S06.E15: Let Her Go

[formerlyfreedom]

After assigning tasks to each of her friends, Caroline attempts to deal with her current situation as reality begins to set in around her. While spending the day with Caroline, Elena grows concerned when she starts noticing a strange change in her behavior. Meanwhile, Alaric becomes wary when Kai, who has begun experiencing unexpected consequences from the merge, turns to Jo, desperate for her help. Elsewhere, while Bonnie finds herself in an unfamiliar situation, Matt and Tyler contemplate a major life change. And when Damon offers Caroline advice on how to cope with everything going on around her, it forces him to revisit painful memories involving his own mother.

 

 

[prospazzinator]

Bonnie is back! That hug was the best.

 

I'm tired of Alaric and Jo. I wish he'd have stayed dead if this is all the show has got for him.

[Like A Phoenix]

Don't get too excited about that wedding, Ric - remember how the last one turned out?

Glad Bonnie's back, a) because I like her, and b) it stops the endless "when is Bonnie going to be back?" debates online. I may also have done a small fistpump when Caroline said "that's not your decision to make", as it was exactly what I was thinking.

Sad to see Liz finally gone, she'll definitely be missed. Ok episode overall, though I felt like the writing could've been more subtle in places - Jo being pregnant was blindingly obvious after the vomiting scene. Also, RIP Alaric's vase, which probably survived centuries of use, archaeological digs and antique dealers, only to be puked into by a sibling-murdering witch with magic poisoning.

[Luciano]

If Bonnie has been stuck in that prison dimension for 278 days and Damon was with her for four months, doesn't that mean that she's been alone for five months? You'd think they would have tried a little more in all that time. Nice reunion with Damon, though. That's the happiest I've seen him.

Kai looked very different to me when he first showed up. He is the only interesting one in anything that touches the Gemini coven and I don't care about Alaric and Jo beyond that.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Luciano

[TigerLynx]

Bonnie hugging Damon was great.  So was Damon being a good big brother to Stefan.

 

So did Papa Salvatore have a hand in Damon and Stefan's mother being imprisoned?  In Season One after he killed his sons, and Stefan went to see him, Papa Salvatore said something about how he was glad Damon and Stefan's mother wasn't alive to see what a disgrace they both were.  Now it looks like he judged her just as harshly as he did his sons.

[me5671]

I was pretty disappointed in this episode.  I had high hopes for it since I thought last week's was incredible.  Bummer.  The most frustrating part for me was Caroline deciding to turn off her humanity switch.  Really?!  That's the best storyline the writers can come up with?  We've been down this road with THREE other characters before already (Damon, Elena, and Stefan).  If my memory serves me correctly, one or two of those characters has flipped the switch twice and we as the audience have had to sit through hours devoted to their rehabilitation.  Been there, done that MULTIPLE TIMES writers.  Something new please.

 

On a more positive note, I was VERY happy to see Sheriff Forbes get a proper send-off and funeral (unlike so many other characters who have died on this show).  She was a great character and one of my personal favorites, so I did appreciate the fact that she got a touching funeral.  I am also thrilled to see that Bonnie has finally returned to Mystic Falls.  It's about damned time!

[Terrafamilia]

Mama Salvatore (or her doppelganger - hey, it's Vampire Diaries) was imprisoned in 1903/1906 (can't remember precisely what the journal said). That's a good deal after she was thought to have died.

[Bort]

Boy, Annie Wersching is really making the rounds lately. I've seen her in the new series, Bosch, a two-parter of Castle that concluded this week and now this, which looks to be a recurring role.

I would say that I would've liked that Caroline be the one vampire in control of herself enough that she'd be the one to never flip her switch but on the other hand, I'm curious to see how her version of it plays out.

And it's a testament to how much of a turnaround they've done for the Bonnie character lately because I was as happy to see her back as Damon was. Three or four seasons ago, I would've groaned and thrown something at the tv.

[2Old2BAFangirl]

I really liked this episode!  It reminded me of old school TVD where so much happens in one episode that you can't believe it when it's over!

 

Best things for me were

1)The Defan scenes.  So good.  I love when the brothers show their care for each other. 

2) Bonnie and Damon's hug!  Holy crap, that was awesome!

3)Liz had a lovely funeral, befitting her place in the community.

4)Elena being much less annoying and self-centered for a change.

 

Of course, Matty Blue is going to be a cop now.  Who didn't see that one coming?

Of course, Jo is pregnant.  And Alaric proposed.  I mean, damn, they've known each other for at least 10 minutes by now!  I love love love Alaric and was so happy they brought him back from the dead, but for this?  I don't have a good suggestion as to what they should be doing with him but I know I don't like this storyline. I find Jo bland and boring - and she's making Alaric boring and weird.  Meh, I guess I'll just be glad Alaric is alive.  And apparently going to be a daddy. (heehee)

 

It was nice to see Damon reach out a little to Caroline with his eulogy.  Caroline's song was beautiful.

Stefan realizing that what he felt for Caroline might be better than what he felt with Elena and Katherine was excellent. 

 

Mama Salvatore and 1903 - I got nuthin.  I don't know how she could be in 1903 when she supposedly died in 1854.  I'm interested to see how this plays out.  I mean, obviously she was a witch, and somehow connected to the ridiculous Gemini coven, but how will they explain her "death" and her being trapped in 1903? It could be a fun storyline, I'm withholding judgment for now.

