ElectricBoogaloo October 12, 2016 Share October 12, 2016 FINAL SEASON PREMIERE! Quote Months after Damon and Enzo mysteriously vanished from the Armory vault, Stefan tirelessly pushes forward with their search, while Bonnie struggles holding onto hope that they will be found. Meanwhile, a dangerous encounter with an unexpected visitor leaves Caroline and Alaric fearing that someone – or something – may be targeting their family. Finally, after following some mysterious clues, Stefan realizes that whatever has a hold of his brother may have a more damaging grip over him than he could have ever imagined. Promo: 1 Link to comment
Primetimer October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 It's almost as depressing as Bonnie's guitar playing! Anyway: Liane Bonin Starr's got questions about the Season 8 premiere. View the full article Link to comment
2Old2BAFangirl October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 Loved this season opener! You could see Kevin Williamson's fingerprints all over it. Damon flipped his switch to save his loved ones. He tells Stefan that he knows Stefan could help him get his humanity back. The Elena flashback. Bonnie and Enzo back story. Maybe it's because of missing TVD all summer but I really loved this episode! I'm excited to see what's in store for this last season! 3 Link to comment
Artsda October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 I really don't get the Caroline/Stefan relationship when she claims herself as a mother. Who leaves to move in with your boyfriend minutes after you find out someone attacked and is after your kids? 2 Link to comment
Couver October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 Just now, 2Old2BAFangirl said: Loved this season opener! You could see Kevin Williamson's fingerprints all over it. Damon flipped his switch to save his loved ones. He tells Stefan that he knows Stefan could help him get his humanity back. The Elena flashback. Bonnie and Enzo back story. Maybe it's because of missing TVD all summer but I really loved this episode! I'm excited to see what's in store for this last season! I enjoyed it too. KW has a fondness for the characters that really comes through. Especially Bonnie. I was side eyeing the big bad a little bit when the episode was going on because it was starting to look like a take on the First Evil from Buffy. So I was pleasantly surprised when they reveled it to be a Siren. It's the first I've heard of sirens being harbingers of satan though. Not sure if the show just made it up but at least its different. I loved Enzo leaving Bonnie the clues. So nice to see Bonnie get this type of focus. It only took 8 seasons lol. Artsda I do agree that the Caroline/Stefan scenes didn't gel with the tone and scenes in the rest of the episode. 1 Link to comment
GaT October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 Why are they bringing in new characters in the last season? They should be concentrating on the people we know, not adding more distractions to the story. 2 Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo October 22, 2016 Author Share October 22, 2016 Even though Stefan/Caroline still does absolutely nothing for me, I want to chalk up Caroline moving in with Stefan as her being all carpe diem, but I just can't make that work with how fiercely protective she is of the twins, especially after they were just attacked in their own home. Like seriously, I'm supposed to believe that Caroline is going to say, "La di da, glad I was able to get home in time to save your lives but now I'm moving out of the house and living with Daddy Stefan"? No iteration of Caroline Forbes that we have ever seen on this show would do that. I could see her suggesting that they all move into the Salvatore mansion (and I'm sure she would add that having more people around to protect the girls would be a great idea), but I can't see her just moving out and leaving the girls with Alaric. In TVD, when people are compelled by vampires, the people usually seem kind of blank or hypnotized. It isn't until afterward that they seem aware of their actions so it's like they're in a fugue state. In comparison, I just started watching Jessica Jones and the villain Kilgrave has mind control powers but his victims seem aware of what they're doing but unable to stop themselves. Damon and Enzo being under the control of this siren seem more like Kilgrave mind control victims than people who have been compelled by vampires. And hey, it's Claudia from Warehouse 13! 3 Link to comment
