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The Originals: The Map of Moments

"Why is our family always at war?"

Ding, dong. The witch is dead. Or is she?

I'll start off by being completely honest. This wasn't The Originals finest hour, but that's not to say that there wasn't some classic original perfection in the mix. I just don't know if the good outweighs the bad here.

That wordless family reunion was beautiful as well as perfectly written and acted. Somehow the five of them coming together for Hope's first bonfire seemed to seal their fate as a unified family to me. Not to mention being all kinds of adorable. Capping it off with a selfie just put the icing on the cake.

Hayley and Elijah finally shacked up. I'm usually not a fan of writers putting characters together just to rip them apart, but this felt earned. Nothing like an impending marriage to another man to respark an old flame, right? I learned that on All My Children. He granted her bonfire wish by being completely understanding and she granted his wish by doing what was best for Hope and they both granted the wishes of shippers around the world because although that scene was very short, it didn't lack heat. Whoah.

My favorite part was Esther's take down. She has been a good villain, but I've had enough of Mother dearest for now. Her demise was quite poetic. Her powers as a witch were the only hold she had over her children (except Finn). Without them, she gets no say so in how they live their lives. Brilliant. Next, she gets to choose between dying and becoming the monster that she condemns her children for being. Again, brilliant. Lastly, Klaus and Rebekah get the satisfaction of knowing they outsmarted their mother. It only took a few centuries, but once again brilliant and satisfying.

When Esther laid out the white oak stake, I was on the edge of my seat. Even though it's something Rebekah has repeatedly expressed interest in, the fear was real in her eyes when she learned that she might never be able to get back into her vampire body. Would any of us ever consciously make changes to ourselves or our lives if we knew the change would be irreversible? I could feel her panic through the screen. I could feel Klaus' panic too. He was practically convulsing. Maybe he was just thinking about all the free babysitting he was going to lose.

Too bad that wasn't the whole show.

Kol has been on the express train to becoming a character I love, then he had to go and mess with Auntie Bex. Honestly, any episode where Rebekah gets taken advantage of isn't going to be a favorite plot thread of mine, but this grudge came from left field. Out of the blue, he reveals that he's been holding this century long grudge against his sister and has decided that her punishment will be staying prisoner in a house that she can never leave. It seemed just a little too random for a show that has spent a season and a half dazzling me with the beauty of a long set-up.

He has complained about being excluded, and actually made me feel sorry for him. After going on and on about wanting to be a part of his siblings' inner-circle, what does he do when he's finally part of the dream team? Decides now is a good time for a little double-cross. No wonder no one wants to play in your sandbox, Kol. Plus, Davina heard what he did and her first instinct was to make out with him. So much for girl power.

2 out of 4 Paragon Diamonds.

Bites and pieces

Dowager Fauline collected priceless jewels as well as creepy dolls. Too bad we will never meet her. She seems like an eclectic hoot.

I finally got an Esther/Mikael face off, and it didn't disappoint. It certainly didn't make my dislike of either character lessen.

After Finn's threat to Cami, are we to believe that he will be the new big bad? Or is your money on Dahlia and maybe even Freya showing up?

Kol explained why he isn't a Marcel fan. Has Marcel ever explained his dislike of Kol? Or is it Kol's interest in Davina thats got Papa Marc all worked up?

The burning selfie was symbolic of how fleeting their happiness is. It was such a beautiful picture and a lovely memory that Hope should be allowed, but because of the danger she will probably never know of it. It was sad.

Kol: "I think I'd be a bit testy too if my old ex was about to jump into my new ex. I think that would be a bit, uh..."
Cami: "Awkward?"
Kol: "I was gonna say kinky."

Rebekah: "Well, no wonder Finn hates us. He lost the sister he adored and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who find him unbearably dull."

Hayley: "You do realize I had to endure horrendous labor and actual death to birth the child you're holding."
Well, it's good they can joke about it now. I still have nightmares.

Marcel: "He's a thief and a liar, but like Elijah he doesn't give his word lightly."

2 comments:

  1. That Elijah/Hayley together moment in the study made the episode worth it for me, even though from now on, they'll just have to look longingly at each other from afar. And Hope with her two sets of very powerful immortal parents, lovely scene.

    But I agree that Kol's revenge on Rebekah came out of left field. And then I was actually thinking that Rebekah as Cami might be interesting, even though I like Cami as Cami, but no. New Rebekah. I hope the actress can pull it off and make me believe it.

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  2. What really kills me about the Kol situation, is he had ample time on TVD to get this kind of revenge. He's just being a jerk here for a made up reason. Or at least that reason has been manufactured for plot reasons. Damn.

    Anyway, the rest of the episode was awesome. Way to bring Esther down a peg or two. Not only that her whole, must kill Klaus to destroy all vampires is now effectively tossed unless she wants to die too. She also cannot let Mikael kill him either. I'd say Esther has a lot of adjusting to do.

    That family reunion was really just wonderful on every level. From the silent moment where Hayley and Klaus got to see Hope. To pretty much all the interactions between the siblings. I wish these four could bet together more, they have such good chemistry.

    Lastly, I loved that Elijah and Hayley finally consummated their mostly unspoken love for each other, even with yet another manufactured plot to keep them apart. I might sound down on the plot writing on this show, but not really. It's mildly frustrating that plot takes precedence over character, but the same issue plagues TVD too.

    Lovely review Laure, I'm looking forward to the show coming back in a month.

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