The Originals series finale titled “When the Saints Go Marching In” was more disappointing than The Vampire Diaries series finale, which was a clusterfuck, while somehow managing to flip the bird at Haylijah and Klaroline shippers that have been following their stories from the start. Oh and let’s not forget, the series finale also made sure Hope lost another parent. You know, cuz no one in this universe can have parents. That’s asking for way too much!
Let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly of The Originals “When the Saints Go Marching In”!
The Good – Klaus’ Growth
Before we dive into the truly ridiculous of this season finale I’d like to acknowledge how much Klaus Mikaelson and the rest of the family has grown. They have stumbled, they have daggered each other, and some have literally died or been put into another body. But now, here at the end, they were together. They were a united force that has been changed forever by Hope.
Looking back, I wasn’t too happy with Hayley being pregnant with Klaus’ child and the whole baby drama that came after it. But years later with a grown up badass Hope and a Mikaelson family that loves her, I can see what The Originals is really about. Yes, it’s about love. And yes, it’s about family. But it’s about making the world a better place for our children. It’s about fixing our mistakes, not following in our parents footsteps, and breaking the chains of the past for our future.
And even though we aren’t vampires, werewolves, or witches (maybe some of you out there are any combination of these three, so….HIIII!) but we can all connect with wanting to make the world a better place. Even if you don’t have kids you can connect to wanting to make the world a better place for your nephews, your little brothers & sisters, or even just for yourself when you promise never to be that angry/abusive turd that your parents were when you were growing up.
So, yes I’m not happy with the series finale of The Originals. But I’m grateful for the journey that they’ve all gone through, the things I’ve learned from them, the ships I’ve fallen in love with, and the growth Klaus Mikaelson went through.
The Bad – Elijah Should’ve Died
Yes, I said it. Elijah was already planning on killing himself so why not spare Hope the pain of having to live a life without BOTH of her parents? Why make her suffer? Why make the rest of them suffer? Why take everything that Klaus has learned, to just give him this ending? Also, did Julie Plec learn nothing from the ending of The Vampire Diaries?
The Originals could’ve done better but they went for trying to make us cry instead of giving us an ending and plot that actually MADE SENSE. It’s like no one was listening to each other and Klaus just wanted to kill himself because it was “the right thing to do” or some bull instead of sitting down, talking, and realizing that Elijah was tired. He was tired of this world and was desperate to get to Hayley and be at peace.
So if Klaus was willing to do anything for Hope, even dying, why didn’t he take a moment to speak with Elijah and consider different options? And this isn’t me saying that Klaus is a bad parent or an idiot of any sort who was selfish and a martyr. Nope. This is me saying that the writers went for shock, awe, and making us cry instead of giving us an ending that made sense and would make us come back for Legacies when it premieres in the Fall.
Right now, I don’t care for Legacies and don’t plan on watching because if they did this to The Originals then imagine what they’ll do with spin-off? The same cry inducing storylines that leave us unsatisfied and angry.
The Ugly – Not Delivering on What You Planned
Writing 101 dictates that if you hint at and clue your readers/viewers into a particular thing that occurs all season, then you best deliver at the end for everything to make sense and make the journey worth while. Maybe no one at The Originals got that memo or learned that because they didn’t do that at all.
First up, Klaroline. Oh, those sneaky writers. They knew that it would draw us in. That the promise of being Caroline’s last love excited us. We knew that shit could go tits up at any moment but we were sure that The Originals would promise on that because they’ve planned it since The Vampire Diaries. Nope. They decided to through all that planning out the window and destroy any future they could have by killing him.
Even I, a lowly reviewer, know that the pieces fit. You kill Elijah so he can be with Hayley (which I will discuss in a second). Then you have Klaus offer to show Caroline the world. Caroline who’s a workaholic would accept after talking to Alaric and her girls. That means that Klaus and Caroline are off on a whirlwind adventure when Legacies starts. THAT EXPLAINS IT ALL AND MAKES IT SO YOU DON’T NEED THE ACTORS UNLESS IT’S SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCES. BOOM. BAM. THERE’S YOUR STORY.
But nope, The Originals didn’t think of that and threw logic and their own writing out the window.
Then there’s Haylijah. What they had was beautiful, epic, and complicated AF. It became even more complicated when Hayley died and he was torn up with guilt. So The Originals held our hand and teased us with this “dance” that Hayley and Elijah were going to have. It was beautiful, iconic, and something we so looking forward to seeing. And then….IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!
You can’t promise something, write it up in such a beautiful manner, to just drop the ball and not give what you created. It shows a lack of caring for the story created and the fans that have consumed the content for years. (If you’re as disappointed as I am, go to AO3 and read some fix-it fics. Those people understand and they did a hell of a job in comparison to this mosh posh mess of an ending.)
Point being, The Originals had everything set up for an amazing ending that would leave people excited and hopeful for Legacies to premiere this fall. Instead you’ve left people bitter, angry, and flabbergasted at being treated in this manner after committing ourselves to this show for years on end.
Sorry, not sorry, Legacies. It’s a no for me.
