Last week's season premiere was strong, but this episode was even better, building multiple plotlines into a combination of heartbreaking, hilarious, fascinating, and scary developments and possibilities that are establishing some awesome directions for season 6 to go in.
"I definitely blew that up about an hour ago." After last week's tantalizing cliffhanger, we were finally clued in as to Bonnie and Damon's predicament. Namely, the pair are stranded on May 10, 1994 in an abandoned Mystic Falls. Bonnie theorized that this must have something to do with Grams' promise to get her granddaughter to a peaceful place in the afterlife, and that by joining hands with Damon, Bonnie brought him with her. But if they are on the Other Side, why can't they see the living? If they are in the world of the living, in 1994, why is it empty of other people? As a child of the 90's, this is a very exciting plotline to me, because aside from the finely wrought mystery of it all, we get plenty of delightful pop cultural references. Damon's pancake-flipping, "Whatta Man" dancing interlude was outstanding, as was Bonnie's plaid-on-tie-dye outfit. I love that she retrieved not only her family's grimoire, but also her long lost teddy bear, combining common sense with adorable nostalgia.
That magic moment. After agreeing to help Elena erase all memories of loving Damon, Alaric explained that in order to do so, he would have to slowly assess and erase each memory until they figured out exactly the moment when Elena fell in love with Damon. Only by wiping that specific memory could Elena's love for Damon be forgotten. This led to several swoon-worthy Delena flashback sequences that played out like an incredibly well-done Youtube montage. After we found out that Elena didn't first fall for Damon when she originally met him, when they danced at the founder's ball, or either of the times they kissed while she was semi-broken-up with Stefan, or when they first got together after she became a vampire, my curiosity was definitely piqued as to what the big reveal would be.
I was thinking that perhaps it was that time in Season 2 when Damon told Elena he loved her and then compelled her to forget, a favorite scene of mine. But nah. As it turned out, Elena first loved Damon when he gave her back her necklace at the beginning of season 3, even though it represented her hope to be with Stefan. I'd never considered this lovely scene as such a huge turning point, but it was a nice choice explained in a very poignant sequence with Alaric guiding Elena to her admission of the truth. In as much as I wish Alaric wouldn't be quite so quick to do whatever Elena asks of him, he was wonderfully kind and wise as he helped Elena through the painful process she'd requested.
"Brothers don't give up." While Stefan reacts to Damon's demise by trying to awkwardly force himself to move on, the ever-charismatic Enzo's taken a different approach, tracking down every possible lead to find a way to get his friend back. And even though the lead about that specific coven turned out to be one Stefan had previously identified as a dead end, when it comes to Enzo and Caroline teaming up, I'm optimistic that they very well may find a solution. Will Stefan change his mind and help them on this mission? Given Enzo's behavior in this episode, that might be even harder than we had previously anticipated.
While Caroline was mad and sad, Enzo was aggressively annoyed and impatient, first stabbing Stefan's hand at dinner and later charging back inside to snap Ivy's neck (ack!) and vowing to make Stefan's life miserable every time he tries to start anew. Interestingly, it was Caroline's tears that made Enzo especially furious about Stefan's inaction. Stefan's sure to be vengeful after what Enzo did to Ivy, but is that really the end of Stefan's new gal pal? Hmm.
It's not a secret handshake. After admitting to Matt that he's a member of Mystic Falls founding family the Fells, Tripp revealed to us viewers that he is also in the habit of imprisoning vampires in the back of his vehicle and driving them into town to horrifically incinerate upon arrival. So Tripp clearly is more than cognizant of the Founders' most important secrets, and apparently shares their proactive attitude towards vampire eradication. Tripp obviously also has a bigger agenda than protecting Mystic Falls with his little civilian security squad...but what is his endgame?
Speaking of shady behavior, how about the new girl in town Sarah, who went from Elena's roadside snack to Jeremy's friend with benefits? She has no problem admitting that she's a car thief, but what else is she up to, and who is her father, the man she believes lives in Mystic Falls? Is Sarah the long lost sister of one of our preexisting TVD characters? So far, signs seem to point to yes.
