The Originals Season 1, Episode 20: "A Closer Walk With Thee" Recap/Review

Man, this episode was kind of terrifying, wasn't it? I have to admit that Mikael has kind of always scared me, because he's one of those characters who has literally no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and as a result, will nearly ALWAYS end up fucking over the heroes in the most horrible yet spectacular fashions. So, the fact that Mikael was totally willing to kill a more-or-less innocent pregnant girl and her unborn child is not really surprising, but still disgusting as hell.

There were a WHOLE lot of other exciting developments in this episode, too, from Francesca getting fleshed out as a Stone-Cold-Bitch, Cami dealing with Kieran's death, with a little help from Marcel, a greater peek into Genevieve's character and willingness to stay alive, and the ancestors in general. Plus, y'know, the HAYLIJAH KISS that I feel like I've been waiting for for at least eighty-four years and Klaus once again showing that there may just be a shred of humanity left in him. Also, I'm super big on crossovers, although it seems it's gonna be a while before we get more TVD characters on The Originals, so the fact that the situation with the Other Side on TVD is affecting things down in New Orleans as well is super interesting to me. So yeah, "A Closer Walk With Thee" was both scary, sad, and AMAZING and I don't want to waste any more time talking about how much I liked it when I could be telling you why! So, let's dig in.

Previously, on The Originals: Hayley made an awesome speech at a Faction party about the necessity of peace in the French Quarter, which finally convinced the five Factions to sign a peace treaty, once and for all. Klaus warned them that it would never work, which ended up being accurate, because the bayou werewolf encampments were hit by a series of bombings that injured a ton of people and killed many others. Marcel had a chat with Hayley afterward, in which he mentioned that the bomber was a human who owed money to the casino--specifically, the casino that happens to be owned by Francesca Correa. The witch ancestors ordered Monique to kill Genevieve, in order to resurrect the last Harvest girl and give the witch community full access to the power of the Harvest ritual. But, at the last minute, they changed their mind, and decided to allow Genevieve to live after all, in exchange for another offering-- Baby Mikaelson. Father Kieran got hexed by Bastianna, which eventually led to him dying with vampire blood in his system. Instead of killing himself before completing the transition, as he planned, the hex kicked back in and manipulated him into turning so he could use his new powers to kill Cami. Thankfully, before he could, Klaus arrived to save the day, and after Cami gave him permission, he staked Kieran in the heart. He also gave Marcel a day-pass to the Quarter, so he could attend Kieran's funeral and comfort Cami, which is sort-of where we pick up today!

Our cold open begins this episode at St. Anne's Church, where the community has gathered for Father Kieran's funeral service. There are a lot of familiar faces in line to pay their respects to Kieran's body, including Cami, Francesca, Genevieve, and Marcel. Klaus arrives late to the church, and by the time he makes his way inside and toward the casket, everyone has already been seated again. He stops by the very front pew and kisses Cami quickly on the cheek before he goes to say goodbye to Kieran. When he gets to the sacristy, the coffin is closed, and when he opens it, he's shocked to find that Father Kieran's body is gone. In his place is a baby, presumably the soon-to-be-born Baby Mikaelson, who coos at him adorably. Klaus may be a monster, but he's clearly got a weakness for babies, and can't help by coo a "Hi" in return.

(via missavinon-thorne)
He reaches down to pick up the baby, but before he can, he's staked from behind with the indestructible white oak stake, and blood starts to pour out of his mouth. Klaus weakly spins around to find Mikael sneering at him. He grabs Klaus in a chokehold and spits, "Greetings, boy." Suddenly, Klaus awakens with a start in his own bed in the compound. He gasps in shock for a moment until he realizes it's just a dream, he sighs and falls back into bed. Man, those dreams are the worst. TITLE CARD!

We meet up with Genevieve, who is leading Davina, Monique and Abigail through a park in the Quarter, while she gives them a little lesson on supernatural creatures. "New Orleans is full of ghosts," Genevieve lectures dramatically. "Our dead are always here, hovering. When supernatural creatures die, they're doomed to spend eternity alone, watching the world go on without them. Of course, that's not the case with the ancestral witches. We linger in a different way--consecrated in the earth, replenishing its power." OOH, that's good to know! I always wondered if the ancestral witches were on the Other Side, or elsewhere, and if they were in the former, how would they be affected by the current drama happening on in the Other Side? So, I guess it's safe to say that they won't be. Davina, clearly thinking about Tim, asks what happens to humans when they die, and Genevieve hesitates awkwardly before admitting that some find peace, but some don't (and I'm guessing that she's referring to Father Kieran in the latter category). She then instructs the girls to go back to the lycée (is that what the Coven House is? The witch school?), because she has to make an appearance at Father Kieran's wake. "Take some time to think about those spirits who might still be walking alongside you." CREEPY. The thought of spirits of dead humans lingering around watching us makes me incredibly uncomfortable, tbh.

Davina and Abigail turn around and head back to school, but Monique hangs behind so she can harass Genevieve some more about her duties.

MONIQUE: "I don't know why we're supposed to care about Kieran O'Connell."

GENEVIEVE: "We care, because when a pillar of our community passes, Monique, you call a cease-fire, and pay your respects."

MONIQUE: "Or, you just want to see Klaus. You two are getting cozy."

GENEVIEVE: "I need the Mikaelsons to trust me, so I can get close enough--"

MONIQUE: [interrupts] "--to kill their baby?"

GENEVIEVE: [frustrated and annoyed] "To fulfill my obligation to our ancestors. Go home, Monique."

Damn, I can't believe that I'm actually defending Genevieve, but Monique is an idiot. Setting aside my bias towards the Mikaelsons/Hayley, if I were on the witches' team and trying to accomplish what the ancestors want, going with Genevieve's slow and patient plan is a lot more likely to actually work than Monique's whole, "Lets take advantage of the chaos as a result of the death of a respected leader in the community by plotting an obvious move against these thousand-year-old immortals who have infinitely more experience and knowledge when it comes to warfare"-plan. She's so intent on fulfilling the order from those ancestors to whom she's so loyal that she's not even taking obvious factors in consideration, like HOW the ancestors want this to go down, as we'll find out later. Getting a little sick of Monique's shit, tbh! Besides, Klaus and Genevieve haven't hooked up since he caught that manwitch trying to steal Esther's grimoire and cut his hands off, have they? I assumed not, anyway.

At Rousseau's, the French Quarter is holding a raucous Irish-style wake for Kieran, which includes a band playing Irish music, a shitload of people, and more alcohol than you can possibly imagine. Everyone is talking loudly and sharing their favorite memories of their favorite priest when Cami notices Klaus drinking alone at a table. She goes to join him and immediately tries to break him out of whatever funk he's in. "Hey! Earth to you!" Cami says with a weak laugh. Klaus notices the wounds that are still healing on her face from her final stand-off with Kieran (even though she totally had them when he saved her, and when he took her home, so I don't know why he's just noticing them NOW), but she shrugs them off, and assures him that she'll heal. She then starts to thank him, for doing what he did to help Kieran, as well as what he did later in helping to save her from him. He cuts her off, though, and holds up his glass as he slurs, "Unless you've come equipped with the means to fill this, no additional platitudes are necessary."

Cami isn't really interested in Klaus' 'tude, though, and reminds him that she's in a terrible mood because her uncle died in a horrifying way and everyone in town is celebrating by partying like it's Mardi Gras. When she asks him what his excuse is, Klaus is surprisingly open with her about what's been bothering him, though it could just be because he's wasted. "I've been having these dreams about my dead father. No diagnosis necessary, love, I've already got this one covered--my fears of fatherhood, of scarring my child as my father scarred me, are manifesting as nightmares." He smiles at her as widely and fakely as he can muster, and takes a long drink before adding, "It's horrifically cliché."

