Comic-Con 2015: Everything te need to know before The Originals panel 

'The Originals': Daniel Gillies talks a deleted Esther-Elijah scene

With the parents—and the evil aunt—finally out of the picture, the Mikaelson family is looking at a fresh start of sorts when

 heads into season 3. And yet, after 1,000 years of family drama, is there such a thing as a fresh start? We will find out more when the show hits Comic-Con on Friday, and to get you ready for the panel, here’s a refresher on where we left those beautiful, tortured Mikaelsons.

Where we left off: Dahlia and Esther are dead. The White Oak Stake—at least as we know it—has been destroyed. Hayley and Jackson are still stuck in wolf form, and Elijah has returned to the compound to look after Hope, despite the fact that he’s still furious with his brother for killing Gia.

Then there’s Rebekah, who’s left town in her human body, leaving Freya as the sole sister in the Mikaelson clan. Meanwhile, Cami’s finally recognized her feelings for Klaus, but they haven’t locked lips yet. Instead, he’s decided to give Marcel back the city and focus on being a father. And finally, Davina is the new leader of all nine covens. So, to sum things up, not much happened.

What we know about season 3: So far, what we know about season 3 is that it will be full of new everything. Expect (at least) one new arrival in town pertaining to Marcel, which according to executive producer Michael Narducci, will bring him back to the show’s forefront. Then there’s the whole thing about a new big bad, not to mention more on Vincent’s past and that family he mentioned in the season 2 finale. Aside from that, we know there will be a bit more romance headed our way, and as far as Claire Holt is concerned, we already know of one possible flaskback story that will bring her back to the show. 

And yes, Freya’s sticking around to help Hope with her power.

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