 

I'm also withholding judgment on NoHumanity Caroline.  It could be different than the others who flipped their switches.  Caroline is different than the others, she's not seemed to struggle as much with the heightened emotions and bloodlust, so we'll see.  As long as she's not as unbearable as NoHumanity Elena, I'll be good.

[roctavia]

Was the picture Bonnie found in 1903 of normal aged Stefan and Damon?? Stefan was 10 when she died... so if that pic was of them older... it adds even more to the what the heck happened between her death and 1903....

Edited February 20, 2015 by Jjrmt

[Primetimer]

Caroline is, as usual, ruthlessly efficient, even when casket shopping.

Read the story

[patchwork]

...So Caroline turned off her humanity because a boy didn't like like her?

[GraceAnne]

I have to say, I was prepared to not like this episode but I actually enjoyed all the parts I thought would be poorly done.

Young Caroline and Liz was cheesy but touching and I was happy the show addressed her standing in the community as the sheriff for over a decade.  Heck even the singing wasn't too over the top.

 

And Bravo to the Caroline/Damon scene, I thought her reaction to him was spot on in the kitchen and the kindness he displayed towards Caroline in the eulogy was along time coming.

 

It's odd if the announcement of season 7 had come later I would really believe they had been working on wrapping some of these characters stories up for a series finale... Jeremy, Matt, Tyler, Ric, Liz, etc.

 

In theory I liked the sentiment behind what Stefan said and in real life I think I would agree with him.

However this ain't real life and I don't trust these writers to manage the nuance it would take for this concept to be done well. Also let us not forget we have special little snowflake Elena right over there, just waiting to make Caroline feel 2nd best.... again. Sigh, been there done that... boring.

 

Not sure how I felt about the turning off humanity Caroline, it seems like lazy writing since EVERYONE has done it but I'll hold judgment till I see where it goes.... and it could be fun to see her cut loose a bit.

 

BONNIE! Thank god!

 

By the way can we start a petition for someone to snap Elena's neck at least once an episode?

As soon as I noticed Caroline start to stroke her hair I started to smile....

 

[CaughtOnTape]

Ugh....I bawled through the whole thing.  Lost my mother not too long ago and Caroline's speech to Elena at the end was exactly what it feels like.  Whoever wrote that....well done.

 

LOVED the hug between Bonnie and Damon.  Love that they still snark at each other,

"Congratulations, you shot some walls."

 

The twists they've got going this season are nice.  Just involving the core group and no mysterious clan from the outside that is indestructible.  

 

We need more Kai.

[Carrie Ann]

Um, shit, I kind of loved this episode. All the characters kind of seemed like the best versions of themselves, or at least the most In Character versions of themselves I've seen in such a long time. Elena was kind of perfect? What the fuck is this upside-down universe?

 

Okay, I did hate the whole "you've been in love twice, if this doesn't feel exactly like that, then it must not be love!" thing, but thank God Stefan came to his senses. I probably imagined that look Damon got when Stefan said that he realized it was different, but could turn into something even better, right? Like, maybe he was realizing something? Yeah, I imagined it.

 

But that can't take away from that Bamon reunion, which was the cutest scene on this show since that Maroline kiss in the street in Season 1. It was just so...light and joyful and I watched it a half dozen times in a row.

 

Matty Blue Blue becoming a cop! And maybe Tyler too!

 

Why can't this be the last season? They're ramping up to such a nice ending. I hate to see how they're going to drag this out for another season.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[lion10]

I really liked this episode.  The Bamon reunion was so sweet, the Caroline-Damon dynamic was exactly how I pictured it would be, and Elena was a caring friend.  It's a Lunar New Year miracle!  As for Mama Salvatore...I just saw this actress on Castle and she was creepy as hell, so Bonnie meeting Ms. Salvatore creeped me out.  I'm feeling that she's the next big bad.

[Hook75]

YAY, Bonnie & Damon together again!!

 

I still love Kai, I hope he stays.

 

I knew Mama Salvatore is going to show up as soon as Damon started talking about her 2 epes ago.

[Goldmoon]

Loved Bonnie launching herself into Damon's arms, but what kind of platonic friend wraps her legs around her pal?  That was weird, but I am not complaining.  I am so relieved that they were alone when they met again!  I have to say I almost expected a kiss.  Did anyone else think that for a moment with her legs around him like that?

 

I second and third the comments about Ric becoming a daddy.  Boring!  Also, Enzo will probably kill junior.  How can any sensible person dare to bring a baby into the murder zone that is Mystic Falls?

 

I crowed and then laughed at Elena being neck-snapped.  I knew Care Bear was going to do that.  Having Elena be knocked out will never be not funny.  I hope the writers do Caroline justice with this SL.  I don't want a retread of soulless Elena.

 

I found the cops' farewell to be jarring.  Do real police officers pretend to call the deceased over the radio?  It seemed tacky to me, but I don't know the customs of that community.

[GaT]

Who started chopping onions during Liz's funeral?

 

I'm so glad Bonnie is finally back, I was beginning to wonder if Cat Graham had pissed off the rest of the cast & nobody would work with her anymore.

