"Best. Thanksgiving. Ever," Damon quipped to Stefan as the brothers plotted to use the holiday to finally get control in their troubled relationship with their mother Lily -- not to mention her evil, recently resurrected boyfriend Julian. The subsequent trip down memory lane revealed a lot about Lily's character, as well as the repugnant Giuseppe Salvatore, and the bond between the Salvatore brothers, too. Meanwhile, Bonnie and Enzo edged a little bit closer, while Caroline got confirmation of the previous episode's bombshell news. This was, to me, the first "in between" sort of episode we have had in Season 7, where most of it focused on exposition, backstory, and chess pieces being moved to the next square they needed to be on. However, for that type of an episode, this was full of intriguing and emotional moments.
Three years from now...This flash-forward wasn't as exciting as the other ones because it didn't contain any mind-blowing shocks, and let's face it, we were actually starting to get used to that. It was, however, cool to see the action moving forward as Damon and Ric headed to Caroline's tv station, only for Damon to be shot down by the mysterious huntress (or that's who it sure seemed to be, anyway!). This cliffhanger left me wanting to know what happens next, but of course, it was time to switch back to present tense.
Don't forget the cranberry! We've come to expect a certain winking, smart-ass attitude from TVD when it comes to the holiday episodes. That, and the ever-impending promise of violence and disaster. Interestingly, this time it played out a little better than expected. Although Stefan and Damon had to tie Lily with vervain ropes to get her to examine her inner demons and come to a highly necessary realization about her taste in men, at least she finally came to her senses.
The boys started by confronting Lily about the way she allowed their father, Giuseppe, to intimidate and abuse them, causing their childhood to be one spent in fear. At first, just like her attitude about Valerie's story of her abuse at Julian's hands, Lily was quick to dismiss her sons' memories of Giuseppe's bad behavior. But the more detail Damon and Stefan went into regarding one terrible Thanksgiving from back in the day, the more Lily started to remember how she felt, trying to scheme to get her children away from her husband while hiding her plans from everyone...only to be caught and forced back into a life of submissive misery.
It was very touching to see how Damon went out of his way to protect Stefan when they were children, and interesting that this connected with Damon's perception that Stefan still holds out a hope for Lily's redemption that he himself had abandoned long ago. Damon was willing to let Lily be collateral damage in taking Julian out, but Stefan was appalled by the idea. The scene with Stefan and Damon arguing about these decisions, and their feelings about Lily, was a fabulously acted one by Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. I love all of this Defan focus!
Positively negative might be the best way to describe Caroline's pregnancy test, and even her ultrasound seemed to prove that Alaric's twin babies were not living in her womb. As Caroline pondered prospective motherhood and how such a thing could possibly be physically feasible (along with some comic hijinks as she tried to conceal her maybe-condition with the typically clueless and prying Matt), she showed great sensitivity to Alaric. Clearly, this last chance to be with his children is more than he ever could have hoped for, and my heart was in my throat when Valerie announced that the babies had been hidden by a cloaking spell, and are indeed alive and well...and then we saw them on the ultrasound machine. This is such a tear-jerkingly perfect, suspenseful, heartwarming storyline. Furthermore, at this point, Valerie is not only quite likable, but also maybe the only Heretic who's good for much.
I loved seeing Bonnie and Enzo continue their dry, witty repartee with the obvious attraction between them growing stronger. The way that Bonnie actually acknowledges that Enzo deserves better than the treatment he's gotten from Lily is a beautiful thing to see, and has a strong impact on Enzo. He's been the lost, wandering, motive-muddled character for so long that it's wonderful to see him walk into the light with a clear-cut storyline and great new love interest this season.
What did you think of this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments! And be sure to catch an all-new The Vampire Diaries, Thursday, December 3 on the CW.
