The Originals - Recap: Would You Have Picked Up the Coin?
The Originals continued tonight with an episode that finally put an end to the war between Klaus and Marcel, but who came out on top? Who now rules the kingdom of New Orleans?
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Episode 8 began with Rebekah confessing her sins without any sense of anonymity whatsoever. Father Kieran (Todd Stashwick), who is undoubtedly the coolest priest I’ve ever seen, listened in as Rebekah relieved her guilty conscience following her decision to betray her blood. Afterwards, the Original sister ventured over to a meeting with Marcel and his gang of vampires, now complete with one hybrid in the visiting Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino). Tyler’s pining for revenge should have been squashed last episode via Klaus’ compulsion if you ask me, but his decision to harm Hayley’s unborn child was inevitably enough to earn him a good ol’ neck snapping from Rebekah, who’s clearly mastered the art. With the annoyance that is Tyler out of commission for the rest of Episode 8, Rebekah and Marcel were free to wrangle up every vampire in the French Quarter in an effort to overpower the unflappable Klaus.The CW "The Originals"
Klaus paid Father Kieran a visit as well this week. I have to say, Rebekah came with sins, and Klaus came with booze. Klaus wins! Father Kieran, for what its worth, is the kind of priest who might make me feel like I wouldn't necessarily burst into flames after stepping into his church, you know? I think it's the beard! Father Kieran became privy to Klaus’ growing worries regarding Cami’s (Leah Pipes) safety in New Orleans. Her digging for answers regarding the truth behind her brother’s killing spree would, in truth, end up adding her name to the list of victims of this tragedy. We know that Klaus doesn’t operate entirely selflessly in any case, and this was no exception. Cami, who’s been compelled to write out Klaus memoirs via typewriter (Complete with whiteout and hand cramps!), has her master’s in psychology. Coincidence? Most likely not. Klaus was looking for some sense of understanding regarding who he is and why he behaves the way that he does. Cami, who’s also compelled to only remember the truth about Klaus and other supernaturals when she’s in his presence, was very quick to call out Klaus for his plethora of insecurities and sad sense of loneliness amidst all the brooding and brutality he’s perfected so well. Klaus doesn’t like it when his vulnerability shows. By the way, is Klaus the next Hemingway?
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Retweet if you think 2013 Klaus should dare to bring back this hairdo!
Meanwhile, Elijah’s hallucinations and burning fever kicked into high gear within the safe confines of a shack on a swamp. Basically, the scenes in the swamp between the two, Hayley and Elijah, as Elijah faded in and out of delusions and visions served as a means to further showcase their chemistry in Episode 8. The pair haven’t gotten hot and heavy yet, but Elijah, for one, was on fire this week. We were let into a glimpse of Elijah’s first love, a witch named Celeste from his earlier days in New Orleans. Klaus, who’d made a nasty name for himself murdering innocents for sport, couldn’t be kept on a tight leash while Elijah so selfishly focused on his own happiness for once. Fearing for their wellbeing, Elijah begged Klaus to quit his antics in an effort to prevent their exposure. Klaus, handling the situation in his own signature form, spread gossip about the witches of the Quarter, pinning the buildup of bodies on some ridiculous blood ritual. In the end, Elijah’s lover paid the price for Klaus’ wild ways and Elijah’s foolish lack of concern.
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Hayley, while Elijah continued to wane in and out of consciousness, spent her free moments studying her family tree in the Bible that was mysteriously dropped on the shack’s front steps. Also, it’s important to note that Elijah’s supernatural abilities allowed Hayley to journey with us back in time as Elijah relived his most painful of moments. Luckily for Hayley, a mysterious new she-wolf stepped in to rescue her just before Elijah’s outbursts could turn truly violent. Hayley nearly lost her head there for a moment! Literally! This new wolf clued Hayley into a bit of the back-story regarding her family, the line of wolves that carry the crescent moon birthmark Hayley has on her right shoulder. Those who weren’t killed by Marcel’s onslaught were cursed by a witch under his command. Having their cycle reversed, they spend their days as wolves and are only permitted to become human during a full moon. That explains the wolves that have been mysteriously protecting Hayley! Elijah awoke after his fever broke, and the two headed home. There, Hayley learned the entire truth regarding Elijah’s relationship with Celeste and her untimely demise. Before exiting the car, Elijah assured Hayley that nothing could happen between them for the time being, not with his brother’s war brewing among them. Bummer!
