15 Best The Originals Episodes, Ranked

Despite being a spinoff, The Originals is largely considered superior to The Vampire Diaries due to its well-crafted plotlines, incredible twists, and compelling episodes in its five-season run. Klaus and his siblings captivated fans in the original series, but their lives in The Originals had higher stakes and an overall better focus on the family, and some episodes in the show truly shined bright on their own.

The Originals thrived on messy family dynamics and drama, which was plentiful throughout the show but especially clear in these episodes. Seeing the raw power of the Original vampires, which was missing in The Vampire Diaries, was also one of the most thrilling elements of the spinoff. Several episodes stood out when the show was airing and continue to hold a special place in fans’ hearts.

Updated by Fawzia Khan on August 19, 2024: The Originals proved to be one of the most successful spinoffs ever. It honored the original and also created its own legacy with a stellar story of Klaus’ redemption with his family. This list has been updated with more of the best episodes of The Originals.

15 “Après Moi, le Déluge” Depicted A Heartbreaking Sacrifice

The Originals took a more mature route to fantasy compared to its predecessor — if a character had to die for the plot, there were few ways to prevent it. In “Après Moi, le Déluge,” strange things start happening to Davina Claire, who had escaped the killing of the Harvest Ritual, thanks to Marcel. However, that wasn’t meant to be as Marcel learns that the entire French Quarter would suffer dire consequences if the Harvest was not completed.

Thus, Marcel had to carry his ward to her death in a sequence that was visually stunning, but heartbreaking in Season 1 of The Originals. This drew Marcel to Klaus, who had been a father to him for many centuries. This episode was an ode to chosen families, and it upped the already high-stakesThe Originals established.

14 The Violence Of Elijah, Klaus, and Mikael Came Through In “Red Door”

Being the most powerful creatures in the universe meant that the Originals had a penchant for violence, as that’s how they maintained their position. As Esther comes back, eager to still undo her mistake of turning her children into vampires, she forces Elijah to revisit his sins and see why she thinks so unfavorably of her own children. Thus, the audience goes through the red door of Elijah’s subconscious.

A familiar face is seen beyond the door — Elijah’s old love Tatia (Nina Dobrev), whom Esther had killed, is seen, but her story is different. It is now clear that Elijah had killed the doppelganger himself in a fit of rage, which leads him to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, Mikael aims for Klaus by kidnapping Cami. The true violence behind the Mikaelson family is evident in this layered episode.

13 “Rebirth” Sets Up An Action-Packed Second Season

Reeling from the events of The Originals Season 1 finale, where the Mikaelsons had to send Hope away and stage her death to save her from the Guerreras, the Season 2 premiere starts tipping the scales in the Mikaelsons’ favor. Everything is the same in New Orleans, but everything is also different as new romantic relations and alliances have been forged since the finale. However, it’s the fight between the Originals and the werewolves that take the spotlight.

Hayley, Klaus, and Elijah slay the wolves, and Klaus uses their blood to paint his canvases in his usual dramatic flair. The fight is incredibly hard-fought, but their problems are far from solved. A mysterious figure called Kaleb enters Davina’s life, while Vincent enters the frame too — essentially bringing the entire Mikaelson clan together.

12 “Ne Me Quitte Pas” Saw Elijah Start Afresh

While in New Orleans, werewolves, witches, and familial conflict was the very foundation of The Originals, one of its best episodes moved away from this main plot. To keep The Hollow at bay, the Mikaelsons had decided to stay apart, but Elijah’s memories were wiped to keep him from meeting Klaus again.

In “Ne Me Quitte Pas”, viewers see Elijah in a village in France, living a brand new life away from his family. Here, Elijah meets another vampire, Antoinette, and he gets seven years of respite from the constant family drama. This was completely different from the rest of The Originals, and honestly quite refreshing to see a novel setting and plotline for a familiar character.

