Rebekah voices over that Marcel once asked her what it’s like to be daggered. It’s like sleeping deeply without dreaming. But the dagger stake isn’t like the usual Original daggers, and thanks to Aya, Rebekah feels everything – she’s cold, she’s desperate for blood, and all she can do is wait. Fortunately, Elijah has put together the latitude Klaus got from Aurora with the Cepheus’ flight plan, and a crew has retrieved Rebekah from her watery grave.
The leader of the crew guesses that since Elijah paid so much for the salvage, the contents of the crate they’ve brought up must be valuable. He wants to renegotiate their reward. Elijah arrives and tells him that’s not going to happen. He kills that guy while the rest of the crew wisely runs off. Once he’s dealt with the pesky humans, Elijah undaggers Rebekah, who immediately revives. “Tell me I didn’t miss Christmas,” she says.
She didn’t! The Compound has been lavishly decorated so the Mikaelsons can celebrate in style. Cami’s gotten to enjoy it, too, since she’s spent the past few days staying there while getting past the trauma of being kidnapped twice. She asks Klaus why he didn’t go with Elijah to get Rebekah. Klaus says he and Elijah don’t do well spending a lot of time together in confined spaces, and with the prophecy warning that one family member will bring down another, it’s an especially bad idea right now. Cami asks if Klaus really thinks that Elijah would hurt him. Klaus admits that he’s not sure what to think. Vincent texts Cami just then to tell her that Will is in trouble.
Marcel finds Tristan at St. James Infirmary, which he’s in the process of buying. He’s happy to have access to a neutral, magic-free zone while the witches are without a regent. He’ll be installing the next one himself. Marcel notes that no one’s too eager to step into the role. Tristan says that the Strix don’t wait for people to volunteer. He wants to replace Davina with Van, who’s already agreed to do whatever Tristan wants.
Cami meets up with Vincent, venturing into the Quarter for the first time since her back-to-back abductions. He tells her that Will was fired for going AWOL while on duty and turning in reports with missing blocks of time and evidence. He’s holed up in his house and won’t talk to anyone, including Vincent. Cami offers to try to get through to him.
Hayley got tired of waiting for Jackson to come home so she goes to the bayou to talk to him. He asks straight out if she loves Elijah. She points out that Jackson knew the situation when he married her. But he’s upset now that after a year, nothing’s changed. Still, he loves her and would rather be with her than anyone else. He feels foolish. Hayley admits that her feelings for Elijah are complicated, but they don’t lessen her love for Jackson. She chose him and chooses him again every day. That should be enough. She wants them to enjoy their first Christmas together, just the two of them and Hope. No Mikaelsons, no matter what. Jackson agrees to meet her at home.
Aurora stumbles into St. James Infirmary after being kept sedated by Tristan for a few days in an attempts to avoid an “episode.” She wants to jump right back into plotting against the Mikaelsons. They need to get the serratura and “lock them all away in a pit of fire.” Tristan promises her that that’s being taken care of. He has surveillance photos of Freya researching the serratura, and by the end of the day, the Trinity will have it back. Plus, they’ll take out Freya, the only witch who’s willing to protect the Mikaelsons.
Rebekah and Elijah make a pit stop at a gas station so she can change into dry clothes. She tells Elijah that between his ex staking her and Klaus’ ex drowning her, her brothers need “a lesson in women.” Elijah points out that she turned Aurora and antagonized Aya, so maybe she’s the one who needs to learn a lesson. Rebekah seems to think she was justified, since Aurora and Aya believe Alexis’ prophecy.
Elijah tells her that their family would be idiots not to take it seriously. Rebekah points out that they can’t be killed. Plus, no one in the family is going to kill one of their siblings, so that part definitely won’t come true. Well, maybe no one. Rebekah asks if Elijah thinks Klaus has learned his lesson about backstabbing family. Elijah replies that he learns that lesson all the time – “he’s just a terrible student.”
Rebekah suddenly vamps out while thinking about how much she’d like to hurt Klaus. She notices a mark on her arm that looks like a skull, similar to the skulls decorating the handle of the dagger stake. She and Elijah know that can’t be good.
