The Originals
The Originals – The Kindness of Strangers (5×08)
Most family reunions happen around a grill at a party or at some fancy celebration. But the dreaded Mikealson reunions happen when they are all trapped together in a supernatural prison.
This is the first time we’ve seen them all under one roof since they were inhabited by the Hollow and thrust to different parts of the Earth to keep Hope safe.
Initially, they don’t believe there’s a danger because they think it’s impossible for them to be physically in the same place at the same time, but the ominous weather outside is a sign of the final stage in the prophecy. You know, the one before all the firstborns die.
Since every Chambre de Chasse — and according to Rebekah, she’s seen her fair share in this lifetime — come with a life lesson, there is no way out until they all find hidden keys in meaningful places to the locked door in the replicated compound.
The scavenger hunt was easy for some (Kol), and a bit harder for others as it required a trip down memory lane which, obviously, requires one to have their memories.
Even though she doesn’t possess the Hollow inside of her, Freya somehow finds herself trapped in the compound and reveals that only someone close to the family would be able to construct something so deeply personal.
“Vincent,” Klaus mutters under his breath.
However, when Marcel lands in the supernatural prison, he makes a shocking revelation — Hope is behind all of this.
And so the deeply dysfunctional family begins their search. Klaus relives some memories from the first time he brought Hayley to the compound when she began bringing “love” into his life while she was pregnant with their baby girl.
Klaus initially tries to wash his hands of helping Elijah because they are “squared” following Hayley’s and Antoinette’s (almost) death, however, since they all must find the key, he has to take one for the team and reminds his brother that he was the one who came up with the name for his niece because she brought a renewed sense of “hope” into their lives.
Kol painlessly found his key in between some old books he gifted his niece for her birthday when it dawned on Marcel that Hope wouldn’t have the depth of memory — those rooms were destroyed centuries before she was born — to recreate this fictional realm.
Who would have thought that Freya would be behind all of this and aiding Hope in removing the Hollow from them in order to put the family back together?
It was a shocking revelation but also, an important moment for Hope to finally prove that she wasn’t just a kid anymore; she’s an all-powerful witch! They keep reminding her of that so why not let her act on it?
Freya also has sound logic for letting Hope attempt something so dangerous — she’s more dangerous without both parents by her side. She needs her father, she needs guidance and love.
Klaus found his key amidst unopened letters that Hayley wrote to him while he Hope was growing up, while Elijah’s was pulled out from a coffin in the dungeon, signifying that Hope only sees her uncle as “death.”
Absolutely no one, even Marcel,, was going to argue with her. Man, even I wasn’t going to.
Elijah’s memories were gone when he let Hayley die but he still allowed it to happen. He has to accept responsibility for that.
During their imprisonment, Marcel also realizes that Elijah’s memories aren’t returning because he’s suppressing them. Vincent did everything right when it came to the spell.
And parts of those memories like the fact that he often referred to him as “Marcellus” have returned. But not the traumatic memories like Hayley’s death.
He admits to walking down a white corridor which led to the red door where he’s always hidden away terrible things he didn’t want to confront. As he reached for the door handle, he felts a searing sensation which Klaus pointed out was probably what Hayley felt when she burst into flames and died.
He’s suppressing killing the woman he loved!
When they use the keys to unlock the door, they find themselves in another prison… this one is much worse because it’s Elijah’s mental prison.
However, they can all exit through their respective doors, and Marcel and Kol don’t wait around much longer.
Klaus tries to leave as Elijah struggles to open his red door, but Rebekah stops him because the promise of “always and forever” requires them to forgive since they have all done questionable things.
Klaus knows that Elijah has to face the truth but he needs him by his side to do it so together, they run through the door.
Back in reality, Elijah is suddenly hit with all of his memories including the guilt of what he did to the only woman he’s ever loved. Like Rebekah said, Antoinette doesn’t hold a candle to Hayley. It just sucks that he couldn’t feel the power of that love when he chose to save Antoinette’s family instead of his own.
It was brutally painful to watch Elijah’s realization and his haunting wails; it was necessary but man, if I could spare him from that I would. Regardless, it’s nice to have you back!
And at least now he understands why everyone was so upset with him.
Much like Antoinette predicted, with his memories back, Elijah’s feelings for her were minimal. He gave her Klaus’ blood to heal the wolf bite and then asked for forgiveness as he went to properly say goodbye to the love of his life.
Anyone else really upset that we won’t ever get a proper Haylijah scene?
Kudos to Daniel Gillies for pulling off a powerful performance that showcased two very different people in one character.
Everyone played a part in this episode which made it a terrific ensemble piece.
Klaus was a wee bit harsh on Freya at the end for treating Hope like an adult and allowing her to make her own decisions.
It’s understandable, especially because if Hope doesn’t have a gameplan, having her wield the power of the Hollow in herself might actually lead to the prophecy. Still, Freya has done nothing but sacrifice for this family so cut her some slack and maybe muster up a quick ‘thank you.’ No wonder he has so many enemies.
Then there’s the other side of Klaus that mourns his baby momma and appreciates her for always believing in him and fighting for the family even when they couldn’t.
