The Vampire Diaries - S6E3 - Welcome to Paradise
Previously on The Vampires Diaries, ‘Yellow Ledbetter’
This episode was slower paced and a little lackluster until around the last 10 minutes. I wasn’t a huge fan of the swimming hole party plot but without the elaborate calendar of events that Mystic Falls always had, I guess this was the next best way to get the whole gang together. I’m particularly grateful for the 90’s storyline this week so let’s start there.
Are you saying I sleep-crossword?
Damon & Bonnie are shopping for what I can only assume is pancake ingredients, as they discuss whether or not they are alone. Their banter is especially sharp this week but I wish they would just shut up and make out already! While Ace of Base’s “The Sign” plays in the background the odd couple get a sign of their own when Bonnie notices that an entire shelf of pork rinds, which have been there during every other shopping trip, are now gone. Way to take inventory on the most bizarre product, Bonnie!
Just then, they hear the sound of carousel music from outside and follow it to investigate. Upon further examination, Damon decides that it must be some faulty wiring with the machine and that Bonnie is being far too optimistic about their situation. Nevertheless, she’s convinced that her Grams is responsible for putting them there and that they still have a chance of getting out. In the parking lot, more witty banter ensues when, lo and behold, they find Damon’s car.
When he hops behind that wheel it’s as if he’s a little boy playing with toy cars and it’s adorable! Vroom vroom, indeed Damon! Bonnie is somewhat successful inspiring hope in him when he concedes that yes, their mystery someone could definitely have brought his car there. Bonnie is pretty pleased with herself, when she notices some movement a couple of cars over. Unfortunately, it turns out it was just a tarp blowing in the wind and it would seem that the carousel is on a timer because here comes that music again. Damon loses it. Bonnie suggests, rather forcefully, that he might as well take his daylight ring off because if they truly are lost then what’s the point of sticking around? I hoped this would turn into an angry hookup scene… sigh.
Who’s the useless one now?
Damon heads back into the supermarket for some bourbon (of course) and we finally meet the mystery someone: Kai! Apparently he’s been following Damon & Bonnie around and knows their routine: pancakes, 90’s jams, banter, bicker, make peace & repeat. He’s also no stranger to vampires; he’s laced every bottle of alcohol with Vervain. Before realizing this fact, Damon has a swig and also has several bottles smashed onto his face and body. Damon falls to the ground in a paralytic state while his face bubbles & burns. Kai improvises a stake from some patio furniture but before he can do anything fatal, Bonnie shows up and it looks like she’s got her groove back! She tells Damon to run and surrounds Kai with a fire spell allowing Damon to circle back and knock him out.
Back at the Salvatore house they’ve got Kai tied up and begin poking him for answers. He claims that the attack at the supermarket was all a plan to help fuel the need for Bonnie’s magic to return and that she has been correct all along in thinking that her magic is the key to getting home.
“Happy problem-ignoring zombie-life”
Elena is on a mission to get the gang all together for a party on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. Am I alone in thinking it’s creepy how happy she is now that her memories are all distorted? It just feels wrong. Anyways, she’s already got Matt, Tyler and Jeremy on board and even though she can’t convince Caroline to move back into the dorm, she does persuade her to come to the party and to bring Enzo with her. Liam a.k.a “cute brag” (wtf, eye roll, barf) is also on her list and she’s planning to introduce him to Caroline.
Stefan, who compelled his way into some vacation days, surprises Elena at Whitmore and they sit down for a long overdue chat. She doesn’t know that Enzo killed Ivy and he doesn’t seem to know that she’s had her memory swiped. Stefan is reluctant to accept Elena’s invite to the swimming hole but once he discovers that Enzo is on the guest list, he’s all in.
Meanwhile we see Tripp washing a red liquid out of his van. We know it’s blood but somehow he convinces Matt that it’s red mulch stains. Matt should be smarter than this. All this time around supernatural activity & the knowledge that Tripp is a founding family member…good grief Matt! He’s given the afternoon off for the party but Tripp tells him to bring Jay, a fellow squad member along with him.
