The Originals Review: A Walk on The Wild Side (Season 3 Episode 4)

This episode of The Originals, titled “A Walk on The Wild Side,” pushes off series regulars (Cami & Jackson) to focus more on those two idiots pitting the sire lines against each other.

They cause more trouble by tempting the beautiful Marcel to the dark side during a swanky masquerade party (as if vampires would have any other kind of get together). Top it off with Freya breaking out the yoga clothes after weeks of partying, knocking about those two idiots scheming (Lucien & Tristan), and we’re in for a confusing but good time. Let’s talk about it.

Marcel vs All the Sociopaths in New Orleans

Many people forget about Marcel. For someone who held the French Quarter in his grip for decades, his importance is cast to the side in The Originals. He’s lived there all his life, knows the local people, has loyalty and a code among his men, and has had arrangements with several different supernatural groups. When Marcel is in charge, everything runs smoothly. Not perfectly because of those werewolves cursed in the swamps outside of New Orleans and the witches, but it’s stable. Vampires were living a high and mighty life in New Orleans under his rule.

So why is he not being used for his skills and knowledge?

No one is asking him how all the supernatural creatures can live in peace. Or more accurately, how all the vampires can stay on top. Everyone is out for themselves and the people that they consider family. And unfortunately for Marcel, the family that claims him and promises him equal standing within their group, lies. Klaus and Elijah, his sire and his mentor growing up, have stripped him off his home, title, and respect. They don’t care. (No matter how much they claim to care about the boy they raised.)

And then comes Tristan. It’s an opportunity for Marcel to gain back some of the power and respect that he’s lost. Plus who says no to a league of vampires full of celebrities, government officials, and the smartest people in the world? (Bet you Lady Gaga is somewhere in there. We know that girl is supernatural.) The Strix, probably short for something pompous like their leader, butters Marcel up with flattering words, challenges him to prove his worth, all the while lying to him. (Surprise there!)

He isn’t needed to bridge the gap between the lines. He’s being used as a pawn. No matter how much Marcel thinks he has the upper hand or is a couple steps ahead in this, Tristan is going to use him against his sire.

Open those beautiful eyes and see the truth Marcel!

If Klaus goes after Tristan to protect his progeny, Elijah will step in and stop his brother. The prophecy will come true, and Marcel will die with Klaus’ entire line. Either way he loses.

It’s not your year Marcel.

Tristan and Lucien: Children Fighting

The return of the progenies isn’t about their sires. It’s about a boy who loves his enemy’s sister. And how that enemy decides to turn his sister into a vampire to spite the boy. (This hasn’t been confirmed but it’s the chosen headcanon according to those pesky clues.) The boy being Lucien. The enemy being Tristan. And the girl being that random chick in Tibet who poisoned the psychic. It’s a story of jealousy and competition because they can’t best each other.

So that’s why they have returned to New Orleans. They want to pit the two most powerful brothers in the world against each other, whoever is killed will destroy an entire line of vampires. This is what they hope to achieve.

They are trying to pit their ‘daddies’ against each other as if this were a lunch room squabble. That’s why Tristan is buttering up Marcel with the promise of a powerful position and nosing about at Hayley’s power as a hybrid. That’s why Lucien has come back to Klaus with dire warnings and some brand spanking new technology. They’re children trying to let others solve their problems so they can get the girl.

This is going to end really well. (Insert the biggest eye roll the Mikaelson’s have ever seen in their entire wicked existence.)

Why Is Nobody Paying Attention to Freya?

Okay, the main problem in The Originals this season is the whole sire line thing. Everyone’s forgotten about Freya. She’s a Mikaelson. She’s part of the family. So why does no one notice that she’s been spiraling lately?

Dahlia was her adoptive mother for centuries. She was the only person that Freya could depend on to know her true secrets. Then she is gone and Freya is left alone with a family she never knew. You would think she would sit down and try to get to know her siblings. She didn’t. When The Originals began their third season she was wild, losing herself in drink and partying. Klaus noticed the men appearing in his home but he didn’t notice what it meant. And Elijah? He was so far up Hayley’s…bottom, and his hate for Klaus, that he hasn’t got a clue.

Freya is lost and she’s the only one who knows it. She doesn’t fit into this world of vampires, werewolves, and witches that don’t care about her. She’s not bonding with New Orleans. Then came the yoga and the note at the end of the episode. Yoga is known for its ability to center you and bring a sense of calm to your life. Could that be a sign that behind the scenes, when no one is watching, Freya is fixing herself? Whatever’s going on, we need to see it. Her storyline is just as important as her vampire brothers. In a way her journey is vastly more important. Everyone can relate to being lost in a new place and struggling to stay afloat.

She’s the one we need to keep an eye out for. If not, she’ll disappear into the woodwork just like Marcel.

Other Observations:

• Notable Music: Castle by Halsey, Sirens by Fleurie, Lifespan by Vaults, and Holding on to Hell by Gin Wigmore
• The Strix are noted for using an owl in their cufflinks and business cards. Hidden meaning being that they are creatures of the night?
• Cami, Vincent, and Jackson were missed dearly!
• “Always and forever” made a surprising return. Hayley is now going to teach that to her daughter. We’re ready for cute baby overload when Hope learns that.

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The Originals airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.