'The Originals': Charles Michael Davis on Mikael's return, that key

The Originals‘ Klaus Mikaelson might be the biggest, baddest hybrid around, but it’s a known fact that he has some leftover daddy issues that did not die off with his father. And thanks to some witchy magic, Klaus will get a visit from Mikael this week, as will Hayley and her unborn child. But what exactly are these visions? And how will they affect Klaus’ relationship with Marcel?

We talked with Charles Michael Davis about Mikael’s return, Cami and Marcel, and the return of evil Marcel:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLKY: The promos are all about these Mikael nightmares, and I read about how they might force Klaus to reevaluate his father-son relationship with Marcel. So how will Mikael’s appearance affect Marcel and Klaus’ relationship? Is there hope for them yet?

CHARLES MICHAEL DAVIS: I think so. I think they just gotta work it out. That’s the thing: It’s something that’s not being talked about, and it’s something that’s not being addressed, so now it’s eating away at his psyche and subconscious, so that’s kind off cool. That’s something we jump into in the next episode where we actually reveal a lot of the events behind their relationship, so there’s some flashbacks and things like that that I’m pretty excited about.

What can you tell me about these actual visions. The promo makes it seem like Mikael is somehow harming Hayley, so is there a magical element to them?

Oh yeah. That’s the cool thing. With this show and this whole season, there’s a lot about the witches and what they’re capable of, so that’s one of the things that you have to tune in and watch and see if it is a real danger or is he just terrorizing people in dreams? And how is he even able to come back and why now? You’ll get a glimpse into that.

The witches obviously want the baby dead. Does Marcel at all chime in on the baby front? Does he have any interest there?

I think the more that he learns about the baby, he will, but from what we learned earlier on in the season when he first encounters Hayley and Klaus and Elijah, he just says, “What’s up with this girl? Who is she?” And then, as we discovered in the last episode, he remembers who she is to him but not what’s so important about the baby and who she is to Klaus and what that baby means. I think he’s still recovering from being knocked around with Rebekah leaving and his relationship with Klaus and then with Kieran’s death and also trying to resolve things with Cami. [Hayley’s baby is] just not one of the spinning plates that he’s balancing right now.

You brought up Cami, and obviously she and Marcel had a sweet moment in the last episode. Are there real feelings there on his part?

Yeah, I think he’s genuine. When it comes to his relationships, especially with Davina or Rebekah and with Cami, he’s just not quite forthright in everything that he’s doing, but he’s doing it out of love, trying to keep things secret and trying to keep people involved at arm’s length. But yes, I’d like to think the connection with Cami is very genuine.

Let’s talk about this big secret key. I know Francesca has an interest in it. Is this Marcel’s secret weapon? What can you tell me about the key?

Well it belonged to Kieran so it’s a part of the human faction, so I think it’s something that’s meant to be used by humans. What it entails and what sort of secret it unlocks, I don’t know. Well I do know but I can’t say. [Laughs] But it will be pretty cool knowing the writers and the creators of the show. I think if he could’ve used it, he would’ve, but right now it seems like he’s got this key, so there might be some information that he’s missing considering that it’s been kept a secret form him by Kieran. Cami might come into play or someone from the human faction might, because there’s information that he’s missing.

He had that line about Cami not being ready for it yet, so clearly she’s involved.

Yeah and it’s a legacy thing with Kieran and the O’Connells, and if you look at the facts, Cami’s the only one that’s still alive, so it’s probably going to be her. [Laughs] But she still has a choice. And will she be ready for it now or next season? That’s one of the things you’ll have to tune into the last few episodes to see.

Will we get an answer on what the key is by season’s end?

Yeah, for sure. With the way our storylines move, with anything that’s revealed, we like to at least give some more information on it in the next few episodes because we just have so much more, so it’s going to definitely be important for the last few episodes.

Between Marcel’s army and his move at that party where he made those band members slit their own wrists, it feels like evil Marcel is coming back. I always think of his “I am king” speech in the pilot. Are we getting that Marcel back in the end of the season?

I hope so. It was so much fun to do. That’s one of the things we talked about with the writers and I told them, “I want that guy back,” and they said, “Yeah we want that guy back too. We miss him.” And yeah, I think desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s like a little strategy so it’s nice to see this militant side of him where he’s going to make another play and flex his muscle, so yeah, he’s going to sort of grow back into that zone and kind of get his swagger back a little.

The Originals airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.