The Originals recap: The hunt for Hayley

Well, no matter what your theory was about who took Hayley, I’m here to tell you it was probably wrong…unless you guessed that she was taken by Nazis. TALK ABOUT A TURN. But before we get there, let’s start at the beginning.

It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, and while each faction plans their float, Klaus is making his way around the city delivering the exact same speech to the wolves, the witches, and the vampires: If you don’t help me find Hayley, I will be forced to turn to my siblings, and we all know the damage that a family reunion could do to the city. In other words, he’s running around town threatening people like it’s your average Tuesday. (Sorry, his average Tuesday.)

And once he’s done with the threats, he even compels the humans to lend a helping hand. Specifically, he compels the police force to try and find Hayley. But Marcel can tell something’s up. He tries asking about Elijah but Klaus sticks to his story that he didn’t find Elijah when he went to France. Just then, a note is delivered to the compound. All that’s on it is an address.

Klaus and Marcel head to the address together, at which point Marcel informs Klaus that he’s allowed to be a jerk to everyone…other than Marcel. (And I’m reminded how much I enjoy these two together.) Once inside the house, they find lots of blood and a chair where Hayley was clearly tied up. There are ropes laced in wolf’s bane and vervaine. On top of that, they’re covered in nails. And on the wall, the words “freak filth crossbreed” are written in blood. Suddenly, it’s clear this season might tackle a very relevant theme in today’s world: The notion of “other.”

But considering that Klaus still hasn’t found Hayley, he takes the next step in his intimidation plan: He kidnaps one member of each faction — Josh is the vampire representative — and then threatens to kill them by sundown if Hayley is not delivered to him. Upon hearing this, Vincent takes off, determined to save his fellow witch. But it’s Ivy who stops him. She convinces him that they should turn to the cards, at which point they talk about their exes and just generally bond. As for the cards, they tell her that Klaus is walking a fine line but that he’s on the right side of it…for now.

Of course that all changes. After Klaus tells Marcel that whoever took Hayley did it out of fear because she’s different, he has Marcel deliver goodbye letters written by each of his captives to their friends. Marcel tries to convince him that he misplayed this, and that’s when Klaus tells him the truth about Elijah, that he knew who he was and wanted nothing to do with his family, that he’s gone. Marcel understands the pain, but he tells Klaus that he can’t let it cloud his judgment, not when Hayley’s life is on the line.

Then, a box with a note is delivered to Klaus. The note says “per your request,” and inside is the literal skin off Hayley’s back — specifically the chunk that contained her crescent tattoo. Remember that fine line Klaus was walking? This is when he crosses it. He kills both the witch and vampire hostages before Vincent stops him from killing Josh by snapping his neck.

Marcel is then left to deal with Klaus. He ties him up in chains and puts him in a coffin. When Klaus wakes up, he reveals how his plan worked: The vampire fraction was the only one that resisted when he asked for help. They’ve always been threatened by the crossbreeds, which means that Hayley was taken by a vampire. And they can’t save her if they aren’t feared, so…

Marcel and Klaus head to the church to have a talk with the vamps. Until Marcel can trust them, they will fall in line, he says. There will be no more daylight rings, and anyone who questions their rule, will lose their head. With Klaus by his side, Marcel is demanding control of the city. If they’re going to be targeted for being crossbreeds, they’re going to use the fact that they’re crossbreeds to their advantage. And I, for one, love the idea of the two of them ruling this city together. (Next: Freya pays Hope a visit)

But Vincent won’t be joining them. When Klaus shows up asking for help, Vincent lets him know that the witches are done being on-call for him. And if Klaus comes after the witches again, he’ll have a war on his hands — not one with the covens, but rather one with Vincent. And that’s not something Klaus wants.

Back at the compound, Klaus throws the box containing Hayley’s tattoo across the room, and when it breaks open, he finds a coin. He claims it’s a message from “enemies I thought I buried long ago.” On the back of that coin is none other than a swastika, so it seems like we’re really going all in on the “fear of that other” if we’re dealing with Nazis. I’m not sure how I feel about that just yet, but I suppose we should meet the villains first.

While all of this is happening in New Orleans, Freya pays Hope a visit in Mystic Falls to feel out if she’s going to be the greatest evil the world has ever seen. But so far, it seems like Hope is just a teenage girl who’s desperate to get her mother back (and possibly kiss the cute shirtless soccer player).

Freya eventually tells Hope the truth about her visit — the fact that the witches of New Orleans are worried she’ll be the downfall of…the city? The world? Nobody knows, but Freya wants Hope to be prepared for anything. In other words, she’s worried that losing Hayley could end with an entire village being burned to the ground. And based on the fact that Hope sets the place they’re in on fire when she gets mad, Freya’s probably on the right track.

Back at school — I’ll never get used to seeing the Salvatore Mansion this way — Hope and Roman have a brief moment when she talks about being sick of how people are scared of her and he’s all “I’m terrified but I’m kind of a risk-taker.” It’s incredibly cute, but Freya interrupts. Hope apologizes for earlier, and together, they’re left to figure out what to do next. (Um, you go finish your conversation with Roman, that’s what!!)

All in all, the Marcel-Klaus stuff was the strongest stuff of the hour for me. I like the show addressing the “fear of the other,” but I am curious to actually see how much they’re leaning into the Nazi of it all and how it works. This was very much so an hour that is setting up what’s to come, and for those purposes, it worked fine.