THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Living Through This to Catch Up

Episode 704 “I Carry Your Heart With Me”
Episode 705 “Live Through This”

[photos: Eli Joshua & Bob Mahoney/The CW]

I’m a couple of weeks behind on my recaps here, so I am trying to rack my brain on what happened these last two episodes!  This week, I’m just going to share my thoughts.

Is this show better now that Elena is out of the way? My answer is vehemently yes!  I don’t blame Nina Dobrev for anything; she is a fantastic actress and made me cry on more than one occasion on TVD.  Why am I enjoying this show so much more?  Now that the characters who were in high school are finally fleshed out adults, their relationships are as such.

Caroline is finding that as one ages, and finds new love, it can be a bitter pill to swallow when learning about those that came before.  Stefan and Caroline starting off as friends makes the relationship more authentic and gives it dimension, especially since we have flashed forward to learn it doesn’t last.  But I have digressed.  Elena always made things about her, no matter who was in pain, somehow, it belonged to her too.  That got exhausting.  I’ve had my fair share of laughs this season, with Elena’s coffin being kidnapped, I rolled my eyes, even in her sleep this all becomes about her!

This season there has been a really fun spotlight on the friendship between Damon, Alaric and Bonnie.  Damon impulsive, protective, rude, Alaric always brooding and learning, Bonnie Bennett who has been through so much she has more layers than an onion.  This past week, in our flash forward to three years in the future we see Bonnie is at a self help group and any time Kat Graham cries, I cry.  Is Bonnie in an institution? Did she put herself there?

We also see she develops a relationship with Enzo!  Enzo is a character (who finally figured out how to part his hair, looking good Michael Malarkey), who is coming into his own.  Lilly showed Enzo, that she chose Julian over him.  Julian who we have yet to meet, who’s soul is trapped in the Phoenix Stone.  The Phoenix Stone is a fun throwback for me to season two, with the Moonstone (which turned out served no purpose). The red rock does not provide any relief to Alaric.  Bonnie, who is good at magic, but doesn’t always do her research before acting (probably why her and Damon make good friends) used the stone on Jo’s corpse.  Alaric believed his wife was back from the dead, it turns out, the stone only traps souls of vampires.  Alaric told the scared and confused vampire living in Jo’s human body, that he would help her.  It was a sweet moment and reminded us why we all love Alaric Saltzman and hope those twin girls of his we see in the future are the real deal! He deserves some true joy.

We finally have our first same sex couple on this show, the two vampire heretics, Mary Louise and Nora, who have been together for over 100 years, the longest lasting relationship this show has seen.  Are these ladies bad?  Yes, they kill people, but all the vampires do!  I admit, I was a little disappointed that the first gay couple on TVD were supposed villains.  Sometimes I think all the characters on this show are villains; we as viewers just pick a side.  Matt Donovan is the one good guy, he’s a really good guy, not too bright, but good.  Long live Matt Donovan (you can send me hate mail if I just jinxed him).

I feel for Valerie and the pain she has endured, and I think the writers have done an okay job of keeping her from just being a pawn in what could have been another love triangle for Stefan.  Lets hope it doesn’t become that.  Valerie has a vendetta against Julian, she shares part of it now with Stefan, since he learned it was his child that died when Julian assaulted Valerie all those years ago.

One problem this show has always had, it never keeps a villain, Kai was a good one, but he’s gone now.  Is Julian going to become another Klaus?  I hope not.  What are your thoughts on this season?  Is it better than ever?  Do you miss Elena?

The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.