 

I hate that all of a sudden there's a "prison universe", & why do I think that at Damon is going to go there to get his mother back? Do we really need to have the Salvatore mommy on the show? 

[missbonnie]

Best episode I have seen in a very, very long time. First and foremost, little to no Elena and we got the bonus of Caroline snapping her neck, yes! Second, Bonnie's back and I loved Damon's reaction. I also liked the send off for Liz including Damon's eulogy and Caroline's song. Stephan gets a clue finally, that the world doesn't revolve around Elena. Everything else was filler for me.

Re: Goldmoon I know a police officer in a fairly large city and yes they do the last call there.

Edited February 20, 2015 by missbonnie

[sashabear21]

I will deal with all the sads of this episode to see that Bonnie and Damon hug! Bamon friendship forever! I wish they hadn't killed off Liz for a "Caroline turns off her emotions" story line, but we'll see where it goes and I liked her snapping Elena's neck.  So Mama Salvatore is back somehow. Was she a witch? How much more complicated can this get? But, I've been wanting Mama Salvatore to come around since season 1, and she's played by the amazing Annie Wersching, so I'm all in for this.  

[KatWay]

I'm really not excited about the direction this show is taking.

 

...Mama Salvatore retconned into the newest (probably) Big Bad instead of just dying? Please, please, not another go around of MOMMY ISSUES THE SHOW, otherwise known as Season 3.

 

...Caroline switches off her emotions? NOT AGAIN. I'm sick and tired of this stupid humanity switch. Though I did like her snapping Elena's neck. Everytime that happens it makes me happy.

 

...Jalaric baby? So he's leaving, right? I'm not sure "Alaric goes shopping for nappies" makes for fascinating storylines.

 

Things I liked:

Damon/Bonnie reunion.

Honoring Liz.

[Artsda]

Stefan looked lost & confused during the funeral.

 

Never seen Damon look so happy than when he saw the pancakes and Bonnie. 

 

Caroline snapping Elena's neck? Awesome! Elena has no business giving speeches on how to handle grief or vampirism off switches. And her "you're listening to Damon now?" crack. Elena herself does what ever Damon tells her to and worships at his feet no matter who he hurts including her own family and friends, yet she'll be snarky when Caroline listens to him? 

 

The funeral was sad, made me tear up. Sad to see Liz go, but she had a great send off. 

 

Are we supposed to believe that Tyler loved the witch soooooo much that he couldn't even control himself drinking for Caroline? No, I don't believe that.

 

Matt becoming a cop is so predictable, it's like Toby on PLL. Tyler can't be a cop, when he shoots and kills someone it'll trigger his werewolf gene.

 

The mother returning? Are they trying to steal from The Originals with  the Mikaelson parents vs kids plots they have?

Edited February 20, 2015 by Artsda

[Like A Phoenix]

Just to add, who wants to bet that baby Saltzman will be twins?

[penelope79]

Do we know for sure that next season is going to be the last one? Because I've been having the feeling that season 6 could be the last for quite some time (though I know it hasn't been advertised as the final season): all this wrapping up old storylines feel like that. Stefan ready to move on and be in a new relationship that could be even better than his "epic love"  with Elena, Liz dying, Jeremy leaving, Delena together like they're endgame, Bonnie back in town, Matt/Tyler pursuing an adult job, marriages, babies... I don't know, it's like they're trying to close all loose ends. Except, of course, the newest ones like useless!Enzo, Gemini Coven and now Mama Salvatore.

 

I really liked this episode. The beginning moved me to tears! All the "I will always need you" and "The worst part is when you come back to normal life" scenes rang so true it didn't even look like TVD for a moment, and I am pretty sure that whoever lost a beloved parent (I lost my father almost 14 years ago and I still miss him badly) felt the same way.

 

I agree that all the characters were at the best versions of themselves this episode and I loved the many, many bonding scenes. Damon/Stefan, Damon/Caroline, Damone/Bonnie (apparently, Damon bonded a lot this time around!), Caroline/Elena... and I may be alone here, but considering everybody blames Elena for not being a good friend, she's been actually a great friend for Caroline this episode and I honestly think she didn't deserve the neck-snapping this time. It's true she's the last person who can give advice about the grieving process, because she's done very stupid things to ease the pain, but that's exactly what she was trying to tell Caroline: she lost two people who were extremely important for her and she reacted trying to excape the hurt by commiting her "two biggest mistakes", by her own admission. I think Elena was genuinly try to convince Caroline that turning off the humanity switch wasn't the solution, because it didn't turned out well for her, too. At least, this is my opinion.

 

Besides all this "turn-the-switch-off" is not only a storyline we've been told like thousands times by now, but it clearly serves the only purpose to pospone the inevitable happy ending for Stefan and Caroline. A bad, bad idea. Let's only hope it's more interesting with Caroline. And that they're not going to drag this out.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ugh, do you know what's gross, Jo? Not puking in front of your new boyfriend but putting your face on the toilet seat. Blech. As soon as I saw her puking and blaming Thai food, I thought nope, she's knocked up and she's going to have twins!

