I don't know what to think or feel right now. I think I'm sort of in a state of shock. Somehow, The Vampire Diaries came through in a big way for this finale. This whole season, I've been annoyed with Silas as a villain. I was so much more interested in the hunter story arc, and I thought that it was dead for good, especially since Jeremy was gone. But... lo and behold, this is not the case! The hunters were back, and Jeremy is as well. This was a really smart move - it revitalized the show just in time for its final showdown.
That's not to say it was flawless - as our season ends, we still have Silas around, only now with a new element to his character - he's a doppelganger? He's Stefan's doppelganger? It'll be interesting to see how they handle this moving forward, but I sort of wish that Silas could have been removed from the equation once and for all. He wasn't the most successful villain.
But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. Let's talk about the setup to this episode, and why it was - in general - very good.
It's graduation. This show generally does a very good job with big moments such as dances and town events, and there was no exception here. The graduation had just the right amount of sappiness without letting the sentiment overshadow the very real threat - the dead are still roaming around Mystic Falls, and Bonnie needs to wait until the full moon that night to close the veil. This causes all sorts of problems, but it also means that a few beloved characters get to stick around a bit longer.
Elena, Jeremy, and Alaric get to spend some family time together, and to be truthful it got me a bit misty-eyed to see them all together and happy. Elena is truthfully happy and it makes me so relived to see that. I was missing the good ol' Elena of the past seasons, and now we have her back. It was also so sweet to see Lexi and Stefan's interactions, as well as Damon and Alaric's. Lexi and Rick actually had a scene together, where they basically lamented the trouble that their best friends keep getting into. I love these two characters and the most touching, depressing part of the episode for me was when they both disappeared. They were basically spirit guides for the Salvatores throughout this episode, and I am going to miss them both a lot.
Then we've got Bonnie. I'm still super pissed off that they killed her off, but I must admit that this last episode with her was handled very well. She got to mingle among her friends and she got to graduate - her father announced her name and it was really sad. Bonnie's selflessness has always been a big part of her character, and it was really apparent here. She didn't run to her best friends and tell them what she was going through - she kept it all in, just so she could give them a good day and not ruin their graduation.
We must of course talk about that ending - seeing Jeremy and Bonnie together like that was so heartbreaking. And now, it looks like we have Jeremy back! He's alive, and Bonnie is dead. Not a fair trade, or anything, but I was very annoyed when they killed off Jeremy, so I'm glad to see that he's still going to be around. I thought that this whole scene was very clever - we never really see the moment when the veil is back up, because everything seems the same. Jeremy is still there, and so is Bonnie - Jeremy because he's alive, and Bonnie because Jeremy can see ghosts. It was heartbreaking to realize what had really happened, and Jeremy was so upset when he found out the truth.
Speaking of selfless characters, let's talk about the Damon/Elena/Stefan triangle of terribleness. You know, I love this show, but ever since Elena became a vampire I've lost a bit of my respect for her. It's not because she was having a hard time - that makes sense. I'm glad to see that she didn't just handle her transition into being a vampire like a pro, like some other female protagonists I know (cough Bella cough). But I am just fed up with the way she treats my boys. She needed to come to a decision a long time ago, and the show has been very unreasonable about dragging things out. And then we get the moment.
Elena is no longer sired to Damon. Her humanity is on. She is herself for the first time since she became a vampire. And she chooses... Damon. Well, duh, it some ways. It would have been very out of the blue if it had been Stefan. The episode did a pretty good job of setting up the climactic scene between the two of them. Damon was dying of werewolf venom, and Elena's panic was palpable (on a side-note, Alaric's concern was amazingly touching, and I was annoyed by how not concerned Stefan seemed to be, even though he said he'd go to New Orleans and beg Klaus if he had to).
When the moment finally came, I couldn't help thinking - wow, you two deserve each other. They are both pretty horrible and selfish. But then on the other hand, the look on Damon's face when Elena says I love you was... it was... beautiful. He looked shattered, like he couldn't actually believe this was really happening. The kiss was pretty hot too.
And then there's Stefan. Any time people give Stefan crap for being selfish or whatever, I just want to punch them in the face. This guy is ultimately one of the best people on the planet, despite all the bad he's done. One of the reasons why I enjoy his character so much is that he is a genuinely selfless person. He was way better for Elena than Damon could ever be, mostly because he respected her choices and let her make her own decisions. I'm nervous that the show will try to romanticize Damon's obsessive behavior even more as we move forward, so we'll have to see how they handle the relationship come next season.
But Stefan, the darling child, actually told Damon that while he was upset about Elena, he was happy for his brother. What an amazingly kind person! And what's his reward? Apparently he gets to chill out under the water over the hiatus. What the hell! Stefan better have a damn good reward waiting for him at the end of all this, and it better be someone better than Elena. The end of this episode reminded me of the moment in Joss Whedon's Angel when the titular character was in a similar situation. I hope that we get to see an adorable brotherly reunion scene in the next season, once the real Stefan is restored to us.
