It's clear from the ending of this season finale that the writers wanted to write something which could serve as a series finale should The Originals be cancelled. I have to admit that if it were to have ended here, while bittersweet, it would have been nice. The Mikaelsons may love each other but they are absolutely toxic and dysfunctional together. Apart, they are free to pursue their own goals and passions.
Always and forever is the vow that has kept the Mikaelson siblings returning to each other over the centuries. They have occasionally hated each other, sabotaged each others happiness, and even daggered each other from time to time and yet nothing has been able to come between them. We even spent a good part of the season hearing repeatedly that despite being Klaus's adopted son that Marcel is not a Mikaelson, nor would he ever been good enough to be considered one.
In order to save Hope, the Mikaelson family must separate forever. The only way to stop The Hollow is to pull her out of Hope and then divide her between the Original siblings. Since the Hollow is always going to desire to come together again and to rejoin Hope, since Hope is perhaps the most powerful witch who has ever lived, this means that the Mikaelsons must always stay away from each other. It means that Klaus can never see his daughter again. As you might imagine, this brings about a shit ton of angst.
With time running short, the Mikaelsons choose now to make peace with each other. Klaus goes to see Marcel and admits that he failed him as a father and that he is not surprised that Marcel turned into a better man than him. Marcel however is not easily swayed and tells Klaus that he's about one hundred years too late for the mea culpa. Marcel actually points out the fact that Klaus never thought that he was good enough for Rebekah and not part of the family. Finally Klaus admits that it isn't that he didn't believe Marcel good enough to be with Rebekah but that he feared that if the Rebekah and Marcel were allowed to be together, that they would stop loving him. I think this is the most honest Klaus has ever been about his pettiness and toxicity.
Four vampires are needed and of course, Kol isn't answering his phone. A panicked Freya decides that if they cannot reach Kol, that she will turn herself into a vampire in order to be able to hold The Hollow at bay. For Freya, it's about not having Hope grow up without a mother the way that she did. Freya's biggest fear is that on top of losing her siblings that this will cost her Keelin because how could Keelin possibly love her if she becomes the same monster that killed Keelin's parents. Of course, Keelin is now all in and tells Freya that she will never lose her. Just wow, the Stockholm syndrome is strong here. It bares repeating that Freya participated in holding Keelin captive, experimenting on her and causing her pain, all for the sake of saving her precious family filled with serial killers. How can Keelin just over look that? I suppose it wouldn't be convenient for the authors to admit this fact. Fortunately for Freya, Kol shows up to save his sister from having to go without magic forever. For Kol, this is a pain he doesn't want anyone else to suffer.
When the spell is done, the siblings must leave immediately. Predictably, Klaus is the last one to leave the room. He doesn't want to move until he is sure that Hope is okay. When Hope regains consciousness, Klaus tells his daughter that he loves her one last time before taking off. It's actually a sad moment, particularly when Hope screams for her father after he takes his leave. Hope doesn't know it yet but she's better off growing up without being around her serial killing relatives. Hayley takes Hope to Mystic Falls so that she can attend Alaric's school for magical children. For the first time, Hope will get the chance to go to school and make friends. This will be the first bit of normalcy for the first time.
With ceremony done, the Original siblings have some last bit of business in the city. Rebekah talks to Freya about her relationship with Keelin, making Freya promise to hold onto the love that she found. When Marcel finds Rebekah, she is now in New York. Now that Klaus isn't around for to keep them apart, they can finally be together as a couple. Rebekah at first rejects Marcel, believing that she's his second choice but Marcel claims that Rebekah is actually his first choice. The two then kiss.
Kol of course stops off at a jeweler to get a massive diamond cut into earrings and a giant engagement ring for Davina. I suppose this is his version of a happy ending, even if an ancient vampire falling in love with a teenage girl is creepy as fuck.
Elijah gets Marcel to erase his memories of his family, certain that is the only way for him to keep his vow to stay away from Klaus. When Klaus does find Elijah, he's playing the piano at a bar. Klaus drops 100 Francs into his tip jar. The two brothers nod at each other but Klaus is clearly the only one who remembers.
As you can see, if the series were indeed ending this would be prefect. Klaus would end up alone, exactly the way he deserves to be and the Original siblings would finally be free to pursue their passions without him. Given that The Originals has been renewed and Freya vowed to find a way to bring her family together again, I suppose it's safe to say that very early on in season five they will all be back in New Orleans once again leading dysfunctional lives. Perhaps, the writers will use this to age Hope and have her be the one to bring the Mikaelsons back together again, unaware of just how terrible they are together. For now however, I'd rather hold onto the fantasy that this is where the story ends.
