The Vampire Diaries: Yellow Ledbetter Review
The Vampire Diaries should give Bonnie and Damon their own show and remember that Caroline is still on this one. Here is our review
If we learned nothing from tonight’s installment of The Vampire Diaries, we learned that Bonnie and Damon need their own spin-off show. For whatever reason, their time together wandering about the early ‘90s brought me as much joy as I had back in the good ol’ days of TVD, by which I mean, the Klaus-old days of TVD. But I’m aware the fans would never let Damon go, and I count myself among them. Seriously, it would be an actual bloodbath, and as he is an avid humanitarian, Ian Somerhalder would be upset to discover that his followers had succumbed to darkness in a bid to keep him on the show. So, while I ultimately understand why my dream can’t become reality, I will say this: If I have to watch Bonnie die and come back to life one more goddamn time I will be forced to write the good people at the CW and also Julie Plec a strongly worded note — and my syntax is hella tight, hella Plec!
I guess I should talk about the Alaric-induced amnesia that shook the ovary-having world watching the show today. After considerable (and appropriately moody) hemming and hawing, Elena Eternal Sunshined of The Spotless Mind her feelings and memories of Damon until they were no more. In fact, she remembers him now only as a monster who died. That is Stone Cold Steve Austin. To further rub salt into the wound, we were treated to the moment where Elena first realized she loved Damon. How much do you want to bet that the writers’ room just dimmed the lights, played Adele and sobbed for a time after figuring this storyline out? I know I did. Well, I didn’t, but only because they’ve continued to do such a deft job of making me unsure which couple I should be rooting for.
In fact, I’d go so far as saying that while the love story of the show is still essential, it’s no longer the be all and end all. Tonight gave me hope that the writers have realized what exciting potential they have in Caroline. Sure, she’s been used to great effect in other seasons, but in my humble estimation, never to the extent they should be using her. Think about all the storylines that they’ve fed her over the course of six seasons. They either fizzle to nothing or become secondary tools used to move the primary story forward. Tonight her complete freakout at Stefan felt, to me, well-overdue and far less about slaking the fan support for Steroline and much more about addressing the crowded feeling of the current Stefan-Enzo-Ivy storyline: There’s literally no room for Caroline anywhere and that’s ridiculous as she remains one of the most compelling (ay oh, TVD pun) characters the show has on offer.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that Ivy found her little neck snapped: Stefan and Caroline’s storyline needs tweaking. When the lurv triangle between Jeremy, Matt, and the new chick becomes a welcome respite after a Stefan scene, something definitely needs a little bit of reevaluating.
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Rebecca Jane Stokes is a freelance humorist who lives in Brooklyn, NY. She covers entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle. She is a contributing editor at XOJane.com.…