Friday, October 11, 2013

The Originals, Season One, Episode Two: House of the Rising Son

This episode begins with Marcel talking about the streets of New Orleans.  He invites humans into the Abattor - his bar and at the stroke of midnight, he encourages his vampires to feed freely on humans.  He tells Klaus that this is how he keeps his vampires happy.  When Klaus asks about the victims, Marcel explains that the humans are healed with a little vampire blood. The conversation is interrupted and Marcel is informed that six of his vampires were killed in the quarter.  We then see Rebekah fixing her makeup as she drives.

Rebekah pulls up to the house and is leaving a message on Elijah's phone.  Rebekah lets herself in and immediately confuses Haleigh with the maid.  Rebekah asks for Elijah and Haleigh informs her that though Elijah promised to take care of her, he has disappeared.  Rebekah says that Elijah is not just any vampire, so this means something bad has happened to him.  Rebekah calls for Klaus, who asks if she was the one responsible for killing the six vampires. Klaus informs Rebekah that she broke Marcel's rules about killing vampires.  Rebekah doesn't care about Marcel and once again asks about Elijah.

We get a flashback to 1820 New Orleans, where the Original family is holding a party. The Originals had convinced the governor to hide what they are.  Rebekah of course has developed a relationship with the governor's son.  Rebekah asks for permission to turn the son and Elijah thinks that this would be a problem.  Klaus says no and slut shames Rebekah, causing the governor's son to try and defend her honor.  Klaus being Klaus, throws him down a flight of stairs to his death.

The reminiscing comes to an end when Klaus gets a call from Marcel. Rebekah says that Elijah told her all about his plan to take down Marcel.  Klaus tell her that when friends get together they drink and tell secrets.  His plan is to find out how Marcel is controlling the witches.   Rebekah calls up to Haleigh and instructs her to help with searching the house for Elijah.  They head downstairs to the cellar, where they find caskets and Rebekah explains Klaus's penchant for daggering his family.  Rebekah informs Haleigh that she should have run when she realised Elijah was gone and says that she is leaving as soon as she finds Elijah.

Rebekah then decides to pay a visit to Sophie.  They head to the cemetery and Rebekah informs her that Elijah is probably daggered.  Rebekah asks Sophie to perform a spell to trace Elijah but Sophie refuses, stating that Marcel will kill her if she uses magic.  Rebekah pushes and suggests that she is a worse threat but Sophie makes it clear that whatever happens to her, happens to Haleigh. Rebekah points out that as a coven, witches who cannot do magic are irrelevant, but Sophie explains that they practice ancestral magic.  Rebekah says that family is over rated and that she is looking for a brother, who is looking for a baby she doesn't care about. Rebekah says that Marcel is not some guy Klaus turned into a vampire and that Klaus loved him like a son.

In yet another flashback, The Originals are walking by and The White governor is whipping a young Marcel, who is also his son.  Klaus intervenes and asks for Marcel's name but he say that he doesn't have one.  Klaus suggests Marcellus because it means little warrior.  Looking on, Elijah says  that perhaps there is hope for Klaus.  Klaus bonded with Marcel because he was also a bastard and beaten by the man who reared him.

Klaus meets Marcel who is pinning over Camille.  Klaus walks over to Camille and brings her over to their table.  Marcel suggests that they have date that night. Camille answers that she will consider it before leaving.  Klaus teases Marcel about losing his touch.

Haleigh is in the quarter seeking wolfsbane.  It seems that Haleigh is now considering an abortion.  The witch hands it over and says that this is an ugly town for wolves and that she is doing the right thing. As  soon as Haleigh leaves, the witch picks up the phone to turn Haleigh into Marcel.

In the meantime, Marcel and Klaus are in a parking garage.  There is a van with two humans in it.  Marcel inform the humans that they have a hunger for human blood and if they drink it, they will live. Marcel asks Klaus if he thinks the "cute dorky girl" or the "gay best friend will win."  Marcel puts down a coin and says the first to get the coin lives forever.  The girl grabs the coin and starts to emasculate Josh and Marcel kills her saying he has a thing about people who betray their friends.This was obviously a lesson to Klaus about loyalty.

In a flashback, a young Marcel and Rebekah are fencing and he tells her that she is going to marry him one day.  Flash forward  a few years and they are dueling again.  Marcel gets close for a kiss but then Klaus enters, so he backs off.  In present day, Marcel appears in front of Rebekah saying the last time he saw her, she was fleeing. Rebekah says that she thought he was dead and Marcel replies that she never looked back. Rebekah asks about Elijah and Marcel tells her that he does not involve himself in Michaelson family business.

