It was nice to see almost all the Originals together again (Rebekah could, sadly, not attend as she’s still taking a dagger-nap), but the family reunion was interrupted as per usual.
Just when we thought the White Oak bullet was going to present our biggest problem, enter this season’s true adversary. He may have been acting the sheep recently, but “Behind the Back Horizon” pulled the wool back and revealed who the wolf in sheep’s clothing has been working toward the entire season.
What happened on ‘The Originals’ season 3, episode 17?
A simple question, that. The answer is anything but simple.
It all started with Lucien taking a hike with Freya and Vincent. It wasn’t just any hike though. Surprise, he took them to Mystic Falls for some spell. And bonus, it’s not just any spell, but he wants to become a super-Original. Apparently the ancestors (that have previously worked with Esther and pretty much every other villain the Mikaelsons have come across) are willing to make a deal with anyone that wants to rid the Earth of Mikaelson blood. This time the lovely contestant was Lucien Castle. If they helped him to find the spell Esther used to turn her children into abominations, he would rid the world of the Mikaelsons.
Well, Lucien got his way. A little Mikaelson blood (courtesy of Freya), and an enslaved witch (poor Vincent), and voila! The super-Original is born. Not only did he turn himself into a super-Original, but he made sure that there was enough of the potion to turn another. Three guesses who (but you’ll only need one).
While Lucien was on his little road trip/hike, Klaus and Hayley were investigating Kingmaker properties. They stumble across a room holding all the kidnapped werewolves and learn that not only has Lucien been harvesting their venom, but that he has been harvesting venom from the seven packs. Apparently there is a old coalition of werewolves whose venom is crazy strong when combined. Great news (note: sarcasm).
Davina shows the Mikaelsons a video that Vincent left her in the St. James bar. He knew that Lucien was taking them out of town, but not where, and he talked about how he and Freya were being dragged along. Thanks to Esther’s use of Vincent’s body to house Finn, they have a link between them. He suggests that she use that link to locate them and get a couple of Mikaelsons there as quickly as possible.
Davina works her magic, figures out that Lucien took a road trip to Mystic Falls, then borrows a soul-link amplifier from Cami (who hints that Kol has the cursed look her uncle once had) to show Finn exactly where Lucien took their friends.
The confrontation between Lucien and the Mikaelsons ends with Finn bitten by a now super-charged Lucien. They may have managed to save Freya and Vincent, but Finn isn’t looking good. By the time they get him back to the compound, he’s in really bad shape. It seems that the super-venom acts faster and more potently than regular venom. Klaus shows up and gives Finn his blood, it dulls the effects for a little while, but soon, the venom takes hold and kills Finn.
That’s right, folks, Lucien’s bite can kill an Original vampire. Let’s just let that soak in for a second. No White Oak necessary, Lucien is now a super-Original with enough venom to kill the Mikaelsons. Oh, and remember that second dose of his potion? He gave it to his lady-love Aurora. Yep, that Aurora. The crazypants one that loves and hates Klaus with the same breath.
We also learned that Kol’s anger and super-thirst is the result of the ancestors messing with him. They couldn’t reach Davina since she’s been shunned, so they’ve cursed Kol. Vincent is not cool with this, so he meets with Davina at St. James Bar (the only magic-free place in New Orleans) to discuss stopping the ancestors from using people once and for all.
We are definitely on board with stopping the ancestors. They’ve caused more problems than they’ve stopped over the years, and not just with the Originals. If the ancestors can be cut off from the living, there would be a much easier road to peace.
Oh, and wasn’t Matt pretty adorable as Mystic Falls vampire protection force? He definitely meant business, even if he was facing a pair of Originals. You go Matt. Do your thing.