by Dianna Berrian
An “always and forever” pact can seem concrete in the world of vampires. Especially when you’re a part of the Original family. But betrayal has come so naturally to them over the centuries, and the witches of the French Quarter have no problem pitting Mikaelson against Mikaelson in this week’s episode of The Originals.
After being seized by newly resurrected witch Genevieve in the last episode, Rebekah wakes up hallucinating she’s back in 1919 in the New Orleans Sanatorium. The reality of it is she IS in the sanatorium, but it’s abandoned and all the hallucinating is just a part of Genevieve’s revenge plot. On the second floor, Sabine’s got Klaus shirtless and strapped down to the table (indulging us fangirls by bringing our fantasies to life), barely conscious.
Elijah invades Sophie’s consecrating service demanding to know where his siblings are. Monique and her cocky little attitude gives him a message from Celeste. And by message she means names burnt all over his skin and a riddle:
Monique: “To find what you’re looking for, follow the path she left behind.”
Flashback to 1919 where Rebekah firsts meets Geneive in the sanatorium where they’re both nurses taking care of influenza patients. Little odd for a vampire to be a nurse, right? (Not if you watch Being Human) But Rebekah claims it’s her duty to aid her dying city, not to mention if they all die who ever will she eat? She makes nice with the witch, inviting her out to a jazz club for some fun and no ulterior motives to betray her brother at all. Riiiight.
Elijah returns for a status report from Marcel and some pen and paper to make a list of the names on his body. Just the job for a simpleton like Hayley. He believes they represent the names of the women Celeste inhabited the last two centuries and apparently, if they solve the riddle the names will disappear. Therefore, the faster they solve it the faster they’ll find where she’s keeping Rebekah and Klaus. Dear Daniel Gillies – Forget the suit. Just be shirtless in every episode from now on. Sincerely, fangirls everywhere. (p.s. That goes for you too, Joseph Morgan!)
Speaking of, Klaus is doing just dandy lying strapped down with the blade in his chest. Genevieve stops by to do him the favor of cutting it out of him, which…isn’t exactly pleasant. The wound doesn’t heal right away, powerful blade and all. He finds her kindness a little suspicious but her agenda is solely based on revenge against Rebekah, not him. There are some…sensual, but not sexual, moments between the two that – dare I say? – may or may not have just spurred a new ship. She then feeds him a concoction she made up from Rebekah’s blood and it goes down with a sting from all the werewolf venom. Um. Question. If Klaus is a wolf – or at least half-wolf – why is the venom affecting him? Seems like a logic fail to me. But it links his mind to Rebekah’s so that he can see the betrayal Genevieve steers Rebekah’s memory toward. The betrayal, of course, being that Rebekah and Marcel conspired and brought Mikael to New Orleans to kill Klaus.
After he and Marcel go check into the first name on the list, Elijah calls Hayley to update her and she asks him a favor. One of the names is Brynne Devereaux – the witch of Sophie’s bloodline that supposedly put the curse on Hayley’s wolf pack. She asks him to look into the name because if it was Celeste who put the curse on them, it’s Celeste who could take it off. Guess that means Elijah won’t be killing her any time soon. Later when they get access to the files at the Mayor’s office of all supernatural beings, they discover the first name on the list that doesn’t signify a witch who died by suicide – Clara Summerlin. She died in 1919 of influenza. And just like that, the names disappear. Riddle solved?
Rebekah continues running through the sanatorium of horrific images until she’s led into a memory of her rendezvous with Marcel in the morgue where they discuss their plan and Genevieve’s role in it. Their secret hookups are just skimming the surface of Marcel and Rebekah’s betrayal. While Klaus mulls it over, Genevieve drops in on Rebekah to reveal her devious plan and tear Rebekah down even more. Try as she might, Rebekah cannot stop Genevieve from uncovering the truth and showing Klaus that fateful night where she conned Genevieve into helping reunite her father with Klaus. Quick moment to acknowledge the five second run-in Elijah unknowingly has at the jazz bar with Celeste in 1919, disguised as one Clara Summerlin.
On the other end of the spectrum, Elijah and Hayley are abruptly coming upon the answer to the Clara Summerlin riddle when Marcel suddenly gets tight lipped at mention of the sanatorium. Of course Elijah is no idiot and sees right through it and gets him to admit what he’s hiding. Then, promptly and with style, he lays the smackdown on Marcel. I mean…he kinda had it coming.
Since Klaus is in denial, Genevieve shows him the memory of the locating ritual, along with his father’s blade that was stolen when he was a boy. The revelation that Rebekah had stolen it all along stirs a gut-wrenching memory of his getting beaten by his father for it and her proceeding to be unnaturally nice to him in the days that followed. When the ritual is complete, his acceptance of her betrayal sets in. But the memory surfing isn’t done yet. When Rebekah runs into Celeste in the present, we go back to the past to see why Clara Summerlin was the only one who didn’t die by her own hand. Because it was Rebekah who infected her with influenza in 1919, along with Genevieve just to keep her from exposing the truth of summoning Mikael to Klaus.
Celeste: “I’m counting on that familial love. It’ll be the ruin of you all. Now that Klaus knows what you’ve done, he’ll never stop until he’s had his revenge. He’ll kill Marcel, do something horrible to you. Elijah will never forgive him. Your betrayal will ultimately pit brother against brother. And the fabled Mikaelson bond will crumble.”
Genevieve feeds Klaus her blood and sets him loose to wreak his vengeful havoc on Rebekah. He sets off, shouting her name in rage and begins to chase her through the sanatorium until she’s basically cornered in the basement. (Way to be the dumb blonde in a horror flick, Beks.) Rebekah’s accepted her fate which doesn’t really quench Klaus’ thirst for revenge. So they brawl a little. Then Marcel shows up to save the day but the wrath of a Niklaus scorned is so not a force to be reckoned with. The only one capable of overpowering the hybrid is Elijah of course. And what an opportune moment he picks to show up and save Rebekah from being stabbed only to turn the blade on Klaus himself. He tells Marcel and Rebekah to run, as fast and far away as they can as Klaus crumbles in his arms, stuck immobilized in agony once again. The tragedy of this is, it’s more than likely Klaus will see his brother’s act of loyalty to his sister as another betrayal. Upside? We’ll probably get to see some badass Klaus in the upcoming episodes!
I’ll deny ever saying it if asked, but this had to be the best The Originals episode to date.
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