What did you think of this episode, and what are your theories on all of these intriguing mysteries? 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.
what's your feeling on caroline and enzo and who do you think Ledbetter is
ReplyDeleteloved this episode, season 6 is definitely better than season 4 and 5 imo so far hope they keep it up!
ReplyDeleteBonnie and Damon make such a great couple, even a non romantic one. I almost don't want them to come back from wherever they are. Too bad we can't get a spinoff series with them.
ReplyDeleteThe episodes were strong? Much better than the last two seasons, yes. But mediocre at best, and nowhere near the quality of the first three seasons. With the exception of the Damon/Bonnie plot, and the repeating of first season's Fells-kill-vampires thread, nothing has happened to advance the story, and no character development has occurred in the interim. The only advancement in the Damon/Bonnie storyline is that they are trapped in a past ghost-town Mystic Falls Groundhog-Day scenario with at least one other person. This is by far the most (only?) interesting storyline at present, and has the potential for strong Damon/Bonnie character growth if the show-runners focus on it. But if the show doesn't start improving, the ratings are going to continue to slide.
ReplyDeleteTrue, minus Bonnie and Damon scenes(with the potential to shake up the whole groups dynamics) we've seen everything before basically.
ReplyDeleteum plenty character development has occurred, not drastic ones, but definitely subtle ones
ReplyDeleteSeason 6 is much better than season 5. Bamon scenes were great and the best part of the episode,the Delena flashbacks were beautiful but the storyline didn't make a lot of progress. It was like a recap. Stefan/Caroline/Enzo scenes were great. Enzo is one of my favorite characters despite the fact he killed the poor girl. I love his dynamic with Caroline although they are not a couple.
ReplyDeleteit can't be just me who sees this season of TVD is just as horrid (if not more) as season 4 and 5, I really thought this one is a fantasy show, I mean about supernatural villains, and gory deaths, but here I am reading a review of a soap opera (no offense to the reviewer) , if it wasn't enough that we have Elena whining about her dead boyfriend, now the writers are rewriting history to push delena even more, if Elena indeed loved Damon then, then why did she go after his brother and told him that she loves him on the phone that very same night... :-|
ReplyDeleteI like Caroline and Enzo either as friends or more, even though I'm maybe the only one who thought Bonnie/Enzo would have been cute. But the Caroline/Enzo relationship is a lot of fun. I'm really not sure who the mysterious crossword puzzle finisher is, it could be almost anyone. Someone else who previously died? What do you think?
ReplyDeleteLoving this season so far as well, so many new ideas that are refreshing compared to last year, which just didn't engage me quite as much.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying their relationship and like the idea of them as friends, bonded through this strange experience. Fascinated to see what will happen next.
ReplyDeleteWell, we agree in enjoying the Damon/Bonnie plotline! I do think these episodes were awesome and made great strides from last season, but we'll see how well the writers can keep it up. Hopefully it will continue to make progress in the areas you feel are stagnated as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, and yes, the Delena part was moving, but essentially a continuation of last week that didn't make a ton of progress other than Elena's memories finally being wiped. Now we'll have to deal with the consequences of that, which should be really bizarre and interesting...I already want her to have the memories back!
ReplyDeleteI know the show does have its soapy developments (I personally enjoy the romantic aspects of TVD so it doesn't bother me) and does need to continue adding more and more to the supernatural parts of the show. I would like to see a return to the more complicated plotlines of the earlier seasons. I think they can get there, though, they just have some improvements to make to move on from Season 5.
ReplyDeleteThis season is definitely different than their previous seasons,that's for sure now!The episodes have a nice & calm effect instead of the mad crazy adrenaline rush we got used to for so long!Loved enzo in this episode.I'm almost sure now kai is the one present there in salvatore mansion with bonnie & damon.We'll get to see him next episode!
ReplyDeleteLoved Enzo too, and it makes sense that Kai may be the other person around in 1994 with Bonnie and Damon, good point!
ReplyDeleteI just can't figure Enzo out. He started off the episode okay, but once he killed Ivy I was done with him.
