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'The Originals' Season 3 Defeated The Mikaelsons

Annette Brown/The CW

To say that a lot happened in Season 3 of The Originals would be an understatement. Last season, the Original family of vampires faced down enemies from their past, starting with the first generation of vampires they created, Aurora, Tristan, and Lucien. When they weren't dealing with the second oldest vamps in the world, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah spent the entire season trying to outrun a prophecy that foretold their deaths, all while Hayley and Klaus battled over baby Hope and Marcel tried to regain control of New Orleans. With Season 4 finally on the horizon, here's a recap of The Originals Season 3 to catch you up on what you missed.

The big bad of Season 3 of The Originals was really more of a trio than one person. Aurora (the first vamp turned by Rebekah), Tristan (Elijah's first), and Lucien (Klaus), blew into New Orleans with intentions that were less than honorable. It turns out that back in the day, the Mikaelsons had turned Aurora, Tristan, and Lucien, and then compelled them to think they were the Mikaelsons to distract their vampire hunter father. Instead of chasing the real Mikaelsons across the globe, Mikael Mikaelson was chasing their vampire offspring. Needless to say, the entire debacle led to many revenge plots — some successful, others not so much — and the season ended with the Mikaelson family barely hanging on for dear life. Here's everything you need to know about The Originals Season 3 and where it left off before the Season 4 premiere.

Klaus' Sire Line Is Broken

When Lucien and Tristan revealed themselves to be enemies, Klaus and Elijah thought they was still untouchable. After all, when an Original vampire dies, so does every vampire in their sire line, which meant that Lucien couldn't kill Klaus without killing himself. But, with Davina's help, the Strix, a group of Elijah's sire line, were able to break Klaus' sire line. Elijah's is still in tact, but Klaus can now die without killing his entire sire line of vampires, which means he's vulnerable to attack from any and all who wish him ill.

Marcel Is King

Marcel took a magic serum that transformed him into a kind of super hybrid vampire, even more powerful than Klaus. His bite is fatal to vampires, like that of a werewolf, only his bite cannot be cured with Klaus' blood. He's also now the most immortal character on The Originals — Elijah ripped his heart out, and he still survived. His new hybrid status coupled with his alliance with Vincent makes Marcel the most powerful character ever to threaten the Mikaelsons. At the end of the season, Marcel bit Elijah and Kol, ensuring their deaths, and unseated Klaus once and for all. Marcel is now King of New Orleans.

Elijah, Freya, Rebekah & Kol In Coffins

The season ended with Hayley leaving New Orleans with Hope by her side and Elijah, Freya, Rebekah, and Kol in coffins. With Elijah and Kol bitten by Marcel, Freya poisoned, and Rebekah cursed, the Mikaelsons magically delayed their deaths with a sleeping spell. Elijah, Freya, Rebekah, and Kol are all suspended in sleep, keeping the poisons and curse from taking their lives.

Klaus Is In Eternal Misery

Klaus ended the season by sacrificing himself for his family. With his family members all dying of various poisons, and Marcel desperate for revenge, Freya came up with a plan to save them. She used the last of her magic and strength to place a spell on herself, Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah (all slowly dying) to put them in a magical sleep state that would stave off the poison. But, for them to remain alive, they needed to be tied to a life force — someone with their blood who was living. So, Klaus manipulated Marcel into stabbing him with a dagger that would cause him to feel pain forever instead of killing him. Locked up and alone, Klaus is now Marcel's prisoner, destined to suffer an eternity of misery.

Hayley Is On A Mission

With her entire family either captured or slowly dying, Hayley left New Orleans with Hope on a mission. She needs to find a way to cure them all, a mission that will require her to chase down werewolf packs across the world. We'll see how successful she is when The Originals returns.

RIP Camille, Jackson & Davina

Of course, it's not a season of The Originals without a few heartbreaking deaths. In the most heartbreaking loss of the season, Camille died just as she was beginning to give in to her feelings for Klaus. First she was turned by Aurora, Klaus' spurned lover, and later when she was fatally poisoned by Lucien's bite, after he himself had ingested the magic serum. Later, Freya killed Davina to stop her from taking down the Ancestors and diminishing Freya's power to defeat Marcel, a move Vincent succeeded in completing. Other deaths included Jackson, who was murdered by Mikaelson enemies, and Finn, who died at the hands of the last of the white oak.

Haylijah Is On

The Originals Season 3 wasn't all doom and gloom. Shippers got a few bright spots courtesy of Klaus and Camille, who briefly got together before her death (RIP Klamille). But, most importantly, Hayley and Elijah finally became official! Jackson's death opened the door for Haylijah, and the two were together in the finale. Of course, Season 4 of The Originals is going to take place five years after the Season 3 finale, which means Hayley and Elijah have been separated for half a decade. But, hey, what's five years apart to two immortal creatures?

Here's hoping the Mikaelsons have better luck in Season 4.