Our Cami, who is pretty obviously trying to avoid thinking about the heap of shit she's dealing with, immediately dives into Psychologist-Mode so she can focus on Klaus' problems instead of her own. She informs him that she's shocked that he actually acknowledged that he's about to be a father, especially since Hayley has been residing with her wolf pack out in the bayou for months now. They both notice Marcel enter the restaurant and watch him as he heads for the bar. "I know more about the trials of fatherhood than you might imagine, Camille," Klaus says grumpily. Cami continues to watch Marcel for a moment before retorting, "And it worked out SO well the first time, why change a thing?" as she walks away. As always, Cami can see right through Klaus, and as always, Klaus actually takes her word to heart. She may be the only person in the entire universe whom he actually respects that much. At this point, I'm not even sure Caroline is at that level, at least not yet. When Klaus catches Marcel's eye at the bar, Klaus is launched into a flashback...

It's the 1830s, shortly after Klaus met Bb Marcel at Rebekah's deceased beau's funeral and allowed him to stay with the Mikaelsons in their compound. Klaus and Marcel have arrived at the old plantation house, where they're paying a visit to the Governor. If you recall, the Governor is not only Rebekah's dead boyfriend Emil's father, but also MARCEL'S father, after he had an affair with one of his slaves. As soon as the two are escorted into the Governor's study, he takes one look at the pair and sneers, "Well, I see you've come to return some stolen property." GROSS. Klaus agrees, and retorts that no, he's actually decided that Marcel will be living with him from now on, and they're just there to inform him of the change. The Governor literally says, "Unfortunately, he's not for sale," because this was the pre-Civil War days when the majority of white dudes were absolutely disgusting. Of course, Klaus isn't exactly one for negotiating, so he does that whole close-talking intimidation move that he does and insists that he will grant Marcel his freedom. "And if I say no?" the Governor asks stupidly, so Klaus just rolls his eyes and grabs him in a choke-hold before he has a chance to regret asking. "You seem to have misinterpreted the matter as up for debate," Klaus growls, and he squeezes his neck until the Governor finally folds and gasps out, "Fine! Take him!" Klaus reluctantly lets go of him and walks away with Marcel. Before they leave, the Governor shrieks, "He wasn't worth a damn to me anyway!" OUCH. Poor Marcel.

Outside the plantation house, Klaus stops Bb Marcel to talk to him about what just happened. Klaus gently mentions that he heard that the Governor is Marcel's father, and asks him if it's true. Marcel nods quietly, so Klaus walks toward him and says what might just be the most kind and comforting thing that he has ever said to a person: "You know, my father hated me, too. The truth is, family can be more than just those with whom we share blood. We can choose." Bb Marcel is so excited to have a somewhat loving person in his life that he starts to tear up. OH MY GOD, Klaus, stop playing games with my heart already. I love that callback to the pilot, when Marcel asked Klaus about his family, and when Klaus reminds him that they all hate his guts, Marcel reminds him in turn that Klaus always taught him that if your blood lets you down, you build your own family. Even though they're fighting against each other, they still can't help but think about how much they taught each other, once upon a time.

In the present, Klaus is still scowling at Marcel and sulking with his booze by his lonesome. Marcel looks down at some pictures on the bar of Father Kieran, Cami, and Sean, before grabbing a bottle of scotch from behind the counter and holding it out to toast to Kieran's life. "I know I haven't been around these parts lately," Marcel begins, as he addresses the huge crowd. "It's a testament to Father Kieran that we could come together and share a drink, and a story or two. Kieran rolled into town on a rusty old cruiser after his daddy died twenty-five years ago. And damnit, that guy could party!" He and the crowd can't help but laugh for a moment before Marcel continues. "That was, of course, before he took his vows. But even then, he was committed to the Quarter. He knew that this town needed him. And, we still do." He raises his bottle once again, and yells, "To Father K!" He takes a drink, as the rest of the crowd mumbles it back in response. Okay, but priests totally can and do drink, right? I'm pretty sure the priest from my first church was alllllways at the bar. ;)

The whole mega-party atmosphere of the wake starts to really overwhelm Cami, so she rushes into the back room of Rousseau's for some privacy. Unfortunately for her, just as she starts to cry, she realizes that she's not alone--Francesca is chilling out there with a scotch of her own. She smiles at Cami and makes polite chit-chat about how great minds think alike, before she gets straight to the point. "It's Cami, right? I've been informed that Kieran's necklace is missing. The key that he always wore? I assume he left it for me." Understandably, Cami is a little overwhelmed with grief and shit, and doesn't really appreciate being hounded by this aggressive woman she doesn't even know, so she's just like, "Uh, beg pardon?" Francesca feigns embarrassment and apologizes for her rudeness before she introduces herself as the woman who recently took Kieran's position of Human Faction representative,  once his "mental faculties were compromised."

Cami, super annoyed, retorts that he was actually hexed into insanity, not suffering from some incurable chronic disease, but Francesca turns on the political speak to argue her side. "Hexed by one of our enemies! Look, I'm invested in protecting the people of this city, and to do that, I need the key." Cami insists that she has no idea where it is, and suggests that maybe it got lost in the scuffle during the events that led to her uncle's gruesome, horrifying death, before she storms right out of the room. Francesca, clearly annoyed that her plan didn't pan out, returns to the bar for another drink and generally looks awkward.

Across the room, Elijah has joined Klaus at his table and are drinking their usual expensive scotch together. Klaus is still in a piss-poor mood, and drunkenly mumbles, "Seems rather uncivilized, to laugh and dance around the body of a loved one." Hey, don't be trashing the Irish and their knack for festive celebrations of life, dude! When I die, I would much rather people have a party in my honor and try to stay happy than have a depressing funeral. Anyway, Elijah just rolls his eyes as he pours himself another drink. "Yes, far better to practice YOUR process of grief, Niklaus-- denial, rage, and hoarding coffins in basements." SWISH! Elijah 1, Klaus 0. That was a good one. It is then that Hayley joins them at the table, so Elijah warns her of just how grumpy Klaus is this day. Klaus slurs a mumble-y "Sod off!" just as Hayley starts to harangue Klaus about the moonlight rings. "Oliver's trying to set a revolution every five seconds. People are scared, angry, and frankly, I'm tired of stalling."

Klaus reminds her that it's a day of peace, and that they should try to enjoy it until they're returned to their normal chaos. As an afterthought, he adds that, since they have any number of enemies currently plotting against them, he wants Hayley to return to the compound and stay with them indefinitely. "Awesome!" Hayley exclaims sarcastically. "Then, we can do that thing where you lock me in the tower, I escape, there's drama, and then you two both realize I'm VERY capable of looking after myself." Klaus, frustrated, argues that: 1) he's currently working on the rings (or rather, he's delegated someone else to do it); 2) he's looking into whoever launched the bayou bombings, and whomever was responsible will be swiftly and violently dealt with; AND 3) until everything settles down, Hayley WILL return to the compound where they can keep her safe. "But, right now," he slurs, as he opens an almost empty bottle of scotch. "I'm gonna finish this bottle, and the next, in the hopes of drowning the demon who has chosen today to haunt me." He dramatically glares up at the ceiling, and adds a final, "Cheers, Mikael. Impeccable, Freudian timing!"

