An excellent episode in many ways that probably left many of us feeling it lacked the powerful suspense of a season finale, this installment of The Vampire Diaries had the uncanny effect of making me think Season 7 ended rather soon -- or maybe just rather abruptly. Despite a couple of aspects that lacked the emotional punch I wish they possessed, and a cliffhanger that felt more mid-season than season finale, there was so much amazingly fantastic material in this hour. We have to keep reminding ourselves that TVD is ending its seventh year, and in this writer's opinion, is still more engaging than plenty of shows much earlier in their runs.
The Huntress, The Cop, The Vampires, and the Inevitable Dropping of the Last Shoe: First of all, Kat Graham couldn't have done a more intense and fabulous job of portraying Huntress Bonnie in all of her conflicted emotions and inability to control her impulse to kill her vampire friends. Matt tried, in the first decent behavior we've witnessed from him in a while, to provide control and support to help her avoid lapsing into a vamp-murdering spree, but to no avail. After a brutal car crash left Matt immobilized and Bonnie free, she couldn't help making a beeline for her pals, most of whom had been marked by her when they entered her mindspace to save her last week.
Without a line on Valerie's whereabouts, Damon decided the best solution for breaking into the Armory would be to have Josie and Lizzie (Caroline and Alaric's three-year-old daughters) use their syphoning abilities to open the door. First of all, yes, Damon, this was the cutest solution ever. And secondly, does anyone think these girls would make such wonderful friends for Hope from The Originals? Spin-off idea, anyone?
This was the most tense segment of the episode, as Damon, having been let into the Armory thanks to the twin girls' powers, lingered over the body of the Everlasting, his lighter not wanting to work right away. Okay, that was cruel, writers! Finally, the Everlasting did go up in flames, freeing Bonnie from her role as Huntress and saving Enzo in the knick of time. Damon was unquestionably the hero in this moment, which lent some extra angst to the events that happened before and after his heroism.
About to go traipsing off in the afterglow of victory, Damon was halted by the sound of a voice calling out to him from the vault...Elena's voice. After a barrage of Delena imagery powerful enough to remind any shipper of theirs why we miss them so much, Damon could not resist the urge to make sure it wasn't Elena calling to him. Even though Bonnie reminded him that Elena's body is elsewhere, it was too late to stop him, or the consequences.
Stefan, Caroline, and Alaric. The resolution of this triangle was fairly predictable. I really enjoyed Caroline's interactions with her daughters, her explanation of Josie having used her siphoning powers recently at a party, and how she gently advised them on how to draw on their abilities to open the Armory door. Even watching Caroline wrestle with the decision of whether to bring her girls into the fray if it was the only way to save Bonnie was very interesting, and showed us further what a loyal friend and devoted mother she is.
I definitely got the impression that Alaric's statement about him, Caroline, and the girls always being family holds true and that Caroline will always be Josie and Lizzie's mom.
Denzo goes dark. Like, really, really dark. As the scoobies worked for months to free Damon from the vault, we heard about their progress via Bonnie's letter to Elena, one of my favorite narrative devices. It was great to see Stefan growing desperate and frustrated at the situation, because his attitude towards Damon earlier in the episode was cold and dismissive, leaving much to be desired. I did, however, enjoy the scene between the brothers where Damon told Stefan to let him go and let him be the one to face the danger. That Defan hug seemed to finally get the brothers past the stumbling blocks that have plagued their relationship throughout the last few episodes. Like Bonnie and Enzo's blissful reunion, Stefan and Damon's reconciliation was doomed to be enjoyed but briefly before a new peril interrupted it.
When Damon and Enzo both disappear and then a disturbingly large number of people go missing, it's more than evident that the duo are responsible...and we see the proof as the guys happily go about hoisting their latest gory victim. But who is the creature, why does it make its victims into killers, and how can Damon and Enzo -- and their potential next victims! -- be rescued from this madness? Only the new season will tell, and I can't wait!
Elsewhere in the episode, Matt had a vision of Penny when he was injured, and it helped him to realize that it isn't his time to die, but it is time to move on from his angst, and Mystic Falls -- we saw him leaving town by the end of the hour.
What did you think of the season finale? Theories on the new big bad? Hopes for Season 8? Share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting on my TVD reviews, and see you in Season 8!
