The Vampire Diaries 8×04 “An Eternity of Misery” REVIEW

The Tale of the Siren Sisters 

On this week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries 8×04, “An Eternity of Misery,” viewers learn the mythology of sirens and are reunited with an old familiar face. Beginning with a flashback to 750 B.C., two young girls lay by the fire. One tells the story of Arcadius (Wolé Parks), a man stoned and burned for having psychic powers. In present day, Sybil (Nathalie Kelley) remains trapped inside the Armory.  Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Ric (Matt Davis) are determined to get answers from Sybil armed with the special tuning fork. Specifically, what she wants with Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and how can he be saved. She tells a story of a young girl from a Mediterranean village exiled to live on an island because she possesses psychic abilities. There, lived another young girl just like her. There are two sirens!

Elsewhere, Georgie (Allison Scagliotti) breaks into Ric’s house looking for the old journal but is caught in the act by nanny, Seline (Kristen Gutoskie). She calls Ric to let him know what Georgie’s up to. But then Georgie shows up at the Armory and locks Ric inside the vault. Meanwhile, Stefan learns more about Sybil’s past, which includes how she and the other young girl survived on the island. Singing as loud as they could, they lured boats to shore but doomed to crash into the rocks. No provisions washed to shore. One sister wanted to live off the land. The other sister tricked her to believe she was surviving off the land. Instead, she was consuming sailors. Sybil asks Stefan which sister he is.

Georgie interrupts and knocks out Stefan allowing Sybil inside his head. She takes them to the island and continues her story because her boss has other plans for him. Stefan sees as the good sister discovers what her sister has done and realizes Sybil is the good sister. He also finds out Seline is her sister, but Sybil erases that from his ,memory. When Stefan wakes he still has no clue whose the other siren. Again Sybil asks him which girl he is and Stefan admits he’s both. Sybil finishes her story, confessing she threw herself off the cliffs. Her sister made a deal with Cade for their lives. As long as they feed on flesh, they’ll have immortality, beauty, and youth while Cade collects the souls of the wicked. According to Sybil, Cade is the way to save Damon.

In the meantime, Damon is on the hunt for some sort of family heirloom for Sybil. He finds himself looking for Peter Maxwell (Joel Gretsch). Damon gets angry when Pete can’t help him, so he attacks him and almost kills him. But Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) shows up just in time to save his FATHER! He shoots Damon, convinces Pete to drink Damon’s blood to survive and he’ll explain later. Matt sends his dad to wait in the truck so he can figure out what’s going on when Damon wakes. Damon admits his humanity is off and tells Matt if he doesn’t help him find the heirloom, Tyler (Michael Trevino) will die. Matt calls his bluff only to find out Damon ripped into Tyler’s throat and left him in a car just across the border. Damon tells Matt he might be able to save him if he hurries. Matt rushes to the border, but its too late. Tyler’s already dead.

Meanwhile, Damon manages to find whatever family heirloom Sybil wanted, some round ball that looks like an old cannon ball. While back in Mystic Falls, Ric finds his way out of the vault after popping his own eardrums. And Georgie goes to tell Seline her sister, Sybil, says to “piss off.” This doesn’t sit well and Seline kills her sending her straight to Cade! A lot went down in this week’s episode, so let’s not waste any more time and discuss!

“The Parallels are Too Good”

This week viewers learn the mythology of sirens and discover that Sybil has a sister. The similarities between Sybil and her sister’s transformation to sirens is strikingly similar to the Damon and Stefan’s transition to vampires. A familiar tale of two siblings, one good and determined to live a wholesome life and one evilly selfish willing to do anything to satiate their hunger. The parallels of their stories are “too good” and leave the audience feeling a bit awestruck. There’s one sibling, who forces the other into something is adamantly against. As we all know that In 1864, Damon did not want to complete the transition to a vampire. Instead, Stefan brought his brother someone to feed on as Damon’s unable to fight the hunger, he completes the transitions and becomes a vampire.

