I'm rewatching a few episodes of the Original with Aurora because of Legacies (Aurora has Rights) but also its so weird that the Originals hold Elijah and Klaus more accountable about their monstrous actions and to their betrayals to Aya and Aurora than TVD ever did with Damon. Like the show never shies away from the truth both brothers (in fact) all Mikaelsons are monstrous. And the Shakesperean events in s3 are just *chef's kiss*. I think its why I love TO a lot more than TVD.
I am absolutely in agreement with you. To be fair, I also just did not vibe with TVD, but my dislike for Damon and how the show just thought that I'd be too bamboozled by his face and his Bad BoyTM shenanigans to notice the depths of his bs was a big part of that. Sometimes he gets a slap on the wrist or someone pays lip service to all the shit he's pulled, but then everyone moves on and he does not grow. And then we're supposed to pretend that he's a better person than someone like Katherine, like... please.
I do have my gripes with The Originals too tbh, including some of the narrative choices surrounding Klaus in particular at times. But at least the show did put effort into acknowledging and playing around how fucked up the Mikaelsons were, and S3 really had the peak concept by having the consequences of their 1000 years of mayhem coming home to roost. Like, we did not pretend that the Mikaelsons had any ground to stand on as opposed to the people they wronged like Aya or Aurora. Sure, I also would've liked if they, and characters other then Klaus and Elijah in general were treated with more respect and focus, but, well... The show does ultimately revolve around those two and their arc, which was actually pretty solid and consistent, so I'll give them that. (Well, Klaus' more than Elijah's imo, but still.)
So, yeah, I definitely share your preference in TO's favor, both shows have their issues, but TO's just more up my alley too.
