2.4 Live And Let Die Esther has Elijah and Mikael is presumably moments away from turning the tables on Klaus. This show never really did well with suspense, preferring to jump straight into the action, and I guess that’s one of the things we love most about it. But that was just the cliffhanger, and there was so much more to love about Live And Let Die. A returning Cami, for one, who has never been as dynamic and watchable as she was here. I’m definitely not jumping on board with any of her prospective romances – irritatingly and awkwardly summarised in that initial therapy scene – but her role on the show is ever-more important as the rest of the elements get crazier and crazier as the weeks go by. But of course, she isn’t a miracle-worker, and one little speech about the little joys of life isn’t enough to talk Klaus down from his revenge mission. His impulses have become ingrained in his DNA over thousands of years, and no one short of Caroline Forbes (or baby hope) is going to change something so fundamental. Likewise, Marcel’s plan to get Elijah on his side by giving him a plaything in Gia is going swimmingly, as Elijah seems to be revelling in having someone to mould and train without the annoyances that come with Klaus and the complications that come with Hayley. We also get zingers like: “As a devout feminist, I refuse to say that you hit like a girl.” This allies them with Elijah and Hayley by default, which has the wonderful side-effect of making Aiden and Josh’s little romance the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen. The potential of a vampire and a werewolf trying to be in a relationship while their families tear each other’s throats out is huge, epic and fantastic viewing for us. The showdowns between Klaus and Mikael are always a bit a letdown, and maybe because this is almost a direct retread of what we saw in Vampire Diaries back in the day. It’s not the show’s fault – it’s understandable that they’d want to transfer that storyline over to a show that actually has room for it, but it’s still a case of ‘been there, done that.’ The return of Papa Tunde’s “ludicrous knife of mystical torment” was welcome, though, and enough to allow us to forgive Klaus for being a little careless. But I have to say that the sheer genius of Kol and Finn’s reintroductions has made Mikael and Esther feel a little superfluous. Before this season, I was indifferent to Finn and indignant to Kol, but now I just want more of them on my screen. Bravo, The Originals, you actually made all five of the Mikaelson siblings into characters I care about – now bring back Rebekah! Read Caroline’s review of the previous episode, Every Mother’s Son, here.