He chugs the scotch straight from the bottle, not noticing at first that Hayley and Elijah are staring at him in shock and concern. Elijah's voice grows incredibly serious as he asks his brother if he's really been dreaming of Mikael. Klaus, who is drunk as a skunk, assumes that Elijah is just trying to mock him, and encourages him to laugh it up about his horrifying nightmares. "I assure you, there is no piece of this that I find even remotely amusing, Niklaus," Elijah says gravely. "Especially considering I've been dreaming of him, too." SHIT. SHIT SHIT SHIT. Understandably, Klaus is shocked and not at all pleased at this new development, but Elijah is already brainstorming. He's pondering aloud how he AND Klaus could both be dreaming of Mikael, when he spots Genevieve arriving to the wake and approaching the bar for a drink. She smiles at them amiably, and Elijah asks if it's possible that their "elusive, unknown enemy" has been working on another attack. Klaus smiles and waves at Genevieve before quipping, "Well, then. What better way to punctuate a day of peace than by killing someone?" God, I'm so ready for them to finish off Genevieve but we all know it's not happening any time soon.

At some point, Genevieve sneaks out of the wake so she can slip into the Jardin Gris voodoo shop. She closes the door behind her and immediately senses someone nearby. Of course it's Klaus, lurking behind her, which startles her. She stammers out a weak remark about how Klaus left the party so suddenly, just as Elijah enters the room as well, examining an athame he found laying around the shop. He asks her to explain why she would give him and his brother nightmares of their horrendous father, but, to Genevieve's credit, she seems pretty horrified at the thought. She insists that she would never do such a thing, and I would hope so, considering what happened the LAST time she messed around with the Mikaelsons and their daddy issues. However, Elijah isn't really inclined to buy it. "Oh, how foolish of me. It must have been that other witch that's been parading through our house in scraps of lace!" Oi! Cool it on the slut-shaming, Eli! It's not a good look.

Klaus threatens to rip her tongue from her mouth if she doesn't let them in on what's going on, and Genevieve tries her best to not appear as though she's scared shitless. "As much as I enjoy these repeated accusations of wrongdoings, I don't know what you're talking about. BUT, if you've both been seeing your dead father, I can try to get you answers." Klaus smiles and strokes her neck menacingly before he allows her to go and check it out. Elijah is appalled that Klaus would just let her go, but Genevieve takes the opportunity to get the hell out of there before he can argue further. Once she's gone, Klaus approaches Elijah to explain his rationale. "You don't trust her, and you're right not to," he whispers. "Only a fool would. But, she certainly wants us to, doesn't she?" Elijah realizes that of course, as usual, Klaus wants to turn an already dramatic situation and twist it to get what he wants, which Klaus confirms--he needs a witch to make the moonlight rings for the Crescent clan, and he's hoping that Genevieve will be able to give them answers about Mikael AND cast the spell. Oh god, how am I, a dumbass 20-something who couldn't scheme her way out of a paper bag, the only one realizing how TERRIBLE of an idea this is? Klaus is an ancient warmonger with an equally ancient and cunning brother, I should not be out-thinking them.

At the lycée, Monique, Abigail and Davina are in the greenhouse, setting out the ingredients to do a spell. Abigail points out that she doesn't think the ancestors would be very pleased to hear that they're messing around in the "spirit world," but Davina insists that it's just a simple séance spell, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Monique is rifling through jars of herbs on a bookshelf, and snits that séances aren't actually real, they're just done by poser witches to get the money of unsuspecting tourists. She grabs her herbs and peaces out, leaving Abigail and Davina alone to do the spell. Davina sets Tim's violin in the center of a circle she's drawn on the table with chalk, which has salt and herbs scattered all around it. When Abigail asks Davina about the violin, she replies, "It's my friend Tim's." Abigail seems skeptical and hesitant, so Davina adds, "Come on! What's the point of being a witch if we can't use our magic for stuff like this?" 

Abigail finally caves and nods in agreement, and the two clasp each other's hands to share their magic as they start to chant the spell. "Elikopte fantômes soliter mouri, vous reveler," they repeat quietly. Davina cuts her palm with an athame and drips the blood on Tim's violin as a way to make a connection with his spirit as wind begins whipping through the greenhouse. Davina, desperate to sense his presence, calls out, "Tim?" Suddenly, the violin starts to play itself, the same song that Tim played for Davina, and after a moment, the wind chime by the window starts to play it, as well. OMG. If I were Davina, I probably would have started crying, tbh. A hand caresses Davina's shoulder from behind, but it's not Tim, because he's wearing an ancient-looking lapis lazuli daylight ring. When Davina turns around to find the source of the touch, we see that the hand belongs to MIKAEL! YIKES! Whether or not Davina could actually see him at this point is unknown, but once Mikael states, "What a delightful tune!", he instantly disappears, which causes all of the windows in the greenhouse to shatter. Davina and Abigail both duck down, terrified, as broken glass rains down on them.

This is what I'm having difficulty understanding-- what does Mikael have to do with Tim? Like, the point of the séance was to try to contact Tim's spirit to find out if he found peace or whatever, so how was Mikael able to take advantage of that spell to reveal himself to her? Is it solely because the Other Side is falling apart, which has been allowing the ghosts over there to physically interact with the living world? OR, is he pulling a Vicki Donovan and getting help from someone else who is over there? (Speaking of Vicki, I have one particular witch in mind as a suspect, but if you say her name out loud three times, she tends to appear, so I'm gonna shut up for now.) There was one other theory I was considering though-- Davina, Monique, and Abigail were all technically dead for quite a while, anywhere between a month for Davina and a year for the rest of them. So, does the fact that they died and were brought back to life with magic make them mediums, like Jeremy Gilbert on TVD? That would explain why Davina was able to see Mikael and talk to him, and he likely wouldn't even need magical backup in order to do it, considering how flimsy the veil between the dimensions has been thinning ever since the Travelers broke it.

ANYWAY, the wake is over now, and Rousseau's is empty, save for Cami, Marcel, and Father Kieran, who is chilling in his casket. Cami plops herself down in a chair and rests her feet on Kieran's coffin and snarks, "So, Klaus gives you twenty-four hours in the Quarter, and you're spending it coffin-sitting with me? No preparations for war, no chess pieces to move?" Marcel hands her a drink before sitting down with his own, and reminds her that they're honoring her uncle and his good friend. "Even us bad guys can take the night off," he adds with a smile. Cami shifts so she can rest her heels on Marcel's lap instead, and admits that Francesca cornered her earlier and started pummeling her with questions about Kieran's key. Marcel's poker face is terrible as he asks her what she told Francesca. Cami shrugs it off at first, simply stating that it doesn't matter because she has no idea where it is, but then she catches the guilty look on Marcel's face and immediately realizes that he knows more about it than she does.

