This was an important episode in that it escalated the plot and really set things up for a strong push. This season is only sixteen episodes long, so we're about a third of the way through already. It's time to pick up the pace, and I think we've accomplished that.
Cons:
A lot of stuff is going on in this episode that I'm really interested in. One thing I'm not really interested in is Matt's relationship with his dad. There's no buildup here, no real stakes. Matt's nonexistent dad was never really an issue with his character before this point, or if it was, I certainly forgot to care about it.
Stefan and Damon have a confrontation in this episode, which I loved. What I didn't love was Stefan telling Caroline that he needed to do this alone, that he needed to keep her safe, etc. etc. If he can't understand that they're a team, what does that say about their impending marriage? Caroline ends up showing up to save his ass, anyway. Stefan needs to drop the martyr thing.
Over on the Sybil side of things, Alaric leaves the all-important job of hitting the tuning fork to one of his interns. This is supposed to cripple Sybil and stop her from breaking out. The intern, of course, has no idea why he's being asked to hit a tuning fork periodically, and when he gets a call regarding the missing Georgie, he leaves the "experiment" behind. This lets Sybil escape, which in turn lets Sybil find Damon, who Stefan had just successfully captured and tied up in his coffin. Way to go, Ric. Seriously? You're that lax about Sybil staying imprisoned?
Oh, also, Georgie's death is sort of footnoted here. I hope that we get to see Ric's reaction to this a bit more fully in the future.
Pros:
I'm impressed by how balanced this episode felt, given that there were a lot of moving parts. The primary theme here is that everybody is mourning Tyler. They get together for a funeral, which Damon interrupts in order to sneer at everybody. But by the end of the episode, they've decided to give it another go, all meeting up to remember Tyler fondly. Stefan declares that Tyler and Elena have both taught them all to appreciate the small moments. They all play together at the carnival, trying to find a moment of happiness in such a crappy day. It might be cheesy, but The Vampire Diaries knows how to milk a death for all it's worth. I still don't care much about Tyler as an individual character, but I was deeply invested in watching all of these characters (especially Matt and Caroline) grieve for him. In a way, it felt like saying goodbye to the last vestiges of what this show used to be.
The Siren plot is advancing quite deliciously. On one side, you've got Damon, who still feels beholden to Sybil even though Sybil is trapped and can't directly control him. Damon goes to see her where she's trapped in the Armory. She can tell that he's feeling some regret and shame over killing Tyler. She encourages him to go see Stefan, to let some of his humanity back in so he can remember just how much it hurts. Then, he can make a final decision to turn it off and belong to Sybil fully. Damon does go to see Stefan. Stefan tries to get through to him, promising to help him find a way back to himself... but then he attempts to shoot him with a vervaine dart, which seals Damon's mind in the other direction. Caroline manages to put Damon down, Stefan ties him up and puts him in his coffin. When Sybil breaks free and gets Damon out, it looks like Damon is more committed to a humanity-less existence than ever before. Nothing is more important to him than avoiding hell.
Oh, Stefan. He's having such a hard time with this whole thing, and can you blame him? While everybody else is grieving primarily for Tyler, Stefan is also feeling the burden of knowing that Damon killed him. It's heartbreaking to see how much Stefan still craves his brother's love. When he hatches his plan to "put Damon down," he confesses to Caroline that Damon might never forgive him, and that he might lose him forever. Caroline responds: "you've already lost him." Caroline is right, although it might seem harsh to say.
The pivotal scene here is the one between Damon and Stefan, where Stefan encourages Damon to let his humanity back in. He promises to help his brother in whatever way he can, tells him he loves him, and then... just as Damon says no, he can't do it, Stefan tries to shoot him. Even though Damon wasn't planning on taking Stefan up on his offer, you can tell that Damon feels totally betrayed that Stefan was trying to take him down. This situation is so twisty and delightful.
Meanwhile, the other Siren is finally putting her mysterious plans to action. Seline takes the twins to the carnival to give Ric and Caroline time off to grieve for Tyler. She then takes the twins on a mission to summon Cade, and by the end of the episode she has successfully abducted the magical twins, and seems to have reunited with the devil himself. (Or, is Cade just an agent of the devil? Not totally clear on that one). Luckily, Matt has just been given a task from beyond the grave. Tyler wrote him a letter which says he's been looking for someone, pursuant to his family's ancient goal of defending the humans of Mystic Falls. Basically, the Lockwoods knew something about the Sirens, and they were hunting Seline. When Matt sees a picture of Seline with the twins, he realizes who she is. Caroline and Ric rush home, only to find that the girls are gone. Dun, dun, dun....
I'm slightly less interested in this than I am in Damon's downward spiral, but I am at least glad that the truth about Seline came out sooner rather than later. I was not looking forward to more subterfuge. And I'm also glad that I was right about Seline's motives - she's been cozying up to the magical twins for a reason, and now that reason is starting to become clear. What Seline could want with Cade is still a mystery, and how exactly she'll need to use the girls is also unclear. But I'm really, really looking forward to protective mama-bear Caroline in the next episode. This should be interesting.
Our subplot of the week focuses on Bonnie and Enzo. Bonnie is determined to turn Enzo's humanity back on, but nothing she does seems to work. Eventually, she forces Enzo to face his biggest and most basic fear: the fear of abandonment. She repeatedly tells him she won't leave him, and then sets their cabin on fire. When Bonnie loses consciousness because of the smoke, Enzo's humanity snaps back on, and he saves her life. Bonnie then risks her life again when she wakes up, going back inside the cabin to extinguish the magic candle that was preventing Enzo from leaving. The two of them share a passionate kiss, glad that they're both okay.
Enzo has undergone the same sort of treatment as Hook from Once Upon a Time, in that now that he's in love, he's selfless almost to the point of sainthood. Of course turning off his humanity wouldn't last very long. Of course he's too good a person to lose Bonnie forever. Despite the seeming ease with which Bonnie was able to accomplish this, I really don't mind the way it all played out. Bonnie and Enzo are really compelling as a couple. Bonnie's actions felt very true to her as a character - she was willing to die to save someone she loves. But unlike in earlier seasons of this show, Bonnie's validity and importance is emphasized. Enzo saves her, because he's willing to die for her, too. I'm glad we can sort of set the Enzo issue aside, so that all of our focus can be on saving Damon.
So, we're off next week due to Thanksgiving, meaning we're going to have to wait to see how this thing plays out. Will the twins be okay? Will Damon ever be able to claw his way out of this situation? What happens if Caroline tries to kill Damon for threatening her kids? That puts Stefan in the worst position imaginable. I can't wait!
8/10
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