Here we are in the final season of The Vampire Diaries. I can't believe it! This is an emotional experience for those of us who have been there from the beginning and have loved the saga and these characters so much. We're all hoping for a fantastic last romp and the best possible send-off for the show, and I think we have plenty of reason to expect those hopes to be fulfilled! The season 8 premiere featured plenty of scares, laughs, thrills, and romantic moments while setting up an intriguing new storyline with a plethora of terrifying problems for our vampy friends. Let's review and discuss!
No switch to flip. At the end of Season 7, Damon and Enzo were attacked by a mysterious creature in the Armory vault and disappeared, only for Stefan and friends to trace missing persons trends to the duo. The evil beastie is forcing Damon and Enzo, through some terribly irresistible mind control, to kill humans, placing the poor souls on hooks and lowering them into the depths of a watery grave where bloody and awful death awaits. Not only is this method of killing for the victims frightening to watch (even for this show, which, let's face it, should have us fairly accustomed to the grisly at this point), but it is unbelievably heartbreaking to watch Damon and Enzo forced to comply with this wretched act over and over. The pair are selecting corrupt individuals (some only commonly corrupt and some quite nefarious) to feed to the creature, but the numb, awful misery inflicted on them by their actions is all too clear.
As much as Damon has perfected his act of caring for no one and nothing, except his new hobby of reading chick lit (hahaha, Fifty Shades!), he's really just as intent as Enzo to maintain his identity somehow while shielding those he loves from harm. Deep within Damon's subconscious, there's a little piece of him reliving memories of Elena, and in revisiting the first moment they met, Damon tells memory-Elena, "I need you." He needs Elena to help him hold onto the goodness within himself, just like always. A poignant and effective reveal, and I adore that the writers are weaving Elena into the episodes so that she feels included in the ongoing story, from the gang's diary entries to her, which form a beautiful narrating device, to scenes like this.
At the end of the episode, the dreaded creature finally arose from the depths of her watery hideout. Far from the crusty, enormous, gross-out monster I expected to see, Enzo's hints to Bonnie had by now let us know that this baddie was not going to be along those lines. Instead, we are dealing with a Siren, luring humans in and devouring them. A blood-covered woman stood before Damon, leading us to wonder what she plans to do now that she has arisen in human form.
After giving a gorgeous and brilliant "Hello, brother" greeting complete with signature Damon smirk (one of many callbacks to Season 1 that we can expect this year), Damon informed Stefan that he cannot be saved. Blaming Stefan for his vampirism and subsequent fall from grace, Damon insisted that he has already been damned to hell for his past evil deeds, so what's the point in aiming for an impossible redemption? And since he and Elena are destined for such different fates in the afterlife, why hold onto the hope of being with her? These words, especially the blame that falls on him, definitely cut Stefan to the quick. Stefan should remember that the two brothers are either equal when it comes to the past hurt they have done to each other, or Damon might be a little ahead in that game. After all, we had a whole episode last season devoted to whether Stefan could forgive Damon, and now the tables have turned. Stefan's hope may be faltering, but Bonnie's seems rejuvenated. I'm looking forward to seeing her spring into action against the siren! Hopefully, Bonnie will get her powers back soon as well.
Meanwhile, Ric is running the Armory with some nice and talented-seeming young assistants, including Georgie, who clearly has a crush on Ric. Of the two new potential love interests for him, I like Georgie a lot better than Seline so far, but we'll see. Anyway, Alaric assured his co-worker that he just isn't dating right now due to his parenting and work commitments. He seems a little gun-shy emotionally, and who can blame him, seriously? Alaric and his assistants explored a new section of the Armory only accessible by tuning out all other senses except touch (that was a cool scene!). Inside the hidden chamber seems to be a treasure trove of mysterious items to explore. I'm interested to see where the writers are going with this reveal.
Overall thoughts: The writers are doing a marvelous job so far of blending the mythology/suspense/action side of the show with the emotional beats between the characters that are the lifeblood of the story. From Stefan and Caroline's love scene and decision to move in together, to the bittersweet Bonenzo flashbacks, Defan angst, and even a taste of Delena, we had just as much to experience all the sentimental feels about as to quake in fear from. What with the cute and yet deep and meaningful little references back to season 1 (even down to the episode titles all being dialogue from that season), it's clear that a lot of thought has gone into creating a final season that not only provides fan servicing fun, but also bookends the story in a neat and fulfilling manner. Will the siren be the season's only big bad, or will we split the season into two villains a la last year? What other twists and turns await Stefan, Damon, and the gang in their final batch of episodes? It's so exciting to wonder and to find out each week as the final 16 episodes continue to unfurl!
What did you think of the season premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to catch an all-new The Vampire Diaries, Friday, 10/28 on the CW!
