The Originals 1.22 “From a Cradle to a Grave”

It wasn’t very tasteful, and definitely not graceful. Season long developments culminated crudely, sometimes awkwardly, of course violently. It did matter how we got here, but not so much once we had arrived. Endings came for several, new beginnings for some, last minute reprieves contrasting with last gasps. It was tricky and surprising, but mostly got us where we needed to be. It just didn’t care who got hurt along the way.

For example, Marcel’s vampires. He and Klaus find most of them already dead in their French quarter home, not just suffering from wolf bites. This is because Mikael (newly arisen by Davina) drained them all while they were weak, not because the Correa wolf clan came back for more. Marcel despairs at this unexpectedly complete defeat. But Klaus is feeling full of human compassion again since Marcel helped save his daughter from the witch sacrifice. So he shares his healing blood with Marcel alone. Father and son dynamic restored, after all? We’ll have to see. Marcel does apologize for unleashing Mikael way back when.

The witches, led by Monique and the nameless blond Harvest Girl, channel the might of their ancestors to make sure Hayley delivers the baby, and even let her bond for a second with her daughter before slitting her throat. Monique’s careless gesture to break Klaus arm as they leave with the baby is almost more chilling than anything he’s ever done himself. They head to the graveyard of their ancestors (above ground crypts in the flood-prone Big Easy), that they then turn into a labyrinth to keep Klaus and Elijah (still suffering wolf bites) out.

Elijah was indeed too late to save Hayley, and when he and his brother are frustrated in saving her baby he uncharacteristically breaks down, sharing his anguish in losing a woman he’s allowed himself to love (never minding Celeste or Katherine, of course, he’s having a moment). It’s more great work from Gillies, who has spent most of the last few episodes with his very nice suits stained by blood and dirt.

Meanwhile, Camille brings Marcel and Davina into Kieran’s storehouse of (according to Davina) charged and cursed items, in order to provide weapons against the witches (whom she hates for her own reasons). They seem to find a lot of goodies. Klaus being distracted however, he’s not much help with Josh, whom he bit to manipulate Davina. So Davina is able to collect his shed blood from his last battle with Marcel (really cool levitating blood droplets effect; red rain is falling up!), enough to fill a little sippy cup that can either save Josh or Marcel, but not both. Marcel thinks Josh has earned it, which is sort of the beginning of one good turn deserving another.

Hayley, however, isn’t so dead after all, as she gasps back to life on the forgotten altar; her child is hybrid wolf/vampire, so her blood was in in Hayley’s system when she died, meaning now she has to drink some of her own daughter’s blood to transition into full hybridity herself. Completely as creepy as it sounds, but Hayley is so photogenic I’m pleased at the opportunity to do more image caps of her next season!

Also, she is kind of totally bullshit with Genevieve, who is all like “I failed everyone and the ancestors hate me too” as she begins to suffer the bleeding death of Sophie (who also disappointed her tribe). Her demise is not going fast enough for Hayley, who grabs the ritual knife and guts her where she stands. Seems the fourth Harvest Girl is free to rise again at last, more on that next season.

In the battle to kill the baby, the witches never take into account vampire eyesight or mastery of distance weapons. Blonde witch is impaled by a javelin, and Monique is struck by the shuriken of 1000 knives, meaning cuts explode all over her body. Good throw, Marcel!

Hope (yes, that’s her name, I told you to wave bye-bye to subtlety long ago) lives and Hayley lives. Elijah is relieved. Klaus is feeling huge and magnanimous (for him). Until everyone realizes that Hope does really have to “die,” or she and her loved ones will never be safe from their many enemies. Which, I dunno, world leaders usually manage to protect their children, don’t they? But it certainly ups the stakes, as Klaus comes up with what may be the most elegant solution of all in finding a protectress who is adept both at defense and secrecy for Hope (and is also still in the family).

All that’s left is for Mikael to wield the White Oak Stake that he’s found to finally wipe out Klaus for good; only he can’t, because Davina didn’t bring him back for that. She wants Klaus punished on her own terms, and until then Mikael can haunt the church attic she was once confined to. Is it a good witch, or a bad witch? When it comes to Davina, it may not matter at all.