 

Like many others, I love Alaric and I'm glad he's back but I hate seeing him relegated to Jo's boyfriend and baby daddy. He is better as a secret kick ass vampire hunter. If this is all they're going to have him do, I wish we could have had a spinoff of Jeremy and Alaric on a permanent road trip hunting down vampires and kicking ass. Remember how awesome he was a few episodes ago when they got him away from Jo so that he could road trip with Stefan and Damon? That's the Alaric I want back! Plus I hope he doesn't get all cautious now that he's going to be a father (see: Diggle being relegated to the control room on Arrow since his daughter was born).

 

Kai said, "Have a nice life!" to Jo before he left. Does this mean he's gone for good? Say it ain't so! Even with his nicer Lukeness coming through, I still loved him. I would much rather keep him than boring ass Enzo and his Sarah stalking ass.

 

The saddest thing about this episode for me was Elena coaching Caroline on what to do at a parent's funeral because she has been through it already. I mean, I know that everyone on this show has lost family members so they are all more experienced at dealing with death than most kids their age should be, but it was just so sad to me that Elena had all this helpful advice because she had suffered the same loss. When she and Caroline were arguing about turning off their humanity, I wondered why Elena didn't bring up the fact that she didn't have the ability to do that when her parents died or when Jenna died and she got through it (I know, I know, heightened vampire emotions, blah blah blah). As much as I have no interest in watching Caroline turn off her humanity because HELLO, we've already done this story before, I did agree with Caroline that it's not Elena's choice to make.

 

Also sad to me was Tyler showing up drunk. I know he is sad about Liv or whatever, but as someone who has lost both of his parents, you'd think he would try to be like Elena and help Caroline through this. But no, he's too busy feeling sorry for himself because Liv loved her twin brother more than she loved Tyler, who she's been dating for all of two minutes. Don't get me wrong - Tyler has a right to be mad that Liv knocked him out and then went to kill Kai, but to make it seem like this huge love story gone wrong when they've only been dating a very short time seems a bit much. I was glad that Matt told his drunk ass not to come into the service. The last thing Caroline needs at her mom's funeral is to have her drunken idiot friend stumbling around.

 

I know I am probably reading way too much into this, but I found the seating at the funeral intersting. Elena was on Caroline's left and Matt was on Caroline's right. I know he has known her longer than Stefan, but I guess all of this "you're my BFF!" still didn't get him a seat right next to her. I'm assuming that's because he didn't want to have The Talk right next to her mom's cold body before the service. Not that I blame him. Even if his original decision had been different, that's still not a conversation you want to have right in front of the open casket.

 

Damon's speech about how it's worse after everyone leaves and you're all alone with the quiet was heartbreakingly true. Immediately after the death, yes, there's crying, but there are also a million things to deal with (see: Caroline's to do list), the funeral, all the people, all the casseroles. It's not a great time but there are lots of things to distract you temporarily. But when all that's over and you're all alone is even worse. I know he didn't mean for Caroline to turn off her humanity when he said it though.

 

Was the picture Bonnie found in 1903 of normal aged Stefan and Damon?? Stefan was 10 when she died... so if that pic was of them older... it adds even more to the what the heck happened between her death and 1903....

That was the first thing I thought too, especially since they made such a point of having Ian play flashback Damon but they got a kid to play 10 year old Stefan (and just how much older is Damon supposed to be? Because good lord, the contrast between him and that little boy was stark. I was not buying Damon as a teenager). According to the show, Stefan was born in 1846 so his mother died in 1856. Where was she for the 47 years in between when she (allegedly) died and when she ended up in the prison world?

 

Can the Gemini coven send people forward and back in time when they're banished to prison worlds? Kai was trapped in his own time, but Bonnie and Damon somehow managed to get send back in time (although I'm sure the writers could explain that was a once in a lifetime thing due to the Other Side collapsing).

 

My point/question is if Mama Salvatore was sent to the prison world in 1903 or if it was a different year when she was banished but they put her in 1903 the way that Bonnie's gram sent her to 1903 (are we still going with that story?). That still doesn't explain how she got a picture of older Stefan though.

 

Loved Bonnie launching herself into Damon's arms, but what kind of platonic friend wraps her legs around her pal?  That was weird, but I am not complaining.  I am so relieved that they were alone when they met again!  I have to say I almost expected a kiss.  Did anyone else think that for a moment with her legs around him like that?

When I was younger (high school and college), I did stuff like that all the time to platonic friends and I didn't even have the excuse of escaping from a prison world. But it didn't bother me at all and I didn't see it as anything sexual.

 

After all the sadness of the entire episode, that last scene was the uplifting moment of happiness that I needed. It was so great to see Damon's face when he saw Bonnie and held his arms out for a hug.

Edited February 20, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Morrigan2575]

...So Caroline turned off her humanity because a boy didn't like like her?

No, she turned off her humanity because she couldn't deal with her grief over Liz's death, that was always her plan, Elena even said it.  Caroline might have changed her mind if Stefan had said he wanted more than friendship but since he didn't, she went with her Plan A.

[Aeryn13]

I felt this was a good episode.

 

Loved Damon`s eulogy. And the moment him and Caroline had in the kitchen rang true for both of them. They`ll never be friends or anything fuzzy but just as he could genuinely give her credit in his speech, Caroline can see when he is just trying to be honest about something and take it into account. Granted, this might have been the impetus to put her "turn it off" plan into work but while it might have been hard to hear, I think in that moment Damon just wanted to be helpful in his own way. Found their whole interaction fascinating.

