When Elijah, Rebekah and Klaus Mikaelson pledged to be there for each other always and forever, they couldn’t have predicted how much family drama can occur over the course of a thousand years (give or take a 100 here and there). Heightened vamp emotions make for some incredibly intense sibling rivalry. The remaining members of the Original family, free from the threat of their psychotic father, are reluctantly trying to put down roots in anticipation of a new arrival. But centuries of tantrums, betrayal, lies and generally bad behavior can be difficult to forgive and forget. Here are the 10 most dysfunctional moments from the first 9 episodes of Season 1.
#10 A Single Touch
Klaus has failed to treat Hayley as little more than an incubator with the exception of a few small kindnesses. Elijah, always the gentleman, has promised to protect her, but their connection has grown deeper over time. Their chemistry is palpable. After spending two days together in the bayou, Hayley reveals her affection for Elijah simply by touching his hand. Elijah feels he has no choice except to fight his heart’s desire and kindly dismisses Hayley’s subtle advance but can’t resist covering her hand with his own. How long will he put his own happiness on the back burner in order to appease Klaus?
#9 Rebekah Makes a Threat
After Marcel tosses Rebekah aside to pursue his renewed bromance with Klaus, Rebekah doesn’t exactly take the news well. She threatens to reveal a secret they share that would make Klaus hate Marcel forever. It is Rebekah who reveals to Sophie Deveraux how deep the affection is that Klaus has for Marcel. If she chooses to go Fatal Attraction on Marcel and unearth this long-buried secret, she won’t only be destroying Marcel but hurting Klaus as well.
#8 What Home?
Trying to make amends after believing the worst about Klaus the one time it isn’t true, Rebekah and Elijah tell Klaus they have discovered living members of his biological father’s bloodline. They even offer physical proof, a ring worn by one of the werewolves. They saved these distant relatives from being slaughtered by his men following his orders. But, Klaus doesn’t accept this peace offering graciously. When Elijah asks his brother to return home, he merely responds “What home?”
#7 A Nasty Bite
After going to great lengths to try and behave, Klaus is genuinely hurt by the unfounded allegation that he plans to use his baby’s blood to help him kill Marcel and the other New Orleans vamps. This confrontation, along with his growing frustration over Hayley and his brother’s growing affection for one another causes Klaus to lash out. He bites his brother, knowing the werewolf venom won’t kill him, but will inflict pain and hallucinations. This little nip is also a reminder of who the Alpha male of the Mikaelson pack is.
#6 Giving Elijah to Marcel
As if backstabbing your older brother (a dagger in the chest more precisely) isn’t bad enough. Handing him over to your nemesis as a good faith gesture is just plain careless. Given the hissy Klaus threw in the past when he lost his family members who were “resting comfortably,” he was especially cavalier with Elijah’s body. Ironically, he gave a defenseless Elijah to Marcel to establish trust while Marcel kept the fact that he is housing the most powerful tween witch in New Orleans from his oldest frenemy.
#5 Klaus Leaves
Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah gather together for what turns out to be Klaus’ final goodbye to his siblings. He chastises them for their respective betrayals. He makes no excuses for his past misdeeds but points out that everything he’s done during their time in New Orleans has been for the good of the family and his child and to protect them and the Originals’ legacy. With tears streaming down his face, he tells Rebekah and Elijah he’s moving into the family home he reclaimed from Marcel, and they can stay behind and rot.
#4 Klaus Makes Marcel Choose Between Love or Immortality
Being a cold-blooded killer with an unquenchable thirst for blood and power for a thousand years hasn’t left Klaus much time for a social life. So far, his only love, Caroline Forbes, remains unrequited. An eternal bachelor, he doesn’t take the news well when he discovers Rebekah and Marcel have fallen for each other. Klaus, fearing he will become the odd man out, decides to tear the young lovers apart. To guarantee not losing his best friend or his sister, he offers Marcel the gift of immortality he has longed for in exchange for him ditching Beks.
#3 Rebekah Stands with Marcel
“Daggering, biting, deserting, does your wickedness ever end?” Realizing that she’ll never be free from her brother’s control, Rebekah joins forces with Marcel to try and put Klaus in the garden and out of commission. You’ve got to give Beks props. In spite of Klaus’ threats looming over her head, she’s letting her brother off easy. She only wants him out of the way long enough to experience a little bit of happiness and to prevent her niece from being turned into a “hybrid breeding machine.”
#2 Elijah Confronts Klaus
Elijah confronts Klaus with Tyler’s accusation that Klaus plans to use his offspring’s blood to create a hybrid army. Even at his best, Klaus is bad, so it’s easy to understand why Elijah and Hayley question Klaus’ true intentions. Taking the word of a bitter hybrid with a paranoid hunch over that of his own brother undoes all the good that Elijah has been trying to accomplish. What’s even more surprising is that the thought of using his own child for nefarious purposes never seemed to cross Klaus’ mind.
#1 Backstabbing Elijah
It’s no easy feat to convince your narcissistic power hungry hybrid half brother to put family first. Specifically, his unborn baby, the result of a one night stand. To further complicate matters, getting him to cooperate with a coven of desperate and pushy witches is also part of the package. Elijah finally convinces said brother, Klaus, that being a baby daddy and ruling the city of New Orleans are not mutually exclusive. He also pulls on a few tenuous heartstrings Nik has left telling him a child will provide him with the unconditional love he craves. Too bad Elijah barely has time to revel in his hard-fought victory before Klaus daggers him. Klaus may have agreed to play the game, but he will only do so by his rules.
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