DigitalCount October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 Yeah, I recognized Allison Scagliotti as well...mainly because she was basically playing Archaeolaudia. Not to cast aspersions on her acting ability, it's just that all she needed was a Tesla and bam. I also noted the siren control being different from normal vampiric compulsion, but it's somewhat like Original compulsion. The Originals' compulsion victims frequently protested it (at least when they were vampires IIRC). Off the top of my head there was Slater, when Elijah told him to stake himself, and Tyler, when Rebekah told him to turn into a werewolf. I think Katherine may have continued freaking out when Elijah told her to stay in the crypt, but it's been a long time. Lots of callbacks, which were great, but are also just what you do in the final season of a show, so not unexpected. What was unexpected was the Siren mythology, which I'm going to say they had planned since the Armory became a thing. Some of the pieces of the puzzle fit a little too well for it not to have been planned. Of course, now that they're going Greco-Roman, it just makes me sad that they never used the idea I had for an Olympian to manipulate a group of vampires into attacking the MF squad (out of revenge for killing off like a quarter of the vampire population via Kol). Are we going to assume that there's a reason why the Siren looks like another Elena-lite (like Reina)? Did we get a reason for why Reina looked similar to Elena? Yes, the "Hello Brother" could be seen as cheesy, but I was grinning from ear to ear and saying it along with Damon when he did. Loved the old S1 Damon theme coming into play as well. I like it when a show respects the story it has written for better or worse, and the journey has been enjoyable even if to varying degrees. I'll always appreciate that it healed the wounds Smallville had inflicted on me and never got as bad as that show was. Link to comment
miss-vanilla October 22, 2016 Share October 22, 2016 I'm so happy to be back commenting on one of my favorite shows. I'm even happier that I can write some positive things after the dreck of last season. TVD is back in business and long may it continue. Like someone else mentioned, all the hallmarks of KWs' writing were blatantly all over this episode in the horror and the dialogue. The abandoned abattoir was creepy as hell with all the human remains dangling from the meat hooks, it was so disturbing and very, very dark even for this show. The call backs to S1 were fun without being ott cheesy, even the fog was used. I wonder if we will see Damon's crow make an appearance, that would be ok in my book. In fact I loved everything about the Denzo storyline. I thought both boys were doing the best they could to cope, even if they had very different strategies and each in their own way were very clever ideas. The Bonenzo and Delena flashbacks worked really well, I really felt the emotional weight of them when contrasted to the bleakness of the situations Damon and Enzo find themselves in. I liked Bonnie and Stefan teaming up, those scenes were really well performed, especially the one in the car after they had come face to face with Denzo. The emotions and reactions were beautifully done and felt authentic for the characters. It makes such a difference when the story feels organic and rooted in 7 seasons of character development. Alaric as an "Indiana Jones" figure was fun, but it does make sense for him to be involved in the mythology arc of the story given his previous characterisation, but the story with Caroline and his decision to want to move into her home felt like a bit of contrived storytelling. On a similar note, the Caroline/children/Alaric part is definitely the weak link so far, just as it was last season. I hope the writers learn from that and give those stories much less focus than they did last season and place the weight of storytelling on the most interesting part of the plot. 1 Link to comment
Katherine October 23, 2016 Share October 23, 2016 I really enjoyed this episode up until the Delena flashback. I'm tired of them pushing a couple that isn't even on the show anymore. I want this final season to be focused on Damon and Stefan's relationship, and I want it, for once, to take priority over Damon's relationship with Elena. When Stefan was writing about his hope that Damon keeps a shred of humanity, I was so hoping that we would get some indication that Damon was holding on to his love for his brother. When Stefan turned his humanity off in S3, I remember a scene where Elena said she wouldn't be the one to bring him back; it would be Damon. The message of that arc was that Damon was in fact Stefan's humanity. I've been hoping for a long time to get a similar message about Damon's humanity. We know he loves Stefan and would die for him, but it always seems like he loves Elena more. It's always about Elena. Even now that Elena is off the show, it's still about her. It just feels like fan service at this point. I really hope that for the final season, the writers lay off Damon/Elena and focus on Damon/Stefan, but I won't hold my breath. I get that Elena will always be an important part of the show, but I feel like the writers have just wasted so much potential when it comes to Damon and Stefan, and the Delena flashback in this episode was a perfect example. 5 Link to comment
