To say that a lot happened during The Originals cliffhanger-crazed Season 1 finale would be a bit of an understatement. Not only did Hayley and Klaus finally welcome their baby vampire/werewolf/witch daughter into the world (they named her Hope, by the way), but fans were basically treated to a full-fledged Mikaelson family reunion when it was revealed that the Original Witch, Esther, is not dead and currently taking up residence in Cassie’s recently resurrected body.
It’s a plot twist we doubt even the most hardcore Originals fans saw coming. Sure, Davina resurrecting Mikael Mikaelson was kinda inevitable. This, however, was just downright shocking. (Julie Plec, you’ve done it again.) However, Mama Mikaelson wasn’t alone when she made her grand return. There was a man, someone we’d never seen (or at least thought we'd never seen) before, standing alongside her, referring to her as “mother.” (Man, these Mikaelsons sure are a resilient bunch, aren’t they?) And while there’s been some debate as to which sibling this could possibly be, let’s face it — it’s definitely Finn and not Kol.
For one thing, it’s already been confirmed that Nathaniel Buzolic will be reprising the role of Kol Mikaelson during Season 2 — but in a flashback capacity only. And having to deal with an old Original Kol and a new Original Kol would make things way too confusing, even for this show. So Finn is the most logical choice. And given what we've seen of the new guy’s tamed and doting demeanor toward Esther 2.0 (see below), it’s safe to surmise that Finn is our guy... whether we like it or not. Plec has pretty much confirmed it herself.
So there you have it… the least exciting Mikaelson has (sort of) returned. (Try to contain your excitement, folks.) Because, let's be honest — up until now, Finn’s character has been pretty much a complete snooze-fest. During his brief time on The Vampire Diaries, his main purpose was to serve as Esther’s lapdog and to eventually be killed by Mystic Falls’ favorite bartender, Matt Donovan — a.k.a. a human! (I mean, we love Matt and everything, but an Original vampire getting killed by a mere mortal is just plain embarrassing.)
So yeah… this character hasn’t exactly been given that much to work with. But we guess that’s bound to happen when you’ve spent the majority of your time being daggered in a coffin by your brother for almost 900 years. (Families, amirite?) And while it would be easy to once again write this guy off as another insignificant obstacle who needs to die (again), this presents the writers with a unique opportunity to completely reinvent Finn and make him someone we actually want to root for.
Fans don’t want to see another boring mama’s errand boy portrayal. But if he's allowed to actually stand on his own two fangs — or feet, rather — like the true badass Mikaelson man he is, we have a feeling he could bring a much more interesting storyline to the table, and this is the perfect chance to prove it.
So please, writers, make Finn’s resurrection worth our while. Klaus has his rage (and swoon-worthy accent); Elijah has his suits; Rebekah has her sass; Kol has his bad-boy appeal; Esther and Mikael have their vengeful tendencies. It’s time Finn found some originality of his own. And what better way to do that than be played by a completely different person on a (semi)completely different show?
We'll drink to that.
Now if the series could just work on having Claire Holt return to The Originals in a normal capacity, all would be right with the world.
Images: Bob Mahoney/The CW; the-originalscw.com; Wifflegif; rebekahaccola/Tumblr
