Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Originals: Why Cami & Klaus's Friendship is Vital



        Although I am a Klaroline fan, I do love the chemistry between Klaus and the smart, psyche degree holding bartender, Cami. People keep harping that it will ruin Klaroline but I disagree. I wouldn't be adverse to a romantic relationship between them (as I know Caroline will pursue other romantic relationships as Klaus should during their journeys of self-discovery) but I see them more as friends and how Cami's company, romantic or otherwise, is vital for Klaus if he is to receive redemption.



         In The Originals episode 4, "Girl In New Orleans" we really got to see Cami and Klaus interact more and see into the dynamic of their odd relationship. Although Klaus has Cami as his spy to give him intel on Marcel, his once protege now turned frenemy, Klaus appears to genuinely enjoy Cami's company. He said so himself in the beginning of the episode. He finds her bold, intelligent, and because of her degree or perhaps of her own personal experiences she seems less likely to judge Klaus for his ruthless actions, which makes her easier to talk to. 



       Cami acts like Klaus's confidant, listening to his problems, his personal dilemmas, and how he acts, then giving him sound advice and reasoning. She believes that no one is born evil, they are broken down and beaten until they snap and see the world as a dark and unforgiving place. I would like to point out that Caroline never voiced that conclusion, but understandably, Klaus tried to kill her a few times and he has killed half of her friends' families. Still, Cami didn't recoil in disgust.


      People will point out: Klaus compelled Cami to not be afraid of him. True. But from then on, Cami became quite curious about compulsion; very interested actually. Usually, Klaus would just use someone and not really bother with pleasantries. At the bar Cami worked at, he asked her to spy on Marcel and Davina at the music festival. Cami was appalled at the request and reasoned that Klaus would compel her anyway and then asked, "Why bother with politeness?" Then surprisingly Klaus said simply, "Because I like you." Klaus hasn't said that to his other spy in Marcel's company. So there's something special about Cami.



       In "Tangled Up In Blue", Klaus seemed surprised Cami was there. You would think, as Rebekah reasoned, that since Marcel likes her he would be properly distracted that Klaus would have compelled Cami to the party. However, Klaus seemed peeved at his sister's deviousness. He even called her truly evil. Klaus was very amused when Cami called his sister a bitch. Then he asked Cami if she was alright as she looked distressed at seeing Marcel lose his cool with Thierry. Klaus seemed genuinely concerned for her feelings. Then at the bar, Klaus and Cami had that intimate yet awkward moment of the "almost kiss". Male/Female friendships have that awkward moment from time to time. It's natural to feel an attraction to your friend of the opposite gender and Klaus said, "No you read it right." That means Klaus had those same "what if" thoughts. 

     Then in "Girl In New Orleans", Cami confided in Klaus, the reason she is in New Orleans is because she wants to find about how her twin brother could snap then kill the priests of St. Anne then himself. She couldn't understand why her twin brother who showed no signs of a psychotic break would cause a massacre. This horror haunts her, even preventing her from sleeping well at night. Then we see why Cami is so interested in compulsion; maybe her brother was compelled to commit the bloody massacre. 



       This is when we see Klaus reveal his compassionate side (well what he considers compassionate). Against Cami's tearful pleas, Klaus makes Cami forget all about her secret intentions of finding out what happened to her brother. Part of what Cami said was true, Klaus needs her focused on Marcel but there was also another reason: Klaus saw how the mystery of her twin brother was eating away at her. He saw that despite her strong, bright exterior, Cami is just as fragile as any human. Klaus thought that if Cami found out the truth, whatever it was, would destroy her and she wouldn't be able to bounce back from it. So he did the only thing he could do, Klaus compelled Cami to forget and also compelled her to sleep peacefully and dream of the world as she saw it: a bright, wonderful world with people trying to be good. That scene with Klaus and Cami in tears was heart-rending and I loved it! I was mesmerized by the two actors, Joseph Morgan and Leah Pipes, who have, I felt, raised the bar on this show. 




     Klaus doesn't have any friends and a therapy session is long overdue as he has over 1,000 years of baggage. Cami recommended Klaus seek professional help with his chronic anger issues, bad personal relationships, and his paranoia. Klaus smiled and said, "I'd rather talk to you." At the masquerade ball, Cami came dressed as an angel with Klaus as the Devil. To me that's an accurate description of their roles in the show: Klaus is this poor, dark, twisted demon while Cami is this holy angel that you pray to for deliverance. So even if a romantic relationship never develops between these two characters, Cami's friendship is important to Klaus's road to redemption.  

        

      

No comments: