Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon The Vampire Diaries - Never Let Me Go - Review

SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

The Vampire Diaries - Never Let Me Go - Review

Share on Reddit



I'm running late with my review, but loved this episode and am excited to discuss it!  Season 7 is, for the most part, very promising and enjoyable.  I have a few caveats, mainly related to the Heretics being underwhelming as big bads, and this season doesn't have the confidence getting off the ground that Season 6 had.  That's only natural after losing the leading lady and transitioning from one of the greatest villains the show ever had.  For every little hiccup, there's more than ample fun to be had with the fascinating flash-forwards to three years in the future, "Bamon" awesomeness, and Alaric's dark and ominous subplot.

Caroline's flash-forward: Wow, it was so exciting to see Caroline in her future career working in television and putting those type A skills to good use!  Not only was Caroline being fabulously sassy as always, but she also spilled some major gossip by mentioning that she's engaged...but clearly not to Stefan, whose name she never wants to hear again (!).  However, Stefan is calling her, and it sounds like her fiancé (who is it?!) wants her to return to Mystic Falls.  We have several mysteries surrounding Caroline's future and I cannot wait to find out all about it.

Lily versus Damon and Stefan: The painful, complicated, apparently doomed relationship between Lily and her biological sons continues to provide plenty of compelling scenes.  Since Damon killed Malcolm but refused to tell others about Bonnie's involvement in that deed (I love that he's protecting her), his glib one-liners only served to increase Lily's vengeful wrath.  After having her lackey Enzo (meh) kidnap Caroline, which required an entertainingly difficult rescue mission, Lily went so far as to steal Elena's body and use it as leverage to force Damon out of town.  In a chilling speech, Lily indicated that she was basically taking her sons' "toys" away from them to punish them for their misdeeds.  Even though she may not be one hundred percent evil, and even has some decent intentions from time to time, Lily is absolutely chilling in her obsessive behavior about her "family" and heartless treatment of Stefan and Damon.  To her, the people her sons love are just pawns on a chessboard after Damon killed the man she truly considered her "eldest son."

Alaric's quest: Having obtained the red gem, Ric is determined to use its powers to resurrect Jo, despite Bonnie's serious warnings that the gem is full of dark magic and ought to be destroyed immediately.  At the level of desperation Alaric has recently hit, there's just no way common sense hesitations (about potentially unleashing new terror on the community or bringing Jo back and having her be a scary zombie or something) were going to stop him.  Time will tell what the consequences will be of his decision to experiment with this new MacGuffin, and I'm impressed with the intensity of this storyline, finally giving Ric something serious to do in his role.

Enzo's confession: Enzo let Lily know that he's moving into la casa de Heretics not to be one of her children, but because he has a crush on her.  Um.  If you have to precede letting someone know your romantic intentions by first explaining that you have no desire to be their child, there's something about the burgeoning relationship which should give you pause.  Ew!

It's odd to have Enzo, who clearly has feelings for Caroline, agreeing to kidnap her and allow her to be tortured to please the other woman he has feelings for.  I don't know where this is going, but it continues to be true that Caroline and Enzo's interactions are the most interesting scenes Enzo has going for him, aside from his fleeting encounters with Damon (we did get one this week, which was a fun novelty).

Meanwhile, Lily's shy expression and flutter of interest after Enzo walked away was an interesting mix of strange, creepy, and kind of cute.  She's such an unpredictable character and so well acted that most of the Heretics pale in comparison when it comes to really being intimidating or scene-stealing in any way.

A little more about the Heretics: I maintain my original opinion that Valerie and Beau are the only two Heretics we've met so far that are intriguing.  Beau's mysterious muteness and imposing presence are obviously interesting, while Valerie has more complexity in her shady motives and allegiances than the whiny Nora and Mary Louise have about anything.  That said, the scenes between Caroline, Nora, and Mary Louise were pretty amusing.  Still, there's nothing startlingly frightening about any Heretics, and they seem like filler villains, especially coming off of Kai's reign of terror.  Much like Season 5 stumbled through using Silas and the Travelers to move on from Klaus being the main villain, Season 7 needs to establish a more real threat soon.  Perhaps in the form of the female archer we saw in the season premiere?  And/or, maybe it's something to do with Alaric's red gem?
Elsewhere in the episode: Bonnie continues to absolutely slay it.  The more screen time she gets, the more rich and rewarding this character becomes.  It's been delightful to watch Bonnie break out of her passive, masochist role and show her strength and feistiness.

Damon's trying to find a new purpose in his life without Elena, but aside from his friendship with Bonnie and brotherly bond with Stefan, he seems confused about what to even do with himself.  It will be fascinating to see how he continues to tackle this issue and why he eventually decides to return to his coffin to await Elena's return.

What did you think of this episode?  Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to catch an all-new The Vampire Diaries, 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
Recent Reviews (All Reviews)

Sign Up for the SpoilerTV Newsletter where we talk all things TV!

Recommendations

SpoilerTV Available Ad-Free!

Support SpoilerTV
SpoilerTV.com is now available ad-free to for all subscribers. Thank you for considering becoming a SpoilerTV premmium member!
Latest News