11 “The Feast Of All Sinners” Broke The Mikaelsons Apart

The Season 4 finale of The Originals threatened everything that the Mikaelson family had held in reverence their whole lives. As the malicious Hollow infected Hope, Hayley and Klaus had no choice but to make a tough choice. They took the presence into themselves and Freya, Rebekah, and Elijah, but they had to split up permanently to keep the Hollow weak.

Their dream of “always and forever” broke in this finale, as they went their separate ways for the rest of eternity. Even more heartbreakingly, Elijah asked Marcel to compel away his allegiance to Klaus to prevent any meeting. Marcel, instead, took away all of Elijah’s memories of his family, which made this separation even worse.

10 “The River In Reverse” Showed Klaus’ Might

The Originals is full of amazing moments, and fans were treated to some of them in Season 1 itself. Klaus had detested Marcel’s rule over the French Quarter from the beginning, and this episode sees that rivalry come to a head. While Marcel sets his entire force on Klaus, it is not nearly enough for the mighty Orginal hybrid.

In an epic fight scene, Klaus singlehandedly takes on dozens of vampires, proving that great action sequences can enhance any episode. The complex family dynamic of the Mikaelsons is also in play, as Elijah is earlier bitten by Klaus and struggling slowly with the pain, and Rebekah chooses to be on Marcel’s side this time. This episode depicted Klaus at his most dangerous.

9 “No More Heartbreaks” Leaned Into the Tragedy of Klaus and Cami

One of the defining qualities of The Originals was that the show did not shy away from tragedy. Triumphant moments were always juxtaposed by incredibly sad ones, and “No More Heartbreaks” beautifully depicted this. Cami may have been Klaus’ love interest, but she had become like family to Hayley and the other Mikaelsons.

An awful encounter with Lucien left her with a bite on her arm, one that was steadily draining her life force with its venom. Usually ready with Plan A, B, and C, Klaus chooses to console a sick Cami in the compound, while Freya looks for magical cures, Vincent and Marcel look for clues in Cami’s apartment, and Elijah and Hayley go to the Bayou to get a wolf antidote. It was an episode where the collective efforts of every supernatural being The Originals could offer couldn’t save Cami’s precious life.

8 “Savior” Depicts a Mikaelson Christmas

Nothing with the Mikaelson family is ever ordinary, and Christmas becomes eventful in The Originals episode “Savior.” A cursed Rebekah sets her sights on her own family, ready to attack them, while Freya works double time to look for a cure. Unfortunately, the Original family’s witch becomes the Strix’s target herself. Hayley’s plan for a quiet Christmas with Hope and Jackson becomes a distant dream.

However, the Mikaelsons and the wolves manage a sort of celebration, and Klaus is urged by a cursed Rebekah to follow on his feelings for Cami. While the two share an impassioned night, Klaus (and the audience) is shocked to find her body bloodied and seemingly dead the next morning. This episode delivered twists on twists, making it a memorable holiday episode.

7 “The Map of Moments” Was All About Family With Some Startling Revelations

In what could easily be one of the most emotional but also shocking episodes of the beloved CW show, Klaus and Hayley finally get to meet their daughter, whom they had sent away to Rebekah to protect. The moment is tender and sweet, and Rebekah revives old family traditions to mark her entire family coming together after a long time.

On the other hand, dark secrets from this Originals family come pouring out, as Esther reveals that they were cursed to give away their firstborn to Dahlia. Not only did this mean that Hope was in danger, but also that they had an eldest sibling somewhere out there. Kol’s tragic equation with his family is revealed in his conversations with Davina, and Esther begins to transition into the thing she hates the most.

6 “The Bloody Crown” Saw The Originals Fold

The Originals always won until “The Bloody Crown.” A wronged Marcel, now an Upgraded Original, returns to the Mikaelsons for revenge, even as Elijah and Klaus grieve their betrayal. Even though Elijah killed him, he put Klaus up for trial for all of his sins, some of which were truly abhorrent. Still, every member of the family is bitten fatally, while Freya is poisoned and Rebekah suffers from her curse.

