Klaus voices over something about loss and recovery while he paints. Hayley’s in the bayou, waiting for the wolves to join her during the full moon so they can take Celeste’s elixir. It looks like Jackson is the first to arrive. Cami’s with Kieran, giving him medication to try to ease the effects of his hex. Marcel is just hanging out somewhere, shirtless. Carry on, Marcel. Genevieve joins Klaus as he voices over that when people get hurt, they act out. He acts out by making out with Genevieve. Diego acts out by killing people. Monique acts out by using magic on some innocent woman in the Quarter. Klaus says that some people take their recovery time to plot and grow stronger. Eventually, time passes and we’re healed.
The Crescent wolves take the elixir and wait anxiously to see if it will work. It does. Klaus says that when we heal, we get to start over. He’s talking to Genevieve, who thinks that means he’s made peace with his demons. He replies that his demons are dead or have been chased off. Elijah interrupts to say that Klaus is still sharing a bed with one, then kicks Genevieve out of the Compound. He reminds Klaus that Genevieve tortured Rebekah, but since she also revealed Rebekah’s betrayal, Klaus is cool with her.
It’s been a month since Rebekah left, and Elijah thinks Klaus is as stung by her departure as he is. Klaus is distracting himself in crazy ways and needs to do something useful instead. He wanted to be king, and he needs to accept the responsibilities that come with the role. Klaus is painting again and says he’s busy with other stuff. Elijah worries that Klaus will subject his daughter to the same violence that always loomed over them as kids. The brothers need to work together and unite the city. “Perhaps it is too broken to mend,” Klaus replies. Elijah decides to take the reins on his own.
He calls a meeting of the heads of the factions (including himself, Kieran, Diego, and Genevieve) at St. Anne’s. He tears up Marcel’s rules for the city and says things are going to change. He’ll let the heads of the factions make decisions for their own groups, but if there are inter-faction problems, Elijah will step in. They’re all responsible for the chaos in New Orleans, so they all need to be responsible for fixing it. If they won’t play nice, they can leave.
The three Harvest Girls who have been resurrected so far are being trained at the Lycée, which is basically a magic greenhouse. They’re practicing making roses bloom, but Davina’s having trouble. Monique calls her weak and suggests that she doesn’t belong with them. It’s a good thing Davina has become friends with Josh because her former BFF is a jerk now.
In the bayou, the Crescent wolves are determining pecking order by fighting each other. Jackson tells Hayley he’s already been established as the alpha, so he doesn’t have to participate. After that, they have a big family dinner, something Hayley isn’t used to. Jackson offers to help her adjust to their country lifestyle.
Oliver says she’s spent half her life with humans and the other half with vampires. Jackson tells him to back off but Hayley can handle herself. She calls Oliver the “runt of the litter” and invites him to say whatever he wants. Oliver has heard that Elijah is holding a summit of the faction leaders, but the werewolves weren’t invited. They’re stuck in the bayou while Hayley’s vampire boyfriend decides what happens in the Quarter. Maybe Elijah doesn’t respect Hayley’s people.
At St. Anne’s, Elijah’s peace summit is no longer peaceful. Just as he’s about to get everyone to stop fighting, Hayley crashes the meeting to blast him for not inviting the werewolves. She promises that the faction heads will regret it if the wolves are left out. Elijah dismisses everyone else and Hayley asks if he excluded the werewolves because of her. He notes that they don’t live in the Quarter, so there’s no reason for them to be involved in Quarter business.
He promises that once the others solidify their peace treaty, the werewolves will be included. Hayley asks if she’s supposed to tell them to “sit, stay, roll over” until then. Elijah thinks Hayley should stay out of all of this. She’d be safer at the Compound than in the bayou. Hayley disagrees, and she’s not going to stop advocating for the werewolves to have a voice.
