The minute Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson showed up in season two of The Vampire Diaries, fans were fascinated with the idea of a family of original vampires. The brothers wreaked havoc on Mystic Falls. Klaus killed Jenna, turned Tyler into a hybrid, possesed Alaric and made Stefan become a ripper again. Then their sister Rebekah came to town and it became clear that there were a lot more stories to be told about the Mikaelsons. The CW agreed and The Originals was born.

The series is set in New Orleans, a city that already has a mysterious, supernatural aura, so none of the outrageous plots and characters feel out of place. Fans were introduced to new siblings, vampires, werewolves and witches, alongside even more people who hate the originals. The overarching theme of the show is family above all. Though the Mikaelsons may fight each other from time to time, they never allow anyone to come in and attack each other. It’s them against the world and with their power, usually they win. Before everyone settles in for the premiere of the fifth and final season Friday, April 20, here are The Originals memes that will always and forever be fan favorites.

15 KAI COULD BE KLAUS AND KATHERINE’S KID

When Klaus was first discussed on The Vampire Diaries, he was described as this fearsome killer who couldn’t be stopped and was so ruthless even Katherine was afraid of him. Up until that point, all we had been told was that no one was more evil than Katherine Pierce, so finding out there was a vampire worse than her, was interesting and fascinating. She actually became a vampire to get away from Klaus.

In season six we were introduced to crazy witch Kai Parker. He wanted to find a way back from the other side so he could steal his sister’s magic and bring back the heretics from the prison world. He’s just an irredeemable psychopath. This has led many fans to speculate that he’s a mix of Klaus and Katherine. Though really he’s nowhere near as clever or interesting than those two.

14 THE MANY LOOKS OF KLAUS

As one of the first vampires, Klaus Mikaelson has had a long and storied life. He’s traveled the world and had some spectacular adventures. As such, Joseph Morgan has had many looks for his various storylines and flashbacks. On The Vampire Diaries, Klaus was shown to be a classic gentleman type, so even when he was casual, he was still the best dressed man in the room. The Mikaelsons like to throw a lot balls, so there’s always a tuxedo in the mix.

Once he was the star of The Originals, audiences got to know more of his backstory and were treated to the expected historical flashbacks. These often feature a myriad of looks that include hilarious wigs. And of course, since this is a show about good looking vampires, he’s shirtless a lot too.

13 KOL GIVES HIS BROTHERS ADVICE

None of the siblings are known for being overly benevolent, however, Kol is probably the most comically murderous of them of all. When the four of them get together and have fun, there’s always a high body count. No one seems to have more fun than Kol when he’s killing someone. He’s the comic relief in the middle of all the blood.

The idea that his solution to their problem of having no allies and too many enemies is not that they could’ve been less murderery, but they should’ve just left fewer survivors to come back for revenge is just hilarious. Watching fantasy and horror series, means viewers must adjust their perception of what’s acceptable. In the world of The Originals, this makes perfect sense. Less survivors means no one stalking the family hundreds of years later.

12 ELIJAH’S BACKGROUND MODELLING

When Elijah first appeared on The Vampire Diaries, he didn’t immediately start interacting with the main characters, he just hung out in the background a lot. It was actually brilliant that we just saw this powerful, mysterious vampire, who didn’t seem susceptible to the normal weaknesses. It didn’t hurt matters that like the rest of them, he was also very good looking.

This became a running theme for his character throughout both shows. Elijah is great at sneaking around. He’s like the secret agent of the family. At this point it’s actually kind of ridiculous that when Mikaelson enemies are having secret planning discussions, they don’t look around to make sure he’s not standing in a corner somewhere. It’s not like they can miss him. He’s always wearing a suit and probably has some blood on him.

11 DON’T INTERRUPT THE ORIGINALS

Die hard TV watchers know there’s nothing worse than when someone walks in the room and starts talking to you when your favorite show is on. In particular, do not start asking a bunch of questions about a show you’ve never seen, when it’s in season five. For something as intricate as The Originals, viewers need to pay attention to every small detail, because chances are they will become important later. A quick shot of a crazy symbol almost always leads to the big bad of the season.

Coming from The Vampire Diaries, The Originals also has a rabid fanbase. Being so invested in certain characters and couples means that we need to watch and rewatch every moment and interaction like our lives depend on it.

10 EVERYONE HATES KLAUS

Season four of The Originals revolved around the Mikaelsons returning from exile, reuniting as a family and protecting Hope from the ancient power of The Hollow. Vincent had previously banished The Hollow, so he understood how evil it was and why it was so important to keep it from coming back.

Vincent is a witch, who really hates the siblings, particularly Elijah and Klaus, as they’ve killed a lot of witches. So when The Hollow shows up again, he understands that grudges must go out the window to defeat it. It helps viewers really appreciate how scared everyone is of this evil, as we’ve just come off of the city celebrating not having to see the Mikaelsons. He also understands that Hope is innocent and doesn’t want to see her succumb to its power.

9 FREYA THE PROTECTOR

We first met three Mikaelsons, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah, but there are actually seven. Granted we only ever really see four or five at a time. Early on we were told that there was another child who died during the plague. That was Freya, a daughter who was actually stolen by aunt Dahlia. Freya was raised as a witch and was basically kept in captivity, used as a tool against her family.

