The Mikaelsons push the bounds of “Always and Forever” in The Originals season 5 premiere, titled “Where You Left Your Heart.” For 7 years they have been apart; Hope seperated from her mother, Klaus off God knows where, Rebekah and Marcel in New York, Freya in New Orleans with her love Keelin across the pond, Kol happy with Davina, and Elijah off in amnesia land. And during all that time they’ve kept looking back at what was and what could be, “Always and Forever” not far from their minds. (Except Elijah of course because ‘amnesia land.’)
After 7 years they’ve reached a tipping point that none of them can return from and that will set them on a journey to finally destroy The Hollow and the power that has kept them apart for so long. And honestly, we can’t wait to see the lengths that they’ll go to to bring their chaotically loving family back together again.
Let’s dive into The Originals “Where You Left Your Heart”!
The Strain of ‘Always and Forever’
Looking back at the history of the Mikaelsons, it’s kind of ironic watching how much they want to get the band back together. For decades they fought to release themselves from each other and the burden of ‘Always and Forever.’ And in “Where You Left Your Heart” they’ve come to the realise that their hearts are with each other and will always be. And who can blame them.
Last season was about them burying their past and moving forward with Hope being the symbol of a fresh start. We saw each and every one of them understand the power of their bond and how it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s love and something unbreakable in the bond they share and it’s something that people could only hope to have even once in their lives.
Even Klaus, the biggest knucklehead of all that takes forever to learn things, understood that he wasn’t going to be left behind or abandoned because his loved ones found others to care for them or to care about. He wasn’t in total peace and harmony but he’d turned a corner in being a better man, brother, and father.
Looking at them now, and the choices they’ve made because they miss each other (E.g. Freya staying in New Orleans instead of going with Keelin, Rebekah turning down Marcel’s proposal, Klaus ignoring his daughter as a means of protecting her from the monster he is while he’s off killing those who would become a threat to her, Hayley not being able to commit to Declan, and Marcel keeping New Orleans in his back pocket as his mistress) it’s clear that they’ve been holding their breath and not really moving on from each other.
All of the Mikaelsons, including Marcel, have been waiting for that tipping point to bring them back home. Hayley going missing and the skies breaking out with blood, is that tipping point. They’ve waited long enough and they need to destroy The Hollow and finally be allowed to breathe once more because they will be at each others side like they promised. Always and Forever.
The Klaroline Reunion We’ve Been Waiting For
No matter how much time has passed, Caroline still remains a part of Klaus. She’s his voice of reason and one of the only people that dares to challenge him and that he never retaliates against. And before any one brands me as a hormonal teenage girl who only believes this because she ships them, let’s clarify a couple things. Yes, I do ship them. And yes, I am a woman, a queer woman if we’re being totally honest here who wants to see FREELIN RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET TOGETHER. But my shipping them doesn’t negate the fact that he listens to her and that she’s his port of reason in a storm of uncertainty.
Caroline’s visit to Klaus was a wake up call. Just because he’s hurting and can’t be near his family, doesn’t mean that he’s alone. He has her, he has Hope, he has the rest of his siblings minus Elijah, who’s off in amnesia land. And they’re all a phone call away or a video call away like Kol does with Hope. Klaus does have options and he doesn’t need to do this by himself. Caroline’s visit reminded him of all of that.
Just to clarify, Caroline is not responsible for Klaus. Do I wish she would’ve visited him sooner? Yes. But Caroline has a life, a home, two daughters that she’s trying to raise, and a school to run. She can help Klaus get back on track but he has to want to change and get to know his daughter, for himself. His decision to go back to New Orleans might be ill advised because…The Hollow and all that could destroy the Mikaelsons if they’re in the same place together…but he did it for himself, for his daughter, and because Caroline still sees something in him that is worth knowing.
Mix all of this together and you’ve got a recipe for endgame and a ship that is built on supporting each other and not letting the other tear them down. Caroline is going to go back to her school and take care of the life that she has created there. Klaus is going to go back to New Orleans, face his daughter, and start on the journey to fix the spell that has kept them apart for so long. And it’s only after he’s lifted himself out of the darkness he’s shrouded himself in, that I think he’ll approach Caroline once more and keep his promise to show her the world and his home of New Orleans.
Surprisingly Enough I Like Hope Mikaelson
Despite the utter stupidity of Hope turning a friend into a hybrid, I like Hope.
I won’t lie, I was ready to write her off from the first moment I saw her. Teenagers are inherently stereotypical and create the biggest of messes because they think they know better than there parents. And yes, Hope, played by Danielle Rose Russell, created a big ol’ mess transforming a friend into a hybrid. It was wreck less. But she did it as a means of giving the boy the power to protect himself, getting a passport, and seeing her father. If he wasn’t going to come to her then she was going to come to him.
Even more so, she understood that she created a mess. She didn’t spiral out of control and act like Hayley doesn’t know anything. She sat down, she listened, and she didn’t run off like I expected. Even here being there at the end of the episode when Freya went to talk to her and they discovered the disappearance of Hayley, was a surprise because I expected her to be off in the woods trying to save her friend and show her mother that she knew better.
Now, this is only the beginning of getting to know this older Hope. She could fall into these stereotypical tropes for teenagers or she could smack them in the face and tell them to buzz off. But I’m here for it and I’m here for learning more about this young girl and her place in the madness that is New Orleans and being part of the Mikaelson family.
Favorite Moment from “Where You Left Your Heart”:
Klaus Mikaelson, probably the most feared vampire/hybrid in the world, being a little shit cuz he wants Caroline’s attention.
The Originals airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.