Whatever Damon and I have done to one another in the past, it has been forgiven. He is my brother, and there’s nothing you can do that will ever change that.” – Stefan.

Just like Stefan, Seline defies her sister’s choice not to feed on the sailors. She tricks Sybil into believing she’s eating food from the island, but it was the sailors. When Sybil realizes what Seline has done she doesn’t want to live like that anymore and throws herself off the rocks. And again just like Stefan disregarded Damon’s wish to die, so does Seline. Unable to live without her sister, as Stefan was unable to live without Damon, Seline makes a deal with Cade sealing both her and Sybil’s fates. Both Stefan and Seline doom their siblings to an eternity of misery. The sisters forced to consume people and give the souls of the evil over to Cade in exchange for youth, beauty, and immortality. Sounds all too familiar to viewers. Except the whole turning over evil souls part, Stefan and Damon are ;also bound to an endless thirst for blood in exchange for youth and immortality. (The Salvatores were hot as humans already, so beauty doesn’t really apply), The siren sisters’ backstory and the Salvatores’ transition to vampires almost mirror one another. As for whatever the future may hold for the siblings, let’s hope their paths differ. Because I don’t think viewers or even I could handle an end with the Salvatores suffer a devastating fate.

“Maybe I do deserve it,” he tells her. “Damon doesn’t. I made him what he is. If it’s my fault. Damn me. Not him.” – Stefan.

The Siren Shines

TVD newcomer, Nathalie Kelley, does an amazing job this week as Sybil in an episode that focuses so heavily on her character. We first see Sybil sitting on the bed, eyes closed and smile on her face. She’s obviously still communicating with Damon. Judging by her expression she appears quite pleased he’s out doing her bidding despite her being stuck inside the Armory. Then when Stefan uses the tuning fork to get Sybil’s attention, viewers see it is excruciating for her. She holds her ears and her face winces with pain. After her expression changes conveying to the audience that she’s super annoyed they’ve found and discovered how to use the tuning fork. So over hearing about how they can save Damon, Sybil insists on changing the subject…to her. As Sybil stands in front of the glass, telling her story, her expression turns serious and quite a matter of fact. It doesn’t stop her from patronizing Stefan by asking him over and over “what sister are you?” in a tone of voice almost taunting. She has a smirk on her face implying to viewers she already knows the answer but wants to hear his answer. But when Sybil tells the end of the story, she sits back on the bed and crouched over. Her expression turns serious and there’s a sadness in her eyes illustrating to the audience it’s a painful time to remember.

“The all-powerful siren, imprisoned by a fork.” – Stefan.
“Says the man who can be killed with a stick.” – Sybil.

Dare I say viewers find Sybil’s mannerisms and attitude strikingly similar to the late great Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev)? I said Similar, not comparable, better or any such thing. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling reminiscent of when Katherine’s trapped in the tomb and shares her backstory with Elena. Sybil is also trapped but inside the Armory shares her story as well as the mythology of sirens. Much like Katherine, Sybil’s delivery on snarky comebacks and glib remarks are spot on. And done so with both a tone of voice and expression is condescending. It’s all too familiar. While Sybil is an entirely different monster, it’s nice to have a sassy, badass female villain back. Only this time around, there’s two. Nathalie Kelley does a great job conveying just how deliciously diabolical Sybil can be.

Holy Shocking Reveals, Batman

The episode is filled with shocking revelations. Damon’s quest for whatever Maxwell family heirloom Sybil has sent him to Peter Maxwell. He turns out to be Matt Donovan’s father. Yes, after seven seasons and three episodes viewers finally meet the man who fathered the handsome Matty Blue Eyes. Even more surprising, he has no clue about the supernatural elements of Mystic Falls. Yet has possession of an object Sybil has Damon tracking down.

