A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×22 (Oh yeah, I forgot about that pesky psycho-mad driving mark)

 

SUMMARY

Marcel revives in the river and returns to New Orleans, gathering a large of group of vampires all sired by Klaus at one time or another. Vincent is weary but trusts that Marcel will end the Mikaelson reign without any innocent bloodshed. Marcel then confronts the Mikaelsons at their home and fights them, biting both Kol and Elijah. Freya is poisoned but Hayley takes her and Hope away and frees Rebekah hoping she can help sway Marcel from killing her family. Rebekah arrives and helps Klaus escape with his wounded brothers. Marcel won’t harm Rebekah and agrees to put Klaus on trial for his sins and cruelty of the past. Meanwhile, Detective Kinney takes Vincent to a crime scene full of dead vampires Vincent recognizes as the Strix. One of the vampires bites Kinney before being impales by Vincent who realizes Marcel is equally as dangerous as Klaus was. Without a cure her poison, Kol and Elijah’s bites, and Rebekah’s cursed mark, Freya convinces Klaus to go through with the trial and to follow through with a plan of hers. He and Rebekah return home as Klaus is judged by Marcel and the vampires Klaus created. At first Rebekah defends Klaus but begins to show signs of instability. She then forsakes him and declares he deserves a fate worse than death. Marcel passes judgment and stabs Klaus with the cursed dagger rendering him in static and immobile pain. Rebekah leaves having helped keep Klaus alive as Freya uses the laced dagger with Rebekah’s blood to link their spirits to Klaus’s life as Freya was once cursed to live ever lasting. They fall into a state of torpor and wake in a dream world as Hayley takes their bodies out of New Orleans with Hope and a mission to find cures for them. Marcel entombs Klaus as Klaus once did to Aurora while Vincent declares his plan to build a sanctuary for any people, human or otherwise that don’t want to be a part of Marcel’s new rule.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The season finale of The Originals brings to light the man sins of Klaus’s past and pits his progeny against him while his family slowly dies. There’s a desperate struggle here, rarely felt so keenly that for a moment, there was a genuine concern some of the Mikaelsons wouldn’t make it out alive. Freya’s last ditch effort to save the family worked, but their lives rest in the hands of Hayley who has her work cut out for her over the next three years. Some of the prophetic aspects made us believe Marcel’s rise into a hybrid monster would spell city-wide disaster, a cruel nightmare brought to form, yet the result was far from bloodthirsty and gave us a mock trial instead. Something deserved for sure, but the aspects of Klaus’s show was far too easy to spot given Rebekah’s pale attempt to pretend. Oddly enough, Marcel fell for it and the family is on standby for now. It’s a bittersweet yet positive cliffhanger that almost guarantees the Mikaelsons will return in full force come this fall season, but for now, they lie in wait. Oh, and thanks for not killing Rebekah, that would have earned the greatest of frowns.

 

THE GOOD

Putting the main cast on death-watch is primarily what this show builds toward every season. The multi-faceted arc often puts them in vicarious and painful positions, but true death is something we tend to gloss over, that is until now. Many can choose to disbelief such things will happen the first vampire family, but I think the potential and fear was successfully quenched in order to give that sense of panic that everyone, Rebekah included had an expiration date. In doing so, they gave Klaus the means to save his family and suffer for it, an act no one will argue with even Klaus’s enemies who all wanted to see him experience that pain first hand. Though risky, they decided not to do away with anyone which I can understand as this show has more life to give and a 4th season should be included along with the final season of TVD. The gravitas is real and now it’s up to Hayley to get them well again. Good luck, hybrid mommy.

 

THE BAD

The judgment scenes were a farce to begin with. It’s poetic and maybe a little too dramatic but it was also brutally unnecessary, logistically. If the family left the city with Klaus the same spell could have been casted and Marcel wouldn’t know because he would have rid New Orleans of the Mikaelsons. Whether Klaus needed to be in that immobile state is left unclear, but if anything it served to be more necessary to keep Marcel thinking he’d won and that the idea was his to put Klaus where he’s currently residing. Look back it just doesn’t add up. Unless Marcel’s blood was a piece of that spell Klaus didn’t really need to go through that entire charade except to pad the episode with his speeches about ruling, protecting his family, and making everyone he sired stronger for the effort.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

The initial fight that left Kol and Elijah bitten with Rebekah returning to help her brothers escape. It’s a great moment of violent struggles and a grand return which showcased Marcel as the more powerful foe and Rebekah with straight hair and a pension for easing Marcel down from going ballistic. While we didn’t get the biggest family reunion since Finn passed, we did get 5 out of 6 which is better than nothing. If only Klaus and Marcel got to throw down more, but we all know how that would have ended.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Props to Rebekah for lasting through the night without succumbing to the curse. She was the glue that helped keep the family in play and managed to fool Marcel long enough to allow Freya to complete her spell. In her own way, she used real feelings and the truth to fool the vampire group into believing she was influenced by the mark and had real disdain for what Klaus had put her through. Only a wronged-sister like Rebekah could scream for a fate worse than death even though it was all a ploy that worked all too well. She stayed alive and will live to see the next season which is more than we can say for Camille, Davina, and everyone else Marcel mentioned before stabbing Klaus.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

I assume that with the link to the ancestors magic severed that Kol’s spell with desecating after leaving the city is null and void. If not, it probably wouldn’t matter anyway considering his current predicament.

 

Speaking of, how precisely does this spell counteract Marcel’s ultra-toxin running through their system? Their spirits are transferred and their bodies are just put in a trance-like holding pattern? It’s like everything is on pause, though temporary, could probably last a very long time, forever even. We don’t know enough about this kind of spell to get how Klaus’s lifeforce negates Marcel’s bites, but if it works it works.

 

It’s almost humorous how quick Vincent was to distrust in Marcel’s plan that the two shared only to stop believing in him because of what happened to Kinney and the vampires they found. The witches all complaining to Vincent about the vampire threat didn’t help, but if you really look at the situation for what it is, Marcel did everything without that much bloodshed. If Klaus’s progeny killed off screen it wasn’t very well discussed except Vincent’s mockery of bowing to the new kind and everything he mentioned at that point.

 

The idea of a sanctuary at a church suggests that Marcel’s rule will in fact be cruel and unjustly. Given his personality at the moment, I’d say he won’t make crazy choices like that, not if he can avoid it, but who knows what long term effects of having the blood in his system will do. They can always write how unstable of a turn it really is and the effects make him go mad over time. Lucien did something grossly scientific to an old spell and without there being any consequences to that seems odd.

 

I think one key plot element I’d change is having Rebekah lash out from her curse-mark and force Marcel to bite her causing him to forcibly end his tirade against Klaus while a cure was found. Or he could have played it off as collateral damage leaving a lot of Rebekah fans angered but at least this way they could have played off of his nature to care about her in a way that blurred his hatred of the Mikaelsons while Vincent and the witches jumped in to collectively expel all vampires from the city, something I could have seen Vincent do out of desperation. Aw well.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Klaus paid a steep price but managed to save his family in a judgment-fueled season finale that saw Marcel retake his city once again. The prophecy promised a nightmare of blood and death, but realistically it was condensed chaos that didn’t really put much more than the Mikaelsons in danger. Rebekah’s return helped push Marcel into a position of kingship that played to his nature to be as justified as he thinks he can be given the severed relationship he now sustains with Klaus and his kin. Mostly entertaining and very eventful as the tension of death was inescapable, but with Freya’s plan a secret, we almost certainly knew it would succeed and that left the show not playing the risk it set out to perpetuate. The episode was about Klaus doing what he had to for the sake of his family and not set out on a warpath which he was very prepared to do. Now all hope lies in Hayley who no doubt will be busy trying to find a cure that everyone said doesn’t exist. Then again, they said an Original couldn’t be killed and we all know how that turned out. Hopefully season 4 syncs up three years later with TVD and the two shows can write their final tickets and end the series on a high note. Until then, thanks for reading. See you in the fall.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×21 (Marcel, you clever bastard)

 

