THE ORIGINALS CAST TEASES FAMILY REUNIONS, The Mikaelson family continually finds its members in bad situations. The Originals wouldn't be the gut-wrenching show it is without conflict between Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), and the rest of their siblings. As Daniel Sharman (Kaleb/Kol) said during our recent visit to the set of the family drama, "The language of that family is violence and manipulation and mistrust." And we wouldn't have it any other way.
Fortunately, no malevolence was immediately apparent during our tour of the massive sets on The Originals or during our talks with the cast and showrunner/executive producer Julie Plec. The media tour group was set up in Marcel's (Charles Michael Davis) very cozy loft, and it wasn't the only incredible set in the building. Filming in Atlanta means space is more affordable, and the size and detail present on The Originals was nothing short of impressive. The various stages were inviting and decorated with extravagance fitting of the Mikaelson family. I would have happily moved into most of the sets but hanging around vampires, werewolves, witches, and hybrids is dangerous business. Besides, we were there to discuss what's ahead for the supernatural residents of New Orleans.
This week's episode, "The Brothers That Care Forgot," features the first time the Mikaelson brothers have been reunited in a long time. Of course, Klaus and Elijah have Kol and Finn (new series regular Yusuf Gatewood) tied up in order to get information about their mother's plans, but hey, we've all had awkward family moments. Phoebe Tonkin (Hayley) said we'll gain information about Esther (a.k.a. Lenore played by Sonja Sohn), Finn, and Kol: "We're going to find out what their intentions are and why they're here and their alliances with Esther. It's going to be really interesting to see the dynamic between the brothers."
Gatewood teased that there could be some switching sides ahead: "I think at this point the most interesting thing is where our loyalties lie at this point. Are we going to stick with our mother and follow through with her plan or is there something the brothers, Elijah and Klaus, can do to pull us to their side? And I think that's one of the things we're going to explore more in depth with this episode coming up."
And yes, there will be torture. Morgan said that Klaus and Elijah only need either Finn or Kol to talk: "I think that's the nice threat we can pose to them. 'Only one of you has to comply, the other one we don't need. So who's it going to be?' You'll see we separate them and we try to get to each of them in turn rather than keeping them in the same room. There's a bit of good cop, bad cop that goes on as well which was a lot of fun to film."
While Klaus will get to have fun, Sharman said his character doesn't necessarily have the best time of it in this episode: "Whatever you're going to see is going to push them [Finn and Kol] to the absolute limit mentally and physically, and that's what's quite interesting. They absolutely know they're in for quite an entertaining ride. Not for me."
Plec confirmed this episode will be all about defining character loyalties and paths, and we'll also learn why Esther kidnapped Cami (Leah Pipes). Esther has a plan for her. "It's her way to get back to Klaus, and it's been building since the beginning. We'll learn the reason why Vincent has been reaching out to her [Cami] and getting to know her so well and digging deep into her mind in terms of Klaus and the way she thinks. It's a good little twist."
Besides the four brothers, another important member of the Mikaelson family is returning in tonight's episode: Rebekah (Claire Holt). She's been taking care of Hope and enjoying living a normal life. Plec explained, "She's got the life she always wanted even though she's not raising her own child. She's getting to be a maternal figure, and she's getting to live the white picket fence existence. We meet her, and she's in the park having a perfectly lovely day with Hope and then things take a turn when she realizes she may have been spotted. She has to reach out to her brothers saying, 'What do we do because I think Esther found me,' and the story goes from there."Hope isn't reunited with Hayley just yet though. Plec teased that will happen in the upcoming holiday episode. Tonkin explained it's for the best because Hayley needs to make sure New Orleans is a safe place for Hope to be: "Hayley's main intention throughout this second season is to create a safe enough environment for her baby to come back and to live in New Orleans and to live happily ever after as a normal mom -- which is a really nice idea in theory but I don't know how easy that's going to be."
We will eventually get to see Klaus interact with his daughter, and Morgan explained it's a different experience for Klaus: "He's still getting to grips with it... She's this delicate beautiful little thing that he's created. His world is blood and violence and war, and it's very new for him and it's a place that he doesn't rest easy. But he wants it."
Morgan went on to tease the upcoming Christmas episode, "The Map of Moments." The Mikaelsons actually spend the holiday together. "It's the closest we've been for a while to being a happy family. Those of us who are on the same side at the moment -- who are allied -- we're in a safe place for a moment. All together. And we try our best to do something very human and create a happy memory even though it can't last." He explained that with the intense nature of the series it's important to sometimes see the family as people who just want to connect with each other and feel loved.
And Plec hinted that holidays also could bring about a special moment between Hayley and Elijah.As far as the rest of the season, we'll see the werewolf pack rebuilding. Nathan Parsons (Jackson) said: "As the crisis of having the rings and being under the control of the witches escalates, I think the remaining wolves do gather around each other. It is about family, and wolves are all about their pack and their strength in numbers more than anything." Plec said they'll learn something tonight to help: "[Tonight's] episode will basically give us the first real solution that has come their way as far as how they could unite their packs -- unite all the packs -- and rescue them from this indentured servitude they've fallen into by accepting these moonlight rings."
Then there's the matter of Dahlia and Freya. Davis said Dahlia occupies "another sector of evil that's not occupied by the current Mikaelsons." He hinted she might come back. Plec confirmed, "Dahlia is still lurking out there, God knows where. Dahlia's somebody we definitely haven't heard the last of as we move closer to the end of the season." We'll get a couple more hints before the midseason finale about Dahlia and Freya's relationship, and the second half of the season will dig into that backstory and start to reveal what the curse is all about and what it means for the family.
Morgan said the reappearance of Dahlia, when and if it happens, could help Klaus understand his mother: "He's got a very polarized view of Esther being an evil wretched woman who's ruined his life. If we start to learn that Esther had motives behind what she did and her motives were that she was doing bad things for good reasons just like Klaus has learned to do, it's a great example of a child subconsciously learning from his parents. Maybe it will help him to understand a little bit more what Esther did, the choices she made."
The second half of the season will also explore Hope's biological make-up. Plec said they won't drop everything at once but little things will materialize that show there's something extraordinary about Klaus and Hayley's baby.