Back in the Quarter, we see why Jackson didn’t go home with Hayley – he went to cut down a Christmas tree first. As he’s getting out of his truck, he spots Freya walking down the sidewalk, followed by a guy who’s definitely watching her. He’s joined by a couple of other guys. She lets them track her to an alley before she tries to fight them, but they overpower her and one grabs the serratura. Another is wearing a ring like the one Aya used to slash Marcel and drug him. Just as he knocks Freya out, Jackson runs in with an axe and takes care of Freya’s attackers. The one with the serratura gets away, but at least Freya’s safe.
Klaus and Cami arrive at Will’s house at the same time. She thinks he came to protect her but he says he’s just there as her friend. Will doesn’t respond when Cami knocks on the door, but she’s sure he’s home. Klaus’s vamp hearing picks up the sound of Will’s heartbeat, as well as the click of a gun Will is about to use to kill himself.
Klaus kicks in the front door and Cami runs in to stop Will. He doesn’t want to hear any “psychobabble” she plans to use to try to talk him into not taking his own life. He tells the two of them he’s “the definition of worthless.” No matter how hard he tries to make things different, he knows there are supernatural things lurking around, and compared to them, he’s nothing. Cami recognizes all this as what Lucien compelled him to believe. She begs Klaus to help, but he’s stuck in the doorway since he hasn’t been invited inside yet.
Jackson calls Hayley to the Compound so she can heal Freya with her blood. Hayley’s like, “Now do you see why I always come running when the Mikaelsons need help? Because not helping makes you a bad person.” Freya tells them that her attackers took the serratura. She met with a witch from the bloodline who made it, hoping the witch could help her destroy it. Turns out that’s not possible – the only way to get rid of the serratura is to use it. They need to get it back and lock something else away so it can’t be used on the Mikaelsons. Elijah arrives with Rebekah and the news that they have a more urgent problem than the serratura. “To be fair, I am the prettiest urgent problem you have ever seen,” Rebekah says.
Marcel finds Vincent working out at St. Anne’s and tells him that Van is about to become the new regent. The witches will now be led by “some kid with a debt to the Strix.” Meanwhile, Vincent is “fighting shadows.” He needs to do something to keep more witches from dying. Vincent notes that Marcel has never shown any concern for the witches before. Marcel reminds him that they’re both New Orleans natives. True, the witches and vampires have always battled for power, but they were all from the city. The Van/Strix arrangement will give power to an outsider.
Vincent tells Marcel not to get involved in witch business. Marcel taunts that Vincent will just get another teenager to do his dirty work. He shoves Vincent, who lets loose a burst of power, knocking out all the electricity in the gym. He announces that he’s not going to hold back his power anymore. He’s going to take back the regency, and Marcel won’t like what he does with it. Judging by the way Marcel smiles to himself after Vincent leaves, he’s wrong.
Will has invited Klaus in, and though Klaus can’t make him feel less worthless, he can help him learn to live with the feeling. Klaus knows that the thing Will believes matters the least actually matters the most: “There is beauty in the courage of the fragile fighter – those who persevere despite all they’ve been through. Those who still believe there is good in the world.” He glances at Cami before continuing, “Us dark things often find we need the light the most.”
Klaus compels Will to believe that others see in him what he doesn’t see in himself. “You do matter,” he says firmly. He asks if Will has family, and when Will says he has a sister in Baton Rouge, Klaus tells him to spend Christmas with her. When he comes back, his captain will happily welcome him back to work. Will should remember this as his darkest day, but every day after this will be better. “You will go on,” Klaus tells him.
Freya determines that the dagger stake was cursed, so Rebekah’s now infected with whatever that curse is. As her mark grows, she’ll lose control more and more until she becomes a Ripper. Elijah knows that the Strix did this as a safeguard in case the Mikaelsons were able to rescue Rebekah. If she’s on a rampage, she’s easier to hunt. Freya thinks she can reverse the spell, but it’ll take time and a lot of magic. She passes out, which surprises everyone, since Hayley’s blood healed her. Elijah sees a scratch on Freya’s neck and says she was poisoned.
When Freya wakes up, Elijah tells her there’s an antidote to the poison the Strix like to use. In turn, Freya tells Hayley and Jackson what she’ll need to help Rebekah. She’s pretty weak right now, but she can channel Finn for the magic she needs. Rebekah doubts he’ll want to help, but Freya says they’re out of options.
Cami is extremely grateful to Klaus for helping Will. She looks like she’s about to express that gratitude with a kiss, but they get interrupted when Elijah calls. Freya channels Finn, who tells her the pain she goes through for their family isn’t worth it. She says it has to be. Klaus knows where the antidote to Freya’s poison is and assures Elijah he’ll get it. He tells Cami that Lucien probably has it, along with whatever he used to cure his werewolf bites. He wants Cami to tag along so he doesn’t have to worry about her.
