double has meanwhile tricked Astrid into following her to the wardrobe room, where the same mannequin as before touches her and begins the doubling process. Candace runs into Lilly and Tate, and thanks Lilly for agreeing to come to the show that night. Only, real Lilly didn't — that was the Kesterlux. This puts their already rocky relationship back on ice.

However, Tate has some words of insight for Lilly: If she has any hope of winning Candace's heart back, she'll have to do something he never did and be there for her. Lilly takes his advice and drops into the wings while Candace is delivering one of her Juliet monologues. However, she's still dismayed they have to keep their love a secret and soon runs off.

That's when her double intercepts her and drags her into the library, presumably to consume her. Astrid soon arrives, followed by none other than her own double. Double... no, quadruple trouble!

The encounter has the serendipitous effect of Astrid and Lilly making amends — if only for their own survival. After making sure they are the ones and only Astrid and Lilly, they go about lopping off the heads of their impersonators. That's when Brutus shows up to remind them there's a third out there, and that the monster isn't vanquished until they find it.

Candace shows up, and professes her love to Lilly, so open-handedly that Lilly can't imagine it's true, so she accuses this impostor Candace of being the third and final double. Astrid readies her scythe in Candace's direction when they see Valerie (Christina Orjala) chasing after her upstaging double down the hall, and they put two and two (and two) together. Candace's admission was real... and it seems she and Lilly are really in love.

The final double is done away with, Candace invites Lilly to the school dance, and Lilly even introduces Candace to her moms and sister and says they're dating. So things seem to be looking pretty darn good right about now.

Except for the fact that Christine has managed to get a hold of the orb, has brought it to The Guardian (Mike Shara), and he is all prepped to make his big appearance under the lunar eclipse in the season finale.