The Originals Review: Episode 2×01 – Rebirth

How Klaus Got His Groove Back

Season 2 of The Originals has kicked off and all our favorites are back! No but seriously, all of them. We’ll elaborate on that a bit later, but first we find a family grieving over the loss of baby Hope. She’s safe with Aunt Rebekah but Papa Klaus, Mama Hayley, and Uncle Elijah are laying low, nursing their emotional wounds, and biding their time before making a move against the new threat in town, the Guerrera pack. The Mikaelson klan know that the best defense is a strong offense, so they’ll be re-uniting with old friends to bring the fight to the wolves and deliver one hell of a show-down to get our blood pumping. But when the dust settles, they’re still a wounded bunch. How will they proceed after a loss unlike any they’ve ever experienced before? Now let’s go through some of the highlights of this dynamic season premiere!

Klaus Paints Quite The Dirty Picture

Klaus is shown to be working through his pain with a bit of art therapy. It’s always nice when they show this artistic side of Klaus, but of course he was bound to put his own dark spin on it. Klaus tells Elijah that he needs his enemy’s blood in his color palate, and it’s one of those unbelievably-Klaus lines that can make us laugh as we take it with a grain of salt. But true to form, we later see him literally paint with the blood of his enemies. Klaus is not someone who is prone to expressing his feelings in a healthy way. When he gets angry at his siblings, he’s more likely to dagger them and leave them comatose for a few decades instead of just talking it out to resolve the issues at hand. So to bring together Klaus’ two primary coping mechanisms, art and violence, was such an honest and well-written character moment.

“I’m missing a crucial color in my palate: that of my enemy’s blood.” ~ Klaus

Joseph Morgan has been a scene-stealer ever since his first introduction as Klaus. He can deliver brooding without ever getting stale and humor to boot. But the pain we see now has a different feel to it. In the past, his pain has stemmed from loneliness, distrust, and all the after-effects of his father’s abuse. He is now facing an entirely new source of pain: the loss of his child. Joseph Morgan manages to make us feel Klaus’ pain without churning out a recycled performance. In having him paint with the blood of his enemies, we see him embracing that which he understands: violence. It’s a moment of reverting back to his comfort zone without reverting back to the full-blown “monster” he so often sees himself as. Throughout the episode, we see a more evolved Klaus. From his emerging from the compound to reunite with Marcel (Charles M Davis) and get the plan to retrieve the moon rings in motion, to his final conversation with Hayley on how to move forward from their loss so they may get Hope back, Klaus is shown to be more emotionally mature. Joseph Morgan plays this new character development well without ever making us feel like we’ve lost the Klaus that we’ve grown to be fond of over the years.

Bit Of Action, If You Please

The fight sequences were well-rounded, using both supernatural acrobatic elements and straight-forward hand-to-hand fighting. In the showdown between Team Mikaelson and Team Guerrera, there’s never a doubt as to who will win yet we’re still glued to the screen. There’s a deeper meaning to this fight that they’re fighting. Elijah has spoken time and time again about the importance of family but this sequence embodies the way everyone has truly begun to band together to fight for just that.

“I’m not looking for tough guys, Josh. I’m looking for warriors.” ~ Marcel

“What’s the difference?” ~ Josh

“A warrior fights for what he believes in. A warrior fights for his family.” ~ Klaus

It’s also nice to see a bit of variety and personality in the fighting styles. Hayley’s fighting is simple and efficient, but charged with emotional content. She berates the wolves she fights for ruining the happy pack life she has now lost. Marcel’s fighting is more grounded, as he is now fighting for those closest to him as opposed to the shallow pursuit of power for power’s sake. Then there’s Elijah, who can deliver elegance in just about anything he does. From his greeting a new round of wolves before taking them out, “Good evening,” to his wiping the blood off his hands with his handkerchief (you would own a handkerchief, Elijah), no one delivers posh sophistication to The Originals better than Daniel Gillies.

Family Reunion’s Brewing

One of the greatest twists in the season 1 finale was the revelation that Davina (Danielle Campbell) had resurrected Mikael back, keeping him bound to her through a bracelet, and both Ester and Finn had returned in the bodies of two residents of New Orleans. In this episode, we see Ester (“Cassie”) and Finn (“Vincent”) begin to lay the groundwork of their plans that will undoubtedly stir up trouble for our favorite Mikaelsons. It’s a difficult task to maintain the legitimacy of these character when scattering them across so many actors and these new actors don’t quite hold the gravitas of the original (no pun intended) ones. But Sebastian Roche is as solid a performer as ever, and it’s just so exciting to have so many Mikaelsons back that we can’t help but look forward to see how this all unfolds.

