Review: “The Originals” Midseason Finale

Contains spoilers.

I have an abiding love for several of the shows that the CW produces, and figured a review of a couple episodes from the first round of mid-season finales (btw, what does mid-season finales even mean?) was in order. “The Originals” is a branch-off of the popular show, “The Vampire Diaries” (TVD) which I am also a huge fan of.

The Originals: Reigning Pain in New Orleans, Ep.109

I was initially skeptical of a TVD branch-off because too often those type of shows flame out pretty quickly. But this midseason finale showcases several of the appealing aspects of the show: witty and heated dialogue, plenty of romances for the “shippers,” action scenes (bloodbaths, really), and plot twists and turns to keep you hooked.

Klaus has taken over the New Orleans territory by ousting the previous ruler, Marcel, but fails to convince the human officials to take his offer. Marcel and Klaus’ massacre of the city officials showed that the writers aren’t afraid to be unexpectedly violent, which keeps the tension up in the show.

The newly conquered group of vampires worries that Klaus will use the blood of his unborn hybrid infant to turn werewolves into a hybrid army, so he offers them a werewolf hunt as a peace offering. This greatly alarms the infant’s mother, Hayley, who is the werewolf carrying Klaus’ hybrid baby, and she convinces Elijah and Rebekah to help her protect her extended werewolf family.  I love how the relationship between Elijah and Hayley is slowly blossoming, while Klaus demonstrates his warped affection for Hayley by haphazardly protecting her. Additionally, the sudden twist of Elijah and Rebekah finding Klaus’ werewolf family in the bayou opens up an entire pathway to be explored in future episodes. Bravo, writers! Unfortunately, Rebekah’s unfruitful romantic relationship (this time with Marcel) is also a disappointing constant, which was carried over from the TVD mothership.

Meanwhile Cami, Klaus’ “compelled therapist”/”devoted stenographer,” is starting to figure out things about the vampire world that she’s been compelled to forget as soon as she leaves Klaus’ presence. Petulant Davina’s constant wish to be out from under Marcel’s commanding thumb has been a tiresome thread throughout the season, and escape does not seem to be any more imminent than it was at the beginning. But Davina, being the show’s super witch, threw a wrench in the show’s path by showing up on Cami’s doorstep and forcing her brain to see everything she’s been compelled to forget. Looks like Davina is going to play a prominent role in the next half of the show’s season… Overall, the writers set the stage for an awesome next episode in the new year, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, at 8 p.m./7 p.m. central.

Check back in tomorrow for a review of Supernatural’s mid-season finale!

Photo credit to CWTV Photos

What did you think of this past week’s midseason finales on The CW? Tweet us @litdarling!