We get another flashback and this time Klaus is confronting Marcel about his feelings for Rebekah. Marcel admits that he likes Rebekah and Klaus tells Marcel that Rebekah lacks fortune when it comes to men.  Marcel brings up being turned and Klaus promises when he is ready.  In present day, Rebekah accuses Marcel of being afraid of Klaus and then threatens him. Marcel says that he cannot help her and leaves.

Klaus is in a bar when Marcel enters upset that Klaus didn't tell her about Rebekah.  Marcel suggests that it was Rebekah who killed his men.  Marcel then gets a call saying that a lone werewolf has been seen.  Klaus suggests that this solves the mystery of the dead vamps.  Marcel instructs Klaus to keep his sister in line before leaving.

Haleigh is sitting by herself with the wolfsbane but cannot bring herself to drink it.  She is quickly surrounded by vampires and tries to fight back. Luckily for her, she is rescued by Rebekah. They meet with Klaus, who tells Haleigh that he had a plan and that she put it in jeopardy.  Rebekah tells Klaus not to talk about a plan anymore and reminds him that Elijah made a deal to protect the baby. Rebekah accuses Klaus of not giving a damn about the child or Elijah and asks what Klaus has done to prove differently.  Klaus tells her that he has done everything and then details the fact that Marcel has had his vampires taking vervain, so he met with the vampires that Marcel had just made and turned them into his.  He then used his power to get Camille to agree to date Marcel.  Klaus then asks Haleigh what she was doing in the quarter and Haleigh says that she was buying poison for an abortion.  Klaus responds by choking Haleigh, forcing Rebekah to intervene and remind Klaus that Haleigh is pregnant.  Rebekah questions why he acted like he didn't want the child but then freaked out when the child was in jeopardy.  Rebekah assures Klaus that it's okay to want something and suggests that this is all she and Elijah have ever wanted for him. Klaus gets tears in his eyes and admits that he gave Elijah to Marcel.  It seems Marcel was nervous about having two Originals in town and so Klaus gave him a peace offering. Klaus assures Rebekah that he is going to dismantle Marcel's empire, and honour Elijah's wish that the baby be born.  He claims to be executing the plan the only way he knows how and suggests that Rebekah find the door if she doesn't like it.

Later, Haleigh joins Rebekah outside and thanks her for intervening with Klaus.  Haleigh asks why it is she loves and hates Klaus at the same time.  Rebekah says that the hate is so powerful sometimes and that Klaus has killed every man she cared about, until she stopped falling in love.  Rebekah says that Klaus believed he was protecting her from her mistakes but really, he never believed anyone was good enough for her.


We get a flashback to Marcel and Rebekah.  They share a passionate kiss and Rebekah pulls away long enough to say that Klaus was kill him.  Marcel replies, "then I'll die smiling." Could it get any more cliche than that.  Klaus of course intervenes, holding a sword against Marcel. Rebekah tells Klaus that Marcel is not like any other and reminds him that he raised Marcel and protected him. Rebekah begs Klaus not to kill Marcel and he drops the sword on the ground, agreeing that he cannot kill Marcel.  Klaus then daggers Rebekah saying that she needs a lesson in what she can and cannot take from him.

Haleigh asks Rebekah why she doesn't just get Elijah from Marcel herself.  Rebekah says that if she messes with Klaus that there is a coffin with her name on it.  Haleigh then hands Rebekah two daggers, which she apparently found underneath the coffins in the basement.  That's convenient isn't it?  Rebekah takes the daggers and smiles at Haleigh.

Marcel is having his date with Camille and he asks her what made her decide to come.  Rebekah bursts in quipping that Marcel still has a thing for blondes, before threatening to kill Marcel if he won't revel where Elijah is.  Marcel calmly says that she won't and so Rebekah grabs Camille instead.  To save Camille, Marcel agrees to take Rebekah to see Elijah and then glamors Camille to forget everything she has seen.

Marcel walks into a room with a casket but Rebekah is unable to follow and so she demands an invitation.  Marcel tells her that she has to ask Devina and then suggests Devina invite Rebekah in.  Rebekah marches over to he casket and tries to remove the dagger in Elijah but Devina uses her magic to force the dagger back in.  Devina asks who Rebekah is and Marcel inform her that Rebekah is an Original, who cannot be killed and who hasn't been very nice to him tonight.  Devina suggests that it is time for Rebekah to leave and uses her magic to slap Rebekah repeatedly into a wall.

