the Mikaelsons were incestuous as fuck and no one talks about it. Even though nothing explicitly happened within the show, the dynamics between the siblings (and kids? Nephew? Counting Marcel) were so sexually and romantically charged. Elijah and Klaus, Klaus and Rebekah, Rebekah and Marcel (literally canon, but still), KLAUS and Marcel, Kol and Klaus, etc, the concept of Always and Forever ™️(that shit sounds like wedding vows), I swear to god, I’m not crazy. That family thrives off of their borderline incestuous codependency, it seemed to be the thing that kept that family together despite them being so dysfunctional due to that very same codependency.
I had to drop that Mindy Kaling tweet here for this one. I haven’t watched TO in so long so forgive me if I have details missed or incorrect! Please feel free to correct me. You’re not crazy at all though. Writing rooms just don’t know how to write siblings. Sorry this is long.
The Mikaelsons are coded in incest. I’m sure people talked about those dynamics much more when the show was airing though. I do think newer audiences to the show tend to view the Mikaelsons so highly that issues in their dynamics don’t even matter to them. Then purity culture is another reason why people aren’t able to have those deeper conversations about the contexts of the show bc they think hey this makes me look bad! When it’s not their fault for noticing what a writer placed in their work.
Outside of all the family dynamics you named the love interests in the show kept it in the family too. Cami slept with a father and son. Hayley slept with both brothers. Davina is supposed to be Marcel’s daughter but falls for Kol… Hope and Davina are cousin-aunties… very once upon a time family tree if yk yk.
when this discussion is held it’s mainly about Klaus and Rebekah, since Klaus is written like an obsessive bf and Rebekah’s battered woman who takes him back. When in reality as you said it can apply to any mikaelson-dynamic and it’s really based on the writing now let’s get into that always and forever. aka the vow that killed the own damn family.
The first time I ever heard the “always and forever” vow, I heard it from OTH. If you don’t know much about one tree hill. the most central ship to the show ^ is Nathan and Haley / Naley. From S1-S9 Naley, repeats this vow about being there for each other: protecting, loving, listening, caring even when the couple has their down moments through the 9 seasons. There’s never a moment where another couple repeats that vow.
Now that isn’t to say siblings can’t have a pact but you’re right always and forever became an excuse for the Mikaelsons.
But you know what’s the funniest part about the vow? It really only applies to Klaus, Elijah and sometimes Rebekah. Everyone else in the family it rarely mattered.
My most hated vow moment was: When the Mikaelsons had to separate in s4, and Vincent said this HAS to be it for always and forever… Elijah forces Marcel to erase his memories (which was dumb af bc yall got thousands of enemies but ok..)and Klaus chases after Elijah for the next 7 years intentionally putting the family in harms way all in the name of that stupid vow. No, Klaus can’t spend 7 years searching for a way to get rid of the hollow. He can’t spend 7 years watching over his child instead he ignores her… yeah ok.
Daniel Gillies actually made an interesting comment about the family dynamics in a past interview specifically with Elijah. If you want to read the rest: here.
The originals was 50% the Hayley show to make this new character work and 50% the Klaus/Elijah does whatever they want too show because they are each others bitch lapdogs. It’s hardly about the family… and the baby they created.
TLDR: bestie, you aren’t crazy, show had incestous undertones and always and forever is a scam.