The Originals – Episode 1.17 - Moon Over Bourbon Street recap

I bet you all thought I had run away, 1 recap and then nothing for weeks. Well The Originals was on a very painful month-long hiatus so I figured I'd hold my recap back until the show was about to restart again before posting. Hopefully this will leave you guys ready and raring for the new episode tomorrow night. So, here we go.

Previously on The Originals

Klaus sent Rebekah packing (*sobs* I'm never going to be over that), Hayley threw a "Yay you're human for the night" party for her near perma-furry family that ended up with her finding out she's been technically engaged since birth. Father K got hexed, Davina was a basketcase who couldn't do magic and Elijah started behaving more like Klaus than himself when he exiled Marcel from the only home he'd ever known.

And now...

KLAUS IS PAINTING!!!!! Well now that's been a long time coming!

Klaus talks about how time heals all wounds but it's dependent on the wound as we see Hayley at the half moon with wolf Jackson, and poor Father Kieran dealing with his hex. Marcel looks out over the city he's been banished from and it seems like someone might have a plan in mind.

Back to Klaus, still painting, but he's got company. Klaus has found himself a distraction in the form of a certain red headed witch. This cannot possibly end well for Genevieve, but it's sure going to be fun as hell to watch the rather incendiary combination, seriously, these two are hot together. (DISCLAIMER – I am a Klaroline shipper, have been for a long time, and I want to see them together eventually, but I in no way expect Klaus to be a monk while he waits for Caroline to figure out her myriad issues and then come to him.)

It seems like since Rebekah left Klaus has been making more time for the witch than he has for running the city and things are rather going to hell, vampires feeding openly on cops, witches attacking vampires.

The full moon arrives and a very pregnant Hayley (seriously, is she ever going to have this kid? Seems like she's been pregnant forever!) takes the herbal concoction that Celeste/Sabine gave her before she died, the one she vowed would turn the Crescent clan back to their human forms outside of the night of the full moon, and pours it into their dinner. It works, so now we get pretty human Jackson and Oliver all the time!

Elijah is in full on snark mode when he interrupts a little post-coital chat between Klaus and Genevieve and kicks the red head out. The brothers argue over Genevieve's part in Rebekah leaving, Elijah says it's been over a month (holy time jump Batman) that Klaus has been distracted and that he really needs to snap out of it and start behaving like the king he so badly wanted to be when they first returned to New Orleans. Klaus doesn't seem interested until Elijah pulls the baby card, likening her growing up in a city in the midst of a supernatural war to their living under the threat of violence from Dad of the Millennium, Mikael. Elijah wants them to work together to fix the city, Klaus replies “Perhaps it is too broken to mend.” Wait, are we talking about the city or Klaus here?

Elijah gathers together members of the vampire, witch and human factions (no werewolves...trouble in Haylijah paradise?) at St Anne's church where he proceeds to tear up the rules of the city that Marcel put in place and puts himself in charge of a new proto-alliance.

The returned Harvest witches are practising their magic, bringing dead roses back to life. Davina still hasn't got her mojo back and Monique is making a point of rubbing her nose in it. Poor kid was tortured by the strength of her magic when she was alive, tortured by the spirits of her ancestors when she was dead and now is being bullied by some jumped up brat who is way too big for her own boots. Is she ever going to catch a break?

Out in the bayou the newly human again werewolf clan are having werewolf fight club, apparently for pecking order in the pack. Hayley asks why Jackson isn't taking part and he says it's because “They already know who's the alpha.” The sparks between these two are certainly flying, and Oliver notices that as he jumps in to the ring to fight. At dinner Oliver drops the news about Elijah's little werewolf free meeting sending Hayley storming straight into the meeting to demand that they get to be included. There's definitely trouble brewing between Elijah and Hayley, Elijah wants Hayley to come back and live in the Quarter, but Hayley's having none of it, not unless she gets her way for her people.

