S05.E03: Ne Me Quitte Pas

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

In the immediate aftermath of having his memory erased by Marcel, Elijah awakens to find himself in the middle of nowhere and without a clue as to who he is. Unable to control his instinctive vampire ways, Elijah encounters Antoinette, a beautiful and free-spirited vampire, who helps him navigate his new life. However, a run-in with Klaus threatens to destroy the peace he's finally found.

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who is going to have one of these stuck in my head until next week!

Jacques Brel:

Nina Simone:

Regina Spektor:

[MissL]

Umm. Knowing this is the last season I didn't really want a whole episode of JUST Elijah. As much as I love him it wasn't actually him. And I don't trust this Antoinette lady. I actually thought for a minute when Klaus showed up that she was a former flame obsessed with Elijah who finally had a chance at him because he couldn't remember her. But no. 

So Klaus wants Elijah back why? Is bad enough when only two of them are together For a short time but back in NO with a chance that Hope might show too? Seems like a bad idea and why would Freya encourage that? Have they already come up with a plan to pull that power out of them? I'm ready to get back to NO and the wider cast next week.

[GraceAnne]

Julie Plec really does love an engagement storyline. 

Antoinette should be careful, she too might end up with a mystical bun in the oven!  

[HunterHunted]

How would Elijah being back in New Orleans actually improve anything? Hope is coughing up snakes for goodness sake. Every time 2 or more Mikaelsons are together shit starts getting biblical.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This episode was directed by Joseph Morgan!

I hate that Klaus decided the way to get Elijah to come home with him was to compel Elijah's girlfriend to turn down his proposal and break his heart. WTF, Klaus? That's a serious dick move and it reinforces the idea that Klaus is always meddling in his siblings' love lives.

When Klaus was yelling at Elijah about how he has responsibilities that he can't shirk, I just rolled my eyes. All of you have a responsibility to STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER. Isn't blood raining from the sky a strong enough reminder?

By insisting that Elijah must come home to help find Hailey, what Klaus is really saying is that he and the other siblings are absolutely useless. Klaus is the one who is always insisting that he's the smart one and that they need to go along with his plans, so what does he need Elijah for? Bringing him back to New Orleans just puts Hope in more danger because of the Hollow inside both Elijah and Klaus.

It was nice to see Elijah happy. How many times have we seen him smile with happiness (rather than sarcasm or irony) in all his time on TVD/TO? It's all too rare so I'm glad that he got a few happy years.

I don't understand how Antoinette recognized Elijah right away but all of the vampires at the club had no idea who he was.

[under the el]

Loved it.

I really liked that Antoinette was kind of old school. I thought she would have been a member of that "enemy" French family, or that she really wanted his daylight ring for some reason. They had real chemistry, and the actress is gorgeous.

DG must have had so many little character traits to weave into his performance and reveal at the right time. A lot of that is in the script, but still, good acting.

It would be nice if one vampire could say "feel no pain". I don't know if it would work, but someone should try.

[immortalfrieza]

Apparently the writers have forgotten that the Original Vampires are immune to the sun, no ring needed and have been since Elijah was the first one introduced.

[Lady Calypso]

I actually enjoyed it. I've always had a fondness for Elijah, even when the show has written him pretty badly. I actually thoroughly enjoyed seeing a happy Elijah. We haven't really gotten to see him happy and also free from the burden of family. This helped show a different side to him, where he didn't have this Always and Forever mantra hanging over his head, and it was nice to see him stand up to Klaus. Hypocritical, probably, but still nice.

29 minutes ago, immortalfrieza said:

Apparently the writers have forgotten that the Original Vampires are immune to the sun, no ring needed and have been since Elijah was the first one introduced.

Actually, they aren't totally immune to the sun. I believe Klaus is since he's a hybrid, but the other family members have always needed their own set of rings to combat the sun. It burns them, but doesn't kill them. I remember back in season 2, when Elijah went crazy and he used his own body to cause a massive explosion on the house he was hiding in to kill Finn. Esther actually created the first daylight rings. 

