The Originals finale recap: 'The Feast of All Sinners'

I don't know about you, but I spent most of the finale perched on the edge of my seat. Thanks to the concluding moments of last week's episode, we know that Vincent has a plan to get the Hollow out of Hope. And no one is going to like it.

Boy, was that an understatement.

For Vincent to pull off his unpopular plan, he needs to put the Hollow in a place that is powerful, eternal, and, oh yeah, shares Hope's blood. In other words, he needs a sacrificial vampire. But one vampire ain't gonna cut it. He needs FOUR.

If that weren't bad enough, this "family forever" business is done. The Hollow will want to reunite all of her pieces together. Therefore, the four siblings have to stay far away from each other so the Hollow can't be enticed. To no one's surprise, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah are in. They just have to convince Kol to dive head first into this unfortunate family drama.

Meanwhile, Hollow Hope stands haughtily in the church with all of her minions. A few bring a very dead Dominic forward on a concrete slab. You remember him, right? He was the witch friend of Sofya's who died a couple of times in the name of his master. I guess since he was such a good little acolyte, Hollow Hope decides to bring him back from the dead.

Okay, I'll admit that was an impressive trick. Dominic owns the position of Hollow recruiter and starts his quest by killing all of the vampires who have gathered at Rousseau's. Fortunately, Josh is exempt from the extermination. Dominic entices the witches in the room to join him, and they scour the streets of New Orleans, ridding the city of parasites.

Hollow Hope joins them, and all the people out having a good time are immediately creeped out. This annoys Hollow Hope, so she blows things up with her mind. Hayley rushes down the street to try to talk sense into her daughter, but Hollow Hope levitates her mom, cracks her neck, and watches solemnly as she falls to the ground in a broken heap.

Hayley wakes up at Vincent's place. He rescued her from the streets and brought her here so he could tell her about this no good, very bad plan. Sure, the fact that the siblings have to stay away from each other is unimaginable, but the other piece of the unfortunate puzzle is that Hayley is going to have to keep Hope away from the Mikaelsons. Vincent is convinced the Hollow will try to gain access to Hope through the siblings. She's tasted Hope's power, and she will want it back. Their best plan is to run away and never think twice about what they are leaving behind.

Hayley heads back to the compound and packs a bag that is pretty small for someone who is going to be on the run F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Elijah, looking dapper in his perfect tie and bloody shirt, approaches her to say goodbye. Hayley is cold. He genuinely asks what she needs, and her obvious response is to rescue Hope.

Consider it done.

Back at Rousseau's, Marcel and Sofya find a bunch of dead vampires and one very groggy Josh. He reports that Sofya's old buddy Dominic has been resurrected. Sofya thinks they should make a deal with the Hollow, while Josh suggests they align themselves with the crazy, powerful, unbeatable family who also wants to beat the Hollow. I'm with Josh.

Marcel is with Josh, too. He grabs some dark objects, rolls his eyes when Sofya reminds him that the Mikaelsons crafted a weapon that could kill him, and heads over to the church to confront some demons. GO MARCEL!

He and Sofya walk into the church, through an army of acolytes, to offer a truce. Hollow Hope makes him bow down before her, and when he does, Marcel blows a powder in her face. She falls limp into his arms. He vamps her out of the church right as Sofya stabs Dominic in the gut. Just as the minions start to rally, Klaus walks in to address the bad guys.

I love Joseph Morgan when he is devious.

Klaus announces to the crowd that he has a dark object, craftily disguised in the form of a whimsical snow globe, that can seal anyone in a room. Klaus smashes the globe, and the entire army of baddies is trapped in an invisible bubble. Elijah stands in the balcony with a wine bottle full of gasoline, lights a rag that hangs from the bottle's open mouth with a fiery torch, and smiles as the acolytes burn inside their supernatural tomb. It's gruesome, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Klaus walks into Hope's room. She's out cold with her arms pinned by manacles. I'm not sure how this helps since the Hollow can blow things up with her mind, but we'll suspend disbelief since this is a magical show and the episode is completely entertaining. Klaus whispers encouragement to his daughter, claiming that she's strong and brave.

I love Joseph Morgan when he is tenderhearted.

Hayley overhears Klaus' farewell and admires him for being a good dad. Then she fills in the gaps of the entire plan that Vincent didn't want to share. Of course he tells the others, and Rebekah is annoyed that she hasn't been working with the entire truth. Clearly this little detail won't change Rebekah's mind about sacrificing herself for Hope. I assume she's panicked since Kol hasn't returned her call. The siblings are getting antsy.

Freya decides to take matters into her own hands. If Vincent needs an eternally powerful blood relative as their fourth, she's going to give it to him. She invites Keelin over to listen to her plan. It's simple, really. She's going to turn herself into a vampire. She just needs to know that Keelin will be cool since they will be supernatural enemies when she's transitioned. P.S. She also needs Keelin to kill her. Keelin agrees. Now that's true love.

