The Originals Preview: “Fruit of the Poisoned Tree” [INTERVIEW] 

[WARNING: Spoilers for The Originals series]

The Originals has quickly turned into one of the strongest shows on the CW, don’t you think?

• It’s an adult show on a network that’s not always known for that. And that’s refreshing.
• The dialogue, much like it is on its sister series, The Vampire Diaries, is crackling good.
• The cast chemistry is solidifying every week.
• The mythology that’s being woven has us coming back for more.
• The New Orleans vibe is the perfect setting for a show that blends vampires, werewolves, witches and those pesky humans.

Yup, The Originals is just a cool hour of television that’s getting better and better every week. Trust us when we tell you that tonight’s episode shouldn’t be missed. Let’s let The Originals EP, Julie Plec, give a little tease:

“This is the episode where we look at sort of…the house of cards starts crumbling around Klaus. All the clever machinations that he’s put into motion are kind of getting ruined all around him as his plans and evildoings are getting revealed.”

Synopsis for “Fruit of the Poisoned Tree”: When Klaus (Joseph Morgan) discovers Hayley’s (Phoebe Tonkin) life is being threatened, he goes to extreme lengths to protect her and their unborn baby. Having a difficult time dealing with the tragic events of her past, Cami (Leah Pipes) turns to Father Kieran (guest star Todd Stashwick) for guidance. Feeling as though he can trust no one, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) visits an old friend to seek out some advice, while Davina (Danielle Campbell) takes steps to learn how to control her magic. Finally, Klaus delivers some surprising news to Father Kieran.

Michael Narducci, who serves as co-executive producer for The Originals says, “the first five episodes were setting all of the chess pieces on the board. And this episode and what’s going forward for the next several is kind of like…now things are gonna start to collide.”

TV GOODNESS TEASE: After getting the chance to screen “Fruit of the Poisoned Tree,” we’re considering Daniel Gillies the episode MVP. Elijah is just so much fun to watch. Now that he’s back and un-daggered, he’s an immediate force of nature and everyone around him has to deal with that. Hayley continues to be in constant danger because of the baby she’s carrying. Meanwhile, Marcel is starting to put two and two together where his “pal” Klaus is concerned. And the witches start to make some moves. What will that mean for The Originals and, more specifically, what will it mean for Klaus and his plans?

Following the screening, Plec and Narducci teased a little more about the season including the impending crossover involving Michael Trevino’s Tyler Lockwood. At the end of The Vampire Diaries “Monster’s Ball,” Tyler walked out on his girlfriend, Caroline, and his main mission is to get revenge on Klaus. But, as we learned, there’s more to Tyler’s story when he hits New Orleans:

JULIE PLEC: “I can say this. I can say that the crossover is happening very soon. That it will answer a couple questions, one of which is at least answering the first piece of the mystery of the protective wolf. What else can I say about that?”

MICHAEL NARDUCCI: “It also will introduce a lot more questions. A lot of things will come out of that crossover that are gonna shake things up within the core dynamic of The Original family and there will be a whole storyline that will come out of where that crossover leads them geographically and what they discover when they’re there. So there’s a lot of stuff that’s about to be introduced.”

Look for this Vampire Diaries/Originals crossover to happen soon — as in November sweeps soon.

JULIE: “We don’t plot things for sweeps because we like to believe that every episode needs to be its own sort of power movie. That being said, it does in our schedule fall…I’m fairly certain that we will catch our first glimpse of Tyler before November is over.”

Don’t worry. We’ve got more with Julie Plec and Michael Narducci coming your way. The Originals airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on the CW.

“Fruit of the Poisoned Tree” Promo

“Fruit of the Poisoned Tree” Clip

Interview edited for space and content.