The Originals: Every Mother’s Son Recap

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The Originals: Every Mother’s Son (2×03)

Synopsis: Elijah and Klaus come face to face with their mother and brother over dinner. Klaus makes a startling discovery. Meanwhile, Hayley and Oliver attempt to save a witch.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Esther, as usual, is busy planning her family reunion, sending Klaus, Hayley and Elijah an invitation for herself to their home for dinner. Knowing Esther is a master in the art of possession, they come to the conclusion that her intentions are decisively foul and the three must prepare for the worst. Elijah visits Marcel, hoping to find a witch capable of helping them perform a soul-branding spell that will allow them to identify the next body Esther jumps into. Marcel, though is no fool and gives Elijah his answer so long as Gia accompanies him.

Marcel plays a tricky game this episode. It is clear Marcel wants something from Elijah, and Gia seems to think he’s using her to get it. Marcel believes Elijah has an Achilles heel; he can’t help but try to fix something that is broken. Marcel knows Elijah at some point will want to help Gia. Elijah and Gia visit Lenore, a witch and a new face in the quarter. They broker a deal with Lenore and leave, but it seems they were followed by Finn. Finn threatens Lenore and tortures her for information on what Elijah wanted.

Meanwhile, Elijah and Klaus are preparing for their deadly dinner reunion, dressed in elegant suits and ties. The first guest to arrive is Finn, his identity initially stumping Elijah but not fooling Klaus. Elijah and Klaus are not very happy by the revelation that both Finn and Kol are also alive. Even in his new body, Finn is still a psychotic pretentious creeper, still sentimental over their mother’s special treatment of Klaus.

Throughout flashbacks we see the Mikaelson family as young children growing up, still untouched by evil. Klaus was afraid of his father and his anger, seeking solace in the woods, but Esther always seemed to be there to support him. Esther seemed so nice and such a wonderful mother before she cursed her children. Over time though, it was evident she clearly favored Klaus, even fashioning him a special necklace that unbeknownst to him, protected him against Mikael.

Oliver, still in league with Hayley, is Finn’s lackey for the evening. He is instructed by Finn to torture Lenore, but calls Hayley immediately for help. Despite being an ass most of the time, I am genuinely pleased to see Oliver siding with and assisting Hayley by risking his life to infiltrate the enemy lines. My first opinion of him may have been made in haste. During dinner, Hayley comes to Oliver’s call and the two stage an attack to look like Oliver was jumped. Hayley rescues Lenore and she is eager and obliging to perform the spell on Esther, keen to get back at the bitch Esther. Once the spell is complete, the next time Esther jumps into a body, a mark will identify the body she’s claimed.

Esther finally arrives fashionably late. Of course she makes her dotting children wait on her. Things heat up fast after her arrival. It seems through a series of revelations that everything Esther ever did was to keep Klaus from becoming a beast for as long as possible and hide his true father’s identity from him, all while Klaus continually sought approval from Mikael that Esther knew would never come. Klaus believed Esther had turned him into a weakling by spelling him with a protection necklace. In poetic fashion, Esther is the author of everything Klaus is. As the dinner reaches new heights, Esther faints, apparently leaving Cassie’s body for good. It seems Lenore’s spell might have worked too well as it is only fitting that Esther takes the body of Lenore as identified by the mark on her hand, leaving Hayley in an unfortunate situation.

Elijah and Klaus race to Hayley’s aide, but while alone with Esther, Esther offers her a tempting proposition. Esther acknowledges the good Hayley has brought into her son’s lives and shares with her the loss of a child. Esther offers Hayley freedom from life as a hybrid and new life in a new body. Klaus and Elijah arrive, but Esther let’s Hayley leave of her own free will. She claims she has come to heal their broken family, instead of harming them, as they might believe. Esther escapes leaving Klaus, Elijah and Hayley left to ponder her motives. It seems Hayley though is rather tempted to take Esther’s offer of a clean slate, despite Elijah and Klaus’ insistence that she not. Klaus, shaken by Esther’s lies, believes she made him weak by sheltering him. Elijah, though, as his brother’s wise council, delivers a poignant speech to Klaus, believing in his fierce nature and his ability to protect their home.

After the reunion, Elijah meets with Gia and finally succumbs to his Achilles’ heel and offers her some advice. It seems Elijah has found something he wants to fix. If only it hadn’t been prearranged by Marcel. Sometimes I wish Elijah didn’t feel the need to always help those in need.

Esther meanwhile plans to systematically take everything from her sons that they love dearly until they come begging to her for help. She is one needy mother and thrives on the love and allegiance of her children. It seems her next target is none other than Marcel and his new vampires on the outskirt.

While entertaining in nature, this reunion still lacked a key influential player: Mikael. Even Kol’s absence was dully noted. The banter between Finn and his brothers reached a new height and the complexity of Klaus and Esther’s relationship was truly exposed. Their relationship is truly as complex as it is rocky. Both of their motives are buried in love, yet while one sought to protect, the other despised the isolation and shelter. Even Esther’s undoing was that she loved her children too much. I hope Klaus does not make a similar hasty decision based on his love for Hope, which is new to him in many ways. In true fashion and spoken by Hayley herself, every good story needs a wicked witch, but all the more satisfying when they melt her. Esther makes for a complex wicked villain, but I will be even more content with her death.

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