Now that the current Mikaelson family crises are being taken care of, Hayley and Rebekah get a few moments to catch up. It’s friendly at first, but Rebekah’s curse rears up and she accuses Hayley of using the Mikaelsons when she needs something from them, then blaming them when things go bad. Hayley knows this is the curse talking, but that doesn’t make Rebekah’s words sting less. She reminds Hayley that when they last spoke, Hayley was going to take Hope far away from the Mikaelsons. Where does she stand now – is she friend, family, or foe? Rebekah attacks Hayley, choking her.
Elsewhere in the Compound, Freya keeps working on Rebekah’s cure, even though her eyes are bleeding. Finn tells her not to kill herself for Rebekah’s sake. She can let all their siblings go, and they can go back to the time when it was just the two of them. Freya asks Finn to help her. Elijah comes in and tries to talk Freya out of doing her spell – yes, they need to help Rebekah, but not like this if it means Freya dies. He offers her his blood to strengthen her. Finn (who’s only visible to Freya) offers his power as well.
Rebekah tries to get Hayley to admit that she wants Klaus dead. Hayley finally gets free of her grasp and swears that she’s been trying to help the Mikaelsons evade the prophecy. Rebekah mocks that Jackson is a “fake husband,” and Hayley must enjoy making Elijah see them together. She probably likes knowing she has the power to break his heart.
Finn leaves, wishing Freya luck, and Jackson comes in. He chastises Elijah for not taking her to a hospital, since she’s feverish and struggling. Elijah says a hospital won’t help her. Hayley tells Rebekah that it kills her to hurt Elijah. Rebekah warns that if Klaus and Elijah turn on each other as part of the prophecy, it’ll be because of Hayley. She shoves Hayley through some doors and onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard. They both fall over the railing.
Elijah tells Jackson to stay with Freya while he goes to check on Hayley and Rebekah. Rebekah’s eyes are black as she tries to attack Hayley again. Elijah separates them and tries to get Rebekah to calm down. Just when it looks like he has, her eyes go black again and she punches him so hard, she snaps his neck. She grabs Hayley’s heart, but Klaus zooms in and gets her to back off. “Not her,” he warns Rebekah. She spins on Cami, so Klaus says, “Not her, either.”
Cami gives Hayley the cure they got for Freya, and she runs off to administer it. Rebekah tells Klaus that he keeps Cami “behind glass like some breakable object” because he’s afraid of damaging her. All the women Klaus and Elijah bring into the family’s lives turn to poison. Cami leaves as Rebekah warns, “She’ll grow toxic, too.”
Hayley takes Freya’s antidote to Jackson, who injects it into her heart. As soon as she’s revived, she gets started on Rebekah’s cure. Aww, that’s a good sister. Klaus and Elijah throw Rebekah on a table to restrain her. Freya comes in with the dagger stake and cuts the mark off of her arm. Rebekah briefly passes out, then awakens as her normal self. “Well, that was annoying,” she says.
Once everything’s calmed down, Jackson asks Hayley if she’s ready to go home. She wonders if she’s a bad mother for letting Hope teethe on Klaus’ knight carving. She apologizes to Jackson for derailing their plans for a quiet Christmas at home, but he notes that he’s the one who jumped to help the Mikaelsons this time. He acted on instinct, like he was protecting someone from his pack. He may not like his “in-laws” but he respects how they fight for each other. He was born to love Hayley, and if that means dealing with the Mikaelsons, he’ll accept that.
She suggests that they head home but Jackson thinks they should stay and celebrate with the Mikaelsons and Cami. She wanted a happily family Christmas, and they’re her family. Klaus thanks him for helping Freya, then teases that they don’t have any “mason-jar moonshine” for him to drink. Rebekah jokes that Klaus’ therapy must be paying off. He’s annoyed to see that she’s lit a fire, especially since he never wishes for “an influx of enemies,” but that’s what they all get every year. “Forever on Santa’s naughty list,” Elijah quips.
After everyone has written out and burned their wishes, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah remain by the fire. Klaus says they need to keep the Trinity believing that Rebekah’s still at the bottom of the ocean. Rebekah realizes that that means she can’t stay in New Orleans. She’s happy enough to have gotten her wish – she got to spend Christmas with her family.