“We have work to do. Your brothers did me a favour by killing Francesca. Now I will control the witches and the werewolves. With the vampires in exile, we can begin to take root in our new home. Fin, Kol, let’s get to work. We have a family reunion to plan.” ~ Cassie (Ester)

As if there weren’t enough twists to begin with, we learn that the new pretty boy in town, Kaleb, is actually Kol! Talk about a plot twist! Now it’s official; we have all the supernatural Mikaelsons present! The jury is still out on how these new actors will handle playing these Mikaelsons in entirely new bodies. The original (no pun intended) actors of these characters, particularly Alice Evans and Nathaniel Buzolic, gave such strong performances that there is a great deal to live up to.

FINAL VERDICT

I wasn’t sure how the writers were going to follow-up after such an epic season finale but I am overall impressed with this premiere. There were some truly beautiful moments beginning with Rebekah’s story to Hope that incorporated the highlights of season one well without feeling like a cheesy recap. Viewers will feel an exciting comfort knowing that Tyler Cook is back doing once again his phenomenal edits which help fluently bind these incredible scenes together. What a fun experience it was to watch the scene where Elijah claims public domain to enter the Guerrera home; and it’s this editing and directorship details that make The Originals stand out so beautifully. Director Lance Anderson did an equally impressive job, such as Hayley’s sequence in the bayou, which was beautifully crafted to the point that it almost felt like a short art film. Despite there being no dialogue, plenty was communicated. Cami and Klaus’ dancing around one other in the compound was another point of solid artistry and I can only hope that more of this style of storytelling will be incorporated throughout the season. One of the things that The Originals series does well is picking the music selections for certain scenes like the fight scene in which Klaus is getting juiced with each deactivating moon ring or Marcel’s scene with Josh with the slow jazz. The score in the intro scene with Elijah and Klaus, Hayley, followed by Cami and Marcel held a quiet beauty that had us emotionally connected to the characters, that’s thanks to television music supervisor Christopher Mollere.

Writers Marguerite MacIntyre and Julie Plec gave some terrific dialogue, particularly between the main three characters, Klaus, Elijah, and Hayley. From Hayley and Elijah’s emotional interaction where she communicates how he looks at her differently now, as she feels like a monster instead of a mother, Elijah’s counseling Klaus to speak with Hayley since he is the only one who can truly understand what she is going through, and Klaus’ amazingly insightful speech to Hayley at the end about moving past their pain so they may better execute their plans to get Hope back, it was a rapid-fire of well-written, well-acted exchanges. Though we’re all routing for Hope to return and bring joy back into the lives of these characters, this pain is probably the best thing to happen to Phoebe Tonkin’s character, as Tonkin delivered a more emotionally charged performance in contrast to the cool, level-headed werewolf we saw throughout most of season 1. Daniel Gillies brought more vulnerability to Elijah in his exchange with Hayley, where it’s evident he understands her feelings about being a monster, and we can’t help but wonder if he feels the same way about himself. Perhaps this is one of the reasons he is so hesitant to be forward with his affections. But most of all, we can’t help but be excited for the impending Mikaelson family reunion! Bring it on!

Questions, Comments, Concerns…

• No. Do not play children’s lullabies ever. Someone’s going to die. Who are we kidding? This is The Originals! OF COURSE someone’s going to die!
• Oh how I missed Elijah and his suits. How big is his closet anyway? Do you think he keeps a separate mansion just for his suits? I reckon he names his suits, too.
• Shirtless Charles Michael Davis… remind me again why this isn’t a requirement for every episode?
• The faces Klaus makes when he’s “getting his power back” *salacious snickering*
• More ass-kicking from Hayley, please! All about this unleashed hybrid fury!
• Klaus! You are literally painting with the blood of your enemies! If you were any more camp, you’d be dancing during your kills! #MikaelsonPsycho #KlausBateman
• Elijah is so posh that I’m still waiting for him to offer his enemies tea before destroying them.
• Can “Camp & Posh” be the name of the musical adaptation of this show?
• What exactly is Kaleb/Kol’s accent supposed to be? Original Kol had an Australian one but Daniel Sharman’s Kol is having a British Isles identity crisis. Where exactly are you drawing inspiration from?
• So many Mikaelsons! How long till they’re all in one scene together? Think of the intense (and possibly hilarious) bickering that will ensue!
• Elijah, how can you be such a smooth operator but not know when to tell a girl that she’s just as beautiful as ever? “No Hayley, you’re as lovely as ever.” SEE HOW EASY THAT WAS. Get it together, you dapper fool.
• How the hell is Daniel Sharman supposed to be a “teenage body”? Teenagers do not look like tall drinks of water, OKAY? *_*