Chancellor Agard

7.

And no episode is complete without a last-minute twist: Esther is in transition.Samantha Highfill

6.

It was unlike anything the series had done, and it worked beautifully.Samantha Highfill

4.

Apres Moi, le Déluge

Bob Mahoney/The CW

And the hour doesn’t present any easy answers or resolutions.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the end of their story.Chancellor Agard

2.

Hope’s birth results in Hayley’s shocking (and gruesome) death, followed by Hayley’s rebirth.

Rebirth

Bob Mahoney/The CW

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 returnsMikael!

The Feast Of All Sinners

Bob Mahoney/The CW

Finn!and you quite literally couldn’t ask for more in one hour.Samantha Highfill

1.

“Give ‘Em Hell Kid” (Season 3, Episode 21)

Three words:the bridge scene.

The result is heartbreak…and regret when Marcel is revealed to have taken Lucien’s serum.Samantha Highfill

“The Map of Moments”

Bob Mahoney/The CW

A Streetcar Named Desire

Annette Brown/The CW

Ne Me Quitte Pas

Annette Brown/The CW

Savior

Eli Joshua Ade/The CW

Farewell to Storyville

Annette Brown/The CW

From a Cradle to a Grave

Bob Mahoney/The CW

Give ‘Em Hell Kid

Annette Brown/The CW