David will get everything he wants: love from his biological parents, peace from Farouk, and hope for the future.
"This is the end. The beginning. The end. What it all means is not for us to know. It is for history to decide. All we can do is play the parts as written. All we can know is ourselves."
— The opening line.
The end of the end as David confronts Farouk, but at a bitter cost.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bittersweet Ending: David, Charles and Farouk agree to form a truce so that the latter will convince his past self to leave past David alone, thus preventing the dark future from happening, especially now that Charles reconciles with Gabrielle and agrees to fully take care of their child. However, it results in causing the current timeline to be erased and be replaced by a new one, including David and his allies. He and Syd went to see the former's baby self in his crib while having their last conversation before they fade away from existence.
- Blank White Void: The astral plane is white and featureless when Charles initially confronts Present Farouk, then negotiates a truce with him, and later convinces David to accept the peace agreement.
- Book Ends: The series begins and ends with a scene of baby David in his crib. The Who song "Happy Jack" is heard in the first scene of the series and in the last.
- Break Them by Talking: Past Farouk taunts David about his biggest insecurity — that his biological parents don't love him — when they're in the astral plane.Past Farouk: Do you know why you have failed? Because under all your anger, there is a baby. Scared, small. Given away by his mother and father. A baby who is unloved, and knows that he's unloved.
David: I'm a good person. I deserve love.
Past Farouk: No, you don't. - Broken Record: Legion shouts "Monster!" so many times at Farouk that it sounds like a distorted chorus of overlapping voices.
- Call-Forward: Charles tells Gabrielle that he "always wanted to become a teacher," which hints that he'll open the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters and form the X-Men.
- Captain Obvious: In the astral plane, Charles forcibly moves David to a Blank White Void in order to prevent his son from killing Past Farouk, who was close to being asphyxiated with David's hands squeezing his throat. David then furiously states what his father had just seen.David: I had him!
Charles: (deadpan) Yes, I saw the blood. - Cessation of Existence: This happens when the past Farouk agrees to leave David alone during his infancy as the current timeline is erased and replaced with a new one.
- Facial Dialogue: A notable instance is when Farouk shows his past self what has happened to him. His eyes are covered, but you can still clearly follow the emotions the revelations give him in the movements of his mouth and brow.
- Fading Away: Plays out in the final scene with David along with Syd after looking at his innocent baby self before being erased along with the current timeline as it is about to be replaced by a new one.
- Grand Finale: Of Legion.
- I Hate Past Me: When Farouk talks to his past self, he's disappointed with what he sees.Past Farouk: You have become soft in your old age.
Present Farouk: Was I really this bitter and filled with hate? How petty you seem. - Let's Duet: David and Gabrielle sing Pink Floyd's "Mother".
- Living Lie Detector: Charles reminds David that telepaths can always tell if someone is stating a falsehood.David: And what are we supposed to do, take him at his word?
Charles: We're telepaths, we never have to take anyone at their word. - Manchild: Invoked by Past Farouk when he ridicules David for his immaturity.Past Farouk: David. The victim. A boy pretending to be a man. Always blaming others. Boo-hoo.
- Man Hug: Charles gives a heartfelt hug to his son David as a gesture of love and comfort. The latter is so overwhelmed emotionally by the embrace that he cries on his father's shoulder.
- Manly Tears: Tears stream down David's face after Charles tells him, "So, please, my darling boy, let me be your father."
- Meaningful Look: Before finalizing the truce with Past Farouk, David glances at Charles for reassurance that he's doing the right thing by making peace with their mutual enemy, and his father nods in approval.
- Misery Poker: Gabrielle is still recovering emotionally after numerous Time Eaters attempted to murder her infant son David, and she even questions her sanity, but her husband Charles asserts that he had witnessed and endured far more craziness than she did. After hearing his recollection of events, Gabrielle doesn't argue.Gabrielle: I saw demons.
Charles: Yes, you did. I saw a monkey with a king in his head. I saw our son as an adult, but so angry. And together we fought a mad tyrant. So... demons, hmm. Sounds like you got off rather lightly. - Pacifism Is Cowardice: Past Farouk is appalled that his future self wants peace instead of war, and accuses the latter of being weak.Past Farouk: Wahnsinn. note You have become soft in your old age.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: Charles reassures his son David that he does love him even though David in this timeline was given up for adoption. Now that an Alternate Timeline is being created, Charles vows that he'll raise David and be the father that he should've been.Charles: David. I wasn't there for you. You needed me, your mother, and we gave you away. I can't imagine doing it, but I adore you, David, and that will never change. I could only have done it to protect you.