Genevieve goes back to the Compound, and since Klaus is back at his easel just minutes after they’ve had another romp in the sack, I’m not sure what that says about her. She gleefully tells him about how Hayley interrupted the summit. Klaus guesses that the Crescent curse has been broken. She asks if he really thinks the factions will find peace.
Cami arrives and she and Genevieve mean-girl at each other for a little while. “You O’Connells sure do love to piss off witches,” Genevieve comments as she leaves. Cami asks if Klaus is really sleeping with the same witch who tried to get her to use the Tunde blade on him. He notes that New Orleans has plenty of “strange bedfellows.”
She tells him that nothing Kieran has tried to deal with the hex has worked. Cami needs a witch to undo it. Maybe Klaus can talk Genevieve into it. He says it’s too late – the magic has taken root and altered Kieran’s brain chemistry. Cami won’t accept that there are no more options, and if Klaus had any concept of family, she doesn’t think he would, either.
Davina meets Josh at a café and confides that she’s hesitant to use magic again. The ancestors were furious with her for what she did with it before. She regrets trusting Marcel, and she’s not sure how much more of this she can stand.
They’re close enough to the waterfront that Marcel can eavesdrop from where he’s meeting with Thierry. He wants Thierry and the other vampires who wouldn’t follow Klaus to join together and form a new crew. Thierry points out that Marcel has no allies or weapons, which means he has no chance of beating Elijah. But Marcel doesn’t want to leave his home, and he doesn’t think Thierry does, either. While everyone else is drawing battle lines and finding allies, Marcel’s going to come up with a way to take back New Orleans. Thierry tells him it’ll take more than a rousing speech to get people on board.
Kieran chains himself up in Davina’s old room to stop himself from acting on the thought that’s taken over his mind: Kill all the supernaturals. He knows from what happened with Sean that he can’t be stopped, and he’s not going to let things get too far. He guesses that the factions will ask Cami to take Kieran’s place as head of the humans, but instead, she should leave. Cami refuses to go when there’s still a chance to help her uncle. He taunts her for always having to be right, ever since she was a child. He prayed for her and didn’t get an answer, just darkness and death – his and hers. He attacks her, but she fights him off.
Elijah’s drinking alone at Rousseau’s when a woman named Francesca Correa approaches him. She’s a big philanthropist in New Orleans thanks to two revenue streams, a casino and a drug trafficking empire. She wants to take Kieran’s place as the head of the human faction. She tells Elijah that she wants peace as much as he does, and she would be his ally. Also, she talked to the new mayor and the chief of police and has their backing, so Elijah would be smart to give her the go-ahead.
Elijah interrupts Klaus’ painting binge to tell him to take more interest in faction business. Klaus advises him to start with the werewolves if he really wants peace. They used to rule the city, and they’ve had to watch their enemies tear everything down. Elijah says that’s why those enemies don’t want to let them have a seat at the table. Klaus advises him to get rid of the table if it’s causing the problem. In 1720, the governor enlisted the Mikaelsons to help build levees. They refused, so the governor gave them wine and women until they changed their minds. In other words, Elijah needs to throw a party.
So that’s what he does. All the supernatural beings in New Orleans gather in the courtyard of the Compound for dancing and alcohol. Yes, alcohol is definitely the way to keep the peace. Diego bumps into Jackson, earning a glare and some posturing from Oliver, but Jackson says he’s not worth it.
Elijah keeps an eye on him but gets distracted when Francesca flirts with him. She’s already brokered some peace with the witches and werewolves, further proving that she would make a good replacement for Kieran. Elijah tells her she can take his place while he’s on hex-related leave. Before the two of them can do whatever it is Francesca has in mind for them (dancing? Kissing? It’s anyone’s guess), Elijah gets distracted again, this time by Hayley.
Marcel finds Josh at the café and assures him that his life isn’t in danger. Well, not from Marcel, at least. He’s worried that the peace summit will fall apart and the factions will try to get leverage against each other. Davina needs to be able to defend herself, possibly from the other witches. She needs to start doing magic again. Marcel knows she won’t listen to him, so he wants Josh to talk to her. Josh thinks Marcel just wants her back on his side, but Marcel is only concerned with Davina’s safety.
