I had to describe this season finale in two words they would be: convoluted angst. Rather than being something to inspire the viewing of season four, The Bloody Crown is quite literally The Originals at its worst. The writing was bad and the acting simply over the top. Someone really needs to teach Daniel Gillies how to cry on command. I found myself anxiously awaiting the end of this absolutely torturous last hour.
Much of season three has revolved around a prophesy which was set about to bring about the end of the Mikaelsons: one by family, one by friend and one by foe. Throughout the season, the Mikaelsons have fought the Stryx and their powerful witches, Aurora and her brother and finally Lucien. Being an Original vampire is a powerful thing and as we know, only wood from a specific tree can kill them and furthermore; until recently they all had the added protection of knowing that if they die, so does their entire sire line. It's a great bonus because anyone attempting to kill their sire would end up dead themselves.
The Mikaelson family motto is: Family first. Always and Forever. None of the Mikaelsons take this vow lightly even if they have had their spats over the the millennium. The Makaelsons are willing to do anything in service of the family, even if it means heinous murderous acts. Marcel had long believed that he fell under that banner until Elijah ripped out his heart in Give 'Em Hell Kid. Marcel's rage is as much about the death of Davina Claire, as it is about learning that while the Mikaelsons seem to care for him, he will never really be family to them.
Marcel's outsider status is confirmed when in their grief, Hayley and Elijah choose to have sex. Poor Elijah, he's just so broken up he has to knock boots with the woman he loves. If anything, Elijah seems more upset about the fact that Klaus hasn't forgiven him for killing the man he viewed as a son, than the act of murder itself. Klaus however is another matter altogether. Klaus holds Hope and acknowledges that whenever he gets close to someone, something bad always happens. Klaus promises his "littlest wolf" that he will always do right by her.
It's time to get the show on the road. Marcel meets with Vincent at the graveyard and compliments him on severing the link to the ancestors. Vincent wonders if Marcel is going to follow through on his half of the plan and Marcel confirms that since Elijah killed him, he no longer has any doubts. Oh Vincent, you just made a deal with the devil dude.
Freya decides to do some spell work after not sleeping the night before. She is uneasy about how things stand. It's not long before Freya realises that all of Klaus's enemies are converging on NOLA.
Oh oh. The Mikaelsons prepare for battle, confidant that at least they are protected in the compound because it's in Freya's name. That comfort doesn't last long because Marcel has the compound foreclosed upon and Freya poisoned. The vengeful vampires make their appearance. Fortunately for Freya, Hayley shows up and sneaks both her and Hope out of the compound. While Freya and Hayley are busy getting gone, Kol confronts Marcel about his actions saying that this is not what Davina would have wanted. Yeah, Kol has never been the brightest Mikaelson and this is not an argument he should have made, considering that he fed on Davina until she died. Marcel is quick to take his revenge upon Kol by biting him. When Elijah joins the fight, he's bitten for his trouble. Klaus's eyes go all wolf at the sight of his wounded brothers but before he can attack, Rebekah shows up and she's all, I got this, "Marcel won't hurt me." This buys enough time for the Mikaelson boys to sneak out of the compound licking their wounds.
With the exception of Rebekah, the Mikaelsons gather at Lucien's old place. Things are really bad because they cannot find the cure for Freya and with the link to the ancestors gone, there's no way to even begin to cure the boys. The one thing that they are all sure of is that they don't have enough time to come up with something that will cure Rebekah's curse, Freya's poisoning and Kol and Elijah's bite to survive. The poison from Marcel's bite hits Kol particularly hard and he quickly starts having visions of Davina. Hayley doesn't deal well with the Elijah's impending death but he is strong for her.
Vincent gets a visit from Will about some bodies he's discovered at St.Anne's. It seems that not only did Marcel set his sights on taking out the Originals, he took out the Stryx as well. Since Elijah's sire link is still in tact, it would have been in the Stryx's best interest to protect him and Marcel simply couldn't have that. Will and Vincent are horrified at the bloody scene. Will gets a little to close to a vampire and gets bitten for his trouble. Hey, is Will the new Cami? Hmmmm?