The appeal of this episode lay in the genius of saving the Mikaelsons, even when they were all on the brink of death. Freya put them in a Chamber de Chasse to preserve their life forces as Hayley looked for cures, but all of it depends on Klaus finding a way to stay alive through his trial. He succeeds but undergoes months of torture to keep his family alive.

5 “Farewell to Storyville” Skips Action For Emotion

Putting three angry Originals in one room is a bad — but creatively interesting — idea and that’s a large part of “Farewell to Storyville.” Klaus learns that Rebekah was the one who called Mikael to New Orleans to kill Klaus, which understandably enrages the hybrid. When they are locked in the City of the Dead cemetery by a witch’s boundary spell, Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus have no choice but to face what their family has become.

Centuries of tensions and emotions come to the surface as Klaus nearly stakes Rebekah with the White Oak for her betrayal. In a twist, he sets her free to live her life far from the mess that was their family. This was what Rebekah longed for for centuries, and it shows some amount of growth in Klaus that he let her go. “Always and Forever” was the very foundation of the Mikaelson clan in The Originals, but this episode showed clearly that individual growth for each Original was more important, sometimes.

4 “Ashes to Ashes” Is a Bittersweet Triumph for Klaus

In an Originals episode where Klaus goes just a bit too far, “Ashes to Ashes” is full of thrills at every turn as the Mikaelsons race to save Hope and vanquish Dahlia. Klaus works hard to gain Dahlia’s trust, and when he does, he sets the wheels turning on his plan to save his family. Sure, it involves betraying the mother of his child and his brothers, but that’s how all of Klaus’ plans go.

Rebekah tricks Davina into bringing Esther back, the only witch who can defeat Dahlia. Ultimately, it is Dahlia’s love for Esther that puts both sisters to rest, reaffirming the Mikaelson bond and how it goes back many generations before them. However, Klaus’ betrayals leave Hayley and many others in a tough spot.

3 “A Streetcar Named Desire” Was a Thrilling Crossover

There is nothing quite as exciting as a crossover episode for fans of both shows, and The Vampire Diaries collided with The Originals in the best way possible when Stefan came to New Orleans. The younger vampire is on the run from Rayna Cruz, and Klaus introduces him to Freya.

However, Stefan finds a greater purpose: saving Klaus’ Original sireline, which is in danger from The Strix. This episode saw an explosive end to many plotlines, from The Strix to Aurora and Tristan. Davina also severs Klaus’ sireline from him, which is one of the most notable developments. Overall, the clash of two worlds in the same universe was gripping.

2 “From a Cradle to a Grave” Was Heartbreaking

The whole of Season 1 was spent protecting Hayley and her unborn child, who finally came into the world in “From a Cradle to a Grave.” For a show so situated in violence, The Originals focussed on the complexities of Hope’s birth and how the entire family almost broke in trying to keep her safe.

Hayley dies after childbirth; Hope is taken away but comes back to life as a hybrid because she has Hope’s blood in her. It’s the upgrade she truly deserved. Klaus and Hayley have to make the heartbreaking decision of telling the world that Hope died, giving her instead to Rebekah so that she may stay alive and away from the witches who wanted her. “Always and Forever” was the foundation of this episode.

1 “Give ‘Em Hell Kid” Showed the Complex Relationship Between Marcel and The Originals

Season 3 of The Originals was spent trying to thwart the prophecy that Freya kept seeing — the one that showed the Originals meeting their final, irreversible deaths. As the “Beast” was revealed to be Marcel, events unfolded in a furious rush, tumbling into each other as Elijah raced to prevent the prophecy from becoming the truth. When Klaus goes to meet Marcel on the bridge, he has no intention of killing him.

Elijah rushes in on the scene, tearing out Marcel’s heart to save his brother, but triggers the prophecy himself as Marcel has taken Lucien’s serum already. Betraying Marcel is like hurting a son and a brother, which leads to an extreme reaction from the newly Upgraded Marcel. This action-packed episode was perhaps the most well-crafted one in The Originals.