No thoughts, just Ray Stantz watching Phoebe Spengler stand up to Walter Peck with the biggest smile on his face because she reminded him so much of Egon.

He was so proud. And there was so much emotion in his expression. He missed his partner, but he was so proud that his legacy was living on through his granddaughter.

So, I'm curious, what is your favourite TO episode? If you are able to make a choice ;)

Oh, oh! This is one ‘favorites’ question I have no problem answering.

My favorite episode is and has always been the season 1 finale, “From a Cradle to a Grave.” Honestly, I think this is where the show peaked in its writing. I was on the edge of my seat the entire episode, just loving the excitement, the tension, the themes, and all the narrative threads coming together in one culminating, sweeping episode.

This episode is everything I love about the show. Murder, mayhem, and family :) But seriously! (Omg am I going to have to do a blow-by-blow of the episode? I think I might.)

In that case, the rest goes under a cut. (Spoilers for TO ahead!)

The episode begins with Hayley giving birth, induced by the witches who betrayed Klaus. It’s in the church, that unholy horror of a murder museum.

Intercut with the rose-tinted flashback of pregnant Hayley and Klaus feeling their baby kick, Hayley gives birth as her voiceover promises a safe home and family to “Zoe…or Caitlyn, or Angela.”

*irony* but it hurts.

Klaus and Hayley are, for once, united in the fight for their child. They’ve been at each others’ throats all season, and in the past neither have had trouble getting their way. But in this crucial hour neither the Original hybrid or the uncontrollable mama wolf can do anything.

Can I say: I love love LOVE that look Klaus and Hayley share after the baby is born. Hayley asks to hold her, and they share this…look. Listen, I’m not much of a klayley shipper, but their partnership is golden. They’ve reached a tentative agreement at this point that they’re both going to play a role in raising the baby they created. The trust and pride and satisfaction between them in this moment, despite the horrid circumstances, melts me.

And then Hayley dies.

Klaus screaming NOOOOOOO is all of us in this moment.

Oh! And I almost forgot—Klaus being pinned to the wall in that Christlike pose. That was NOT an accident. It helps tie in to the larger theme they’re going for, that Elijah expounds for us later. He’s not a sinless, perfect Christ figure—in fact, he’s the opposite. He’s the monster under the bed, the devil in the night. One might even go so far as to say he’s the symbol for everyone to pin their problems to. The ultimate scapegoat. Not to say he didn’t exert some effort of his own to get there—this is the price he has to pay for his sins. Crucified, figuratively, forced to watch helpless as his newborn daughter is taken from him and her mother slaughtered.

Then Elijah bursts in. (Bless Daniel Gillies’s funky lil run, it gives me joy in the bleakest of times)

And this, oh goodness, this quiet grief they share over Hayley. Klaus has held her body since he woke up, I’m guessing, this woman who carried his child, chafed against every controlling measure he tried to impose on her, whom he holds some degree of respect and fondness for.

And Elijah, dear Elijah. He pinned all his hopes (hee) to this woman, this werewolf Madonna and her child. He gave her more space in his heart than he’d given anyone, including women who’d haunted him for centuries. And now she’s dead, just like anyone who’s had the misfortune of sparking his affections.

Klaus healing Elijah—HEY REMEMBER EARLY IN THE SEASON WHEN KLAUS BIT ELIJAH AND LEFT HIM TO SUFFER?! Now, Klaus offers his blood without compunction, without hesitation. This time it’s Elijah who hesistates. You have to wonder, is he deliberating which nightmare he would prefer—the torture of wolf venom, or the torture of Hayley’s death and her baby’s disappearance?

“You were bested? My invincible brother?”

Klaus doesn’t rise to the bait like he normally would. He barely reacts. He’s broken. He wanted too much—he played king and gained the whole world, but lost his soul. And then his kingdom.

You see why I love this episode?

