After last week’s gut punch of Hayley’s death, this week is a lot more subdued and the action is all contained in New Orleans, which is nice from a recapping standpoint! It was also nice to see Greta get killed again in the previously on, until I had to watch Hayley die again also… I’m still not totally convinced she’s completely dead forever, but at this point I can’t see a way back from where this storyline has gone.
I just remembered we're done with Greta and I did a happy dance! #TheOriginals @cworiginals pic.twitter.com/ibYispcVqm
— Shuffle Online (@shuffleonline) June 7, 2018
The episode opens with Hope, still unconscious, and back at school. She jolts awake asking for Hayley, and Freya has to break the news that she’s dead. Hope breaks down and I want to give another shout out to Danielle Rose Russell because she’s knocking it out of the park in my opinion. I’m excited for “Legacies”.
Klaus is brooding in his room in New Orleans when a letter flutters down to him from the ceiling. It’s a lovely message of comfort, support and friendship from Caroline and it’s absolutely perfect. It’s moments like this that make me ship them as a couple. They have such a good chemistry that even when they’re not in a scene together I’m interested. That being said, if this thirty second voice over counts as one of Candice King’s episodes this season I’m going to be mad.
Look at #Klaroline writing letters like they're in a damn Jane Austen novel…I can't even… #TheOriginals @cworiginals pic.twitter.com/3qrLrwIW3i
— Shuffle Online (@shuffleonline) June 7, 2018
After a few weeks off, we finally get a glimpse of Josh and his face looks totally fine! No permanent damage from Greta’s absurdly over-the-top attack. He is very sad though and he, Vincent and Marcel all share a drink in honor of Hayley.
Klaus is making arrangements for the funeral with Freya, including how to be there for Hope even though he can’t physically be there. It turns out Ivy is going to help him astral project. Klaus tries to protest that Ivy hates him and will obviously try to do something nasty to him, but he’s interrupted when plants start dying behind him and they realize Elijah is in New Orleans.
Cut to the lair of the Nightwalker vampires where the biggest, dumbest one answers the door and invites Elijah and Antoinette in. Antoinette tries to distance herself from her mother’s movement but it’s clear that Emmett is a true believer and before long there’s dozens of vampires in the penthouse being vaguely threatening. We don’t see the rest of whatever happens but the next thing we do see is Antoinette and Elijah leaving the penthouse and waiting for the elevator. They don’t get far though as Klaus exits the elevator, snaps Elijah’s neck and bites Antoinette in rapid succession. Honestly, I’m here for it. I don’t have any real ill will toward Antoinette and if she should die from this I’ll be disappointed but Elijah deserves all of this and more. He’s been the embodiment of willful ignorance this season and everything that’s happening to him is completely his fault and he should feel bad about it.
me watching elijah suffer: #theoriginals pic.twitter.com/lu3IkmN1BN
— autumn◟̽◞̽ (@vampshazza) June 7, 2018
Back at Rousseau’s it appears Vincent has not moved from the bar where they were all toasting Hayley when Ivy finds him. He is so hilariously done caring about anything that when she tries to pour him a drink he almost goes on a tirade about how if he takes the drink then he’s agreeing to talk with her and she’ll tell him something awful and he’ll have to do something about it and he doesn’t want to do anything today. Second to Hope Vincent’s full scale unravelling, this is my favorite thing about this final season.
I respect Vincent's complete and total denial about the approaching apocalypse. I suspect I'd be handling it similarly. #TheOriginals @cworiginals
— Shuffle Online (@shuffleonline) June 7, 2018
Eventually Ivy manages to tell him what’s up. Turns out there’s a prophecy regarding Hope, the Mikaelson’s and everything with the Hollow. I’m not necessarily mad about it, but five episodes from the end of the series feels a little late in the game to be introducing such a serious prophecy.
Somewhere across town Elijah wakes up with Antoinette in some kind of cell. She seems very subdued and tells him they should have stayed away and then she shows him the bite on her neck.
Klaus is getting scolded by Marcel about the war he just probably started by attacking Elijah and Antoinette when he gets a call from Elijah who idiotically asks if he bit Antoinette as an act of revenge. Like…yeah my dude, you’ve been a real asshole to your actual family. It was bound to catch up to you eventually. I’m so annoyed with Elijah this season. There’s no excuse for mishandling his character in such a way. In any case he offers to get his memories back if only Klaus will save Antoinette. Unfortunately, Klaus rejects the offer. Marcel insists getting Elijah’s memories back would only help but Klaus insists that he doesn’t deserve any sensitivity. Marcel wasn’t there to see Hayley’s face when she realized Elijah wasn’t there to save her.
"She thought Elijah was there for her and he wasn't" #TheOriginals pic.twitter.com/o1Gf28duiD
— 🇵🇹__ (@demiendgame) June 8, 2018
Antoinette is starting to succumb to the werewolf venom and comments on the irony given her mother’s ideologies that now the only thing that could save her is the blood of an “abomination”. She also says she doesn’t want Elijah to get his memories back because of what it might do to him and them. She says the seven years they’ve spent together are no match for loving his family for a thousand years. And I kind of agree, but also has Antoinette even been watching this show? The Mikaelson’s barely like each other most of the time.
