The Originals: A Vampire Family Saga That Exceeds Expectations

Hello!

The Originals

I finally watched The Vampire Diaries when I hit the big 3-0. To be honest, I wasn't really into it before, and I never quite understood why everyone's so obsessed with Nina Dobrev. She's gorgeous, but the Salvatore brothers really stole the show. And let's be real, Damon's bad boy charm totally won me over. I watched it, forgot about it, and then I stumbled upon The Originals this fall and was hooked from the very first episode.

As of writing this review, I've seen four seasons. I left the fifth one on a cliffhanger in December because it was just that good and I didn't want it to end.

The Originals is all about the original vampire family – the ones who started it all. They're the ancestors of all the other vampires, including the Salvatore brothers.

The family's super complex, and you'll be hooked from the get-go. I mean, the first few episodes were a bit slow for me, but once the plot thickened, I was hooked. These guys have been around for a thousand years, and they've got a whole lot of baggage. They've made their fair share of enemies – witches, werewolves, and some other supernatural creatures that I won't spoil for you.

Rebekah Michaelson might look fragile and delicate, but she's a total firecracker. She's got a thousand years of experience under her belt, but she still yearns for the simple things in life. Her backstory's really interesting, and while she's not the main character, she's definitely not the least important one either. She's got a lot of depth, and she's done some pretty wild things in her time. I love her – she's a great character, and she's definitely a positive influence in the show. Sure, she's a vampire, and she's eaten her fair share of humans, but she's just so likable.

Elijah Michaels was my absolute favorite in the first seasons. He's just so positive and right, deep-thinking and well-bred. He even killed with such elegance and charm. A man of his word, actions, and principles. As the story goes on, we learn what makes him so perfect and how he'll eventually stumble a bit, but he'll still be a good guy - a thousand-year-old vampire.

Even in his moral struggles, he's so brooding, touching, and you just want to forgive him for everything. You feel sorry for the guy and know he's not to blame - it's all those others... But his perfection can be a bit much at times. I mean, who doesn't love good guys, right? But his ability to forgive Klaus even pushed me to my limits. He's such a great martyr, doing everything for his brother, his family, and willing to forgive a hundred thousand times - that's what family is all about.

Niklaus Michaels isn't exactly my hero, at least not at first glance). I mean, the actor looks like a total sex god and plays the role of the charming rogue, but there's still something charming about him. He's a guy with attachments, quirks, and principles. He's really unique. The actor nailed it 100%.

One thing that annoys me is when older guys drag their childhood issues into adulthood. I'm not a fan of it when aunts do it either, but in this story, it just happens that way - he's always suspicious, always hurt, and all that. Just a little push and he's done for the night, sleeping for about a hundred years, and someone else might sleep a bit longer.

Niklaus, the guy who carries his problems around for a thousand years. Do you remember your childhood grudges? Do you carry them around and bring them up at the right moment? This guy's got a thousand years' worth of grudges stored up in the form of coffins and other stuff. He savors every hurt and reminds everyone about it constantly. We spend almost a quarter of the series watching him suffer.

The show jumps between different realities all the time. It's like our present day, what's happening in New Orleans right now, and references to the past. The story of our modern heroes is filled in, gets more details. If you thought someone was a bad guy at first, by the middle of the second season, they might change, but they won't stop being bad. The same goes for the good guys - their image might change a bit. You're not who you want to be.

I've gotta say, the witch storyline in this show gets all tangled up with the vampire and shapeshifter plots. But while the vampires are charismatic and totally bring the energy, the witches just feel kinda meh. I mean, they do some crazy stuff, but their whole vibe just doesn't feel dramatic enough to take seriously. Not because they're all cute and stuff, but because they just don't sell their roles that well. Although, I have to admit, the young witches with their beauty and naivety that's bordering on pettiness and selfishness does get under my skin. Out of all the witches, the redhead and the young brunette stood out to me the most - they're the most down-to-earth and not just fanatical about killing everyone.

The shapeshifters or whatever they're called show up pretty early in the show and it adds some interesting twists, but it's been done before in shows like The Vampire Diaries. Although, I have to admit, they did spice up the love triangle in this show.

I've gotta say, I was missing some real drama and tension in this show. I mean, take The Walking Dead for example - they know how to build up the suspense and make you wonder if the characters are alive or dead. But in this show, it's all just kinda predictable. The only shapeshifter who really stood out to me was Haley - the others just felt like background extras. Even when they do get involved in the plot, it's all just so... meh. I mean, shapeshifters are supposed to be scary and intense, but in this show, they're just kinda... meh. Maybe it's intentional to make us root for the vampires more, but it just didn't work for me.

The family theme is a big deal in this show. I mean, it's like they're saying 'nothing is stronger than family' - like in The Fast and the Furious. Or maybe it's more like 'you can't turn your back on your family, even if they've turned their back on you'. The first two seasons are all about family, but it's not just about one person - it's about the whole family. Although, I have to admit, Elijah is the only one who really cares about his family at first, but eventually, everyone else gets on board.

Honestly, this part was a bit of a snooze-fest. But the actors make up for it. I started to care about them, and the storyline would get a bit dull at times. Then the writers would kick it back into high gear. I get why people would drop the show if it felt like a slog, but it's not uncommon for series to have ups and downs. The first season was a spark, the second one fizzled, and the third one reignited. I'm the type of person who'll stick with a show if there's still hope for improvement, but not always.

