“The Originals” — Review. 

Better than Vampire Diaries?

TellitLikeitis
I. M. H. O.
Published in
4 min readNov 27, 2013

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Considering the title of this series, Original couldn't be further from the truth. Or could it?

Being a fan of the Vampire Diaries, when I heard about the premiere of "The Originals," I was quite excited to see what path this spin-off series would take and how it would differ from the storyline told in the VD. (Yes, the abbreviation of Vampire Diaries is VD). Immature jokes ensue.

Um, anyway; on the other hand I also asked myself, "Do we really need more Vampires?" Haven't we had enough over the years? *cough Twilight cough* (The makers of those movies need to suffer for making me suffer with that pile of disease infested sewage). But we aren't here to talk about Twilight....... yet.

The Originals, explores the life of Klaus Mikaelson, one of the "original vampires" along with his siblings Elijah and Rebekah, as they try to usurp power from Marcel, who was once a mentee of Klaus but has now taken power himself in New Orleans which was formerly under Klaus's control before he fled the city from his father. Of course I have simplified the plot, but I would not want to give away any spoilers.

Ok, let's go off on a tangent here for a second. Can someone tell me; if Klaus and his family (including his father unfortunately) are the Original Vampires, then what the hell does that make Silas? As in the Vampire Diaries, we now learn that the Original -original vampire was Silas who was turned into a vampire by the curse of a powerful witch (because she was rejected). But as I recall, Klaus and his family were also made into vampires by the power of a witch which is why they were the originals. But they weren't? I have to ask, "What the f**k is going on here?! It's like watching the movie Inception in very episode.

Forgetting about the overly convoluted storyline of its predecessor. The Originals' story is told with relative ease and is something you will have no trouble following. For now, it has been a fantastic watch. The acting is superb and the interaction between all the cast members are great. You can feel the chemistry between them all. Between Klaus and Marcel, Hayley and Elijah (this is mostly pulled off because of Elijah), Rebekah and.....whatever, as well as the supporting cast who are superb.

And for a show that has so much emotion in each episode, they pull it off quite well. Unfortunately for certain people, not so much (Hayley, werewolf girl - you suck, so bland, so helpless, make me sick).

Anyway, it's good to see another side of Klaus, the victim, the misunderstood soul looking for redemption or absolution, love, and just some trust and loyalty from his family. You actually see his humanity here, and all the while still being a badass. He is not just the a**hole he is portrayed as in THAT other show. Here you actually want to see Klaus come out on top. In fact it's his siblings who are the assholes here. (Oh how I hate them both).

The flashbacks are also really nice to watch as you get a glimpse into the past and how life was for the originals and the witches and everyone else, and how they actually met Marcel and how their relationships have evolved since then. This allows you to become more involved and invested in the lives of the characters and you actually care about what happens to them.

However; (it can't all be good), you will grow tiresome watching the constant bickering between Klaus and Rebekah, Klaus and Rebekah, Klaus and Marcel, Marcel and everyone. I don't know about you, but I am sick of hearing Rebekah go on and on about how she was betrayed so many times and how many times she has been "daggered," and how she struggles to find love, bla bla bla.

Elijah just pisses me off with his over the top "I am a saint and I want to watch over you and protect you and never leave your side pompous persona." Give it a rest. As far as I'm aware you are a vampire and you have killed thousands, ok Mr. saint.

Other than that, I would say it is a brilliant show and deserves a watch if you are into these kinds shows. You will not be disappointed as it is better than Vampire Diaries, which now seems to be directed by M. Night Shyamalan as you now have so many Stefans running around and three Elena Gilberts.' "What a twist."

Verdict 8/10

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