Diego’s keeping an eye on Oliver at the Compound, and now Davina has taken notice of the werewolf. Elijah reminds Diego to behave himself. But Diego has history with werewolves – they killed his whole family. Diego only survived because Marcel turned him. He can’t be polite to wolves. Elijah’s like, “I hear you but do it anyway.” He demonstrates how to be welcoming by having a friendly chat with Jackson. He warns that the vampires see the werewolves as “barbaric.” Jackson knows from Hayley that the peace treaty is important to Elijah. Elijah confirms that, saying that if anyone tried to stop it from being successful, he would destroy them and everything they love.
Klaus is hanging out away from the crowd, and Genevieve asks if he’s looking for Cami. She doesn’t get why he would be interested in someone so ordinary. Klaus likes “ordinary” as a break from the alternative. Genevieve seems to think she and Klaus are dating just because they’ve slept together a couple of times. I don’t think Klaus feels the same.
He spots Jackson going upstairs and follows him to the room where he’s been painting. He asked Jackson to meet so he could offer him a gift. Jackson doubts that Klaus has anything he would want, but Klaus says he’s part werewolf and knows the burden and power they carry. He wants to take that burden away. Jackson guesses that Klaus wants to make him a hybrid, but Jackson isn’t interested. His pack comes first, and he won’t let anything compromise his family line. He thinks of turning into a hybrid as becoming a “bloodthirsty vampire parasite.”
Klaus says that Jackson’s pride and loyalty are the only reason he’s still alive right now. Klaus doesn’t want to make Jackson a hybrid – he wants to give the wolves back their city. Of course, Jackson has no reason to trust Klaus, especially since he’s doing this behind Elijah’s back. Klaus says he’s actually supporting Elijah’s vision. Vampires survive by destroying life, and witches are only as powerful as their ancestors. Werewolves thrive because of family unity, and Klaus wants that for his child. “Vampires are the antithesis of unity,” he says.
Jackson tells him that just because he’s ready to embrace his werewolf side doesn’t mean other werewolves will accept him as one of them. Klaus thinks they will when they’re allowed back in the Quarter. He shows Jackson Cary’s ring, which he thinks Esther gave his biological father to free him. Since daylight rings protect vampires from the sun, it stands to reason that there are moonlight rings to protect werewolves from the curse of turning during a full moon. Klaus is willing to give Jackson the ring so he never has to turn again.
Oliver strikes up a conversation with Davina, but Monique swoops in and steals him for herself. Davina, she’s doing you a favor. Elijah invites Hayley to dance, but instead of letting us just enjoy their chemistry together, they talk about Klaus. He once told Hayley that he paints in an attempt to stay in control, so if he’s painting this much, that can’t be good. Elijah hopes the baby gets Hayley’s…well, everything.
They talk about how Hayley’s back at the Compound, and Elijah asks if she doesn’t think she should move back in. She tells him she’s not going to just sit around the Compound because he isn’t sure she’s safe in the bayou. Jackson asks to talk to Hayley, and though Elijah tells him to wait until later, Hayley switches dance partners. Elijah eavesdrops as Jackson tells her how beautiful she looks.
Marcel lets himself into Cami’s apartment, where she’s drinking away the stress of dealing with Kieran. He sees a scrape on her arm from his attack and assures her that he won’t hurt her again. Marcel had a witch do a spell to keep him in the attic. She’s surprised he found a witch willing to help him. He says it was for her. Cami’s grateful that after weeks of dealing with Kieran on her own, someone has finally given her a hand. When Kieran’s gone, she won’t have any family left. Marcel can relate.
Diego picks a fight with Oliver, and Francesca tries to ease the tension between them. It doesn’t work, and the guys get violent. Elijah quickly ends things, grabbing Oliver and making it clear that there will be no second chances. Jackson puts a stake to Diego’s chest in case Elijah does anything irreversible to Oliver. Hayley says to go ahead and kill Oliver.
