Just what the world needs now, right? Another vampire series. But to the credit of The Originals, it is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries which is in my opinion, the best incarnation of the vampire/supernatural genre since Buffy/Angel (but still nowhere near as good as those). Last year fans were given a glimpse of this world in the back-door pilot (hee) episode of The Vampire Diaries, titled simply The Originals, that introduced us to the vampire world of New Orleans. Apparently The CW liked what it saw because they immediately ordered the series.
[pullquote_right]Viewers/fans already know this info and instead are treated to an exposition heavy episode.[/pullquote_right]The Originals spin-off stars Joseph Morgan as the werewolf/vampire hybrid anti-hero Klaus (one of the best reasons to have watched the recent seasons of The Vampire Diaries) as he returns to New Orleans, the city he and his family built, realizing he wants it back from his protege Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). The problem with the premiere episode Always and Forever is that viewers/fans already know this info, and instead are treated to an exposition heavy episode re-hashing the back-door pilot with far less dramatic gusto, and those just tuning in for the first time are likely to be completely lost and a bit bored at times.
With the huge history involved with Klaus and his family of the first or “original” vampires, making an episode accessible to new viewers is a daunting task, so it’s no wonder this is a bit of a mess. The involvement of a “miracle child” as a result of Klaus’s indiscretion on The Vampire Diaries with werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) brings the generally dull character over to join the new cast, and she annoys for most of her screen time. But Hayley shouldn’t feel too bad, because most of the new cast additions are also flops. Sure, Marcel is great and has gravitas to spare and the rest of “the originals” are reliably entertaining, but the witch and human supporting cast are as forgettable as they come.
[pullquote_left]The episode shines its brightest when Klaus and Elijah are hashing out their family issues.[/pullquote_left] Klaus’s brother Elijah (Daniel Gillies) plays heavy into Always and Forever, adding his usual great mix of endearing creepiness, but feels off in his involvement with the impossible pregnancy angle that has been done to exhaustion. However, the episode shines its brightest when Klaus and Elijah are hashing out their family issues, and there are a few nice moments near Always and Forever’s climax. Sadly Marcel, the most vibrant new character introduced in last season’s The Vampire Diaries episode, seemed strangely tame and muzzled compared to his charismatic debut.
So in the end what you’re left with is an poorly constructed (at times) “official” pilot episode with some intriguing potential in its core with the Klaus vs. Marcel war, but viewers testing the waters are better off watching last season’s The Originals episode of The Vampire Diaries on iTunes to see if this show is for them rather than use Always and Forever as the test bar.
The Good:
Joseph Morgan still entertains as the unpredictable Klaus. Marcel is an appropriately opposite and smooth adversary for him. The New Orleans setting brings a less “high school drama” vibe compared to Mystic Falls. Elijah! The flashback family insight involving Klaus.
The Bad:
Oh the exposition!! Hayley. The new characters that aren’t Marcel. The slow pace of most the episode. Lack of urgency in the plot. Did I mention there’s a LOT of exposition?!
The Verdict:
Doesn’t do nearly as good of a job setting up the series as last season’s The Vampire Diaries episode but the two leads and their inevitable war should be enough to get fans to stick around for what’s likely next week’s more tone establishing second episode.
★★★☆☆
The Originals has a sneak peek premiere on Thursday October, 3rd at 8:00pm EST after The Vampire Diaries premiere then moves to its regular timeslot on Tuesday October 8th at 8:00pm ET on The CW.
16 Comments
Hayley’s awesome.
Hayley is a really complicated character to play. Kicked out of home at 13, hardened by bad experiences, not knowing who she is, where she came from, who she can or cannot trust, who is going to use her and abandon her at any moment….. Certainly not a cookie-cutter, white picket fence life and certainly hard for a lot of viewers to relate to that hard-as-nails, brazen, tough girl act. But Hayley is inherently good and wants to belong, to find acceptance….just like Klaus, just like Rebekah, everyone, really. Phoebe Tonkin plays that part spot-on and convincingly. She made a lot of viewers “feel” strongly. Like Hayley or don’t like Hayley, we are all still talking and arguing and debating and defending and criticizing, loving, hating, adoring, rooting for Hayley, one year in. I’d say HAYLEY IS AWESOME.
This character has been retconned so much, that she is the ultimate Mary-Sue. In an effort to get people to like her, they have made her a messiah, the mother of a magical mystical pregnancy, they have made her the love interest of several characters, they have made her kick-physically impossible ass, they have written quirky one liners that just fell flat with Phoebe’s terrible delivery, they have given her rousing centre of attention epic speeches which she also epically failed to deliver, but by far the worse thing they have done in their desperation to make this character palatable to the masses is to pull characters that were truly popular ooc to prop her up. Bad, bad decision, because not only did it fail, but it has made people disconnect with their favourite originals, all just to prop up a character that is a retconned mess, and an actress that struggled with even a supporting role, but now is embarrassingly front and centre, forcing yet more people to stop watching- because its painful to watch her.
Uh, no Hayley is not awesome. She is THE reason most people who were excited about the spin off…….aren’t. And while some of them will still watch….a good many of them are purposefully getting their flu vaccine at the local pharmacy at that hour just because it would be less painful than accidentally flipping channels and hearing Hayley utter a word of a poorly written script.
Hahahahaha!
She sucked on the originals and TVD…
Hayley is the wrost thing ever happend in The Originals’ she may be the reason why im not Watching TO her and that stupid baby plot!
Agreed!!
I’m going to give it a chance and just ignore Haley and the baby story
Thankfully she’s not front and center in this episode. Definitely give it a shot. Worth a look.
THE REASON I’AM NOT GOING TO WATCH THE ORIGINALS LIKE I DO TVD IS BECAUSE OF HAYLEY AND THE STUPID BABY PLOT.
Ok seriously? Viking vampires builds New Orleans who did the freaking background history for this show? That is just plain stupid any moron know Irish had nothing to do with New Orleans it was the french just to even place Irish vampires in that state is mocking New Orleans. And not just that but these actors not one of them are even Irish they are freaking English which makes no sense what so ever.
Hayley is the worst character of t.v industry….Phoebe Tonkin is a terrible actress…she is the only reason why i m not watching ”the originals” a.k.a ”the hayley diaries”..
How would you know what you’re talking about when you don’t watch The Originals??? 🙂
The Originals gets better and better. It does not focus on just one character (but Klaus is at the fore-front, as he should be), rather every character is developed, with time. And no, your favourite Originals are not “out-of-character” but now have the screen-time and opportunities to become multi-layered and 3-dimensional and more. The baby plot is hardly the focus of the show. If anything, it’s pushed to the background with all the plot-twists and action and drama and everything else that’s going on. Watch and you will not miss out. Klaus’s development and journey throughout is beautiful.
The only reason i’m watching is for Klaus.