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As this transpired in the bayou, Klaus began his search for daggers in an effort to further scare his siblings into submission. Under the assumption that Marcel had been the one to swipe the enchanted tools, Klaus unknowingly handed his enemies the perfect scheme to capture his attention. Josh (Steven Krueger), who’d recently had Klaus' compelled control over his mind removed by Davina, played the role of the perfect messenger, luring Klaus to Marcel’s home by falsely reassuring his former boss that he’d witnessed a dagger in Marcel’s possession. Once in the courtyard of Marcel’s home, the true nature of their meeting was revealed. Klaus came to find himself surrounded by an army of vampires loyal to Marcel and ready for battle. Would that be enough to take down the Original hybrid, binding him in The Garden for decades as punishment for his crimes? Klaus offered amnesty to a single vampire, to one who’d pledge to stand by him by picking up a dropped coin as a symbol of allegiance. The coin Klaus dropped sat idly on the ground for a moment before the attack came to a start. No one bit! I'm just saying, Klaus. I would have shamelessly picked up the coin! At first, Klaus seemed to hold his own against the countless enemies, only to find himself backed into a small alcove. Of course, we remember 300 and the strategy Leonidas concocted to hold off the seemingly infinite enemy hordes. In an alcove, only so many enemies can attack at one time. Meaning, these vampires were no match for the brutal strength and intense rage of Klaus. Watching on in horror as Klaus decimated their fighters one by one, Rebekah pleaded with Marcel to end the war. Marcel, buckling under Klaus’ might in an effort to save his people, picked up the coin, essentially handing his kingdom over to his old friend.
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So friendly!
While his former men burned the bodies of the fallen, Marcel had one last moment with Klaus where he fought through his pain and shame by assuring his rival that he’d never truly have a kingdom, only a castle. Loyalty isn’t bought. It’s earned. Klaus, in the end, seemed shaken to the core over Marcel’s comment as he stood over his empty burning courtyard. Klaus sure is easy to upset, and his emotions are always written all over his face! You'd think he'd have masking mastered by now! Back at the Mikaelson plantation, Klaus confronted Elijah and Rebekah one last time. Had he truly driven them away, or had they betrayed him yet again? It’s a little bit of both, it seems, on The Originals. Elijah has wooed Hayley, further assuring Klaus that his child will never truly be his own. Rebekah, on her part, never truly gave up loving Marcel, and Klaus did indeed turn a blind eye on his part. Klaus sees this as an effort to win back his family home in the city they built. Remember, their vampire hunter father forced them out of town centuries prior. Marcel, meanwhile, stayed in hiding before swooping in to steal the city as his own. Of course, Marcel is a better king than Klaus. Klaus is, essentially, a tyrant, but it doesn’t make anything he said less true. In the end, a sobbing Klaus scooped up Hayley and headed for their new home in the Quarter, leaving Rebekah and Elijah to “rot” all by their lonesome.
I’ve been pretty critical of Klaus during his run on The Originals. I feel like his likability as the show’s lead is coasting on his Vampire Diaries popularity, but I can’t see any new viewers sympathizing with him very much. I mean, all six of those people who watch The Originals but have never seen The Vampire Diaries probably don’t like Klaus at all, but what do we care about them? At this point in Episode 8, I was still grinning over Rebekah temporarily killing Tyler for the week anyway!
Time to close the recap! Cami, meanwhile, had been terrified by the thought of losing her mind as her brother allegedly did. A mysterious symbol had popped up on a paper in her pocket, a special code she’d used to communicate with her brother before his death in the past. Where had it come from if she didn't remember doodling it herself? In the end, Cami managed to piece together that she’d drawn the symbol during one of her time slips, a moment where Klaus held her under compulsion prior. The message was a note to herself, and it pointed Cami straight to a newspaper article from the distant past… an article that featured a photograph of Marcel and Klaus. Father Kieran, who listened on anxiously as his niece revealed her discovery, now realized that Cami had begun to deduce the truth about the supernatural beings of New Orleans.
What did you think of The Originals Season 1 Episode 8, “The River in Reverse”? How will Klaus handle the situation with Cami? Are you siding with Klaus or Marcel? Does he drive his family away, or do they betray him? What else is there to know about Hayley’s family? Will Elijah and Hayley make it work?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of The Originals Season 1 Episode 8, “The River in Reverse”!