The Originals 3×19 Review: “No More Heartbreaks”

On last week’s The Originals, heartbreak is the key word.

If there is one thing that The Originals is very good at, is ripping our hearts out of our chests with a dull spoon, pulverizing it under a heel, burning it to a crisp and then sprinkling the ashes to the wind as if this show could care less about what it does to our emotions. Believe me on this one, after watching this episode I had to drown out my feelings with an entire bottle of wine. I’m not kidding. The build up of the relationship between Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Camille O’Connell (Leah Pipes) has always been one of the more intriguing relationships present on this show. From the moment they met, you could tell there was something more or maybe something similar between the both of them that was always unspoken. The story arc presented in this season that allowed them to express their affections to one another after what seemed an eternity was one that had many fans cheering but also one that was very short lived.

In this episode, we see the conclusion of the scenario presented to us last week. Cami escapes the clutches of Lucien (Andrew Lees) after being bitten and returns to the Mikaelson fortress to seek help. Meanwhile, Lucien parties it up and reveals some startling new information for Davina (Danielle Campbell) that sheds a little more light on the curse laid on Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic). With most of the clan unable to do much of anything, Freya (Riley Voelkel) does her best to ease Cami’s pain and assure Vincent (Yusuf Gatewood) that this is far from over and that they will find a way to take down Lucien once and for all. But enough with the recap, let’s delve into the finer points of this episode and tortures ourselves once again, shall we?

No peace within these borders.

Lucien, by now has figured that whatever he wants to do or needs to do will be a success. It doesn’t matter if his latest hostage runs away or his bar party is disturbed by a feisty young witch looking for answers. He’s on the top of the world and hasn’t ever felt better. A very easy thing for him to feel since he is now the most dangerous of his species as well as backed by the entire ancestry of witches of New Orleans in order to be rid of the Mikaelsons once and for all. There is no secret that Lucien harbors ill feelings towards the Original family that swept in years ago and gave him his eternal life but also ruined it by taking his one love away and then casting her aside as well. At first, it seemed his revenge plots were more geared toward the valiant, but we soon see that they are much more personal and deep-seated. Lucien obviously has some crazy self-esteem issues and feelings of doubt and little self-worth. You could almost say the whole super hybrid spell cast on himself was his version of a monster truck to overcompensate for what he was originally lacking in strength and fortitude. As it is, he’s the big boss in town for the moment and we all fear that he won’t be stopped, or at least not until he’s reeked more havoc and caused more tragedy in the long run.

“I’ve got the ancestors on my side, ready with a wealth of witchy woes for those who oppose me.” - Lucien

Speaking of the young witch, how gutsy was it of Davina to confront Lucien on her own? Sure, she has a ton of witchy powers and gumption, but he is a psycho super hybrid set out for revenge with the entirely of the New Orleans witch ancestors on his side. Too bad Davina didn’t know that before she set out to get some answers in a desperate attempt to figure out how to save Cami’s life. Not only that, the confidence she’s gained over the season has been monumental. She’s used to having her way and the power to back it up. The fact that she was set down by Lucien and sent on her way without being harmed must have perplexed her beyond reason as well as set her down a few pegs once she had the knowledge that the ancestors wished her harm. We all knew that she had been shunned, but really, their beef with Davina seemed that it was stemmed in the fact that she allied with vampires, mainly Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). I suppose if you’re dating one of the members of the family that your ancestor witch friends despise, you’re not going to get too many brownie points. The question now is if Kol brought forth the prophecy of what the ancestors had in mind by losing control and attacking her in the end, or if by some miracle he didn’t kill her. Either way, I’m not betting on the fact that Davina would take being a vampire well. She would have zero power and a thirst for blood. But then again, she could be free to be with Kol forever and ever and ever. It might just be a dream come true for her.

The power of guilt.

There is no doubt that the power Lucien has over the Mikaelson family was derived from the blood of their sister Freya and the spell power of their witch friend Vincent. However, only those that are extremely bitter towards Cami’s predicament of being bitten with no known cure are quick to blame them exclusively for her peril. One good thing to note is that Vincent himself cast himself to blame when their options dwindled down to the extreme and desperate. If Elijah (Daniel Gilles) had not stepped in, chances are Cami would be now residing in a body of an innocent unsuspecting person in order to save her soul. It speaks volumes that Cami’s friends were so desperate to save her in any way possible that they would even consider going against her wishes in order to keep her around, but it is significant even more so that her same friends would honor her wishes of having a choice rather than going ahead and making them for her. The determination now is only stronger for both Freya and Vincent to find a way to undo the magic they were forced to perform in order to bring Lucien to the untouchable dangerous currently exists in.