 

Now Caroline actually turning it off, I don`t know, It`s not that I begrduge the character that choice and despite vampirism enhancing her controlling tendencies and thus actually being an asset when it comes to controlling vampirism itself, it had to snap at some point. Other than first being turned, Caroline always had her vamp nature so firmly under control, something had to give eventually. 

 

It`s just narratively clunky because numerous characters already had that story. Okay, we met Damon switched off so technically his story was the inverse of it. But still. With Stefan, it was the most interesting and Elena ultimately the most failed. Sadly, I predict Caroline will be written much like Emotionless!Elena, lots of partying, lots of sexiness and blood-drinking. Maybe one or two murders. I think the writers have a much harder time making the off-switch distinguishable when it is a female characters. Then it`s all tropes, all the time.

 

Loved the Damon/Bonnie reunion. It was so joyful.

 

The Defan moments were quite good, too. Both flashbacks and real time. The talks him and Stefan had rang true to me Yes, Damon is correct, if it was the head-over-heels love Stefan felt for Katherine or Elena, he would have known and not needed to ask. That is not the love Stefan developed for Caroline. But Stefan was right, too, this slow burn love, build on a solid friendship slowly transforming into something else is no less of a love and could be even better in the long run. So far, they both only experienced the crazy, passionate love. And I think for Damon and Elena that rings true because they are that kind of person but Stefan is more taciturn and quiet. For him, the quieter love could work out all the better.

 

I also liked the quiet Delena-ish moments. In fact, I`m enjoying that they are written as in a relationship with little affectionate gestures but there isn`t endless angst and big epic speeches about it. They partake in the plots of others without making it about their relationship. This is fantastic IMO.

 

Also had no real problem with Elena here. She tried to be a friend to Caroline. And yes, she didn`t handle grief particularly well but I think her advice was more in the vein of "please don`t make my mistakes". Is a person who did something wrong in a particular area never allowed to give advice to others on it again? I don`t think so. If they got all high and mighty with it, yeah, then they can eff themselves but if they phrase it like "I care about you and don`t want you to go down that road, too", that puts an entirely different spin on it. 

 

For example it was different to me when Elena was quite sanctimonous in giving Stefan grief counseling earlier in the Season. And he rightly called her on it. Here, Caroline called her on it, too, and Elena acknowledged that Caroline WAS right but nevertheless appealed to her friend.

 

Lastly, Mama!Salvatore coming back was no big surprise. So, lookwise, Damon takes more after her than his father with the blue eyes. Guess Guiseppe Salvatore was a Dad with those kind of issues re: projecting onto the kid.  . 

[Bort]

Was the picture Bonnie found in 1903 of normal aged Stefan and Damon?? Stefan was 10 when she died... so if that pic was of them older... it adds even more to the what the heck happened between her death and 1903....

I'm guessing the rumors of Mama Salvatore's death were greatly exaggerated. Both Damon and Stefan admitted that they couldn't handle it, ran off and missed their last moments with her. That death was faked, man.

[Carrie Ann]

I may be alone here, but considering everybody blames Elena for not being a good friend, she's been actually a great friend for Caroline this episode and I honestly think she didn't deserve the neck-snapping this time. It's true she's the last person who can give advice about the grieving process, because she's done very stupid things to ease the pain, but that's exactly what she was trying to tell Caroline: she lost two people who were extremely important for her and she reacted trying to excape the hurt by commiting her "two biggest mistakes", by her own admission. I think Elena was genuinly try to convince Caroline that turning off the humanity switch wasn't the solution, because it didn't turned out well for her, too.

 

I thought Elena was great here. I liked her more here than at any time since very early in Season 4. She seemed like a real friend, whose every thought was about what Caroline needed from her, with none leftover for her love life or her own bullshit. It was lovely, and I don't know why it was so impossible for them to write this version of her for the past two seasons, but welcome back, decent Elena. Try to stick around for a bit.

[roctavia]

 

That was the first thing I thought too, especially since they made such a point of having Ian play flashback Damon but they got a kid to play 10 year old Stefan (and just how much older is Damon supposed to be? Because good lord, the contrast between him and that little boy was stark. I was not buying Damon as a teenager). According to the show, Stefan was born in 1846 so his mother died in 1856. Where was she for the 47 years in between when she (allegedly) died and when she ended up in the prison world?

 

Can the Gemini coven send people forward and back in time when they're banished to prison worlds? Kai was trapped in his own time, but Bonnie and Damon somehow managed to get send back in time (although I'm sure the writers could explain that was a once in a lifetime thing due to the Other Side collapsing).

 

My point/question is if Mama Salvatore was sent to the prison world in 1903 or if it was a different year when she was banished but they put her in 1903 the way that Bonnie's gram sent her to 1903 (are we still going with that story?). That still doesn't explain how she got a picture of older Stefan though.

 

 

I guess if they can send people back in time, it might make sense that they could send them forward?

 

I imagine we'll get an explanation eventually, and they will tell us if Mama was banished at the time of her 'death' so when the boys were younger... or if something else was going on for 40 years and then she was sent away.