SUMMARY

After Camille and Davina’s funerals Vincent decides to use his ex wife’s (Eva) magical sphere locked away in their old house to sever the ancestors hold on New Orleans forever. Meanwhile Josh attempts to convince Marcel not to take the serum as Freya and Elijah uncover more of the prophecy which involves Marcel becoming the next ultra hybrid. Klaus seeks Marcel out and tries to reason with him out near an old bridge that once held sentimental value for Marcel. Vincent enlists the help of Detective Kinney to secure the items he needs for transcending into the spirit world and Kol agrees to help after receiving a message from Davina. Elijah finds Klaus and Marcel and reveals what he knows prompting Marcel to show the serum and ponder on drinking its contents. Vincent and Kol enter the spirit world and find Davina who takes the sphere and ignites it, thus severing the ancestors from the living world. As Marcel reaches his boiling point against the Mikaelsons, Elijah rips his heart out from behind and he’s lost to the river. Distraught, Klaus wanders alone as Elijah confides in Hayley as the two embrace as lovers. Later, Klaus tells Josh and Vincent that Marcel is dead only for Vincent to reaveal to Josh that Marcel took the serum the moment it was offered to him. In the river, Marcel’s eyes open and they’re glowing red.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

If prophecies are never wrong, then Marcel was never in any real danger. The wool was cast over us as Marcel duped the Mikaelsons into killing him thus turning him into the fabled monster of their prophetic nightmares. It’s about time we finally got to this point. What started with the triage of Lucien, Aurora, and Tristan has now ended with Marcel and his bloody warfare that he’ll no doubt reign in his city, all to rid the Mikaelsons for good. This is the kind of build up that showcases all the right segments in pitting long favored Marcel in the wrong place for the right reasons. Here we have a villain who in all respects shouldn’t be and that’s the best doubt one can cast to make next week’s finale a thrilling one. Though Vincent’s subplot was a little too convenient to showcase Davina one last time, the end was easily one of the better cliffhanger’s this show’s produced, because now there really is no going back.

 

THE GOOD

Marcel made all the right points even with Klaus believing what he told his son. Two explicit ideologies clashed in a way that should have had Klaus trying to make sense of where Marcel was coming from, but after three seasons the two finally had the kind of talk they needed. Granted it led nowhere good, but that was the point. Elijah couldn’t trust the situation and killed Marcel to save his family because he more than Klaus is capable of such things as proven once before with the death of Davina. In a strange way, Klaus has been twice the victim of being labeled as the king when it’s really Elijah who’s making the king-like calls. Everything on the bridge held the best parts of the episode notwithstanding Marcel’s faux attempt that understanding why the Mikaelsons are the way they are with him. He had the blood but didn’t have to die, yet Elijah’s choice sealed their fate and for once, I agree, it was a long time coming.

 

THE BAD

The sphere acting as a battery for collecting dark magic of sorts seemed like an odd time to pull that macguffin out of nowhere. In all of Vincent’s past problems with the ancestors he decides after Davina’s death that this was going to be his hail-mary? Since Davina’s death there hadn’t been any whisperings of the ancestors causing interference yet it was important that Vincent deal with them while Marcel pretended to indulge Klaus. And then it turns out Davina isn’t suffering a fate worse than hell, she in fact can still communicate with Kol, diminished but still. She’s found and she uses the last of her spiritual energy to destroy the connection which likely will take her out as well. It was a means to give Davina a better farewell than last week’s episode which included a long-stemmed goodbye from Kol. I’m not a huge fan of shows that need to really sell the death of a character and then blindside us by showing them continue to exist after heartfelt goodbyes. This and TVD are the worst in terms of killing off characters, they just don’t know how to do it right sometimes.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Vincent tells Josh that Marcel already too the serum. That was a great moment, nonchalantly played by Vincent who already knew he was in good hands he just neglected to tell anyone else. And when Marcel woke in his death-like slumber with those red eyes, you just know he’s going to wreck house on everyone against him. It’s for sure going to get bloody next week and that’s the best way to have an Original finale.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Marcel had a lot to get off of his chest and rightly so. His complaints over Davina’s death found a stronger root with Klaus and the idea of serving under him no matter what became the emphasis for their talks. Where he really hit home I think was when he referenced loyalty not mattering but being challenged is when everything changes and Marcel had never ever been a real threat even during season 1. He’s a justified villain now who will probably make mega-maniacal decisions now that he has the power to do so. Still, he had some raw candid moments to share with his sire and those were powerful moments to witness.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

With the ancestors link severed, does that mean Kol will lose his bloodlust and be able to leave the city without desecating? Or he still stuck in New Orleans? Furthermore, what will he do when Marcel begins to close in on his family? I think he’ll choose his own side, until something else gives way for him to teeter toward one side or the other. Anyone’s guess as to what that is though.

 

Kinney had a much bigger role to play and considering how well he and Vincent got along, I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes something of a standard alliance in season 4 should both characters make it there alive. That bro handshake at the end.

 

I’m not entirely sure this night was the best time to finally lay down with Hayley considering the act of murder Elijah took part in only hours ago. He’s broken up, as much as Klaus is about the situation and Hayley is more in tune with his emotional state, but considering the “will they won’t they” mentality of the last three seasons, I have to say they chose a poor time to couple, but considering there’s rarely a point where someone isn’t dying around them, I guess now was as good as a time as any. Of course like in more horror tropes, now that the deed is done, one of them has to die.

 

And what was the point of the little fire by the bridge after Marcel fell into the river? Was Klaus trying to stay warm after needlessly searching the river bank for his friend? That river didn’t look like it had a powerful current sweeping away a body, and in the end, Marcel really wasn’t that far off.

 

I’m just going to assume Aurora is dead, like dead dead. I don’t see a reason for her to come back now that she has no serum in her system. It’s unfortunate, but this pretty much makes Tristan the last of the second line standing, though I doubt he’ll ever surface again.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Great buildup to what will no doubt be an intense finale. The prophecy made sure that all things happen the way they were seen and now we know fully what that will entail. No Mikaelson is safe and that’s always the focus on each season is to put them in the kind of peril that spells ultimate death. Marcel gave Klaus all the chance in the world to have his say but Elijah stole what residue of trust Marcel had left and now Elijah may in instrumental in the downfall of his own family. The musical cues was a bit overkill, I don’t think this show needs them anymore, I think they’ve grown past it, but characters staring longingly toward one another is still a facet of this vampiric storytelling so they have to get them in somehow. With TVD already on the rack for another season, The Originals is still in question, but we know at least one Mikaelson survives based on earlier clues from TVD. Klaus will endure one way or another, but who will he lose along the way and is it worth bringing back Rebekah for the possibility of being killed of? I hope not. Keep her in that coffin! Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×20 (Whose side are you on?)

 

SUMMARY

While Lucien begins his hunt to find Rebekah’s body, Freya helps summon Davina’s spirit into a protected place as the ancestors close in on destroying her for good. In doing so, Freya discovers an opportunity to capture the magic used by the ancestors to turn Lucien into the monster he became but in doing so will cost Davina her spirit. Though Klaus and Hayley try to convince Freya to find another way, she and Elijah give in and use Davina as a conduit, sacrificing her to the ancestors. With the power, they find Lucien who by this time had found Klaus and Hayley with Rebekah’s coffin. Together they defeat Lucien and Klaus finally kills him. Marcel, Vincent, and Kol however find that Davina is gone and are distraught. Marcel turns from Klaus and Elijah as Vincent shuns Freya for what she did. Kol kills Van Nguyen after he fails to resurrect Davina. Later that night, Vincent approaches Marcel and offers him a vial of blood taken Aurora’s heart that could turn Marcel into a hybrid like Lucien. Together, they seemingly agree to purge New Orleans of the Mikaelsons.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Powerful and crazy intense are a few words that come to mind. The power of family is strong, but when those who consider themselves family are essentially stabbed in the back, what else can there be but a backlash the likes they’ve never witnessed. The complicated layers are among the finest I’ve seen in all three seasons, and for once, I’m torn on what I want to happen. That’s the best kind of writing there can be, but to be fair, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Davina, and Marcel has more than once fallen off the map of interest. But Vincent has done something devious to bridge the gap between Marcel and Klaus who has always stood his better since day one. Now the prophecy begins to unfold in a way that some probably predicted, but maybe didn’t see coming in quite the way we might have expected. Excellent performance with a few glaring plot holes, nothing to slow down the pace of this strong arc as we near the end of season 3’s journey.

 

THE GOOD

Impossible choices have to be done with care and reflection so that both sides are in the right. As hard as it was, Freya and Elijah went with who was actually blood versus who was considered family. Unfortunately Kol would never have agreed to such a sacrifice, but the choice was made. Davina never stood a chance and Marcel had to experience such helplessness while Freya usurped the magic she needed even at Klaus’s disapproval of such a method. Even better is the irony that Klaus never signed off on it yet Marcel blames him and “the family” because of their nature to destroy everything around them. Marcel isn’t wrong in what he says, he did everything for them and to sell the impact they had Davina admit that she loved Marcel (Like a brother or a father figure I’d presume) and Marcel really took that to heart right before she died again. Wicked scenes to have to film, but the show stuck to their guns and Davina was in fact taken out of the equation permanently.

