‘The Vampire Diaries’ season 5 finale review: Damon, Alaric, death, and resurrection
The season 5 finale for “The Vampire Diaries” Thursday night certainly brought the surprises, and it also saw enough traveling from one world to another to make us think that we were stuck in the world’s weirdest game of musical chairs to date.
For a sizable chunk of the episode, we Liv doing various incantations while Bonnie struggled to bring everyone back from the other side. This did make for some great opportunities to get some familiar faces involved with the show again, including Alaric (Matt Davis) after some considerable time away.
The first significant twist of this episode came when it was Damon, after driving into the Mystic Grill with Elena to head over to the other side, who was not able to find his way back. Does this mean that Ian Somerhalder’s character is gone? We’ll ultimately believe that when we see it. He is so popular that we have an impossible time imagining the show without him. But in what felt like his farewell speech, Damon told Elena that he “peaked,” and nothing in life would ever be better with what he had with the woman that he loved, and going out in some ways a hero. This was heartbreaking on the same scale of what we saw with Alaric seasons ago.
This was an exceptionally hard episode for Stefan, who had to come terms with the fact that he was back, but his brother was gone and the other person he had known for so long in Lexie did not return.
In the very end, Bonnie seemingly joined Damon in what was another super-sad moment, as the two stood together and watched the other side crumble. People returning, people who were loved … but so were people lost. The cutoff and the white light at the end helped to put a pin on a stunning, incredible hour of TV. Grade: A-.
What did you think about tonight’s “Vampire Diaries” finale, and some of its many surprises within? Share below, and click here to see some of what we feel could happen on the show next season. For more good stuff certainly worth sinking your fangs into, we suggest signing up now for our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: The CW
WinterIsComing
May 16, 2014 @ 6:20 am
I am going to have to be B-R-U-T-A-L-LY honest. This episode was mind-numbingly horrible! It.Just. Sucked.WTF?
I will say, as a mid-season finally, sure, it had the right ingredients; a little sadness, tears here and there, angry moments and a good cliff hanger to get you through winter break. But as a SEASON finally. . . what a load of crap. Which is weird, because TVD has an UH-mazing track record at pulling and saving the entire season with just a single episode. Sorta like what happened to the original this season. A hail marry if you will. So, I go back to my WTF happened this entire… hell this season for that bloody matter!
I was expecting SO much more, from both. The only saving grace of this “are elena and Damon dating” overdone plot scheme, were Caroline and Stefan’s friendship and mr.sexy-british-pants Enzo accent,oh, i meant humor. Other than that, zip nada, oh yeah so old dude with some great big bad plan came over to kill them. Remind you of any others? *hint hint* Katherine, elijah, Klaus, Silas, and now marcus….See the correlation… I know, changing the names throws you off, but once you start seeing the same plot pattern about three times, you start catching on… too smart for you TVD!
However, I will give them this, Damon, who has shown zero character development this season, all of the sudden pulls a 180 and boom, wears his hero hair! For Damon, that has such a small circle of people he genuinely cares about (Steffan and Elena) to pull the sacrificial lamb, and safe not only his brother but a bunch of other people who hasn’t given a rats ass for like pretty much never, is pretty damn surprising. That and… uh, nope thats it. That’s about the only good thing this episode had. Ouch…
Just as predictable as the fact that Lexie was never going to cross over to the “real world” the same goes to answering whether or not Damon and bonnie are going to come back (seriously, can this girl die already!). They are. Some ridiculous and far fetched plan is going to bring them back to life. Put away the tissues and fix your mascara (mine is completely intact, even after this episode) Damon Salvatore and those beautiful green eyes are here to stay.
PS is it bad that I really don’t even care how he comes back? Some witchy thing.
shapeshifter
May 16, 2014 @ 2:09 am
I I hope Damon comes back to this woman and his brother I hope this show goes on I love any thing have to do with Vampires. and this show is the bast show that came on and I in joy it a lot.Hate to see it go off.
Conor
May 16, 2014 @ 2:04 am
It was so predictable! I mean everyone knew Damon would sacrifice himself for Stefan and get the short end of the stick!
Hannah
May 16, 2014 @ 2:03 am
I need answers like right now about Damon otherwise im going to cry myself to sleep
Anne
May 16, 2014 @ 1:55 am
does anyone know if damon is going to be in season 6? there is no vampire diaries without him D:
Matt Carter
May 16, 2014 @ 4:28 am
We’ll probably hear more on it the next few days, at least in terms of possibilities.
Crystal
May 16, 2014 @ 1:42 am
He will come back guys cuz the show is about him,elena and stefan.So yes he will come back.Ian somerhalder sign for a season 6 and the ways plec and dries talk about the Delena recently by saying that those two were definitely not over proove that Damon will be back.I know that stelena fans will be glad but they have to calm they joys cuz elena will not go back to stefan not the way she love Damon now and for the fact that stefan next season will have a thing with blondie aka Caroline.Like in the book Damon dies but Came back.Yeah he will maybe came back has a human for starting but will came back a vampire somewhere in the season 6.So fans of stelena hide your smile and your cheerful youpi cuz Damon Salvatore will be back and delena fan stop the crying cuz he will return and by that i mean return to his one love Elena.So for the next season it will be Delena and Steroline.
Krystal
May 16, 2014 @ 1:28 am
i just cant. it was the saddest thing ever. i cried like baby and just couldnt stop. when damon finally found his happiness? why take it from him? i hope he comes back! it wont be the same without him!!!
Crystal
May 16, 2014 @ 1:51 am
He will come back Krystal don’t worry vampire diaries is nothing without our badass vampire.And in season 6 he will be finally happy when he came back he will have by his side his girls,his brother and he’s drinking buddy so yeah he will definitely be happy :)
Rosemary
May 16, 2014 @ 1:17 am
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I bawled my eyes out. Why Damon? He has to come back, or the show will lose all it’s viewers. Right? I mean he’s the star of the show. Vampire diaries doesn’t exist without him.
Crystal
May 16, 2014 @ 1:48 am
You’re right rosemary vampire diaries doesn’t exist without him and the producer know that but they wanted to give us something to scream,cry and be angry at cuz they know by doing that the fans will remains to see what will happen to him and bonnie.And they are right cuz know all I want to see it’s the next episode but sadly we have to wait until october.Keep hoping our favorite vampire will be back next season :'(