ReplyDeleteSo many people die on this show all the time and everyone just moves on with their lives. After Lexi died Stefan had to move on, and now that Damon died Stefan came to terms with it and felt like he needed to start over somewhere new and I get that - he didn't deserve to see his girlfriend murdered. Should Enzo also murder Tyler to prove a point to Caroline, who's not wasting her life trying to bring back her dead father?
I get that Caroline was hurt that she felt Stefan lied to her, but I think she should have tried to be more understanding that he really just wanted to move on with his life because she last year when Stefan said he was going to leave (but never actually made it out of town because Silas trapped him in a safe).
I don't understand why Alaric couldn't have just compelled Elena to move on from Damon. Remember when Cami's brother died and she was having a hard time with it so Klaus compelled her to come to peace with it? It's not that hard.
Virginia — I didn't say I enjoyed it, I said it was the most interesting. It has the potential for being a very strong storyline if the show-runners see it though. Thankfully, with both characters strongly tied romantically to others, there is little chance for a Damon/Bonnie affair, which leaves them to come to grips with each other and put their heads together in order to get themselves home. Again, similar to what they did during Klaus' possession of Alaric where they faked Bonnie's death. They had come to respect each other back then, and it's slightly disappointing that we are going through that initial trust-building yet again when it was firmly established in prior seasons.
ReplyDeleteThe irony of the past couple of seasons is that the show-runners had the opportunity to get away from the high-school drama when the characters graduated, and at least move them towards a more mature portrayal similar to what was established early on The Originals. But even this year early on, it seems to be more of the same. And that doesn't even touch on the ridiculousness of Alaric wiping Elena's affection toward Damon from her memory. Not only is it blatantly setting up angst between Damon/Elena and Damon/Alaric when Damon returns, but it's totally against character for Alaric. Even if Elena technically is his step-daughter, there is no way he would betray his best friend's memory in that way. And naturally, it will end up being a process that can't be undone easily, setting up more false angst.
Name three.
ReplyDeleteelena went from in denial to trying to deal with the loss of damon; stefan went from completely checking out to now becoming more involved with his old gang more; tyler went from hell bent on revenge against klaus to now, trying to put his life back together and control his anger.
ReplyDeleteOops, not enjoyment, just interest, got it :) I do think Alaric was too quick to agree to Elena's request, and I would have liked him to advise her against it more.
ReplyDeleteHmm good point about Alaric not just compelling Elena to move on. Maybe he doesn't know he can do that, and that is why he decided on a more hypnosis-esque approach. Sometimes TVD definitely needs to review certain things that have been established on TO.
ReplyDeletei think Ledebetter is someone from damon's past because of the flashback episode
ReplyDeleteThat's not character development, not in this season anyway.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Elena isn't dealing with the loss, as Caroline suggested she do; she's running away by trying to have her memories wiped. Hardly an advancement of character.
Second, Stephen didn't voluntarily alter his thinking; he was forced, and still, that storyline hasn't advanced other than another body being dropped. Again, no change in character.
Third, Tyler hasn't done anything these two episodes except nearly losing his temper and hitting on the witch. Status quo there as well. So I stand by my assessment of the first two episodes of this season.
Damon/Bonnie actually has been one of the best relationships over the course of the series, as there has been good character development in most of their scenes with very little chance of a romantic relationship.
ReplyDeleteBingo. And that's one of the problems I have with the show, character inconsistency. They spent how many seasons developing the Damon/Alaric bromance (arguably the best relationship of the series) only to casually toss it because they want to portray Elena as helpless and unable to man-up to give Nina Dobrev heart-tugging scenes? Again, totally implausible given the amount of loss Elena has suffered in her life: her birth parents, her foster parents (aunt and uncle), her guardian aunt, her brother, her step-father, and numerous close friends. Some have come back to life, but most have not.
ReplyDeleteThe series basically lost me when Katherine killed Jeremy during the Sylas storyline, as I knew the writers had boxed themselves into a corner regarding Elena's sanity by killing her last living relative and the one she was closest to. Then, they used a totally implausible sequence (even for TVD) to bring Jeremy back to correct the mistake. In my opinion, they haven't been able to get back on track since, which has led to the steady ratings decline over the past two-plus years.
