The series follows Klaus Mikaelson, an anti-hero, as he slowly redeems himself for several wrongdoings. Klaus has always been paranoid and quick to anger. Part of The Originals included watching Klaus begin to trust his family and those around him to help in his endeavors. Involved in those characters is Marcel Gerard, a mix of friend and foe.
Marcel tends to jump from ally to enemy depending on the episode and if the situation calls for him to side with Klaus or fight against him. The rocky relationships have so much history embedded in them that it is hard to look away. The characters are constantly developing, and the Mikaelsons, who have been alive for over a thousand years, still find themselves learning new things and growing as people too.
Entire Show: 85%
The Originals was a more adult and grown-up story of vampires compared to its predecessor, The Vampire Diaries. Following Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson, the series takes place in New Orleans, a city the Mikaelsons once called home. Arriving in the city once again, Klaus develops a plan to take control of it once again, but his old friend, Marcel Gerard, is not interested in giving up his kingdom.
Meanwhile, Elijah strives for Klaus' redemption and to get their family back together again. As a series that places familial bonds over all else, The Originals made the Mikaelsons a force that would not back down if attacked. Everything they do is to protect Hope and secure a future for their family, even if it means tearing through their enemies.
Season 1: 57%
When The Originals began, it was asking fans of The Vampire Diaries to root for the villains and watch them as heroes. Klaus and Elijah moved back to New Orleans after discovering Hayley Marshall was pregnant with Klaus' baby. Elijah intended to bring their family back together, wishing for Rebekah to join them as well. However, Klaus had his eye on the city itself. Desiring to return to his place as King of New Orleans, Klaus challenges Marcel for the crown of New Orleans while also trying to protect Hayley from those wishing her and the baby harm.
At the end of the season, Hope is finally born, only for Klaus to have to give his and Hayley's daughter to Rebekah to hide and protect away from New Orleans.
Season 5: 67%
The final season of the series did conclude several storylines, but not everyone loved the ending of The Originals. The fifth season picks up years after season four, when each of the Mikaelsons had to allow a piece of the Hollow to live within them, and then separate forever to protect Hope.
Caroline is brought into the season as a connection to Klaus and Hope. Caroline was running the Salvatore School, where Hope had been attending. The Originals uses part of its last season to introduce the Salvatore School and give fans a brief idea of the landscape for what to expect in Legacies. In the end, Hope loses Hayley, Klaus, and Elijah, leaving her with less family to lean on.
Season 4: 100%
Just like between seasons four and five, there is a time jump between seasons three and four. However, the world of the show was not the only one that was reliant on time. The fourth season of The Originals needed to air after The Vampire Diaries had finished. Due to events happening in the final season of The Vampire Diaries, references made in The Originals needed to line up with the time change. When The Originals finally premiered its fourth season, it reunited the Mikaelsons with Hayley and Hope.
The fourth season introduced the Hollow, which infected Hope and later forced Klaus and his siblings to separate.
Season 2: 100%
The Originals continued to deliver background into the Mikaelson family history in season two, and it also introduced who would become an integral part of the show. The second season brought Freya Mikaelson into the fold, revealing truths about Ester and Dahlia in the process. It also pushed the boundaries of all the characters as the Hayley had officially become a Hybrid after dying with Hope's blood in her system.
Ester also manages to revive Kol and Finn Mikaeson, who had been killed during their time in Mystic Falls. When Kol and Finn appear in New Orleans, they are not in their natural bodies and instead are within the bodies of two other witches, Kaleb and Vincent. Although Vincent continues as a character after Finn is removed from his body, Kaleb does not.
Season 3: 100%
The Originals always needed the villains to be skilled. Since the main characters of the show were Original Vampires and the Original Hybrid, the Mikaelsons were nearly impossible to kill. As such, the villains had to be smart, capable of killing them or constituting a real threat to their lives. The third season brought those qualities into the show with Lucien Castle. Lucien was the first person ever turned into a vampire and had been transformed by Klaus Mikaelson over a thousand years before.
Lucien's desire for revenge drives his choices, and Lucien pulls off becoming the first Upgraded Original Vampire. Even though Lucien did eventually fail, his character needed to be competent and capable of being a real threat to the Mikaelson family. Later, Marcel Gerard would also become an Upgraded Original Vampire. Season three also included, "A Streetcar Named Desire," the second half of the crossover event between The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, which featured Stefan Salvatore helping Klaus.