THE ORIGINALS: When You Play the Game of Thrones, You Win or You Die

I recently tweeted that Hayley is the Daenerys Targaryen of “The Originals.” There are sufficient parallels to be made between the two, in my opinion, however, after the beautiful, wonderful Carina MacKenzie retweeted my comment, the comparison came under rather intense scrutiny. I subsequently followed it by connecting characters from “The Originals” to their “Game of Thrones” counterparts - but I know as well as anyone else that Twitter isn’t the best medium for such an extensive task so I figured I’d lay it all out here.

So if Hayley is Dany, where do the other characters stand? In King’s Landing? North of the Wall? On the battlefield, perhaps?

First of all: New Orleans is Westeros and the French Quarter is the Iron Throne, the battleground and the prize, respectively. Each faction has their own hubs throughout the city, not unlike the way the Houses have their own castles – the vampires have the Compound, the humans have the church, the werewolves are in the bayou, and the witches seem to love both the graveyard and various buildings. To get more specific, I’d call the vampire Compound King’s Landing and the Mikaelson’s family estate Casterly Rock. Why? Because the Mikaelsons are the Lannisters of “The Originals.”

Elijah is Tyrion, the most noble of the family, dedicated to protecting the ones he loves but willing to spill blood when necessary.

Rebekah is Cersei, the woman everyone seems to overlook despite her obvious ability to play the game and her ruthlessness when ruthlessness is required.

Klaus, then, is an amalgamation of Tywin and Joffrey – violent, vicious, and vindictive men who want nothing but power while struggling to hide their weaknesses - aka: their humanity - from their enemies.

Cami can be compared to Sansa Stark. Both seem weak, helpless, and isolated within the lion’s den but they clearly knows how to hold their own, when to fight, and when to keep their mouths shut. Cami and Sansa are both survivors riding out a violent war.

Marcel is Jamie and Stannis. Marcel and Jamie were the right hands of the old kings until relations turned sour and backs were stabbed. Now they’ve each lost their reputations and are fighting to redeem themselves. Marcel is like Stannis because both are fighting for a throne he believes is rightfully his. And Marcel has a weakness just like Jamie and Stannis: his women.

Davina could be considered the Arya Stark of the show given their youth and willingness to fight but Davina could also be Melisandre, obviously because they both harness immense power (though Genevieve is quickly proving herself to be the Red Woman of the French Quarter). However, I think Davina is Jon Snow - Joan Snow, if you will. She is the bastard of the witches like Jon is the bastard of the Starks, both cast out by their own people and treated like lepers because of circumstances beyond their control. Yet Davina and Jon will come back swinging and earn the respect of everyone who ever looked down on them.

Sophie (remember Sophie? RIP Sophie.) is Robb Stark, ambitious and daring and ultimately cut down, betrayed by supposed allies so early in the game.

That brings is back to Hayley, the Daenerys Targaryen of “The Originals.” Mother of a Hybrid; Mother of Dragons. Both are the lost daughters of powerful families and both have gained reputations as messiahs of sorts, proving that royalty is in their blood as they fight to avenge their families and to empower the less fortunate along the way.

Suffice it to say, it’s clear that “The Originals” is the CW’s faster, less indulgent, and action-packed answer to HBO’s mega-hit “Game of Thrones.”

Am I completely crazy? Are there any other connections to be made between the two seemingly unrelated shows?