 

Lucien’s end was bitter for his own sake but I’m certainly glad that monologue-making monstrosity was given a final look into radical despair before his heart was removed by his sire. He had every single opportunity to end Klaus and Hayley and he didn’t because his own pride far exceeded Klaus’s in wanting to see his sire kneel, which Klaus did by the way which couldn’t have been easy. In any case, Lucien is done and dusted and that gives all the thumbs up in my book.

 

THE BAD

A show like this is bred on the possibility of characters switching sides at any point in time. That’s the trouble with neutral characters is that their true loyalties are to those they trust only, good or bad. Supporting characters can influence one way or another, but here we’re seeing characters like Vincent and Marcel who are officially plotting the demise of the Mikaelsons based on losing someone they care about who was sacrificed for the greater good of the city. Any argument can be made that condones or rejects what Freya did, but at the end of the day, anyone can still turn on you in the blink of an eye regardless of the incident that transpired prior to it. In this case, Vincent is very much prepared to ruin the Mikaelson family and to me, his motivation isn’t quite there for me. Marcel’s is and I get his position, but Vincent’s role is rooted in maximizing his benefits and unless he’s trying to get in good with the ancestors now, I just don’t see him actively taking part in their expulsion because he’s almost battling on two fronts and right now we don’t know if the ancestors will support this new cause as they have Davina’s spirit shredded the way they wanted. Maybe we’re missing one key piece of information, or maybe Vincent is too likeable that turning him into a bad guy just doesn’t make sense, either way it’s not the decision I would have gone with.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

The entire moment Davina pours her heart to Marcel to when Freya takes the magic she needs. I thought the “Can you hear me” cover was a bit oddly placed and overshadowing the conversation, but it was building up a very tense moment which after watching I actually really enjoyed watching because there was no true right or wrong as Freya did nothing out of malice or evil, she was protecting her own. And Davina was more than scared out of her mind but she was still taken by the spirits she wronged this whole season and then some. Did Davina deserve it? Marcel wouldn’t agree and neither would Kol, but what’s done is done. It was a very powerful scene to watch.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Tough one, everyone had a part to play, but I think Marcel stood out the most. To finally say what he said to Klaus and Elijah took a lot of courage and anger, but he finally severed himself from the Mikaelsons and is now interested in Vincent’s offer to rid them from New Orleans for good. Marcel looks out for his own and Davina was always someone he wanted to protect since day one and now he’s lost her. The truth is Marcel has lost everyone he’s cared about including Rebekah to an extent and doesn’t have a lot of motivation left except to reclaim the city he took over when Klaus fled. How he manages from this point forward will show if he’s truly a villain or a protector of his city, but for now, he’s convicted to see through what he needs to.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

I’ve brought this up probably a dozen times by now, but seeing as Lucien, Aurora, and Tristan are no longer a threat, why on bloody earth is Rebekah still in a coffin? The dagger isn’t cursed, she doesn’t have to run, there is no translatable reason why Rebekah still resides in a coffin. Please get her back on the show, maybe she can be the one to reason with Marcel when everything goes to hell.

 

Van Nguyen was wrong, everything centered around vampires is magic. He states that the estate is keeping uninvited vampires out and not a magic barrier, but if you really think about it, vampire barrier protection is in itself an effect of the vampire curse which is the result of a spell, so by proxy, magic is very much keeping him out of entering the estate. It’s just very powerful magic that can’t be undone.

 

In theory, Freya should still have access to the same magic that will inevitably change Marcel as it did Lucien. Unless they come up with some loophole where she only the ability for the one time, I can’t see why she couldn’t do it again when Marcel becomes a hybrid monster.

 

Looking back at the flashes from the prophecy, I think I might have stated way back in the season that one particular close-up showed the possibility of it being Marcel who was the “monster” in the making. Now while this hasn’t officially happened yet, I think it’s more than safe to say this will be the result, unless they pull another fast one on us and turn another vampire into a hybrid monster instead of Marcel.

 

If Vincent removed the hybrid blood from Aurora’s heart, does this mean she’s no longer affected by it and if so, is she still alive? I’d imagine they wouldn’t do an off-screen death, but we don’t know enough to understand whether the blood in her system replenishes or if what Vincent did stopped her from changing completely.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Very intense episode with yet another major character death and a resolution to a season-wide arc involving the second progeny. Now Marcel is at a cross-roads with Vincent as a supporter of the only vampire he respects. Once more, the Mikaelsons have to contend with the last ruler of New Orleans only this time, things are very much in a grey atmosphere. Kol is a bit of a wildcard, but I’m certain he’ll make a play against Freya at the very least considering she was the one who made Davina vulnerable to the ancestors and he’s still controlled by them, more or less. Great build up to the last two episodes and a very satisfying bridge into a much more potent battle. Klaus will again have his hands full, and as we know Klaus does eventually leave the city, is it willingly, or is it because Marcel is simply too powerful to stop? Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

 

 

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×19 (Sometimes inspiration is all we have)

 

SUMMARY

Camille escapes Lucien and goes to Klaus revealing her bite. While Vincent collects blood left by Lucien when Camille escaped, Hayley and Elijah retrieve Hope in case Lucien’s blood is not a cure. Even after drinking it, Camille worsens as Davina finds Lucien and attempts to use magic to compel him to speak of a cure. Lucien continues to resist as he has the power of the ancestors helping him and tells Davina that Kol is hiding a secret before allowing her to leave. Klaus conjures a dream-like illusion of beautiful New Orleans for he and Camille to wander through. When Hope’s blood doesn’t help either, Camille is resigned to her fate but is very afraid to die. Davina discovers that the spell that brought back Kol is also making him want to kill her. He has Davina dagger him to keep him desecated until he can be saved. In Klaus’s illusion, Camille tells him to be the light for his child before succumbing to death. Everyone says their goodbyes as Davina returns to Kol’s body. A sudden earthquake somehow releases Kol from slumber and he viciously attacks Davina draining her blood. When he regains his senses he’s horrified to see Davina dead in his arms.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

I had a sneaking suspicion that there would be two death’s on this episode mainly due to the amount of prep time they were giving Camille. As strong a character as she was, there simply wasn’t enough momentum leading to her death considering the last time they pulled that trick on us several episodes ago. In any case, they exemplified a common tactic used on this show and it’s sibling, TVD when creating elongated goodbyes to characters who have sustained mortal injuries. Lots of music, lots of heartfelt sentiments, and that one character who is silently swearing an insane amount of vengeance. For once, they stuck the character’s in a no-win situation selling even more the potency of Lucien’s bite and the possibility of even more character deaths by the time this season has run its course. Was Davina’s death necessary and is she really dead? We’ll get very much into that.

 

THE GOOD

The last time they did this kind of major death with the supposed intention of truly killing off the character was Jeremy from TVD. Even that was an emotional tear for everyone involved, and this scenario seemed very similar, the same could be said for Katherine, but let’s be realistic, almost everyone hated her. In this case, if they stick to their guns and keep Camille dead, then this absolutely needs to be the catalyst with what does bring out the light in Klaus. He has a very hard choice to make and while I’m certain he’ll be very vengeful and angry over the course of these next few episodes, there’s hope, literally, that he’ll change for and be the man Camille hopes he will be. Sometimes it’s a character’s death that starts that path for characters like Klaus who don’t get to suffer loss because they’re so busy playing king they don’t consider the pain involved in truly letting people in. This is a tragic first step, but a necessary one if Klaus is going to have any kind of serious change in his archetype.