 

If the coven can send people forward in time- I suppose it would make sense that the picture of Damon and Stefan would be of them grown, since she would have been sent to the fully realized 1903 with all of the normal 1903 things. I guess it might have been a bit of a shock for the mom to see her boys grown, but i'm sure repeating the same magical snow aurora borealis day over and over again was probably a bit of a shock too.

 

It will be interesting to see what Mama Salvatore's purpose is going to be.

[CaughtOnTape]

I thought Elena was great here. I liked her more here than at any time since very early in Season 4. She seemed like a real friend, whose every thought was about what Caroline needed from her, with none leftover for her love life or her own bullshit. It was lovely, and I don't know why it was so impossible for them to write this version of her for the past two seasons, but welcome back, decent Elena. Try to stick around for a bit.

 

I agree.  It was also nice to see her not so focused on Damon and notice that Caroline was acting weird.  Usually Elena is so wrapped up in her own drama that she doesn't stop to see what's going on around her and this episode she wasn't.  

[rue721]

I guess if they can send people back in time, it might make sense that they could send them forward?

 

I imagine we'll get an explanation eventually, and they will tell us if Mama was banished at the time of her 'death' so when the boys were younger... or if something else was going on for 40 years and then she was sent away.

 

If the coven can send people forward in time- I suppose it would make sense that the picture of Damon and Stefan would be of them grown, since she would have been sent to the fully realized 1903 with all of the normal 1903 things. I guess it might have been a bit of a shock for the mom to see her boys grown, but i'm sure repeating the same magical snow aurora borealis day over and over again was probably a bit of a shock too.

 

It will be interesting to see what Mama Salvatore's purpose is going to be.

 

Currently on the Originals, 

Freya and Dahlia, who are witches, are alive for one year and then "die" (?) or sleep somehow for another 100 years, then awake for the next year of life, etc -- the purpose is for them to be as close to immortal as possible while still staying human/witch.

I wonder if Mama Salvatore did the same thing, which is why she was "awake" in 1903 despite being "dead" in 1854?

[GirlyGeek]

Loved it. Cried. Loved it again.

Bonnie and Damon was awesome. He was so happy and while I didn't expect the huge jump up and hug moment, I LOVED it more than anything all season.

I've been wanting Damon to reach out to Caroline for awhile now, so it was nice to see the attempt. I don't expect it to solve/fix anything, but it was the right time and their scenes together we're just perfect for where the characters are.

Speaking of Damon (who I'll admit is my fave) I love his characters growth. Really I do. And I think a lot of the characters have really grown and changed this season, for the better...

...BUT, I do miss some of the bad ass vampirey things. It seems like there's been lots of talking and growing and character moments (again, great!) but I miss some of the violence. Our vamps seem to have been house trained a little too much for my taste.

Ymmv of course. I certainly don't want to go backward, or have the writers royally screw up character development (I'm looking at season five Damon), but they ARE vamps and supernatural beings,... Idk

Elena, while she never really annoys me as much as she seems to annoy so many viewers, lol, was a great friend and hit all the right notes this ep. I didn't find her speech to Caroline hypocritical, and in fact was amazed that the writers didn't have her making it about her losses really at all. Not directly at least. She said she made huge mistakes and she didn't want her friend to make the same ones.

As for mama Salvatore... I'm not so sure that 1903 is the prison world she was originally in.

I mean, Bonnie was traveling between two worlds at the end there, maybe Mama Salvatore had been jerked into the 1903 world, too.

While I wish Alaric had more of a purpose, though I don't know what it would be, I'm going to choose to be happy that he's happy and alive.

I'm sure the soon-to-come mystical twins will give him enough to do. I'll bet Kai and/or the Gemini coven will be all about wanting those kids.

Speaking of... Still LOVE Kai. More Kai.

Didn't miss Enzo one bit.

[PinkRibbons]

Anyone else think they'll be forced to nail down Damon's physical age soon? I always thought the biggest possible gap between him and Stefan was six years, but now I'm thinking more like ten, because Ian cannot possibly be selling us 16 in those flashbacks. I wonder if there's a reason to have a decade-long gap between the siblings, maybe something to do with Stefan's doppelgangerness. People just didn't have kids that far apart back then unless there was a reason. To me, Damon seemed to be at least 20 in the flashback, and unless the showrunners are completely deluded to think anyone would believe that Ian was playing 16 they should have aged Stefan up to twelve or fourteen in the flashbacks to close the gap. So I'm thinking that either Mama Salvatore had secondary infertility (oh crap, I hope she didn't make some kind of deal to have a second child) or lost several pregnancies between her two surviving children. In any case, I think that's an interesting line of thought about her.

 

Plus, she appeared in Little Stefan's dreams as an angel, so I'm thinking that that was her coming back from wherever Salvatore Papa "sent her away", presumably for TB treatment and hospice care but possibly an insane asylum and/or witch's coven. I do think it's likely she's a witch. This show (and The Originals) have been pretty good about showing magic beginning rather late in life; the teens or twenties. Both Stefan and Damon could have been witches that died too soon to manifest their powers (although that age gap again raises questions about any abilities Damon could/should have had), and the descendant Salvatores were all their fathers' bloodline, not their mothers'.

