Blame It On Mama

Wow. Okay. That was a major character death. I totally didn’t see that coming. Did you? Like, should we have a moment of silence or something? I mean, she was the cornerstone of the series. The whole initial premise of The Originals revolved around [SPOILER]. Sure, she and I never really got along. I never even liked her, but I’ll admit, she played a pretty important role in the show. Honestly, though, the way they handled her departure? I think she deserved better. She’s been around since the TVD days. Her death should have been momentous. Instead, it felt oddly placed and abrupt. It was too soon. The stakes didn’t seem high enough. Although her sacrifice was noted, the shock fell flat. Why some writers think that the only way for a quick character development is to kill off the mother is beyond me. There has to be another way. That plot point is too well-known.

I’m not even sure where we go from here. They basically wrapped up the only critical plot line they’ve established this season. Guaranteed, there will be more family drama on the way. Elijah vs Klaus? I’m kind of over it already. Hey, Originals! This is the last season. I’m still waiting to be impressed. *Crosses arms and taps foot* It’s been too long since we’ve had a really great twist or an episode that keeps us on the edge of our seat. With only seven episodes left in the series, The Originals has to seriously step-up their game. This season has been quite disappointing, so far.

Ugh, this intro is kind of a bummer, isn’t it? Do you know what we should do? We should recap the episode.

Warning! This is a SPOILER ALERT!

Previously on The Originals…

Klaus found out it was Greta who had kidnapped Hayley. Greta insisted the Hope and Hayley bind their werewolf sides or she’d kill them. Hope, seeing no other choice, decided to do the spell. The young witch ran away with Roman – which was an incredibly stupid idea – so that she could banish her werewolf forever. After almost beating Josh to death, Greta escaped and now has ended up on the doorstep of Antoinette and . . . Elijah Mikaelson.

Manosque, France

Tired and hungry after her journey, Greta makes herself comfortable among Antoinette and her fiancé. Without his memories and connection to Klaus, Elijah has no clue about Greta’s back-story or her current plans to murder Hayley and Hope. He doesn’t care about them anyway. He doesn’t know that Greta is currently playing him, giving him a sad sob story. She tells Antoinette and Elijah that Roman has been fooling around with some mischievous teenagers. She’s worried that Roman’s new friend, Hope Mikaelson, will put him in danger. Hope’s father is known to be quite  overprotective. Greta requests Elijah’s help. Elijah is the only one who could stop Klaus from killing Roman.

Elijah falls for her spiel, even though Antoinette warns him that Greta may be hiding something. Antoinette begs him not to go, but Elijah follows anyway.

Hope and Roman are speeding down the highway – listening to emo music and taking selfies – as Roman promises Hope his witch friend can complete the binding spell. Hope is convinced she won’t miss her werewolf side and vows to do away with it the first chance she gets. It’s the only way to get her mother back. Suddenly, Hope gets a funny feeling. Someone is tracking her. Roman pulls the car to the side of the highway and ditches their phones, while Hope puts a cloaking spell around them. Crisis solved.

When they reach their destination – creepy house in the middle of nowhere? Check – Roman hesitates, unsure if following his mother’s plan is the right thing. He likes Hope. He doesn’t want to see her hurt. Roman makes sure she knows this, but Hope ignores the warning signals. Opening the door to the house, Hope quickly spots Hayley weakened and chained to a chair. Shocked by her sudden appearance, Hope has no time to stop Roman from binding her, as well. Hayley wastes no time telling Hope that it was Roman who kidnapped her.

Hope and Roman are too naive to realize that Greta doesn’t just want Hope and Hayley’s wolves bound, she also wants them dead. Roman insists Greta’s intentions are pure, but Hayley tries to convince him of the truth. Greta is dangerous. Her ideas are horrendous. Roman needs to break free of his mother’s ideals before anyone else gets hurt. In order for Hope and Hayley to be free, Hope comes up with a seriously outrageous and stupid idea.

Meanwhile, making a surprise appearance – although, a phone call would have sufficed – Caroline Forbes turns up in New Orleans, breaking the news to Klaus that Hope is missing. Without missing a beat, Klaus races to save his daughter, despite having no clue to where she actually is. The only thing Klaus and Caroline can do is wait and make goo-goo eyes at each other. The two start talking about their brief romance. This scene totally gave me the feels. Caroline admits she doesn’t regret her time with Klaus. Klaus admits that he still can feel a spark between them. He loves her!

At Russo’s Freya tries to convince Vincent that Declan – Hayley’s sometimes boyfriend – needs to know about vampires and werewolves, etc. She reasons that with Hayley’s recent disappearance the human needs to know what is really going on. Vincent is sympathetic to Declan’s plight, but is resistant to the idea. Declan is broken up about Hayley and feels like he’s the only one looking for her. Freya wants him to know how complicated/supernatural Hayley’s life can be.

Vincent later tells The Oracle that he believes Cami and his friends would have been better off not knowing about vampires. He believes they would still be alive if they never knew of the supernatural. The Oracle explains to Vincent that ignoring parts of yourself will not make you happy. Ignoring Hayley’s hybrid lifestyle will only hurt Declan. He must accept it. Slowly, Vincent begins to understand and decides to speak to Declan.

Later, Vincent finds Declan at the cemetery. Only, before Vincent can tell him anything, Declan throws out a plot twist. He lays flowers at the grave of Cami O’Connell. He was her cousin. She was the reason Declan was in New Orleans in the first place. Vincent flees. He realizes he cannot ruin another life.

Seeing no way out of the situation, Hayley concedes and agrees to do the binding spell. A moonstone is burned into her hands and feet and face. Hope has to look away when she sees her mother in pain. Soon, sunlight begins to burn at Hayley’s skin. The spell is complete. WHICH WAS THE PLAN ALL ALONG. Hayley’s binding broke whatever cloaking spell was on her. Now, Freya can track her. Now, Klaus can come to the rescue. Hope and Hayley’s escape is short-lived, however. After killing the witch and breaking Roman’s neck, Hope realizes her mother can not leave. The sunlight will kill her.

Hayley pleads with Hope to leave, but before she can, Greta appears. Roman is shocked to hear of his mother’s plan to kill Hope and Hayley, even after they repeatedly told him that was going to happen. Outside, it’s brother vs brother. Klaus and Elijah go back and forth, fighting on opposites sides. Elijah puts a stake through Klaus. Not that it will do much good. In the meantime, Greta has Hayley in her grasp. Greta smiles, pushing her hand to grab Hayley’s heart. Realizing that Hope must be saved, that Klaus is in danger, and that Elijah holds no memory of her, Hayley lets go. Her time is over.

Only, Hayley is a fighter. She will never stop fighting. Hayley breaks Greta’s finger – with her daylight ring still on it – and pulls her into the sun. They burn. They’re both gone.

The Originals

What did you think of this week’s episode of The Originals? Were you surprised by Hayley’s death? Do you think she deserved a better send off? How will Hope manage now that Hayley’s gone? Will Klaus and Caroline get back together? Will Antoinette and Roman try to get revenge for Greta’s death? What will happen next? Tell me in the comments!

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