The Vampire Diaries 7×14 “Moonlight on the Bayou” REVIEW

Old Frenemies Reunite in the ‘Big Easy’ & The Armory Arrives

This week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries 7×14, “Moonlight on the Bayou,” marks the beginning of Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) journey to New Orleans in search of help against Rayna (Leslie-Anne Huff). Once learning of a bar where magic cannot be practiced he heads there and runs into his old friend, Klaus (Joseph Morgan). They two have a few drinks and do some catching up, but Klaus knows there’s something Stefan’s not telling him. Klaus notices some blood seeping through his shirt and instantly recognizes the huntress’ mark and all the trouble that comes along with it. He insists Stefan leave immediately to keep his town safe from Rayna’s wrath. While back In Mystic Falls with the help of Matt (Zach Roerig), Valerie (Elizabeth Blackmore) help Stefan by tracking Rayna’s location. Alaric (Matt Davis) stops by the hospital to tell Caroline (Candice King) he’s decided to leave for Dallas to keep the twins safe since the new huntress has her sights set on Stefan and the Heretics. Caroline offers to go along with him and help with the babies until they get settled in, so they all head for Dallas together. During a stop for dinner, Caroline calls to check in with Stefan and is quite surprised when Klaus answers Stefan’s phone that he forgot at the bar. After a short, yet sweet conversation between the two, Caroline asks Klaus to help Stefan and he reconsiders helping fight off Rayna. Out in the bayou, Klaus finds Stefan just in time to save him from the huntress’ sword and returning to the hell that is the Phoenix Stone.

Elsewhere, Enzo (Michael Malarkey) lures Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie (Kat Graham) to The Armory, which belongs to a mysterious society that houses a huge collection of mystical objects. There they discover Tyler (Michael Trevino) unconscious and imprisoned. Then suddenly Enzo turns on his friends and knocks them both out. Damon wakes to find himself trapped with Tyler and Bonnie discovers Enzo used some kind of mystical object to put her on a magic timeout. The situation quickly turns dire when they realized Damon is trapped with Tyler on the night of a full moon and without her magic, Bonnie resorts to brutal methods to help save her friend. She chops of Enzo’s hand to open the door to where Damon and Tyler are being held. Unfortunately, she opens the door as Tyler is transforming and he heads right for Bonnie. Damon fends him off from killing her but does knock her unconscious and unable to be healed as an effect of her magical timeout. He promises to heal her as soon as it wears off and also comes to the conclusion he needs to take himself out the equation so no one risks their life again to save his life. While back at The Armory, after the leader, Alex (Mouzam Makkar), returns from capturing Nora (Scarlett Byrne) and Mary Louise (Teressa Liane), she reveals to Enzo that The Amory is his birthright and she’s related to him. So much happened on this week’s episode, so let’s dive right in and start discussing!

Hello Again, Old Friend

Klaus may not have returned to Mystic Falls, but Stefan seeking refuge from badass vampire huntress, Rayna Cruz, in New Orleans definitely brings the maniacal Mikaelson back into the world of TVD. Both Paul Wesley and Joseph Morgan are great as Stefan Salvatore and Klaus Mikaelson and their chemistry is perfection. Viewers get the impression that no time has passed between the old pals turned frenemies and they haven’t been living in separate cities for the past three years. Stefan and Klaus pick right back up where they left off and sit down for a drink at Rousseau’s to catch up. The pair reuniting at a bar parallels their first meeting in 1920’s Chicago and has the audience feeling a little season three deja vu. We can’t help but be reminded of their impromptu trip to the Windy City and the times they’ve spent at Gloria’s Bar both in season three and the 1920’s. Much like their prior interactions, Klaus still conveys a hint of arrogance towards Stefan. Upon learning he’s been marked by Rayna, viewers see Klaus change his demeanor and disregard their friendship. Viewers see Klaus is pissed. His brows fury and voice raises in anger as he scolds Stefan for coming to his town marked by Rayna demanding that he leave immediately. While Stefan listens to his orders because he knows better than to get on Klaus’ bad side because he knows from experience it’s better to have Klaus as an ally than an enemy.

