Nothing has been easy in the Big Easy for the Mikaelson family.

Old frenemies, a superpowered teenage witch and a pesky pack of mysterious werewolves have all made life for Klaus and Co. more than a little difficult.

But these obstacles haven't stopped our beloved trio of siblings from reclaiming their former home on The Originals. 

While we're currently awaiting the show's January return, let's break down the first half of The Originals Season 1 with another edition of the TV Fanatic report card...

Best Episode: This is a tough category to lead with because every episode of this spin-off has gotten better than the previous one with what is likely the best still to come as the season plays out. With that in mind, the best episode of the season so far was The Originals Season 1 Episode 9. It brought a close to the power struggle between Klaus and his former protege Marcel and saw the two choosing to rule the city together.

Elijah and Klaus also made amends. Both situations put Rebekah on the periphery of the inner circle which is a perfect set-up for her to defect and join forces with Cami and Davina when The Originals season 1 episode 10 airs. And let's not forget that big reveal about the werewolves moving into the bayou and their connection to Klaus. Like I said earlier, this series just keeps getting better and better.

Honorable mention for Best Episode goes to The Originals Season 1 Episode 5, "Sinners and Saints." The Harvest sequence and the unfolding of the events that led to Davina being the most powerful witch in New Orleans was well done.

Watch The Originals Season 1 Episode 9 Online

Worst Episode: This goes to The Originals Season 1 Episode 1. Instead of an entirely new pilot, writers and producers retold the backdoor pilot, which appeared during The Vampire Diaries season 4, from Elijah's perspective. It worked in that it refreshed the memories of those who'd watched the original pilot and set up the reason for the Mikaelson's return to New Orleans for those just tuning in, but given that so much of the footage was being re-aired and considering the amazing episodes which have come since, this was definitely the weakest of the first nine.

Best Character: ELIJAH! Seriously! If The Originals gave us nothing else, it gave us more Elijah. Sure, he spent a few episodes in a coffin, but his alter-ego Daniel Gillies is quite the busy man, what with shooting Saving Hope in Canada, a new baby at home, and interviewing TV Fanatic on the red carpet. Elijah is...amazing. He's hands-down the best character, though Klaus does give him a run for his money sometimes, usually when JoMo sheds the single man tear.

Worst Character: This one's a tough one. So far, those characters who are no longer useful have been killed, so the easy answer here is one of the witches whose heart was ripped out in the church sanctuary. For a real answer, let's go with Sophie Devereaux. She's only the worst because there's so much about her we don't know and so far, she hasn't done much except play the Mikaelson's against Marcel  so she can slaughter Davina. But we haven't seen her in two? three? episodes now? So yeah, worst character.

Best Chemistry: Rebekah and Marcel are hot together even if their rekindled (and now dead) romance came out of nowhere. The die-hard Klaroline shippers will likely never be able to see Klaus and Cami together, but there's something between the two of them smoldering just under the surface. So, that means Haylijah gets the win for best chemistry. There's something electric about the two of them on the screen and the fact that we're having to earn this relationship means it should be worth it. When they finally get together, expect it to be hot.

Hopes and Predictions for the rest of The Originals season 1: As we've seen in The Casket Girl promos, Davina's angry, and when Davina gets angry, windows and doors explode. She's slightly more in control of her power now, but not so much that she's not a loose cannon. I predict that she'll grow increasingly more powerful and out of control to the point that someone HAS TO kill her, which will inadvertently complete the Harvest ritual. 

That will set up a nice power struggle between Father Kiernan and the humans, Klaus, Marcel, and the vampires, and Sophie and the witches to carry us to the end of the season. 

Oh, and Hayley's totally having that baby.

If we're lucky, maybe we'll get another crossover (Hey Matt Donovan, Rebekah's lonely!), or at the very least, Tyler will be released from The Gardens. That will stir up trouble with Klaus and the werewolves, both Hayley's family and his own. 

Overall Grade: A

Your turn, TV Fanatics! Watch The Originals online and grade it here!

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