Klaus is just a big ball of suck. He knows that the family can't be put together because of the Hollow, so why is he trying to drag Elijah back into the whole mess when it will harm Hope? Klaus doesn't need his brother, but at the same time, it's clear that he runs to Elijah at the first sign of trouble. I don't know how Klaus survived all those times he dessicated Elijah, as it seems like he can't stand not having Elijah in his life for selfish reasons. 

Antoinette and Elijah actually had some really good chemistry. I'd be totally happy if they ended up together at the end of this season. 

[TaylorBruh25]

This. Was. Awesome. 

I know the show is ending, everyone involved is ready to move on, the CW definitely wasn’t sure it would get a 6th season, but damn I just love it. 

The new adventures thing via time jumps are just such a breath of fresh air. I’d watch at least two more seasons of this, TVD didn’t do time jumps like this and when it did, it was literally a continuation of the latest plot. (Also happened in the third act of a season) 

Ive always favored Klaus these past few years, more than anyone in the show because I felt they hit the mark where they didn’t with Damon on TVD.  It’s not like Klaus is redeemed but there’s development among other things and it’s been so refreshing these few years. But tonight, maybe it just hit home with me more but I detested almost everything Klaus did tonight, contrary to most episodes because JM is always charasmatic as is Klaus. I hated HATED him not only trying to guilt, but out everything that’s going on on Elijah. Call me a flakey family but you have NO responsibility to fix your families lives. Especially when your better off without them, happy and have started a new life. Plus, Klaus trying to break his heart? I have to think if I proposed and was declined it would mostly shatter my world, Elijah having this woman be basically one of the only things he remembers in life and having her tell him she wasn’t in it like he was? Jesus. 

 

Among that, I loved the episode, it almost felt like a backdoor pilot for a different show, JM directed it incredibly, and DG made it feel like a whole new character. Similar to how Paul Wesley did that one time. 

 Marcel and Klaus felt like guest spots, it was fun, and Antoinette is a great addition to the show so far, much better than Henry, Roman, or Declan for me. Would’ve been cool to see “E” interact with Hope a little too though. Oh and “E” lol I loved that mini callback to TVD S4, “American Gothic” was the episode I believe where Katherine has that for Elijah in her phone. 

Edited May 4, 2018 by TaylorBruh25

[nilyank]

7 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Klaus is just a big ball of suck. He knows that the family can't be put together because of the Hollow, so why is he trying to drag Elijah back into the whole mess when it will harm Hope? Klaus doesn't need his brother, but at the same time, it's clear that he runs to Elijah at the first sign of trouble. I don't know how Klaus survived all those times he dessicated Elijah, as it seems like he can't stand not having Elijah in his life for selfish reasons. 

 

They are so co-dependent on one another that they do not know how to function separately. Klaus knows that Hope is in danger anytime he and his siblings get together, but even that danger is overshadowed by his incessant need to have his family near him. I mean they have been around for over 1000 years. Seven years should only seem like a matter of weeks. Even less as Klaus and Rebekah sneaks visits with Elijah during that time period.

[Moxie Cat]

I'm actually surprised Klaus didn't kill Antoinette to remove NuElijah's reason for being. And if he really needed Elijah to remember and go back with him, why wouldn't he bring Marcel to remove the compulsion? 

[Kaboom 2.0]

Did not know JM directed this ep, I really liked it, flashbacks and all. I think DG really exceeded his usual excellent portrayal of Elijah with this ep and I wonder if having JM as director pushed him to that next high level. Bravo!

I also really liked Antoinette, I've seen the actress before in a few other shows and find her engaging and relateable in those roles. Dare I ship Elijah and Antoinette?? I so want to but Klaus is so selfish I can totally see him disposing of her to keep his rock, his older brother, to himself.

[paisley]

This episode was outstanding. Acting, writing, casting and direction were all excellent. Bravo.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I mostly know Jaime Murray from Warehouse 13, Ringer, and Once Upon a Time (before I gave up on it) so it was awesome to see her again!

