The Originals ended in August of 2018, but as The Vampire Diaries-verse lives on via CW's Legacies, more and more new viewers are rediscovering the epic New Orleans based saga of the original family of vampires. Though The Originals didn't air quite as long as The Vampire Diaries, many of the character's story arcs superseded those of the characters in The Vampire Diaries by thousands of years.
Where Legacies and The Vampire Diaries lean into adolescence, innocence, and coming-of-age plotlines, The Originals excelled in delivering quandaries of redemption amid true darkness, sprinkled with moments of snarky humor. Almost every character in The Originals is guilty of something, wants forgiveness and a happy ending. Well, the show ended... but which of the characters received fitting endings?
Fitting: Vincent Griffith
First seen in the season one finale, Vincent Griffith has survived several apocalypses with the Mikaelson family—not always as their ally. This ex-Regent of the Nine Covens is without a doubt one of the most powerful witches in The Vampire Diaries Universe. Most famously, he worked with the Mikaelson's fighting against one of their most annoying villains, Lucian Castle.
Vincent severs the Quarter witches link to their ancestors in an unprecedented move in that universe, freeing the witches there from being slaves to their ancestors' will. After the tragedies he faced, his ending as a surrogate father and co-parent to Freya's child was unexpected but welcome and fitting.
Not Fitting: Joshua Roszua
The Originals departed from its parent-show stylings when it chose to focus on a cast of mainly adult characters. Perhaps that's why characters like Josh and Devina quickly became fan-favorites despite their side-character statuses. In a story brimming over with immortal all-powerful geniuses, Josh is the relatably terrified twenty-year stuck in the middle.
His loyalty to and his ability to see the good in Marcel set him apart, who are generally dishonest and tend to see the worst in people. Josh didn't deserve to die when he became a vampire, and if he had to become a vampire he should have at least been able to enjoy a little bit more immortality before he, well, bit the dust in season five, episode ten.
Fitting: Freya Mikaelson
Desperate to know her siblings for centuries, Freya is fiercely loyal. Though her initial interactions with Keelin were violent and frankly terrifying when the two become allies Freya is equally as fierce in her loyalty to Keelin.
It's heartbreaking that Freya's family kind of falls apart at the end of The Originals, so it's beautiful that she ends her story by starting another family of her own with her wife and her best friend. In Legacies, we even get a sneak peek at her life when Josie visits her, and it seems like she truly got her happily ever after.
Not Fitting: Elijah Mikaelson
Known for keeping his word, Elijah debuted in The Vampire Diaries as an ally to Elena and her friends against Klaus... but ultimately betrayed her when he was unable to kill his brother. After betraying Elena, Elijah goes on to have many honorable seasons on The Originals, until he seems to tumble downhill after betraying Kol and Devina.
He makes the mistake of his life by erasing his memory and allowing himself to be used as a tool to help kill Haley, who was the love of his life, an act which influences him to die in the series finale with Klaus. It was pretty tragic to see his honor dismantled and then watch him die.
Fitting: Davina Claire
Similar to Josh, Davina struggled with her sense of family and self throughout the show as a character who was mostly goodhearted in a world full of angry, scared, backstabbing immortal vampires. Even after the Mikaelsons betrayed her, she fought from beyond the grave to help them defeat the Hollow and save Hope.
It's a good thing she did since Hope turned out to become her niece-in-law after she finally got to end up with her true love Kol Mikaelson. Her ending is the cute, happy ending most fans wished Cami or Jackson could have had.
Not Fitting: Hayley Marshall
Haley Marshall won over the hearts of fans everywhere as the werewolf who wouldn't put up with Klaus' nonsense. That trend continued on The Originals when she became the mother of Klaus' child. As the first un-sired werewolf-vampire hybrid in the history of that universe, she proves herself to be invaluable as a fighter against various Mikaelson enemies.
As Alpha of the Crescents, she breaks the curse laid upon her pack and then helps forge the first period of peace New Orleans had seen in decades. Even though she found peace in the afterlife with Jackson, it was heartbreaking to watch her say goodbye to Hope.
Fitting: Marcel Gerard
As Klaus' non-biological first-child, Marcel didn't have the healthiest upbringing. Many of his actions (like imprisoning Klaus while Haley is on the run with Hope) are things he does out of a sense of abandonment he feels about Klaus leaving him in New Orleans, or Elijah betraying him on the bridge.
In the last season, Marcel finally resolves these tensions. It's heartwarming to see him at the dinner table with the rest of the Mikaelsons in the last episode, to see him tell Hope that he'll always be there for her (like a sibling), and to know that he gets to end up with the love of his life, Rebekah.
Not Fitting: Niklaus Mikaelson
A lot of the initial buzz around The Originals involved fans of The Vampire Diaries wondering, "How exactly is Klaus Mikaelson going to be a dad?" This was a character who made his debut by murdering Elena's Aunt Jenna and attempting to murder Elena, and after he didn't quite get what he wanted, he hovered around the show as a villain, just generally being awful and murdering people he didn't have to murder.
On The Originals, his love for his family grows from an endearing quirk to the main facet of his character, and despite his earlier trespasses, it's delightful to see that character growth happen to such a stubborn, ancient, predator. So, of course, while it makes sense that the best thing he could do for his daughter was sacrifice himself, it was sad to know his time with Hope was so limited.
Fitting: Rebekah Mikaelson
In one of her most iconic early scenes, Rebekah is reminiscing about it longingly, explaining she's never been to a prom before when Elena betrays her by staking her, which meant sadly she'd be asleep during the prom and would miss her opportunity. Rebekah desperately wanted to become human when she found out about the cure to vampirism but eventually lost that fight against her brother, who wanted the cure for his selfish reasons.
Throughout the show, she also struggled with romantic tensions, as Klaus had pretty much ruined every relationship she'd ever been in. It was really lovely to see her walk off into the sunset with Marcel, knowing that whenever Damon reached old age, Rebekah would be able to siphon the cure from him and get the human life she always wanted.
Not Fitting: Hope Mikaelson
Hope spends most of her time on The Originals as a baby who is largely missing in action as she's swept from one Mikaelson's arms to another's to keep her safe amidst the chaos of their supernatural world. When she's old enough to have speaking lines, we see that Haley has taught her about all the best parts of being a Mikaelson: loyalty, love, courage, and sacrifice.
Even as a child she does her best to take down the Hollow for her family. Even though she's thriving on Legacies, she spends season five angry at her dad, angry at Elijah, grieving over her mom, and then ultimately ends up largely alone.