Marcel sighs and reluctantly tugs down his collar so he can pull out Kieran's necklace with the key attached and confesses that he had Josh grab it for him. Cami is super pissed that Marcel basically robbed her sick and dying uncle, but Marcel insists that he was just looking out for her. "I'm trying to do you a favor. Trust me, you don't want to be a part of any of this." Cami isn't exactly inclined to trust him, given all the shady shit he's done over the course of their friendship, but Marcel maintains that this whole situation is way bigger than her. As expected, Cami does NOT want to hear that, and rightly so. "Don't patronize me, Marcel!" Cami yells angrily. "Do you know what's bigger than me? My uncle lost his mind, beat the crap out of me, and then DIED. And NOW, I have to sit by his body all night--" 

Clearly feeling horrible about what he's done, Marcel cuts her off and swears that he's not trying to lie to her, he's just trying to keep her safe. He assures her he'll stay with her tonight to watch over Kieran, but any goodwill Cami had shown him before is off the table now, and she wants him to leave, immediately. Marcel backpedals a bit, and promises he'll tell her everything he knows about the key, but Cami is NOT interested now, and shrieks that she doesn't want to know anything about it. Defeated, Marcel grabs his coat and makes his way out. Once he's gone, Cami finally breaks down and starts to sob. Poor girl. :( I get what Marcel is trying to do here, but when are these people going to learn that full disclosure is always the best policy when it comes to people you care about? Especially people like Cami, who are intelligent enough to know when they're being lied to, and who are so incredibly analytical that they rely on information in able to make sense of the world.

Elijah is on one of the compound's many balconies, looking out at the Quarter, when he senses Genevieve enter the room from behind him. He greets her, and she gets straight to the point-- she asked around the supernatural community and learned that the Other Side (which she refers to as "the purgatory where supernatural souls are trapped") is disintegrating, so it's not just Mikael who has been using that to his advantage. Elijah is a little confused, but Klaus waltzes in dramatically, per usual, and confirms her story. "She's right...more-or-less," Klaus admits with a wry smile. "It's actually IMPLODING. I made a call to a rather-reluctant Bennett witch in Mystic Falls who said the same thing. The dead are being torn away into nothingness, and they're not interested in going quietly." While this does fit in perfectly with what was going on in TVD at this time, I still don't understand why Bonnie would tell Klaus, of all people, more about what was happening to the Other Side than she told her own loved ones. It just seems a little out of character for me, I guess. Anyway, Elijah takes this news about as well as you can expect. "So, you're saying that our father, faced with permanent extinction, has decided to spend his remaining time tormenting us? How delightful!"

Klaus decides to look at the upside, which is that they will soon be done with their father forever, but by now, Genevieve is just bored. She sighs, and asks Elijah if that's a good enough alibi to excuse her from suspicion. "Nothing springs to mind at this precise moment," Elijah replies drolly. Genevieve's like, "Why the fuck do I keep involving myself with this ridiculously dysfunctional monster family?" and decides to peace out. Before she leaves, she stops next to Klaus and asks him if they can hang out together sometime after the funeral, just the two of them. Klaus plays it close to the vest and smirks out a "I suppose we'll have to see!" Once she's gone, Elijah side-eyes his brother so fucking hard before snitting, "Please tell me you've designed a stronger method to control the witch than playing hard-to-get?" Klaus just laughs, and reminds him that he's always been a fan of the classics. Oh, Klaus. You are going to get burned SO BAD, and then he's gonna burn Genevieve right back, and it's gonna be a hot mess.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, Hayley has decided to go sit outside Francesca's house and wait for her to return home. Eventually, she shows up, with a bodyguard in tow, and though she groans in annoyance at the sight of Hayley, she doesn't exactly seem SURPRISED that she's there. She puts on her polite act, as is her wont, and tries to make pleasant chit-chat.

FRANCESCA: "Hayley, right? I'm guessing you're not here because you want to make a new friend?"

HAYLEY: [stands to face her] "I don't usually count terrorists as friends."

FRANCESCA: [chuckles & turns to her bodyguard] "Wow. I've been accused of everything from grand larceny to blackmail, but 'terrorist,' that's new!"

HAYLEY: "A human pulled up to our home in the bayou on a motorcycle and blew himself up."

FRANCESCA: "I heard! Awful. [fake smiles] Goodnight!"

Francesca grabs her keys from her bodyguard and heads to the door, clearly over this conversation, but as we know, Hayley usually gets what she wants and is tough as fuck. She headbutts Francesca's bodyguard before slamming his head into a birdbath in the yard and knocking him out. Francesca is clearly rattled, but she hides it well, and turns on another fake smile.

HAYLEY: "Word on the street is, he owed a hundred grand to the Palace Royale Casino. And then, after he died, the debt was erased. Just like magic."

FRANCESCA: "Jeff was a fixture at my roulette table. Sometimes he was up, sometimes he was down. I absolved his family of the debt he owed out of the goodness of my heart. [sneers at Hayley] Feel free to sniff around. My hands are clean. And, I'd advise you to mind your manners. It's lucky you're still alive. You're the one the wolves whisper about like royalty. If I was interested in hurting the wolves, YOU'D be my target. [smiles] And, when I go after someone? I don't miss."

YIKES! I have never trusted Francesca, and now I'm feeling quite secure in that feeling. It is interesting to have such a gangster type on the human side-- humans usually don't pose too much of a threat against the supernaturals, but she seems to know enough about werewolves, witches, and vampires to be able to come up with pretty ingenious ways of screwing them over. Anyway, Hayley rolls her eyes at her, and goes to leave out her front gate. She turns and walks down the sidewalk, where we see Monique hiding behind a tree. She pops out and starts walking behind her, before pulling out a poppet (which is like the stereotypical ~voodoo doll~) that is clearly meant to represent Hayley. As she chants a spell under her breath, she stabs the doll with a pin. "Purger l'interieur, éteindre la lumiere, dans cette foi." Hayley stops, and definitely appears to feel strange, but she can't identify what it is. She anxiously pulls her coat (which is straining to fit around her nearly nine-months-pregnant baby bump) around her and continues walking home. NOOOOOOO! This is so going to end terribly.

The next morning, Father Kieran's funeral procession is marching down the street after the funeral service at St. Anne's, in full New Orleans style. There are hundreds of community members crowded in the street, following Father Kieran's casket, which is being carried to LaFayette cemetery by a horse drawn carriage, surrounded on all sides by fellow priests and bishops of the church. Inside St. Anne's, Cami is at the sacristy, where she's lighting a candle for her uncle. Marcel carefully approaches her from behind and informs her that her reading was beautiful. Not even turning around, Cami whines that Marcel is trying a sneak attack when she's still pissed at him, but neither of them look too angry to me. After a beat, Cami asks Marcel to tell her about the key. Marcel reminds her that she claimed she didn't want to know, but now that she's thought about it more, she needs to. "I'd like to say I slept on it, but I didn't sleep," Cami admits. "I stayed awake all night next to the body of a hexed priest, only to attend a funeral filled with vampires. So, I'm thinking...you should tell me about the key."

Marcel sighs and looks around to make sure no one is listening in before he starts to explain what he knows. "Kieran told me that the key leads to something that  can be used against the supernaturals if we get...too far out of line," Marcel confesses hesitantly. "Kieran and I had our ups and downs, but we trusted each other. So, I let it be, because I knew if he had to use whatever Pandora's box that key opens, it'd be because he didn't have a choice." I kind of love that Marcel is continuing his streak of being honest with people. I think he's kind of learning that Klaus' particular brand of lying, creative truth-telling, and complicated wordplay with regards to deals, while sometimes effective, isn't always the most effective and efficient way to go. Cami finally turns around to face him, and points out that he could have just asked her for it, but Marcel knows as well as Cami that she wouldn't have just handed it over. Still a little angry, Cami crosses her arms over her chest and asks him what the key opens. The problem is, Marcel has no idea.