 

THE BAD

Throwing in a Davina death is a bit overkill. I knew something more was going to happen but I’m not certain we need a Davina death right this very second. She’s been dead before, so this isn’t new, but the way Kol ravaged her neck suggests that she simply can’t be healed by his blood. Instead she’s stares lifelessly and he cries out in grief. Now, it’s not that I don’t mind a Davina death. She has had her moments, and terrific character growth over the course of three seasons, but considering how finite Kol’s existence is, he’s bound to expire sooner rather than later leaving Marcel as the only person who is truly going to mourn this loss, oh and Josh if you want to count him too. In fact, if anything, this will probably overshadow the afterward of Camille’s passing not to mention the tirade Klaus and Marcel will go through to see justice be done. Vincent will be of course devastated, but he’s still relatively new and even more of an expendable character than anyone else left on the show right now. I just think this was the wrong time and probably should have been saved for a finale death, unless they’re cooking up an even bigger cast member. Hopefully not Rebekah.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

Those last moments with Klaus and Camille before she died. Seeing Camille show such a heightened sense of fear made her one of the most human-vampires ever on the show and though she was always scared to be used as a pawn for being so weak it’s a shame that that’s what ended up happening. But here, Klaus does his best to console her and promises she’ll be at peace. And it was fitting that he lost his senses for a moment as the people in his illusion started disappearing and then came back after she reassured him. Klaus is very shook up by all this and it’s safe to say he isn’t going to love anyone new like this for quite some time. Good scenes they shared at the end.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Everyone tried to help Camille but Klaus is the one who made her the most comfortable. He could have spent all his time hunting down Lucien and demanding a cure be found or using Aurora to force Lucien to save Camille somehow, but he didn’t. He stayed his hand and did his best to relieve Camille of the pain that was crushing her and managed to hold up to the bitter end. While in the end, she made it about him, he understood what she meant to him and hopefully will use that to make changes in his life that include not being an evil prick every few episodes. Time will tell.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

As I went through the rolodex of possible cures/loopholes in my mind, it appears they did too right down to the two more obvious solutions of, put Camille’s soul in another pendant, or switch Camille’s body with an innocent. Surprisingly, if you really pay attention to how afraid Camille was, I’m starting to think she would have been okay with the soul swap. Hell, Klaus would have been okay with the soul swap.

 

So is Davina really dead? While I hope yes, I’m thinking no. They’ve established an afterlife and since Kol was in that realm, Davina will likely roam around in it to actually face the ancestors. Then I looked at the promo for next week and realized they are doing exactly that, who knew. So there you go, she’ll be back.

 

I’m a bit disappointed that they had this earthquake which I thought would reveal something crazy ancient and more evil than Lucien, then they head-faked us and showed Kol was released and back to being feral. Those two points did not intersect well and I wish they had done it differently.

 

Did Camille really know Josh well enough to give him her record collection through a will? That seems overtly nice and maybe a touch too centric around supernatural entities. Shouldn’t Camille have human friends she’s gained over the years that deserve her things more? Just a thought.

 

You know, if Camille had drank that vile concoction instead of the bourbon, they probably would have had an extra 30 minutes to roam beautiful New Orleans. Klaus is always distracted by drinks that are more suited to Damon Salvatore.

 

Whether it was intentional or not, Klaus and Camille didn’t kiss once while they were in his illusion of New Orleans. Interesting idea considering how meaningful that would have been for Klaus to have that last moment. Yet there it is, his dedication to her meant not making it about himself.

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. The second time finally went through as the death of Camille will either shatter the resolve of the Mikaelson’s or make it even stronger than before. It was done with the kindness and carefulness that are always given to characters who have had a long lasting performance and are meaningful to the group as a whole. They did right by keeping Lucien mostly out of this episode so as to not distract from Camille’s passing and an wedge for Klaus to drive further with his family by hunting him. As the threat becomes more real, they’ll soon realize what they are really up against and then see what they are capable of. Davina’s passing is meant to show the antagonists from the other side of the veil and hopefully the crew down on Earth will find a way to save her or at the very least use her to fight the ancestors. Next week threatens the life of Rebekah so we can expect another cameo from her and the very horribly real possibility that she’ll be next on Lucien’s hit list. If that happens, all bets are off for Elijah, Klaus, and Elijah to wreck hell on their dimension against all those on Lucien’s side. The war is getting bigger but one element still remains, at some point, Klaus will leave town, but will he do so out of grief or out of transcendence. Right now, we simply don’t know. Goodbye Leah Pipes, you did great as Camille, someone who found a bright spot in the darkest soul and made it shimmer again. That deserves all the credit in the world. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

 

 

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×18 (Oh yeah, Marcel is still on this show, isn’t he?)

 

SUMMARY

Lucien courts Aurora and convinces her to take part in a plan of vengeance against Klaus and the Mikaelsons with the hybrid blood as an offering of love. Meanwhile, Vincent deals with the backlash of the ancestors choosing a new regent (Van Nguyen) and Kol becomes the target of their wrath. Lucien confronts and easily defeats Klaus, taking him back to his penthouse for Aurora to torment as Lucien then sets his sights on Elijah for Tristan’s whereabouts. Camille and Hayley locate Klaus after she drinks the hybrid blood but are able to subdue her and save Klaus while Freya entraps Lucien. Unable to contain him though the two escape while the Strix are taken out by Lucien. As Vincent and Davina help keep the ancestors as bay, Marcel convinces Kol to leave town. As he leaves, Kol begins to decay outside of city limits. He returns at the edge realizing how affected by the ancestors he really is. With Aurora once more under Klaus’s thrall, Lucien sets his sights on Camille and bites her, infecting her with the potent werewolf toxin.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

For the first time in nearly the entire series, Klaus is formally beaten and dragged through the harsh conditions of the cursed knife, a more powerful foe, and a vexed lover all while having no distinct advantage save for one or two choice words. He’s met such agony in the past but tonight there was more to the fear in his eyes. Tonight, the Mikaelson family use all they have in their arsenal to combat Lucien and Aurora who collectively are a formidable pair, but now the tide turns for the worse. While not as impressive as last week, there was a bit more berserk in the nature of Lucien’s power that culminated in Camille’s unexpected infection, an act that on paper spells her end by next week’s episode. It’s a merry-go-round, but we still need to know how it ends and how badly.

 

THE GOOD

The bigger the threat the more real it gets for Klaus and his family. Now a simple but fierce bite can end everything they’ve ever known, and for Camille, it just very well might. Lucien’s rise as the most powerful vampire can be a worthy force of villainy if he sticks to the nature of power and less on the majesty he thinks he gains from being in control. Today was a good lesson in understanding that his physical posture can still be weighted down by things like love and loyalty to that love. If he sheds himself from it, then he truly will be more dangerous than ever. Keep him more a menace and less a showman and he’ll earn his place as the seasonal arch-villain.

 

It may seem macabre, but Camille’s growth and subsequent climax tonight is spelling out more and more that her role can only feasibly have one end; death. It may have been more spelled out when she confronted Aurora after Hayley gave a short speech on overcoming fear, but realistically, as a vampire, she’s been tactically defensive to the curse that makes her undoubtedly vulnerable now matter how many ways she gets creative. The lead into what perceivably is her departure is what I think makes for a withering Klaus to truly become frantic and fearful, however I ponder if they have the gusto follow through, once again.

 

THE BAD

Vincent and Marcel have tough acts to follow in their plight to protect Davina and remove the threat of the ancestors. It’s not what they’re doing isn’t working, it’s just out of all the elements passing through tonight’s episode, it wasn’t nearly as compelling as watching Aurora dance and dawdle with Klaus who was genuinely trying to get desperate and get in Aurora’s head. There’s a fundamental concern with how the ancestors can influence the real world considering they’re dead. Now they can remove magical barriers and futz with Kol’s ability to remain active as he tried to leave town. That part hasn’t really sunk in yet, but at least he’s stuck in perpetual torment. The ancestors need a form for us to see or they need to be removed from this equation. An unseen force continuously causing threats and changing the rules of lore on this show feels a bit lazy writing on this end.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Hayley and Camille confronted Aurora. That scene was a capital moment that really harnessed on opportunity and helplessness and probably would have been ten times better if Klaus was forced to actually watch one of the two perish at Aurora’s hands. As it stood, The pair successfully brought down Aurora and gave Camille more to work with in terms of dealing with the fear of being a new and weaker vampire.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Maybe undeserving but I’m giving it to Aurora. She held up against Klaus’s onslaught of a verbal cyclone, bouncing back from love to hate as she laughed and endured the quarrel. She gets more captivating as her screen time increases as I also think she has the most elegant hair and color than anyone ever on that show. Yes, she can be defeated and was but she’s also intelligent to understand what power looks like in the palm of her hands and how to wait for that moment. Her trouble is that it goes to her head, like all things when she’s crazy.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

I can’t remember the last time a scene happened where a vampire forced another vampire through an uninvited home, but I can’t agree with the vampire lore that Camille would slowly suffer by being inside. She downright should have exploded when she crossed the threshold. Witch spells are finicky for sure, but I also disagree that Aurora would have the strength to pull a vampire through said barrier.

