



If The Originals' Klaus didn’t already have an enemy in his brother Finn, than he sure will when the resurrected sibling learns the fate of their mother Esther.

Just as it seemed Esther had one-upped her son, Klaus & Co. proved they were one step ahead by putting vampire blood in their mom's drink before killing her. Awakening in a dungeon, it wasn't long before Esther realized she had to either 1.) feed and become the species she hates, or 2.) die. But while their Esther problem might be on hold, another Original, Kol, got his own revenge by making sure that Rebekah woke up from Esther's spell in the body of a witch. And in the closing moments of the fall finale, it was revealed that Rebekah, alongside Harvest girl Cassie, were stuck behind locked doors.

Will Rebekah escape? Will Esther turn or die? What will happen when Finn learns what his brothers have done? Plus: Will Hayley choose Jackson or Elijah? I talked to executive producers Julie Plec and Michael Narducci to find out.





The fall finale ended with Rebekah waking up in an insane asylum. How long before her siblings find her?

Michael Narducci: First thing is they have to suss out that there is a problem. They did this very dangerous ritual and Rebekah should pop up in a new body, that was the plan, and as we get into Episode 10 they're waiting and she's not showing up and her original body is laying in a coffin, but the new Rebekah isn’t here. So Klaus has to deduce, "Who's responsible for this and who am I going to punish in order to find out where my sister is?" So that'll be a big part of [the winter premiere]—the reaction to Rebekah missing—but then right away circumstances conspire where he can't do anything about it. [Meanwhile], Rebekah will awaken in this asylum for wayward witches and she's going to have to figure out, "Where am I? What is this body I'm in? What am I capable of doing to get out of this situation?" Her circumstances go from pretty bad to extremely dire very quickly.





How will Finn react to his mother being locked up and forced to transition or die?

Julie Plec: We come back right away and Finn is very intent on finding his mother and is full of piss and vinegar and Klaus is like, "Sure, check her out, she's chilling in the tomb." So Finn is the one who figures out what happened to his mother in our first episode back, and his response to it is quite aggressive. He's not happy and he takes some drastic measures and it amps up his power and vengeance and makes him do wild stuff. The fun of this next chapter is Finn the villain, and Yusuf [Gatewood] is so good and… he's got a point, he's the righteous one in all of this, so it's fun to hate him and love him all at the same time.

Narducci: As with any zealot, he hates vampires and what his family has become and he'll do anything to stop them, but zealotry often leads to extreme actions. There will be a point where he makes a choice to go one step too far and he will need to be stopped with extreme prejudice.

Plec: He crosses a line for sure, and anybody who's been fighting with anybody will be like, "There's a code here and he breaks the code."









Hayley had made her decision to marry Jackson—and then hooked up with Elijah. How will that complicate things?



Plec: I love this storyline so much. It's such a Mr. Darcy-esque predicament where you have the man you shouldn’t be with and the good man you should be with for the family. Hayley is struggling between really having deep feelings for an Original vampire who clearly cares about her... and this honorable man who happens to look like Nathan Parsons coming at her saying, "I love you, I will make a commitment to you and honor you and if we marry then all of our pack and everyone we're responsible for will be free." Very soon, she learns troubling news about things she'll have to do to prepare for the ritual which could put her in danger, Jackson in danger, the whole family in danger, so it's not a decision that's going to come easily for her.





What's next for Davina and her duty as a witch, while also falling for Caleb?

Narducci: I think she's beguiled by this guy's ability to not get taken down. That means something to her, so she's impressed by him, she's amazed by him and she knows if she can make an alliance with this guy who she feels true affection for, then she can make a stance in the city and not live in fear.

Plec: Davina has allowed herself to be sidetracked by Caleb and her feelings for him that are growing and they've been tunnel vision trying to get this dagger made, but there will be a series of circumstances before the season is out that reminds her she has a duty to this body of witches. There needs to be leadership and there needs to be someone speaking for them and it's not something she thought she'd do, but a situation may present itself that puts her in a position where she has to take that role. That’s part of her journey growing up, first real love, first experience dealing with the fallout of falling in love and finding yourself and who you're meant to be.





What's your biggest tease for the second half of the season?

Narducci: This run of episodes is Finn's revenge and what the family is going to have to do. It's Elijah taking stock of his mental condition in the aftermath of Esther tormenting him and trying to return to the Elijah we remember. It's Klaus dealing with Kol who screwed over Rebekah. It's Hayley determined to save her people and win an army of werewolves who can protect her child through this wedding. And it's whatever Rebekah is going to unlock as a witch who's trapped in this insane asylum and how she's going to rejoin her family and what she'll bring with her in this new body, which will maybe change the family forever. All of those things will come to a head in the next five episodes.

Plec: Plus, we have the lingering mystery of Freya and Dahlia and is she coming? Of course if you talk about someone long enough eventually they'll knock on the door, so the devil will make an appearance by the end of the season.





The Originals returns Monday at 8pm on The CW.