Aeryn13 October 23, 2016 Share October 23, 2016 I think they wanted to juxtapose it with Bonenzo. And maybe even a bit Steroline. Obviously they are limited with Delena since they can`t shoot new material for them. And they want to keep Elena "alive", so to speak, for the show too if they can/will indeed get Nina back for the Finale. Quote When Stefan turned his humanity off in S3, I remember a scene where Elena said she wouldn't be the one to bring him back; it would be Damon. The message of that arc was that Damon was in fact Stefan's humanity. I've been hoping for a long time to get a similar message about Damon's humanity. We know he loves Stefan and would die for him, but it always seems like he loves Elena more. I think that`s true though. In the end, Stefan needed Damon more than he needed Elena (and might need Caroline now) but Damon loves Elena more. That`s always what the show told me. Which does not mean I wasn`t hoping for a good exploration of Defan. I was very dismayed how they handled it last year, it didn`t seem to flow oranically from years 1-6. Maybe this year will be better? I guess it`s gonna depend on how long Damon and Enzo will be under the thrall of the Siren. Link to comment
Aeryn13 October 23, 2016 Share October 23, 2016 It was the convoluted plot device for it but in Season 3, it was definitely Damon and even hilariously with Lily, it was solely the lines Damon fed her that worked. So, in a roundabout way, it was Damon again. That has been pretty consistent. Link to comment
TwistedandBored October 23, 2016 Share October 23, 2016 I really liked this episode. I even grinned like a stupid idiot when Damon said, "Hello Brother". I am gonna miss this show. It should have ended a long time ago but still I will miss it when it does end. 1 Link to comment
J80134 October 26, 2016 Share October 26, 2016 I love this show. It no longer has me hanging on the edge of my seat, dying to see it every week, but I'm hoping the final season will be so good that I feel that way again. Enzo & Bonnie have a deep, feel good love that has me rooting for them. I wish he were human so they could have some beautiful Benzo babies! Stefan & Caroline have about as much sexual chemistry as Jeremy & Elena. Damon flipped his switch. Not very original, but maybe it can lead to something interesting. It positions him to not be able to fall in love with anyone else while he awaits Elena's return. And to have some meaningless sex without feeling guilty (shout out to Ian's amazing bod!). Ric needs to open his eyes and realize that his lil' twitches need 24/7 protection. A whole new identity in another part of the country couldn't hurt either. 2 Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo October 26, 2016 Author Share October 26, 2016 I know that this is a minor detail in the grand scheme of TVD, but how did Alaric finangle his way into taking over the armory? And how did he go from professor of the occult at Whitmore to Indiana Jones? Wasn't he a parapsychology grad student when he met Isobel at Duke? I feel like that wouldn't qualify him to excavate stuff at the armory. And where exactly is he a professor now? I can't remember where the armory is supposed to be either. Was it the siren who made Virginia bite her own tongue off? If she can do that, does she really need Damon and Enzo to fetch her evil happy meals with legs? Link to comment
ByTor October 26, 2016 Share October 26, 2016 I guess I'll be the dissenter, I hated it. I guess Enzo had his crystal ball all polished & at the ready when he had that talk with Bonnie about sirens. Link to comment
DigitalCount October 26, 2016 Share October 26, 2016 1 hour ago, ByTor said: I guess I'll be the dissenter, I hated it. I guess Enzo had his crystal ball all polished & at the ready when he had that talk with Bonnie about sirens. Is it possible that he knew what was being kept in the Armory vault thanks to Alex? I don't remember what she knew, so maybe it was a breadcrumb moment. Other than that...yeah, it's contrived that he just happened to read her some Greek mythology, but maybe a lot of the stuff at the Armory is Greco-Roman and he was making an educated guess. So if the thing in the vault ended up being, for example, Scylla, he'd have made six gouges in the girl's corpse in a weird formation. I'm just spit-balling now. 1 Link to comment
J80134 October 26, 2016 Share October 26, 2016 10 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said: I know that this is a minor detail in the grand scheme of TVD, but how did Alaric finangle his way into taking over the armory? And how did he go from professor of the occult at Whitmore to Indiana Jones? Wasn't he a parapsychology grad student when he met Isobel at Duke? I feel like that wouldn't qualify him to excavate stuff at the armory. And where exactly is he a professor now? I can't remember where the armory is supposed to be either. There must have been a whole lot of compelling going on! Matt is probably head of the FBI this season. LOL 1 Link to comment
