The Vampire Diaries Review: “The Cell” (Season 5, Episode 9)

Stefan isn’t the only one reliving his past, which is how it looked like things were panning out with him and Katherine. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) found himself back in his old cell under Whittemore House. It was a very convenient detail of his life that he managed to keep to himself all these years, but it also gave The Vampire Diaries another plot exploit to run with.

Besides the irony masked in a slew of coincidences of Elena and Caroline attending a university that has a secret vampire hunting/experimenting society, the whole Augustine direction isn’t so farfetched that it seems like a stretch. Coupled with the knowledge that Damon isn’t always the sharing type, and you have a totally believable new storyline.

Although he and Elena have mostly come to an understanding about keeping secrets, he obviously lived several lives before she was ever born and there’s bound to be some loose ends that he still needs to tie up. I can’t tell how much of Elena’s reaction was based on shock, or betrayal, or a combination of both. It’s not exactly like Damon is a wealth of self-control (or patron of morality), but it has to sting that he’s vowed himself to such a long-winded revenge plot and failed to mention it before (although that surely would have diminished the epic reveal scene). Not just because it’s a pivotal part of his past, but because it also haunts his present, and is something he’s still committed to in the future tense.

Anytime Damon reveals stories that come with regrettable endings, it’s easier to see how he’s evolved to the character he is currently. Spending 5 years (even considering what a small percentage of his life that really is) locked in a cell with the company of only one person is tragic enough without adding the twist that Damon eventually was unable to save them both in the escape. Stefan may be typecast as the hero in this overarching story, but Damon isn’t without his fair share of successful rescues. I don’t doubt that he’ll find a way to get Elena out of that cell, even if he doesn’t do it alone.

Were you as surprised as I was to find out the Enzo survived the fire? How do you picture his reunion with Damon going on the next episode of The Vampire Diaries? Let us know in the comment section below, along with all your theories about how Stefan is going to step into the hero role once again!

Until next episode.