Oh, what a complicated soul you are, Klaus.
Despite all the family drama that’s expected when all four Mikealson’s get together, they even found some time to give us a little closure on the Marcel and Rebekah front.
Marcel broached the “why did you stand me up at city hall” question when they were stranded together clearly miffed by how happy Kol was with Davina.
Back at home, Rebekah reveals that she isn’t halting their happiness because of her family, she’s trying to save him from getting hurt and destroying him.
For as long as we’ve known her, Rebekah has had an existential crisis after being forced to become a vampire. She hates being one, wants to experience mortality, wants to grow old and wants to have children. All of that was stolen from her and she’s mad. And instead of getting over it since you know, she has an eternity, she’s allowing it to fester.
If she commits to Marcel for a lifetime, she’ll only infect him with her toxic and negative mindset.
In a way, it makes sense and stays very true to who her character has always been. Although, it’s a shame because they love each other so much.
It seems “always and forever” is just another term for “we make each other miserable.” Yet, no matter how dramatic things are when they are together, as we’ve seen, the Mikealsons are no better when they are apart.
Thoughts on this week’s episode? Did you feel for Elijah? Is this the last we’ve seen of Antoinette? Are Marcel and Rebekah really not getting their happy ending? Can someone find her the damn cure?
What will Hope do now that she possesses the dark magic of the Hollow inside her?
Will her anger towards Elijah who she clearly blames for her mother’s death cause her to enact the Hollow’s powers?
Coffee Table News
Joseph Morgan Reveals If He’d Ever Reprise His Character Klaus Mikealson for ‘Legacies’
If you’ve been waiting for the day where Klaus Mikealson strolls back into Mystic Falls to pay his daughter, Hope Mikealson, and the Salvatore School — which he helped fund — a visit, well, don’t get your hopes up.
The first two seasons of Legacies have given us some grade-A guest stars from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals including Aunt Freya (Riley Voekel), Kai Parker (Chris Wood), and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig). We even briefly saw Lizzie and Josie Saltzman’s birth mother Josette (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe).
But as for baddie Klaus Mikealson, the man who brought him to life, Joseph Morgan, doesn’t think he’ll ever reprise his role again.
And turns out, he has a really good reason!
TV Guide caught up with the actor to talk about his Peacock show, Brave New World, and when asked about guest starring on The CW teen drama, he bluntly and rapidly shut down the possibility.
“No never, never. You’re never going to see it.” Morgan said. “You can hold your breath as long as you want. You know why? I have The Originals box set on my shelf, and it’s a beautiful thing because it’s five DVD sets that are a complete story from beginning to end of this guy, Klaus Mikaelson — well, starting back in The Vampire Diaries Season 2. So I just feel like to come back as a ghost or a flashback or something, for me, that journey, that story has ended. That’s the complete story, and it just doesn’t feel right to me to do that.”
As much as we’d like to see Klaus in the flesh again, you have to admit that’s a satisfactory answer. It shows that Morgan cares enough about the character not to reprise him without a purpose or taint his legacy.
Klaus Mikealson’s story came to a fitting end in the series finale of The Originals when he redeemed himself for the greater good and sacrificed himself alongside his brother Elijah to save his daughter. Since then, Hope has carried on his legacy; his memory lives on as she mentions him pretty often and channels what he taught her to protect her friends and fight off a plethora of demons and monsters.
Morgan added that he felt like series creator Julie Plec understood where he was coming from.
“I think Julie [Plec] feels the same. It just feels like it would be strange, like a little forced,” Morgan continued. “Like I’m coming back just so we can see something else of him, but when we see it we go, ‘Ugh, that was it?’ And I don’t want his legacy to be, ‘Ugh.’ I don’t know what the scene could be that it would be exciting enough and epic enough after the journey that he’s had.”
Morgan may get a pass, but Candace Accola surely doesn’t. We’d love to see her reprise her role of Caroline Forbes considering she’s raising two daughters with Alaric but has yet to pay them a visit or help out with the school! Don’t let us down, Caroline!
The fact that she is still alive in the supernatural world and has such close ties to Mystic Falls but yet never comes to visit doesn’t paint her in a great light!
Welcome, James Holt Joblon!
Claire Holt and husband Andrew Joblon welcomed their first child together.
The Originals actress shared a picture of her little man on Instagram writing, “Everything they say is true. There is no love like it.”
In the photo, James is wrapped in a hospital blanket and peacefully sleeping in his momma’s arms.
Pregnancy has been a difficult journey for Holt who suffered a miscarriage and underwent a consequent dilation and curettage procedure just seven months before she became pregnant with James.
In October, she announced her pregnancy writing:
“My heart is bursting. I’m so happy to share with you that we are having a baby! It still doesn’t feel real. These past few months have been filled with excitement, anxiety, tears, joy, uncertainty but most of all gratitude,” she wrote alongside the pregnancy announcement.
She also reflected on the miscarriage writing, “You never forget the deep pain of loss. It dims with time but it informs many of your experiences.”
We’re so happy for Claire and Andrew!
Sending congrats and love to the family!
