The Originals: What Has Everyone Been Doing During the Time Jump?

The last time we saw The Originals, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and his siblings had all gone their separate ways thanks to a spell that housed the remnants of The Hollow inside each of them. Season 5 picks up eight years later, and the family is still struggling with the directive never to be near each other for fear of resurrecting that ancient evil.

However, just because they can't see their family, that doesn't mean the Originals have been all alone. Some of them have actually been enjoying a nice reprieve from the madness with their significant others, according to cast members who spoke to TV Guide.

Rebekah (Claire Holt) and Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) have been living the high life in New York City, staving off the loneliness with their timeless romance. However, Holt hints that a "distance" has grown between them, which could lead to strife later on in the relationship. Or, because they're vampires, it's just another bump. "You can tell that a lot's changed, a lot of time has passed, but these characters have been alive for a thousand years so it's almost like a blink of an eye as well," Holt says.

Freya (Riley Voekel) and Keelin's (Christina Moses) relationship, on the other hand, is stronger than ever, though we're not sure whether anything could come between those two at this point. Voekel says the main obstacle they will have to face as a couple when the season kicks off is actually more external than internal, having to do with Freya's never-ending devotion to her siblings.

The Originals' Final Season Is Coming Earlier Than Expected

"Keelin definitely wants her to put herself first, and it's just really hard for Freya" Voekel says. "But I think you'll start to see that transition a little bit, where she starts kind of considering, you know, 'This is what's best, and my family understands, and that doesn't tear us apart.'"

It sounds like her brother Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) may be facing a similar conundrum.

Unless that little engagement ring Kol had made in the Season 4 finale slipped your mind, you shouldn't be surprised to find out that eight years later, Kol and Davina (Danielle Campbell) are happily married. (We'll try not to be bitter that we never got to see the wedding.) That marriage appears to have been a happy one though -- until Kol has to decide whether to heed the Mikaelson call to action when things start going South in New Orleans again.

"The struggle that comes into play is now that he has this responsibility to his wife, he also has this struggle with his family. And I guess as he tries to separate from the family, his family tries to drag him back in," Buzolic says. "It becomes a bit of a struggle between wife and family."

Daniel Gillies was tight-lipped on matters of the heart for Elijah, probably because it's incredibly complicated to have a romantic relationship when you don't even remember who the hell you are. We've also got our eye on a new character in his storyline named Antoinette (Jaime Murray), since we know she'll play a big role in the third episode of the season, where we find out what Elijah got up to during his lost years.

As for Klaus, romance is pretty much the last thing on his mind as he struggles to manage a life without his siblings or his daughter. However, Candice King did recently tell NKD Magazine that Caroline's role in Klaus' storyline this season would "[give] life to a relationship that the fans wanted for so long."

Sounds like some Klaroline could be on the way after all?

The Originals Season 5 premieres April 18 at 9/8c on the CW.

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