Later it’s revealed the cannon ball looking, Maxwell, heirloom had been in a box of things from Matt’s grandmother on his Dad’s side. We’ve always presumed the Donovans had no family history linking them to the supernatural element surrounding Mystic Falls like the Founding Families or Bennett witches. Yes. Matt’s friends are werewolves, vampires, and witches and his sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell) even turned into a vampire and later a ghost. And the Donovan ancestors might not have, but that’s only one-half of Matt’s family history, Perhaps, the other side, his father’s side. the Maxwells, do have a connection to the supernatural world. Could that be why Matt’s Dad left years ago? Was he compelled to leave his family behind and forget? Color me very intrigued!

FINAL VERDICT:

“An Eternity of Misery,” takes viewers on a suspense-filled ride of shocking reveals and a lot of family drama. Brett Matthews and Neil Reynolds penned an episode that grabs the audience’s attention right from the start. Last episode’s cliffhanger has viewers anxiously awaiting the fate of Tyler Lockwood. The writers build the anticipation keeping his fate up in the air until the very end. I must say I was really rooting for him to pull through because it Is super disappointing to see an original character from the series debut go out like that. Some will argue his death shows viewers just how far gone Damon is and yes, I agree it does. Still to bring him back just to kill him is a real shitty way for the character to go out. The scene when Matt finds his best friend lifeless in the car trunk is done wonderfully. Zach Roerig is exceptional as Matt and conveys the heartbreaking emotion of the scene to viewers. Episode director, Rob Hardy, makes great use of camera angles heightening the emotion of the scene even more. He alternates shots of the car, Matt and at one point its as if we’re in the trunk looking up at Matt’s face as he realizes it’s too late. Tyler’s gone.

Reynolds and Matthews keep viewers guessing on the other siren’s identity and Sybil’s sister presumably roaming Mystic Falls. We’re constantly flip-flopping back and forth between Georgie, Seline or perhaps even someone else. At first, hints point to Georgie. She shows up at the Armory after Ric canceled the interns and seemingly hesitant to leave. Then Georgie breaks into Ric’s house for an old journal. Later at the Armory, she locks Ric inside the vault and knocks out Stefan. All this makes Georgie look super sketchy and a clever tactic by the writers to throw viewers’ suspicions her way. TVD fans have learned over the years, things aren’t always as the seem. So when it’s revealed Seline is also a siren and Sybil’s sister, it’s a bit surprising. Other than her siren-y name, there aren’t any other clues pointing to her besides Ric’s seemingly endless unlucky taste in women.

The writers reveal the identity of the siren in a great way. Seline and Georgie coming face-to-face outside Ric’s house is a great way to build viewers’ anticipation. Again, director, Rob Hardy, makes great use of camera angles. Alternating shots of Seline and Georgie emphasizes the uncertainty of which is a siren. He zooms in on Seline’s face to capture the exact moment her expression turns from a sweet, innocent nanny to a devious siren. Then after Seline kills Georgie and Hardy pans so the audience can see three people in the frame, Allowing us to see Georgie’s reaction to Seline eating her body as we also see Seline’s bloody face enhances the shock value of the scene. Unfortunately, the one person that’s closest to the twins just happens to be their nanny. Let’s not forget Virginia St. John said the siren wants the twins but never said what for. They are siphons, so surely it has to have something to do with that. Only time will tell, but hopefully, someone can figure out Seline isn’t so sweet and innocent before it’s too late.

Questions, Comments, Concerns;

• I’m loving the way season eight is using infamous quotes from previous seasons as titles to bring back old themes. They tie into the current storyline quite perfectly.
• As usual, music supervisor, Chris Mollere, does a fantastic job with the musical selection for the episode.
• What was the point of aGeorgie locking Alaric inside the vault? So he didn’t help Stefan? Didn’t make sense to me.
• I don’t understand how Bonnie (Kat Graham) is keeping Enzo (Michael Malarkey) subdued without her magic. And Damon is out causing chaos.Is Enzo locked up in a cage vervained?
• Since Georgie got whisked away like Katherine could we potentially see her again? Or even Markos and the Travelers?  They were all swept away too.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 8×05 airs FRIDAY, NOV. 18 at 8|9c. on The CW