Parental Issues, The Originals “From a Cradle to a Grave” 

The Originals’ season finale was everything you hoped it could be. In a season where the Big Bad was constantly shifting, it was a guessing game each week to figure out what team to join. (Unless you can be Team Elijah. Then always be Team Elijah.) But the end of season one left one thing clear. We’re going to cheer for whoever brings baby Hope back home.

Let’s back up. The finale opened with the witches and their super creepy ancestors making a major power play to restore their full powers. Kidnapping Hayley mid-labor, their plan to sacrifice her newborn daughter wasn’t without kinks. Namely, Papa Klaus, who bust in ready to rip some throats just in time to catch the tortured birth of his daughter. As he hung helplessly from the ceiling at the witches’ mercy, nothing could ruin the look of awe at the sight of his daughter. Even so, that was nothing compared to the look of anguish as he witnessed teeny witch Monique slit Hayley’s throat.

That’s right. Slit. Hayley’s. Throat. (Audible gasp time.) Elijah stumbled in just as the life drained out of her. All Klaus could say was “I was bested.” Shattered, Elijah was barely coherent as Klaus tried to roust him to go find his newborn daughter.

This is probably the lowest we’ve ever seen the Originals. They’re not ones to be “bested.” But at this moment, reeling from the loss of Hayley who they now realize is an integral piece of their family puzzle, both Klaus and Elijah are just broken lost toys stuck in the witches’ maze. The witches took that literally and turned the cemetery into a sprawling labyrinth to keep the Original duo at bay while they prepared to sacrifice the newborn.

Meanwhile, Davina is on her own quest to save her vamp BFF Josh from his werewolf bite, while scheming against Klaus. Guess who’s back to provide sinister, helpful little tips? Papa Mikaelson! Taking advantage of the crumbling barrier between the living and the dead, Mikael convinces Davina to bring him back so he can finally destroy his stepson, Klaus. Watch out, boys. Daddy’s back.

Back in the cemetery, just when the Originals bros were about to be defeated by their own grief, unexpected help arrived in the nick of time. Mama Hayley, not-so-dead and transitioning into a hybrid. The witches didn’t think through their own plan. Hayley died with her daughter’s hybrid blood in her system and is now in full-on rampage mode to find her daughter. Even Elijah is taken aback by her ruthlessness. Is there more to Hybrid Hayley than meets the eye? What will that mean for the Crescent City wolves she is destined to rule?

Reunited, Klaus, Hayley and Elijah arrive just in time to see Genevieve about to deliver the fatal blow to the baby. Battle ensues but just when it looks as if the vamp squad is to be bested again, Marcel shows up to deliver the killing blow to Monique. Snatching up the baby, he vamp speeds out with Klaus on his heels, leaving Elijah and Hayley to deal with the one witch left alive, Genevieve.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Genevieve, at the mercy of Elijah and Hayley, delivers the set up for next season’s Big Bad. While the ancestors have been scheming to resurrect the Harvest girls and regain their power over the Quarter, one particular ancestral witch has been leading the plot. One that has close ties to Klaus, Elijah and the baby. One we’ve seen before. Mama Esther is back and she’s not feeling too maternal towards her vamp offspring.

The baby is now safe back with Mom and Dad (after Klaus and Marcel make peace), but yet, the enemies are still at the gate. While the witches were temporarily defeated, they are still on a murderous quest to sacrifice the infant, now with the most powerful witch of all time Esther as their leader. The human-turned-werewolf faction led by Francesca has made a huge play for control, thumbing their nose at the Originals. There’s war all around. No place to raise an infant. In a truly heart-wrenching moment, Hayley realizes she has to send her daughter away, the way she was all those years ago. The Quarter has to believe Baby Mikaelson is dead so the Originals can keep her alive.

Here’s where the tears started. Klaus’s love for his daughter was almost reverent. Baring himself at last, you can finally see him believing in what Elijah has wanted all along. With his daughter, Klaus now has a place he belongs. The realization that he and Hayley would have to say goodbye to her was devastating. Klaus calls the single soul he trusts to deliver his daughter. (Yay, Auntie Bex!!) Rebekah arrives in the dead of night to take the baby, aptly named Hope by Klaus, and Klaus is left to keep up the charade until they can defeat their enemies.

But let’s take a quick look at who those enemies are because this is what will drive season two. Just as Hayley and Klaus are embracing the joys of parenthood, they have to cut ties with their daughter. Their public grief face isn’t hard to fake. Elijah and Klaus are now facing the return of their mother who is just as determined as Mikael to destroy her children. In a shocking ending, we see the death of Monique and the other Harvest witch means Esther retuned in another form, accompanied by either Finn or Kol. Not to mention, while Elijah and Klaus haven’t seen Mikael yet, he’ll also be in play. (Even though Davina is a smart little witch and put a collar on him so Mikael is bound to do her bidding.) Who else is excited for Esther and Mikael to come face to face next season?

Battling their own parents, Klaus, Elijah and Hayley will be doing everything they can to end the war so Hope can return. Perhaps they’ll pick up a few “What NOT To Do” parenting tips along the way.

The Originals returns next season on Monday nights at 8/7pm on the CW.