“We made him…and now that we have his blood. We’re gonna find way to unmake him.” - Freya

As far as guilt goes, the witches are not the only ones that suffer. Klaus mentions that he regrets not putting an end to Aurora’s (Rebecca Breeds) existence after her plan that ended in Cami’s vampire transformation came to pass. The should haves and would haves are a strong theme in this episode. So many events have come to pass that lead to the dominos falling as they have into the court of tragedy for the Mikaelson family. There has been a lot of change, including the end of Klaus’ sire line as well as Cami’s transformation into a vampire, along with the widowing of Hayley and the new threat of the New Orleans witches wanting the Original family to be gone for good. It would be easy to say that they all brought this fate upon themselves by the havoc they left in their wake, but in recent days, they have done more to keep themselves safe rather than fix any wrongs they may have done in the past. We can only hope the overwhelming guilt over recent consequences will help them shape their future to come for themselves and their progeny in Hope.

How do you say goodbye?

From the get-go, we knew that Cami did not have a good chance of surviving, so we hung our heads and prepared ourselves for the worst. Along the way, there was a glimpse of hope in using Lucien’s blood to save her, but ultimately that failed and plunged us back into despair. The positive of Cami about to meet her end was the glimpse of Klaus’ softer side and stubborn nature in the fight to save her. His tender way of applying the healing salves to her arm and giving her the foul tasting medicine to ease her pain were tender and unlike the menacing villain, we’re used to seeing. If that wasn’t enough, Klaus even spent a considerable amount of time conjuring up the perfect day to spend with Cami in her last hours. Albeit, he had hoped that those hours were only a waiting game until they could come up with a cure, but in the end, it ended up being his last farewell to a woman who had sparked his interest and who had ultimately felt a deep love and kinship with. That he was allowed to experience that feeling with Cami is a small grace granted to Klaus. It remains to be seen if her sweet words in her last minutes about Klaus being loved by many people ring true. This entire scene had me bawling, from Cami’s fear of dying that she at least realized to Klaus pouring out his heart to her with the promise of carrying her forever in his heart. It was all too much and it was completely unbearable.

“I can tell you I love you tomorrow. You’re not dying today.” - Klaus

The importance of Cami’s character was for Klaus to see that there was still a small part of humanity left inside of him. The part that allowed him to love and realize that others cared for him beyond the circle of his family. With Cami gone, she leaves behind those that cared for her deeply, other than Klaus. It was clear by the last minute will she had Klaus write down for her that she held several people in high esteem, not just the Mikaelsons. Cami had several friends and was well loved by all that met her, excluding certain crazy ex-girlfriends of Klaus. Without her presence, the Quarter will certainly be missing a light in its midst. However, her death and the way she met her end may just be the extra fuel to the fire that will allow Klaus and his siblings to put an end to Lucien once and for all, hopefully without any further casualties.

Conclusion: Klaus has lost another loved one but maybe, this time, the loss and the lessons learn will strike true.

There is hope for our anti-hero Klaus after all. Cami was a special person that came into his life for a reason, if only for a small moment in time. Her personality was one that sought to help everyone, not just those that she had affection for, but those that truly needed her help. In a way, she was the light to Klaus’ dark side and with her assistance and love, he was able to see for a small moment in time that he was not a lost cause. With Cami out of the picture and Lucien still on a bender to take down the entire Mikaelson family, there is certainly an ultimate showdown on the horizon. The main question I have is that, even if Lucien were to be successful in victoriously ending the existence of the entire Original family, would the ancestors continue to keep him around or would they turn on him and end his life as well? As is the case most times, when a villain seeks help from those that would originally oppose them, things do not have a happy ending after the deed has been done.

This episode was heart wrenching. Though there was a little action, the emotion was high and the dialogue was perfect. It left me wanting to punch the writers in the face for what they did to my feelings. Bravo, Michael Narducci and Celeste Vasquez, you successfully drove me to drink with this one and I hate you both. (But not really.) Farewell, Leah Pipes, you have always been a bright spot on this show for me and your portrayal of Camille O’Connell has been one of my favorite things about The Originals. You will be sorely missed.

• Camille may have lost her battle at living, but did she win the battle of showing Klaus that he truly was worth more than he thinks and that love is all around him?
• What will Lucien try next in his war waged against the Mikaelsons?
• What will become of Aurora? Will Klaus finally end her life or keep her around because of Cami’s kind words on healing people like her?
• Is there a way to stop Lucien now that the ancestors of New Orleans are backing him?
• Did Kol kill Davina? Or will she be the latest to return as a vampire? Will she be able to handle a transformation like that not having her powers any longer?