"I don't know," he swears. "I turned this city upside-down last night trying to find it. The church, the rectory, I even searched your family's tomb! It's hard to find a needle in the haystack when you don't even know what the needle looks like." Cami correctly guesses that Marcel needs her help to see if she has any better ideas, but while that isn't exactly untrue, Marcel promises that it's only one of several reasons why he came. He reaches behind her for a matchstick to light a candle, and gives it to her straight. "I'm here because my friend died, and my other friend is grieving. You can question my intentions all day long, Cami. I'm here for Kieran, and I'm here for you." GOD, I love them together so much! I had no idea how big of a Cami x Marcel (what is their ship name? Carcel? Marmi?) shipper I would be when this show just started. Hell, I didn't even know how big of a Cami fan I would be, but here we are.

The procession is still continuing down the street to jazz music, and Hayley, Klaus, and Elijah are walking toward the end of the parade. Hayley keeps being overwhelmed by coughing fits, but when Elijah asks, "You alright? You look--", she cuts him off. "--A hundred months pregnant a pissed off at the world?" Elijah can't help but laugh, and he swears he was going to say she looks lovely, which she totally does. I envy the styles of pretty much all of the women on this show, but especially Hayley. We share the same very comfortable-and-slightly-boho aesthetic. Hayley sees Francesca several rows of people ahead of them, who is hilarious pretending to dab non-existent tears off her face with a tissue. Hayley asks the Mikaelson Bros if they think Hayley was actually the target of the bayou bombings, and Klaus' response is simultaneously hilarious, super-super awful, and so very Klaus: "Of course you were the target! Were I to wage a war on the wolves, you'd be my first kill! I would string you up, for all your worshippers to see!"

Such pretty words for the mother of your child, Klausy-Poo. Elijah, as usual, tries to play peacekeeper by adding, "That was my brother's way of telling you he'd like you to return home to us." He turns to Klaus, and scolds him a bit, as well. "Perhaps try a different approach, Niklaus? With fewer references to murder?" Since Klaus hates being told what to do, he continues his own method of persuasion out of spite. "As much as I would hate to throw you over my shoulder and drag you, kicking and screaming to the compound, we both know I will--for the sake of my child." Hayley finds the fact that Klaus has one nightmare about his heinous excuse for a stepfather and has suddenly decided to be Father of the Year is both hilarious and frustrating, but Klaus isn't really amused. He throws an arm around her shoulder and pulls her in close as he assures her that while his father lived to torment him, he has absolutely no intention of turning into him. "This cycle of misery ends with my child." And, you know, even though I think Klaus is far from a changed man, I do believe wholeheartedly that he will intend to be a better dad than his was. I'm excited to see how this goes! However, Hayley gets awesome, and yanks Klaus' arm right off of her before reminding him that the baby isn't HIS child, it's THEIRS, and stomps away. Elijah applauds his younger brother on his sensitivity, and Klaus just whines, "I bloody HATE funerals." You and me both, muchacho.

Hayley spots Cami near the front of the procession, and runs so she can catch up with her. When she does, Hayley greets Cami warmly, which Cami returns. "I know you don't know me," Hayley begins awkwardly, before succumbing to another coughing fit. "I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry about your uncle. He was really...good to people like me during the storm, and I really appreciated that." Cami smiles at the kind words about her uncle, but quickly realizes that Hayley, like everyone, wants something. Hayley laughs awkwardly, knowing that she's busted, and apologizes for the timing, before bringing up Francesca Correa-- did Kieran say anything weird about her, before she died? Hayley mentions that she believes Francesca was involved in the bayou bombing, and hesitantly asks Cami if she would be willing to let her know if she hears anything. Cami looks aggravated at first, but then quickly changes her tune. "Look, Hayley? I'm trying--mostly failing--to stay out of all this stuff, but... she's a real bitch. So, yeah, if I hear anything, I'll let you know." 

Aw, Cami! Now I kind of want Hayley and Cami to be friends. I think Hayley needs more girlfriends since Rebekah left. Satisfied, Hayley once again apologizes for the timing, before repeating her condolences about Father Kieran, before taking off. She walks toward the sidewalk, and starts to look woozy. She starts coughing, again, which causes her so off-guard that she leans against a light post. As she continues to cough and hack, she realizes that she's coughing up blood. Genevieve just happens to be nearby when she sees Hayley in distress, and immediately calls out for Klaus and Elijah to come help her. By the time they get there, Hayley has collapsed on the ground. NOOOOOO! Damn you, Monique! Every time I think I couldn't hate her more, she gets even worse. And, it makes me super hate the ancestors, too, because they're the ones who brainwashed her into being a militant, super-dedicated ancestral witch who would literally do anything they asked her to do, up to and including KILLING HER OWN FAMILY.

Klaus and Elijah rush into the compound with Hayley in their arms, and immediately lay her on the table in the courtyard. Genevieve follows behind them, and insists that she can help, but Elijah pushes her away and forbids her from even touching Hayley. Klaus, at a loss for options, reminds Elijah exhaustedly that Genevieve was a nurse, back in her "first" life, and Genevieve, eager to help, swears that she can do a spell to figure out what is going on with her. She instructs Klaus to get her chamomile from their pantry, and starts to examine Hayley. She realizes that she's cold and shivering. Elijah instantly strips off his jacket and lays it over her, and worriedly points out that Hayley isn't breathing, nor can he hear her heartbeat--he can only hear the baby's.

As Genevieve checks Hayley's carotid pulse, the scene suddenly changes into that fuzzy, blue hue that indicates that we're over on the Other Side, now that it's falling apart and is constantly in a state of night-time now. Hayley wakes up on the table, but the room is completely empty, save for one person. It's Mikael, naturally, but since Hayley has never seen or met him before, she has no idea who he is. She is smart enough to be scared of him, though, and backs up reflexively when she asks him who he is. "I suppose I'm family," Mikael quips with a smirk. SHIT THIS IS SO BAD.

Meanwhile, at LaFayette Cemetery, the rest of the community has gathered at the O'Connell tomb so that they can intern Kieran with the rest of his deceased family. As the cemetery's caretaker bricks Kieran into his new home, a priest gives his homily. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. In Him was Life, and Life was the Light of all Mankind. The Light shines in the Darkness, and the Darkness has not overcome it." Cami gets overwhelmed with all the people and decides to take a breather by walking over to Sean's grave. Of course, Marcel always has one eye on her, so he quickly follows her over there, where we learn a little bit more about Cami and her family.

CAMI: "Sean didn't have a funeral. Our parents wanted nothing to do with him, so the city had him buried out here, with the criminals and the John Does. The great unloved. [beat] You said you checked my family's tomb, but I've been thinking-- all this time, I've wondered why Kieran didn't have Sean interred where he belonged, with the family. But then, I realized... what if he saw an opportunity to hide something he didn't want anyone else to find?"

Marcel starts feeling a little bad for hooking her into this situation, and reminds her that they don't have to do this right this second, they can at least wait a day or two. But, Cami is all about distraction, and points out that "bad timing" is the theme of the day. Cami stares at Sean's grave, which has the same fitting Bible quote on it that the priest just spoke-- "Light shines in the Darkness, and the Darkness has not overcome it-- John 1:5." After a moment, Cami turns to Marcel, and states that she is going to need a sledgehammer. Aww, yeah! Cami's taking charge! This is so exciting!