Marcel is cleaning up the mess Vincent made at St. Anne’s when Tristan comes by. He’s learned that the ancestors rejected Van as regent, so Vincent is taking over instead. Tristan knows him as the witch Finn inhabited, but that’s about it. Marcel gloats that he won’t be easily bought.
Rebekah says goodbye to everyone at the Compound so she can go into hiding. She apologizes to Hayley for their fight earlier. She thought Hayley would hate Klaus forever, and though Hayley says she will, she hints that there’s still a little affection there. Klaus encourages Rebekah to stay alert while she’s on the run, and to know her weaknesses in case she develops feelings for someone. “I’ll run away from love if you run toward it,” she tells him, looking over at Cami.
After the family’s get-together has broken up, Freya tells Elijah that she snuck into a Christmas party at the Compound 100 years ago. She wanted to be a part of the family but thought she would always be on the outside looking in. This may not be the most elegant Christmas Elijah’s ever had, but for Freya, it’s the best one. He tells her that some things are worth the wait.
Elsewhere in the house, Cami asks Klaus if Rebekah was right about him seeing her as a “fragile thing that needs to be kept behind glass.” He’s still shaken by the thought of what Aurora could have done to her, but Cami reminds him that because of him, she’s fine.
He’s been there for her countless times, as well as for people he cares about, but today he saved Will, who was a stranger. Why? Klaus says it’s because she wanted him to. What’s important to her is important to him. What makes her happy makes him want to keep her happy. He wants to destroy anything that scares her, and he doesn’t want to watch her from behind glass. Cami asks what he wants, but instead of responding, he kisses her. When they pull apart, they’re both smiling.
Freya goes looking for her pendant but can’t find it. In the City of the Dead, Vincent asks the ancestors for guidance after his installation as regent. Tristan arrives and says he hates churches but loves cemeteries. Churches are about fairy tales, but cemeteries hold proof that no matter what you believe, you’ll still end up dead.
Vincent knows the Strix have been watching him, which means they should realize he’s not an easy target. He’s tired of innocent people getting hurt by those the Originals have wronged. The police can’t enforce justice on the supernatural, but Vincent can. Tristan laughs at him for not being afraid of vampires. Well, except for maybe one. He holds up Freya’s pendant and says that if Vincent won’t do what Tristan wants, he’ll just have to put Finn back in his body.
As Klaus and Cami take things to his bed, Elijah meets up with Rebekah in the Quarter. On her way out of town, she realized that Freya didn’t cure her after all – she’s still cursed. She doesn’t want to risk hurting anyone else before Freya can find a real cure, and she doesn’t want to go back on the run. She hands Elijah a dagger and asks him to put her down. He needs to hide her body and not tell anyone. She wants Klaus to be happy for once. When the year is up and the prophecy has passed, Freya can wake Rebekah up and cure her, and the family can be together again.
Elijah protests but Rebekah thinks that maybe they can stop the prophecy by leaning into it and controlling it. This will fulfill the family part, and Elijah will be able to trust everyone, including Klaus. They’ll be able to stop everyone who comes after them. Elijah still doesn’t want to dagger his sister, but she eggs him on until he does it. Rebekah ends her Christmas temporarily dead and Elijah ends it carrying a secret he can’t tell anyone.
Klaus and Cami have gone to sleep next to each other in his bed without doing anything more than kissing. She wakes up and looks at him, happy at first, then suddenly looking like something’s wrong. At St. James Infirmary, Aurora plays “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” on the piano. Tristan tells her she should play more. “Oh, I never stop playing,” she replies. She composes sonatas in her head. He notes that she had a good day. She agrees that it was beautiful.
Klaus wakes up, happy that Cami’s still in his bed. Then he sees blood on his hand. “Here’s to an even better tomorrow,” Aurora says to Tristan as she goes back to her song. Klaus realizes that Cami is covered in blood, her throat having been slit. He cradles her body and cries out in protest.
Etc.: I like this season, for the most part, but it suffers from a severe lack of Josh.
There’s also a severe lack of cursed Rebekah telling people things that make them question themselves. I need at least five more episodes of it.
Aww, Jackson’s small heart grew three sizes that day.
This episode originally aired on December 10th, 2015. The next episode didn’t air until January 29th, 2016. The writers had a lot of guts to make people wait that long for the resolution to the cliffhanger.
An Eternity of Misery 