The Originals recap: 'Voodoo in My Blood'

If you’re a history buff or a lover of backstories, you probably enjoyed this episode. The Originals writers spared no expense giving viewers the 4-1-1 on the blue orb they like to call the Hollow. Fortunately, they brought back two old friends to help shepherd the details along.

The Hollow’s biography begins in 500 AD with a tribal celebration of a baby’s birth. Only this baby turns blue, forces all the flames to extinguish, and manages to kill all the flowers by her presence alone. Even Baby Hollow is scary.

Back in the present, Hope watches as the Hollow’s jaw bones rattle around on the table in a circle of salt. Super weird, I get it, but here’s what we know: The Hollow is trying to collect four of her old bones. The jaw bone is one. Freya managed to track down the lineage of guardians who were entrusted with bones like the jaw bone. Lo and behold, it’s Tyler Lockwood’s pack. The other bones must be in Mystic Falls. And somehow, the Tunde blade is involved in this resurrection plan.

The good news is that Alaric trolls the old Lockwood Estate and finds a “creepy ass ancient finger bone.” Plus, the Lockwoods kept records of the names of other families charged to guard the remains. Well done Ric! He arranges to meet Klaus halfway to make the exchange, explaining he doesn’t want his favorite original anywhere near Mystic Falls. When Klaus is around, things tend to get a little murdery.

Unfortunately, Klaus can’t go get the creepy finger bone because he has to go with Hayley to the church to meet some witches, thanks to a summoning the ancestors sent telepathically to his daughter. Klaus sends Elijah to recruit Marcel for a bro-themed road trip culminating in a meet-up with Ric. “Perhaps it’s time to mend bridges rather than throw people off of them.” Solid burn, Klaus.

Marcel has no idea he’s been nominated to accompany Elijah. As he commands his fellow vampires to search the city for old bones (that sounds easy), Sofya comes in and starts to flirt her way back into Marcel’s good graces. Elijah metaphorically pours a bucket of ice water on the situation by waltzing into the room and informing Marcel of their pending getaway.

Sofya is dismissed. Elijah explains there is an “expert” who has one of the bones and means to find the others. They have a common goal. Let bygones be bygones. When Marcel balks at the word “trust,” Elijah produces the blade that can kill him. Of course, Sofya hears the entire exchange. Rookie mistake, E.

Over in the church, Klaus smells a witchy trap. Hayley reminds him that the covens protect their own, which includes Hope. He’s annoyed to see the Harvest Girls, fresh from their recent throat slittings, who have a deal. The ancestors want to talk and they need blood to perform the spell. Since Hope is a New Orleans witch, a combination of her father and mother’s blood will do. Convenient.

Klaus still smells a rat. There’s something they aren’t telling him. He’s right. This is going to hurt! The girls begin the spell. Klaus and Hayley writhe in pain before landing in a shadowland of the other side. Will they have to search purgatory for a helpful witch? That would be a no. Davina is there in all of her hooded glory. I’m happy to report her hair held up beautifully on the other side.

Davina wastes no time telling the pair that she is the only thing that stands between New Orleans and the Hollow. This is when things get a little sluggish. Allow me to provide you the abbreviated version of the Hollow’s profile.

There were two rival tribes who wanted to create a unified coven back in the day, so they married off a man and woman from either tribe. That resulted in Baby Hollow. She hungered for power. Translation? She liked to kill for fun.

At the word “kill,” Klaus perks up. He’s bored (as am I) and wants her to get to the part of the story that explains how to kill the insatiable witch. Davina stares him down. You can’t kill the Hollow. Klaus scoffs. He’s never met anything he couldn’t kill. Davina confesses that the Hollow does have a weakness. It’s Hayley. She grabs Hayley’s hand and witches her out of the shadowland.

While Klaus is perturbed at being alone in the shadowland, Marcel and Elijah arrive at the rendezvous Bar-B-Q Shack in a fine German sports car. They fight about working angles, stuck up expensive suits, tearing hearts out five years ago, and grudges. They have no idea Ric is currently being attacked by Sofya, who is demanding he give her the bone.

Ric steps out of his car and fires an arrow at her heart. She catches it, of course, and flings Ric down the road with a sweep of her hand. Ric pulls out a gun and shoots the trunk of his SUV, which was filled with dynamite, and blows up Sofya. Oddly, no blue orb vanished into the sky, or into Ric. Sofya’s body must be made of some special stuff to withstand that explosion.

Marcel and Elijah arrive just in time to find Ric limping along the street. He describes the gorgeous vampire/witch combo who was looking for a particular creepy finger bone. Marcel immediately realizes Sofya is the Hollow’s host. He wants to save her. Elijah wants to kill her. To each his own.

