The Originals - S5E2 - One Wrong Turn on Bourbon

Previously on The Originals, “Where You Left Your Heart”

Daddy Made A Soldier Out of Me

We open with a flashback to a young Hope (Summer Fontana) preparing a spell so she can talk with her father. And I guess she didn’t tell Klaus she’d be supernaturally FaceTiming him because when they connect he’s ripping out hearts and rages at her to leave. You know, classic daddy-daughter time.

It seems like Hope has managed to learn all the wrong lessons from her father’s life. When Klaus comes back to the Quarter to find Hayley, he’s determined to whoosh out of rooms so that their proximity doesn’t bring on the side effects of the Hollow (and also so he doesn’t have to face some hard questions) but Hope has different plans. And she already set her plans in motion by having her new hybrid kidnap Hayley to bring Klaus home. Once Klaus realizes what she’s done, they have an emotional confrontation, punctuated by snakes and dying flowers, about why Klaus left and how Hope has fared because of it. It’s really hard to know who’s right here. Klaus has always had a difficult relationship to fatherhood. After being hated by his father in life, then hunted by him for centuries only to find out his father wasn’t his biological after all. But leaving Hope behind was also no way to parent a very scared, very powerful little witch/werewolf/vampire. When Klaus goes to get Hayley, she’s missing and when he tells Hope, snakes start to come out of her throat, so he has to find Hayley and stay away from his daughter.

And as usual, the two people who are wrestling with this the most are not Mikaelsons, it’s Vincent and Marcel. Marcel as Klaus’s other “child” has always had a unique relationship to Hope and once he finds out she’s behind siring Henry and hiding Hayley, his first instinct is to protect and assure her, even though she’s showing that classic Mikaelson mania. Vincent goes to another Quarter witch named Ivy (played by the beautiful Shiva Kalaiselvan) who reads the tarot cards which show that Hope will be the destruction of everything. This was also prophesized by Sabine in season one so our story has truly come full circle.

The Good

• Marcel is still the G.O.A.T. He returns to The Quarter with his usual kingly swagger and he continues walk the tightrope that is being loyal to the Mikaelsons and doing what’s best for the city. The problem is that Mikaelsons will always pick each other so Marcel is most likely to end up a sacrifice while trying to save Hope.  
• Vincent and Ivy! Vincent’s original love Ava (played by Legends of Tomorrow’s Maisie Richardon-Sellers) was overtaken by The Hollow and he hasn’t really had too many opportunities for love since he’s constantly making sure the Mikaelsons don’t burn New Orleans to the ground. The show seems to be putting a happy ending on his horizon and I want them to deliver. Let these Black men end up happy (*prays to Black Jesus*)

The Bad

• Hope is going to have to face some consequences at some point, right? Right!?
• This teen romance with Hope and Roman is not exciting to me at all. They’ve already put out that there will be a potential spin-off about Hope and Mystic Falls Hogwarts but so far this guy is not compelling.
• Freya breaking up with Keelin because of her family drama is so played. She’s the Oliver Queen of The Originals. You can’t be responsible for everyone’s happiness but your own, Freya!

While The Vampire Diaries got a lot of flak for spiraling out of control, The Originals has always been clear about their theme of family and sacrifice and their storytelling continues to be tight. Returning to the original premise of the show, Sabine’s prophesy that the child of Klaus and Hayley would destroy the city, is a smart way to cap off this story and return to the root of the show in a new way. I’m pretty sure Hope won’t bring New Orleans down but while this story plays itself out, lots of hearts will be (literally and metaphorically) ripped out along the way … just ask Henry (RIP Baby Hybrid).