At this point, all the siblings are reeling from the reality that they are about to lose one another. Klaus confesses to Marcel that Marcel is the better man. He admits that he should have been a better father and apologizes for how he failed Marcel.

Come on! These goodbyes are killing me!

Next up is Elijah. He realizes now that he and Hayley are over. He knew they were doomed from the start and that he could never be what Hayley needs him to be. He promises that he will disappear when all of this is said and done. They profess their love for each other and make out one last time on the balcony of the compound.

Heart. Wrenched.

If that weren't enough, Freya chugs a glass of blood and presents her arm to her doctor girlfriend so she can shoot her up with potassium chloride. Apparently it stops your heart in a quick and painless way. Freya looks at Keelin with a big smile on her face, spouting that magic is overrated.

Enter Kol.

I'm both excited and sad. Nathaniel Buzolic is always a sight for sore eyes, but I was looking forward to seeing Freya as a vampire. I understand that the Mikaelsons need a witch, but Vincent and Hope can fill those roles, right?

Freya and Kol head over to the compound. The four siblings eye one another in a silent nod of courage. Kol and Rebekah leave the room first. This is when Klaus and Elijah have their moment.

Klaus praises Elijah for being the "keeper of our bond." He understands that Elijah is going to feel this pain the most, because he has always been the glue that holds them all together. Klaus knows that he will probably relapse into some terrible vampire, and when that happens, he gently asks his brother to not intervene. Should Elijah rescue him, like he always does, he will be inadvertently helping the Hollow. Which makes her one step closer to Hope.

Elijah promises he will stay away, and they share a brotherly hug that challenges all brotherly hugs in the history of television. Here come the feels.

Hayley sits in the middle of a square with a limp Hope in her lap. Each sibling takes a corner. Freya and Vincent hold hands and begin to chant. He reminds the Originals that once Hope is free, they need to get away from each other and Hope. Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, and Kol speak volumes with their silence. This spell does not matter. Their family will be together. Forever.

Suddenly, a blue light emerges from Hope's body. It hovers for a split second and then bursts into the bodies of the siblings. Kol and Rebekah vamp out immediately. Elijah waits a beat to make eye contact with Hayley. Then he's gone. Klaus is the last to leave. He wants to make sure his little girl is okay.

When he hears her whisper, "Daddy?" he's done. Through shimmering eyes, Klaus tells Hope that he loves her. Then he vamps away as she yells his name over and over.

We still have 20 minutes left. How else can they torture me?

The scene switches to the old rundown mansion where the Mikaelsons found Marcel. Elijah is nervous that he won't be able to fight the devotion he has to Klaus; understanding that he can't give in to it anymore, he wants Marcel to end it. Marcel thinks that Elijah is asking for death. What he's really asking for is his freedom.

Elijah and Marcel walk over to a circle made of skulls (gross), where Vincent is going to perform a spell that will help Marcel get into Elijah's brain so he can compel Elijah to forget about his family. Marcel balks. You can't compel an Original. Vincent encourages him to try—Marcel is hella powerful. With his power and Vincent's spell, it should work.

Vincent taps into Elijah's brain. Elijah looks straight into Marcel's eyes and listens as Marcel instructs him to forget always and forever. Forget the love he has for his family. Forget the vow that he has honored for hundreds of years. Elijah's mind rushes through four seasons of his happiest and most horrifying memories. The timeline unravels to the moment when he stands with Rebekah and Klaus, newly turned, promising to be there for one another.

I can't believe this is happening.

Meanwhile, Rebekah gives Freya a necklace for Hope. She encourages Freya to not give up on love and then vamps away. Freya gives the necklace to Hope, lectures her on the importance of family, and hugs her niece and Hayley goodbye. Forever.

In the final two minutes of the season finale, we're treated to a "Where are they now?" montage. We begin with Rebekah, who is in New York City. Marcel wanders up to her on the sidewalk, chastising her for skipping town without a word. He also mentions that he and Sofya are done (hooray!) and plants a big old kiss on Rebekah to shut her up from prattling on about how this will never work. Of course it will! No one is there to tell them they can't be together. Let's do this!

On the west coast, Kol gives a jeweler the biggest diamond you've ever seen. He instructs the man to make a necklace, some earrings, and one massive engagement ring. Davina is one lucky woman!

Next up is Mystic Falls. Of course Hope is going to go to Alaric and Caroline's school of witchcraft and wizardry. It just makes sense.

Finally, we see Elijah in France, tearing up a piano in a busy bar. Moreover, he's not wearing a suit. I don't know how I feel about this. A man walks by and places a $100 bill in Elijah's tip cup. Elijah turns around and sees Klaus. Elijah gives Klaus a slight nod, like you would any stranger, and turns back to his keys.

This is too painful. The only thing that can help me get through to season 5 is if Julie Plec gives us a Caroline/Klaus reunion. Who's with me?