The Originals - Recap: You Must Be the Maid
The Originals continued tonight with a follow-up to its series premiere that brought the Original sister into the picture. Rebekah christened her arrival in New Orleans by ripping apart six bikers. Blondes do have more fun!
You must be the maid.Rebekah is in town, everybody! After a time jump of several months, the queen of bitchtastic blonde bombshells rolled into New Orleans in search of the mysteriously missing Elijah. Rebekah barely popped in for our viewing pleasure last week, but this episode her presence was reminiscent of that first sip of soda; effervescent and refreshing. I wonder if vampires get that same “aah” effect from the first sip of blood straight from the vein. In any case, Rebekah burst through the doors of her family’s new abode, wasting no time barking orders at Hayley, the maid. Nope, that’s just the mother of your future niece or nephew, Rebekah! Klaus, meanwhile, had been mingling with Marcel, learning the ins and outs of the quarter’s party scene. Marcel, stamping those tourists looking for a bit of “darkness” with a signature “M,” clued Klaus in on the procedure. Tourists are lured into the ultimate party, but when the clock strikes midnight, the buffet begins. Remember, not all vampires have the luxury of owning an enchanted day-walker ring. When news of the brutal slaughter of six of Marcel’s chummiest vampire biker buddies hit the scene, the party was over. Needless to say, Rebekah had made good use of a pool stick.
Klaus neglected to reveal the whereabouts of Elijah, sending Rebekah and Hayley on a wild goose chase around the manor. Mostly, Rebekah’s hunt and her time spent getting acquainted with Hayley, who is not in fact the maid, served as a reason to fill us in on the Mikaelson family’s history with Marcel.
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As it turns out, the Originals met Marcel when he was but a child. After Klaus very carelessly slaughtered the governor’s only known son due to his unfortunate romantic attachment to Rebekah, the family was shocked to learn of their ally, the governor’s, secret bastard child. Marcel, an unnamed slave, trailed the funeral procession from behind, whipped ruthlessly by a man on horseback who’d very quickly become a corpse on the ground. Klaus, taking pity on the boy who showed such resilience, took him under his wing like an adopted son, dubbing him Marcellus. Marcellus, we’d come to learn, is a name born through the lure of the God of War; Little Warrior. Boy, I bet present day Klaus is kicking himself for that bit of confidence he’d bestowed upon the young lad. Maybe if he’d named him something that meant, say, “loyal friend to the end,” we wouldn’t have this current bout for power and glory. Then again, we also wouldn’t have The Originals at all!
As Marcel grew older, his hunger to become a vampire grew. Klaus, promising to turn the man when he was indeed ready, began to grow weary of the affection between his sister and the young gent he’d raised like a son. I’m not going to lie. It’s one thing to watch vampires who’re centuries old yet look like they’re no older than twenty-five dating humans we know to be much younger, but something about watching Rebekah go from surrogate aunt to budding love interest as Marcel grew into an adult was a little odd. I guess in many ways these vampires remain at the same maturity level as the years go by, so we can deal. I say Rebekah can do whatever she wants. In the end, Klaus would dagger his sister, giving Marcel the ultimate choice to become the vampire he’d always wanted to be or to free Rebekah from her eternal slumber. He chose the former, and about fifty years later Rebekah awoke to heartbreak.
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Rebekah also learned a little something about the witches of the French Quarter during Episode 2. As Sophie (Daniella Pineda) would explain, the witches are tied to ancestral magic. If they leave their home behind, the power of their ancestors stays behind as well. Therefore, ditching the drama with Marcel in favor of simply planting roots elsewhere was never an option.
Klaus was very clever in his maneuvers this week. Realizing that Marcel’s entire team of vampires is forced to ingest vervain to prevent their compulsion, the Original hybrid used Rebekah’s massacre that kicked off Episode 2 to his advantage. Marcel was obviously looking for new recruits to fill in the empty seats, and Klaus hand delivered him two “accidentally” killed tourists. Remember, when a human dies with vampire blood in their system, they rise with the opportunity to become a vampire. If they choose to feed, they make the transformation. If they don’t, they die again, and they stay dead as a doornail. While Marcel is happy to serve up tourists to his night-walkers, he’s also usually careful about using the healing powers of vampire blood to clear his tracks. Therefore, Klaus would have his pick of victims. The thing about Marcel is that he seems to be loyal to the core when it comes to his friends. I appreciated the tactic he used to choose his new recruit, placing a coin between the two former friends Klaus had secretly turned and prompting them to compete. The first friend to grab the coin would become immortal, and the second would be snuffed out for good. When one friend shamelessly grabbed the coin, damning her buddy to death, Marcel wasted no time eliminating her for her blatant lack of true loyalty. The coin test was, indeed, a trick. Klaus, of course, wasted no time compelling the newly turned vamp, creating his own mindless mole within Marcel’s ranks.
