Dance Back from the Grave

The Originals

Season 1, Episode 12 (12)

Air date

January 28, 2014

Written by

Directed by

Episode Guide
(Transcript)
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Après Moi, Le Déluge	Crescent City

“	Elijah: We all make sacrifices in the name of this family, Rebekah, but know this. I will never stand against you or Niklaus. Rebekah: What about Hayley? Nothing I conspire to do, none of my treachery will harm this family as much as your feelings for her. You're a hypocrite, Elijah. You would choose love over family and then condemn me for doing the same.	”
	— Elijah and Rebekah

Dance Back from the Grave is the twelfth episode of the first season of The Originals and the twelfth episode of the series overall.

Summary

The_Originals_1x12_Extended_Promo_-_Dance_Back_from_the_Grave_HD — The Originals 1x12 Extended Promo - Dance Back from the Grave HD

Promo

FLASHBACKS TO 1919 - Marcel, still angered by recent Events, refuses to help Klaus when a gruesome discovery is made in the Cauldron. Rebekah is on alert when she uncovers the remnants of a sacrifice down by the docks and immediately realizes that it's the work of a dangerous warlock from their past. Meanwhile, when Elijah gets some information that Rebekah may be in trouble, he and Hayley set off to find her. At Rousseau's, Camille confronts Marcel, who opens up and shares some details of his past with her, but things quickly spiral out of control when an unexpected visitor shows up. Finally, a violent confrontation ensues when Klaus faces off against a powerful force with an unmatched advantage over him.

Plot

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Cast

Main Cast

Joseph Morgan as Niklaus Mikaelson
Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson
Claire Holt as Rebekah Mikaelson
Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley Marshall
Charles Michael Davis as Marcel Gerard
Daniella Pineda as Sophie Deveraux
Leah Pipes as Camille O'Connell
Danielle Campbell as Davina Claire (credit only)

Recurring Cast

Shannon Kane as Sabine Laurent/Celeste Dubois
Eka Darville as Diego
Callard Harris as Thierry Vanchure
Owiso Odera as Papa Tunde
Elyse Levesque as Genevieve

Co-Starring

Shannon Eubanks as Bastianna
Raney Branch as Celeste (flashback)
Teri Wyble as Clara (flashback)

Uncredited

Jeremi & Justin Farrar as Papa Tunde's twin sons (flashback)
Jeff Matthew Glover as Guerrera Gangster
Mercedes Sanders as Celeste's Witch Host

Trivia

Antagonists: Papa Tunde and Céleste Dubois.
Narrator: Niklaus Mikaelson.
Title meaning: a reference to Papa Tunde's return from the dead and his desire to have revenge on those who killed him the first time.
According to the producer's preview, the three witches resurrected by Celeste are three of the worst witches in the history of New Orleans.
It is revealed that Marcel was a soldier during WWI.
- It would later be revealed in Brotherhood of the Damned that Marcel was stationed with the 369th Regiment, also known as the Harlem Hell Fighters, in Séchault, France.
Thierry is released from the Garden by Klaus, who was talked into doing it by Rebekah, who secretly wanted to use Thierry in part of her plan to get revenge on Klaus for his actions against her.
Papa Tunde temporarily gains the power of an Original Vampire powers when he channels Rebekah using a sacrificial magic sigil.
- Papa Tunde is the first witch shown to kill vampires to fuel their sacrificial magic.
It is confirmed in this episode that Klaus and Hayley's baby is technically a member of the French Quarter Coven, because when they buried and consecrated Esther to complete the Harvest by making Sophie an Elder, Esther became a French Quarter witch in the process and joined the Ancestors on the ancestral plane. As such, Esther's power passed onto one of her only living descendant, who happens to be Klaus and Hayley's yet-unborn daughter Hope, through the ancestral magic that they practice.
- It would presumably have been passed to Freya as well as she is also a living descendant of Esther making her part of the French Quarter Coven as well.
- This was also mentioned in Après Moi, Le Déluge by Elijah.
- In terms of bloodline and heritage, the baby is also confirmed to be a hybrid of three different species: Witch, Vampire and werewolf.
  - This was confirmed again by Dahlia in City Beneath The Sea, when she lamented that Hope's immense magical power due to being a first-born witch of Esther and Dahlia's bloodline was tainted by her father's vampirism and the werewolf heritage she received from both of her parents.
In flashback, Marcel reveals that he is the one who brought Papa Tunde to New Orleans in 1919.
- In the same conversation, it is revealed that Rebekah is the one who proposed the idea to bring Mikael to New Orleans in the first place in order to chase Klaus out of town and finally allow themselves to be happy in a relationship together. Rebekah also suggests that Genevieve is powerful enough to help them find Mikael.
- It would be confirmed in Long Way Back to Hell that Rebekah and Marcel did indeed enlist Genevieve to summon Mikael to New Orleans in late 1919, which is what caused the Mikaelson siblings to have to leave the town for almost a century.
Papa Tunde kills the vampires imprisoned in the Garden and channels their power into his blade. He then allowed Céleste to kill him as the final offering into the blade in order to give it more power.
- Before he is killed by Celeste, Tunde tells her that the blade he has contains the power of all the vampires he has killed and will do worse things than death to anyone who is stabbed by it, even those as powerful as an Original vampire.
Mayor O'Connell was mentioned in the first flashback, and his severed head was brought to Elijah and Klaus in a bag by Papa Tunde. It is assumed that he was an ancestor of Camille and Kieran.
It is revealed that Celeste has been possessing people for over two centuries. In 1919, she possessed a witch named Clara Summerlin.
Elijah bites Hayley in this episode to use the power from the baby's blood to free Rebekah from the magic circle binding Tunde's spell.
This is the first flashback to 1919 in the series. This year was very important in the history of the main characters who were alive at the time, and the events of this year will continue to be explored further in the flashbacks in Long Way Back From Hell and Le Grand Guignol.
This episode was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special.
This is the first episode of the third chapter of Season One, The Revenge Chapter.
This is the second episode where Mystic Falls is mentioned in the series. Marcel mentions Klaus is in a good mood and should visit Mystic Falls more often, as Klaus slept with Caroline in the crossover episode of The Vampire Diaries prior.

