Recap: The Originals Episode 1.01 "Always and Forever" – Elijah is the bomb.com.
I can’t believe this is really happening – after all the waiting, The Originals is officially… well, official. For those who watched the backdoor pilot back in April, the overall story of this episode wasn’t anything new. What was new was the point of view – as, instead of Klaus telling the story, viewers got to hear Elijah’s side. That in itself was an exciting change, to say nothing of the new content in the actual episode.
“Always and Forever” opened with a flashback scene, to the moment the Original Family first landed in New Orleans back in the 1800’s. Basically, we learn that the Original family sailed over to New Orleans [supposedly from Europe]. Their ship just sort of drifted over that way, though, since they had long since slaughtered their entire crew. [Hey, a vampire’s gotta eat, right?]
Though the Original family left New Orleans years ago, in the present, Klaus heads back to the French Quarter after learning that a witch in New Orleans named Jane Anne Deveraux is after him. Elijah has followed Klaus, against Klaus’ wishes, to try and help his younger brother. Once there, Elijah immediately learns that the Klaus’ former protege Marcel now rules the French Quarter – and that Marcel had just murdered Jane Anne for breaking a rule: that no witch do magic in his city.
Another witch gets him in contact with Jane Anne’s sister Sophie (Daniella Pineda), who has some crazy news for him: Klaus is going to be a father. Last season on The Vampire Diaries, Klaus slept with a Hayley Marshall, a werewolf. Apparently, because Klaus is a hybrid – half vampire, half werewolf – he is somehow still able to father children in other werewolves. Sophie basically tells Elijah that the witches need Klaus’ help overthrowing Marcel, and that if he refuses to help, the witches will kill Hayley – and thus also the baby.
Meanwhile, across town, Klaus confronts Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) – and the two get into a shouting match that ends with Klaus flouting Marcel’s “rules” by biting one of Marcel’s vampires. Elijah finds out and sets up a meeting with Marcel – to try and bargain with Marcel. Elijah (Daniel Gillies) asks how Marcel has managed to gain control of – and hold on to – the city of New Orleans, particularly as the Original siblings had such a hard time controlling the witches back when they were in charge. Marcel refuses to give Elijah that information, but viewers are made aware that Marcel has a powerful young witch named Davina (Danielle Campbell), who has the ability to sense when the witches are using magic.
Klaus has a difficult time accepting that the baby is actually his, but even once conviced, he claims not to care if they baby lives or dies. He and Elijah get into a major fight over the entire situation, that ends with Klaus confessing that he cannot understand why Elijah cares so much about what Klaus does. It turns out, Elijah feels guilty for turning blind-eye to their father’s abuse of Klaus over the years: “I failed you… because the first time our father laid a finger on you, I should have struck him dead.”
Klaus very nearly shows some emotion there, but laughs the moment off and makes up with Elijah. He agrees to go along with Elijah’s idea to work with the witches and save the baby. Klaus leaves to find Marcel so they can make amends, with the intention being to gain Marcel’s trust so that Klaus can undermine him from within his circle. While Klaus is off taking care of that, Elijah takes Hayley and secures a home for them [and by home I mean mansion].
Hayley takes that opportunity to tell Elijah some of her background, basically confessing that she is unprepared to be a mother because her own biological mother gave her up and her adoptive mother kicked her out as soon as she learned Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) was a werewolf. [I’m still not sure that I care all that much about Hayley, but I can see that the writers are at least trying to give her a better story in hopes that the Vampire Diaries viewers warm up to her more.]
Later, presumably while Hayley is unpacking or something, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) comes home to tell Elijah about Marcel’s reaction to the sudden truce. The two also talk about their baby sister Rebekah, who Elijah has been trying to convince to come join them in New Orleans. As she isn’t a big fan of Klaus, she is understandably reluctant.
Klaus tells Elijah that he hopes Rebekah (Claire Holt) stays away because he doesn’t want anyone exploiting his weaknesses. It should have been a very moving scene because the fact that they are even able to be a weakness basically means that Klaus actually does care about his siblings. However, in a very shocking twist, Klaus then daggered Elijah. Klaus’ excuse is that he also considers Elijah a weakness – and thus he needs Elijah safely hidden away while Klaus fights this ‘war’ with Marcel. [Two steps forward, twenty steps back. Klaus, will you never learn?]
Who knows how long Klaus will get away with that – but I’m sure Rebekah will soon show up, if for no other reason than to save her more moral, even-tempered brother Elijah from Klaus. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait to see her reaction when she finds out what Klaus’ paranoia has driven him to this time. [Not that she will be all that surprised, I’m sure.]