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The Originals: Farewell to Storyville

Rebekah: "We are the strongest creatures in the world, but we are damaged beyond repair."

The abused, the abuser, and the caretaker. Three siblings forged by an abusive father and a manipulative mother. I never thought in a million years they would find a way to make Klaus sympathetic, but with further layers pulled back on the Mikaelson family past we can finally begin to see the tortured, abused soul buried under a thick Klaus-like pelt. It's like he's a big fluffy puppy with bad teeth.

We learned so much here, about both Klaus and Rebekah. We learned that Klaus was actually a good child, a kind and generous child. He was formed entirely by his father who abused him for years in such a way that everything about Klaus' personality suddenly makes so much sense. I'm not sure Klaus was ever going to be able to kill Rebekah, but I do wonder if Elijah's story about her attempt to kill Mikael affected his choices.

It's strange that an episode about Rebekah didn't really feature Rebekah. She lingered in the background for first half of the episode observing Klaus and Elijah arguing about her fate. It's like she wasn't an active participant in her life. Which is pretty much accurate, since she's never had a say in anything, really. She's been mostly just been done unto, the thing to argue over or push around. Finally though, she was released. Not that Klaus really had any right to free her, but it was still a good moment anyway.

It's a sad thing to consider how broken she is, and how big a victory it was to be free of her family. Rebekah saying goodbye to Hayley and Marcel were both great little scenes, but the one that touched me the most was her final conversation with Klaus. For a moment there, Klaus seemed like a person who was losing someone he loved. There was no petulent anger or indignation. Sure, there was still some of his trademark ego, but he seemed hurt and real for perhaps the first time.

The big change in this episode seems to be in Elijah. He has taken on a leadership role, and as his first action, he's exiled Marcel. It's an interesting direction, a third of the cast is either dead or leaving the city now. Rebekah's gone, Marcel has to leave but has pledged not to, Klaus looks depressed, Elijah seems oddly aggressive, Davina is recovering from death, Cami is floating between two worlds, and Father Kieran is dying from an irreversible hex. Oh yeah, and Hayley is sitting in the woods waiting to cure her family. In other words, things are not going well for most of our heroes.

At least Genevieve seems to have done well for herself, taking over as leader of the Coven. I guess she's the real big bad for the season. Or perhaps she's just a new and more interesting witch character (sorry Sophie).

Bits:

We got to see a young Klaus and Rebekah. It illustrates how they used to be, before Mikael's influence warped them.

So most of the sacrificed girls were nurtured and cared for by the elder witch spirits, Davina was in a void where she was repeatedly threatened. Witches suck in this universe, but at least they are consistent. To witches, vampire equals bad.

Father Kieran is a bit pessimistic. Given that he's dying, I can sympathize.

Cami and Davina's interactions were nice; I really like their relationship. I wish Hayley and Rebekah had visited her as well. Also, did Marcel have to give into Genevieve's demands to hand over Davina? I hope they don't turn her into a bad guy.

Apparently Claire Holt is leaving the show, so Rebekah's exit is a real one. At least they didn't kill her off.

This was another awesome episode, and it did a lot to further establish our characters.

4 out of 4 Dysfunctional Family Members.

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.

3 comments:

  1. I'm furious that she's left the show. Whether it was her decision or not I honestly think the show won't be the same.

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  2. Excellent episode. But I'm totally shocked that Claire Holt is leaving. Rebekah is not my favorite Original, but I'm having a hard time imagining the series without her.

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  3. I know what you mean, Billie. As I watched this series (and the relevant VD episodes) I've always had a tough time determining whether Elijah or Rebekah was my favorite Original. After watching this episode, I immediately checked IMDB to see if Rebekah was truly written out. I was disappointed to find that she had been.

    On the (possible) plus side, perhaps this will allow more time for the writers to service Cami (my favorite non-Original character).

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