The Originals - S4E10 - Phantomesque

Previously on The Originals, “Queen Death”

Friday, Blood Friday

After a small hiatus for the holiday, The Originals picks up right where it left off with Elijah’s fragmented soul stuck somewhere in the shattered remains of the pendant. Rebekah and Kol (special guest stars, Claire Holt and Nate Buzolic) realize that something has happened to their brother after a bunch of vampires begin to desiccate in a Eurotrash club. I only mention the Eurotrash vibe because I initially thought it was an ’80s flashback due to the dated clothes and hairstyles. Of course the two of them hop on the first thing smoking and return to New Orleans to find a grieving Klaus and Freya desperate to locate Elijah’s elusive soul.

Niklaus, Rebekah, and Kol go out to find The Hollow’s disciples and destroy any vestiges of the Original-killing thorns that may be hanging around, while Freya and Hayley stay behind to figure out how to locate Elijah’s consciousness so they can repair the pendant. Freya goes into the pendant, which manifests as a hallway of doors, but she’s not as closely connected to Elijah and can’t locate him. Hayley decides to go inside instead, but in order to pull her in Freya has to channel a powerful witch… Hope.

 via tvdkatherine on Tumblr

Hayley goes into Elijah’s mind and like anyone who’s been watching the show immediately realizes that Elijah must be behind the red door. This metaphor has been a major part of Elijah’s storyline since season 1. Behind the red door is where Elijah committed his greatest sins and was truly the brutal monster we know he can be. Like the saying goes, when someone shows you who they are, believe them. Hayley’s finally seen what’s behind the red door and now she has to believe the Elijah can be a monster more vicious than even Klaus.

Blood is Thicker Than Water

The Mikaelsons aren’t the only ones looking for the thorns. The Hollow’s magic has infected Sofya and Marcel is hoping that Vincent can use the thorns to siphon the magic out of her (They explain it like it’s science but it makes no sense. Just go with it.) Of course, Klaus assumes Marcel wants to keep a weapon that can destroy an Original but Rebekah recognizes that Marcel is in love with Sofya. One of the great motifs running through this season are the callbacks to the first season. Marcel’s history with the Mikaelsons is rich, from his rivalry with Elijah to his romance with Rebekah. Claire and Charles play all their scenes with an underlying yearning. They’ll never quite be over each other.

While Klaus and Rebekah try to find common ground with Marcel, Kol finds out Davina appeared to Klaus so he’s on a mission to see her again. The only people who can help him are the Harvest girls Elijah slaughtered and they are not inclined to do so. One person is eager to help Kol: The Hollow. She resurrects Davina (YAY!), but ties Davina’s life to hers (BOO!).

By the end of the episode, Marcel has decided to work with Klaus while Freya lets Rebekah know in no uncertain terms that if it’s a choice between Marcel and Elijah, Marcel is dead. And now Kol is secretly working with The Hollow. This should be interesting.

This was an incredibly strong episode. It draws on long established rivalries and relationships. Claire Holt gave an amazing performance in every scene. She’s always played Rebekah with a melancholy that makes the character sympathetic. Love and family never work out for her and now with Freya, once again, setting up a situation where Marcel is expendable, we may see Rebekah making a big sacrifice for her former love. Another standout was Phoebe Tonkin. After seeing the most brutal side of Elijah, it’s understandable that she would be hesitant to be near him. She’s always excused his brutality because, from what she’s seen, it was to protect his family but Elijah’s always been a monster. Now that Hayley has seen it, watching that relationship recover should be compelling. And finally, shout-out to Daniel Gilles directing this week’s episode. I love that the TVD/Originals cast members have been given the chance to try their hand at directing. They’ve produced some great episodes.