We move to the graveyard, where we see not only Klaus and Elijah trapped in a maze, but the witches preparing for a sacrifice. Let’s not gloss over their costume change, either—in the church, for the birth, they were all clad in black. But here, as they prepare for their worst atrocity yet, infanticide, they wear pure white, like they’re going to a christening or something. *irony*

Then comes *the speech* from Elijah, the one that mirrors the pilot so perfectly (I know them both by heart, thank you very much.) In the pilot, Elijah’s speech is rousing, patient, and encouraging. Here, he has lost his patience. Here, he tells us what we’ve been seeing throughout the entire season.

“This is the world you created, Niklaus. All your scheming, the enemies you have made every day do your miserable life—what results did you expect? That your child would be born into a happy life? That the mother would be alive, to know her daughter? That we could live and thrive as some sort of family?”

“That was your fantasy, brother, not mine—”

“No, brother! This was our hope. This was our family’s hope. And now she is gone.” (And then we realize that he’s not just mourning the baby, that family he imagined—he mourns Hayley.) “Do you understand? I let this person in. I let her in. I don’t let people in.”

And Klaus’s reaction! This Klaus, with compassion he deserves only for his closest family—this is the Klaus that melts me. This is the scene that slaps. This is how we tie a bow on a season—nay, a millennium—of brotherly tension. They’re not healed; nothing could truly heal the damage they’ve done to each other (or the damage others have wrought on them) but it’s a start.

And Hayley wakes.

Before I go on, let me mention Marcel. Ally, enemy, friend, surrogate son to Klaus (and that could be all in one episode!) He’s destined for death by hybrid venom, having led his vampires into a massacre. All his attempts to rally his people have failed. He’s lost the city, and his vampires have been slaughtered by Guerrera werewolves. He has almost nothing left.

He goes out, armed to forcibly obtain Klaus’s blood and heal his friends—but he upon finding Klaus he makes very on-brand choice. He saves the baby.

He does what the combined efforts of Klaus, Hayley, and Elijah can’t. He wins Klaus’s trust back by saving his newborn daughter. He protects the innocent instead of contributing to the feud. He murders the girl he once tried to save from the Harvest. And he gets to meet his baby sister.

It’s strategy and heart all in one. It’s very Marcel.

He reconciles with Klaus, and Klaus heals him. They are healed—to some degree.

Then Klaus gets to hold his child for the first time, and we all die.

This is what the season has been building up to. Yes, it’s been building to Klaus being toppled off his throne, yes it’s been building to the splintering of his ego, but THIS is what we’ve been promised since the beginning—before the beginning of the show, even. The Original hybrid, brought to his knees by this child. His child. Someone he loves without reservation. Someone who doesn’t fear him. Someone innocent, who carries none of the burdens of their family. Someone who inspires hope in the hopeless. Someone he would kill for, or die for. (he does both)

And I can’t, I just can’t with them. I love the way JoMo handles the baby in this episode—very gingerly, a little awkwardly. It’s probably been a long time since Klaus has handled a baby (one that he hasn’t eaten D: ) and it’s just. so. endearing.

Meanwhile, Davina has…brought Mikael the destroyer back to life? I remember reading somewhere that Josh was supposed to die in this episode, and while I wouldn’t dare wish to deprive Josh of the happiness (and subsequent heartbreak) awaiting him in s2 and beyond, I think Davina’s motivations would’ve made more sense here if she were seeking to avenge her friend’s death. But I digress. Davina resurrects Mikael. Oh dear.

I haven’t mentioned Genevieve yet! She is one of my favorite antagonists. At first, she seemed to come out of nowhere, and I suspect she might have stepped into the narrative hole that was originally filled by Sophie Deveraux, but regardless I like her conflict. A witch cheated out of life (by an Original, no less!) and coerced to murder by her coven, living and dead. An apologetic killer. Yikes.

Klaus and Elijah then discuss how to protect the baby (and I swear in the opening shot it looks like they’re holding hands—but alas, it’s just a trick of the camera angle.) and Hayley helps them determine that they need to send her away. And let me say, Phoebe Tonkin impressed me more with her acting in seasons 2-3, but she hurts me here too. Ouch.

We get a few expository scenes—Francesca spins the werewolf attack into a gang war (she’s not wrong), Marcel makes a deal, Oliver is still an arrogant brat, and Davina plans to keep Mikael as her secret weapon (you poor child).