“It’s not a crime to love what you cannot explain.” - Klaus.

The phone call between Klaus and Caroline has many viewers crying fan service, the conversation comes about quite organically. We’ve all left our cell phone somewhere at one time or another. Damn if Klaus Mikaelson is screaming at you to get out the last thing anyone is going to be worrying about is a phone. Of course, Klaus cannot resist answering Stefan’s phone when seeing it’s Caroline calling. The audience sees Klaus do a complete 180. His eyes soften and he has a smile during their conversation. While Caroline also has a warm expression and even though they aren’t in the same room together, both of their expressions illustrates the residual feelings between the two. The phone conversation not only reminds us of their past but also allows for viewers to see Caroline’s influence on Klaus. Talking with Caroline brings out the compassionate side of Klaus because she changes his mind about Stefan and helping him against Rayna. Klaus’ appearance this week brings a new dynamic to the episode and adds so much to the audience’s experience. It’s so nice to Joseph Morgan back, even if it is only for one episode.

Enzo and The Armory

The Amory is a society and a place with mysterious mystical objects introduced this week Just when viewers think Enzo has abandoned his diabolical ways, we learn he teamed up with them and is the reason behind Rayna’s arrival to Mystic Falls. It’s an unexpected twist for viewers to discover he betrayed his friends again, but this time, to find his family. Since his introduction in season five, there’s been no mention of any of his family. Michael Malarkey does a wonderful job illustrating Enzo’s vulnerability and longing for a familial connection. After Damon, Bonnie and Tyler escape without sharing Stefan’s location so The Amory relay it to Rayna, Enzo’s disappoint is evident to the audience. His body language is tense and shoulders slumped in defeat that he put his friends in danger for nothing. There’s a sadness in his eyes and his expression annoyed. His voice raises in anger but has a somber tone to it as well. If Enzo’s betrayal isn’t surprising enough, viewers jaws hit the ground along with his when Alex reveals The Armory is Enzo’s birthright. His father being a founding member and she is related to Enzo. This poses a few serious predicaments for him now. Can he trust Alex? Or could he really turn over his best friend’s brother over to a ruthless huntress? And what does The Armory stand for and where does this mean for him? The Armory brings a whole new element to the game especially with the collection of mysterious mystical objects that come along with it and leaves so many unanswered questions. But it does kind of feels like The Strix and Cami’s dark objects from The Originals had a baby.

“Four months of helping you. Four months of learning your mission statements, helping you track this woman with fake postcards and lies, scouring the globe. Four months that brought me nothing. No family.” - Enzo.

A Depressing Revelation Leads to a Selfless Decision

Since he returned from his hellish time inside the Phoenix Stone, Damon has been going down this downward spiral. He hallucinated burning Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) coffin. Joined Julian’s (Todd Lasance) vampire fight club. Slept with the enemy, Rayna. Even when Damon tries to redeem himself, he ends up putting his life in danger and Stefan has to save him. It’s because of that Stefan is marked by Rayna and why he’s being hunted by the ruthless huntress. Again this week Damon attempts to make things right with his brother and find a way to save him from Rayna. And once again, he finds himself in a life or death situation trapped with a Tyler on the night of a full moon. This time, it’s Bonnie, who ends up putting her life on the line to save him and Damon’s unable to heal her with vampire blood because of the magical timeout Enzo put on her.

”You’re not supposed to die for me Bon. Neither is my brother. But no matter what I say or how hard I try and drill it into your skulls, you’re not going to stop trying. Which is why I have to take myself out of the equation.” - Damon.

While he sits at Bonnie’s bedside in her hospital room as she lays unconscious, Damon realizes he seems to be the reason why his family and friends put themselves in unnecessary harms way to save him. In this scene, Ian Somerhalder is wonderful illustrating the sadness and guilt Damon is feeling as he talks to Bonnie. His facial expression appears apologetic and his eyes are sad and shows viewers it pains him to see his best friend in this condition knowing because she chose to save his life. Damon’s body language shows the audience how much he cares about Bonnie and her well-being. He leans in as he talks to her and even holds her hand, which reinforces how much their friendship means to him. It says a lot that Damon cares about her life because let’s not forget her life is tied to Elena’s and if Bonnie dies, Damon gets Elena back. But he also knows how pissed Elena would be if Bonnie or any of their friends died as an indirect consequence of his action. That’s why he decides to protect them and put himself in a coffin until Elena wakes. Hopefully, he doesn’t go through with it or there’s an upcoming time jump, because can we imagine a world without Damon Salvatore even temporarily?

