The Originals "The Devil Is Damned" Review: Family Is Power (Literally)
The Originals S02E13: "The Devil Is Damned"
For all its high-powered magic and occasionally stunning visuals, sometimes The Originals' most amazing special effect is two men with British accents screaming at each other about how much they love each other. You know? Two men with British accents screaming at each other about how much they love each other is The Originals' equivalent of that scene in Jurassic Park where everyone pops their heads out of the Jeep to look at brachiosauruses. Just eye-popping and world-building and dazzling. Joseph Morgan and Daniel Sharman are legitimately brilliant no matter what kind of scene they're asked to perform, but dang, this week's scene in which they shouted at each other in British accents about how much they love each other was such a bringing-out-the-big-guns scenario that the face-melting scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark was like, "Whoa no fair."
That being said, The Originals might want to be careful about how many scenes it gives us that contain two men with British accents screaming at each other about how much they love each other. For a show that's premised on the very idea of family members betraying each other, these touching and powerful making-up scenes will have diminishing returns the more they occur. Like, are we really going to believe that Kol and Klaus will continue to be besties for very long? Both of them are one double-cross-due-to-circumstances away from betraying the other at all times, so it feels a little like an empty promise that they've resolved their differences now. Still though, if "The Devil Is Damned" proved one thing for sure, it's that Kol should be a permanent addition to The Originals and that Sharman should always play him from now on. We should accept nothing less!
Finn's motives still makes very little sense to me, but this week he at least attempted to explain his craziness. Whereas in weeks past he rounded people up for mass torture and torment mostly just to get the inside scoop on what his brothers were up to, now that he knows that Hope is alive, he's concerned that her existence puts him in danger via Dahlia's firstborn curse. Or whatever? Still seems like a non-motive, and that is a problem. He's The Originals' current biggest villain! What exactly does he want? Why is he tapping into such strong magic and ruining lives like this? I think in general he's maybe just a jerk—just a straight-up, grade-A jerk. In teaming up with him, Freya has committed what is basically the opposite of a Save the Cat moment. What is your deal, lady? At this point she's just sort of a free agent, a witch who only gets to wake up for one year per century and uses that year to get judgey about her siblings. However, I like this actress, and Freya's still-shadowy motives are intriguing. She just needs to have better instincts about who to team up with, because Finn is bad news.
In one of the most audacious and hilarious visual metaphors in The Originals' history, Kol channeled Rebekah and Klaus's energy in order to overload Finn's magic. And in case it wasn't already clear, Klaus spelled it out for us: "FAMILY IS POWER." Haha get it? Family is literally power, guys. Speaking of Rebekah, there didn't seem to be much of a rush to get her back into her old body, but that didn't bother me. I'm still really enjoying this new actress and I suspect we should probably get used to her, as much as our hearts will never heal from Claire Holt's departure. The scenes between Klaus and Kol and Rebekah remained powerful and satisfying regardless. Credit where credit's due!
Meanwhile out in the swamps, Hayley and Jackson found themselves presiding over a suddenly expanding werewolf pack. Apparently word had gotten around that werewolves were bound to inherit tons of new powers, so alphas from all around the countryside were showing up to pledge oaths of fealty to Jackson. I actually found that pretty charming and absolutely believable. Werewolves truly hate the full moon at this point—my fingers are crossed for a future plotline involving werewolves wanting to actually blow up the moon—so it makes sense that they'd give up their positions of power so eagerly. But the best part of this storyline was Hayley's generally awesome 'tude. Finn loosed Gia and her pack of hungry vampires onto the fealty ceremony, so Hayley (with Marcel's help) had to snap necks left and right. For such a delicate, sensitive lady, she really has turned into a major BAMF, and it's never not thrilling.
Of course, if we're being very, very real, the biggest highlight of "The Devil Is Damned" had to do with a certain magical baby. That's right, this episode marked the first time we learned of Hope's special abilities! It should've come as no surprise that she heals quickly (Cami accidentally allowed Hope to pull a tablecloth full of, like, broken glass onto her own face), but the amazing part came later as Cami was driving up to the house where Elijah was about to incinerate Finn (long story; it involves a broken gas main and Elijah setting his own hand on fire in the sunlight) and the car stopped so that Cami could no longer approach. If you were me, you immediately thought, "Oh, Freya's back." But nope! It was Hope! She stopped the car and protected herself and Cami from danger. If that's not an incredible twist, I don't know what is. All these people are scrambling around and scheming and lying and backstabbing purely to keep Hope safe, but there's a chance she doesn't need anybody's help. So wonderful, right?
"The Devil Is Damned" didn't contain any Davina or Josh or Aiden, but it did feel as satisfying and as brisk as ever. There are implications that Elijah's about to open that proverbial red door (go crazy) and that it might be difficult to undo Kol's hex and save his life, but the idea that Finn might be dead is just so exciting. Get out of here, jerk! But yeah, Klaus and Kol should shout their love for each other from the rooftops. Brothers gonna work it out, always and forever. (Unless you're Finn, who is dead to us, perhaps literally.) Great episode.
QUESTIONS:
... Sleeping for 99 years: Best beauty regimen of all time?
... Could you get used to this new Rebekah?
... Would you let Elijah remodel your home?
... Is Hope a Scanner?
