The Originals: Elijah’s decision, as explained by the stars

Elijah shatters his own heart and that of his brother Klaus in last night’s emotional episode of The Originals. Here’re the stars’ insights.

“Ne Me Quitte Pas” is an Elijah-centric episode of two halves. The first half summarizes Elijah Mikaelson’s seven-year absence from his family. At the end of season 4 of The Originals, Elijah (Daniel Gilles) had the memories of his family wiped away from his mind. His greatest weakness was his undying loyalty to his family, and a reunited family would result in a great evil being unleashed.

The episode starts slowly as Elijah learns how to exist as a vampire again as he searcges for his identity. It builds to a staccato of blood and bodies as Elijah rediscovers his vampiric blood lust. The second half jumps forward seven years. Elijah had settled into a relationship and a remote life in France. Klaus (Joseph Morgan) arrives and demands, then pleads, for Elijah to return home.

The episode was directed by The Originals star Joseph Morgan, and it brimmed with heart and Gothic melancholy. The actors spoke to E! News about the emotionally charged episode.

“It was my favorite thing about the show, the family dynamic and certainly my relationship with Daniel and the relationship of Elijah and Klaus was very important to me,” Morgan told E! News. He continued:

"So it felt really great to have someone I would regard as one of the best actors on the show was the center of the whole episode, and my good friend and we could kind of talk about it and collaborate on it from the beginning, because we have really similar taste, I think, Daniel and I, in terms of what we want the show to be, when we like it, when we feel it’s at its best."

Despite jesting with a thumbs down gesture on Twitter last night, Daniel Gilles agreed that Morgan did an amazing job directing the dynamic episode and scene between the two actors. He said, “… I think he was truly the perfect director for that episode. And he didn’t just do a marvelous job, he directed what I think was the best written episode of the show ever.”

Elijah refuses Klaus’ request to return to New Orleans. The final moment features Elijah burning in the sun, a symbolic incineration of his past and family connections. Yet, perhaps Elijah was being selfless and it was an act of penance, as mentioned in the Culturess review of the episode.

Earlier in the episode, Marcel advises Elijah to trust in himself. Elijah’s decision to ruin the bond with his brother thus comes off as emotional yet calculated. Has Elijah truly turned his back on his brother? Or is his rejection an ultimate act of loyalty?

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Let’s trust in Elijah too. He is always and forever a Mikaelson.