Everyone at the party is now watching to see what happens. Klaus has even joined the festivities, and when Francesca urges him to intervene, he declines since things just got interesting. Hayley mentions both Oliver and Diego’s misdeeds, then brings up how the witches cursed the Crescent wolves and the humans just let stuff happen. Basically, everyone at the party has done horrible things, so maybe they should all die. (Kieran, from across town: “That’s what I’ve been saying!”) Hayley says that if they can’t all find a way to get along and form a community, they might as well just get it over with and kill each other.
Josh finds Davina at the Lycée and sympathizes with her over not having a home or a family anymore. He used to hate that, but now he doesn’t care what other people think. If Davina’s family doesn’t like her, fine. She has him, Cami, and Marcel, if she wants. Davina says Marcel used her, but Josh thinks he made up for it by saving her. She doesn’t have to trust him, but she should remember that he loves her. Aww, and so does Josh! Davina says she doesn’t know what kind of power she has anymore, now that she’s lost the power she got from the other Harvest Girls. Josh urges her to find out. She can’t change her DNA, so she should embrace her magic. Davina easily makes a rose bloom and is happy to see that she hasn’t lost everything.
Cami and Marcel come back to her place after going out for a few drinks, and they admit that they’re both tired of being alone. They take it to the bedroom. Elsewhere, Genevieve uses a dreamcatcher to spy on them. When they’re done, Cami decides they can’t do that again. Marcel spots another dreamcatcher in her apartment and steals it. Cami tells him that Klaus trusts her, so he would probably consider her a traitor if he found out she’d slept with Marcel. They both agree that it was worth it, though.
Marcel takes the dreamcatcher with him to the waterfront and breaks it. He tells Thierry he was wrong about Marcel having nothing. He has what he had when he rebuilt the city the first time: “Everything to gain and nothing to lose.” He thinks he’s making progress, and he won’t accept a rejection from Thierry. Marcel is all he has. The other vampires who ditched Klaus left New Orleans, and Thierry’s the only one who stayed. Thierry considers an alliance, and Marcel promises that they’ll build on it until they have an army again.
Klaus has finished his painting, which depicts the city at night. He voices over that there are a number of things required to make a change. First: a plan. Elijah gathers the faction heads again, this time with Francesca and Hayley present. They all cut themselves and mix their blood together. Second: Change requires commitment. Third: passion. Cami looks on as Kieran prays in the attic. In the bayou, the werewolves toast to Hayley’s leadership. Fourth: the willingness to follow a new path.
Monique finds Davina in the Lycée, surrounded by blooming roses. Fifth: the determination to overcome anything in your way. Sixth: unnatural alliances. The faction heads sign the treaty with their own blood. Oliver disapproves of Jackson’s deal with Klaus, but Jackson thinks they’ll get more out of it than Klaus promised. With moonlight rings, they’ll be able to control what they are and draw strength and power from their werewolf form. They’ll be lethal to vampires all the time. They won’t be equal to the other supernaturals – they’ll be their superiors.
Elijah brings Klaus the treaty and tells him to sign it. He knows Klaus is only pretending not to care about peace. They need to demonstrate that they’re on the same page so others will follow their lead. Klaus doesn’t think the other factions will stick to the treaty, but he signs anyway. Then he admires a finishing touch he put on his painting: a full moon in the night sky.
Etc.: Why in the world didn’t Josh leave New Orleans when he had the chance?
Francesca should have been in more episodes. We missed out on seeing her and Elijah go up against each other all season. What a waste of an excellent character.
People in both New Orleans and Mystic Falls must have very empty social calendars, since they’re always able to attend parties on short notice.
I definitely like Hayley and Elijah together more than I like her with Jackson, but this is a love triangle where Hayley really can’t go wrong no matter who she chooses.
An Eternity of Misery 