What we want to see more of in Season 5 of The Originals

Season 5 of The Originals is finally underway, and the show needs to pull out all the stops to give the Mikaelsons the send off they deserve!

The final season of The Vampire Diaries had the entire gang fighting the devil although not the biblical figure — more of a Hell dimension run by everybody’s favorite bad girl, Katherine. The Originals will be fighting their own demons both metaphorical and literal as the series comes to a close.

The first three episodes get off to a strong start. We see Klaus reunite — albeit briefly — with Caroline Forbes-Salvatore. Fans meet a teenaged Hope and her daddy issues, and tensions escalate between the vampire, werewolf and witch factions of New Orleans. Also, the threat of the Hollow lingers, and Hayley is kidnapped, first by Hope and, later, by a villain or villains to be named later.

But since this is the final season, we want not only more of what has made The Originals so good over the past four years. but to see the characters evolve in new and interesting ways that will close their stories in a compelling fashion.

Reuniting the Mikaelsons

Granted, we could take or leave Kol, but getting Rebekah, Elijah and Klaus back together again as quickly as possible is imperative. These sibling relationships are the heart of the series. Yes, they have a deeply dysfunctional family dynamic — this tends to happen when every member of the family does, at times, have their own diabolical agendas. But quibbling and quipping aside, they always manage to unite when faced with a common foe. This season is reinforcing how lost they are without each other — with the exception of Elijah who is blissfully estranged for the time being.

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Obviously, getting the entire gang back in the same place remains a challenge. All four immortal Mikaelsons are still harboring a piece of the Hollow, and if they get together before this problem is resolved, well, it means the destruction of New Orleans and beyond.

The least the series could do is give Elijah his memories back. It’s hard to argue that he isn’t happier living it up in France instead of babysitting Klaus, but we miss those expensive suits and the moral compass of the Mikaelson clan.

The Biggest Bad Ever

If episode 4 is any indication, Klaus is poised to battle a cult of Nazi werewolf-killing vampires in an attempt not only to rescue Hayley but to secure the safety of the rest of his family as well.

These new villains might be at the heart of the origin story of this season’s big bad, which according to an interview with showrunner Julie Plec with TVLine is “an ideology more so than one person’s nefarious desire.” She goes on to say, “It was an ideology that was spawned almost a century ago, a movement that has been simmering and stewing over that century. It does have a personal connection to the Mikaelson family, but it also has a thematic resonance that is very timely” (the rise of Nazism began in the 1930s’, so the timeline fits since that was over 80 years ago.) It’s unlikely this storyline is random and unrelated to this mysterious ideology.

Vincent Needs a Love Life

Vincent has emerged as an indispensable character, but he deserves to have some fun while saving his beloved New Orleans from the never-ending threats that promise to reduce the Crescent City to rubble.

Ivy is a great match for Vincent. She’s a vast improvement over his psychotic ex and the dowdy single mom who was crushin’ on him hard early during season 4. Finding love in the Big Easy ain’t easy since romantic relationships generally end in heartache: Hayley and Jackson, Klaus and Cami, Rebekah and Marcel, Josh and Aiden, Hayley and Elijah and Freya and Keelin are major couplings that immediately spring to mind.

Ivy seems genuine, but viewers can’t assume she doesn’t have ulterior motives. And if she too good to be true, Ivy could still get killed off, but let’s hope this woman is a keeper. It would be nice if The Originals started giving its main characters some type of happy ending.

Caroline and the Twins

Caroline will be back later this season, and she and Alaric’s twin daughters, Lizzie and Josie are slated to make an appearance as well. We don’t know much about what’s happened to the last-remaining Gemini Coven twins since The Vampire Diaries finale. In episode 4 of The Originals, fans learn the sister might be a bit rebellious, hiding out in the woods and drinking bourbon they likely swiped from functioning alcoholic, Alaric. We’re eager to meet Lizzie and Josie and see how they’ve turned out, and how they’ll factor into the season’s penultimate episode.

More importantly, after their sizzle-less encounter in the premiere, fans want to see if Klaus could indeed wind up being Caroline’s last great love. They are firmly entrenched in the friend zone, and Caroline is less than impressed with off-the-rails Klaus and his non-existent parenting style.

Caroline is set to appear in several more episodes, but she’ll likely be fighting alongside Klaus instead of canoodling with him. It’s hard to imagine Klaus domesticated, living in Mystic Falls and shaping young minds at Caroline’s school, but eternity is a long time, so Klaroline fans still have good reason to root for this coupling.

The Chilling Hope Prophesy

If there’s any truth to Ivy and Dahlia’s predictions about Hope, she’s a bad seed who will eventually bring down her family, New Orleans and, quite possibly, the world. Viewers have only gotten a glimpse of Hope’s power, since she’s not supposed to practice magic without supervision. And after seeing her pull on a full-on Firestarter in episode 4 after losing her temper, we know why.

Mikaelson witches are badasses, and Hope’s power is even more potent thanks to her vampire and werewolf blood. Will she go full-on mean girl like Willow did on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Whether she debunks the prophesy or fulfills it, we want more details, and we want to see Hope perform some serious magic.

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What are your hopes for the final season? What are your theories about the new big bad? Is the show better or worse without the family together? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The Originals airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.