SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the second episode of the Vampire Diaries Season 6.
Following on from last week, Elena struggles to deal with her grief after Damon's death. Unsurprisingly, Alaric agrees to use his Original vampire compulsion power to compel Elena into forgetting that she ever loved Damon. Somehow Elena convinces those close to her into letting her go through with this highly unhealthy decision, and after several flashbacks to key moments in her relationship with Damon, Alaric successfully compels away her memories. Unlike most fans of this show, I have always liked Elena and found myself able to relate to her decisions. However, so far this season I am beginning to understand why so many TVD fanatics find her irritating, irrational and overly dramatic. Jeremy lost his girlfriend too Elena, but you don't see him making crazy decisions to erase the fact he ever loved her!
Furious after learning that Stefan has given up on saving Bonnie and Damon, Caroline surprisingly turns to the one person who seems as determined to save them as her- Enzo. Although Enzo learns of a witch coven that may be able to help them, he and Caroline first make their way to see Stefan, who seems to be enjoying his new life in Savannah with his new girlfriend, Ivy. What follows can only be described as the "dinner from hell", with Caroline left in tears, Ivy shockingly murdered by Enzo and Stefan left to deal with the broken pieces of his new life. I can't say I expected Ivy to stick around forever, however, I certainly thought she would remain an obstacle to Caroline and Stefan's eventual relationship for longer than 2 episodes! Well done writers!
Meanwhile in Mystic Falls, Tripp reveals to Matt that he is actually a member of one of the towns Founding Families- the Fells. Unbeknownst to Matt however, the viewer learns that not only is Tripp a Fell, he also knows about the existence of vampires and the anti magic barrier around the town, after he drives a truck full of vampires over the town border and exposes them to the sun to die. Although I expected Tripp to become some sort of minor antagonist for the Mystic Falls gang, I did not expect for him to be capable of mass murder! This story just got a little more interesting!
And finally, we finally get some of the answers about what happened to Bonnie and Damon after the Other Side disappeared. The pair appear to be alone in a pre-devastation Mystic Falls, and eventually learn that they are actually perpetually repeating the same day in 1994 due to the reoccurrence of a solar eclipse day after day. As the weeks till by, Damon comforts himself with bourbon, while Bonnie unsuccessfully attempts to re-teach herself magic in order to escape. At the end of the episode, Bonnie notices that the crossword puzzle she has struggled with over the past four months has finally been completed- and not by either her or Damon. There's someone else in the other dimension watching them.
Overall rating: ★★★★½
What a great follow up to a strong premiere! "Yellow Ledbetter" was one of the most enjoyable episodes this show has produced since the beginning of last season. It was classic Vampire Diaries- with Caroline's angsty pining for Stefan, Ivy's shock death and especially the creepy revelation that Bonnie and Damon are not alone in their seemingly abandoned dimension, it is clear that the best years of this show are not necessarily behind it!
0 comments:
Post a Comment