[ByTor]

It's true she's the last person who can give advice about the grieving process, because she's done very stupid things to ease the pain, but that's exactly what she was trying to tell Caroline: she lost two people who were extremely important for her and she reacted trying to excape the hurt by commiting her "two biggest mistakes", by her own admission. I think Elena was genuinly try to convince Caroline that turning off the humanity switch wasn't the solution, because it didn't turned out well for her, too. At least, this is my opinion.

I didn't see the episode yet, but from this comment it looks like the writers forgot that Caroline, while a vampire, lost her dad.

[ByTor]

 And I think a lot of the characters have really grown and changed this season, for the better...

...BUT, I do miss some of the bad ass vampirey things. It seems like there's been lots of talking and growing and character moments (again, great!) but I miss some of the violence. Our vamps seem to have been house trained a little too much for my taste.

I agree with this.  In the earlier seasons, for example, they were much more willing to stake a vampire (when's the last time that happened, anyway?), and usually when they didn't they had a good reason (like Katherine...but wait, if you'll kill me, you'll never know about ___).  I still find the show entertaining, but I feel more like this is a show about a bunch of pretty people who happen to be vampires, rather than a bunch of vampires who happen to be pretty.

[Lyndy]

So we're on Season 6 of this show now? Is it okay for me to admit I've never liked Tyler and I remain sorry that Klaus didn't kill him like two seasons ago? Something about him just triggers my "punch you in the face" instinct. Seems like he shifts indiscriminately between moping and spewing self-righteous indignation. 

[Aeryn13]

 

Anyone else think they'll be forced to nail down Damon's physical age soon? I always thought the biggest possible gap between him and Stefan was six years, but now I'm thinking more like ten,

 

I think it`s supposed to be 7 years. In the earliest Katherine flashbacks Stefan was supposed to be 17 and Damon 24. And really, I didn`t believe Paul Wesley to be 17 back then either. But I chalk it up to the usual TV casting that is nearly always significantly older than the character`s age. 

 

So, yes, I believe Damon was supposed to be around 17ish here in those scenes with little Stefan. And I think that age marks him close enough to his supposed character age that choosing a younger actor for it can be tricky. Back on Supernatural we had young John flashbacks and obviously normal John from Season 1 but the timeline made it seem like he aged 20 years in 4. Admittedly, that throws me out of a story far more than "bag wigs signifiy younger, just go with it". The latter, I`ve learned to handwave.

 

 

[Bort]

That was the first thing I thought too, especially since they made such a point of having Ian play flashback Damon but they got a kid to play 10 year old Stefan (and just how much older is Damon supposed to be? Because good lord, the contrast between him and that little boy was stark. I was not buying Damon as a teenager).

I was reminded of this time many years ago when All My Children shot a scene through eight layers of gauze and a pound of Vaseline and expected me to believe that a 40-something Susan Lucci was 13. I didn't buy it then and I don't buy it now.

[Artsda]

So we're on Season 6 of this show now? Is it okay for me to admit I've never liked Tyler and I remain sorry that Klaus didn't kill him like two seasons ago? Something about him just triggers my "punch you in the face" instinct. Seems like he shifts indiscriminately between moping and spewing self-righteous indignation.

I don't even know what they're doing with Tyler and neither do they. It's like they keep him around because of how much they love Michael Trevino, but refuse to let him go to get another show or do something else. He was better off with the werewolf story on The Originals.

Him being a cop makes perfect sense for a person who if they kill someone will trigger the werewolf gene. WTH.

[Mari]

 I wonder if there's a reason to have a decade-long gap between the siblings, maybe something to do with Stefan's doppelgangerness. People just didn't have kids that far apart back then unless there was a reason. To me, Damon seemed to be at least 20 in the flashback, and unless the showrunners are completely deluded to think anyone would believe that Ian was playing 16 they should have aged Stefan up to twelve or fourteen in the flashbacks to close the gap. So I'm thinking that either Mama Salvatore had secondary infertility (oh crap, I hope she didn't make some kind of deal to have a second child) or lost several pregnancies between her two surviving children. In any case, I think that's an interesting line of thought about her.

 

It's also possible--likely, even--that there were children who died in-between them.  Infant and child mortality rate in the 1860s was horrible.  Of course, that may end up being too normal and real world for the Vampire Diaries, so they most likely won't go for that.

[scarletregina]

I am not a fan of Caroline turning off her humanity because we've seen it so many times from this show. However, it's also the only time we get to see the negative side of being a vampire.

 

On this show, being a vamp is like being a superhero with a license to kill. The only drawback is the grief you inevitably suffer over watching the mortals that you love die. So then you turn off your switch and when you come out of it, which it seems everyone always does, you have to live with the loss and the guilt of being a murderous monster. That is a big downside.

 

I could see Caroline ending up a Katherine like villain. No humanity, but super controlled. It would be interesting if she became a villain and not merely a friend whom they had to save.

 

If Caroline has no humanity, I can't imagine why she wouldn't leave Mystic Falls and head down to New Orleans to bang the heck out of Klaus. Her humanity is the only thing that kept her from being with him. 