Ultimately, she met her siblings and together they killed Dahlia, making her a full fledged part of the family. Spending all that time apart has given her a greater perspective on family and she is now their fiercest protector. There is nothing that she won’t do to save her family. While Elijah is the one who makes the tough choices, she’s the one who usually has to make the plans work.

8 EVERYONE LOVES KLAUS’ ACCENT

It’s no secret that women love British accents. From James Bond to Downton Abbey to Doctor Who, we love them. When Klaus showed up in The Vampire Diaries, we knew he was the bad guy who wanted to kill Elena while ruining Stefan and Damon’s lives, but it was very hard not to like him, because Joseph Morgan is so charming. He’s got the accent, he calls Caroline love and he’s in a tuxedo all the time, because they throw a huge formal party every week.

Sure he kills characters we know and breaks up fan favorite couples, but he makes Caroline drawings, so we just forget about that time he turned Jenna into a vampire just so he could sacrifice her. Once we really get to know him on The Originals, it becomes clear just how many issues he has, but the accent makes it easy to overlook those.

7 HAYLEY AND KLAUS

Hayley and Klaus first entered each other’s lives when he wanted to use her to get to Katherine. They came to a tense understanding of one another and had a one night stand, which resulted in her becoming pregnant. Hope and the drama that constantly surrounds the Mikaelsons have made them close co-parents.

When the family was put under a sleeping curse, she was the one who spent five years searching for a cure. With everyone back together, she became the glue that kept them from falling apart again. Though their physical relationship lasted just one night, their friendship has bonded them in a way, where she is the only one who can understand Klaus. Their connection through Hope actually makes them stronger than any other couple on the show.

6 KLAUS AND HOPE

Though he’ll always be the feared and murderous Klaus Mikaelson, it’s captivating to see him as a father. In season four, with an older Hope, Klaus had to find a way to get to know his daughter without lying to her. Some things she already knows, but one day she will hear all the stories and learn who her father really is.

Due to his abusive father, Klaus will never show anyone his vulnerable side. Even his brothers and sisters never get to see the mushy center of his heart, but with Hope, he’s more than willing to give her that. As viewers it’s nice for us to see that there is more to this guy than killing people. We can feel less guilty about how much we like him.

5 HAYLEY AND ELIJAH

Hayley was always seen as a tough werewolf loner, who just wanted to find out where she came from. She just wanted a family. Once she got pregnant with Hope she was forever connected to the Mikaelsons. It took awhile, but she realized that she was now one of them.

Part of what drew her closer to the family was her attraction to Elijah. He was one of the few people who supported her through her pregnancy without wanting anything in return. That evolved into their feelings for each other, which dragged on for three seasons. Finally in season four we were going to see them become a couple, but Elijah’s myriad of issues about his past kept them apart. Perhaps in the final season we’ll finally get to see them get past all the curses and emotions holding them back.

4 ALARIC WAS SCARIER THAN KLAUS

One of Klaus’ worst acts was when he possessed Alaric to gain everyone’s trust. Before he found everything he needed to break his hybrid curse, Klaus wanted to know more about the Mystic Falls gang. His solution to this was to take over Alaric’s body, so he could learn all their secrets.

Seeing Matt Davis take the most trusting and reliable character in town and play him as evil was fascinating and even scarier than the actual Klaus. Over the years, enough bad things have happened that Alaric has forgiven Klaus and even showed up in New Orleans to help them take on The Hollow. Klaus even trusted Alaric (and Caroline) to help raise Hope and teach her how to control her powers at the Salvatore School for Gifted Children.

3 MIKAELSONS VS SALVATORES

Since Stefan and Damon are from Klaus’ sire line, that means the Salvatores and Mikaelsons are eternally connected. Fans of The Vampire Diaries know that Damon and Stefan’s sibling rivalry has been well documented. However, once they worked past their issues, they have been mostly inseparable and loyal to one another.

For the Mikaelsons it took a lot longer to get back to “always and forever.” Klaus killed their mother and daggered his siblings several times, and they have returned the favor. It wasn’t until they moved back to New Orleans and realized that it was them against the world, that the original family became a united front. In terms of being more than just siblings, but also best friends, the Salvatores may have the Mikaelsons beat on that one.

2 MIKAELSON CHESS

Where most Mikaelson enemies go wrong is they don’t realize the importance each member plays in the family. They usually immediately go straight for Klaus, underestimating the others. As a matter of fact, Elijah should be the first person they go after, as he’s the one who guards the door. He will do anything to keep the enemies away and he’s mostly smart about it.

Klaus is the impetus one, willing to storm into a fight and kill everyone without thinking first. This usually gets him into trouble, that the others then have to figure a way out of. As for Hayley, she’s the one who brings everyone together. She has a maturity and level headedness that even Rebekah and Freya acknowledge make her the matriarch of the family.

1 ELIJAH ALWAYS PROTECTS HIS FAMILY

For Elijah, “always and forever” isn’t just a nice memory with his brother and sister, it is the mantra that he lives his life by. Even when he came to Mystic Falls to take down Klaus so he could get the rest of his family, he couldn’t quite bring himself to kill his brother.

Once they were reunited in New Orleans, he swore to keep the vow to protect them, even if that sometimes entails protecting the others from Klaus or Klaus from himself. This means he will often make the choice to let innocents die for what he considers the greater good. His gentlemanly appearance in his impeccable suits belies his true brutal nature, which causes those who don’t know him to underestimate him at their own peril. Though Klaus is the most powerful and feared, it’s actually Elijah who is the most dangerous original.