Season four got off to a shaky start. Turning your main character from human to vampire is a dangerous proposition, as it forever changes the fabric of the series. Somehow, it is even more treacherous than killing off a character. And the season opened with more overwrought teenage emotions and high school drama than I am comfortable with. On top of that, there were a lot of different plot threads that seemed in danger of going nowhere: the crazy preacher and his “suicide cult,” the hybrid massacre, and no obvious link between the two; the Silas story; the Shane story; the hunter story; the cure; the evil Elena story... it got a little chaotic. But the finale really brought it all together.
I love that The Vampire Diaries is never scared to kill off main characters. This season, there were two: Jeremy and Bonnie. I did not see Jeremy’s death coming, but his resurrection was no surprise. Bonnie’s death was far more surprising, and maybe because of how it was done. There was no big emotional scene - the emotion came from the quiet shock of Bonnie seeing her own body. I was very happy to see Alaric again, although I am a little unclear as to how he became a supernatural. Does dying with the Gilbert ring on and coming back to life make you supernatural by default?
There is a lot to look forward to with season five. This might be the wrong thing to look forward to, but I want to see how long it will be before the gang realizes that Bonnie is dead. I hope that it just plays out all season.
Clearly, Jeremy’s new lease on life is going to be problematic. Is he going to decay like a zombie? That is basically what he is. Would turning into a vampire “cure” his zombism, or is he destined to die again?
Will we get more clarity on the Silas situation? I am still a little unclear as to whether or not Stefan is actually his doppleganger, or if Silas is just borrowing another face. What exactly is Silas’ goal now? The ship has sailed on being with his love forever. What is a 2,000 year old vampire who has spent the last 1,980 years or so in a tomb going to do with himself? Work at Starbucks?
I will miss Klaus and Rebekah from The Vampire Diaries, though there are promises of crossovers with The Originals. But Klaus was such a wonderful villain, both sadistic and sympathetic. I don't know that Silas has what it takes to be the new Klaus.