Then we get the most painful scenes in the episode, because even though we know this tragedy is a lie, it’s still a loss. The baby did not die, but their pain over losing her is real. Elijah says as much: “grief, after all, is grief.”

Klaus and Cami share a scene, and this is one of my favorites of them. Klaus admits that he finds her…beautiful. And for that reason, she should stay away from him. Whether you read this as romantic or not, it’s still so good. This is a woman Klaus pinpointed as being useful, intelligent, insightful, and strong enough to handle his psyche. They began with a rather twisted relationship (let’s save that essay on autonomy for another day, shall we?) but by the end of the season they’ve shared some experiences and gained more sympathy and respect for each other. And Klaus, in his moment of clarity and grief, recognizes that he is fundamentally not what she needs. (Or we could say this is all part of the lie. We’ll never know.)

Also, let me give a shoutout to the music in this episode! The two songs that play toward the end, Open Hands and Shallows are stellar. Speaking of the end! Let’s get into the biggest surprise this episode has for us.

“In what world will she be safe without her father? Who can protect her better than we?”

“There is one person.”

Rebekah. The thousand-year-old beauty queen I honestly thought we’d never see again after her exit in episode 16. The Original sister, the girl who loved too easily, who broke her brother’s heart and incurred his wrath. Who left to live her own life, who only could leave after her favorite brother set her free. Who always wanted what she couldn’t have, a family of her own.

And here she is, smiling at Klaus even though last time they screamed themselves hoarse in a graveyard and he put an enchanted stake through her chest, inches from her heart. She loves and hates him in equal measure, but she has nothing but love for this newborn baby. It’s a peace offering and the ultimate gesture of faith. Klaus could not trust anyone else in the world with his daughter, but he will hand her over to his beloved sister. It is the PERFECT way to end the season, especially with their parting words. Rebekah wants to know the baby’s name.

“Hope. Her name is Hope.”

They’ve been planning this gimmick from day ONE, I’m telling you. Ever since the pilot, when Elijah asks, “who’s more pathetic—the man who sees hope to make his family whole again? Or the coward who only sees the world through his own fear?” And I don’t care how cliche and gimmicky it is—if I did, I wouldn’t be watching this CW show. It’s perfect. This is what the baby means. She is the hope for this broken, broken family. She’s no savior—she doesn’t have to do anything but exist. But she reminds these siblings who, after a thousand years of bloodshed and fighting, are “the definition of cursed—always and forever,” that they can be better. They don’t have to remain the shells of who they were. They can pick up the pieces and begin a new chapter.

And that’s what this episode does for me, folks. It’s honestly too much to handle. I cannot watch this episode like a normal person—I writhe and scream and laugh maniacally and recite the lines. It’s a trip.

This episode concludes the season so strongly. It’s actually a major part of why I rank season 1 as my favorite! I did an official ranking of all 5 TO seasons a while back, which was a lot of fun.

CSUAVS prt 24 start. Don't worry... the withdrawal will be glossed over as we progress... I mean, I could write like a phoeb worth on an every day scale, but I think scene setting is nicer

