As a huge fan of this series I was sad to hear that the ratings were dropping and the CW was losing faith in it’s ability to hold an audience. I have always felt this was a more mature and interesting show the it’s parent show, The Vampire Diaries. With all that said, however, I am glad it wasn’t just outright cancelled. I’m thrilled that the CW had enough respect for the fans to bring us two last shortened seasons. In all honesty, having fewer episodes meant that the writing had to be tighter. No more meandering around the French Quarter. This time it’s all about getting down to business. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum but I can’t promise that there won’t be any so if you want to go in without any knowledge of what will happen, I suggest you stop reading now.
The season begins five years after the ending of the last. This is the same time jump that was employed with the final season of The Vampire Diaries. This means they coincide, making crossovers far more possible. Vincent and Marcel have managed to keep New Orleans under control since Hayley took off with the bodies of the original family. Vincent has become regent of all the covens, while Marcel has returned to his place as king of the city. Hayley has spent all these years in hiding, trying to find a cure for Rebecca’s curse and a way to wake the rest of the family. Soon she comes to realize that she needs the help of a werewolf that’s the last of their bloodline. This is where we meet Keelin. She is a medical professional that has spent her life trying to be normal, that is until she meets Hayley and the Mikaelsons. After waking the family and reuniting Klaus with his daughter, Hope, Hayley and Freya begin to use Keelin for her werewolf venom. This they believe can be used to protect the family.
During this time we get to see Hayley and Elijah reunited, Klaus becoming paternal, and Hope finally getting to know her family. Things aren’t all smooth sailing though. Soon Hayley begins to question the morality of keep one of her own kind hostage, while they essentially milk her of her venom. This leads to a confrontation between she and Freya, who is willing to cross any line to protect her family. Always and forever, right folks?
Meanwhile, Vincent is caring for and protecting the covens and has taken a liking to a single mother and her child. This means, when the child eventually goes missing, he is determined to find what happened to the boy. This leads him to uncover a faction of the witch community that is worshipping an ancient evil we come to know as The Hollow. Tis revelation begins to bring up memories of his past that explain his involvement with this entity and how it plays into the loss of his wife and child many years prior. We soon learn that there are more children that are involved here, including Hope Mikaelson.
Marcel has taken up with Sophia, who frankly I was never quite find of in the first place. They have formed an alliance over the years and begun a romantic relationship as well. For the past 5 years, Marcel has kept Klaus locked below the city with no intention of ever letting him go. Of course we all know that the family eventually comes for and frees him. This leads to many battles that eventually end with the agreement that they will all leave New Orleans and never return.
All of this changes, however, when they realize that The Hollow wants Hope. This forces everyone to work together to save the children it is trying to sacrifice. Nothing goes according to plan, as this evil seems to one step ahead of them at all times. Eventually Vincent must reach out the ancestors, who are none too pleased about being cut off last season. He ends up making Davina the portal to all their magic. This, too, doesn’t go as planned.
It doesn’t take too long for things to get bloody and everyone must fight for their lives and the lives of those they love. Speaking of love, it seems Josh has finally moved on from Aiden’s death. Sadly, the writers only ever use him for secondary purposes which has always upset me. This is a character that has survived since the beginning and has so much story potential. He has taken over Rousseau’s and as usual is only called upon when trouble is brewing and folks need a favor. Unfortunately, with the series ending next season and the drastic change in the number of episodes, I don’t think we will ever get a proper storyline for the one character that actually provides real comic relief.
Also in the love category, we get Freya finally falling for someone. This is unexpected and yet seems to work perfectly. This is a storyline I actually enjoyed. Watching the tough older sister crack and melt for another person was a welcome change of pace for this character. We also get Marcel and Sophia. This was frankly a waste of time. I understand that in the writer’s minds these characters have been close for 5 years. The problem with that is we never got to know her very well last season and therefore had no reason to care about her. We spend so much of the season with Marcel trying to save her and none of it rings all that true. We simply don’t care. We always root for Rebecca and Marcel to reunite and there may be hope yet. It’s also great to see Cole and Davina finally get a happy ending.
Throughout the season we also get to see the best and worst of Hayley and Elijah. We cheer when they finally get back together but it doesn’t take long for her to see that he is not the man she wants around her child. We feel for her because she now has someone more to worry about.
It’s very interesting to see the progress Camille was making with Klaus before her death, continued with his daughter. We see a loving and gentle side of him that was always reserved for his former love interest/therapist. The scenes where he is eating sweets or painting with Hope are especially heartwarming.
As with every season a new, more powerful evil a rises and we watch as the family struggles to fight back. This season is no different. This is an evil, the likes of which they have never faced before. It is older and more malevolent. It ends up taking everything they have and then some to battle The Hollow. I won’t get into much more detail because fans should see for themselves. I will say we get a bittersweet ending that may forever change the family in ways we didn’t expect. So while you may not get everything you want from this season, as the song goes, you just may find, you get what you need.
The Savage Cinephile 