The Originals does an excellent job in its first season. Following the titular characters as they attempt to build a home for the coming Mikaelson baby in New Orleans, it maintains a fast pace, good writing, interesting characters, and thematic focus. The cast of the show is large, but each character gets time in the spotlight to develop them. The setting of New Orleans is well-used, from the historical and cultural references to even the witches' spells being chanted in French. The fact that each group of creatures, including the witches, vampires, humans, and werewolves has their own motivations and scheme for control of the city makes the setting rich and detailed. The main characters are developed well, building on what was shown in The Vampire Diaries. Klaus is humanized without mitigating his role as someone who is perfectly willing to killing people. Marcel, who I initially disliked because he seemed to come out of nowhere when he was introduced, was integrated into the cast well with his backstory as an adopted member of the Mikaelson family as well as his own values and motivations. The show's thematic focus on the importance of family is used well here. The Mikaelsons are as dysfunctional as they come but they are forced to work together for the baby. Marcel's role as Klaus's adopted son plays into this as well. The plot is complex and fast-paced, but it never loses its focus on the characters. The season finale was well-executed too. Hopefully the show will keep this up in the next seasons as well.
Season 1 Review: Excellent
Spoilers for the first few episodes follow:
The Originals does an excellent job in its first season. Following the titular characters as they attempt to build a home for the coming Mikaelson baby in New Orleans, it maintains a fast pace, good writing, interesting characters, and thematic focus. The cast of the show is large, but each character gets time in the spotlight to develop them. The setting of New Orleans is well-used, from the historical and cultural references to even the witches' spells being chanted in French. The fact that each group of creatures, including the witches, vampires, humans, and werewolves has their own motivations and scheme for control of the city makes the setting rich and detailed. The main characters are developed well, building on what was shown in The Vampire Diaries. Klaus is humanized without mitigating his role as someone who is perfectly willing to killing people. Marcel, who I initially disliked because he seemed to come out of nowhere when he was introduced, was integrated into the cast well with his backstory as an adopted member of the Mikaelson family as well as his own values and motivations. The show's thematic focus on the importance of family is used well here. The Mikaelsons are as dysfunctional as they come but they are forced to work together for the baby. Marcel's role as Klaus's adopted son plays into this as well. The plot is complex and fast-paced, but it never loses its focus on the characters. The season finale was well-executed too. Hopefully the show will keep this up in the next seasons as well.