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Samoa's Rugby League World Cup campaign was supposed to be about building a legacy, but ever since their disastrous opening against England it's become a quest for redemption.
The humiliation they suffered in that embarrassing defeat will cast a long shadow. And it loomed over their 62-4 win over France in Warrington.
Junior Paulo and Brian To'o played their best matches for Samoa, and Anthony Milford wound back the clock at halfback with a number of classy touches.
Joseph Suaalii had his most complete game as a fullback, looking far more comfortable as he threw the final pass for several tries.
It wasn't just the big names who got it done either; Cronulla prop Royce Hunt ran the ball as if a Frenchman once wronged him in a deep and personal way and he'd spent years waiting for a chance at revenge, while winger Taylan May crossed for four tries.
In all, plenty of the qualities that made Samoa pre-tournament darlings shone through. France were game in the first half but totally dropped the ball after the break. You get the feeling, however, that even on their best day, they couldn't much Samoa's muscle or their skill.
That's precisely how it should be for nearly every team that Samoa face. The talent of this side is so blindingly obvious and the possibilities for the future are so tantalising it almost hurts. They should be able to look any team in the world in the eye without blinking.
As impressive as Samoa looked, this victory, like last week's steadying win over Greece, taught us nothing we didn't already know. The only way Samoa can find the redemption they need is to produce this sort of football against another of the international heavyweights.
They'll get the chance to exorcise those demons next week when they take on Tonga in the quarterfinals in a Pacific Islands showdown that's so packed with star power, passion and pride that it might reduce Warrington to a pile of smouldering rubble.
Tonga are exactly where Samoa want to be. They've taken the scalps of New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain, and have become international rugby league's most vibrant and exciting team.
Several of Samoa's stars have admitted they were inspired to take up the blue and white jersey because of what the Tongans have achieved and what they've built over the past few years.
This meeting between the two sides — their first clash in four years — brings both countries' journeys full circle. Samoa haven't beaten Tonga since 2016, which was their last meeting before Jason Taumalolo led a cadre of stars back home and changed the game forever.
Tonga will enter the game as favourites, but only just. They've been solid in their three matches without being outstanding and were lucky to escape their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea with a win.
Picking the difference between the forward packs is nearly impossible, but the Penrith trio of Luai, To'o and Stephen Crichton give Samoa a clear edge in the back line.
A Samoan victory would set up a likely semifinal berth with England and give Matt Parish's side a chance at revenge, which could swing their World Cup all the way back from stuttering disaster to dazzling announcement of a shining future.
If the light comes through and eliminates the shadow of that first defeat, it will reveal all those things that were predicted for Samoa — all the glory and honour and pride players like To'o, Paulo, Suaalii and Josh Papali'i craved when they chose to tie their fates to their ancestral homeland — can still happen.
But first, the demons must be exorcised and banished into the shadows. Nobody can forget what happened against England, and right now it's the headline of the World Cup, but it can still be relegated to a footnote.
Samoa need to prove to the world and to themselves that what happened against England was a one-off, a freak occurrence, like losing a winning lottery ticket and being struck by lightning on the same afternoon.
They have everything they need to make it so; all they need to do is go out and do it.