By 
The penultimate hour of The Originals brought us back to where it all began: Mystic Falls.
With the full moon due to trigger Hope’s curse as the dark magic raged inside of her, the family witches warned (off screen) that the youngest Mikaelson would not survive the night.
Naturally, Klaus deemed that outcome unacceptable, asked his big brother—the only person he trusts!!!!!—for help and then the two whisked Hope back to the Salvatore School.
Photo: Annette Brown/The CW
“The Tale of Two Wolves” crammed a lot of emotion and drama into the hour, but also moved at a snail’s pace.
Possibly (definitely) due to the backdoor pilot/nostalgia overload.
Here’s the thing: The Vampire Diaries is my favorite show of all time. And Legacies is at the top of my list of fall shows I cannot wait to watch (boo having to wait until the end of October).
But I love The Originals, too. And that’s the one we’re watching now; the one we’re saying goodbye to next week.
Did we really have to spend most of the hour previewing Hope’s new life while being stabbed in the feelings at every Mystic Falls turn (Elena Salvatore! Mystic Grill! Alaric the vampire hunter! Stefan! Katherine! Ugh, Matt Donovan)?
If someone like me, who still loves TVD and these characters with my entire heart, didn’t enjoy the trip down memory lane, I can only imagine how people who don’t care—or don’t know—these characters and places felt watching the episode.
End of rant—let’s get into what did work in the hour.
Photo: Annette Brown/The CW
Klaus wanted Caroline’s twins to siphon the magic out of Hope and put it in him. Alaric, rightfully, worried the darkness would unleash all of Klaus’ worst qualities. Klaus agreed. That’s why he came prepared with a white oak stake.
Um, what?
Klaus just happened to have a white oak stake on hand? One he kept around for years just in case? Even after all the times he and his family were nearly murdered by enemies?
Really, show, really?!?!
That is lazy writing. Why not have Klaus ask Marcel for his venom? He could have shot that directly into his heart (RIP, Josh).
And it would have been a great opportunity for a flashback scene when Klaus revealed to Caroline how he came prepared to die.
Photo: Annette Brown/The CW
It would have given Charles Michael Davis and Joseph Morgan an opportunity to play up their father-son relationship. Marcel would do it for Hope, but he’d struggle with it because he loves Klaus.
That’s the kind of content I’m looking for in the second to last episode ever.
Instead, we had Caroline—someone who hasn’t spent more than three days with Klaus in fifteen years—struggling with letting him go.
Again, I can’t roll my eyes hard enough.
Look, I get it. The ship has a huge fan base—one I’ve been a part of at times—and the writers decided to give them a treat in the final season. But it doesn’t serve the story they’ve been telling for five seasons.
As Klaus prepared to die, Elijah spent the day watching over his niece, who wanted nothing to do with him.
Annette Brown/The CW
However, Elijah began to peel back the layers of his life as he shared tidbits of childhood and his vow to protect Klaus forever.
He also received cool uncle bonus points when he gave Landon an enormous tip, made sure Hope showed up for the festival, and allowed his niece to blow off steam by getting revenge on the bullies tormenting Landon.
Unfortunately, Hope didn’t have the energy for a spell and it sent her to death’s door. Elijah rushed her back to Klaus, who begged his daughter to wake up. But, as Hope told Elijah, all she wanted was her mother.
Hayley greeted Hope in the afterlife. In a beautiful scene, Hayley assured Hope that she’d found peace and she didn’t blame her for her death. She wanted Hope to live her life and return with adventures and stories—and at least one epic love—a long time from then.
Phoebe Tonkin, you guys. She managed to convey every emotion under the sun in the short scene.
Hope returned to the land of the living and this time, she reached out to Elijah. Hayley’s forgiveness eased her burden and she did the same for her uncle. She shared her “dream” and the message her mother had for him:
She’s still waiting for that dance.
How good is Daniel Gillies? A hundred emotions passed over his face in that moment and he didn’t—couldn’t—say a single word.
(Seriously, show. We need that dance even if it’s a flash forward to another 1,000 years).
Either Caroline blabbed or Elijah knows his brother too well, because he figured out Klaus’ plan and prepared to stop him. He would make the sacrifice. He wanted Klaus to stay with his daughter.
But Klaus won the quick throw down between the brothers. He snapped Elijah’s neck and left him in the dungeon.
The next gut punch came when Klaus helped Hope prepare for her first transformation. He brought her outside (because that’s what Hayley would want). He told her that it would hurt, but she shouldn’t fight the pain.
Then, he told her that he was proud of her and wanted her to run free.
My heart.
He never mentioned that he didn’t plan to be there once she returned.
Hope transformed, the twins took the magic, and then Klaus went to the circle and it hit him with a literal lightning bolt to the chest.
Photo: Bob Mahoney/The CW
Elijah arrived as the voices began to whisper to Klaus. He retrieved the white oak stake from his pocket, held it to his chest and as Elijah begged him not to do it…the screen faded to black.
Wow.
I don’t know what to think.
This is mostly the ending I expected. Except I assumed it would be like last time and more than one sibling would have to take the power.
Is there a twist coming?
I thought Elijah would make the sacrifice instead as the hour unfolded. But at the same time, that would literally be the exact same ending as TVD.
In the previews for the final episode, it looks as if the family is gathering for Klaus’ funeral…while he’s still alive.
Will the finale be one long tribute to Klaus and then he’ll die at the end? Or will they split the magic again?
There’s always a loophole.
On the other hand, Klaus sacrificing himself for Hope, as Hayley did, bookends his character arc.
From a loving boy to a cruel hybrid to a father who loves his daughter more than his own life making the selfless choice…
No matter what happens, next week is going to hurt.
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