The Originals – The Kindness of Strangers

By: Stacy Miller

“In New Orleans, bodies can’t be buried. Instead in boxes above the ground, the dead are clustered together. When a man dies, his family tomb is cracked open. Old bones are tossed aside to make room from fresh remains. Bloodlines tangled. The houses are that way too, layer upon layer of peeling paint hiding hidden tragedies. Scorched marks from the fire. Water lines on wallpaper. These are the tombs of the living where we rot inside, memories of our dead. Crowded with people we’ve failed and who failed us.” – Klaus (Joseph Morgan)

Klaus and Elijah face each other inside the Mikaelson mansion. But Elijah (Daniel Gillies) reminds his brother how dangerous it is for them to be together in the same room.  But Klaus tells him that they aren’t actually together but in a magical mental prison designed to look like their home where the only way to escape is a game or riddle. And as Elijah was the one to get Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) killed, Klaus tells his brother that he is on his own in finding a way out. Klaus runs into Rebekah (Claire Holt).  And Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) isn’t happy to be reunited with his siblings even if it’s not real. “Aw bloody Hell, my least favorite nightmare.” Kol sarcastically asks Klaus whether he’s pissed off any witches lately. Freya (Riley Voelkel) enters and tells her brothers and sister that the spell had to be cast by a witch who was familiar with the layout of the Mikaelson mansion. They reason that it was Vincent. Elijah finds a door containing five padlocks. Kol says that it is representational magic; the only way out is in and they must all work together.  Kol suggests that Elijah stay far away from Klaus as possible so they can avoid bloodshed.

Kol brings Elijah to his old room where they go through some of Elijah’s “junk” as Kol calls it.  Meanwhile, Klaus remembers fifteen years ago when he first brought Hayley to the Mikaelson mansion when she was pregnant with Hope and told her that she would be staying there even if she didn’t want to. Hayley wanted Klaus to be better and not disappoint them (Hayley and their child). Suddenly, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) appears. Klaus asks Marcel what game Vincent is playing. Marcel tells Klaus that this has nothing to do with Vincent; Hope is the one responsible. He explains that Hope is planning to take the power back from all of them to end the curses and prophecy. “Then my daughter as we know her will be lost forever,” Klaus says. Elijah asks Klaus about his relationship with Klaus’ daughter.  Klaus tells Elijah that he was the one who gave Hope her name. Klaus flashes back to when he and Hayley were trying to come up with a name for their daughter. Klaus explained that when Elijah thought Hayley was dead he said that they lost their only hope. So they named their daughter Hope Adriana Mikaelson.

Kol and Marcel search the music room for their keys when they make a revelation. The room hasn’t existed in a hundred years so therefore Hope would have never seen it in order to create it for the spell.

Freya and Rebekah are looking for their keys when Freya is questioned by Kol about the destroyed music room that Hope couldn’t have saw. “Freya, what have you done?!” Klaus demands when he enters the room. Freya explains that Hope asked for her help and as the plagues were nearing their end, one more visit between he and Hope would have been it. Freya says that she’s sacrificed everything for them. Klaus reminds that Hope is a child. “Her childhood ended three days ago when she lost her mother,” Freya tells Klaus.  She says they have to let Hope make her own decisions.

Marcel asks Rebekah why her idiot brother (Kol) could love and be happy and she can’t. He remembers that Hope’s room used to be Rebekah’s. Marcel recalls how when he was love struck over her he used to write her letters and Rebekah would hide them somewhere he knew Klaus wouldn’t find them. Marcel and Rebekah find her key. Marcel comments how every time Rebekah left his life he would devote himself to the city, but she never left his heart. “I love you Rebekah, I always have and I always will,” Marcel says.

Next, he returns to the music room where he finds Elijah and questions him about why he (Elijah) still can’t remember even though Vincent finished the spell. Marcel doesn’t believe that Elijah doesn’t remember teaching him how to play the piano, welcoming him home from the war or ripping out his heart and pushing him off a bridge to die.” I guess if I were you, I wouldn’t want to remember either.” “And what are you suggesting here Marcellus?” Elijah asks. “Marcellus. I guess something in your memory is working after all,” Marcel smiles.

