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‘The Originals’ Review: Don’t Look into the Blue Light

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Annette Brown/The CW

The Mikaelson family returned to New Orleans on The Originals.

And now things are finally getting interesting after a slow start to season four.

“Keepers of the House” centered on saving Hope and the other children from the mystery evil Vincent and Eva once brought to life. But in their efforts to stop the latest child sacrifice, the Mikaelsons and their allies/enemies may have made things worse.

Vincent and Elijah teamed up to get to the bottom of the missing ambulance. Vincent’s magic led him to Will, who tried to kill his bestie, before Elijah stepped in front of the bullets. Can we pause for a moment to talk about how hot Elijah is when he’s in IDGAF mode? There’s no one who can pull off classy and deadly better than Daniel Gillies.

Bob Mahoney/The CW

Unfortunately, Will had a medallion up his sleeve that allowed him to one up his friend. He got away, but Vincent was smart enough to put a tracking spell on him. Sadly, he didn’t survive the next round of the battle when Klaus snapped his neck to protect Marcel from whatever evil was working through Will.

I say “sadly” more out of habit rather than actually being sad about it. Will’s always been more of a pawn than an actual character in this world. Will being best friends with Vincent is brand new information. I never got the vibe they were anything more than people who worked together last season.

Maybe they got closer over the last five years? It’s possible, but again, hard to care about since it happened off screen. I also did not appreciate Will slipping in a reference to Cami. I know they were friends, but it’s just another reminder that she’s gone when she shouldn’t be. It feels like the writers are trying to manipulate the audience every bit as much as Will was the other characters.

Bob Mahoney/The CW

Hayley and Marcel also joined forces to find information. Marcel attempted one of his powerful speeches. Charles Michael Davis excels in his delivery, but the people of NOLA weren’t buying it. Hayley played the mom card, which led them to a wolf in the bayou. She explained the people wanted to invite The Hollow (aka the evil) into their lives in order to get out from under Marcel’s thumb.

I’ve said many times that I will always be Team Mikaelson. But I’m going to come down on Marcel’s side on this one. Why’s everyone so desperate to turn against him? Hasn’t he kept peace in the Quarter? It doesn’t seem like this is a repeat of his first reign when he made the witches do his bidding. Vincent made sure things didn’t go down that route.

And while we’re on the subject of things that don’t particularly make sense, I’m not sure I buy Hayley’s attack of conscience. On the surface, she’s right. The Mikaelsons should not be in the habit of killing everyone and anyone who gets in their way. Killing a child to save Marcel and Klaus would have been unthinkable.

But at the same time, wouldn’t most people protect their families, their loved ones, the people who mean the most to them, above all others? I’m not saying Hayley shouldn’t feel guilty for the choices they make or the lives they end. But I don’t see her putting anyone else above Hope, nor should she.

Annette Brown/The CW

As for Klaus, his time was divided between both his children. He expressed his softer side with Hope, sitting by her bedside, and promising to protect her. Always and forever. Then, he needled Marcel about his need to prove himself better than Klaus. And when the time came, Klaus tried to protect his son. He passed on his daughter’s warning of avoiding the blue light.

Except Marcel didn’t listen and neither did Klaus. Both men stared into the blue light and likely triggered the evil they were trying to stop. And I’m not sure if the kids are safe? Hope seemed better, but then she dreamt of the Hollow coming for them again.

The Hollow story needs to be fleshed out, but this episode brought a new level of tension that made it much more enjoyable. I like the idea of a scarier monster than the Originals and whatever beast Marcel is now. Anything involving children always manages to be creepy. This has a lot of potential, especially now that it may have Marcel and Klaus in its grasp.

Finally, we have Freya. She might be even more ruthless than Elijah in her quest to protect her family. But she also showed a soft spot when she decided to free Keelin from her leash. There’s no doubt these two are headed down a romantic path sooner or later.

One more thing: Joseph Morgan directed the episode and it showed. I love when actors direct their shows because they know the material and the cast better than anyone. Morgan brought out the best in his castmates. He did an excellent job setting the scenes. The lighting, which tends to be hit or miss in this universe, was fantastic. His work elevated the episode.

Mandy Treccia
Mandy Treccia has served as TVSource Magazine’s Executive Editor since 2016, formerly as Editorial Director from 2012-2016. She is an avid TV watcher and card carrying fan girl prone to sudden bursts of emotion, ranging from extreme excitement to blind rage during her favorite shows and has on more than once occasion considered having a paper bag on hand to get her through some tough TV moments. Her taste in TV tends to rival that of a thirteen-year-old girl, but she’s okay with that.

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