Body Count

Papa Tunde - (in flashback) eyes gouged out, killed by Niklaus Mikaelson; (in present) throat slit, killed by Céleste Dubois.
Mayor O'Connell - sacrificed/decapitated, killed by Papa Tunde (in flashback)
Papa Tunde's Twins - decapitated, killed by Niklaus Mikaelson.
Guerrera Werewolf Pack members - sacrificed/decapitated, killed by Papa Tunde.
All the vampires entombed in the Garden - sacrificed/desiccated, killed by Papa Tunde.
Three of Marcel and Klaus' vampires - sacrificed/desiccated, killed by Papa Tunde.

Continuity

Davina did not appear in this episode, as she was killed by Sophie in Après Moi, Le Déluge.
Camille was last seen in The Casket Girls.
Diego was last seen in Reigning Pain in New Orleans.
This is the first episode in which Thierry and Diego appear together since Tangled Up In Blue.
This is the first episode in which Elijah has spoken to Thierry.
Mikael was mentioned in a flashback. He was last seen in Always and Forever in flashbacks.
Klaus and Rebekah are confirmed to have traveled to Mystic Falls between Après Moi, Le Déluge and this episode.
- Marcel makes a comment about Klaus' good mood and states that he should visit Mystic Falls more often. This is most likely hinting at the fact that Klaus and Caroline had sex for the first time in 500 Years of Solitude, the Vampire Diaries' episode that aired between the two The Originals episodes.

Locations

New Orleans
- French Quarter
  - The Abattoir
  - Rousseau's
  - Jardin Gris Voodoo Shop
  - The Garden
  - Lafayette Cemetery

Behind the Scenes

This episode had about 2.32 million viewers in the USA, which was 0.19 million less than the previous episode.

Cultural References

Dance Back From The Grave is the title of a song by Marc Cohn. It is a track from his album Join The Parade which was inspired by Hurricane Katrina which struck New Orleans in 2005.

Some funeral traditions popular in New Orleans involve a march by the family, friends, and a brass band from the home, funeral home or church to the cemetery. Throughout the march, the band plays somber dirges and hymns. A change in the tenor of the ceremony takes place, after either the deceased is entombed, or the hearse leaves the procession and members of the procession say their final goodbye and they "cut the body loose". After this the music becomes more upbeat, often starting with a hymn or spiritual number played in a swinging fashion, then going into popular hot tunes. There is raucous music and cathartic dancing where onlookers join in to celebrate the life of the deceased. Those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the second line, and their style of dancing, in which they walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air, is called second lining. So you could be said to be "dancing back from the grave" in celebration of a life of a loved one.

Quotes

Diego: "We got a problem."

Marcel: "It's two more of my guys gone. Nice job, Captain."

Sophie: "It's sacrificial magic. The more guys they kill, the more power they get."

Klaus: "I want the head of whoever did this on a stick."

Papa Tunde: "I will hurt Klaus Mikaelson as he hurt me, and when I'm done, he'll wish that he could die."

Rebekah: "I'm tired of being controlled and threatened by our tyrant brother. If you want to stop a bully, you need the power to stand up to them."

Elijah: "I expect such behavior from Niklaus. It's so very disappointing when it comes from you, Rebekah. Do you not see that, in his way, he is making an effort here? He's invited us back into our family home, he yearns for our family to be reunited."

Rebekah: "Yes, he's in a brilliant mood now, but for how long? It's his trick, Elijah. He lulls you into a false sense of camaraderie and kinship, and then he turns on you like a snake. I have fallen for it every time, and wind up with a dagger in my chest for my trouble. No more!"

Elijah: "I believe that he is approaching some semblance of peace here. Leadership may be a good thing for him. Now, sister, please, I ask you-- if you cannot support him, then at least do nothing to provoke him."

Elijah: "I asked you to cease these petty moves against our family! Yet, you conspire with this fool. Is this what it's come to, making moves against your own blood?"

Rebekah: "Don't you try and shame me. Nik grows more powerful by the day and you do nothing but encourage him."

Elijah: "I offer him my council because it's clear to me he means to make this city our home. And perhaps leading these... derelicts will curb some of these impulses. Grant him some degree of happiness."

Rebekah: "You always talk of Nik's happiness, but for 1,000 years, he's robbed me of any chance of my own. What about me, Elijah? Am I not a concern for you?"

Elijah: "We all make sacrifices in the name of this family, Rebekah, but know this-- I will never stand against you or Niklaus."

Rebekah: "What about Hayley? Nothing I conspire to do, none of my treachery will harm this family as much as your feelings for her. You're a hypocrite, Elijah. You would chose love over family, yet condemn me for doing the same."