 

I suspect the only cure for Lucien’s bite is Lucien’s blood, or even stranger, the blood of a different hybrid, like Aurora should she be killed and re-awakened as a hybrid. I suspect something will play into the role of a cure or else they really did sign Camille’s death warrant. While I still think a major character death will happen in the next four episodes, I don’t know if the time is exactly right for Camille yet.

 

An interesting note with Kol is that the power that brought him back has a limited space and that if he goes outside of that space, he’ll decay and die. This means he’s stuck in New Orleans at the mercy of the ancestors who want him savage. The problem I see is that his days are essentially numbered. He can’t leave town, unless Davina finds some way to counteract the spell by using her own power, should he leave again, but I don’t think they’ll make it that complicated. I expect Kol won’t make it out of this season alive either.

 

One other note on the hybrid structure. If vampires become hybrids then they’re still forced to abide by the uninvited guest rule, but if a werewolf becomes a hybrid, they’re absolved from that rule, in the case of Hayley, she was able to enter Lucien’s “home”. That’s an interesting loophole in the physics of spells, one I find handy and gives Hayley a distinct advantage over other hybrids.

 

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. Not as intense as last week, but still a consistent and positive effort. Aurora’s return was in inevitable pleasure and though she’s subdued, she’ll play a pivotal role in what’s to come, the dreaded prophecy. Much of the episode was drenched in Klaus’s vulnerable state, something they really wanted to sell here as he watched Camille almost die helplessly. Only now, at the end, he wasn’t there to stop Lucien’s vengeful act that will in all likelihood cost her what life she has left. The witch plot has it’s moments, but tonight wasn’t one of them. Kol’s unfortunate curse is more realized as he can’t leave town without dying all over again. Lucien is close to becoming a monster with no conscious, but he’s not quite there yet. We’re still a few weeks out before the end comes and for now, the build is simmering, but eloquent enough to sustain a strong climax that’s sure to devastate everyone involved. Here’s hoping.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×17 (What if Mystic Falls is just another way of saying “Spells broken?”)

 

SUMMARY

Lucien takes Vincent and Freya to Mystic Falls where the Mikaelsons first became vampires. There he forces Vincent to perform the spell that made them using Freya’s human blood and an additive of potent werewolf venom. Davina and Kol help Finn and Elijah track Vincent down as they return to Mystic Falls where Sheriff Matt Donovan confronts them. Meanwhile, Klaus and Hayley discover a group of captured werewolves in one of Lucien’s research facilities in Tennessee. Hayley frees them and remains to burn the facility down while Klaus returns to New Orleans. As Finn, Elijah, and Matt find Lucien, he drinks the blood from the spell and begins to transform into an original hybrid. Finn uses Matt’s gun to kill Lucien which completes his turn making him more powerful than the originals. He bites Finn but Freya keeps them safe from Lucien with a barrier spell. Lucien flees and the others return home to try and save Finn. Even with Klaus’s blood, Finn is unable to recover and dies with his family by his side. After grieving for their fallen brother, Klaus swears revenge but discovers that Lucien had enough blood to give to another, whom he realizes is Aurora. Too late, he finds that Aurora is missing from her prison.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The tide of power has indeed turned and rushed over the family that has never known more danger until now. Tonight, Klaus and his siblings lose one their own as Lucien ascends into a hybrid of immense power. Magic and spells have been a root of a lot of problems in this world but at least Klaus and the family are attempting to do something about it. I’m unquestionably impressed with the turnout of this plot and though I can’t stand Lucien as a character, by giving him rise and a new sense of confidence, he may just turn into the kind of villain this season needs and now he has a queen by his side, ready to take the plunge into hybrid-ism. As a fan of cross-overs, The Originals snuck in another with Matt appearing in his hometown of Mystic Falls, still assuming the role of vampire evictor. Packed full of clash and sorrow, this season has culminated into a final arc that will pit the historic family against one their progeny in a fight for the ages. And it’s looking to be unbelievably violent.

 

THE GOOD

The most important feature here was the setup to give Finn a short glimpse into family sentiment and make his second departure more sympathetic which I believe was accomplished here. Granted Kol, had to remain sickened and suffering from the corrupt spell that brought him back, but even he wished Finn a lasting peace when the time came. With only Elijah to pour his rage on, Finn did his best to make him aware of what it meant to be trapped and daggered for a century and longer. This would have been better served toward Klaus himself, but Elijah is fitting enough and the one who would understand Finn’s plight the most considering his trials set by their brother in the past. I was satisfied with Finn’s departure even though I wanted all six siblings to be present at the same time, something we’ll never see now.

 

This was the opportune moment to seize the prophecy and make it relevant as well as having Lucien be the instrument of it’s undertaking. He wanted this since day one and it helps he had such a plan in place which makes what he’s been doing since the start of the season relevant even though there were plenty of times he seemed like a lack-luster character who over acts his way to the chagrin of Klaus and the gang. But now he has the power to back up his passion and Aurora is by his side as well. I have a theory with where this is going, but its honestly too early to tell how this will all play out considering the origin of spells and the effect it has on all humans. Still, it was refreshing to finally see a villain put The Originals in a place of uncertainty as it’s no longer a white-oak stake of bullet that puts them on edge, but simply a bite that can dispel centuries of ruling.

 

THE BAD

It goes without saying that this episode needed Rebekah to round out the family of six and to be there for Finn’s death along side Freya, their only other sister. I’ve spoken enough on that subject but there’s very little I had issues with in this episode. Everyone had the right amount of screen time and importance which included Camille recounting to Davina how similar Kol’s actions seemed when her uncle was cursed. One thing that unfortunately stood out though was how little we truly know about the werewolf packs. We were given such a short run down by the elder wolf on his lineage and how that factored into the new strain of werewolf venom that we simply had to take their exposition and run with it. We never truly settled on a proper story arc that involved the wolves save for Klaus’s interaction with his biological father and Klaus only ended up killing him for the effort. I think the inclusion of the hybrid spell would have been that much more potent had he been given enough time to understand what these 7 packs of wolves were all about, where they came from, and what it meant for the, to be harvested in such a way.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

There were better scenes for sure, but watching Matt stand up to Elijah and Finn was monumental for the guy who just wants to protect his town. And given his presence around Finn as the man who killed him last gave this episode even more symmetry than it needed which I always liked. Even while Finn and Elijah argued in the center of Mystic Falls, that clock tower was there to remind us how integrated this show is with the mythos of that town and how they’ve indirectly affected it over the course of time. I am surprised Elijah didn’t just rip Matt’s heart out where he stood, but his comment about saying hi to Rebekah for him was a gentle reminder that she’d probably be very pissed if Elijah had killed one of her boyfriends that she actually got along with.

 

CHARACTER MVP

This episode was meant for Finn to take the spot. I liked that Klaus never once portrayed his unbearable arrogance for an entire episode, but it was important for us to understand the least visible Mikaelson who was essentially the firstborn of the family. He had a story to tell, misery to understand, and a release to go through which all culminated tonight. He wouldn’t have survived like Elijah and Klaus would have, but he helped save Freya and for that, he earned the respect of his siblings which gave him all the peace he needed to pass onto the next world. I’m glad he was given the time to have that kind of outing and if the other siblings are so lucky, we’ll be in for a hellish falling out should any more siblings perish by Lucien’s hand.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

I know spells are a dime a dozen these days, but considering how powerful Esther’s vampire spell was, I can’t imagine Lucien’s adding of werewolf venom woudn’t completely disrupt the spell. There’s a lot of analogy with how spells need to be perfect and harmonious with the ingredients they require and if anyone can just throw in an extra vial or a dab of random things that they wouldn’t get completely wrecked by the result. If this were truly a world that stuck to the rule-sets they are governed by, then Lucien should have exploded the second he drank that vial, or at the very least, gone completely insane and monstrous.

 

My only theory I’m holding onto at this point is that the insane and monstrous effect will happen to Aurora. She’s already unstable and though I’m certain she’ll drink, or be forced to drink the second vial, she’ll go through an entirely different experience. Granted she’ll still need to be staked to finish the transformation, but I’m sure Lucien has that all planned out. Knowing her, she’ll find a way to return Tristan to the ranks and share that blood with him as well. What better way to have the progeny outclass the Originals than in a plot twist like this.

