The Originals recap: 'A Ghost Along the Mississippi' 

'The Originals': Julie Plec reveals what was cut from winter premiere

'The Originals' boss breaks down that death, more heartbreak to come

Well, I hope you all spent your hiatus breathing deeply, de-stressing, and NOT crying, because if tonight’s episode is any indication, we are in for some beautiful torture this season. 

Am I shocked that Cami’s a vampire? No. As much as I would’ve missed Leah Pipes, I did love the idea of them making such a bold move as to kill Cami. However, in my mind, vampirism was always option No. 2 — not

bold, but still a good twist. As for Jackson, well, I did NOT see that coming, and I’m not okay. We’ll get to that later.

We kick off the hour cutting back and forth between Klaus destroying his bedroom as his emotions overcome him and a flashback to one of Cami and Klaus’ “little chats,” which appropriately centers on the topic of death. In the flashback, Cami’s trying to convince Klaus that death does mean something to him. “If not your own then at least the death of others.” And of course, we’re seeing that she’s right as Cami’s death is currently destroying him. But as Klaus puts it, “Death dances silently in everyone’s shadow and she doesn’t give a damn, so why give a damn about her?” Well, because she can steal the woman you love.

But back the present, it turns out death has only sort of won … when Cami comes back to life. Remembering what happened to her, Cami tells Klaus that Aurora compelled her. When the moment came that Cami realized Klaus loved her, she was forced to drink a vial of Aurora’s blood and then slit her own throat. HER OWN THROAT. Right now, I’m so thankful we didn’t have to watch that (though Julie Plec says they originally filmed it).

While Cami showers off her own blood, Elijah and Klaus make a plan. Despite Klaus’ need for swift and brutal revenge, Elijah tells him to stay with Cami. Elijah will handle the rest, starting with tracking down Vincent, who’s currently shirtless … and also, he’s activating the saratura for Tristan and company.

But because Tristan’s the worst — and clearly not a man of his word like his sire — he takes the saratura from Vincent and does not give him Freya’s pendant, which holds Finn, in return. Instead, Tristan orders his witches to hold Vincent captive for the time being. Or at least until he out-magics them and Elijah shows up to lend a hand. The bad news? Vincent tells Elijah that he can’t deactivate the saratura, so now they have to figure out a way to use it.

Elsewhere, Hayley and Jackson are packing up his stuff from the bayou to make their apartment a bit more manly — I’m thinking a denim couch and flannel wallpaper — when the Strix show up and capture them both. Yeah, it gets worse. 

The Strix chain Jackson and Hayley up and pump them full of enough wolf’s bane to take down an entire pack. And with a leg that’s gushing blood, Jackson takes a moment to make sure Hayley knows how much he loves her. He tells her: “I love you. I’ve always loved you. When I first saw you, you broke me. And nothing has ever been the same since.” He just wants her to know that “it was all real — every moment, every touch, every word.”

And because a beautiful speech can only be followed by tragedy — right, Klaus? — Tristan then decides to enter and get his payback for that time Hayley tortured him. Apparently, it took him until now to realize the best way to torture a hybrid, and clearly, his sister gave him some guidance on this one, because Tristan rips Jackson’s heart from his chest. 

Poor Hayley, now stuck sitting next to her dead husband, apologizes for bringing Jack into her life. “I never met anyone who was always just there for me. You let me feel what it is to be loved. But I will make them suffer for this, I promise you. I will make all of them suffer.” One question: Who is “them”?

The CW orders 6 pilots: Archie series \'Riverdale,\' Mars thriller, more

Stephen Moyer joins Jennifer Garner in \'The Tribes of Palos Verdes \'

\'The Originals\': Julie Plec reveals what was cut from winter premiere

\'The Originals\' boss breaks down that death, more heartbreak to come

Archie Panjabi cast in ABC\'s \'Serial\'-like drama anthology, \'The Jury\'

Julie\'s Diary: The mistake you might have missed in tonight\'s \'TVD\'

EW SAG Awards Party 2016: What the Stars Wore

#TBT to the Oscar Nominees Before They Were Stars