For the first three years, TVD was CW's best show. The pacing was crisp, the stories were strong and the character development was plausible. Turning Caroline and taking the audience through her maturation process as a result was a brilliant move that tremendously elevated the character and boosted the series. Damon's transformation from villain to anti-hero was done well. Bonnie's growth was good up until she became a super-witch that could fix any problem. But turning Elena permanently was a step too far in my opinion. Since then, the show has been eclipsed — first by Arrow and then by Supernatural, The Originals, and now The Flash and probably Jane the Virgin.
Nice review. I'm still really pissed off about Elena doing this and Alaric going along with it. But I'm not even concerned about if he comes back and she doesn't remember she loved him. (I was though), what is piquing my anger is that iI believe the compulsion backfired once Alaric said Jeremy's name. He wanted to replace a false memory over an actual memory. BUT what ended up happening is he replaced a good memory with a bad one, thus Elena hating Damon. NOW i feel that it won't be she forgot that she loved him, it'll be she'll hate him when he returns and her hate for him will be so strong, she won't want to have that memory removed anand choose not to love him again. My heart will break if that happens, and I will def. Be screaming at my TV screen. That's exactly what I think will happen. And that's my theory, the compulsion went wrong at that last minute. And I hate this whole thing.
ReplyDeleteStill working on theories of who is in the house. I was hoping Stefan would go out to the car after being confronted by Enzo but, then he broke his necK. LOL. So yeah guess I'll have to wait til next week for my next Steroline moment. And Matt really upset me asking a dumb question to a FELL! Wake up Matty! Now you're under his radar. And you just brought all your supernatural friends with you. Ummm what's her face Sarah? Bonnie 2.0 I call her, I think she could be Tripp's daughter. At first i thought she could be related to Bonine in someway, but then I thought, nooo, that'd be too obvious. I say if they want to bring a relative for Bonnie, they need to bring back LUCY!!!
um, Elena is definitely dealing with the loss, because she knows "missing damon makes her dangerous" so she decides to wipe memories, not because she's running away. Let's look at what she's actually saying, not just see what you want to see.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what you're trying to say regarding stefan, just because he didn't voluntarily decide to return to the save bonnie/damon squad, he was "forced" according to you, doesn't mean there's no character development. Some character change are reactive to external pressure.
um, what Tyler did this season is a huge departure from what he was focusing on last season, so there's obviously no status quo?
whatevs buddy.
Thanks for the review. I feel like Elena having Alaric compel her to forget her love for Damon is a bit over-used in this series. I have no doubt, as it feel than Damon and Elena are meant to be together; even though destiny and most of the characters on the show think they aren't. I think there are 3 people who know that Damon and Elena are meant to be and that is Alaric, Bonnie and Stefan. But the whole losing memory's has been used over and over again. In the end, after much angst the love will overcome and she will realize he is not a monster she is the tru live of her life, but I think there could.have been a better way to accomplish that endgame is Damon and Elena. As much as I have grown t love this show, I feel like it has almost reached its shelf life.
ReplyDeleteWhatever dude. Being reactive rather than proactive is not character development. And based on last year's finale through the episodes of *this season*, which is the time period we are discussing, Tyler hasn't progressed.
ReplyDeleteYes Tyler has, he went from feeling dejected and lost in last year's finale, to now in premiere, more focused on his life and taking control of his werewolf's genes.
ReplyDeleteI'm done arguing though, I respect your opinion, and appreciate your passion for the show as least you give sound analysis for your judgement, instead of the blind hatred that is so common on the internet these days. Peace out yo!
Interesting! Seems likely enough.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good point about Alaric's untimely mention of Jeremy right at the end of erasing Elena's memory of falling for Damon. Sooo frustrating. It's true that we can basically see the writers setting up problems for Elena and Damon when they are reunited, problems so obvious that Elena and Alaric should be able to see them and avoid them as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree that at some point these characters need to learn that erasing memories is not the solution, and it probably should be more than clear after all they have been through. I hope the writers can at least take this in an interesting and unpredictable direction now. I found the portrayal of Elena's pain and the flashbacks very poignant, but I really wish she and Alaric hadn't gone through with the memory wipe.