 

One scene I omitted in my summary is that Vincent and Davina agree that the ancestors need to be taken out, destroyed, or stopped completely. What’s fascinating is that Vincent said all this out loud and I imagine he’s being monitored somehow by the ancients and if so, they probably would have killed him already for actively voicing his betrayal. But then how would they get this interesting subplot off the ground then? While Lucien plays at dominating his maker, Vincent will be risking everything to keep the ancients off this playing field. It may cost him his life, but at the same time, with Davina’s help, they could very well accomplish the task. I’m rooting for him, he’s been a solid character since he showed up as Finn.

 

I’m honestly surprised that Lucien didn’t rip Matt’s head off when he transformed. When Matt wakes up, I’d imagine he’d want to do something similar to Freya and find a witch who could keep vampires out with a spell. Oh wait, we already did that plot. Well then, Matt will wake up with a hell of a headache and continue missing Penny and hating vampires, especially Stefan.

 

Here’s one last little gripe. If the same spell was performed to turn an existing vampire into an Original, and it’s been stated several times that the older you are the more powerful you become, then doesn’t time factor into this transformation? The spell should have put Lucien in the same playing field as Elijah. Now granted, the werewolf strain is what’s giving him the edge, but does this in fact make him as powerful or more powerful than Klaus. It’s just the bite that’s more lethal, and even if it’s a combination of the 7 packs that gives him a killing bite, that doesn’t necessarily translate to being a physically stronger or faster hybrid. I’d like to think we’re missing something here, but the truth is, we have to just accept that the spell simply makes Lucien unbeatable, but hopefully not truly invincible.

 

OVERALL SCORE

9 out of 10. This was a fun episode to watch. I was hooked from beginning to end and there were very little wasted scenes. Everything culminated into Lucien’s rise and they made Finn’s passing memorable and tragic. Everyone had a hand in playing their part and even Lucien seemed to have toned down his eccentric behavior, that or it finally worked once he had the power level to back up his annoying accent. Matt’s cameo as well as a memory trip down Mystic Falls blvd. helped saturate this episode into one of the finer ones this season if not the best episode to date. Klaus and his family are under more threat because everyone is vulnerable to the same person. Maybe keeping Rebekah in the coffin is the right move because at least then we’ll know she survives without a scratch. I’m looking forward to how this plays out with Aurora as she still remains to be a wildcard regardless of Lucien’s lust for her to be by his side. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

 

 

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×16 (One by friend, one by foe, one by family, one by frenemy, one by feline…)

 

SUMMARY

Hayley and Klaus travel to Hayley’s old stomping ground and she discovers a teenager she used to babysit named Kayla is on the verge of turning after unfortunately killing someone. After arguing with Klaus over his need to stay outside of werewolf affairs, she goes to Kayla and helps her cope with the new change in her life. Meanwhile, a vampire named Sofya steals the white-oak bullet from Vincent and offer it to the highest bidder in an online auction. Josh helps Marcel and Elijah locate Sofya and retrieve the bullet from her while Finn returns to the family asking Freya to transfer his soul into a witch so he can live as a mortal. Still angry at him, Kol attacks Finn after Davina performs a spell to prevent Finn’s soul from leaving his vampire-body. Finn later convinces Elijah to keep the bullet for the time when they finally want to depart the world. Vincent is later given direction by the ancients to help Sofya escape and capture Freya who attempts to hide the bullet out of town. Klaus informs Elijah that wolves are still being hunted outside of New Orleans as Freya is captured and discovers Lucien was behind the entire plot to retrieve the bullet.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

I suppose one way or another, Lucien was going to have to be returned to the status as major villain considering his role in the first place. How the ancients play into this I’m not sure, but it seems the Mikaelson family are once more pitted against a common foe. Tonight’s episode of The Originals delivers the precursor to likely the final arc of the season which could still spell disaster for a main character and a bold direction for another. Klaus and Elijah may have acted out of character, but it’s the latter I find the most turbulent considering his status as the family counselor. Sibling rivalry will never be expelled from this kind of storytelling but at least it’s the right combination that helps keep this season on top of it’s game while pressing into familiar territory regarding the threat of white-oak.

 

THE GOOD

Elijah managing his affairs at home is always the best position to put him in, considering his stature as the middle child who consistently attempts to maintain balance. All around, It’s been good to witness Kol and Finn interact considering how little they were utilized in the past before the dark family returned to New Orleans, but now the band is back together. All we’re missing now is Rebekah and Klaus and soon all six can share a living room and discuss, family matters.

 

Hayley certainly has a way with getting through to Klaus much in the same manner that Camille does. It seems this only works when Klaus has pre-existing or current feelings for the individual who’s confronting him about his overall attitude. Hayley makes a lot of good points, the most being that being nice isn’t a weakness. While Klaus can easily argue that point, he’s trying to compromise and that’s always the mark of a principle character who’s trying to understand his or her place in the world. And it’s always good to see Hayley stand up to him when he’s being jerk-face.

 

THE BAD

There was a bit of eye rolling when Lucien was deemed the puppet master of the event. I’m sure next they’re going to say he planned the entire event where Klaus was delinked from the vampire bond so he could be free of his sire. In any case, it looks like we’re stuck with him for at least a few more episodes. He always struck me as a convincing second in command, but never a true ring leader. Sofya’s fear of being declared good as dead if she told Elijah who commanded her almost had me believing it was going to be someone truly ominous, but it’s hard to bring in more naturally powerful characters than the Originals. All in all, a terrible reveal.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

Hayley’s talk with Kayla followed up with Klaus’s compromise over deciding together how best to raise Hope and move forward. It’s easy to see Hayley and Kayla’s scenes together are a metaphor for becoming a teenager and going through those “changes” only she’s literally becoming a werewolf, but Hayley was there to guide her through the first step. Klaus iterating what he’s learned in such a short time is always lined with passion and a sense for doing better. Even though it’ll be short-lasting, I do find those scenes to have the most meaning when learning how best to keep him grounded as a character who learns.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Between Hayley and Elijah, Hayley gets the spot tonight. Though both had good reasons for helping those in need, Elijah did the one thing that guarantees someone will die from that bullet mainly because it still exists. Hayley’s good nature toward her kind is the gentle reminder that as a new mother and as someone who tries to see the good in people, will do what she has to see that good will be done. Her strength continues to grow in ways that foster that spirit and hopefully she won’t have to endure the kind of tragedy that comes with being so helpful and considerate toward others.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

Kudos to Josh for starting to show some abilities both as a resourceful internet savvy guy, and as a fighter who tried to take on multiple vampire foes. He might be the weakest vampire ever on that show, but he’s trying and most of all, he’s learning.

 

I am interested to see how the ancients want this to play out. Are they in favor of keeping the white oak active so more Originals can die, or are they planning something more sinister to all vampire-kind alike?

 

I’m a bit at a loss with what Finn actually wants. If he couldn’t get out of his body, then why didn’t he just plunge the bullet into his own heart. I thought that was what we were trying to achieve in that moment of craziness when he caught the bullet from being burned. Why Elijah could be convinced to spare that bullet based on Finn’s rant still makes no real sense to me. I really do think his decision to keep the bullet intact goes against how much he wants to protect his family.

 

If Finn and Kol were brought back as vampires, then technically what is their power level? Are they at “Original” power level as the older you are the more powerful a vampire is? Are they more powerful than Lucien? Their fight earlier just looked a tad bit underdeveloped considering how strong they used to be.

 

If Hope and the Gemini twins were born roughly the same time, I wonder if they’ll be introduced together after the “3 year” time jump. These characters should be playing a bigger role as children born of magical properties often display a vast set of power that put most main characters in check and themselves in danger to villains who want to control or destroy them.

