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If nothing else, The Originals will keep finding new ways to break our hearts until the end.
“God’s Gonna Trouble the Water” provided a mixed bag of emotion. Hayley’s family and friends prepared to say goodbye while Greta’s cult plotted revenge.
It’s that second part that brought down the episode and what’s keeping the final season from being as compelling as we deserve.
Photo: Curtis Baker/The CW
We get it. The Nazi-like vampires reflect what’s currently going on in our troubled world. And their closed-mindedness is every bit as reprehensible as the bigots we see in real life.
But the part that’s hard to swallow is that these guys have equal footing against the Mikaelson family, Marcel and his crew, the werewolves, the witches, and our precious tri-brid, who wants nothing more than to protect her family.
Villains have always been a weak spot on the show. And for good reason. The Mikaelson family was larger than life on The Vampire Diaries and try as they might, no other villains could ever compare.
(And it’s why Season 2 of The Originals will always be the best. Esther, Mikael, Finn, and Dahlia were the only believable villains because they had somewhat equal footing).
The vamps with guns (seriously?!?) interrupting Hayley’s funeral paled in comparison to the five second scene of Klaus snapping Elijah’s neck, biting Antoinette, and ordering his hybrids to remove them from his city.
But, whatever. The weak villains will be defeated eventually—likely in a quick sequence—and they don’t deserve any further discussion at this point.
Instead, let’s talk about all the amazing, heartbreaking moments.
Photo: Curtis Baker/The CW
Hope said over and over again that the second line funeral wasn’t right. She knew Hayley would hate it (as did we—nice callback to Season 1). And as desperate as Hope was to have her mom’s family and friends there, I love that she pushed Klaus away when he did show up.
Their relationship is complicated to say the least. Neither of them quite knows how to act around the other. Hope lashed out and Klaus got scared. He’s not used to feeling helpless and it was hard to watch.
This led to one of the best Klaus moments of the hour: he carved Hayley’s name into the tree beside Jackson and Mary (side note: when did Mary die? I know I don’t care about the wolves, but this seems like something I should remember).
He talked to Hayley; telling her that he didn’t know what to do and he shared his hopes for Hope. It was beautiful and Joseph Morgan nailed the quiet scene. The “little wolf” at the end of the monologue brought all the tears.
Meanwhile, desperate to save Antoinette, Elijah offered the only bargaining chip he had: his memories. He would take them back if Klaus would cure Antoinette. Furious over what his brother did to Hayley, Klaus refused and declared Elijah dead to him.
Except—and here comes another heartbreaking moment—Klaus eventually confessed to Freya that he did it to protect Elijah. He knew Elijah would never recover once he remembered his love for Hayley. He wanted to spare him that.
Photo: Curtis Baker/The CW
You guys! Klaus has grown so much and it makes me so happy. Sure, he took a revenge bite out of Antoinette and locked them in a cage, but his heart is still in the right place when it comes to his brother.
Also, as little as I care about Antoinette, I did feel for her. She doesn’t believe her mother’s nonsense. We could argue that she could have—and should have—done more to stop Elijah from going with her. But Antoinette wanted to protect Roman so she was in a tough spot.
That being said, she’s right. Seven years does not compare to 1,000 or the love he had for Hayley. Will Elijah still love Antoinette when his memories return? Probably. But the grief and need for vengeance will trump it.
How cool was the hallway scene? Again, great throwback. It’s also the first time on either show that they’ve done this with compulsion. Usually, it’s just a flash or a lot of screams (RIP, Cami), and the memories are back.
Watching the lights come on in Elijah’s mental hallway and then having Marcel urge him toward the red door was such a powerful moment. Especially when Marcel hesitated because he could see how much it was hurting Elijah (see? They love each other).
Photo: Curtis Baker/The CW
But something prevented Elijah from taking that final push through the red door. At first, it seemed like stubborn will. However, Vincent discovered dark magic stole Elijah’s mind. And now he’s in a chambre de chasse with Klaus. Who put them there and why? Let’s put a pin in that for a moment.
We can’t finish the heartbreaking section without talking about Hope and Freya. Danielle Rose Russell and Riley Voelkel both did most of the heavy lifting throughout the hour. Hope went through all the stages of grief while Freya tried to do what she always does: be the strong big sister everyone needs.
Except she lost a friend, too. Freya’s memorial speech reminded us just how much time she and Hayley spent together. It’s been the two of them these past eight years while the other siblings have scattered. They’ve shared the ups and the downs and now Freya’s struggling without her.
Thankfully, Keelin returned at the perfect moment. And for once, no one wasted any time with awkwardness or uncomfortable silence. Maybe these two will stay on the same page once again.
As for Hope, she found her inner strength, too. Despite everything, she vowed to bring her family back together; to save always and forever. And when it mattered most, Klaus stepped up to his daughter’s side and held her hand. He didn’t want her to be alone while they set Hayley’s body off to sea.
An incredible moment—and one that hurt like hell because Hayley’s still dead and Klaus still can’t stay near Hope without risk of her death. And Freya’s and all other firstborns (as a firstborn myself, I find this prophecy extra rude).
So, back to the chambre de chasse. We’ve seen these before; we know it takes a witch’s magic to trap supernatural minds in them. Who’s behind the Mikaelson reunion?
Hope seems like a possibility. She was searching through spell books. And it’s the kind of risky thing a teenager might do. On the other hand, she might have learned her lesson about trapping family members against their will.
Could it be connected to The Hollow? They don’t really understand the magic inside of them. And there’s a reason they’re supposed to stay apart. Maybe all of these close encounters triggered that.
Or—and it’s a longshot—maybe there’s a secret, intriguing villain waiting to be unveiled.
Stranger things have happened, right?
All I know is that I’m excited to see all the Mikaelson siblings together and Elijah had better come out wearing a suit with his memories intact.
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