Cami wanders in, unannounced and uninvited and then has the nerve to get pissy cos Klaus is with Genevieve. Oh Cami dear, green does not suit you. Cami has come to beg Klaus for help to heal her uncle whose condition is rapidly going downhill. Klaus explains that even his relationship with Genevieve isn't going to help, Kieran is doomed.

Davina walks into a diner to meet up with everyone's favourite gay vampire, Josh. Davina fills him in on her current bully drama while Marcel spies on them from a rooftop across the street. Thierry comes to see him to hear a proposal, Marcel wants to take back the city and wants Thierry and the others who walked out on Klaus to join him.

Kieran is chaining himself up in the attic cos he is pretty full tilt crazy now, he tries to persuade Cami to leave the city and not get involved in the supernatural drama knowing that they will ask her to fill his seat as the remaining O'Connell when he dies. She refuses and he goes from beseeching to frustrated, then calm to murderous in about 3 seconds flat. Todd Stashwick once again knocking it out of the park. If Father Kieran does die I am going to be majorly upset, there will be a full on Irish Wake in my house. Cami manages to knock him out and sits out of reach, scared and worried.

Elijah is day drinking, which cannot be a good sign, when he is approached by Ms Francesca Correa, casino owner, philanthropist and drug smuggling crime family matriarch. She's part of the human faction and she wants Father Kieran's spot as the head. She presents Elijah with a fait accompli and a veiled threat and then walks out.

Klaus is painting again, he's really got the bug and is giving some serious attention to this canvas. Or at least he would be if Elijah wasn't standing in the way. Klaus gives Elijah some advice, and that advice is to deal with the werewolves. They used to be powerful, Marcel took that from them and left them out in the cold. Elijah says that it's the other factions that are the problem, they don't want to let the werewolves come to the table.

“Take a page from Bienville brother, if the table's the obstacle, remove it. Do you recall in 1720 the governor's desperation to secure our help to build the city's first levees? We sat with him and refused his offer and so he plied us with wine, with corseted women and with raucous camaraderie until he had his yes.” Klaus is worryingly chipper.

“Are you suggesting that I throw a party?” Elijah asks with a wry smile.

And what a party he throws, we've got slinky, strutting witches, gothed up vampires and bad boy werewolves all coming to play and tensions are high even before anyone speaks. Francesca is back, and cracking on to Elijah. I get the feeling he likes his woman with a little more subtlety than this one, she's about as subtle as half a brick. Elijah concedes to her leading the human faction but only until Kieran is well again (I'm not religious at all, but I'm praying for that outcome) and she gets all smug with herself right as Hayley walks in and Elijah blanks her in favour of the little wolf.

Josh is hiding in the diner again and Marcel turns up. He wants Josh to help Davina get her groove back so that she can defend herself in the coming war.

Back at the party Oliver is checking out Davina, Diego is giving him devil stares cos his family was massacred by werewolves. Elijah tells him basically to suck it up and play nice. Then he approaches Jackson and makes some very polite, very Elijah threats. Genevieve gets a bit green eyed herself over Cami and Klaus reassures her before rushing off when he sees Jackson heading towards his rooms. Klaus wanting to talk to the alpha of the Crescent Wolves? This cannot possibly be a good thing, can it?

Oh Klaus invited him and wants to offer him something. Klaus tells Jackson that he was born a werewolf and can take away the burden of being a werewolf from him. Jackson assumes Klaus means he wants to turn him into a hybrid and refuses. Klaus wants to give New Orleans back to the werewolves. So does this mean he's trying to get back to his real roots? His true family, rather than his half-blood relatives who can't stand him anyway. Jackson is understandably dubious, but Klaus makes the valid point that vampires destroy life to survive, witches are only as powerful as their dead but the werewolves draw their power from family unity, and that is what Klaus wants for his daughter.

Jackson still isn't buying Klaus's apparent desire to get all warm and fuzzy with his furry side, suggesting that perhaps the werewolves don't want Klaus even if he wants them.

