The Vampire Diaries - Yellow Ledbetter - Review

Last week's season premiere was strong, but this episode was even better, building multiple plotlines into a combination of heartbreaking, hilarious, fascinating, and scary developments and possibilities that are establishing some awesome directions for season 6 to go in.

"I definitely blew that up about an hour ago."  After last week's tantalizing cliffhanger, we were finally clued in as to Bonnie and Damon's predicament.  Namely, the pair are stranded on May 10, 1994 in an abandoned Mystic Falls.  Bonnie theorized that this must have something to do with Grams' promise to get her granddaughter to a peaceful place in the afterlife, and that by joining hands with Damon, Bonnie brought him with her.  But if they are on the Other Side, why can't they see the living?  If they are in the world of the living, in 1994, why is it empty of other people?  As a child of the 90's, this is a very exciting plotline to me, because aside from the finely wrought mystery of it all, we get plenty of delightful pop cultural references.  Damon's pancake-flipping, "Whatta Man" dancing interlude was outstanding, as was Bonnie's plaid-on-tie-dye outfit.  I love that she retrieved not only her family's grimoire, but also her long lost teddy bear, combining common sense with adorable nostalgia.  

The repartee between Damon and Bonnie was exceedingly entertaining and snappy as they tried to understand not only why they are when they are, but also how to survive being each other's only company while they find a solution.  So far, they seem reluctantly bonded by the crazy conundrum in which they're entrapped, finding some solace in domestic comforts such as shared meals.  But who finished that pesky crossword puzzle and filled in "Yellow Ledbetter," solving the question Bonnie couldn't answer?  Someone else is lurking in la casa Salvatore 1994, and I cannot wait to find out who it is.

That magic moment.  After agreeing to help Elena erase all memories of loving Damon, Alaric explained that in order to do so, he would have to slowly assess and erase each memory until they figured out exactly the moment when Elena fell in love with Damon.  Only by wiping that specific memory could Elena's love for Damon be forgotten.  This led to several swoon-worthy Delena flashback sequences that played out like an incredibly well-done Youtube montage.  After we found out that Elena didn't first fall for Damon when she originally met him, when they danced at the founder's ball, or either of the times they kissed while she was semi-broken-up with Stefan, or when they first got together after she became a vampire, my curiosity was definitely piqued as to what the big reveal would be.  

I was thinking that perhaps it was that time in Season 2 when Damon told Elena he loved her and then compelled her to forget, a favorite scene of mine.  But nah.  As it turned out, Elena first loved Damon when he gave her back her necklace at the beginning of season 3, even though it represented her hope to be with Stefan.  I'd never considered this lovely scene as such a huge turning point, but it was a nice choice explained in a very poignant sequence with Alaric guiding Elena to her admission of the truth.  In as much as I wish Alaric wouldn't be quite so quick to do whatever Elena asks of him, he was wonderfully kind and wise as he helped Elena through the painful process she'd requested.

However, of course it was Caroline who noted that it will be quite awkward if Damon comes back and Elena has no memory of loving him.  And also Caroline who rightfully observed Elena's hesitance to admit that she fell for Damon while still in a relationship with Stefan (I adored Elena's reference to Katherine's quote from years ago, "it's okay to love them both." It took Elena a long time to finally admit that Katherine had understood her back then).  Typically insightful Caroline behavior, and of course it stands to reason that Damon will return while Elena's memory wipe is still in effect.  Will Alaric really be able to put the memories back?  Thinking Damon's a monster, will Elena let him?  Urgh.  Sometimes Elena has so little foresight, it's like she's never even watched her own show and learned to predict future plot developments.

"Brothers don't give up."  While Stefan reacts to Damon's demise by trying to awkwardly force himself to move on, the ever-charismatic Enzo's taken a different approach, tracking down every possible lead to find a way to get his friend back.  And even though the lead about that specific coven turned out to be one Stefan had previously identified as a dead end, when it comes to Enzo and Caroline teaming up, I'm optimistic that they very well may find a solution.  Will Stefan change his mind and help them on this mission?  Given Enzo's behavior in this episode, that might be even harder than we had previously anticipated.

Caroline was hurt and angry at Stefan's choices, his abandoning the search for answers on Damon and Bonnie, his isolated new life (well, almost isolated, and she didn't look too thrilled about Ivy either), and especially his refusal to listen to her many voicemails.  This, of course, led to her insta-classic quip, "let me summarize them for you.  You're a dick."  Amazing.

While Caroline was mad and sad, Enzo was aggressively annoyed and impatient, first stabbing Stefan's hand at dinner and later charging back inside to snap Ivy's neck (ack!) and vowing to make Stefan's life miserable every time he tries to start anew.  Interestingly, it was Caroline's tears that made Enzo especially furious about Stefan's inaction.  Stefan's sure to be vengeful after what Enzo did to Ivy, but is that really the end of Stefan's new gal pal?  Hmm.

It's not a secret handshake.  After admitting to Matt that he's a member of Mystic Falls founding family the Fells, Tripp revealed to us viewers that he is also in the habit of imprisoning vampires in the back of his vehicle and driving them into town to horrifically incinerate upon arrival.  So Tripp clearly is more than cognizant of the Founders' most important secrets, and apparently shares their proactive attitude towards vampire eradication.  Tripp obviously also has a bigger agenda than protecting Mystic Falls with his little civilian security squad...but what is his endgame?

Speaking of shady behavior, how about the new girl in town Sarah, who went from Elena's roadside snack to Jeremy's friend with benefits?  She has no problem admitting that she's a car thief, but what else is she up to, and who is her father, the man she believes lives in Mystic Falls? Is Sarah the long lost sister of one of our preexisting TVD characters?  So far, signs seem to point to yes.

What did you think of this episode, and what are your theories on all of these intriguing mysteries?  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, Beauty and the Beast, and Witches of East End 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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