Surely when I say "progress" I mean progress in Klaus's path on becoming a better man. Usually with Klaus he'll take one step forward but then three steps back ending up at the beginning again or off the game board of expressing healthy emotional feelings altogether. However, if the mid-season finale episode "Reigning Pain In New Orleans" has revealed anything, it's that Klaus is making incredible strides in recovering his humanity.
At first Klaus and Hayley weren't really on the same page when it came to what it would mean to have a child. Hayley even attempted to abort the child but she quickly changed her mind when it came time to protect not only herself but her unborn child. Yet when Klaus heard that Hayley was attempting to rid herself of the baby, he went berserk and put Hayley in a choke hold. Klaus was met with the realization that he actually wants the baby not just for power but because he actually cares what happens to it as a father would often worry about their child. This led to an understanding between him and Hayley that even though they are not romantically involved they will be partners in protecting and raising their child. So at least at this point Klaus and Hayley become friends. Klaus even gives a small gesture of kindness to fix the air conditioner for Hayley who's had restless nights from the heat. Also when Hayley fainted after her horrible ordeal in the bayou, Klaus carried her home like a gentleman would.
Klaus and Hayley were doing well until Elijah came back and Klaus being Klaus, was green with envy over how his baby mama and older brother were bonding; more than bonding, but romantically drawn to each other. Again, Klaus's insecurity reared its ugly head and manifested into a brawl with Elijah in the bayou. In retrospect it was Elijah and Hayley's jump to conclusions that led to Klaus acting out in violence. Of course Klaus also has a horrible track record when it comes to selfishly helping the family. Still when Elijah accused Klaus of wanting the child only to make hybrids, one could see the hurt on Klaus's face. Klaus had no idea that his child could make any hybrids. He accuses Elijah that he only sees Klaus as a "bastard" like Mikael did; making him feel unloved and alone.
Klaus even fears that his own child would see him that way, with such disdain. Here we see Klaus slowly progress into settling into his fatherly role and actually wanting to be a father purely for the sake of having at least one person who will love him unconditionally.
Close to the mid-season finale after Klaus takes Marcel's kingdom, Klaus gets into and argument with his siblings over how he feels betrayed and left out. He fears that if Elijah and Hayley take up a romantic relationship then his child would call Elijah "father" instead. Also because everyone seems to instantly respect and love "the noble Elijah" over Klaus "the bastard". Being Klaus he sees himself as a victim, but Rebekah turns it back on him saying that Klaus is the one who always pushes people away instead of everyone leaving him. Klaus leaves Elijah and Rebekah at the plantation. He tells Hayley that she's coming with him and when she asked him why Klaus said, "Because that child you're carrying is the only thing I care about." He was speaking truth. Klaus cements his desire despite what his siblings think.
Taking a turn from the baby for a bit, Klaus's other relationships outside the family take some steps forward. Klaus seems to have grown attached to the spunky, smart bartender and psyche major Cami. He likes talking to her and having someone give him an honest opinion and Cami isn't afraid of saying what she thinks. Klaus became genuinely concerned for Cami's mental health and personal well being when he saw how the mystery of her twin brother's psychotic break affected her. He compelled her to forget about her quest to discover the truth to help her sleep. He also kept Cami around to help with his supposed memoirs but mostly to have someone to relieve his burdens onto. Klaus and Kieran come to an understanding that it would be better for Cami to leave New Orleans. Yet Cami is stubborn. She read Klaus like a book in that anyone close to him he believes will suffer greatly. He admitted that Cami getting hurt or dying would hurt him immensely and he wasn't about to let her die because of him. Yet when Cami saw Klaus's painful past when he first discovered that he was a hybrid and then he was cursed, Cami was overcome with sympathy. Klaus still compelled Cami to forget and to leave New Orleans.
Klaus's relationship with Marcel has improved. Klaus confides in his old friend after they massacre half the Human Faction (leaving Kieran alive to make a new one). The Original Hybrid tells Marcel the truth about why he wanted his kingdom. Klaus makes great strides in honesty saying that deep down he was jealous of what Marcel had. Klaus also admits that now that he is to become a father, he doesn't want to be like Mikael who Klaus believes hated him from the day he was born. Klaus wants to be a better father than his own and give the child everything he didn't have. So this is revelation to all of us how Klaus has changed since discovering that his one night stand led to an unexpected pregnancy.
On another note, Klaus has softened to his blood relatives. Even though he told Elijah and Rebekah that he could care less about his supposed wolf relatives (descendants of his real father who was a wolf chieftain), he went to Kieran to help him hide the wolves who have gathered in the bayou awaiting the birth of the hybrid miracle baby. He also invited Elijah and Rebekah to stay with him at the "Compound", their old French Quarter home.
So in terms of emotional health, I believe Klaus has made excellent strides. He took a few back steps with biting Elijah, declaring open season on Hayley's family and unwittingly seeing her as an incubator, and then killing half of Marcel's crew, but eventually he gained some footing and now he has his family under one roof. There are a few new battles to fight next year but I think that now that Klaus and his siblings have sort of made up and he and Marcel are on the same side as equal rulers, they can face whatever fate throws at them.
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