The Vampire Diaries - I'll Remember - Review

In addition to sharing a title with one of my favorite Madonna songs, this episode was also a very promising beginning to season six.  After season five's sometimes extreme highs and lows and the often ineffective big bad, the Travelers, the new season has an appealing "reset" quality to it, and those pesky chanters actually did leave behind some big and fascinating problems for our characters.  Stressing the setting of Mystic Falls as a symbol of home, which some characters yearn for and others run from, "I'll Remember" posed some intriguing questions about the journey ahead and what it will entail.

There is only forever: Elena as a dark border stalker was amazing.  I loved seeing her descend into her dark side while also portraying a near-hyper cheerfulness in her interactions with others, a crazy blend of off-kilterness that was primed to explode.  Her decision to become a medical major seemed to hinge more on her desire for blood access than anything else...even super-restrained Elena at her most self-governed would surely have a hard time pulling off a doctor gig what with her vampiric nature.  It should be interesting to see where her new major leads and how the writers actually make the "college" plotline a little tiny bit relevant to the show as a whole (that's all that can seriously be expected).  For one thing, Elena's recommitment to school presented an interesting thematic contrast to Caroline, who has dropped out to focus on breaking the spell that is keeping supernatural beings out of Mystic Falls.  While Caroline considers this even more important than her college life, which she was so excited for last season, Elena seems to be running from her problems and depending on Stefan to find solutions while she struggles with the same grief Stefan seems to be blocking out.  In other words, everyone has their issues.

Elena's interactions with Luke showed how she was cleverly playing on his guilt over being responsible for Damon and Bonnie's demise by getting what she wants (I feel for the guy, but really, Luke...could you have waited a couple more minutes?!).  In addition to day-walking help for Alaric, Luke also provided some trippy witch herbs to allow Elena to see visions of Damon.  These hallucinations revealed the ways in which Elena is fighting to see an end to the misery she sees stretching before her eternally in the wake of Damon's demise. I have to hand it to her, though, for not just switching off her emotions.  As Elena's inner dialogue with herself via an imagined conversation with Damon made clear, she knows that she needs to let go, but she feels incapable of doing so.  But is she capable of going through with her request to Alaric that he wipes Damon from her memory?  At this point of desperation, it seems likely, though whether Alaric would do so remains to be seen. It's hard to see Elena go through yet another heartbreaking ordeal, and Nina Dobrev's portrayal of her all-over-the-board behavior was fantastic.

Let's not forget Elena's speech to her vision of Damon, which eloquently and emotionally reflected the real Damon's farewell words in the season 5 finale:

 "I wanna say thank you for giving me everything I always wanted. A love to consume me, and passion, and adventure. There's nothing more I could ever want than for it to last forever, but it can't. This is the last time I'm gonna see you. This is goodbye, Damon."

Sob!  Wherever Damon and Bonnie are, there is surely a way to get them back, and it can't happen soon enough.

Not giving up: Caroline gets my "most awesome" award for this episode, due to her reassuringly intact perseverance.  Determined to find a way to make Mystic Falls accessible once more for herself and other supernaturals, she's poring over massive tomes and phone stalking an evasive Stefan, with whom she's growing increasingly frustrated...yet still, Caroline manages to put an optimism into everything she does that is inspiring.  Her reaction to Elena sucking some poor girl's blood on the roadside was pure hilarity, as well.  If anyone can keep the motley crew of disconnected and confused characters somewhat on task, it's sure to be Caroline.

"I'm a vampire": Stefan's best moment in the episode was probably his dry delivery of this line to his new lady friend after she asked him for some personal details about himself.  Recasting himself as a mysterious, emotionally closed off drifter working as a mechanic and having entirely given up hope on getting Damon and Bonnie back, I'm not sure how much longer Stefan's going to be able to buy what he's trying to sell himself.  His curt words to Elena in the face of her begging him for hope were uncharacteristically insensitive, while his later act of smashing his phone after Caroline called again seemed more indicative of frustration and an inability to interact with his loved ones after their ordeal than a successful resolve to cut them out of his life.  

Not much of anything: I loved Matt's right-on-target diss to Jeremy, who's been exhibiting typically adolescent behavior such as constant video game playing and making out with random girls.  Matt may be relatively content in his role of town and friend caretaker, as reflected by his continued presence and concern for Jeremy and his new gig with the Mystic Falls civilian security squad, but that doesn't mean he turns a blind eye to Jer's nonsense.  I wonder where Matt's whole story with the security gang and their leader is going, as it's a bit left field and unpredictable.

"Douchebag stereotype" - I admit that last season I never cared for Liv and even found her distinctly annoying.  However, the character seems to have a fun new lease on life through her sassy interactions with Tyler.  Somehow, this relationship is making two relatively uninteresting characters lively and enjoyable to watch.  Plus, her labeling of him as a douchebag stereotype was hilariously apt to his persona and some of his past behavior.  As Tyler fights to keep his constant rage at bay, will Liv be a port in the storm?  While we have probably gotten a bit unused to seeing Tyler have his own little plotline, this seems like it will be an engaging one.

Alaric's return is full of so much win that it's purely overwhelming.  I don't know what was more awesome, watching him squirm at Elena's ridiculous blood slurpy in class, seeing his awkward flirtation with his new love interest and hearing him quip "when I lost my human nature, I also lost my game," having him put the smack down on OTT Tyler, or him gently counseling Elena towards the end of the hour.  It's so wonderful to have Ric back in the land of the living, and I can't wait to see what adventures he's going to get up to this season.

Damon and Bonnie and flannel and pancakes.  So, let's talk.  I'm really interested to hear what the theories are among my fellow fans.  Personally, I still think these two are in some version of the afterlife, perhaps the peaceful, heaven-esque existence that supernaturals are supposedly able to achieve if they aren't sent to whatever awful place Katherine went to.  But why specifically the 90s music and Damon's very uncharacteristic plaid?  The vamp pancakes were legitimately adorable, by the way, and the idea of a begrudging friendship between Bonnie and Damon is pretty delightful.  Out of everything in the episode and all the mysteries that season 6 has set up so far, the question of where these two are and what's going on with them is probably the most exciting.

What did you think of the season premiere?  Share your thoughts in the comments!  And don't forget to catch an all new The Vampire Diaries next Thursday at 8/7c on the CW!

About the Author - Virginia Mae Fontana

Virginia is happy to be reviewing The Vampire Diaries, Beauty and the Beast, and Witches of East End for Spoiler TV. She enjoys obsessing over films and pop music - in addition to tv shows, of course! You can find her blog, SugarRushed, at http://virginiamaeblog.blogspot.com/ and her Twitter handle is @SugarRushedBlog

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