Couver October 27, 2016 Share October 27, 2016 On 10/26/2016 at 3:13 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said: I know that this is a minor detail in the grand scheme of TVD, but how did Alaric finangle his way into taking over the armory? And how did he go from professor of the occult at Whitmore to Indiana Jones? Wasn't he a parapsychology grad student when he met Isobel at Duke? I feel like that wouldn't qualify him to excavate stuff at the armory. And where exactly is he a professor now? I can't remember where the armory is supposed to be either. Was it the siren who made Virginia bite her own tongue off? If she can do that, does she really need Damon and Enzo to fetch her evil happy meals with legs? Yeah I wouldn't mind a few more details about how this happened being fleshed out. I mean we know the personnel at the Armory all met a grisly end so I guess the gang just took the site over. But I think the Armory is global so there have to be other units and someone has to be paying for all the new staff. I'm shocked they are fine with Alaric just taking over. 20 hours ago, DigitalCount said: Is it possible that he knew what was being kept in the Armory vault thanks to Alex? I don't remember what she knew, so maybe it was a breadcrumb moment. Other than that...yeah, it's contrived that he just happened to read her some Greek mythology, but maybe a lot of the stuff at the Armory is Greco-Roman and he was making an educated guess. So if the thing in the vault ended up being, for example, Scylla, he'd have made six gouges in the girl's corpse in a weird formation. I'm just spit-balling now. My impression was Enzo has been sneaking away and leaving her some of these clues. I think Bonnie just connected the dots based on their conversation about the siren. I don't think Enzo knew what it was when they had that discussion though. He knew after the fact and then laid the clues out for her to hopefully find. Link to comment
ByTor October 27, 2016 Share October 27, 2016 1 hour ago, Couver said: My impression was Enzo has been sneaking away and leaving her some of these clues. I think Bonnie just connected the dots based on their conversation about the siren. I don't think Enzo knew what it was when they had that discussion though. He knew after the fact and then laid the clues out for her to hopefully find. But wasn't it the vault that made you get overtaken by the sirens (and the conversation of course happened well before Enzo entered the vault, so there would be no reason for him to drop clues)? I don't know how someone just in the Armory would know about it...unless Virginia's sister told Enzo. But then why would he have some cryptic conversation with Bonnie about sirens instead of just telling her what was going on? Link to comment
roctavia October 28, 2016 Share October 28, 2016 I assumed it was just coincidence that they had been reading a story together about Sirens... I mean, it was years that they had to fall in love, so it's possible that they read a bunch of stories as part of their routine or something, and Bonnie is just remembering this particular one because it's relevant and Enzo is hoping she will get the clues... 1 Link to comment
Couver October 28, 2016 Share October 28, 2016 That's what I thought as well. Though you can make a case for both versions since the timeline they are working with seems off or at least confusing. Like when did Enzo meet with Virginia in the tape Caroline was viewing? Before or after falling under the siren's control? He and Bonnie talked to her a lot in the psych ward but I don't remember a scene where he saw her one on one through the glass partition. If he was pumping her for information it would have to have been before since after he'd already know what was in the vault. Link to comment
miss-vanilla October 28, 2016 Share October 28, 2016 I think I remember Enzo visiting Virginia and asking her exactly what was in the vault in the season 7 finale. Damon asks him what he learned and Enzo says something along the lines of "if I tell you, would it stop you from going in?". To which Damon replies "no". so I think he did know before he followed Damon into the vault...I guess he didn't get the chance to spill to anyone else before he did that. Bonenzo reading the Odyssey together was a happy coincidence that he is using to leave clues for her. I liked it tbh Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo October 29, 2016 Author Share October 29, 2016 On 10/26/2016 at 1:19 PM, J80134 said: There must have been a whole lot of compelling going on! Matt is probably head of the FBI this season. LOL Ha, at this point even that wouldn't surprise me (although I'm sure Damon would have a lot to say about that). I actually thought the blonde guy at the beginning of the episode was Matt so I was like dude, if Damon kills Matt then Elena is going to be super pissed when she finally wakes up! Link to comment
mccartygirl October 30, 2016 Share October 30, 2016 Okay, so I know he's not a favorite here but I've always liked Enzo...he can read anything to me anytime he wants! Finally getting caught up on VD. I liked this episode. Could care less about Caroline and Stefan. I still want her and Klaus together for ever. But I really liked this episode. Sick of the Dear Elena BS. Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo November 5, 2016 Author Share November 5, 2016 I'm convinced that Damon saying Fifty Shades of Grey is a good book is a sign that he's lying. I remember his disdain for Twilight back in S1! Link to comment
miss-vanilla November 7, 2016 Share November 7, 2016 True, his lack of interest and expressed boredom while reading the sequel was funny. Link to comment
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