With so many new and for the most part interesting characters blending in so nicely with the core cast, this season of The Vampire Diaries is on fire. The rapid pacing of the storylines definitely helps to keep the suspense fresh, much like the early seasons.
The reveal of Kai’s true identity was the most intriguing plot twist so far. Bonnie and Damon have been trapped in a desolate Mystic Falls in 1994 for months and yet they’ve only recently met their fellow prisoner, Kai. This place is actually his personal hell as punishment for killing his entire family of witches. Except he’s not exactly a witch. It turns out he’s something more powerful as he’s capable of draining power from other sources. If Bonnie doesn’t use her powers to help them get out of this dimensional prison, Kai (short for Malachi) won’t hesitate to kill her and Damon by stealing all of their magic to escape. Bonnie’s definitely not pleased about unleashing a serial killer into the world even if it means she and Damon get to go home.
Damon, on the other hand, doesn’t see a problem with letting Kai escape so long as he gets out of this hell. Kai presses him to recall why May 10, 1994 was such an important day. The flashbacks served a greater purpose rather than just to show another failed attempt at Damon turning his life around. Stefan didn’t even give his brother a chance to make amends. Sure, he had every right to believe the worst in Damon but at what point will he ever let up on him and accept that he wants to be better? I’m on Damon’s side here. I’m not approving of his murderous rampage on a house full of unsuspecting partygoers (including a pregnant woman) but I can understand where Damon was coming from. He was just living up to Stefan’s horrible expectations of him.
It was nice then to see a contrast to Stefan in the present. He’s ready to return back to his new, carefree life in Savannah after his visit home to Mystic Falls. Elena won’t let him go so easily before she’s convinced that he’s truly happier there. They have some silly fun together, faking a public proposal and pregnancy announcement in a dive bar. Finally though, Stefan’s tough exterior begins to crack. He calls Elena out that she’s the last person in the world to give advice on coping mechanisms seeing as how she resorted to getting her memory wiped of all the good things Damon has ever done for her. He found a way to deal with his grief that works for him, and that’s all anyone can ask after losing a loved one. Rather than an epic romantic reunion between Damon and Elena, I’m most excited to see Damon and Stefan together again.
Speaking of the Salvatores, remember Zach from the first season? He posed as Stefan and Damon’s uncle to keep up with their ruse for the public, but he was actually their great-great-great nephew (although I’m not sure how they could have had a nephew unless they had other siblings.) In the flashbacks to 1994, we see Zach alive and well with a baby on the way with his girlfriend Gail. That’s the pregnant woman Damon killed, but Stefan acted in just enough time to rush her to a hospital where her baby survived. That’s where the mystery girl, Sarah, comes into play. So the Salvatore bloodline continues! Other than the initial disappointment she’ll feel when Jeremy has to break the bad news to her that her father is dead too, it’ll be great to see if she’s also connected to anything else going on.
Poor Alaric has been put on the backburner so far. It’s about time he got significant screentime on his own, and not just to serve as the Gilberts personal counselor. Don’t get me wrong, I love that Elena and Jeremy have a parent figure again but Alaric has lots more to offer. It’ll be nice to see him grow into his vampire capabilities, especially since he’s still struggling with the blood cravings. It might not be the best time for him to have a new love interest just yet and that’s exactly what Jo appears to be.
Another slightly disappointing surprise was that Ivy is a vampire. The last thing anyone needs is another newbie vampire to worry about. We don’t know much about her at all other than she was Stefan’s new girlfriend in Savannah.
The last reveal at the end of the episode was that Tripp is keeping Enzo prisoner to get him to spill about all his vampire friends. Of course Tripp’s wife was killed by a vampire and now he’s out to get revenge. How many times have we heard that before on this show?! Now Matt’s in a sticky situation here because Tripp is entrusting him with this secret location. If he runs right to Sheriff Forbes, Tripp won’t be too pleased. All Enzo needs is a little help getting out of his binds and he could take care of this problem himself. Here’s to hoping this particular storyline is resolved sooner rather than later.
Overall the Bonnie and Damon storyline is my favorite to watch. The mystery of figuring out where they are and why they were sent there is great, but their friendship is fun to see develop. They always borderline hated each other but played nice for Elena’s sake and now they’re actually finding that they care about each other. What are you enjoying most about this season?
[Photo via CW]
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