At the compound, in the real world, Genevieve is holding a sopping-wet bundle of chamomile to Hayley's forehead and she chants a spell under her breath to figure out what kind of magic is making Hayley so sick/nearly dead. "Cœur la sais patri avec mwen, cœur la sais patri avec mwen." Klaus is so scared (and probably still a little paranoid that Genevieve is actually causing more harm than good) that he bites his wrist and tries to get Hayley to drink some of his blood to heal her. Unfortunately, she's unconscious, and can't drink. I don't know why they couldn't do what Caroline did when her mom was passed out, when she used an insulin syringe to draw her own blood and then inject it straight into her heart, but I guess that doesn't serve the story line. Elijah is so distraught about Hayley's condition that he angrily picks up an end table and throws it up against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

Meanwhile, on the Other Side, in the same place, Hayley continues to back away from Mikael as he continues to stalk her around the courtyard. Mikael sneers that his reputation obviously precedes him, but Hayley's too busy trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. "This is a nightmare. I'm dreaming," Hayley says fearfully, which is a pretty good guess, considering how Mikael haunted Klaus and Elijah in the same manner. However, Mikael assures her that this is real, and proves it by putting her into a headlock from behind her. As she gasps in fright, Mikael snits, "Welcome to my hell! Stuck in an eternity of watching over that hideous creature my children call brother!"

Hayley's still stuck on the whole, "How the FUCK am I here?" thing, and finally realizes that she's on the Other Side, which means she's dead (or, dead-ish). Her main concern is the baby, which just makes Mikael even more overzealous in his cruelty. "The baby? That kid never had a chance! And, as if your bloodline isn't filth enough, you poison it by merging it with Klaus?" He laughs maniacally, and adds, "The deathless vermin, fancying himself a daddy?" Hayley's eyes go lupine-gold, and she manages to break out of his grip before twisting his arm and breaking the bones. While he's recovering, she takes the time to grab a coat rack and swings it at his head as hard as she can. "I'm not dead! I'm NOT dead! If I was dead, you wouldn't be trying to kill me!" YEAH GIRL, GET IT!

In the real world, Elijah continues to pace around the table where Hayley continues to lie still, as Genevieve continues to work her spell. Elijah is so done with feeling useless that he pushes through to the table and goes to pick Hayley up, insisting that he's going to take her to a real doctor. Genevieve stops him, and reminds him that if he moves her, the spell she's doing will be broken, and there won't be enough time to get her to a hospital before she dies for real. Klaus, in a sign of grossness in the face of fear and uncertainty, asks if the baby will survive if they deliver her now, and adds that he'll rip it out of her himself if necessary. Thankfully, Elijah blocks Klaus from getting near her, and Genevieve points out that to do so would result in Hayley bleeding to death. Klaus swears that he will not lose the baby, but Elijah doesn't want to lose the baby OR Hayley, and reluctantly allows Genevieve to continue what she was doing. As she chants the spell again, she begins to get visions of Monique performing the spell with the poppet, and instantly realizes what she needs to do to undo it. She orders Klaus to run and get her bag, which contains a gris-gris pouch, as she continues to dab at Hayley's forehead with a damp washcloth.

Alright, once again, we're gonna be cutting back and forth between the world of the living and the Other Side, so hang on tight! This is about to get tricky. Hayley and Mikael are still in a standoff on the Other Side, and Hayley takes enjoyment out of reminding Mikael that he's dead, because his own son already beat him. Of course, Mikael refuses to allow anyone to even suggest that Klaus is his son, because he's gross and bigoted against werewolves. "HE'S NOT MY SON. He's a scourge, a walking symbol of weakness!" Well, Klaus is pretty much the monster MIKAEL created, bucko, regardless of whether or not he was Klaus' gene donor-- he tortured him into a monster rivaled only by himself.

Genevieve continues chanting the spell as she spreads salt around Hayley's dead-ish body on the table, and she continues to get visions of what Monique did so she can undo it.

On the Other Side, Hayley kicks at the staircase banister, which breaks off several pieces of wood that she fashions into a makeshift stake, while Mikael continues to descend upon her. She slowly makes her way up the stairs as Mikael follows behind. "There's no saving that atrocity festering in your womb," Mikael spits menacingly. "Klaus will destroy it, one way or another. Better he dies now, and you along with it!" It's so weird that Mikael referred to the baby as a "he," considering it's a girl. That just shows that he's still holding onto those archaic, Middle Ages-era ideals about sons vs daughters. Mikael jumps up onto the balcony from the first floor and scares the shit out of Hayley in the process.

As they fight on another dimension, Genevieve continues crushing herbs and sprinkling them around Hayley's body.

Hayley jumps down from the balcony on the Other Side-version of the compound's courtyard, and waits as Mikael jumps down to follow her. In a startlingly impressive move, Hayley quickly spins around and rushes behind him, giving her the prime opportunity to stab him in back with the stake. "My daughter has an advantage Klaus NEVER had," Hayley says maliciously. "She will never, EVER know you." YEAH, GIRL! YOU TELL THAT AWFUL HEINOUS CREATURE.

In the world of the living, Hayley immediately awakens with a gasp on the table and sits up, extremely confused about what just happened. Klaus' blood is still smeared all over her mouth and cheeks, and she looks horrified. Elijah helps her sit up better, and Klaus joins them, rubbing Hayley's shoulder affectionately as he assures her that she's alright. She looks up at the Mikaelson Bros, eyes wide, and admits that she saw Mikael, and that he tried to kill her. BUT HE FAILED, BECAUSE HE UNDERESTIMATES THE LADIES. Sorry, I just hate Mikael so fucking much that I get so much joy out of his plans backfiring against him. And, they nearly always do, which is awesome.

Later, Hayley eventually gets showered and ends up in her room, where she sits on her bed, pondering the events of the day. Klaus approaches the doorway, and though Hayley acknowledges his presence, he still politely stops and knocks before entering the door. "You've proved quite resilient, little wolf," Klaus admits with a small smile. "Fighters, both of you." Hayley points out that she's kind of needed to be, considering the multitude of people who have come after her thus far in the series. She looks over at Klaus, who seems like he has something to say, but he keeps his mouth shut. Hayley sighs, and admits that she has decided to move back in with him and Elijah, which pleases Klaus quite a bit. However, she insists that there will be no "mouth-breathing bodyguards," or giving her orders. Klaus acquiesces to her demands, and insists that as long as the child is kept safe, he doesn't really care what she chooses to do.

That leads Hayley to the million-dollar-question that has been on her mind (and the rest of ours, let's be honest)-- what happens to Hayley after the baby is born? She doesn't outright say that she's afraid of her life, though she is right to be; she does, however, start to say that Klaus cannot try to take the baby away from her. Klaus, seeing where she's going with this, cuts her off once again, and asks her to follow him. She's naturally a little hesitant, but Klaus assures her that he has something to show her. He leads her to another room, conveniently located just off of his own bedroom, in which he has set up a gorgeous nursery. (Or, the more likely option, which is that he compelled a bunch of contractors and decorators to do it for him)

It's completely decked out in very tasteful neutrals, with a bassinet, toys, and a gorgeous crystal mobile that hangs from the ceiling above the crib. Hayley very clearly wasn't expecting this at all, and just gapes in awe at what Klaus has done, while he watches with excitement. "Believe it or not, Hayley, I would actually like you to be here," Klaus says warmly. "Our daughter should be raised by her parents, in her family home." Hayley reaches up and nervously plays with one of the crystals in the mobile, and snarks, "You, me, Elijah, and Miracle-Baby, all under one roof? Sounds like a bad reality show." Still, she smiles sweetly at him, which seems to comfort him a bit. Klaus hesitates for a moment before bringing up his father, and how she mentioned she had seen him. Hayley points out that he's not actually Klaus' real dad, and asks him why he still calls him "father," to which Klaus responds that Mikael did damage to him that only a father is capable of doing. "

(via stllesstilinski)
What did he say to you?", Klaus asks nervously, though it's clear he really doesn't want to know. Then, Hayley says probably the most perfect thing she could possibly say to Klaus, something that I think will seriously change him for the better--"Nothing true." Hayley smiles at him with genuine affection, and Klaus can't help but do the same, clearly relieved with how this exchange turned out. He leaves Hayley to check out the room on her own, and Hayley notices Klaus' painting from "The Big Uneasy," with the New Orleans skyline and the big, fat full moon on the horizon, hanging up by the baby's crib.