David: I was a baby.
Charles: I'll never know what that's like, the pain of it, to be abandoned. But I am here now, and I want to make it right. So, please, my darling boy, let me be your father. - The Power of Love:
- Present Farouk pulls a Heel–Face Turn because of his affection for David, and he tells Charles that he's now a changed man.Farouk: I've lived in your son's mind for 32 years. I saw what he saw, I felt what he felt, I thought what he thought. And over time, what was once a prison became a person.
Charles: It's hard to hate someone you understand.
Farouk: I love the boy, Charles. I consider him, uh, my...
Charles: Son?
Farouk: Would that I could be as strong a father as you are. But alas, it's not in my nature. May I be honest with you?
Charles: Please.
Farouk: The man you met, the man I was, he brought you here with base intentions. To dominate, to punish. Not because he was strong, because he was weak. I was weak. Now I'm older and weary of this churn. We call it Zwietracht. note I did not come here to defeat David, but to aid him in his quest. What I'm trying to say is I have changed.
Charles: Well, then I have a proposition for you. - David is dead set on carrying out his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Farouk, so the only person who can persuade him to stop is his father Charles. David's bloodlust fades after Charles delivers an earnest Platonic Declaration of Love and pledges that he'll take care of his son in the Alternate Timeline. After sharing a tender father-son hug and a good cry, David is now willing to accept the truce that Charles has arranged with Present Farouk.
- Present Farouk pulls a Heel–Face Turn because of his affection for David, and he tells Charles that he's now a changed man.
- Rack Focus: At the beginning of the reconciliation scene between Gabrielle and Charles, the point of focus is initially on her because she's next to the camera, whereas he's a blur standing at a distance. However, it gradually shifts as he walks closer to where she's seated until his features become clear while hers become fuzzy.
- Red Is Violent: When David is choking Past Farouk to death, the former is illuminated by red light.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The level-headed Charles is about to suggest a non-violent course of action, but he's barely able to start his sentence ("David, perhaps—") before the hot-headed David teleports behind Past Farouk and hits the latter's head with a telepathic mace.
- Reunion Kiss: After Charles returns home from Morocco, he makes amends to his wife Gabrielle (who suffered a lot during his absence because he's her Living Emotional Crutch) by promising her that he will no longer go on long trips and that he will take on a more active role in raising their son David. It's only after she's satisfied that her husband won't neglect her and their child again that Gabrielle invites Charles to kiss her, which he happily does, and it's obvious from their embrace that they miss each other dearly.
- Shout-Out: David pulls out a fish from his ear, which is an allusion to the Babel Fish in the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Charles acknowledges to his son David that his war with Farouk is what ruined David's life since he was a baby. Farouk wanted revenge on Charles after the latter defeated him in a psychic battle, so Farouk possessed and corrupted the mind of his enemy's infant son.Charles: (to David) You're trapped in a war that you didn't start. This is my fault. I did this. You never had a chance because of me.
- Sophisticated as Hell: When Gabrielle asks her husband, "Are you gonna kiss me?", Charles (an upper-crust Englishman) enthusiastically answers, "Abso-bloody-lutely." "Bloody" is a British expletive, and it's the only time in the entire series where Charles — who's otherwise a courteous gentleman — swears, so it fits the "Slang delivered innocuously in a formal speech, especially from someone upper-class" example.
- Violence Is Not an Option: It turns out that the only way to prevent David from becoming a supervillain is for Charles and Farouk to have never gone to war in the first place. Charles and Present Farouk (who undergoes a Heel–Face Turn) settle on a peace agreement.Charles: I'm saying that war is not the answer, it's the problem. David, we don't need this barbarism. I've made a deal with Farouk.
- We Can Rule Together: Past Farouk invites David to meet him in the Alternate Timeline once David becomes an adult, and suggests that they take over world, but David isn't interested.Past Farouk: Well, when you're grown, come and see me. Together, we will rule the world.
David: No. I don't think I will. - You Monster!: Legion repeatedly calls the Shadow King a monster before their psychic battle.
Syd: David?
David: Yeah?
Syd: Be a good boy.
David: Yeah?
Syd: Be a good boy.