In yet another flashback scene, Rebekah is waking up after being daggered.  Rebekah calls Klaus a bastard and asks what day it is.  Klaus tells her that it is Sunday, leading Rebekah to believe that she has been daggered for a week but the truth of the matter is that she has been daggered for 52 years.  Klaus tells Rebekah that Marcel had the choice to undagger her and live out the rest of his human years with her, or Klaus would turn him in exchange for giving her up. Rebekah cries that Marcel wouldn't do that to her, just as he walks in the room and gives her a cold look.

In present day, Rebekah wakes up in her old room with Marcel looking on.  Rebekah asks what she is doing there and Marcel informs her that she upset Devina and now she knows what she is dealing with.  Marcel points out that everything that was once hers and Klaus's is now his.  He tells Rebekah to never touch Camille again, before walking out and slamming the door.

Haleigh is lying in bed when Klaus walks in.  Haleigh assures Klaus that she did not abort the baby and then complains about how hot the house is.  Klaus asks Haleigh what stopped her from getting rid of the baby, considering that she could have been free of all of this - of him. Haleigh replies that when she was fighting off the vampires she realised that she was protecting the baby as well.  Klaus tells her that they might be a lot a like because they are both cast offs, who have learned to fight when backed into a corner.  Haleigh agrees that they are backed into a corner and Klaus says that it is time to fight.  Haleigh asks how things got so bad between Marcel and Klaus and Klaus says that he made Marcel everything that he is and treated him like a son but when Michael chased him and the family from New Orleans, they thought Marcel was dead.  They all mourned Marcel but when he returned to New Orleans, he learned that Marcel made a choice to take everything that was once his, instead of sticking together like a family. Klaus says that the "M" Marcel stamps everywhere is not for Marcel but Michaelson.  Klaus declares that he wants it all back and then promises to have someone see to the air conditioning.

Rebekah comes in and tells Klaus that he was right that Camille is the key and adds that because of her, she got to see Marcel's secret weapon.  Rebekah informs Klaus about Devina and says that though Devina cannot be more than 16, she has never felt power like that before. Rebekah points out that now Devina has Elijah.  Klaus asks where Devina is and Rebekah realizes that Devina wiped her memories.  Rebekah screams that Marcel has a weapon more powerful than an Original and that Klaus handed their brother over to him and questions how many times Elijah will forgive him.  Klaus says that he did what he had to do because Marcel took their home.  Rebekah reminds Klaus that their home is worthless without family. Rebekah vows to find Elijah and asks for Klaus's help.  Klaus agrees to do whatever it takes.

Marcel goes to see Devina and apologizes for Rebekah's unpleasant visit.  Devina says that she is not scared by any of the Originals. Marcel tells her that they are here to stay and Devina replies that they don't belong here. Marcel doesn't believe that they will leave willingly and asks Devina to figure out how to kill an Original. 

Well they managed to pack a lot into an hour didn't they.  I am going to start off with Haleigh.  So far, all we know about Haleigh is the standard tragic past. I would really like to see her character develop more.  I am glad that they showed Haleigh at least considering her options regarding the baby.  At least it alleviates some of the walking magical womb we were treated to in the last episode.

Marcel is clearly the bad to Klaus's supposed good but I have difficulty rooting for Klaus to win anything.  They are both cold blooded killers with zero compassion as far as I can tell.  Marcel clearly can only be a short terms antagonist because let's face it, he's up against the Original family.  Yes he has a witch who may have temporarily stymied Klaus and Rebekah but there is no way this is going to end well for him.  It also makes me wonder why Klaus and Elijah didn't just grab Haleigh and leave.  Why are they bothered with one city, when they have access to the world?

As for Klaus and his angst and pain.  It's a good thing that Joseph Morgan is such a stellar actor, or this could get old very quickly.  I didn't like Klaus saving Marcel from the beating.  Yes, we got to see Marcel rebel a little bit first but this saved by the White man thing is an ongoing trope in urban fantasy.  Marcel's entire character reeks of Klaus having to put a uppity Black man back in his place.  It's racist and no matter how they try to cover it up in family, this shines through quite clearly.

As for Rebekah, Klaus fascination with her screams of incest.  He is absolutely obsessed with her and the fact that he kills her lover and daggers her when she steps out of line is the most sexist thing on television today.  To be clear Rebekah claims to love and hate Klaus all at the same time.  I can understand the hate but most certainly not the love.  She is like a prisoner in that relationship, who has identified with her captors. Though Rebekah makes it clear that she is angry at Klaus, I don't think she is nearly angry enough.