Hiding in the dining area of the Telula, Lance stirred at the bowl of porridge in front of him with little interest. If it wasn't for the fact that Keith would find him in heartbeat if he'd hidden in the control room, Lance would have been hiding there instead. As far as he knew Keith was still sleeping off that messed up wine from the previous night. A wine that hadn't at all agreed with his mind. He spent the night dreaming of Keith as he slept in his arms. He'd woken with a moan on his lips, not understanding why his dreams were cut short until he released his pants were plastered to his nether regions. He'd come. He'd come so hard he still felt the pulses through his groin from release. Whimpering softly, his eyes widened as he released Keith was hard. His erection rubbing against his arse as Keith rutted gently against him. Filled with blind panic and nausea, Lance had ran. Barely keeping down the remnants of his dinner as he did. He'd had a wet dream about Keith... he'd come with his mind full of Keith... but without his permission or control over his actions. Breaking down in the bathroom, he'd thrown up until nothing was left. Light headed from withdrawal, the bright light of the bathroom felt like glass being plunged into his eyes. Everything was too loud. The feeling of water against his skin felt like he was being flayed alive as curled up in the corner of the shower, fingernails scratching and clawing at the soft and sensitive insides of his wrists until they turned to deep wounds. Coming to his senses, Lance forced himself from the shower. Too disgusted with himself to pause and straighten himself out in front of the mirror, ashamed and scared of the weak man who'd be staring back at him. He was supposed to be past all of this. Stronger than all of this. It'd happened phoebs ago, his time in captivity barely a drop in the ocean of time. He'd fought so hard to move on. Move past this dirty waste of space he'd been. "Lance, what are you thinking?" The spoon fell from Lance's hand as his head shot up. Sitting across from him, Allura looked as she had at the moment she'd left him, still dressed in her Paladin suit. Pushing his chair back, Lance left his bowl behind "Lance, where are you going?" He couldn't go the bridge. He couldn't go back to Keith. He could barely walk in a straight line "You'd choose to go back to him? Instead of being with me" "You're not real, Allura. You died. You're in my head" Mumbling to himself, Lance kept his head down as he made his way through his ship. He needed something to keep Allura away, but the only place he was going to find that was in the bathroom, despite him not wanting to go back there and be left alone with himself "Oh, Lance. I never could get anything past you. Compared to Lotor you were so simple. So willing to please" "Shut up" "Did I hit nerve? Are you going to cry to Keith? Tell him that you're coo-coo for your dead ex?" The word "coo-coo" had no business coming out of Allura's lips "Shut up!" "Keith won't stay with you. No one wants to stay with you. I didn't want to stay with you, so I died to escape you. You always were the seventh wheel" He knew that Allura was giving voice to his inner fears, but with it coming from her in her voice... tears started to roll down his face "Shut up!" "Oh, big brave Leandro. Crying over a little sex. Don't think I didn't watch you come. I know you did. You screamed and screamed, but you still came. You always liked the attention" Reaching the bathroom, Lance tripped over his own feet in his haste to get to his pills. Opening the cabinet to find it empty, the noise that came out of his mouth could only be described as a howl, when realised the cabinet was completely empty "You can't even put things away properly. No wonder Keith found them. No wonder he took them away from you. You're nothing but an addict" Nearly climbing into the space completely, Lance frantically tried to find something. Some kind of pill. Some broken tablet. A loose vial... but there was nothing there. Keith had said he'd trust him. That he'd be in control of his medications. Keith had lied to him. He needed his pills. He needed them and Keith took them. He knew it. He'd been right all along. Keith had been using him. He'd been laughing at him. Allura was right. He was useless. He was stupid. He was dirty and disgusting. Why Keith stayed he didn't know. Why would he care!? Why would anyone care? He was wrong. He was supposed to be dead. No one wanted him alive. His own mother didn't call him anymore. No. She talked to Keith... and Hunk talked to Keith. Why did no one love him? As he wanted was to be good. Klearo had told him to be good... Why wasn't he good? * Feeling for Lance, Keith groaned at the cold and vacant spot where Lance should have been. Both slightly drunk on the wine from church, he and Lance had fallen into bed together in a tangle of limbs. Lance howling as Keith somehow wound up tickling him. Falling asleep had been easy. Lance giving him permission to spoon around him, mumbling words of thanks as Keith nosed at his neck softly kissing the exposed skin. He'd forgotten how much fun Lance could be when he was drunk, and lacking a filter between his mouth and his brain. Yawning as he forced himself out of bed, Kosmo got up to lick at his leg as he Keith stretched high. Taking a deep breath as he deflated, Keith leaned down to scratch