The Originals: The 10 best episodes ever

The eleventh episode of season one solidified exactly what the show could be: A sophisticated story of love, friendship, and family in a complex, supernatural world. When Marcel has to carry Davina to the harvest ritual, the show creates one of its most stunning visuals — the fire following behind them as they walk through the rain — and one of its most impactful emotional moments. Marcel is losing his surrogate daughter, a moment that leads to him turning to his surrogate father, Klaus, for comfort. —Samantha Highfill

The season 2 premiere — which picks up a few months after the climactic season 1 finale — features one of the series’ strongest and most entertaining sequences when the Mikaelsons attack the Correa wolf pack and destroy their moonlight rings. From Klaus painting with the blood of his enemies, to Hayley exacting her revenge on Francesca Correa, every moments hits incredibly hard. —Chancellor Agard

The penultimate episode of season 4 promised the end of “always and forever” and the finale delivered. Although we knew the siblings would eventually find their way back to one another in season 5, that didn’t make the family’s decision to separate in order to save Hope any less powerful or heartbreaking thanks to Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Charles Michael Davis, and Phoebe Tonkin’s amazing performances. —Chancellor Agard

This Christmas episode is all about relationships, starting with the reunion of Klaus and Hayley with Hope. Together, the Mikaelsons get some time away, which leads to a major milestone in Hayley and Elijah’s relationship: The two sleep together after she tells him about her upcoming marriage to Jackson. And no episode is complete without a last-minute twist: Esther is in transition. —Samantha Highfill

While the first half of 2016’s The Vampire Diaries/The Originals crossover was rather forgettable, the same can’t be said of The Originals’ half of the hour, which saw Stefan traveling to New Orleans for his old buddy Klaus’ help. The episode makes excellent use of Stefan while also bringing one of the season’s stories to an exciting climax with the dramatic severing of Klaus’ sire line. —Chancellor Agard

An Elijah-centric hour presented something new for the series, and the result was utterly refreshing: The episode follows a memory-free Elijah on his seven-year journey of rediscovery and love. It was unlike anything the series had done, and it worked beautifully. —Samantha Highfill

It wouldn’t be Christmas on The Originals (or The Vampire Diaries) without tragedy, and season 3’s midseason finale doesn’t disappoint. In “Savior,” the Mikaelsons rush to find a cure for both Rebekah’s curse and Freya’s poison, which creates tons of trouble before leading to a very tranquil holiday party. But then the episode hits us with one hell of a surprise when Klaus finds Cami’s dead body in his bed right after they finally got together. “Savior” is a great example of everything the show excelled at during its run. —Chancellor Agard

This was the episode we’d been waiting for since the entire Mikaelson family was introduced on The Vampire Diaries. Trapped in a cemetery, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah were finally forced to address all of their grievances. For a very plot-driven show, it was nice to get an hour that was almost entirely focused on these characters, their relationships to one another, and the trauma of the past. And the hour doesn’t present any easy answers or resolutions. In fact, it ends with this family, which was bonded and defined by their vow of “always and forever,” disintegrating as Klaus banishes his sister from the city. Thankfully, this wasn’t the end of their story. —Chancellor Agard

The season one finale had it ALL. Hope’s birth results in Hayley’s shocking (and gruesome) death, followed by Hayley’s rebirth. The thought of losing Hayley results in Elijah’s emotional breakdown. And the safety of Hope brings Rebekah (temporarily) back to town for a surprise appearance. Tack on a couple shocking returns — Mikael! Esther! Finn! — and you quite literally couldn’t ask for more in one hour. —Samantha Highfill

Three words: The bridge scene. The show’s strongest season starts to conclude as Klaus tries desperately to get Marcel on their side after Davina’s death. But when Elijah starts to see the prophecy unfold before him, he panics and rips out the heart of the man he once considered a nephew. The result is heartbreak…and regret when Marcel is revealed to have taken Lucien’s serum. —Samantha Highfill