FINAL VERDICT:

The first part of the special TVD / The Originals crossover focuses on Stefan’s visit to New Orleans and his reunion with Klaus as well as the introduction of The Armory and Alaric’s big move to Dallas with both Caroline and the babies. Episode writers, Caroline Dries and Brett Matthews, penned an episode that captures the audience’s attention while introducing a mysterious new society as well as sparking a feeling of nostalgia by reuniting Stefan and Klaus. The writers do a wonderful job tying Stefan’s storyline together, so the crossover happens organically and does not feel forced. Dries and Matthews make a great choice reuniting Stefan and Klaus. The two have a great dynamic together and is a delight for viewers to see together again on screen. Joseph Morgan and Paul Wesley work fantastically together feeding off of each other so well that it bring so much more to the episode. While Klaus didn’t physically reunite with Caroline, Dries and Matthews did uniquely reunite them over the phone. Again they do so in a way that happens naturally and makes Klaroline shippers everywhere rejoice Joseph Morgan and Candice King do a great job illustrating Klaus and Caroline’s feeling with facial expressions. Episode director, Jeffrey Hunt, makes great use of camera angles to focus on their expressions during their conversation. He alternates close up shots of both of them to capture what they are each feeling and enhances the emotion of the scene.

Hunt does a wonderful job enhancing the emotion of the scene when Damon sits at Bonnie’s bedside in her hospital room. Ian Somerhalder does a good job as Damon and illustrates his sadness and guilt in the scene. With the use of varying camera angles, Hunt captures Damon’s raw emotion. At times, he makes viewers feel as if we are the ones lying in the hospital bed as Damon pours his heart out, but also makes sure to infuse shots of Bonnie as she lays unconscious so we remember why Damon is feeling so bad. Hunt incorporates a close up shot of Damon’s hand as he holds Bonnie’s to illustrate the love between them. While music supervisor, Chris Mollere, adding ‘Lost at Sea’ by Dave Thomas Junior really gets viewers’ feels going. The song also plays during a sweet exchange between Caroline and Alaric after getting the babies to sleep. The kind words from Alaric that Caroline can stay with him and the babies in Dallas as long as she wants along with the soft glow in the background Hunt adds creates a romantic ambiance. Coupled with his exceptional use of camera angles definitely leaves some shipping Calaric.

Writers, Dries and Matthews, cleverly surprise viewers revealing Enzo’s unexpected betrayal of his friends and his familial connection to The Armory. It is shocking plot twist from the writers that Rayna’s arrival to Mystic Falls is because of his doing and part of a deal he made with them. Enzo’s connection to The Armory opens up a whole new line of questions about his past and his family especially his father. Many are left wondering if they are why his father abandoned him. Suppose only time will tell as to how the arrival of The Armory effects on Mystic Falls and its supernatural inhabitants. There’ll surely be a lot to discuss next week!

Questions, Comments & Concerns:

• Bonnie is badass this week! Her going all Annie Wilkes on Enzo and chops off his hand ‘Misery’ style so she can open the door and let Damon out before Tyler’s transition.
• What the hell would cause The Armory to be team Rayna and what do they get from her in return?? Or maybe Rayna is a part of The Armory too…
• Cannot wait to get more backstory on The Armory and what they are all about as well as information on the vast collection of mysterious mystical objects they’ve collected.
• Nora’s ring pop proposal to Mary Louise is adorable, but I must admit I was digging the chemistry between Nora and Bonnie.
• Valerie is becoming a solid friend to everyone, especially Stefan for obvious reasons and she definitely growing on me.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 7×15 airs FRIDAY, MARCH 4 at 8|7c. on The CW