We’re giving The Originals Season 4 the TV Fanatic Report Card treatment.
We’re running down the best and worst of a solid season of the supernatural drama series.
It was the first season of the series airing without parent series, The Vampire Diaries, and you will be surprised at how well it held up.
Remember you can watch The Originals online right here via TV Fanatic.
Read on and let us know what you would have chosen in the comments.
Best Episode
The Originals Season 4 Episode 3 was a surprisingly awesome episode of the supernatural drama. We finally got to see Klaus meeting back up with Hope after being apart for five years. Understandably, the father-daughter struggled to connect at first because of the time that had passed. This episode was vintage The Originals and proved that the series still had a lot of life left in it. Having the family together as they realized a new threat was emerging was awesome. Then there was the confirmation that Haylijah was very much still a thing.
Worst Episode
The Originals Season 4 was a solid season, so it’s difficult to pick out the worst episode. The Originals Season 4 Episode 10 was decent, but it struggled with some pacing issues. Primarily, having Elijah in the pendant was the root of that. With Freya, Hayley, and Hope being sent in throughout to try and save the day, it was obvious there was going to be some sort of twist. I did not bank on Elijah trying to kill Hayley, but it only served to throw conflict into their relationship. On top of that, Freya became very unlikeable. She promised Hayley she would not put hope in danger, yet she sent her into the pendant. How was she to know that Hope would be able to save the day?
Breath of Fresh Air
Summer Fontana was a delight as an older Hope Mikaelson. Her performance was outstanding, and her acting range was put to the test when Inadu took over Hope’s body. It’s disappointing that Fontana will likely not be back for Season 5 due to the new time jump.
Best Couple
Who would have thought that Davina and Kol would get their happy ending? After Davina’s death on The Originals Season 3, it was surprising to have Davina back in the mix. She was poised to die once more when Inadu apparently died. Thanks to Hope, she was saved and managed to make an escape from the French Quarter with the love of her life, and, well, it looks like they are going to get married thanks to that HUGE diamond Kol had.
Character Who Needs More Screen Time
Josh has always been a thrilling character to have around, but with Davina’s decreased presence, he was lost in the shuffle. He and Marcel are still friends, but with Marcel out of the city, what’s left for Josh? All we can say is that he needs more prominence on the show. He always serves as great comic relief despite the crazy things that are going down around town.
Best Friendship
They may have been apart for much of the season, but the few scenes with Davina and Josh together were EVERYTHING. They have been friends for so long, and it was great they got to say one last goodbye.
Worst Couple
Rebekah and Marcel randomly getting feelings for each other again was a bitter pill to swallow. Claire Holt’s lack of series regular contract with the show means there’s a good chance the couple won’t stand the test of time. In addition, it felt like eons since the pair had spoken about their feelings. Let’s just collectively admit this one was pointless and move on.
Character Who Deserves Better
Vincent has long been the go-to person for help with the latest villains in New Orleans. Yes, he likes to call people out on their $hit, but that’s why we love him. He is not to be messed with and has no qualms about doing the right thing.
Best New Character
She may have been used as a plot device to prove that Freya had a caring bone in her body, but Keelin emerged as something so much more. Despite Freya’s cold exterior, Keelin persisted because she knew there was some good in her girlfriend. She meshed really well with the other characters, and I hope she’s still around for Season 5.
Lazy Storytelling Alert
Elijah’s faux death was so frustrating. As if the show would ever seriously let Daniel Gillies go. The death plot was tiring because it was evident he would return to the land of the living. Even Gillies poked fun at it because he’s died a lot of time on the show. We don’t need twists that are thrown in for a cheap shock. We need meaningful ones with consequences.
Best Cameo
Alaric Saltzman, of course. Having the whole magic school storyline be used in The Originals was a good idea. It paved the way for us to find out bits and pieces of what was going on in Mystic Falls. It served as a useful nugget of information for fans of The Vampire Diaries. Considering Hope is heading to Mystic Falls for school, we hope we get more from the characters of the town.
Hopes for Season 5
With the series essentially resetting at the end of Season 4, we hope the series figures out which location it wants to stick to for Season 5. If Hayley has built a life for herself in Mystic Falls, we need a plausible reason for how the family will wind up back together. We can’t have her making the sacrifice for Hope, only to return to the French Quarter after a time jump. It would be good to get some cameos from The Vampire Diaries cast members, but only if it serves the story. We need to see the family get back together in a meaningful way, and witness how different they are because of the events. In short, there needs to be consequences for all of their actions.
Overall Grade
B+. It was the best season since the first, with fresh and exciting storylines. The shorter episode orders helped get the series back on track, but there were still awful parts of it. The random destruction of Haylijah cut deep because it felt like we’ve been rooting for them to become a thing for so long. Then there was Inadu, who stuck around for longer than she should have. The ending was not great, either. Had the series been renewed earlier, The Originals Season 4 Episode 13 would likely have been a very different episode.