ReplyDeleteUmm, you seemed to leave out the part where Stefan confessed he followed up on every lead, scoured the earth and had already chased the one that Caroline and Enzo were working on. He has looked and he is fine. I get your a Damon and or Delena fan but at least try to be objective.
ReplyDeleteI know Stefan tried for a while, but I think he could have tried for longer and kept in touch with his friends when they needed him, and been honest about what he was doing. But I still love Stefan and look forward to seeing what he will do now. :)
ReplyDeleteFair enough but he had been trying for months when no one else was doing anything. Stefan lost his brother too and I think gets swept under the rug. No one else was trying to find them but Stefan and suddenly Enzo jumps on board and Stefan becomes the bad guy?? It is his brother, he tried to get him back and failed and decided it was time to move on. Regardless this was a big scene and it wasn't even mentioned here, perhaps to fit the Stefan is a Dick narrative.
ReplyDeleteStefan has every right to be done with MF and his past life and so what he didn't call Caroline, but who can blame him: she would have bulldozed her way into his life and I think he wanted to leave them all behind. Which personally to me he has earned that right.
Who can blame Stefan? Everyone. Everyone can blame him. He cut off a close-friend cold turkey. That's a dick move, grieving or not. Being a friend is about sticking together when times are tough, not when they're easy.
ReplyDeleteNo one has been sticking together that is the whole point. Stefan has always been the one who puts his feelings aside for the greater good and the one time he chose a different path he is a dick? I didn't see any of them try and help Stefan after he was unlocked from the box but Katherine. This group hasn't been friends for a long time now and I think it is about time Stefan quit being a cheerleader for Delena and have his own life. Damon is his brother and he should have the right to grieve the way he wants to and not how Caroline thinks he should. This isn't about Caroline this is about Stefan grieving and moving on the best way he knows how and I dont think there is anything wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteThe notion that the only other option for Stefan besides ignoring Caroline completely is "grieving how Caroline thinks he should" is of course blatantly fallacious.
ReplyDeleteFact o'the matter is that abandoning a friend instead of spending 60 seconds on a phone call to say "hey, I can't handle this, I'm going off by myself for a while" is a dick move. I mean, go ahead and justify it all you want, but there's no version of reality where what he did isn't objectively wrong.
I am sorry I don't agree. People grieve the way they grieve and there is no right or wrong; but as you speak for the Universe you would know. LOL
ReplyDeleteI am not going to get in a back and fourth with you. I don't see it as Stefan being a dick, you do. End of discussion.
Yes. I just hope they are not going to use the memory wipe as the way to have Stefan and Elena back together. Whether they do end up together or not is has to happen in a "real" way and if anything what has always come through about Damon and Elena is that their feelings are real and when Elena saw visions of her and Stefan in one of the season 5 episodes she said they were not real. To have them Stefan and Elena back together because she doesn't remember her feelings for Damon would be false. The Delena flashbacks were emotional and my kids kept asking what was wrong, LOL. Yes I can admit this show move me to tears!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Stefan always does the right thing so people expect it but to me this rendition of the books is about everyone acting out of character at some point and changing destiny. I like Stefan and at the end of the day, no matter what is happening they have a strong bond as brothers. If anyone would understand /Stefan's actions it would be Damon. Caroline, to be honest grates on my nerves.
ReplyDeleteWe are not arguing, we are debating. Whether we agree or not, your reasoning and analysis also are sound. The respect is mutual.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a great episode and it reminded me again how much I love Julie Plec's writing, she's very underrated IMO. Gotta say thom the only trouble with the otherwise amazing 1994 scenes is that as another child of the 90s, I'm constantly like "that was 20 years ago?!"
ReplyDelete"Stefan's sure to be vengeful after what Enzo did to Ivy, but is that really the end of Stefan's new gal pal? Hmm."
Yep, I'm not sure it is either, particularly after the promo made a point of showing that Stefan had her body in the trunk of his car. Got a feeling she's gonna spring back to life at the most inopportune time!
I loved the pick of the "signature moment" because it felt fitting for her to have realized on her 18th birthday, considering how TVD has tied Stefan to her teenager years and Damon to her adult ones.