The Originals - S4E9 - Queen Death

Previously on The Originals, “Voodoo In My Blood”

Empires Fall 

It’s fitting that this episode opens with Klaus extolling his tales of when he was king of New Orleans to Hope because as we know, every reign must come to an end and though the Mikaelsons have spent four seasons trying to reassert their power on New Orleans, they haven’t been in control for a long time. Elijah has been taken by The Hollow and that leaves our intrepid anti-heroes in a catch-22. If The Hollow kills Elijah, it can be resurrected but they can also stop The Hollow if they use Elijah’s death to bind The Hollow using ancestral magic. Either way, Elijah’s going to die and it’s their decision whether that deat will help them succeed or give The Hollow the power it desires.

Of course, this is unacceptable for the Mikaelsons. Despite centuries of living, the thought of one of them dying means we have to move heaven and earth to find a loophole. Like Vincent, I shouted at the screen, “Everything dies!” And this is not about a hatred of the character, it’s just that honestly, it’s frustrating to watch the Mikaelsons bend every rule for their siblings but easily sacrifice other people for the greater good.

Long Live the Queen

And Freya does find a loophole. They’ll use Klaus to channel Elijah’s sacrifice and put Klaus’ soul in a pendant, like their mother did with Finn and Kol. The Hollow won’t get her sacrifice and Hayley and Marcel can grab Elijah, easy peasy. So obviously, it all goes tits up.

One of the most wonderful themes this season has been Freya taking an “L” every episode. Because she’s a type-A personality, watching her complicated, mystical plans fail has been hysterical. And the show is making it very clear that despite all of Freya’s training, Hope is naturally more powerful than her. By the end of the episode, they’re unsure if Elijah’s soul is in the broken pendant, his desiccated body is laying in a coffin and The Hollow has regained its form. Hope gives them some hope when she senses Elijah’s soul in the broken pieces of the pendant. But like the pendant, whatever is left of Elijah is fractured and weak. Vincent has sent the New Orleans witches away because he can’t protect them and Marcel has Sofya back but she’s unconscious and may never recover from being possessed by The Hollow. The queen of death has arisen and it’s going to be exciting to see her take on the would be king and his siblings.

It can be repetitive watching the Mikaelsons try to find these loopholes every week but it does allow Joseph Morgan and the rest of the cast to give some amazing performances. Yusuf Gatewood’s impassioned speech as he tries to convince Freya to let Elijah’s death help them was masterful. Also, Riley Voelkel’s desperation as she tries to locate Elijah’s soul in the broken pendant was heart-wrenching. With any luck, there will be a Mikaelson death because otherwise there aren’t any real stakes to fighting these big evils and like Vincent said, everything dies. The Mikaelsons can’t be the only exception.