Tyler didn’t do too much in the way of consoling Caroline – not that she really deserved it – but he did go all team mode, taking one for the team in the form of a very painful, very public shooting. In the midst of the memorial, Connor decided to go into stealth mode and attempt to trick the undead into revealing themselves.
Admittably, Connor is showing some major gusto from the start. Tyler, who should have stayed home, took the stage to distract him – and essentially give him a target. Tyler has had some memorable moments over the past few seasons and has made a gigantic leap from douchebag to hybrid lackey to potential do-gooder, but this is by far his shining moment.
Another highlight of the memorial, before it went to shambles, was Matt (Zach Roerig). Matt has some serious guilt over Vicki, and now Elena becoming a vampire in exchange for his living – it can’t be easy going for this kid.
Missing from the memorial is Bonnie, who is holed up at her house alone trying to come with terms with what she may have caused to happen with her latest dabble into black magic. And right there is my biggest issue with the episode – at home alone. I don’t need Bonnie’s dad to be a part of the story in any major way in terms of plot, but I would like to know he actually exists, that Bonnie wasn’t abandoned by her mom physically and abandoned by her father emotionally.
We’ve heard him mentioned a few times, yet we’ve never seen him and it doesn’t ever appear like Bonnie has any parental figure that she answers to. It seems worth pointing out that she’s only 17 – unless there was a birthday that went uncelebrated – and he should as the very least be somewhere on the peripheral. It would just be nice to know that not every character on The Vampire Diaries has been completely deprived of parents.
Other than that, Bonnie seems altogether more likeable this season. When Stefan stopped by to ask for her help, she wanted to help. She was eager, almost desperate, to help. With all her self-doubt and resentment, the last two seasons she was becoming a chore to watch. I really wanted her to get killed off at the end of last season.
The end of the episode was particularly touching. The lanterns were a little Disney, but it worked. Damon’s alternative ending seemed aptly called for, and it was nice to see him finally admit, in a very Damon-like way, that he missed Alaric (Matt Davis). I guess now he knows how everyone else feels. Even if no one (living) was around to hear it, hearing Damon say out loud that he’s mad at Alaric for basically abandoning him with all the responsibility of holding everything together was a nice moment. The sentiment does seem a bit strange though because Damon always appears to consider everyone that’s not Elena and Stefan to be dispensable, with the rare exception.
The lack of originals is another appropriate touch. Considering the amount of devastation they’ve caused, in an episode dedicated to remembering those losses, everyone is better off without the ever-present reminder of ‘who done it.’
Alternatively, I am thrilled to see an appearance from Alaric, especially so early on in the season. When The CW announced he would be starring in its new show, Cult, premiering in January, I thought for sure that would be the end of him. Even when Davis confirmed the news that he be back himself, I never imagined it be so soon. If he wants to spend all season as a ghost, that’d be great!
Next week, we can look forward to some more run-ins with Mystic Falls newest vampire hunter. Hopefully Stefan taps into his rage a little, otherwise Damon is going to be on his own this time around. Is April going to stick around and become Jeremy’s (Steven R. McQueen) new love interest? Will Elena and Stefan manage to pull it together or will her new struggle push her and Damon closer togehter? And, where does Klaus (Joseph Morgan) stand on Caroline these days?
What are you looking forward to on the upcoming episode of The Vampire Diaries? Let us know in the comments below.