Caroline had some good moments. I'm still never ever ever going to ship Klaus and Caroline, but it was really sweet when he turned up to save the day. I think they made a smart move in having his character make an appearance in the finale without overpowering the other characters. The show has to adjust to losing him to his own spinoff, so I'm glad they steered clear of too much Klaus involvement. I wonder if Klaus and Caroline will continue to develop something even though they will be on different shows now. Time can only tell. Also... is Tyler coming back now? I don't mean to sound heartless, but I sort of hope not. He was a good boyfriend and all, but he was never all that interesting to me. I'm not really up on the actor's contracts and things like that, so I actually have no idea whether he's coming back next season.
So, like I said before, one of the strongest elements of the episode was the reintroduction of the hunters. One of the most intense moments was when Connor called Elena and Alaric went to head him off at the bar. (The whole thing just made me so mad that Rick is dead. I want him back so much!) And then we have Rebekah's crazy ex, Alexander.
The Rebekah/Matt plot line here was adorable. I've talked before about how hesitant I am in shipping them... it just makes me uncomfortable. Their history is such that if they were to fall into each other's arms, I would find it really unbelievable and uncomfortable. That being said... if they keep them on this gradual path, I could eventually see it happening. The hunters really added some tension into their relationship, and some of the most scary and powerful moments in the episode came when Matt was standing on a platform rigged with explosives.
Rebekah was willing to do whatever it took to get Matt out of there, and she actually succeeded on that front. There was even a kiss! I think the reason why I'm starting to ship them actually comes from a moment later in the episode, though. She goes to his house and basically lets him off the hook - for the kiss, and for the plans they made to travel the world together. For all of Rebekah's flaws, she's actually admitting here that she can't just take Matt because she wants him. But Matt agrees to go with her on the trip - as long as they keep things platonic. Now I'm intrigued! I wonder how long that will last...
I guess I should also talk a bit more about the ending. As I've already mentioned, Stefan is the epitome of selfless, and anyone who says otherwise is watching some other show. And at the end of the day, he's being thrown into the murky depths. I do have a lot of faith that this is a set-up for some serious Stefan-appreciation come next season. After this new twist with Stefan and Silas and the whole Doppelganger business, we are all set up for a Stefan-centric arc next season. I must say, I'm relieved. I'm as attracted to Damon as the next person, but I really feel like this show could use a moral re-grounding, and I'm hopeful that Stefan can be that element for us.
That's not to say it was flawless - as our season ends, we still have Silas around, only now with a new element to his character - he's a doppelganger? He's Stefan's doppelganger? It'll be interesting to see how they handle this moving forward, but I sort of wish that Silas could have been removed from the equation once and for all. He wasn't the most successful villain.
But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. Let's talk about the setup to this episode, and why it was - in general - very good.
It's graduation. This show generally does a very good job with big moments such as dances and town events, and there was no exception here. The graduation had just the right amount of sappiness without letting the sentiment overshadow the very real threat - the dead are still roaming around Mystic Falls, and Bonnie needs to wait until the full moon that night to close the veil. This causes all sorts of problems, but it also means that a few beloved characters get to stick around a bit longer.
Elena, Jeremy, and Alaric get to spend some family time together, and to be truthful it got me a bit misty-eyed to see them all together and happy. Elena is truthfully happy and it makes me so relived to see that. I was missing the good ol' Elena of the past seasons, and now we have her back. It was also so sweet to see Lexi and Stefan's interactions, as well as Damon and Alaric's. Lexi and Rick actually had a scene together, where they basically lamented the trouble that their best friends keep getting into. I love these two characters and the most touching, depressing part of the episode for me was when they both disappeared. They were basically spirit guides for the Salvatores throughout this episode, and I am going to miss them both a lot.
Then we've got Bonnie. I'm still super pissed off that they killed her off, but I must admit that this last episode with her was handled very well. She got to mingle among her friends and she got to graduate - her father announced her name and it was really sad. Bonnie's selflessness has always been a big part of her character, and it was really apparent here. She didn't run to her best friends and tell them what she was going through - she kept it all in, just so she could give them a good day and not ruin their graduation.
We must of course talk about that ending - seeing Jeremy and Bonnie together like that was so heartbreaking. And now, it looks like we have Jeremy back! He's alive, and Bonnie is dead. Not a fair trade, or anything, but I was very annoyed when they killed off Jeremy, so I'm glad to see that he's still going to be around. I thought that this whole scene was very clever - we never really see the moment when the veil is back up, because everything seems the same. Jeremy is still there, and so is Bonnie - Jeremy because he's alive, and Bonnie because Jeremy can see ghosts. It was heartbreaking to realize what had really happened, and Jeremy was so upset when he found out the truth.
Speaking of selfless characters, let's talk about the Damon/Elena/Stefan triangle of terribleness. You know, I love this show, but ever since Elena became a vampire I've lost a bit of my respect for her. It's not because she was having a hard time - that makes sense. I'm glad to see that she didn't just handle her transition into being a vampire like a pro, like some other female protagonists I know (cough Bella cough). But I am just fed up with the way she treats my boys. She needed to come to a decision a long time ago, and the show has been very unreasonable about dragging things out. And then we get the moment.
