Revenge
Elena and Stefan could relate to their story of taking revenge against people who have wronged them. It always ended badly for them. Unfortunately, my impression is that Stefan isn't just harboring bitterness for the fact that Damon and Elena were happy, but is completely losing himself. Killing Silas didn't solve anything in the end. And that problem might backfire on both Elena and Damon. Additionally, Elena has trouble dealing with the consequences, because she so aptly summarized that she got everything she wanted. Stefan's happiness would be the ultimate cherry on top. But things are never that simple and I'm looking forward to see how she might deal with Stefan's complex emotions.
Doppelganger business
I didn't really care about Silas or Amara's fate, but her death felt more emotional to me, because she was easier to relate to. We can definitely say that Amara and Katherine both represent sides of Elena that reflect one extreme or the other. The wish to die vs. the wish to survive. We had moments that supported this argument. Elena listening in on Amara's conversation with Tessa was just one example. My personal highlight was Elena, Katherine and Amara all meeting each other and having all of them being confronted with such extremes. Ultimately, Elena was fighting for someone's life, while Katherine and Amara were both dealing with their own existences, which is a nice juxtaposition.
Bonnie came back and had an emotional conversation with Jeremy, but it still seems odd to me that they both supposedly love each other so much. The transition didn't really feel natural, because we still have to remind ourselves that their history together is rocky at best.
As for Elena and Damon we can say that their story was dealt with behind the scenes in this episode, which was actually quite refreshing. It definitely felt like another attempt to bring Stefan and Elena closer, although I don't really think that this is what both of them need.
The ultimate conclusion of the destined love between Amara and Silas ended in a heartfelt goodbye between them, although Silas proved that he had trouble ending her life.
Family
Katherine's and Nadia's story is another darker aspect, although it was completely in character for Katherine to continue being dismissive of her daughter. People worry that Katherine's story is over, but I am pretty sure that there will be more to it.
On the other hand, we had an emotional reunion with Bonnie, Elena and Caroline, which reminded me of the earlier seasons that highlighted their friendship. To be honest, I didn't feel that Bonnie's death and her coming back to life was really about her, because Elena and the others didn't think twice about the attempt to turn Bonnie into an anchor to the other side, even though they knew how Amara was dealing with it. I wasn't surprised with the ending and the new problems Bonnie has to solve now. I hope Elena and Bonnie can work together to end her misery.
What did you think of Death and the Maiden?