 

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. Tonight’s episode thematically revolved around family and the conditions for protecting them. Sure there will be squabbles and even tussles, but at the end of the day, family must come together for the common good or risk tragic outcomes. Lucien being central to the next arc is unfortunate but I suppose necessary to establish credibility in his long con as he was widely shown to be a mischievous and evil being from the very beginning. I suppose next he’ll be breaking Aurora out and finding Tristan to get us all back to where we started. None of these characters have died so it stands to reason we’ll see them all together again. And will Elijah wake up and realize that Rebekah doesn’t need to be stuck in a coffin anymore? She needs to return so the family can have a true reunion before all hell breaks loose. Decent episode with some good themes and coherent values. Klaus is doing good for the short term. but as always, I’m certain he’ll get pulled back into this protective ways that always leaves him weary, untrustworthy, and ranting, as Hayley pointed out earlier. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×15 (Well, the headless guy isn’t wrong)

 

SUMMARY

Cortez, an old vampire sired by Klaus arrives in New Orleans and forces Vincent to locate the last of the white oak. Elijah discovers that Hayley has been murdering members of the Strix while Marcel attempts to keep the peace as leader of them. Klaus confronts Cortez and ultimately kills him but not before realizing all his kin are beginning to converge from all over the world. Kol reunites with his family but soon realizes as a vampire he’s subject to the same bloodlust as before. Vincent finds the last white oak bullet as Camille forges her own path by swearing to finds and kill Aurora on her own. Klaus decides to leave town with Hayley and Hope in an effort to keep his city and family safe from harm against those that are searching for him. And late at night, after Kol drinks from a human he encounters Finn who has also seemingly returned from the dead.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

All is not well in the city of New Orleans. The curse is ever present and the portent of the sire war is back on track. I imagine the remaining season will detail the effects of this war while Klaus stays from his home, an act I thought he wouldn’t succumb to. But that was the old Klaus, and this new one is in fact “vulnerable” as it’s been stated. The flow of emotional ties breaking and forming was very lucid and relatable as both Elijah and Klaus had to settle with their loves telling them how the world works in their eyes. In a lot of ways, this episode helps bridge the gap between one arc and the next and does so in a way that doesn’t feel forced for hammed up. I enjoyed a lot of what this episode had to offer.

 

THE GOOD

Klaus in a lot of ways talks up a good game but usually backs up that talk with vicious cruelty and a knack for dishing verbal irony. What we’re seeing now is evolution in a way that compels him to do what’s best for the family and not think of himself as the sole proprietor of all he can see. Him leaving has to be one of the more selfless acts he’s exhibited in his time, but also who goes with him, the mother of his child and Hope herself. Camille also gave him good reason to leave and I agree with everything she said, both to Klaus and to Vincent, but I’ll comment more on that later. Even though he may be painted as a pitiful former arch-villain, I rather like where he’s headed even though he still has the power to tear heads off.

 

Hayley and Elijah’s feelings were a bit under the radar compared to Kol and Davina, but I do want to comment that Haley’s honesty and Elijah’s reaction are the kinds of open truths that this show doesn’t confess enough to. Elijah would never openly admit his feelings in such a blunt away. His actions more than make up for it, but sometimes it takes someone like Hayley to get to the point of the situation even if it doesn’t result in what either person wants. It’s a plain statement of fact and it was delivered with a pure candid tone that I appreciate seeing and hope I can see more in the future from other couples who differ in their ideals or thoughts in general.

 

THE BAD

My only issue really is the introduction and departure of the one-off villain, Cortez. I don’t think you can introduce a single vampire who somehow is engaged as a true bad-ass and someone to be feared. They tried with Cortez but there just isn’t anything any writer can do to outperform the majestic nature of the Mikaelsons who are at the top of their class. Would Lucien fear a guy like Cortez? I doubt it. I’d say try harder, but more are already on their way. At least give them enticing personalities because Cortez was a brick of normalcy compared to Klaus and Elijah’s suave personalities.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

The ending with Klaus leaving and the arrival of Finn. Both moments captured by the same foreboding music really help sell the mood of changes looming on the horizon for the oldest family in the city. It’s a shame we’re on a break, because I do want to know where this is heading. Will we get to see more of Hayley and Klaus on the road? And how is Finn also returned? Maybe he’s just an apparition of Kol’s. Hopefully not.

 

CHARACTER MVP

I want to give it to Camille based on her conversation with Vincent toward the end. Her stance and attitude as a young vampire who needs to come into her own is classic heroine mentality. She doesn’t want Klaus forced into a position to choose between the two and she wants to find her herself. Plus she had the courage to stand up to Klaus in a way that pushed him right out of the city. She was strategic and flawless and I think I’m beginning to like her as a vampire. I just think it’s a bit odd that she’s already controlled her bloodlust, but maybe the psychology of the mind is easer for her to grasp than it is for someone like Kol who is very beholden to his new lust for blood.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

I knew there was a reason why they showed seven bullets of made from the white oak. One bullet was fated to survive which means likely one Original will perish this season. My money is still on Rebekah, sadly. But then that means Camille would be killed as well.

 

Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but I thought Cortez was staked in the heart that second time before he was promptly beheaded. I guess Klaus purposefully mess to sell his point. I also thought it was odd Klaus didn’t just compel Cortez considering that’s still a thing Originals can do.

 

I hope we don’t forget that Hope has abilities and that they should be manifesting even at her age. In three years who knows what kind of destructive force she’ll be capable of.

 

My theory is that if Finn truly did return that it was inadvertently done from Davina when Kol was brought back. Hopefully he’s not a foe, but he really doesn’t like a lot of characters on this show. I’m glad the original cast is back in this manner. Those two were always in the sub-light of their siblings more theatrical personalities.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Klaus’s attitude was a bit predictable but he did what needed to be done in leaving the city and staying in the continuity of TVD taking a three year hiatus. The sire war is still very much a possibility which I’m glad they haven’t abandoned and I really enjoyed Camille and Hayley’s performances as they respectively ended ties with Klaus and Elijah. Kol is already beginning to slip and his brother is in physical form at least until they tell us he isn’t. There’s a lot of potential and I didn’t find much beyond Cortez as a B-rated villain that dragged this episode down. We’ll get a bit of a small break this month before returning and hopefully a bloodbath awaits. Thanks for reading.

 

 

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A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×14 (And here I was hoping the Salvatore’s came from Rebekah’s bloodline)

 

SUMMARY

Aurora and Aya lay a trap for Klaus and Elijah leading to Davina and the Strix witches to complete the spell that binds all vampires to them. Their minds are housed in a representational spell where Tristan and Aurora watch in delight. Meanwhile Freya, Marcel, and a recovered Lucien plan to infiltrate the Strix to save Klaus and Elijah. Still in town, Stefan accompanies Hayley with a plan to use Rayna against the Strix as a distraction. Freya uses Lucien’s power to find Elijah and Klaus in the spell as Hayley breaks into the Strix’s home. Marcel aids Hayley but Davina completes the spell on Klaus just as he and his brother are set free. All vampires from Klaus’s line including Stefan are freed from the sire-bond which takes an enormous toll on Klaus. Elijah confronts Aya who dealt with Rayna herself but is unable to kill her. Hayley stabs Aya from behind and ends her life. When Aurora awakens, she finds herself trapped within a wall which Klaus seals up as a fitting punishment. Stefan and Klaus say their farewells both telling the other to do right by the women in their lives. Davina is later seen resurrecting Kol with the blood and power she siphoned from Klaus and Elijah.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

If this were the season finale, I’d have been satisfied with the result. For three seasons and longer on TVD, all vampires have been subject to the lives of the Originals, now Klaus has been severed to his kin, an act that will shake the foundation of all those once belonging to his blood. I think everyone always suspected that the Salvatore’s came from Klaus’s line, but now we have the proof beyond proof. This also means that by the next episode of TVD, Damon, Caroline, and who knows maybe Enzo too will have felt the same effect that Stefan went through as they are also free from Klaus’s line. That will be an interesting moment, but suffice it to say, I was very gratified by tonight’s stellar climax and subsequent new beginning.

 

THE GOOD

It’s hard picturing the vampire curse as just a powerful spell cast by a powerful witch, but there we have it. Only two Originals remain who are connected to all those under them. This was meant to paint a bulls-eye on Klaus’s back and it certainly will as those forced to be loyal can now take their revenge if they so choose. Klaus is still powerful, but his subjects are no longer tied to him. This is a great evolutionary step toward humbling him, which I suspect will still take many episodes and possibly seasons to get to, but this was a tremendous step and I’m glad it took the onslaught it did.

 

This was a much better use of a cross-over plot than on TVD as Stefan integrated his own survival into a plan that helped destroy the Strix. Nevermind the fact he was the youngest vampire out of anyone in that group. He interacted with a good chunk of the cast and left with a meaningful gesture toward Klaus who really took one for the team. I’m glad the cross-over event continued this way, I don’t know why I thought this would bleed into next week, but this was perfect and a very fitting plot to have the two swap in each other’s shows.