[roctavia]

I can buy that Damon was supposed to be around 17 in that flashback... Stefan could have been on the far side of 10, leaving a 6-7 year age gap. Is it a perfect portrayal? maybe not, but you can only do so much with camera/make up magic without casting all kids. Plus it makes more sense for a 17 year old to be giving a speech than a 10 or 13 year old or something.   Either way- Damon looking a little older than a teenager doesn't bother me so much... since he is still supposed to be permanently like 24... they did a good job showing that he looked older in the present than he did in the flashback.

 

 

As far as Stefan/Caroline go... I'm glad they had Stefan rethink his feelings by the end of the episode. I like them together and this slow build of a relationship... since we've all seen how the "true love" works out. Plus I want Stefan to be completely moved on from Elena... that train has sailed a long time ago... so he should be allowed to find a meaningful relationship with someone else that isn't just a throwaway no name that Enzo is going to show up and kill or something.

[Kaboom 2.0]

No Enzo AND no Liv? Happy birthday to me! :-) And, AND, the return of Bonnie! Her and Damon's happiness at seeing each other was too damn cute, I didn't even mind their hug. I really do not want them to be anymore than just friends, show, so don't f*** it up. 

 

I almost didn't recognize Kai, I think it was the hair, and he lit up his few scenes. So of COURSE Jo and Alaric will have twins (eye roll). I agree with those who would have liked to have seen Ric and Jeremy become roving vampire hunters instead of Jeremy off-screen and Ric saddled with a blah wife and a set of twins destined to suck air-time from other more interesting characters. 

 

I'm glad Caroline had a support system around her, I loved Liz's funeral service and will miss the character so much. Also loved how prickly Caroline still is with Damon, the show can try to force his treatment of her back in season 1 under the rug but I have not forgotten it. Stefan's realization re: his feelings toward her felt right to me. What I'm not looking forward to is yet another vampire turning their switch off, ugh.

 

Re: the woman Bonnie encountered in the prison world, I'm not familiar with the actress but if she is Mama Salvatore, I cannot wait to find out her history and how she will affect MF. 

 

Shut up, Elena, oops my bad, I'm just used to thinking and saying that. I thought she was actually not bad in this episode. How 'bout more of this Elena and not the selfish, Damon-focused dipstick she had become?

 

So Pudding Pop and Tyler as cops? Ok, why not.

[GirlyGeek]

I don't even know what they're doing with Tyler and neither do they. (snip) Him being a cop makes perfect sense for a person who if they kill someone will trigger the werewolf gene. WTH.

Ha ha, I'm sad to admit, I didn't even think of that. That'll end well...

[roctavia]

Ha ha, I'm sad to admit, I didn't even think of that. That'll end well...

 

 

That was totally my first thought when Matt said he got Tyler an application too... that him being a cop is a bad idea, since it would significantly up the chances that Tyler would end up in a situation where he killed someone.

But personally, i'd be completely satisfied if Tyler vanished from the show the way Jeremy is...

[Goldmoon]

I liked that Matt wants to do more with his life, and Tyler certainly needs to, but the police or military forces is not for anyone with a werewolf gene.  I am tired of seeing him, so let's get Tyler, Liv, Jo and Enzo out of Mystic Falls and get back to the good stuff.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Goldmoon

[Chris24601]

I'm going to go against the grain and say I'm totally okay with Caroline flipping her switch at this stage because it'll be healthier for Steroline down the road. If they got together right after Liz died, there'd always be that open question of whether she was just sublimating her grief via a relationship with Stephan. This way Caroline will have to have dealt with her grief (and flipped her switch back on) before Steroline actually happens.

 

On a related note, I think they could very well show us something different from Elena with Caroline's flipped off emotions. A huge part of Caroline's nature is her control freak tendencies which do as much, if not more, to help her keep vampiric tendencies under control than the guilt or remorse over killing that normally restrains vampires with their humanity switch on and that element of self-control shouldn't go away just because she's not feeling love, loss or guilt. Instead of going on a monstrous feeding binge I see Caroline as the type who'd set up some sort of rigidly ordered existance where all risk of loss has been taken out of the equation through the use of mass compulsion, complete with a scheduled feeding program where she only ever takes X blood from any given victim over Y period of time... not because she cares whether they live or die, but because its more efficient and organized this way.

[Mari]

I liked that Matt wants to do more with his life, and Tyler certainly needs to, but the police or military forces is not for anyone with a werewolf gene.  I am tired of seeing him, so let's get Tyler, Liz, Jo and Enzo out of Mystic Falls and get back to the good stuff.

Didn't he and Jeremy have an almost-bonding moment in season 1 over them both liking to draw?  During the Vicki drama?  Maybe Tyler could be the one that actually  goes to art school. 

 

As for Caroline and her emotions being shut off--the show emphasized in this episode a couple of times that Caroline has always been so in control of her vampire self.  Even Caroline did, in a slap/taunt at Elena when Elena was trying to talk her out of it.

 

It's possible they were setting us up to think "Calculating Ice Queen Caroline", intending she go the opposite.  Maybe her control is tied to her emotions--guilt, affection, insecurity, etc.  With that emotional motivation gone, so is her need to control, and she goes ripperish?

 

I've no clue if that's what they're actually doing or not, but it seemed like they emphasized Caroline's control too much if it's not a red herring.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Mari