YOU GUYS! I seriously think this is a pretty major development for such a small exchange. Hayley gets to rest assured knowing that, even if she and Klaus aren't a romantic thing, and even if Hayley and Elijah become a thing, she has nothing to fear from him, because she is the mother of their child. And Klaus, to hear that there exists a person who DOESN'T believe that he is exactly the monster his father has made him out to be for a millenia, and especially from someone who isn't naturally inclined to like him? That is HUGE. Not to mention that he more or less declared her as her equal by asking her to live in the compound with him and Elijah--as far as we know, the baby will be alive but also immortal, which means that Klaus and Hayley really are in this for the long haul. And with Klaus, it's always one step forward, four steps back, but maybe we'll be seeing some progress with him? Like I said earlier, I wouldn't go so far as to say that he's a totally changed man, but changing for the better? It's definitely happening. Just look at this episode's Klaus, compared to the one who sacrificed Elena to break the hybrid curse. SO MUCH GROWING. I fucking love this show so, so much.

Elijah is hanging out on the balcony, watching the celebration of Father Kieran's life still roaring away outside, when Genevieve joins him once again.

GENEVIEVE: "Hayley and the baby are fine. I'd take her to a doctor, once she's gotten some rest, if you want, but she's in the clear. [waits for a response, but gets none] I'll see myself out."

ELIJAH: [turns toward her] "Genevieve. Thank you, for your help."

GENEVIEVE: [surprised] "You're welcome."

ELIJAH: [sighs] "You tore my sister from my family. I cannot forgive that. However, I may be inclined to show a degree more kindness, if you could help me with a slight...issue."

GENEVIEVE: "Anything!"

ELIJAH: "When the baby arrives, Hayley will once again transform with the full moon. Now, I would like to create for her a ring of empowerment, something to control this...curse."

GENEVIEVE: [confused] "What kind of spell would--"

ELIJAH: "A spell of my mother's, from her grimoire. Which, as I understand, you have been rather eager to obtain."

OHHHHHH SHIT, YOU GUYS. Talk about deals with the devil-- the smile on Genevieve's face when she hears this deal is seriously a HUGE RED FLAG. I get that Elijah and Klaus are desperate to make these rings, both as a gift to Hayley and to honor their agreement to the wolves. Still, though, what's that saying? When you hang out with rabid dogs, don't be surprised when you get bit? Elijah and Klaus getting burned is pretty much guaranteed at this point, and it is SO not going to be pretty. On the other hand, it was actually nice to hear one of the Mikaelson brothers acknowledging Rebekah's absence. I know that harping on it constantly isn't conducive to a good story, but it's nice to see that they're actually affected by the fact that their sister isn't living with them anymore. It makes it feel like she's still part of the story, even if she's not physically present.

It's pretty late now at LaFayette Cemetery, where Cami and Marcel are still breaking into Sean's grave. Inside, they find a wooden box, the size of a jewelry box, which Cami pulls out and shows to Marcel. He takes Kieran's key and uses it to unlock the box, only to find that there's nothing inside, which visibly disappoints Marcel. "Someone must have gotten to it," Marcel states with disappointment, but before he can return it to Sean's grave, Cami grabs it from him and opens it to examine it further.

She brushes a thick layer of dust on the inside of the lid, revealing a carving in that same round and dashed code that Cami used to leave herself clues about Klaus and his compulsion. "My brother taught me this code fifteen years ago," Cami explains with excitement. "I never knew how he learned it." Marcel is stunned, and asks her if she can translate it for him. Cami admits that while she can, she isn't going to, which annoys Marcel a bit. He reminds her how dangerous this is, but Cami insists that she knows that. "But, if Kieran taught Sean this, my brother was meant to be brought into it all along. That makes it my responsibility now, whether I like it or not." YES! First, Hayley accepts and embraces her legacy as a leader of the Crescents, and now Cami is doing the same with her legacy as a contributing member of the Human Faction. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Genevieve has rushed back to the lycée, where she immediately runs into Monique and wastes no time scolding her for what she pulled with Hayley earlier. Monique maintains that she was trying to do what the ancestors demanded, unlike Genevieve, but Genevieve always has an excuse ready to go. "That baby is part-witch!" Genevieve yells angrily. "The ancestors want her consecrated to the earth, so her magic can fuel our community! She has to be BORN first, before she can die!" She reverts her old-school, early-20th-century ways by roughly smacking Monique in the shoulder and ordering her to GTFO pronto. Monique petulantly stomps away, leaving Genevieve to her thoughts. Okay, so this confirms that this baby does have magical powers, right? I always assumed that the reasons why vampires who were once witches couldn't practice magic was because of the unfairness of having all that power, both magical AND physical. But now, I'm wondering if it's not the cheating-death part that blocks their magic-- I'm pretty sure the baby is still technically alive, even though she's part-vampire, so that could mean she can actually be a practicing witch when she grows up (in addition to being a hybrid), and a powerful witch, at that, considering the ancestors want to kill her to further strengthen the New Orleans coven's power.

After thinking for a bit, Genevieve rushes to LaFayette Cemetery, where she finds an altar out between a couple of tombs, and begins spreading salt and herbs in a circle around a bouquet of dried flowers on the altar. As she chants her spell, she quickly removes her gold necklace and lays it in front of her as well. "Nouvel vie, nouvel ame, me longe avec nous on cette." She looks up at the sky, and pleads, "Miséricorde, don't make me do this." She starts to cry, and adds, "She's just a baby. Don't make me a monster. Please!"

Suddenly, the wind starts to whip around her, and blood starts to leak out from her tear ducts and her nose. She starts to shout, "No!", but is cut off when she is thrown into the air by an invisible force. Genevieve's body slams into the tomb behind her, before she's thrust forward, smashing her face against another tomb. She groans in pain and tries to staunch the flow of blood from her surely-broken nose before she totally starts backpedaling. "No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll do it!" Her face continues to bleed profusely, and she's practically choking on it at this point. "I'll do whatever you want!" Welp, that didn't take long. Man, Genevieve just keeps surprising me. I really do think that deep inside, she's still the same girl she was in the 1920's-- kind and compassionate, but also naive and weak-minded when it comes to peer pressure and the desire to be liked. So, she doesn't want to kill the baby, both because it's just an innocent baby who had no choice in who her parents were or being born in the first place, and also because deep down, I think she does like the Mikaelsons in a way. Unfortunately for them, the Mikaelsons are also pretty damn hard to like, once you've actually been on the receiving end of their schemes, so she can't help but swing between wanting Klaus and Elijah to like her, and wanting to punish them for the way they treat her and anyone else they deem to be below them. It's super fascinating, but also terrifying, because you can never truly tell what she's going to do. In the end, though, I think her desire to keep living will outweigh anything else, no matter how dysfunctional and unstable this new life is.