Klaus also made good use of Camille, Marcel’s Achille’s heel. Camille, if you recall, is the sassy bartender who was quick to peg Klaus, behind his back, as a wicked mix of narcissisms and insecurities. Though, to be honest, Klaus is the kind of Original who appreciates some bite in his ladies. Had she made note of this to him as opposed to Elijah last week, he'd probably have gotten a chuckle out of that. This week, Klaus would play wingman to Marcel, charming Camille into accepting a date with his former protégé first, then compelling her to ensure that she’d show up later. Camille has a history with bad boys, and we’re not quite sure what’s up yet. She’s intriguing, that’s for sure. Then again, all humans have an edge of intrigue on supernatural series, surprisingly enough. Camille would attend a date that evening then act as yet another spy for Klaus in the time to follow.
The CW "The Originals"
Hayley managed to get herself into some trouble while Klaus and Rebekah continued on with their own agendas. Purchasing wolfs bane from a woman I’m assuming was a knockoff witch, Hayley made the hasty decision to lose the baby in an effort to free herself form the chains of Klaus and the witches. Unfortunately, werewolves aren’t allowed in the French Quarter, and this phony witch was very quick to start the phone chain to earn brownie points with Marcel. That evening, Hayley contemplated downing the poisonous herbs, but inevitably decided not to. Luckily, Rebekah nipped the impending onslaught of vampires in the bud just in time, and the panic struck enough of a chord in Hayley that she ended up recognizing her growing love for her unborn child. Klaus’ reception to another pile of Marcel’s buddies, ripped limb from limb by Rebekah, was not necessarily the warmest; however, when he discovered the circumstances regarding Hayley’s almost-abortion and Rebekah’s motions to protect her, things changed. It became clear that the thought of losing his child also affected Klaus and tears welled up in his eyes as Rebekah pleaded with him to allow himself to care. In his moment of earnestness and vulnerability, Klaus revealed that he’d traded a daggered Elijah to Marcel in hopes of earning his trust. Rebekah, devastated by the selfishness of her brother’s plan, felt helpless considering the fact that Klaus would just as easily eliminate her as he'd done with Elijah. Luckily, Hayley had swiped the enchanted daggers as a "thank you" gift for Rebekah after all of her selfless help this week. The Original sister wasted no time storming into Marcel’s date with Camille. After threatening the girl of Marcel’s dreams, he’d grant her request to see her sleeping brother.
Rebekah’s journey to Marcel’s secret chambers would clue her in to Marcel’s secret weapon, a mega-witch named Davina (Danielle Campbell) who has power unlike anything the Originals have ever encountered. Rebekah barely caught a glimpse of her brother before she was literally thrown out of the house, and the memory of her encounter was all but entirely erased. Meaning, she’ll have to start her search for Elijah all over again, knowing very well that one of the most powerful beings she’s ever come across has her brother in her clutches.
The CW "The Originals"
While Rebekah’s terrifying meeting with Davina was enough to convince Klaus to, once again, join forces with his family the next morning, he also shared a moment of bonding with Hayley. In truth, the two lone wolves are much alike, constantly backed into corners and forced to survive on their own. He shared with Hayley the true story behind his falling out with Marcel, in which he revealed that Marcel had faked his own death, gone into hiding, and stolen their legacy out from under them once their vampire hunter father came chasing after his brood. The stamp Marcel now uses to mark his guests, the M, is, in fact not for Marcel… It’s for Mikaelson. Also, not to end on too much of a silly note, but there’s nothing more irksome than the idea of someone you loathe literally sleeping in your house and in your bed. *cringe*
What did you think of The Originals Season 1 Episode 2, “House of the Rising Son”? What exactly is Davina? Will Marcel succeed in finding a means to kill an Original? Are you happy that Rebekah is now a more prominent member of the cast? Who’s your favorite new character on this Vampire Diaries spinoff? Did Rebekah’s flashback romance with Marcel kind of give you creepy Woody Allen vibes?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of The Originals Season 1 Episode 2, “House of the Rising Son”! Watch Joseph Morgan talk a bit about the episode in the video below!