“The Originals” has always been known for heart rending family drama, but “The Kindness of Strangers” brings it to the next level in arguably the best episode the series has ever given us. In a way, it’ll be hard for the final five episodes of the series to top this.
The Mikaelson siblings are trapped in a mental illusion which they must escape, a task that proves problematic when Elijah refuses to cooperate. Marcel and Rebekah discuss their relationship, while Klaus must decide if he’s willing to forgive Elijah.
Trapped | Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and Freya end up in a mental recreation of the compound, where each one of them must find a hidden key that will unlock the door they need to escape. With tensions high between Klaus and Elijah, the others get to work searching, when Marcel arrives and tells them that Hope was the one who put them in the illusion in an effort to tear the Hollow from them. And with one plague to go until all firstborns die, it’s tick-tock to doomsday.
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Making matters more complicated, Kol finds his key in a room that Hope never saw in the compound- but Freya did. Freya admits to Klaus that she is in cahoots with Hope and tells him that Hope will funnel the Hollow into herself to save New Orleans and her family before Freya wisely scrams.
Red Door Redux | Rebekah and Klaus find their keys, leaving Elijah, who Marcel discovers is slowly remembering who he is. Klaus, Kol and Rebekah confront him and Klaus tries to make him remember that he loved Hayley, but Elijah nastily spits back and says he only pretended to in order to please Klaus. At that moment, the Hollow is purged from the four of them and funneled into Hope.
Marcel finds Elijah’s key in a coffin and the five of them exit into the “Matrix Reloaded” hallway where Marcel and Kol leave on doors with their names on them. Elijah’s door is the red door that he can’t open and Rebekah convinces Klaus that he is capable of forgiving Elijah before she leaves. Klaus helps Elijah open the red door and all of them wake up in the church as Elijah remembers everything- including Hayley’s death. As the devastated Elijah cries his heart out, no one can do anything but watch.
Little Tragedies | Marcel confronts Rebekah about why she refused to marry him and she tells him that she is angry about the fact that she can’t have a family and won’t let that anger tear them apart. They have one last kiss before Rebekah leaves. Again! Klaus gives Elijah his blood to cure Antionette and leaves him in the church. Elijah gives her the cure, but is unable to stay with her and leaves her. As Klaus waits for the unconscious Hope to wake up, he reads letters that Hayley sent him over the last few years and cries. Elijah visits the bayou where Hayley was buried and simply watches the sunset.
“The Originals” airs Wednesdays on The CW.