The Vampire Diaries: I'll Remember (6x01)

And we're back. This episode is basically just setup for the season to come. It lets us check in with all of our characters in the aftermath of last season's traumatic finale. Let's take a look at where everyone is.

Elena is back at school for her sophomore year. She seems to be doing okay, but Caroline and the others worry that maybe she's doing a bit too okay, since she hasn't cried over Damon very much. Soon, we learn that Luke has been giving Elena magic herbs that help her to hallucinate Damon. They seem to have side effects, however. She is thirstier than ever. Since supernatural beings aren't allowed inside of Mystic Falls anymore, Elena takes to lurking near the border of town and drinking from humans, before compelling them to forget. Luke tells her that he's going to stop giving her the herbs, and she freaks out.

Luckily, Caroline finds her as she's about to kill a girl by drinking too much from her. When Elena's victim runs across the border back into Mystic Falls before being compelled, they know they're in serious trouble. Matt, who has joined a neighborhood watch, keeps the girl from talking about what happened to her. He rushes her out of the town, where Caroline compels her to forget.

Matt, along with training to protect the town, is having to put up with Jeremy, who is basically just getting drunk, sleeping with random girls, and playing video games. Even a phone call from Elena won't put him in his place. He's completely despondent because of Bonnie's death.

Tyler is having issues with anger management, which Alaric is worried will manifest into him triggering his werewolf curse again. When he gets into an altercation with Luke about the herbs, Alaric has to step in to stop him. Alaric, who has been teaching occult studies at the college, is having a hard time adjusting to being back, and to being a vampire.

Caroline has spent the whole summer hanging out with her mom, and trying to find a way back into Mystic Falls. She asks Alaric for help finding information on how to break the spell that's keeping them out. She also continually calls Stefan, who left after Damon and Bonnie died, and hasn't been in contact much with anyone. He does occasionally call Alaric, to check in about possible leads on how to get Damon back. Elena accuses Caroline of being too clingy to the past, which of course makes Elena a giant hypocrite.

Stefan, meanwhile, is working as a mechanic and dating a girl. When Elena calls him and asks him for hope that there's a way to get Damon back, Stefan says that he's stopped looking for a way, since he's realized it's hopeless. Now, he's just trying to move on with his life.

At the end of the episode, Elena goes to Alaric and asks him how he's handling his vampire life. Alaric says he hates being a vampire. Elena says she used to hate it, until she had the promise of eternal love with Damon. Since he's gone now, she needs to make a plan for how to survive eternity without him. Alaric became a vampire with the Original's curse, so he can compel vampires. Elena asks him to compel her to forget about Damon.

Finally, we see Damon and Bonnie, living in apparent domestic bliss, making breakfast and living in a luxurious home.

Okay. Problems?

I honestly giggled when I heard Elena talk about starting her sophomore year of college. I mean, seriously, did any of these kids go to classes at all last year? But maybe they'll do a better job this year. Maybe they'll have actual school-related plot lines. Although... I doubt it.

Also, I think they're setting up a love interest thing between Tyler and Liv, which annoys me. I've never thought much of Liv and Luke as characters, and although I like the idea of Luke feeling guilty about Damon's death and giving Elena drugs because of it, I'm not too keen on the idea of keeping them a big part of the story. Ah, well. Maybe they'll make the characters more interesting.

Other than that, I really don't have much to complain about. This was a really solid introduction. It was a bit of a "where are they now" for this season, which was nice, especially since we're doing a time jump.

I love the fact that Jeremy is retreating in to himself, while Matt is overcompensating in the other direction. Caroline, one of the few people in this whole show who still has a living mom, turns to her for comfort. Alaric tries to get back to his old life. Stefan runs away. Elena goes off the deep end, Tyler lets his anger consume him. All of these characters are dealing with intense grief, and it's interesting to see how they're all handing it.

Most interestingly, I feel, is the way that Stefan is handling things. First, he's in denial, thinking that he can find a way to get his brother back. But after looking, he believes it's hopeless, and decides to give up. But unlike Caroline and Elena, who are clinging to the past, he decides to move on and start a new life. It's not like he's never done it before! It will be interesting to see what pulls Stefan back to Mystic Falls, because let's be honest: he won't be gone for long!

Also, let's talk about that scene at the end, with Bonnie and Damon. I'm sure all the Bamon fans are freaking out right now, and understandably so. That scene was so cute! Damon's little fang-face pancakes! The house! The utter domesticity of it all! Damon making Bonnie breakfast! It's so interesting, because we've just spent an entire episode seeing Elena fall completely to pieces because of Damon, and now we see Damon, apparently totally complacent in whatever weird Heaven-ish world he's in. Although it does beg the question... why just the two of them? Why not anyone else from the Other Side? Maybe we'll see more of this later. I'm curious, that's for sure! All is not as it seems.

I'll leave it there. I wasn't really all that excited for this next season of The Vampire Diaries, but the premiere actually got me interested again!

8.5/10