This is a slightly better episode of The Originals than last week. I don’t know if I’d be quite so cavalier with the best Led Zeppelin song and an inadvertent Katrina reference for my title, I mean all Dahlia’s doing is trying to steal a baby. But the developments and presentation this week do up the stakes, framing Klaus for things he didn’t even do, setting our most sympathetic characters (Davina, Josh, Aiden, Jackson, Camille) at odds with each other, and forcing the Mikaelsons to fracture into groups.
As Freya says, “From now on, you either choose me, or Klaus.” But Klaus says, “Brother, you have to choose, either me or Freya.” So Elijah says to both of them: “I don’t accept ultimatums.”
Elijah is on fire this week, actually, my favorite line coming as the siblings spar over Klaus’ execution of Mikael last week. “Normally, brother, your impaling our hateful father with a burning stake would bring me nothing but joy.” But this week, they needed him, and they consider Klaus reckless and out of control by letting his emotions spoil their alliance.
They’re also pretty annoyed that he spends the episode, while Dahlia creeps closer and closer to Hope’s sanctuary, making one of his butt hurt emo paintings of red abstract angst. When he won’t tell anyone what he did with Mikael’s ashes (which they need for a spell to use against Dahlia), I start wondering if maybe he isn’t right and he is smarter than the rest of his family (he mixed them into the paint, you morons!).
I should have known it was too good to be true with Josh and Aiden last week, as their outright sexy declarations of love and mutual plan to flee for the hills means instant doom for one of them. Jackson even gives Aiden permission and forgiveness to take a walkabout.
Not fair, guys! They were just getting started! Dahlia’s powers get marginally more interesting as she’s been breaking bones and necks all show with expressive hand gestures (she’s kind of like Dark Phoenix, only lacking the Power Cosmic), so it’s horrendous when she takes this skill out on Aiden, scratching him up like a wolf without touching him, pulling him into a dark alley like a puppet, and ripping out his heart with a thought, a signature Klaus (or Elijah) move they can do with vamp-speed.
When everyone believes Klaus did it, to punish Aiden for not being a good spy, Klaus takes the blame, because better they fear him than Dahlia. Only Camille sees the truth, and he tries to warn her away even as he shows he loves her as much as ever. And she him, though vamp love didn’t go so well with Marcel, so she needs to consider her options.
Dahlia can’t get into the safe house (it turns magic off), so she makes vines and flowers grow menacingly all around it. She tries to calm Hayley by promising that Hope will be too young to remember her anyway (yikes!), and I’m really not getting how Esther’s promise of a first-born child from every generation even holds up over a 1000 years. I still don’t get who Dahlia thinks she is, and we need to know before they kill her.
So far she’s not half as intriguing as Josephine, who makes one final appearance as her shady mouthpiece, delivering a threat to Klaus as blood seeps from her choker. Knocking Meg Foster’s head off like a volleyball is not normally a way to endear me to Klaus, but I feel for him this week. He’s truly surrounded by idiots.