The Originals creators promised that this season would be about family (above all). They are certainly making good on that promise, delivering episode after episode designed to further the Mikaelson family mythology. 

But no episode so far has done that in quite the same way that The Originals Season 2 Episode 6 just did. 

You guys, this was Mikaelson family history overload and I loved (almost) every second of it.

Watch The Originals Season 2 Episode 6 Online

Let me start by saying that the narrative scenes with Klaus and Lesther nearly bored me to tears for much of the night. Too much talking. WAY, WAY too much facial articulating for Lesther. I have never in my life seen someone with a more unnecessarily animated face during conversation. 

It was almost distracting to the point of making the scenes unwatchable, despite the fact that Sonja Sohn's portrayal of Lesther is still miles beyond that of Casther. But really, let's find a way to get Esther back into her regular body. Somehow, some way. Please. 

Additionally, there are only so many times we can hear her say "when you take me up on this offer..." before she starts to sound like a nag. 

Anyway. With that complaint out of the way, have we got a few dozen things to discuss!

Esther turned away from magic as a young married woman and returned to her sister, Dahlia, for magical intervention when she couldn't get pregnant. Because magic always has a price, Esther promised her firstborn to her sister in exchange for fertility.

Those of us who've been waiting for four years now (or five?) for information about the eldest Mikaelson child were rewarded tonight.

Freya was the firstborn daughter of Esther and Mikael, the apple of her father's eye, and doomed to be returned to her aunt so that her siblings might live. 

You guys know what this means, right? There's no way Freya's dead like they've all thought all these years. Dollars to donuts we'll see her before The Originals season 2 ends.

Lesther all but confirmed we'll see Dahlia, too, and her return will alert them to the fact that Hope is still alive. They will once again try to kill her and once again they will lose because Klaus is letting no harm come to that child. This baby is doomed to spend the rest of her life in danger of being killed by nefarious people, most of whom will likely be flesh and blood relatives.

Klaus, of course, will protect his daughter with his life if that's what it takes. How fantastic was the moment when he laid it out for Esther that the reason he would never trust her or accept her offer was because she came for his family? This from the guy who has been labeled a loner and a monster for over 1,000 years.

This Dahlia reveal also adds a layer to why Esther may have turned her children into immortal beings. If she stripped them of what made them human, she prevented them from ever being able to procreate and experience the same pain she and Mikael felt upon losing their daughter. Turning them into vampires effectively ended her sister's reign on their lives. 

It was pretty genius except for that whole bloodlust and robbing them of the natural order of life thing. 

The Originals Cast: Before They Were Stars

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Another minor complaint wrapped in a big ol' WTF: Klaus' biological father was brought back from the Other Side, too. 

How many more people hitched a ride on Esther's comeback wagon?? Sheesh!

Ansel, who has been living deep in the bayou, found himself back on Earth after a millennia of being dead. It's a good thing he was dropped in the middle of nowhere because I have to imagine that would have been quite the culture shock.

Kind of like the shock Klaus experienced when he saw this guy in the cemetery and went "wait a second..." only to recognize the man as his father. His REAL father. Dead for over 1,000 years.

I can't blame him for believing Ansel was another illusion, and I'm really interested to see what will come of Klaus and Ansel's relationship and interactions. I have a feeling Ansel won't be around for long and, sure, Klaus is already bucking his father's authority and presence in his life, but that's sort of his thing. I've come to expect no less.

But Ansel's assistance in saving Oliver--even though Ollie died and RIP YOU HOT BLONDE BEAST--will no doubt cause Hayley to side with him, her sort of relative through Hope, on at least one occasion, throwing a wrench into her relationship with Klaus, as will Jackson's return.

Now that he's Alpha again, and clearly still carrying a torch for Hayley, will she choose her wolf nature or her vampire nature? She claims she's a wolf, but there's something about the way she carries herself as a hybrid that says she doesn't exactly mind having some of the perks that her baby girl bestowed upon her on her way out of the womb.

So much good stuff!!

Speaking of good stuff, is it just me or does newb vamp Gia have some chemistry with everyone? 

Marcel was most definitely eyeballing her tonight after she saved his life, but Marcel also has a thing for Cami, and that thing is going to make it difficult for her to get close to Finn. 

It's understandable that Marcel doesn't want her to get any more involved than she has to so that she stays safe, but he sort of played her into getting involved tonight. He pulled Reverse Psychology 101 on her hard! 

"No, Cami, don't get involved..." most certainly means she's going to get involved. No one is the boss of her!

Finncent likes her. She's his "blind spot." Gah. I love Cami O'Connell. I think she's treading in some dangerous and murky waters, but I love that she's brave enough to get her feet wet in this war.

What did you think of "Wheel Inside the Wheel"? How do you feel about Esther's history? Were you shocked to learn that Klaus' father is alive?

We might be getting close to the mid-season finale, but remember, you can watch The Originals online any time.

And here's your first look at The Originals Season 6 Episode 7, "Chasing the Devil's Tale."

Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.