BWW Recap: Bonfire of the Mikelsons on THE ORIGINALS

Family traditions mean something different in the Mikelson household (?), but that's not going to stop Rebekah from trying to reignite them. Tonight's winter finale left us with a lot of questions, a lot of twists and best of all, a moment we've all been waiting for.

Elijah, still not fully accepting that his mind is a little messed up, is handling Hope with kid gloves as he truly does want to protect her. Mommy and Daddy aka Hayley and Klaus show up and are finally reunited with baby Hope. Rebekah is overjoyed at this rare, happy Mikelson family moment. In fact, she doesn't want it to end so she proposes to Klaus that she will sacrifice herself to Esther and they can try to kill her and prevent her from jumping into a new body. She enlists the help of Kaleb/Kol who agrees to help if he can get the Paragon Diamond back that Klaus took from him many years ago. Klaus agrees. Davina and Kaleb/Kol get to work on the spell. Davina is skeptical as to why Kaleb/Kol would want to help Rebekah, and he tells Davina that back in the day, Rebekah did him a solid, so he owes her.

Cami thinks she can reason with Vincent/Finn and against Marcel's better judgment, he allows her to speak with him. But Vincent/Finn is all kinds of crazy and she gives up. As the spell is nearly ready, Kaleb/Kol demands the White Oak Stake to give to Esther to show she can trust him. Klaus is wary, but agrees and Kaleb/Kol goes back to Esther to set her up for the spell. Rebekah shows up and offers herself to Esther. As the spell begins, Esther confesses that she knows what they're up to as she's been plotting with Mikel (yes, Mikel) and they cannot stop the spell now. Klaus intervenes and kills Esther before she can jump. Rebekah and Cami are both knocked unconscious. Cami awakens and she is fine. Rebekah does not wake up. Kaleb/Kol confesses to Davina that Rebekah did not, in fact, do him a solid. She screwed him over and he locked her away somewhere safe as payback. In fact, he threw her into the body of a mortal witch locked away in a house. Kaleb/Kol returns the White Oak stake to Klaus as a sign of trust. Klaus graciously accepts. Esther wakes up and is visited by Klaus. Rebekah laced her drink with vampire blood so now, the choice is hers. Either drink blood and become a vampire or die.
Hayley confesses to Elijah that she is going to marry Jackson as it is the only way to save her pack and her daughter. Elijah agrees it is the best solution and she needs to do what she has to do. But before she goes, he kisses her. And that is only the beginning...

So now Rebekah is mortal, something she seems to always have wanted. How will this change her outlook on her family? Her life? Is this the last for Claire Holt?

What will Esther choose? Become the very thing she hates or die before "saving" her family?

And honestly? I still have no idea what side Kaleb/Kol is on.

What I Know:

• Vincent/Finn... I understand sibling bullying (believe me), but in a family like the Mikelsons, with parents like yours, how off your rocker are you to be classified as "the crazy one?"

• I know Klaus has Daddy issues, clearly, but MAN, does Mikel have son issues or what? Good God, man, get over it!

• Seeing Klaus with that baby gave me all the feelings.

What I Don't Know:

• Are Kaleb/Kol and Klaus on good terms now? Or is that relationship never going to find peace?

• Did Cami honestly think reasoning with Vincent/Finn was going to get her somewhere? Whenever she starts to become remotely likable, she pulls shenanigans like this.

• Nobody had a cell phone? Really? They took a family selfie with a Polaroid?

Lines I Love:

• Rebekah - How are you feeling? Elijah - Patronized.

• Rebekah - No wonder Finn hates us. He lost the sister he adored and instead got a judgy pack of siblings who found him unbearably dull.

• Klaus - I wish you would tell Elijah you're marrying your werewolf suitor. At which point, I will pour him a scotch and congratulate him on the bullet he dodged.

I swear I didn't re-watch the Elijah/Hayley scene more than once (or five times), but that was a long wait finally realized. My poor, sweet Elijah, he loves her so much that he knows the right thing to do is for them to not be together. Kudos to him for getting in one good night before his self-sacrifice. I think this episode showed all the supernaturals in their most human, vulnerable moments yet.

Follow me on Twitter @eponineq and follow @BWWTVWorld for all the latest updates, scoops and recaps.

The Originals returns January 19, 2015. Here is a preview:

Photo Credit: CW