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kylermalloy · 2 years

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So now that I've gone back to the beginning... I need your impressions on the pilot of TO. Things you love. Things you hate (if any). Things you love to hate about it. Did you know when you first saw it that you were going to become addicted to these lovely murder children? Also, it's been a while, so I can't remember, but do we ever see Marcel wearing a beanie in ANY other episode?🤭 That's probably a weird detail to fixate on, but looking back it seems so OOC for him.

Christina, you may regret sending me this ask 😉 once I start talking about The Originals, I’m liable to never shut up.

So. Pilot. I will admit, the first time I watched it I was rather on autopilot (hee). I’d been bingeing tvd, and while it hadn’t gotten awful yet, it was formulaic and cliche. The Mikaelsons on tvd, while still fundamentally the same characters I’d grow to love and go insane over, were written as stereotypical villains. They were written as though they had a long and storied history together, and yet they still acted like impulsive high schoolers. They annoyed me with their constant back and forth, their love and unity in one episode, and their hatred and discord in the next. They simply acted however the plot needed them to as opposition to the tvd protagonists. (We will still see this tempestuous dynamic in TO, but it will be much more nuanced!)

So while I was intrigued by the spinoff based on them, I wasn’t quite sure how it would work. Klaus, while he had been infected with the classic tvd villain decay (the once terrifyingly formidable threat is gradually—or all at once—defeated but sticks around and becomes toothless yet snarky) was still staunchly portrayed as a Bad Guy. He was mean, ruthless, killed without compunction, betrayed his family and allies whenever it suited him, and generally showed no remorse for any of it.

The backdoor pilot sets up this conflict between Klaus and Marcel, a new character who was at first portrayed to be a tyrant Just Like Klaus And Maybe Even Worse. I remember being worried about that, about Klaus’s look of hesitation? discomfort? when Marcel killed a witch in front of his cheering gang of nightwalkers. Like, Klaus has done that and worse? Why is he put off by this?

I’ll be honest, the pilot had me under the impression that Klaus and Marcel would go head to head, and the first season would end with Klaus taking the city. Maybe the second season would explore Klaus not being a good ruler, but ultimately he would triumph over the Evil Monster He Created, Marcel.

I’ve never been more happy to be wrong.

Since my initial viewing and subsequent binges of TO, I’ve watched the pilot probably a hundred times at least? Enough to have whole scenes memorized, enough to spot the footage sewn into the episode from the backdoor pilot, enough to notice all the weird narrative and dialogue loopholes they have to climb through to make this different from tvd’s backdoor pilot yet convey the same setup of the plot, while also welcoming new viewers who have never watched tvd and know nothing about this campy, bloody universe. I can pick out the ADR’d lines and cringe at the weird expository dialogue. I can point like the Leo DiCaprio meme at all the foreshadowing and recite Elijah’s dumb stupid heartfelt speech right along with him.

The pilot is by no means my favorite episode, because functionally nothing Happens except decisions—but it still has some incredible moments.

I love that Cami’s first appearance on the show is with Elijah—it establishes their little relationship easily, even though they’re functionally bonding over Klaus, the main character of the universe. (I really wish they’d kept her scene with Klaus in, though!)

I love Elijah’s first meeting with Hayley. Honestly, on first viewing I picked up none of the romantic chemistry. These were simply two key characters meeting and getting to know each other! Never mind that he places his hands on her head and tells her intimate details about his life…I’m dumb sometimes, okay? But the flashbacks are fun. (And by fun I mean they hurt!)

I love Elijah’s conversations with Klaus. I love that a second one, with a fight, was added for the series pilot. It places Elijah’s narrative sway much higher than the backdoor pilot did with his one unsuccessful speech (which Klaus answers with a “no ❤️” like the little brat he is). It establishes their bond and its importance so well. How entangled they truly are. How Elijah’s behavior we’ve seen thus far (on tvd) is actually wildly deviant from his norm, something akin to a midlife crisis for him. His true nature is the big brother who seeks Klaus’s redemption as atonement for his failure a millennium ago.

I actually, unironically, love Marcel’s beanie! I wish he’d worn one more often. Accessories are often used to help establish character when we first start a story, but sometimes they disappear as we get to know the character and no longer need anything but the bare minimum (see how Dean Winchester’s “bad boy” look went from leather jacket, ring, bracelets, necklace, and overly gelled hair to generic plaid layers over spn’s run). Marcel is ancient but not—chic, stylish, and full of *youthful arrogance.* That’s what I get from his pilot characterization—also his singing in the backdoor pilot! It establishes him as a clear foil to Klaus in every way, including style and personality.

I love the ending! I love Klaus stabbing his brother. He is still awful, and he is not suddenly going to become the hero. I love his cold acceptance of Hayley and the baby despite his want for her going deep. I love the ghost of Mikael hovering over the whole show, and the different ways Klaus and Elijah are still trying to defeat him.

As for things I hate, there’s not much I outright hate about the pilot—just things I lament. Cami only has one scene in the ep, right at the beginning. If we hadn’t already met her in the backdoor pilot (which funnily enough established her as an important character who Will Be Back much better) I might’ve thought her an extra. I want her deleted scenes back in! Her meetings with Klaus, and her second meeting with Elijah. To those who never watched the backdoor pilot, they will never know the importance of that painting. That night, the jazz, the crowd. A very important scene in season 3 is rendered useless because they cut these scenes! And that makes me sad, show!

I also never bought that Rebekah wouldn’t care about a baby. I get that she’s mad at Klaus when the pilot happens, but Rebekah’s singular wish for the whole of tvd’s season 4 was to be human and have a family. I think she would’ve cared a little more for a potential baby than the pilot shows us. She can write Klaus off, sure, and she can be indifferent towards Hayley at first—but when Elijah tells her we’re gonna be parents! I don’t think her response would just be no thanks.

Things I love to hate about it…all the clunky exposition is painful, especially now that I’ve watched the episode so much. This show is high camp, and everything is weird always. The pilot is more setup than actual plot, but it does its job. It sets everyone up on their paths—and it fooled me into thinking this show would be even slightly straightforward. I love it.

#asks #whitedahlia13 #the originals #to 1x01 #kylerrambles #it’s been four years since i first watched this show and if anything my delirium for it has gotten stronger #i did not fall instantly in love it was definitely a slow burn #but yes i am now hopelessly addicted to these murder children <3 #i’m so glad i have such amazing friends to share the madness with

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