[Moxie Cat]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

I mostly know Jaime Murray from Warehouse 13, Ringer, and Once Upon a Time (before I gave up on it) so it was awesome to see her again!

 

Ringer! Please refresh me - was she Gruffudd's ex-wife? I loved that show, but it's been too long!

I love her more now that I've IMDB'd her and found out she's 41. Thank you, casting.

[paisley]

I remember Jaime Murray from a British show named "Hustle" about con artists. Kind of like "Leverage".

She did a good job as Antoinette and has believable chemistry with DG. Hope she survives.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

Ringer! Please refresh me - was she Gruffudd's ex-wife? I loved that show, but it's been too long!

I love her more now that I've IMDB'd her and found out she's 41. Thank you, casting.

Close! She played Olivia, Andrew's business partner who was sleeping with his ex-wife Catherine.

ETA: Just that brief description really made me miss the craziness of Ringer!

Edited May 5, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Snow Fairy]

Didn't watch carefully, why didn't Klaus succeed in compelling Antoinette?

 

OK, asked to soon, saw it

 

Don't know what to think about the episode. It dragged too much for me

Edited May 6, 2018 by Snow Fairy

[ursula]

That line about "family" being a joke because Elijah never had a life since he spent all of it sacrificing/protecting said family, especially Klaus...? That line is something I had given up on wanting to hear Elijah Michaelson (and Stefan Salvatore) say for years! That scene sent goosebumps down my spine. Of course, I know the show will never let us have nuElijah for keeps. We're supposed to be on Klaus's side in this because... themes? or something. But damn if this episode couldn't have been a brilliant swan song for Elijah. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 5/6/2018 at 11:00 PM, ursula said:

That line about "family" being a joke because Elijah never had a life since he spent all of it sacrificing/protecting said family, especially Klaus...? That line is something I had given up on wanting to hear Elijah Michaelson (and Stefan Salvatore) say for years!

Same here. I've been sick of Klaus demanding his siblings' constant loyalty and obedience at the cost of their own happiness since S1 which is why I cheered when Rebekah originally left (despite Klaus' patronizing attitude about how he was "letting" her leave). I was glad to see that compelled Elijah wanted nothing to do with Klaus or the current family drama. I know it can't last, but I'm glad he stood up to Klaus and said no for once. I'm sure that Klaus will just throw it in his face later and use it as another reason to guilt trip him about how he's all alone and can't depend on even his own family and how Elijah abandoned him and the family in his hour of need blah blah blah (shortcut: copy and paste every self pitying speech Klaus has ever made to his family about POOR ME), but for now I'm glad that Elijah is staying put and doing his own thing.

I didn't trust Antoinette as soon as I saw she was played by Jaime Murray because she seemed too recognizable to be a one-off appearance or fling. I too thought that maybe she was after his daylight ring or from a family that wanted revenge on the Mikaelsons, but seven years together in France made me think that maybe she really has feelings for him? Then again, seven years is nothing to a vampire so maybe this is a longer con than I originally anticipated. Once I found out that she'd always known who Elijah was, it made me even more suspicious of her motives. I guess the only good thing to come out of Klaus visiting them is that he didn't recognize her so at the very least, there didn't seem to be an existing problem between Klaus and Antoinette (at this point, I assume that most vampires have some sort of issue with Klaus, most likely because he slaughtered half of their family just for fun).

Edited May 9, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo
Because "to" is not the same as "too"

[CheezyXpressed]

On 5/7/2018 at 2:00 AM, ursula said:

We're supposed to be on Klaus's side in this because... themes? or something.

Are we though? Klaus is the main character and he's a tragic villain, but he's still a villain who needs to get over himself. His family is happier when they're not around him and his drama, because it's usually his drama. Unfortunately for Klaus, he has a horrible co-dependency issue that he still hasn't worked through.

I still enjoy watching him, but he's been even more insufferable this season. Being a deadbeat dad, going closer to your brother when it could kill your daughter, then bringing said brother back for no other reason other than you don't know how to function without him there is sad.