Well, these two episodes certainly ran the gamut of emotions and quality levels, more than a few times per episode! While I wasn't thrilled with "You Made a Choice to be Good" because I saw it slipping back into that bad Season 8 tendency towards depressing melodrama, "What Are You?" brought big improvements. Perhaps the most notable aspect for me when comparing the two episodes is that the former had one of the worst ever episode endings, while last night's installment certainly featured one of the show's best ever endings.
In trying to figure out how to feel about such a mixed bag of a final season, at least it's looking like we have a fantastic series finale coming our way, what with the actors who are returning and so many high stakes. Let's just hope that's the case because whether the episodes between now and then will be satisfying is anyone's guess. (However, Kai!!)
At least both Salvatore brothers are finally, finally back to their emotions-on, real-personality selves! And then there's that ending to 8x12 that fills my heart with total joy. Let's review and discuss!
In this episode, Cade read Bonnie's mind to find out where she'd moved Elena's body. Then he freed Stefan from captivity in the Salvatore home and told both brothers they had a choice: (cleverly mirroring the episode title, but deceptively and with tragic irony where Stefan was concerned) they had to either kill 100 evil people, or their brother's girl.
Of course, the wretchedly cold and remorseless Stefan made a beeline for Elena's coffin. Well might us viewers, along with Damon (in a truly heartbreaking conversation) beg and plead with Stefan to think about what he would be doing by killing Elena. Despite Damon's desperate reminders of what she means to them both, Stefan was determined to destroy every aspect of his life he feels once held him down, such as his relationship with Damon and the girl they both loved.
En route to Elena's coffin, where the cure can be extracted from sleeping beauty, Bonnie encouraged Enzo to try a few fun bucket list adventures so that he gets the most of his invincibility before turning into a mortal. Along the way, we saw adorable and sweetly romantic Bonenzo moments galore that were just the perfectly excruciating appetizer to the main course of sorrow that would cap off the hour.
1) Bon Bon injected Stefan with the cure because take that, evil, humanity-free Stefan! (But this obviously introduces a sea of other problems and complications)
2) As Bonnie knelt over Enzo's body, her grief so awful that it was just as hard to watch as we might anticipate, a wave of power seemed to ignite with her scream of anguish.
We were probably all hoping this meant that Bonnie was getting her powers back. But like everything in Season 8, even if we do get what we want (and I'm pretty sure we will on that count), we have to wait for it...and wait...ugh....
However, I also see Enzo's death as problematic. It's so over-the-top miserably sad and puts Bonnie through hell again after everything she's already endured. Plus, we only know for sure that Michael Malarkey will be back for the series finale (correct me if we've since heard of him being in other upcoming episodes). So no more Enzo until the last episode? Seriously, meh.
"What Are You?"
This episode had a lot of cool aspects going for it. Balancing Damon and Caroline's attempts to find and help the now-human and fragile, woeful Stefan with Bonnie's investigations into whether Enzo's spirit was still present, it was a suspenseful and heartfelt hour. My only real criticism is the overuse of Matt, once again. In order to get from point A to point B in a way that felt hopelessly telegraphed to us (this week's silly MacGuffin? An old book that has the solution to killing Cade), Matt's visions of his ancestor's activities in Ye Olde Mystic Falls led the scoobies to believe the book must be the answer to their plight. But Damon needed to trade the book to Cade in exchange for the devil sparing Stefan's life, so why did we spend all that time in the episode learning about Ethan Donovan's talent for coded messages and Sybil's flawless old-timey fashion statements? I mean, I enjoyed seeing Bonnie's relative Bea, and who knows, maybe some info of use from the book remains in Matty's memories, but otherwise? Good thing nearly everything else in the episode was near-perfect.
Enter Bonnie's mother Abby, who arrived to offer support and help Bonnie to deal with Enzo's body. But Bonnie wasn't sure they should bury him because she'd been hearing his voice calling out to her around the house. Could Enzo still be present, and somehow could they save him? Despite their lack of magical power, the Bennetts decided to try contacting Enzo. The resulting magic blasts convinced Abby that Bonnie's moment of grief in last week's episode led to a door being opened between the mortal world and hell...one that cannot be allowed to remain ajar. Bonnie was ready to risk going anywhere to save Enzo from an agonizing afterlife, but Abby made an executive decision to protect her daughter instead, stopping Bonnie's crusade by burning Enzo's body. Waaahhh! All around.
I don't think that's the last we've heard of the idea of our heroes traveling to hell to retrieve their lost friends, as I indicated above. We shall see!
Human again, unnaturally. It sucks to be Stefan right now. Suffering under an onslaught of memories of his murders when he was working for Cade with his humanity off, Stefan has absolutely no idea how he could possibly atone for his deeds. It's an unspeakable burden of guilt that neither Caroline, nor I, for that matter, can think of a solution for. But as Caroline wisely determines, there are a few places he could start.
When Stefan overheard the daughter of his recent victim Karen telling the police of her mother's disappearance, I was completely expecting that Karen was indeed dead and her daughter doomed to discover this dreadful news. I was very pleasantly surprised when the show took a little detour from its Season 8 preference for misery and showed that Karen was still alive and could be saved. Stefan and Caroline achieved this task, but the combination of Karen's terror at seeing him and realizing that she is but one of so very many victims whose lives he took, and whose families he plunged into grief, Stefan was still utterly depressed.
Returning home to see Damon, who'd sacrificed the only means of saving the world from Cade (that Ric and Dorian knew of, anyway) to save him because that's what Damon does, Stefan glumly informed his brother that he needed to go and apologize to Bonnie despite it being an utterly pointless idea. How could he ever hope to be forgiven this time? Then came an exchange that I found to be one of the best Defan moments of the season. Stefan asked Damon if he thought there was a chance for redemption for the two of them. And with the answer "no" written so clearly across his face, Damon kindly replied, yes, that he did believe they could be redeemed.
Ian Somerhalder's performance in that scene was amazing. I loved the contrast between his expression and what he said, and the heavy meaning in both. Beautifully done and a poignant moment between the brothers.
I also feel like it further ramps the game up towards the finale to have this theme again canvassed. The question of whether former evil-doers can truly find redemption -- and if so, how? -- is one that the show has always revolved around, and one aspect that has always attracted me to these characters and this story, from the original L.J. Smith novels to this day. One theme that must be resolved by the end of The Vampire Diaries is the answer to the question, can Stefan and Damon be redeemed? And how is that possible? While the question has been debated innumerable times and will continue to be by the fans, it will be fascinating to see how it is finally addressed when the end comes.
Two things about this scene: One, how great was it to get just a little tiny hint of that old Dalaric feeling after how dull Alaric's role in the episode was up to that point? Yes, let's bring back this bromance and give Alaric something fun and intriguing to do again! Luckily, it looks like we're heading that way.
Secondly, Kai (!!!!!) showed up at the end of the scene to announce that he has a better idea than using the knife suggested by Damon. Then he gave his cute little wicked smile and wave, confirming that next week's episode is sure to be extremely entertaining. I love me some Kai!
What did you think of these episodes? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to catch an all-new The Vampire Diaries, next Friday at 8/9c on the CW!