 

THE BAD

A lot of good things happened tonight, but my one disappointment is that Rebekah wasn’t utilized in any way. If I’m not mistaken, there’s no reason to keep her shelved in a coffin as the threat of Tristan, Aurora and presumably Lucien is basically over. I’d thought by now one of the three would have perished, but sadly all three are alive, albeit in torturous states with Lucien the last one standing. This show is extremely family-centric and though Claire Holt is on another show, I’d like to think she’ll return before the finale, but then comes the question, Elijah and Rebekah can die and no one on the TVD will suffer for death for it now that we know everyone comes from Klaus on that show…except maybe Enzo.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

I like when main characters say their goodbyes after a hectic event. For Stefan and Klaus, there’s mutual respect and maybe even a hint of camaraderie, but even more so, there’s that sense of unspoken trust on what they’ll do moving forward. I appreciate moments like these because there are so far and few between. The rest is on them to fulfill their requests to do right by Caroline and Hayley. Nice moment they shared, hopefully not the last.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Very tough to pick one. Everyone shined in their own way tonight including the guest star, but I think Klaus is the narrow victor. He suffered the worst out of everyone and still held his head high in the end. He’s in a vulnerable place right now and it’s the best place for him to be to finally see the kind of growth he deserves to go through. He’ll be putting up some more brick walls (figuratively of course) because we really see some change, but for now, those closest to him will have to give him support.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

I’m convinced now more than ever that Rebekah will be slain by this seasons’s end and that is why Klaus will be absent from New Orleans for those three years. It may not come to that and the result is something we can’t even begin to predict, but for now that’s my fear.

 

So I guess Stefan really really didn’t need Klaus’s blood to give to Damon who he thinks may have suffered a werewolf bite. Seriously dropped the ball on that plot point guys.

 

Does this also mean that Stefan no longer has Freya’s spell helping him mask the mark from Rayna? I’d like to think it’s somehow back on or else he sacrificed a lot to try and save his sire.

 

Speaking of Rayna and her sword, did everyone forget Aya dragged Rayna’s body at the end? Is no one catching on to the fact that Rayna is very dangerous and she could still harm everyone in New Orleans if left unchecked? If Stefan’s mark is masked, she could even stick around for another episode just to revenge in her home town. Hopefully they don’t just gloss over this leftover plot thread.

 

I’m all for Kol returning from the dead, but does this make him human, or does he retain his witch abilities from before? How strange would it be if Davina’s spell somehow infused him with Klaus’s vampire power? It’s strange even thinking about it, but I’d like to see Kol become a vampire again just to screw with the relationship. I can’t imagine anyone going after them unless Klaus has a blood-debt owed to her which is entirely possible. After all, who is to say someone can’t return the link by another spell?

 

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. This was a jaw-dropping episode that wasn’t even treated as a finale. If more episodes came out like this, the show would be unstoppable. Major players took a hit and it served as the second part to classic cross-over that this show has been missing for a while. They may not happen often, but when they do, make them count, and they did. Killing Aya is a plus and walling Aurora makes this two for two. All that’s left is expelling Lucien from New Orleans and we’re all set. There’s still a few more episodes left and the prophecy is far from over. One by friend, one by foe, and one by family. Was Davina a friend or foe? Likely foe, which means Elijah will go down by friend? I don’t know, prophecies play out in the strangest ways. One more episode remains before the next break. As always, thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: The Originals – Season 3×13 (Aurora might fair better with a white-oak sledgehammer than a gun)

 

SUMMARY

Aurora kidnaps and injures Freya forcing Elijah and Klaus to search for their sister while Aya allows Davina a chance to be with Kol in exchange for his knowledge on how to complete the spell to delink them from Elijah’s bloodline. Hayley trains Camille in combat as Marcel urges Davina to stay sided with him and he’ll make sure to raise Kol back when he can. Klaus finds and frees Freya as she’s buried alive while Elijah confronts Aurora and her gun with white oak bullets. Missing her chance, Aurora flees when Klaus returns to face her. Elijah intervenes and is shot but survives as Aya learns that Davina needs the heart of an unsired vampire to complete the spell. She sends the coven witches to Hayley who is that unsired vampire. They fail and Aya attempts to kill Hayley herself. Marcel convinces her to let him find a solution which he does by acquiring Jackson’s heart who became a mirror image of her hers when they were married. With Jackson’s heart in possession, Aya finds Aurora and attempts an alliance against the Mikaelsons.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

We stand on the precipice of a grand change in this vampire-universe. Either an Original dies or a bloodline is severed, either way, things may not look good for Elijah who took the brunt of tonight’s violence. Even though I really enjoyed this episode, I fear Aurora is a bit outclassed in the villain school of planning and executing. True she provided a nice diversion with burying Freya, but she could have had her vengeance several times and failed in each one. As a loose cannon, her role as a competent antagonist is fleeting at best. The intensity was raised a nice margin as we creep our way into the next phase of the prophecy and I do like where it’s going.

 

THE GOOD

When the Mikaelsons are under real threat the entire game changes yet here we see the brothers really band together under that common goal and when the fear set in that he might lose his brother, Klaus relentlessly saved him. This also prompted Klaus to reaffirm his familial affections with Freya as the sister he tends to neglect more than anyone else. Now as a united trio more than ever, they’re going to stop at nothing to eliminate the threat that could undo them forever. Great moments to be had by our resident protagonists.

 

Even though it feels like a overused theme, I never get tired of seeing Davina and Kol express their feelings and passion toward saving one another. I think it’s mainly because without that singular purpose I can’t find much in their characters lasting on the show. That doesn’t bode well when characters can’t really function on their own, but this is one of those times that if characters work better with specific circumstances, it’s just better to keep that formula working for as long as possible. And Kol really has changed considering who he used to be.

 

THE BAD

I feel bad for Hayley because next to Jackson, I fear she’s the next most expendable character on the show. They had their chance with Camille and didn’t take it which means she’s unlikely to be a killed over later this season, but stranger things have happened. It was too soon to pull the Hayley death-card here tonight, but even with Jackson’s heart as a replacement for the spell, I wouldn’t count on a major character getting killed off and that’s what this season is unquestionably setting up. Jackson was the warmup death and Hayley might be next. Why is this bad? It’s not bad persay, but rather use of Hayley as of late is hindered on his makeup as a creature and not because of her alluring performance as she has no one else but Elijah to have good scenes with. Even with Klaus it’s still dry and empty as he offers kind words that might as well fall on deaf ears.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Elijah was shot and Klaus broke his neck to take the bullet out. There was a lot of pain and fear swapped between brothers and it wasn’t oversold with horrid screams or Elijah’s bloodline all feeling the effects. It was a simply one brother attempting to save the other and he did. Well shot and worth the investment.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Everyone gets the tip of the hat tonight with the exception of Aya and Aurora who I felt continued to drag the show down bit by bit. As far as who got the edge, I think tonight it goes to Klaus who did try to make things right with Freya. It’s something he does from time to time and when he sounds sincere, he’s really convincing as far as notably evil kings go. He did try to console Hayley for what it was worth even though it was hard to believe him.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

At this rate it’s more likely that Elijah’s sire bond will be broken more than an Original dying, but if an Original does perish I’m banking on it being Rebekah and I don’t like that I’m banking on it being her. In fact, I can see Aurora doing something completely bat-s**t crazy by killing her own sire as a means to committ suicide and take out a whole grip of vampires with her.

 

Speaking of breaking the sire-line. Did they specify if it was just Elijah’s or would it be all three remaining Originals? I don’t know if we know enough about the spell to understand its complete effect or if it’s tailored to work on only one Original at a time.

 

Camille’s plight was a decent subplot detailing her want to keep her “dark objects” in hand because without them she’s utterly defenseless and Josh was even used as a means to sell the joke on how new she was. Even though Hayley had a sparring session with her to train her combat skills I wonder if Camille would be better served learning techniques that might better suit her abilities. Not every vampire has to learn kung fu to stay alive. There’s her psychology, her environment, her ability to understand situations and become more aware of other people’s weakness rather than worrying about her own. I just think there’s an opportunity to train her in a different way rather than just throwing her in the pit and having at it.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. This felt like a classic episode and stood out from many of the ones this season. Aurora tried her best to eliminate Elijah but couldn’t get the job done and it’s almost sad that both Klaus and Aurora hesitated on each other giving weight that there’s still inklings of feelings between the two. The prophecy looms overhead while Marcel continues to play for the Strix only this time it may cost his alliance with the Mikaelsons to stay as leader of Elijah’s former kin. Lots of dynamic themes here and unpredictable natures coming out most notably Aurora and Aya who looks like they’ll be teaming together for the time being. It’s not a great match, but at least they’re joined and maybe can get something accomplished for once. Good episode all around, I look forward to the next one before the short break. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words