Because The A.V. Club knows that TV shows keep going even if we’re not writing at length about them, we’re experimenting with discussion posts. For certain shows, one of our TV writers will publish some brief thoughts about the latest episode, and open the comments for readers to share theirs.
- Bonnie telling Damon about Enzo was a heartbreaking scene, especially when Damon went so quickly from being obsessed with Elena to wanting to help Bonnie however he can. Their friendship moments remain great.
- Matt suddenly being connected to all the mythology of this season is simultaneously long overdue and still a bit of an uncomfortable fit for his character. He did finally get to get in on the flashback action, at least.
- It’s fitting the first thing that happens to Stefan after he gets turned human is to get arrested, because it’s a lot harder to get away with mass murder when you can’t use your supernatural powers to eliminate yourself as a suspect. Luckily Stefan has a supernatural maybe-fiancé to take care of it for him.
- Stefan also manages to get impaled and almost die, and get kidnapped. He is not very good at being a human so far.
- “This is Cade. He made you do all this.” Is blame shifting a requirement to be a Mystic Falls resident?
- Enzo dying is cruel and brutal to Bonnie, but it is giving her character a great story to play in these final episodes. It’s strangely considerate of the show to remember she actually has a mother and bring her back to help Bonnie grieve (even if she did end up having to light Enzo on fire).
- I do like that Damon unapologetically saved Stefan, because that’s what those two have always done. No matter what either of them has done, that’s what the show has always been about and that’s what they’re supposed to do. (And of course he was able to get what they needed to kill Cade anyway.)
- Kai being back, if even for just one episode, is legitimately exciting. The show is definitely using the excuse of the show ending to bring back a lot of fun old characters.
- So much of the last two seasons of TVD have revolved around the moral implications of Damon and Stefan being vampires, and the idea of what being “good” means in those contexts. The problem is that any actual conclusions drawn during these two seasons (and the rest of the series, frankly) have become so watered down and muddled that it’s difficult to even parse where they characters have ended up. This is especially difficult when dealing with now-human Stefan, because while the show is thankfully not forgetting all of the terrible things Stefan just did, it seems awfully willing to easily forgive, by using Caroline as a bit of a writer surrogate to ease the way to forgiveness. Damon killed Tyler. Stefan killed Enzo. How can any of these other characters accept that, live with it? There’s a path where the forgiveness makes sense—and the show can clearly follow that path, as evidenced by the slight thawing in Damon and Matt’s relationship last week—I’m just concerned they don’t have the time (or self-awareness) to get all the way there in the next four episodes.
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