HOLLYWOOD—I’ve been waiting for weeks to discover just how “The Vampire Diaries” would continue the series without one of its biggest characters Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder)? Well you introduce new characters, but Damon isn’t as gone as the people of Mystic Falls might suspect. The episode opened with an unsuspecting couple feeling the wrath of Sheriff Forbes. Just when they thought they were out of trouble, a creature viciously attacked and killed both of them. Hmm, could Mystic Falls be on the verge of a vampire attack or is something more evil?
Elena (Nina Dobrev) appeared to cope with the passing of her lover Damon and best friend Bonnie (Kat Graham) quite well. That might be due to the fact that Luke was providing her with some herbs to help her see ‘Damon.’ Her sophomore year in college was going well, as she declared medicine was in her future. Mystic Falls is still off limits to all vampires thanks to the curse put on the town by the Followers. So that means only humans are able to touch the grounds and the level of crime has hit a record low. Seems Matt (Zach Roerig) is happy about the vampire free town, but concerned about his buddy Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) allowing his life to dwindle away.
Alaric (Matt Davis) found himself teaching on the campus of WhitmoreCollege, adjusting to being a vampire and fighting his urge to consume human blood. Caroline (Candice Accola) is in complete denial over what has transpired in the past few months, as she’s been busy spending time with her mother. While Caroline was busy trying to figure out a way to un-break the spell hovering her home town, Tyler (Michael Trevino) felt an attraction to Liz. The writers are definitely hinting these two will hook up sometime in the season, how soon is another story.
Alaric and Caroline discussed potential options from book magic to conjure a spell that may work to their advantage, but came up empty handed. It seems like Bonnie and Damon’s departure have literally sucked the life out of those who cared for them most. One character who jetted to a region unknown was Stefan (Paul Wesley) who is working as a mechanic somewhere in Georgia. He has sparked a relationship with Ivy, a new flame who wants to know more about his past than what he is willing to reveal.
At a college shindig, Tyler resorted back to his bad-boy side as alcohol fueled his rage allowing him to unleash some rage on Luke. Alaric did his best to convince Tyler to be careful, one wrong move and he could trigger the genetic link to unleash the werewolf inside him. Looks life Tyler will soon return to his old self in a matter of a few episodes. Elena frustrated with her inability to control her craving attacked Sarah, a new girl in town who immediately bonded with Matt over protecting humans.
Elena suffered another mental breakdown when she realized that she had to let Damon go. We’ve seen this happen time and time again with Elena, who is not aware that Damon might not be gone from her future. Unfortunately, that did not stop her from asking Alaric to compel her to forget any ties that she had to Damon. Whoa, I did not see that revelation coming to light. Caroline left a heartfelt message to Stefan asking him to return home in their time of need. That only forced him to destroy his phone in a moment of rage.
The big reveal of the episode was seeing Damon cook breakfast for Bonnie as they appeared happy in a place unknown. Are the former enemies turned allies frolicking in Mystic Falls? Could they be closer to their loved ones than we suspect? That looks like a big mystery that will unfold during season six. “The Vampire Diaries” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