Elena is no longer sired to Damon. Her humanity is on. She is herself for the first time since she became a vampire. And she chooses... Damon. Well, duh, it some ways. It would have been very out of the blue if it had been Stefan. The episode did a pretty good job of setting up the climactic scene between the two of them. Damon was dying of werewolf venom, and Elena's panic was palpable (on a side-note, Alaric's concern was amazingly touching, and I was annoyed by how not concerned Stefan seemed to be, even though he said he'd go to New Orleans and beg Klaus if he had to).
When the moment finally came, I couldn't help thinking - wow, you two deserve each other. They are both pretty horrible and selfish. But then on the other hand, the look on Damon's face when Elena says I love you was... it was... beautiful. He looked shattered, like he couldn't actually believe this was really happening. The kiss was pretty hot too.
And then there's Stefan. Any time people give Stefan crap for being selfish or whatever, I just want to punch them in the face. This guy is ultimately one of the best people on the planet, despite all the bad he's done. One of the reasons why I enjoy his character so much is that he is a genuinely selfless person. He was way better for Elena than Damon could ever be, mostly because he respected her choices and let her make her own decisions. I'm nervous that the show will try to romanticize Damon's obsessive behavior even more as we move forward, so we'll have to see how they handle the relationship come next season.
But Stefan, the darling child, actually told Damon that while he was upset about Elena, he was happy for his brother. What an amazingly kind person! And what's his reward? Apparently he gets to chill out under the water over the hiatus. What the hell! Stefan better have a damn good reward waiting for him at the end of all this, and it better be someone better than Elena. The end of this episode reminded me of the moment in Joss Whedon's Angel when the titular character was in a similar situation. I hope that we get to see an adorable brotherly reunion scene in the next season, once the real Stefan is restored to us.
Caroline had some good moments. I'm still never ever ever going to ship Klaus and Caroline, but it was really sweet when he turned up to save the day. I think they made a smart move in having his character make an appearance in the finale without overpowering the other characters. The show has to adjust to losing him to his own spinoff, so I'm glad they steered clear of too much Klaus involvement. I wonder if Klaus and Caroline will continue to develop something even though they will be on different shows now. Time can only tell. Also... is Tyler coming back now? I don't mean to sound heartless, but I sort of hope not. He was a good boyfriend and all, but he was never all that interesting to me. I'm not really up on the actor's contracts and things like that, so I actually have no idea whether he's coming back next season.
So, like I said before, one of the strongest elements of the episode was the reintroduction of the hunters. One of the most intense moments was when Connor called Elena and Alaric went to head him off at the bar. (The whole thing just made me so mad that Rick is dead. I want him back so much!) And then we have Rebekah's crazy ex, Alexander.
The Rebekah/Matt plot line here was adorable. I've talked before about how hesitant I am in shipping them... it just makes me uncomfortable. Their history is such that if they were to fall into each other's arms, I would find it really unbelievable and uncomfortable. That being said... if they keep them on this gradual path, I could eventually see it happening. The hunters really added some tension into their relationship, and some of the most scary and powerful moments in the episode came when Matt was standing on a platform rigged with explosives.
Rebekah was willing to do whatever it took to get Matt out of there, and she actually succeeded on that front. There was even a kiss! I think the reason why I'm starting to ship them actually comes from a moment later in the episode, though. She goes to his house and basically lets him off the hook - for the kiss, and for the plans they made to travel the world together. For all of Rebekah's flaws, she's actually admitting here that she can't just take Matt because she wants him. But Matt agrees to go with her on the trip - as long as they keep things platonic. Now I'm intrigued! I wonder how long that will last...
I guess I should also talk a bit more about the ending. As I've already mentioned, Stefan is the epitome of selfless, and anyone who says otherwise is watching some other show. And at the end of the day, he's being thrown into the murky depths. I do have a lot of faith that this is a set-up for some serious Stefan-appreciation come next season. After this new twist with Stefan and Silas and the whole Doppelganger business, we are all set up for a Stefan-centric arc next season. I must say, I'm relieved. I'm as attracted to Damon as the next person, but I really feel like this show could use a moral re-grounding, and I'm hopeful that Stefan can be that element for us.
This ended up being a rather rambling and incoherent review, and for that I apologize. Hopefully I touched on all the key elements, though. As we look ahead to next season, I'm hoping to see a mature handling of Damon and Elena's relationship, further exploration into Stefan's situation, and a growing connection between Matt and Rebekah. I hope that the loss of Klaus doesn't hurt the show too much, and that Silas becomes a more interesting villain.
On its own, this finale was successful in that it brought the key elements of the season to a satisfactory conclusion. I am annoyed about Silas still being in the picture, and I'm annoyed that Bonnie is dead. however, while I don't enjoy either of these things, their execution in this episode was done well. It's sometimes hard for me to give number grades to episodes on their own merits, when I'm also trying to look at how each episode fits into a larger whole. That being said, I was mostly pleased with the effect and execution of this finale.
8/10
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