Alaric has faced dragons, gargoyles and dryads, but the most threatening and terrifying monster was his late bride.
No, not because Jo herself was scary but because whatever resurrected her was hoping to use human emotion to pry the knife from Ric.
Of course, Ric is a vampire hunter with years of experience under his belt so, despite the jarring visual of his late fiancee standing in front of him in her still-bloody wedding dress, he didn’t fall for it immediately.
I’m proud to say he initially pointed a crossbow at “that thing” before slowly warming up to the idea that maybe it was really Jo.
However, at no point did Ric let his guard down because he knew that eventually, the true monster would come to light.
And boy, the zombie did.
The zombie knew that there was no way it could fool Ric so it latched onto Josie, the twin most interested in connecting with her birth mother on her 16th birthday.
Josie, who is named after Jo, was drawn to her birth mother because as she mentioned, she’s never found much of herself in Caroline.
That isn’t to say that she doesn’t love her mom, but Lizzie has always been more like Caroline, which us OG TVD fans can attest to.
Thankfully, we also know that Caroline grew out of the insecure, mean-girl shenanigans so there’s hope for Lizzie. More on that later.
Sadly, Jo’s bonding time with her mother ended with her getting buried alive. Not ideal by any means, but at least her friends Penelope, Hope and M.J all came to the rescue.
They fought through what looked like an episode of The Walking Dead before M.J could hear Josie’s screams and dig her up.
Thankfully, she was wearing Hope’s necklace, one that makes quiet things loud.
It’s poetic actually to see how many people want to help Josie free herself from Lizzie’s shadow.
Despite Penelope’s toxic attitude, she really does have Josie’s best interests at heart and seeing how she almost lost her, the two reconnected romantically.
What does that mean for Rafael?
As for Lizzie, she needs a major attitude adjustment.
Yes, seeing your birth mother in the flesh may come as a surprise but her hostility was not necessary.
Admittedly, she was being protective in order not to get hurt, but there’s nothing to blame or hate your “bio mom” for. It’s not like she wanted to die and never be a part of your life!
Secondly, everyone is right — she’s a terrible sister.
Lizzie takes Josie for granted which was more noticeable on this episode than ever before.
Her only priority is herself; she wanted to get the guy, she wanted to be happy, and Josie was only deserving of the “consolation prize.”
She didn’t even notice Josie was missing from the party until Rafael hurt her by telling her that he wasn’t interested in a relationship with her despite their hook-up from the previous night.
And only after she felt hurt did she even notice her sister never showed up to the party!
With the Gemini Curse creeping up on them on their 22 birthday, these two really have to find some common ground otherwise Josie doesn’t stand a chance next to the dominant twin.
I know Penelope wanted to prove to MJ that Lizzie was a terrible person but until Rafael showed up, it seems like she was really going to give MJ a chance.
Unfortunately, it’s because of girls like her that the good guys never win. MJ was so smitten with her, he knew everything about her down to her favorite song yet she still chose the “good looks” over the guy who went above and beyond to treat her like a princess.
Now that Rafael was honest with her, she’ll likely pursue MJ, but I sincerely hope he treats her the same way she’s been treating him.
Thank u, next!
I’m glad Rafael had a heart-to-heart with Hope and admitted that he wasn’t completely over his girlfriend’s death.
It was a bit concerning that he just fell for Josie instead of mourning his girlfriend. However, his hook-up with Lizzie and his desire to “be there” for her now makes more sense.
He’s trying to ease his guilt.
Their friendship is surprising but when Landon’s personal life comes into play, specifically his connection to the knife, Rafael will be a good contact for Hope.
You could probably tell from my reviews that I haven’t really been too keen on Legacies. I just couldn’t get into it because it was lacking the magic that both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals had.
They say it usually takes about four full episodes to really fall in love with a show. Mombie Dearest was the one that changed things for me.
It’s the most fun I’ve had watching an episode which I think mainly stems from the fact that it evoked so many of the emotions I’ve felt while watching the Vampire Diaries.
I was crying the same way I used to back in season one.
It could be because there were so many references to the sister shows — Jo, Caroline, the curse, Stefan Salvatore, the debutant ball, Hope’s aunt — but this episode just had the Mystic Falls vibe. The friendships are falling into place, the characters are being fleshed out and the main story-arc is promising.
I knew it was impossible for Jo to stay especially because she’s a witch who believes in the natural order of things, but I so hoped they’d find a way to keep her around.
It would have added so much to the show.
It was also hard to say goodbye to her again. I can’t imagine having to do that shortly after meeting your biological mom, but at least Josie and Lizzie got the opportunity.
As for Ric, it was definitely heartbreaking to see him lose Jo again, but the moment provided the closure he never had. After sixteen years, he was able to let her go knowing she was in a better place.
And I’m obviously still holding out for Caroline’s return. She’s bound to make a few visits considering, as we predicted, she’s traveling the world in hopes of finding the cure to break the Gemini Curse.
I wonder when they’ll tell the twins about that.
And if the knife possibly has something to do with it!
What are your thought on “Mombie Dearest?” Are you Team Josie or Team Lizzie?
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