Ric brings the argument to a halt by proving some information. According to the Lockwood log, the other bones are in Black Lace Cemetery in the crypt of the Del Robles family. Elijah figures Sofya is halfway there. (How would she know this information?) Regardless, Marcel informs his bro that the cemetery was redeployed due to floods. He knows where Del Robles is buried. To the German sports car!

After dropping Ric at the ER, Team Bones hits the cemetery just as Team Ancestors suffers through more history lessons. Now that Davina has Hayley alone, back inside the salt circle beside Klaus’ body in the real world, she drones on about the Hollow. It all comes down to Hayley’s bloodline.

Here’s the short version: The tribes decided to kill the Hollow. They tracked her with wolves, put a binding spell on her, and tied her to the ground. Before her mother chopped her body with a magical ax, the Hollow cast a final spell that was powered by her own death. The curse bound all those present to the full moon.

That’s right. The Hollow created the werewolf curse. She also has a crescent moon mark because her mother, the original werewolf, has the mark too. The Hollow fears Hayley because Hayley’s blood is her weakness. That means Hope’s blood is her weakness too. Davina begs Hayley to trust her plan.

According to the ancestors, they can no longer track the Hollow, which means she has chosen a host. If Hayley can track down the host, she can fight the Hollow by using her blood to weaken her. Once her spirit is free, Davina can use Klaus to cast a spell that will imprison her for good. Hayley bolts out of the church. Davina looks at the Harvest Girls and ominously says, “You know what to do.”

Remember when you though Davina was a good witch?

NEXT PAGE: Bad to the bone

At the crypt, Marcel and Elijah find Del Robles’ grave, punch a hole through the stone, and retrieve a very large bone. They get into an argument about who will be the keeper of the bone, but it doesn’t matter. Sofya is there to collect her femur. She easily knocks Marcel and Elijah to the ground but is surprised when Hayley arrives and cuts her hand on the Marcel Killing Blade that Elijah travels around with and then stabs the Hollow in the gut. All are surprised when nothing happens.

Oh yeah! Davina totally forgot to tell Hayley that in order to trap the Hollow, an immortal has to be sacrificed. Sofya grabs the bone and leaves. The others look at each other, knowing the ancestors want a sacrifice to put the Hollow down for good. Davina will not hesitate to kill Klaus.

It doesn’t take long for Klaus to figure this out either. Davina fills in the blanks. The Hollow’s bones wouldn’t burn. She haunts (blue orb), looking for the four bones that are separated. There’s the jaw, the creepy finger, the femur, and a pelvis. She won’t stop until they are reunited.

Since that day is near, Davina wants to kill Klaus. All she needs is Marcel’s blood, which is in that weird vine that can kill an original. So that’s what the Harvest Girls are doing! She promises Klaus it will be painful, but she can make it easier. Davina puts him in a trance that somehow telepathically connects to Hope, who is alone at the compound reading books as seven-year-olds do. Hope hears her father screaming, rips off her bracelet, and scurries out the window.

Meanwhile, Hayley and Marcel march into the church asking an invisible Davina to stop. Oh, this is handy! Davina magically appears in the salt circle, next to Klaus’ motionless body, and begs Marcel to kill him for her. One death for the greater good! Elijah barges in, offering his body instead, but Davina won’t trade. Davina magically takes Marcel’s venom, which slowly drips toward Klaus.

Suddenly, a voice shouts, “I won’t let you hurt us!” All turn to see Hope in the doorway. She throws it DOWN! With one punch to the air, Davina is gone, the salt circle is severed, and Hope is running into her father’s arms.

Raise your hand if you want Hope to go up against the Hollow.

Later that night, Ric applauds Hope for her bravery. He then finds Klaus to remind him he has a magical school for gifted kids and Hope is always welcome. Klaus all but rolls his eyes in Ric’s face. Here’s hoping Klaus at least makes a site visit so we can witness some sparks with Caroline!

Upstairs, Hayley gives Elijah the cold shoulder for offering to sacrifice himself in place of his brother. Elijah shouts that Hope needs her father. Hayley calmly says she needs him because she loves Elijah. She refuses his advances, instead asking him to prove himself by giving Marcel the blade that can kill him.

When Elijah arrives at Marcel’s house, the door is ajar. He walks in, because he’s an original who is afraid of nothing. It’s too bad the Hollow was there to stake him in the back. It’s also too bad the stake was covered in the death thorns.

If they kill off Elijah, I’m boycotting this show. I don’t care if they were just renewed for season 5. Who’s with me?