Rebekah decides to have it out with Marcel and though he promises her that he would never hurt her, he's not willing to let go of his feelings of anger towards her brothers. Rebekah then offers a compromise and suggests that Marcel was never a man who played judge, jury and executioner. Umm, is she talking about Marcel? It seems to me that he had no problem killing witches for using magic in the Quarter. Marcel decides to give the appearance of fairness, he's willing to put Klaus on trial.
Rebekah conveys the news about a trial to Klaus, as the vengeful vampires destroy the compound. Klaus is all too aware that this will only lead to his death but fortunately, Freya has a plan. Klaus arrives for his trial and Klaus being Klaus, is far from magnanimous about the entire thing. Marcel is pissed off about Davina but also about the fact that Klaus wouldn't let him be with Rebekah. If you're counting that's two white women that Marcel is pissed about. Marcel randomly points out vampires who Klaus has wronged over the years. Then the supposed unthinkable happens, Rebekah turns on Klaus and starts talking about how taking care of family for him means daggering them for decades at a time and killing anyone his siblings dare to love. Klaus is quick to blame Rebekah's curse for the things she's saying. It's all so obviously a set up. Klaus then goes on one of his famous rants about how his victims need to thank him for their immortal lives and that even if he were to die, he'd still win because they would never stop thinking of him. When Rebekah calls out that death would be to good for Klaus, it's clear that their little plan worked.
It's time for Papa Tunde's knife. Marcel decides to stab Klaus with it certain that every moment of Klaus's immortal life will be filled with pain until he decides to end it. Marcel gives a list of people that he is doing this for. Oh Marcel, you've played right into the Mikaelson's hands. Freya uses the dagger used to keep Rebekah out cold to create a magical world where she and her siblings can hide out until Hayley comes up with a cure for their various conditions.
An angry Vincent heads to see Marcel about the bodies in St.Anne's. Vincent is pissed because he thought that Marcel would be different than the Mikaelsons. Umm, wasn't Vincent in NOLA when Marcel was running things? Why did he think one brutal dictator would be better than another? At any rate, Vincent has purchased St. Anne's out from under Marcel and claims that it will be a sanctuary for anyone who is sick of the violence. It's also a huge warning to Marcel to stay in his own lane.
When next we see Hayley, she is driving out of NOLA in a huge truck with Freya, Kol, Rebekah and Elijah sleeping peacefully in coffins. I bet that this is a gambit to age Hope and that when they return for season four that she will be a young woman. It's easier to write interesting stories for older people than infants.
In the meantime, Klaus gets the treatment that he has given so many. The last we see of Marcel is him bricking Klaus into a wall.
Okay folks, that's it for the season. I am really glad that we got to see Marcel get a bit of justice; however, this makes him really vulnerable. He actively threatened the Mikaelsons and Klaus is not exactly the forgiving kind though all the points Marcel made about the crimes of the Mikaelsons are absolutely true. This is the first time The Originals did something other than paint Marcel as the uppity negro who didn't know his place. The problem in this scenario obviously is that the show is called The Originals, so it isn't possible that there will be a changing of the guards permanently. Marcel is going to pay for his actions and its only a matter of whether or not that payment will involve his life.
I really do like seeing Vincent in control of the witches. Unlike Marcel, he hasn't been compromised in the same fashion. He's never really been portrayed as someone who is stepping out of their role. Given the precariousness of POC in Plec's world, I cannot help but worry about Vincent's survival. It seems that Vincent will take over the place of moral center for Cami which isn't necessarily a bad thing but does make his life a little precarious. I do however think that Marcel will start to get drunk on his power leading Vincent to make a coalition of sorts with Hayley.
I wonder if this new arc is going to put Klaus on the redemption train? He is normally doing the daggering, raging and killing but this time, he sacrificed himself for his family. While his siblings live in a fun magical world, he is in absolute torment. Each of Klaus's siblings is all too aware of what he did for them and this sacrificial act can only hope to bring them closer. It drives home the point that the writers were trying to make this season, family first above all may well be The Originals greatest strength but it also makes them vulnerable.