Of course Klaus has an ace up his sleeve, he would be everyone's favourite scheming bastard if he didn't. Klaus has the ring that he saw on the werewolf Cary, the descendant of Klaus's biological father, and Klaus believes that this ring could be the werewolf equivalent of a vampire's daylight ring, freeing them from the curse. No more uncontrollable turning, but all of the power. And suddenly, Jackson is on board.

Back downstairs Oliver hits on Davina but back from the dead bully Monique interferes. Elijah asks Hayley to dance and as they dance Elijah mentions that Klaus has been painting again. “That's never a good sign. Klaus once told me that his painting was a metaphor for control. For achieving his vision through sheer force of will.” I remember that speech, and I have a feeling it's going to be important here. Something tells me that whatever he is working on is important as we are yet to see what he has painted except for a mostly grey canvas right at the start. Elijah still wants Hayley back in the city with him and is trying to persuade her when Jackson cuts in. If Elijah's looks could kill Jackson would be a twitching mess on the floor but instead he gets to flatter Hayley and compliments her while Elijah listens in. Didn't anyone ever tell him it's rude to eavesdrop? And if you use vampire hearing to do it then you're almost certainly going to hear something you don't like.

Cami is drinking away her troubles, not sure if those troubles are the state of her uncle or her jealousy. Either way, Marcel turns up, they bond and then head out to get major league drunk.

Diego ignores Elijah's order to play nice and picks a fight with Oliver which rapidly descends into a bit of a brawl between the vampire and werewolf factions, with even Elijah weighing in before Hayley steps up and puts the boys in their places. Francesca asks if Klaus is going to intervene but he's quite right in saying that things have just gotten interesting. Hayley reminds everyone present that they have all had a hand in the current situation; vampires, werewolves, witches and humans, so really either they all need to die or they need to just get on with it.

Davina bailed on the party and is hanging out with Josh. There needs to be more of these two please, we've got 5 episodes left in the season after this, if we don't get at least one Davina and Josh scene in each one I'll be really upset! Anyway, Josh gives Davina an important life lesson, basically that family can be who you choose to surround yourself with, and that Davina has him, Cami and even Marcel who love her. Monique is nothing. After his little pep talk Davina gives the dead rose revival spell another go and it works.

So, seems like Marcel and Cami found more bourbon, quite possibly all of the bourbon, they end up back at Cami's apartment giggly, falling down drunk and fall into bed together, spied on through some dreamcatcher from hell by Genevieve. Perv much?

Morning after the night before Cami tells Marcel it was a one time thing, cos Klaus trusts her and hates him and would see the two of them together as a major betrayal. Let's not forget the look on Klaus's face when Cami offered herself to Marcel to feed from after Papa Tunde attacked him. Marcel seems a little distracted as he's noticed the dreamcatcher from hell in the apartment, when he leaves he snags it, wraps it in his jacket and then jumps on it. Did he just know what it was? Or did he put it there? Is Marcel working with Genevieve and the witches? Marcel knew all along that Thierry was on his own, but now they are united, the beginning of their new army. They stand together looking at the city skyline which transitions into the painting Klaus has been working on through the episode. That same skyline...on fire. Klaus decides it isn't quite finished and sets to work again while Elijah has the various factions, now including the werewolves, sign his new rules in blood.

Hayley and the werewolves celebrate their inclusion in the treaty, Davina gives Monique a magical spanking by reviving every rose in the house. Jackson tells Oliver about the deal he made with Klaus, that it could make the werewolves superior to every other faction.

Elijah brings the treaty to Klaus and makes him sign it, despite the fact his blood is not in the mix. He signs but with a warning, he knows that this peace will not last. Elijah leaves Klaus who has finally finished his painting, a huge, cloud-wreathed full moon hangs over the burning city (SIDEBAR – I want that painting, if they made prints of that I'd totally have it on my wall). I think that makes it pretty clear that Klaus is backing the werewolves in whatever is to come, even against his own brother and I cannot wait to see what that means for the remainder of the season.