Klaus and Elijah are standing on the sidewalk outside the compound, where they're people-watching as the funeral/party rages on. Klaus informs Elijah that Hayley has agreed to move back in with them, and not because she was threatened into doing it, for once. The brothers both notice Marcel nearby, which starts to stir more feelings inside Klaus. "When Mikael is truly gone, do you think then, I'll find peace?", Klaus asks quietly. Elijah replies that he certainly hopes so, but reminds Klaus that Mikael isn't exactly the only ghost who haunts him. He gestures toward Marcel, and adds, "You might want to make peace with the living," before leaving him to figure out what he wants to do. Klaus continues to watch Marcel from across the street, which launches him (and us) into another flashback.

It's 1835, now, and a fully-grown Marcel is fighting with the Governor outside the plantation, while many of his slaves are beaten in the same manner he was as a child. "I demand to know why their freedom has not been granted!" Marcel argues furiously. "All necessary authorities have ruled in their favor!" The Governor just chuckles, and reminds Marcel that he knows full well who he is, before asking him if the Mikaelsons have turned them into "one of them" yet. Marcel remains silent, which just makes the Governor laugh again. "I thought not," he confesses with a cruel smile. The Governor gestures toward one of his slave masters, who whips a female slave right in front of him. Before he can whip her again, Marcel tackles the man to the ground and violently punches him in the face. Unfortunately, when Marcel stands up to return to the Governor (and possibly fight him, too), he instantly gets shot in the chest by his own father with his pistol. NOOOOOOO! Terrible fathers are the theme of the episode, and they are the worst dads EVER. No wonder everyone on this show is a literal monster.

In the present, Marcel catches Klaus staring at him, and glares right back. We then quickly flash back to 1835, right after Marcel has been shot. He managed to make it to the porch of a nearby house, where Klaus has found him. Klaus reflexively bites his wrist and offers it to Marcel to heal him, but Marcel refuses. "No. You always said we choose our family," Marcel gasps weakly. "So, what am I to you, Klaus? You made me a promise when you daggered your sister. It's finally time to make a choice-- turn me now, or let me die." This was way before Mikael tracked them down, so Klaus was a much more caring person back then, and clearly has reservations about turning him. "You do not know what you ask of me!" Klaus argues worriedly. "Becoming like me? It would rob you of all that makes you good."

Marcel is near tears now, in pain and in sadness, and swears that he knows who Klaus is, and WHAT he is, and he knows for sure that this is what Klaus wants. Klaus considers his words for a moment, and seeing that he's dying of his wound anyway, Klaus takes a deep, steadying breath and bites his wrist again. Marcel eagerly gulps down quite a bit of blood, which barely has a chance to start healing his bullet wound, when Klaus quickly snaps his neck. I always wondered under what circumstances Marcel was turned, but I wasn't expecting this! It's hard to imagine Klaus this way, but at the same time, it makes total sense-- it was that last reunion with his father in "Le Grand Guignol" (before he actually killed him for good) that horrified the remaining sliver of humanity he had left right out of him.

In the present day, Marcel turns away from Klaus and walks away. He turns down a dark alley, only to find that Klaus has already beaten him there. Klaus reminds his estranged son that his day pass to the Quarter will expire at midnight, but Marcel assures him that he has no intention of being here when the clock strikes. "But, just because I'm across the river, doesn't mean I'm not in the game," Marcel adds confidently. He brings up the fact that he's aware of the full moon that is quickly approaching them, and informs Klaus that he knows he's got some secret deal going on with the bayou packs that'll probably go down at that time. "And, any way I do the math, it ends with me and my guys dead," Marcel continues. He looks to Klaus for some sort answer, but though Klaus says nothing, his silence speaks volumes. "Or, maybe, we're supposed to fall in line, pledge our allegiance to you all over again, so if we get bitten, you might deign to cure us." DAMN! He's not lying, that's for damn sure. Marcel promises that if that is what Klaus is going for, he's not going to be getting it.

Klaus tries to play it cool at first, in an attempt to show disinterest to further hurt Marcel. "Well, that will be your choice, just as you chose to bring my father to town. You, who knows better than anyone the specific agony of a father's hatred." Realizing JUST how betrayed he has felt as a result of Marcel and Rebekah's actions, Marcel tries to explain himself, but Klaus is unable to keep up the emotionless façade any longer. "I spent DECADES trying to make up for what your father did!" Klaus bellows, before taking a deep breath to compose himself. "How did I fail?" Marcel retorts that perhaps his scars ran too deep, and the two glare at each other for a long, painfully awkward moment before Klaus curtly bids him goodnight and turns to leave, having made his message quite clear. Before he can get away, Marcel stops him.

"You didn't fail me," Marcel states firmly. "You raised me. You taught me everything that I know. You taught me that I can't afford to be weak, not when my enemies are stronger. So, whatever it is you've got coming with the wolves-- just know that I'm gonna fight for my guys. I'm gonna fight for my city." His voice continues to grow louder, until he's yelling at the top of his voice. "And, I will fight until I am dead!" Klaus turns toward Marcel and stares him right in the eyes, as he replies, "I would expect nothing less." OH GOD, this upcoming fight is going to be so fucking brutal.

Hayley is on the balcony attached to her bedroom, and watching the festivities die down outside as M83's "Too Late" plays over the scene. This song/band is one of my absolute favorites, so the fact that it's playing over this particular scene just makes me even MORE emotional. Elijah hangs out in the doorway, and though Hayley doesn't turn around right away, she still can sense that he's there. "If I died and someone threw a party, I would be so pissed," Hayley quips with a smile. Elijah enters the room and approaches her from behind. "You almost did," he admits, as he moves even closer to her. "In a thousand years, I can't recall a time I felt so...frightened." Hayley is speechless at this uncharacteristic admission on Elijah's part, and after a silent moment passes, Elijah loses his nerve and turns to leave. Hayley spins around to stop him, and calls out his name. After a brief moment of hesitation, she rushes toward him and crashes her lips against his. Instead of being the noble gentleman, Elijah totally goes for it, and the two kiss intensely. Once they break away, both of them keep their eyes closed, afraid to ruin the moment. When Hayley finally opens her eyes, Elijah has vanished. Still, she smiles widely in the afterglow of their first kiss. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. Although, I have always shipped everyone with everyone so that's not really surprising.

(via clarkegriffins)
Finally, Davina is organizing the shelf full of herbs in the lycée's greenhouse when the wind starts whipping around through the broken windows. Davina frowns in pain as she examines her bandaged hand, which has begun to bleed from the same wound that Davina made earlier to do the séance. She's startled once more when she starts to hear Tim's song playing in the wind chimes, and though she's scared, she's still hopeful that it's Tim, trying to communicate with her. She calls out his name, but instead of her former beau, she finds Mikael, whose body flickers into form in front of her. Confused, but not nearly as scared as she should be, Davina asks him who he is, and he wastes no time trying to manipulate her. "Your friend Timothy has moved on, Davina," Mikael confesses somberly. "I'm truly sorry for what my son did to him." She's surprised to hear that he's Klaus' father (although, as you recall from earlier, Mikael HATED the suggestion that Mikael and Klaus were actually related by blood), but he adds onto his title. "And, I'm the only one who can rid you of him forever. But first, my little witch, I need you." Davina frowns, and asks him what she could possibly do to make that happen. "You can bring me back to life," Mikael replies with a malicious smile. NO NO NO NO NO NO NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. I don't even know what else to say about it except FUUUUUCK THAT.

(via crack3dtheory)
Next episode: The Battle of New Orleans begins! Humans, witches, werewolves, vampires, Originals, all in one messy fight of wits, and to make matters even more complicated, it seems that Hayley's due date is far too close for comfort.

[screencaps via Screencapped]