between Kosmo's ears "Hey, boy. You been outside yet?" Whining at him, Keith took that as a no "Go on. I'm going to take a shower and find Lance. He really shouldn't be wandering around like this" It was hard to know what to say to Kosmo. His wolf understood the circumstances and why Keith was spending so much time with Lance, but Keith still felt like he was leaving Kosmo out of everything. Having had him by his side as a puppy, the longest they'd been separated had been a few movements thanks to missions, and each time that happened Kosmo had Krolia to shower him with attention. With Lance being "ill", he wasn't up for being pawed over for cuddles, or coping a random wet nose to the face in the middle of the night. Kosmo wanted love and attention from both of them, and didn't understand why he had to settle for gentle pats or sleeping by their bed when there was space for the three of them. Trying to find any kind of balance was impossible now that Lance was going through withdrawal... meaning Kosmo had to wait, and Keith wasn't comfortable with that "I'm sorry, boy. I haven't been a very good owner lately. I know it seems like I never have time for you, but I do. You're a doofus, but you mean a lot to me. Why don't you go explore around here some more? Maybe you can find some space chickens to chase?" Kosmo cocked his head, tail starting to wag faster "Yes. I'm giving you permission. Just don't attack anyone's pet..." Disappearing mid-sentence, it seemed all was forgiven with his wolf. Even if it weighed heavily on Keith. He probably should also check in with Shiro at least to warn him over Lance's anxieties... and that Lance's team was accompanying them. All of this could wait until after he'd showered and retrieved Lance from the bridge. The stubborn Cuban would more than likely be back up there trying to work everything out on his own while feeling like Quiznak. Hearing the shower running, Keith knocked lightly. When he got no reply, he let himself into the small space to check on Lance. Given they were the only two who used the bathroom, he'd intended to tease Lance over the previous night with the threats of tickles, or if Lance was throwing up, he wanted to be there to hold his hair back and reassure him. Option three of a bleeding Lance hadn't come to mind. Covering in the back corner of the shower, Lance was fully clothed. The bathroom mirror had been shattered beyond repair with pieces lying across the floor telling him no matter what he did, he should expect to get glass in his feet if he tried to get to Lance barefooted. Glancing around the space, he cursed himself over the fact both their towels were in their room. With the smell of blood in the air, he didn't have time to go back and get them. Stripping off his shirt, it offered a small sliver of protection as Keith moved to the shower. Turning the taps off, Lance didn't even notice. A large piece of mirror in his left hand seemed to be where most of the blood was coming from "Lance? Hey..." Reaching out, Lance was unresponsive. Letting Keith take the broken mirror from his hold. The tick it was gone, Lance seemed to come to, shrieking and kicking as he screamed for Allura to leave him alone. Lunging at him, Keith caught Lance with ease, using the momentum to hoist him onto his shoulder and carry him from the shower with him. Being off the shower floor only made Lance more violent. His fingernails scratching up Keith's back as Lance bit him. Hauling Lance back to their room, Keith finally stood him up when the door had closed. The first thing Lance tried to was take a swing at him, the look in his eyes akin to a feral beast. Catching him before he fell, Keith forced Lance back towards the bed "Let me out!" "Lance, it's ok..." "Let me the fuck out!" "Lance, alright. It's Keith" "Let me go! You can't keep me here like this!" Whatever world Lance was in, it wasn't the same one Keith was. He only had a very rudimentary knowledge of withdrawal, and seeing it was so much different to being the one trying to help someone through it "Lance! Hey, look at me. It's Keith!" "I don't fucking care! Let me out! I need my pills!" Pushing hard against him, Keith was glad for his Galra strength. For someone weakened, the strength of force against him was completely unexpected "Lance, hey. Calm down!" "You're killing me! You're trying to kill me! I need my pills!" One moment Lance was struggling, the next he'd burst into tears, was speaking Spanish, and collapsing against Keith. Taking a very long tick to tick over, his brain realised Lance had both wet himself and thrown up on him. If it wasn't for the fact the water he'd found Lance in had been cold, he wouldn't have noticed the warmth against front. Lance was only supposed to be four quintants in to this. Was all of this supposed to be happening so fast? If Lance was like this the whole time, he wouldn't be able to lead his team, nor would be able to leave his room. If Lance snapped and truly perceived anyone on the ship as a threat, they'd end up dead. He didn't know how much of Lance's busted mind was able to recall of the past. All it took was for Lance to see one of his team, not recognise them, and that would be it. Lance would never recover from hurting his team. He'd probably never recover from the shame of wetting himself against Keith, so that would have to be another secret for the half-Galran to keep.