The Originals

Season:

Episode:

1-Pilot

Starring:

Charles Michael Davis,

Daniel Gillies,

Daniella Pineda

Network(s):

The CW

Genre:

Drama,

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Grade:

B-

Official Website

Other Reviews

Stuck Like Glue

Actresses Phoebe Tonkin and Claire Holt have now worked on three television series together: H20: Just Add Water, The Vampire Diaries, and The Originals.

Set to air on The CW this fall, The Originals is a spin-off of the highly successful series The Vampire Diaries. As fans could probably presume from the title, The Originals follows three siblings of the Original Vampire family and takes them away from the familiar Mystic Falls, Virginia setting.

Part-vampire and part-werewolf Klaus (Joseph Morgan, Immortals) receives a letter that a witch named Jane-Anne in New Orleans is conspiring against him somehow. Klaus decides to return to his old stomping grounds to investigate these claims. He is shocked to discover that his former protege, the vampire Marcel (Charles Michael Davis, Grey's Anatomy), has taken control of the city. Marcel has managed to rid the area of werewolves and reigns harshly over both witches and humans with his vampire clan.

As if Klaus weren't busy enough, a group of oppressed witches claim that werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin, H20: Just Add Water) is pregnant with Klaus' offspring. Now faced with a dictating ruler and a potential heir, Klaus teams up with brother Elijah (Daniel Gillies, Saving Hope) to retake New Orleans. The pair are hopeful that sister Rebekah (Claire Holt, Pretty Little Liars) will join them as well.

As is typical with most programming on The CW, you have to automatically assume that the entire cast will consist of good-looking twenty-somethings. I expected this to be a bit annoying, but when we are dealing with a program revolving around immortal supernatural beings it's less of a distraction. The show will live or die on the acting chops of Joseph Morgan and Charles Michael Davis. So far, both command attention with their respective characters and I think it's safe to say that audiences will anticipate their scenes together. Morgan is fully capable of a lead role and shines as the rebellious Klaus. The New Orleans setting adds some freshness that hopefully won't tread close to True Blood territory. Fans of The Vampire Diaries will enjoy this along with anyone in the mood for some soapy supernatural fare.