I have to say, this wasn't a bad episode. A season premiere has to accomplish a variety of tasks, so it's expected to go back and forth between what happened in the previous season and what will happen in the upcoming one. So it's not necessarily the best judge of the new season's potential. The show did do a pretty good job of keeping us up-to-date with everyone's current situations though: Elena is still grieving Damon and not handling it well. She's turned to "drugs" to cope, finding comfort in it's illusionary effects of her "dead" boyfriend. (Didn't really love this idea since it's a bit redundant. Saw it on Twilight, and was hoping TVD would've been more creative.) Seeing her act this way is both disappointing and understandable. Disappointing in the fact that she's been through a lot and should've learned better coping mechanisms. Understandable in that this person was the "love of her life" (makes you wonder what Stefan was. Sigh!) and it is hard for her to let him go. And after dealing with so much death, this was the one that finally broke her. So moving on wasn't something she thought she could do. It hurt too much. Her asking Alaric to compel "Damon" out of her memory is the impulsive, irrational behavior of a grieving person. I was hoping she wouldn't have taken this route, seeing how hurt she felt at Stefan's need for it, but she's unwilling to deal, and this to her, is the next best option.
I honestly hope the show doesn't go through with it. Cause they've indulged these characters too much over the years, giving them convenient excuses to circumvent tough decisions that have to be made ("turn it off" with Damon comes to mind). Elena HAS to deal with this herself. It's the only way she can grow. Alaric compelling her to forget isn't doing her any favors, and it's ruining the integrity of the show. It has to stop now!
Caroline is her usual chippy self. Still trying to find a way to reverse the effects of the spell, and is calling Stefan... a lot!
But would you expect anything different from her? This is who she is. Someone has to keep the torches burning--"fight the good fight" and Caroline is the perfect person for this. She'll succeed because she'll never stop trying. Gotta love her for that. Watching her and her mom having a beautiful picnic was really great to see. Giving their rocky relationship in the past, it nice to see them behave in such a mother-and-daughter way. They've both come a long way. Definitely one of the best scenes in the episode. I really liked it.
What can I say about Jeremy? The guy's had it rough. How many girlfriends is it now? I've lost count. He seems to be handling things in a very... um "manly way": Sex, booze and brooding. And oh yeah -- video games! Can't forget the video games.
But this is part of his grieving process, and it's preferential to the pain and hopelessness of losing yet another person he loves. Hopefully, he snaps out of it eventually, but for now it's totally understandable.
Matt does what Matt does best: try to stay productive despite the chaos around him. He makes the best of his circumstances and is doing so by joining the "protection" brigade. What it protects at the current moment is anyone's guess, but I'm sure its necessity would be more warranted as the season progresses. After all, it's inevitable the spell will be broken and the
vampires will need someone to feed on town will need someone to protect it, so why not "Tripp" and his merry men. Plus, Matt gets to learn some killer moves, so that's always a good thing. Hey, at least he has a story. lol
Stefan is an Auto Mechanic! Didn't see that coming! But it's clear he's trying to move on with his life, so why not a profession that allows him to do so. He's going through a lot at the moment and keeping things simple is what he needs. Of course it's kinda hard to do that if you're constantly being barraged by calls from your former life, but hey, that's what caller ID is for, right? Though I wished he would've at-least taken some of Caroline's calls cause she really cares about him and doesn't deserve to be ignored like that. Elena on the other hand... lol. Okay, she doesn't deserve that either. Probably.
I'm really glad Alaric is back. It was so good to see him. He brings a certain maturity to the show; a grounding force that was sadly lacking the last few seasons. But he has a dilemma in his hands at the moment: no, not his "game" (though he needs to get right on that pronto), but Elena's need for him to erase Damon from her memory. Will he do it, or will he not? That is the question. But there are complexities involved. By doing it, he eases her pain and enables her to move on, having some semblance of a life, devoid of the spiraling effects of her crippling depression. But at the same time he's also reinforcing the "easy way out" philosophy, which as a parental figure he shouldn't be teaching. Not to mention if Damon ever comes back, how royally pissed he would be if he knew what he did. So a few decisions have to be made, and none of them easy. I hope he does the right thing.
I'm glad Tyler is still on the show. Granted he hasn't had the best of storylines over the years, but this reset of his werewolf persona and his burgeoning relationship with Liv has the potential to create some interesting things for him. I don't see them as some sort of epic couple, but the sparks are there, and if handled correctly, their relationship might end up being the best one this season. I hope it happens, cause Liv (and to a lesser extend her brother) has yet to stir any emotion in me other than total indifference, so it would be nice to see her character expand a bit, and what better way than a relationship with Tyler.
Speaking of relationship? Say hello to the new couple -- Damon and Bonnie! (Too soon Delenas? Sorry about that. lol) But how cute were they in those scenes? Making pancakes, listening to 90's grunge music, flirting... what the hell!?!
I did not expect this, but I'm loving it so far. They seemed so happy and at peace. I would ask where they were, but who cares, they're having fun. Of course we all know it won't last forever, cause this is TVD, but for now I'm enjoying it. Nice job Grams!
This season certainly has a lot of potential. If handled correctly it could very well make up for the disappointment that was season five. Here's hoping it happens.