Marcel next goes to see Klaus and finds him burning letters Hayley wrote him about Hope. “You know, you’re all the same. You setting fire to your guilt. Rebekah pretending that she doesn’t love me. And Elijah, lying about his memories,” Marcel says. “What do you mean?” Klaus asks. “Things are creeping in only nothing of substance, nothing that hurts. If Elijah doesn’t know who he is, it’s not becomes of magic, it’s because he doesn’t want to,” Marcel asks. “Well now he’s going to have to if he wants to save his girlfriend’s life,” Klaus tells Marcel.

Klaus confronts Elijah for lying about his memory.  When he and Klaus return to the other Mikaelsons, Elijah tells them that he’s not their family. “We made a vow, Always and Forever,” Rebekah reminds. “I made another vow to the woman I love,” Elijah says begging them to help him save Antoinette (Jaime Murray). He thinks this great love that everyone says he had for Hayley was because of some idea to be rescuer for his family, it was more of an obligation. Klaus angrily says how his brother was his savior and the man he (Elijah) is now killed him. Then, Klaus asks Elijah what he remembered when Vincent was performing the spell to restore his memory. Elijah answers that he saw a long white hallway with a red door at the end which was scorching when he touched the doorknob. Suddenly, the four Mikaelsons experience great pain; it’s Hope trying to take the power away from them.

Marcel finds Elijah’s key located inside a coffin in the dungeon filled with snakes. He explains that after Elijah ripped out his (Marcel) heart all he saw when he looked at him was death. Marcel saw Elijah as death and now Hope sees him as the same. “Let’s be done with my daughter’s maze of metaphors,” Klaus says as they take their keys and open the door. “Aw bloody Hell, now we’re in Elijah’s mental maze. Of all the Hells I’ve had to endure,” Kol says annoyed. He says he has somewhere to be and opens his door. In the real world, Kol wakes up. Next, Marcel walks through his door and joins Kol. Rebekah reminds Klaus that before he killed their mother, she was once the woman who put ribbons in her braids and sang to her. They may be capable of great pain, but they’re also capable of great forgiveness. Klaus tells Rebekah to go and they will be right behind her. “Both of us,” he says. Rebekah walks through her door and wakes up in the real world.  Back in ‘Elijah’s mental maze,’ Klaus tells Elijah that he didn’t love Hayley because of some sense of family obligation. It was because Hayley saw something better for all of them. He says that Elijah needs him to help him open the door. Klaus and Elijah run through the red door and Elijah’s memories come flooding back. Remembering his love for Hayley and how she died, in the real world Elijah cries in pain. After everyone leaves, Klaus gives Elijah of his (Klaus) blood needed to save Antoinette’s life. “If what you desire is to let go of your past and build a life, then you should go to her,” Klaus tells his brother.

Rebekah tells Marcel that she can’t be with him because she’s angry and she’s cursed. “And I won’t let my sadness destroy you,” Rebekah says.

Elijah brings Antoinette the cure and after she drinks it tells her to forgive him then walks away.

Back at the Mikaelson mansion, Freya tells Klaus that Hope is sleeping because she needs the rest. “You should be proud of her, your fifteen year old just saved the world,” Freya says.  Klaus asks Freya to leave. “I need the room.” Then, he sits and stares at the box of the letters Hayley wrote him about Hope (which aren’t burned in the real world) when he missed seven years of his daughter’s life.

Elijah puts on his suit and daylight ring. Gentleman Vampire is back! Klaus opens one of the letters and takes out a photo of Hope when she was a little girl and reads Hayley’s letter. Tears well in his eyes. Meanwhile, Elijah goes to the bayou to say his goodbyes to Hayley and stands on the docks looking at the water.