The Vampire Diaries - Woke up with a Monster - Review

And we're back!  Season 6B kicked off with Kai kidnapping and torturing a resiliently feisty Elena while Damon rushed to the rescue.  Meanwhile, Jo, Liv, and Luke continued to grapple with pre-merge drama and Caroline made a deceptive discovery in her attempt to save her mom's life.  Enzo continued his vendetta against Stefan in a more subtle vein (not that that's saying much) and we met the real Sarah Salvatore as well.  Overall, an action-packed episode with some strange and intriguing developments - let's discuss!

"I've never felt more alive."  Kai decided to work on controlling his overwhelming new magic by attacking Elena in all kinds of ways and letting loose a stream of often twistedly hilarious one-liners (the opening scene with the poor owner of the Mystic Grill cloaked on the table was especially generous in its Kai humor).  But once transferred to Mystic Falls High, Elena was able to break free long enough to call Damon, who headed on over with Jo (who's struggling with regaining her magical skills) and hunter Jeremy in tow.  Jo had to work incredibly hard to maintain the cloaking spell necessary to facilitate their escape, and eventually Kai got the upper hand, even pulling an especially wicked trick by fooling Damon into staking him..only to reveal that it was actually Elena that Damon attacked.  Unfortunately for Kai, though, Team Damon had the ultimate element of surprise in store: the ever-unpredictable twist of Jeremy actually doing something useful.  Now the gang have Kai subdued, but how long can that last?

As Damon tended to Elena's wounds, the pair shared a scene that left me with mixed feelings about the writing.  Elena pretended to have a shard of wood still lodged in her heart and choked out that if Damon needed to tell her anything, now was the time, sending him into a frenzy of worry.  But as it turned out, Elena was...just kidding.  That seemed like a really bizarre and mean "joke," but on the other hand, the interaction between them that followed was so adorable and sweet that it made up for it.  Ian Somerhalder did an especially terrific job with Damon's shocked relief and warm affection towards Elena here, and it's great to see this couple being drawn ever closer back together. However, as Damon pointed out later in the episode, "Oooh, you know I don't know. Every time we try and go on a date you get kidnapped, I get sent to a prison world, or your feelings get compelled away," so let's hope that Elena can keep her promise for that dinner date.

Caroline and Liz had some difficult scenes this week, with Caroline's panic at the prospect of losing her mother combining with Liz's quiet bravery in a heartbreaking way.  I'm glad that Stefan went with Caroline on her trip to consult with the specialist at Duke, which also gave him a chance to check on Real Sarah (and lead Enzo right to her...wow, no one saw that coming).  However, I wish Stefan could have kept closer by Caroline and perhaps advised her to stick around and keep an eye on that cancer patient she fed her blood to for a longer time before deciding that he was definitively cured.  The desperation Caroline felt to grasp a solution to Liz's illness was such that it caused her to cling to this fragile chance too eagerly.  As we might have suspected, it's not that easy to cure cancer, or it would be more widely known in the vampire community.  So Caroline's test patient was back at the hospital in dire condition, suggesting that his demise has only been expedited...leading to what - outright death or vampirism?  In any case, it was hard not to yell at Caroline to stop when she was handing Liz that teacup. 

Caroline and Stefan had a really lovely scene this week, with her thanking him for his support and his clear reminder that he'll always provide it, implicit with a particularly profound hand-holding moment.  Sure, it looked like he intended to kiss her for a moment there, but the hand-holding turned out to be very poignant and perfect for the moment.  

It was quietly nice to see some of the other characters showing their affection and support for Liz in this episode, from Damon to Stefan, and even Matt (though he wasted some of the time whining about how Mystic Falls is full of supernatural danger...wow, really?  Since when, Matty?!).  Liz's situation bodes very badly, and it will be sad to see how her possible death will effect those who care for her.

"The best revenge is patient, cultivated. Nobody sees it coming until it's too late."  Does anyone else get the feeling that Enzo is simply expressing the writer's inclination to procrastinate until they finally think of something interesting to do with his character this season?  It's a sad state of affairs when a sparky, formerly entertaining character like Enzo is given nothing to do except follow Stefan around making vague threats.  I am, however, looking forward to seeing where the storyline between Enzo and Sarah will go, and whether he may hesitate on doing her harm once he gets to know her.  After being inundated with reminders of Enzo's bad qualities, it would be truly nice to see that little glimmer of his potential for good once again.

Elsewhere in the episode...Liv told Luke that she's figured out he is stronger than her and will likely defeat her if they merge.  Her palpable fear for her own life was enough to give Luke pause in his plan to head home to dear old dad, but can they truly avoid the merge?  

Late in the episode, Damon and Alaric shared what might have been their most adorable bromance moment so far this season.  I loved their agreement on the delights of being with a woman who does crazy things, and seeing Damon and Alaric bond over a drink again instead of fighting was a big relief.  Despite Jo's hard work to strengthen her magic, it does seem like she's ill-equipped to face Kai, though I'd love to see her come out on top.   Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is great at showing Jo's bravery, vulnerability, and slight wackiness, and she's a charming character overall.

The biggest missing piece in this episode was definitely Bonnie.  We need her back in Mystic Falls stat, not least of all because she's the badass who could be the defining opponent to help take down Kai.  

What did you think of this episode?  Share your thoughts in the comments!  And don't forget to catch an all-new The Vampire Diaries next Thursday at 8/7c on the CW.

About the Author - Virginia Mae Fontana

Virginia is happy to be reviewing The Vampire Diaries and Beauty and the Beast for Spoiler TV. She enjoys obsessing over films and pop music - in addition to tv shows, of course! You can find her blog, SugarRushed, at http://virginiamaeblog.blogspot.com/ and her Twitter handle is @VMaeFontana

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