Moment of Goodness: Tyler Down in the Bayou, The Originals “Bloodletting” 

While last night’s “Bloodletting” sent the world of Originals, werewolves and vamps all topsy-turvey, we really can’t talk about anything but the unexpected appearance of one vampire/werewolf hybrid junior, Mr. Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino).  Or should we say, unexpected for Klaus. Very anticipated by any of The Originals legion of fans who have been pining for Tyler’s re-emergence ever since EP Julie Plec let it slip that we’d see him in November. Those legions came out in full force last night and gave The Originals their highest ratings to date, according to Julie’s tweet today. Yay, Tyler! 

Except, was it really Tyler? Full of wrath and a death wish, this is a far cry from the hybrid we love on The Vampire Diaries whose main concern is his hottie girlfriend Caroline. Of course, the slaughter of his fellow hybrids and the murder of his mother, both at the hands of Klaus, had something to do with it. But still, it’s rough to see fun-loving Tyler morphed into this destruction-bent and vengeful monster. Early on in “Bloodletting,” he kidnaps Hayley, his once ally, with a plan of his own to destroy Klaus.

Here’s where we see the real switch in Tyler. He pieces together rather easily, through intel he’s gathered around the bayou, that Hayley’s unborn child can give Klaus the ability to create hybrids again. The real surprise is that Klaus himself hadn’t come to that conclusion yet. Tyler tracks down the few remaining members of Hayley’s long-lost family, vagrants who now hide in the bayou to avoid persecution, unknown to any.  Hayley, whose whole reason for being in New Orleans was to find her family, hadn’t even been able to do that. Suppose the real question then is, when did Tyler get these kinds of smarts? I guess a trip on the dark side of revenge will amp your brain power. The old Tyler Lockwood would turn to his support team (who wouldn’t love to see Damon in the Big Easy?) to plan the next course of action. But this new, diabolical Tyler is prepared to murder Hayley and her child, just to stick it to Klaus, consequences be damned. Even after Tyler fails to kill Klaus during a physical run-in, almost dies in the process and is compelled by Klaus to understand that he means nothing (harsh!), Tyler can’t let it go. His last strike is feeding Marcel the last bits of Klaus’s secret. The wolf’s out of the bag now and all hell is ready to break loose.

Tyler’s appearance set off the bomb that now has turned all of the already shaky alliances upside down. Klaus and Elijah at odds over Klaus’s intentions for the baby, Marcel now with the upper hand in the war, Rebekah joining Team Marcel. Once Tyler ducks out of town again, we can only hope to see him back in Mystic Falls to answer the question:  Has Tyler really switched to the dark side for good?

Bonus moments of goodness from “Bloodletting”

How much are we starting to love Josh (Steven Krueger), the newborn vamp working for Klaus against his will? Poor kid, naïve baby vampire, compelled by Klaus, tortured by Marcel and just overwhelmed by the savage and ancient world of supernaturals. It’s too much for the college kid with an affinity for house music. At first we just thought he was part of the background to remind us that Klaus is always plotting, but they brought him forefront last night and he forged a connection with cutie-patootie superwitch Davina. We learned a little backstory, which either means he’s sticking around or he’ll be staked next episode. Let’s hope it’s the former.

And we wrap up with the week with a fun tidbit on Hayley. Once stashed in the fore mentioned vagrant werewolf bayou camp, Hayley took advantage to go through bits of photos looking for clues on her past. One great clue falls right in her lamp as a mysterious stranger leaves her a family bible. Hayley learns her real name! One step closer to solving the mystery of the crescent birth marks.

Watch The Originals Tuesdays at 8/7c on the CW.