Marcel and Vincent have a private conversation about giving Elijah back his memories. Vincent seems to think it’ll cause problems with Elijah wanting to stay in the city despite the issues with The Hollow but Marcel says he’s explained everything and Elijah’s willing to leave. He also makes the excellent point that if they let Antoinette die it will immediately radicalize Elijah to the Nightwalkers.
Then it’s time for the first of two funerals for Hayley, this first one a traditional New Orleans funeral procession full of music, laughter and ceremony. No one is there except Hope, Freya and Josh because Marcel and Vincent are giving Elijah back his memories and Klaus is sniping with Ivy. Hope asks where Declan is and immediately realizes that no one told him Hayley died. Look, it’s very sad that he doesn’t know and I don’t feel good that he’s just been forgotten. But it’s also deeply funny to me that the show is still insisting he’s a character we need to care about no matter how cute he is.
Poor Declan can't catch a break… #TheOriginals @cworiginals
— Shuffle Online (@shuffleonline) June 7, 2018
Hope is pretty disappointed with the funeral procession because none of Hayley’s actual friends are there; Klaus isn’t there and it’s nothing but a bunch of strangers. She starts to freak out just as a bunch of black vans pull into the street and wouldn’t you know it, Emmett’s there to wreak havoc looking for Elijah and Antoinette. Hope is naturally incensed and LEVELS UP! She’s just casually sets one of the vans on fire while stalking towards the next one before Josh sweeps her out of the way before she can be shot by Emmett. Klaus breaks the astral projection to try and go protect Hope but Ivy stops him long enough to explain about the prophecy and that he can’t be with Hope in person ever again or every first born that calls New Orleans home will die, including Freya and Hope.
Honestly, I’m a little proud of Klaus because instead of his usual tactic of doing literally whatever and letting the chips fall where they may, he actually listens very thoughtfully to Ivy and knows he can’t go rushing off damning the consequences. It feels like a real moment of growth which are few and far between for the Mikaelson’s. He has Ivy astral project him back to Hope who is rightfully angry that he missed her mother’s funeral. He tries to explain that he could kill her if they’re together and she is so wracked with guilt that she says “then let me die.” It’s pretty rough and very emotional and I loved it.
The second funeral is a werewolf funeral in the bayou, but first Klaus is there to carve Hayley’s name into a tree where Jackson and Mary (RIP I guess…) are already carved. He has a lovely speech about how he doesn’t know how to be there for Hope and how he wishes Hayley could tell him what to do. It’s very clear she was the actual parent and Klaus is left floundering without her.
I WASN'T CRYING UNTIL HE SAID "LITTLE WOLF." #TheOriginals
— Samantha Highfill (@samhighfill) June 7, 2018
Before we get to the actual werewolf funeral we head back to Vincent and Marcel giving Elijah his memory back. They promise to cure Antoinette after his memories are restored and the spell goes off without a hitch until Elijah’s weak ass can’t handle the truth and he goes catatonic while he’s in his mind prison. Again, he deserves this. Vincent and Marcel then just totally peace out and tell Antoinette to have Elijah call when he wakes up despite the fact that Antoinette might be dead by then. Their lack of concern is hilarious.
haha I love Marcel and Vincent getting an attitude with Antoinette #TheOriginals @cworiginals
— Shuffle Online (@shuffleonline) June 7, 2018
Freya is getting ready for the funeral and talking to Klaus about feeling like she can’t do anything right regarding Hope and the funerals. That’s when she tells Klaus that Elijah is getting his memories back. Klaus is naturally upset because he knows Elijah won’t be able to handle what he’s done and the consequences of having his memories gone for 7 years in the first place. Freya realizes what she’s done by agreeing to the spell and finally breaks down which Hope sees.
Finally at the werewolf funeral Freya and Hope are able to talk while they finish preparing Hayley’s pyre. Hope gets the crescent necklace and then the best thing in the episode happens when Keelin arrives and tearfully reunites with Freya. I firmly believe she is the best and most well matched partner any of the Mikaelson’s have ever had. The funeral goes well and it puts a really nice button on Freya and Hayley’s relationship which never got as much play as I thought it should have.
After the pyre is launched into the bayou and lit on fire Klaus finally shows up. This time in person. Hope is naturally worried about what’s going to happen but Klaus assures her that he will always be there for her whether it’s a phone call or letters or astral projection. It’s one of the best scenes the two have had and you can tell how much they love each other.
Oh man Klaus SHOWED UP! #TheOriginals @cworiginals
— Shuffle Online (@shuffleonline) June 7, 2018
The fire spreads to the water (one of the signs from the prophecy) and all the wolves and funeral attendants depart but Klaus sticks around for another minute just to be with Hope who promises she’ll fix the spell that separated the Hollow and their family. He explains that they can’t ever be in the same space again until she hopefully does fix it.
Klaus leaves and heads back to his car but before he gets there his neck gets snapped from nowhere and then he’s in that shitty blue shadow realm with Elijah. And that’s it for this episode. It looks like next week we’re going to have all the Mikaelson’s in Elijah’s coward brain prison working their shit out and I, for one, can’t wait to see Kol and Rebekah again!
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Featured image credit: The CW
Kristin was a military brat growing up but now she lives in Orlando with her husband Will and their dog Egon. She and her best friend Wil (not the husband!) have written a novel together and recently started the podcast “So…I’m Watching This Show” where they discuss movies, TV shows and pop culture in general. Most nights you can find her drinking wine and live tweeting way too many things.