The CW NetworkFirst comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!
That's how that childhood nursery rhyme is supposed to go, but on The Originals, it's a bit backwards. First comes the werewolf/hybrid baby, then comes the werewolf wedding ritual, and then, maybe after that, the bride and groom will make time for love.
As Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) prepares to marry Jackson (Nathan Parsons) for strategic purposes, she's going to find herself wondering if there's maybe something more between the two betrothed wolves.
"That is one of the great questions we are going to explore in this episode," executive producer Michael Narducci tells E! News. "When it began it was an opportunity for her to simultaneously help her people and find a way to protect Hope. Strategically, it's a smart move. But in this modern day and age, wedding should not be completely bound by ideas of strategy and logic. You would hope there is some connection between them too, and over the past several episodes, we've seen a bond grow between Hayley and Jackson."
And Narducci was quick to remind us that this isn't some new crush for Jackson. He's been protecting her since the beginning of season one, though he was stuck as a wolf back then.
"It's been a longstanding courtship, albeit a bizarre one," Narducci says. "Hayley knows she is bound by honor and duty to Jackson, but is there also something else there? She's going to wrestle with that in this episode."
But what about Elijah (Daniel Gillies)? Is their passionate night forever going to stay a one night stand?
"She's going to come face to face with the other person she has strong feelings for, Elijah," Narducci teases. "He's returning to the compound immediately prior to the wedding and they will have a face-to-face. Elijah absolutely believes that family is the most important thing and from a strategic standpoint, the smartest thing for the family is to gain an alliance with the wolves through this marriage. At the same time, his heart is telling him something different."
But even if he does try to intervene before the wedding, it won't be from a selfish place or to act on his feelings.
"Elijah will begin to wonder whether or not Hayley's decision to go through with this wedding is not in fact a result of Klaus [Joseph Morgan] manipulating her," Narducci reveals. "Klaus is always trying to turn things his way, so is he actually pressuring Hayley to do this? Elijah once told Hayley she would always have a choice, so is he not duty-bound to talk to her about whether or not she feels she has a choice now?
He continues, "Elijah could very well selfishly try to blow up this wedding but he's actually trying to figure out what Hayley's feelings are and if she has free will. He's coming at this from a place of selflessness and that's really a testament to his character."
Since this is The Originals, don't expect the entire episode to be all about love, happiness and weddings. The mysterious Dahlia is still out there, and now that Hope's existence is known, it won't be too long until she comes to town to try and take the Mikaelson baby.
"It's not going to be that long until Dahlia arrives," Narducci warns. "We'll get a little hint as to that timetable by episode's end."
And now that it's clear that Hope is not just some normal baby, it's going to be extra imperative that Dahlia doesn't get her hands on her.
"Try and pay attention to this notion of how our previous episode ended with Hope having an impact on Cami's [Leah Pipes] arrival to the house," Narducci says. "Somehow that car stopped and if it kept going, it might have driven too close to the house as it exploded. But it didn't. To Cami, there is this realization that this child is something special and beyond what we thought she was. If she is so special and powerful as the product of a werewolf and a hybrid union, what will that mean? Will that make her all the more of a special prize for Dahlia to track down?"
The Originals airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on the CW.