Klaus is the worst, of course, but the more I see him, the more he becomes a pitiful victim. Like, circumstances force him to behave this way. I didn't want it to happen, but they came to it on their own.

But Klaus's evil is so charming. I mean, it's cruel, but it's also beautiful.

As the storyline unfolds, Klaus is revealed from different angles. We see his attempts to change, but since he's never been loved, he tries to control everything and everyone. And, of course, people don't do things his way.

Rebekah's storyline is a bit puzzling to me. She seems to accept her fate, but sometimes she dreams of killing Klaus, and then she's wracked with guilt when he finds out.

Marcus is Klaus's protégé from the past. The show explains how they met and why their relationship is complicated. In the first season, Marcus was this confident, macho guy, but then he's made too soft. He's a great vampire, almost, considering they rip each other's heads off and drink blood.

Marcel is principled and right, but he's also too sentimental. They made him too soft, too much of a boy. He made strong moves, but they portrayed it as childish.

The first season was okay, but it was a bit weak. It was a slow burn, and I'd have dropped it if I wasn't invested. But I kept watching, and eventually, I got hooked.

Season two really dives deeper into the family theme, but from a different angle. I won't give away the plot from the trailer, but it's even clearer why Klaus is such a weirdo.

I mean, the show is basically a case study for psychologists. It's all so classically typical, you don't even have to try. I opened up Wikipedia, read it, and it's like, 'Yeah, that's exactly the diagnosis. It all fits perfectly, 100%.' The way the characters' antics escalate into full-blown drama is just like a textbook.

People complain about the slow pacing, but that's just how it is with most shows. If everything happens in one season, how are the creators supposed to make a living? It's frustrating, but that's what makes it a show. I'd cut out some of the more obvious moments, though – they drag on for too long.

I'm a bit annoyed that these thousand-year-old vampires behave like teenagers, but if they were all just sitting on the couch, being wise and old, the show wouldn't work. And if they just killed everyone off and lived happily ever after, it would be over way too quickly. But with all these enemies lurking around, it's only natural that they'd have problems. Especially when you've got witches who hold grudges for centuries.

It's a bit like 'The Vampire Diaries' at first, but only at the beginning. The plot is super formulaic (and 'Twilight' gets a mention too), but despite the different time period and setting, the characters are all pretty similar. I liked 'The Originals' more in this regard.

Anyway, 'The Vampire Diaries' seems more geared towards teenagers, while 'The Originals' is more serious, with problems that are more relatable to adults – like digging up past traumas, confronting them, and showing everyone how you've 'worked through' them with a therapist. It's like, 'Hey, look, I've got a geshalt closure – I'm cool now.' Parents who never sorted out their own issues try to live vicariously through their kids, and they've got enemies from their past, just like us mortals. It's all about the family ties, I guess. That's what makes 'The Originals' more appealing to me. All these teen vampire shows are just not interesting to me anymore, and that's why they make them – for the teens. But here we are, getting a bit of a mature show.

I liked the priest, though. He seemed like a total goofball, drinking vervain to protect himself from the vampires, but it turned out he wasn't as simple as he seemed. His niece, Camille, is a total blonde bombshell – every vampire's dream. She's got her own problems with all this supernatural stuff, but she manages to get out of her depression and even help others. Another hero who's been broken by all these otherworldly forces.

The rest of the Michaelson family, who popped up in the show from time to time, didn't really impress me. I mean, they were there, but that's about it. One of the dads was pretty cool, though - he was like a Terminator rising from the ashes.

The mom was super weak, no matter what body she was in. Her character was just so boring and not scary at all.

Cole in his new body was actually pretty likable. He wasn't as awful as he was before, and he was even nice to the witch - of course, he used her for his own gain, but the new body played its role in a way that was kind of sweet, rather than the supposed original. The original just didn't look that appealing on its own. I mean, who chose that actor in the first place? He was just plain unlikable.

Another brother of mine was just confusing. One minute he was under mom's influence, the next he was under dad's, and then he just lost it completely. Give someone power and they'll ruin it for you.

The sister who got lost in time barely made an appearance. She was just there, and that was it. I guess she was loved by the kids when she was younger, so when she showed up, she didn't really make a splash in the story. Oh well, she was there, I guess.

Every season introduces new characters, and some of them are actually really great. At the same time, some new evil force always threatens the Michaelsons' existence. It's fun to watch, I guess.

I'm glad I started watching when the show was already done. I wouldn't have been able to wait four years for the finale - that's just not my thing. I can understand why some people gave up. It's hard to keep the excitement going when you have to wait that long. By the time the next season comes out, you've forgotten what happened, and your love for vampires has worn off, making it less interesting to watch. But when you binge-watch the whole thing, the feelings are still fresh, the suspense is still there, and you want to keep going until the end, and then you get to process everything.

Overall, I really enjoyed the show. I grew up with 'The Vampire Diaries' (way back when), and 'The Originals' came along just in time. It was like reliving my youth. I recommend 'The Originals' if you're into the whole vampire thing, witches, and all that other supernatural stuff.

It's interesting, and sometimes it gets a bit dragged out, but overall, it's really good. I recommend it! Enjoy the show!