After Elena shows off some Tarzan-style rope jumping she notices Jeremy getting comfortable with Sarah and promptly interrupts. She scolds her brother for bringing her there despite the danger it could pose for them. But Jeremy’s all like, hey she looks good in a bikini so problem solved! Ugh, Jeremy, your character is so pointless right now.
Does vampire hair dry quicker than human hair? Wasn’t Elena just in the water lecturing Jeremy? Who brings a hair dryer to a swimming hole party?
Elena wishes that her and the gang could pretend just for a few minutes that they’re not all growing apart and insists on doing some Jell-O shots. Tyler turns down the offer stating that he’s trying to keep his anger in check and Matt tells them he’s the designated driver. Caroline takes part but not before blurting out to Elena that they can’t just pretend, that they have to face their problems head on. This clearly has some deeper meaning and the guys take that as their cue to exit. Caroline apologizes and says she’s just lonely. Elena reminds her that she’s still around and offers her another shot, only to find that Caroline has silently stormed off. Yikes!
In the most predictable scene of the night, Liam kisses Elena and she likes it. He says something about knowing what her type is. Who the hell is this kid and what does he know? Whatever.
Good news, I thwarted a vampire hunter!
Stefan locates Enzo in the woods and in an attempt to kill him, rips a bag of ice Enzo was holding. “That was Caroline’s ice!” I love Enzo’s one-liners! He retaliates but misses Stefan and kills Jay instead, who had come to the party equipped with vampire-hunting tools. Stefan takes Jay’s weapon to shoot Enzo but it’s Caroline to the rescue as she steps into the crossfire. Stefan backs off but not before forcing Enzo to reveal to Caroline that he killed Ivy.
Matt finds out his squad buddy was a vampire hunter. Liv reveals to Tyler that it’s easier for her when he’s an angry jerk because then she won’t fall for him. Caroline wears her heart on her sleeve with Stefan in her best effort to make him stay but he’s just not that into her. Stefan needs to take his broody ass out of Virginia.
Here’s where the episode finally pays off and coincidentally, where Jeremy starts to be useful again. Earlier on in the party, Caroline compelled a girl to go get ice. When she returns empty-handed Jeremy notices and asks why. The woman says that halfway there, around the exit to Mystic Falls, she realized how mean that bitch Caroline was being and turned around. Jeremy realizes that the compulsion must not have been able to continue working once the woman crossed the border, therefore Sarah must know what happened with Elena. Jeremy rushes off to question her but finds that the Salvatore house has been ransacked and Sarah has vanished.
Poor Enzo, karma is a bitch for him this episode. Tripp stabs him with a needle full of Vervain and Stefan stakes him, twice. It’s unclear as to whether or not he’s dead though but my money’s on not, since Tripp mentioned he has a special way he likes them to die. Creep.
Final Thoughts
- Will the fact that compulsion can be undone once someone steps into Mystic Falls come into play somehow with Elena and her memories?
- Does the Tyler & Liv relationship seem awkward to anyone else or do I just really dislike those characters? Besides the fact that we could call them ‘LivTyler’ if they get together, I’m already over it.
- Caroline admits to Elena that she DID have feelings for Stefan but something tells me that she really meant to say she DOES have feelings for him.
- What is Sarah’s family history and how much does she know about the supernatural? We learned that her mother is dead but that she spent a lot of time in Mystic Falls before Sarah was born. Also, if the compulsion wore off, that means Sarah’s been playing dumb this whole time. Either that, or she wasn’t compelled in the first place. Could she be taking Vervain?
- Though I felt that this week’s episode was mostly filler, a quick stop on the way from A to B, I must admit that I’m appreciating the change in scenery that this season has offered thus far. We’re used to seeing the main room of the Salvatore house but Bonnie & Damon have spent most of their time there in the kitchen. Unless it’s the Lockwood mansion, we barely see Mystic Falls. Whitmore College isn’t new but it’s much less familiar than Mystic Falls High or The Grill. I for one am hoping that the Traveller’s spell stays intact for a little while longer so we can continue to see the gang on new terrains.
