Friday, May 16, 2014

The Originals Season Finale: Hope is Miraculous ~



Ps: This contains spoilers.

“From a Cradle to a Grave” is the title of the Originals season finale; from Life to Death lies a whole eventful journey. As viewers, in one episode, we surely endured the gruesome scenes of Death as well as tasted the delightful little emotional moments when we witness the starting of a Life.

 These two antagonistic perpetual forces are craftily illustrated in the episode. You feel that mini heart-attack, your jaw drops, you reach out to your heart when the witch cuts Hayley’s throat. You mind starts to wonder: what will become of Elijah ? Of Klaus’s Humanity ? Of the promise of a Home ?

All these aspirations and hopes are shouldered by the unborn miracle baby, not because she is the fruit of an original hybrid and a werewolf, but because she, tiny and helpless as she is, embodies the healing power that will bind the family together, fuel love in its veins and nurtures the decaying notion of Humanity especially for Klaus, the wounded father.

People have this propensity to associate birth with miracles. One is liable to say:” I want to witness the miracle of birth.” It is indeed a miracle. This miracle does not solely emanate from the wondrous fact that a whole and healthy human being comes out of a woman’s womb. What is awe-inspiring is the effect of this birth on the characters of the series. They grew more humane, warmer, stronger, and most importantly more hopeful. Isn’t that a miracle ?

 For centuries, The Michealsons drifted apart, struggled, suffered, made enemies of each other. They were too aware of their complexities and dichotomies and, at times, co-existence was impossible. “Always and Forever”, the family motto, was constantly violated by the flaws of some, and the weaknesses of others.
When it comes to family, we always say: “It is complicated” and this phrase should do, given that it is common, if not universal to have complicated family ties. Equally common is Life and birth, they happen every day, yet they inspire amazement, joy and Hope. It is a consistently repetitive act, but this reiteration never tires its beauty. Strange enough, this summons to my mind, Maurice Ravel’s classical piece “Bolero”. During 20 minutes, one single musical sequence is repeated, each time with a different instrument. Do we tire from it ? Not for a second !

Now, let’s go back to our subject matter. It is a miracle, Hope is a miracle, especially after a lifetime of pain. It is a sign of strength, it is a sign of Love. Hope, she was named. Klaus named her as such upon handing her to his sister Rebecca for her safety. She survived her first day in this world and as night fell down, she amazingly cured the maladies of her family. Klaus learned the human ability to forgive and forget; he made his peace with his adopted son Marcellus. He also learned how to put differences aside and support each other in times of hardships. To our delight, we see him tearfully smiling to Rebecca at the end of the episode, we see him trusting his sister again with the new pearl of the family, believing that she is bounteous enough to devote herself to her niece. He embraced his brother Elijah again; “the monster” and “noble” agree to live in harmony again.

Saying to his daughter: “ Every soul who wishes you harm will be cast down. I promise you that, as sure as my blood runs in your veins, you will return to me .." by the end, is far from being monster-like, and in this lies the miracle ..

Ps: For those curious about the musical piece I mentioned earlier, here it is:  

   

       

No comments:

Post a Comment