The Originals: Daniel Gillies previews a 'Shakespearean apocalypse' 

'Originals' boss explains Klaus' decision, talks Claire Holt's return

'The Originals' recap: 'Fire With Fire'

, he was looking for a way to kill his brother, the infamous NiKlaus Mikaelson. And he came very close to doing just that. But at the last second, with the promise of a family reunion, Elijah decided to let his brother live. 

, and we learn that this brotherhood has been filled with a lifelong pattern of betrayal, forgiveness, and more generally, family loyalty. But when Klaus killed Gia in front of Eiljah in season 2’s penultimate episode, it’s possible he finally took things one step too far. 

“There’s got to be a point at which the writers have to acknowledge the compound interest of all of these offenses. They need to mean something. I think that that’s the place that we’re approaching,” Daniel Gillies said. “I honestly think that we’re getting to a point where it is unforgivable. I would like to see him not get past it. My girlfriend can’t quite literally go up in flames in front of me, and then [Elijah and Klaus] resume the relationship.”

That being said, Elijah doesn’t exactly have time to cut his brother out of his life right now. With Dahlia’s attack on the horizon, Elijah will be forced to work with Klaus one last time. “Gia was just sort of a casualty thrown under the bus in the name of Klaus’ smoke and mirrors, but I think in order to defeat Dahlia, he’s going to have to relinquish whatever feelings he has towards that treachery and just move forward, because Dahlia is certainly an enormous threat to them all.” 

At this point in the season, fans have gotten a glimpse of the type of threat Dahlia poses to the family. But Gillies described the finale as the perfect “straight right cross” to follow the penultimate episode’s “jab.” Yes, those are boxing terms. Specifically, he said, “I can’t say enough good things about the absolutely sinister performance delivered by Claudia Black. She’s brought a whole new dimension to the show.” As for what she does in the finale, Gillies said it’s “nothing short of a Shakespearean apocalypse.”

So what does one do after an apocalypse? Is there any way for the Original family to walk away from this fight unscathed? The short answer: No.

“I truly think that they are beyond redemption,” Gillies said. “I think that Elijah, being perhaps the most analytical one of the family of who they are and what they represent in their universe, knows that. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t think that they can live good and just lives. He’s not saying without hope; he’s saying that nothing can wash us clean from what we have done. We’ve done the most terrible things to each other, to our enemies, to those that loved us. No amount of goodness can take it away.”

is not a story of redemption at all. “They are monsters,” he said. “I don’t think it’s redemption they’re seeking; I think that they need to be at peace with the fact that that’s what they are, and then continue. Their definition of morality had to shift when they became what they became. When you become this creature that has to survive by ultimately sort of cannibalizing others, your morality barometer has to be significantly disproportionate to whatever a human barometer of morality is.”

That being said, “just because someone says we’re beyond redemption doesn’t mean that they can’t live good lives,” Gillies said. “But they can never remove the centuries of vile behavior, certainly by human standards.”

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