The Originals: Dance Back from the Grave

Now that the season set up is done with, we've settled into heavy plot fu, with the introduction of a major villain. Or at least I think we have a new big bad. It's a bit hard to tell with the shifting of power, and the ever changing morality of our main characters.

I guess I should start with Klaus, because things always begin and end with him. It was an interesting peek to see Klaus in power and in his element during the flashback scenes. He was in charge, and oddly enough it wasn't all that different from how things are currently. Except of course he had the city set up like a well oiled machine. He had the mayor in his pocket and he was coordinating with the mob to have booze flowing into the city after the looming prohibition hammer came down.

Enter Papa Tunde. A radical witch that flagrantly uses sacrifice magic to gain massive amounts of power, as well as channeling his twin sons. Sacrifice magic is basically the same kind of thing Bonnie was using last season with Expression, and channeling has been used before too. It's cool that they are keeping within the rules, just exploring someone who is pushing against those limitations. I bet one of the major reasons Davina was killed off in the last episode was because she was so powerful she could've easily bested him. Still, I keep thinking that she won't be gone for long. Sophie even suggested getting at least Davina back using the residual Harvest mojo.

Anyway, having Papa Tunde immediately buck the status quo and antagonize Klaus in the past was a good way to emphasize how powerful he was. The fact that he was killed gave his resurrection have some weight. He had a vengeance thing for Klaus for killing his boys. So when Celeste killed him at the end of the episode, I was a bit taken aback. He seemed like a solid new villain that we spent a full episode getting invested in. Celeste has basically stuck to the shadows, so of course she's the real big bad, since the Vampire Diaries legacy means a reveal is never complete until the end of the season.

So Marcel was the one that brought Papa Tunde to New Orleans in the first place, then he conspired with Rebekah to bring Mikael to New Orleans as well. All so that they could be together. I guess Rebekah got spooked when Mikael did show up, although that kind of makes her relationship with Stefan a bit too fake for the amount of anger she showed when she woke up originally on VD. Perhaps when we learn more about the timeline it won't be quite as bad.

Marcel grew on me a bit in this episode. From his melancholy and grief over Davina, to his sudden chemistry with Cami, to the reveal that he fought in WWI, I really like subtle changes to his character. I think that without the overly aggressive charm he had in the first half of the season, he's much more likable. It's like the Davina stuff has almost humanized Marcel a bit.

It's interesting though, Marcel's charm did manage to earn him some loyalty, whereas Klaus can't even inspire half the vampires in the city to stay. The biggest thing about this episode regarding Marcel was how Klaus didn't just chase after Papa Tunde when Marcel was hurt, instead he rushed to Marcel's side. For all his bravado, Klaus really does care about his adopted son.

Bits:

Cami's back and working at Sophie's restaurant again. Sophie is also drinking, because she failed.

Flashbacks to the 20's again. The costumes were really pretty.

The Garden's been emptied out, and Tyler and Thierry just got out in time not be used as channeling sacrifices. At least they weren't victims of the severed head exchange between Klaus and Papa Tunde.

Papa Tunde gave Celeste all of his power by imbuing yet another mystical super powerful curvy knife thingy (as Damon might describe it).

That elder witch (whose name I'm spacing), a witch named Genevieve, and Papa Tunde were resurrected.

The visit to mystic falls did Klaus some good. It seems that the visit happened between the last episode and this one.

Rebekah wanted to ally w/Celeste, or at least she did until she was screwed over by Papa Tunde. It was cool that she was the first one to figure out that the Harvest magic was used to bring other people back.

I like the idea of having stronger foes against our invulnerable protagonists (if we count Klaus and family as good guys).

Hayley really is in Rebekah's court. She used her own blood to break the barrier that was holding Rebekah under Papa Tunde's spell. Hayley's blood continues to be massively powerful.

This show has changed dramatically over the last few episodes, and I'm digging where most of those plots are headed. Now I compel you all to forget this review is nearly a week late... damn, it almost worked.

3 out of 4 What's in the Box?

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

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