Damon’s Subconscious, the Devil Escapes & There’s Going to be Hell to Pay
In The Vampire Diaries 8×10, entitled “Nostalgia’s a Bitch,” we get a glimpse inside Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) subconscious and discover a very different Mystic Falls. Bonnie (Kat Graham) stops by the Salvatore House to check on Caroline (Candice King) and finds Damon sitting in the living room in a catatonic state. Bonnie and Caroline look inside his mind and only see fire and him burning in pain. They hear singing and discover Sybil (Nathalie Kelley) chained in the basement. She explains Damon’s mind shut down after she gave him his humanity back because he can’t handle all of the emotions. Sybil promises she can help him if they free her and give her the super bell. Caroline says she can get it and calls Matt (Zach Roerig), who reveals he had his dad to drive the bell out of town to keep it safe.
Meanwhile, at the Grill, Stefan (Paul Wesley) finds the newly turned vampire, Violet (Sammi Hanratty) and explains why she’s perfect for Cade (Wole Parks), so he kills her. Back at the Salvatore mansion, Sybil goes into Damon’s mind and explains in his conscious Damon believes he’s in hell, so they’ll need her help to dive into his subconscious. Bonnie and Caroline both go and find themselves in the Salvatore Boarding House.
They meet Henry (Evan Gamble), Damon’s fellow soldier during the Civil War and ask about Damon only to discover he died in the Civil War. In reality, Stefan offers a bit of help. He reveals when they were kids and Damon would do something wrong, he’d hide until Stefan found him and tell him it’s okay.
Now: to find him.
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This time around in Damon’s subconscious, they find themselves in the Mystic Falls Grill with Vicki Donovan (Kayla Ewell), a waitress. And working a case across the room is Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre). While Caroline goes to talk to her mom, Bonnie goes to talk to Vicki. Neither has heard of Damon Salvatore. Liz even arrests Caroline after she mentions the animal attacks really being vampires. Liz tosses vervain on her hand confirming suspicions Caroline’s a vampire and takes her back to the same torture chamber her dad tried to cure her of vampirism, She tries to convince her mom Damon is Stefan’s brother and Liz explains Stefan’s brother died along time ago. Caroline cannot endure anyone torture and tells her mom she’s the one who died. Caroline is kicked out of Damon’s subconscious.
Elsewhere, Matt asks his dad to turn around and meet him and Vicki’s grave. There he tells him the truth about her death and says they can either leave town with the bell or return to Mystic Falls and help Vicki’s murderer. But Stefan decides he wants the bell too and reveals Seline (Kristen Gutoskie) only told half the story. If a Maxwell rings the bell 12 times, it will not only kill the sirens, it’ll rip a hole between Cade’s world and our own and unleash hellfire on earth killing anyone within miles of it, all of Mystic Falls. Stefan loves the idea and rips off Matt’s vervain bracelet to compel him. He must either forgive Damon for killing Vicki or ring the bell at 9 pm.
Back in Damon’s subconscious, Bonnie stops by Grams (Jasmine Guy) house and is elated to find Grams. She asks her to do a locator spell to find Damon, which she agrees to despite not wanting to get involved with vampire business after Bonnie confesses she’s in love with a vampire. Using a letter Damon wrote Bonnie before desiccating himself, the spell leads Bonnie to Damon’s grave in Salvatore crypt which says he died in 1863, a year before becoming a vampire.
She finds Tyler (Michael Trevino) and he’s pissed and not in any mood to forgive Damon. They need Stefan, so he’s next into Damon’s subconscious. Stefan finds Damon waiting in the graveyard and without hesitation, Stefan says he forgives him. Damon explains he is the one who needs to forgive Stefan for turning him into a vampire. This makes Stefan mad and he punches Damon over and over. Damon doesn’t fight back. He tells Stefan he loves him and absolves him from turning him into a vampire.
But Stefan has plans to get rid of Damon along with the entire town. Since Matt is unable to forgive Damon and his dad cannot kill him as Matt insists he’s forced to begin ringing the bell.He makes it to 11 rings until Damon wakes, snaps Stefan’s neck and knocks Matt out. Mystic Falls is saved and Damon finally apologizes about Vicki. Matt doesn’t forgive him but admits he’s on the right track. Later, Damon meets up with Bonnie and she has him read his letter. They get emotional and share a hug. While, elsewhere, Sybil and Seline meet up to try to set aside their differences. They’re surprised to see Cade walk in. He sits down and both sirens burst into flames. Wow, A lot went down on this week’s episode. Let’s discuss!
Mystic Falls in Damon’s Mind
This week viewers are swept up in a whirlwind of feels as Damon’s subconscious’ version of Mystic Falls brings back several familiar faces. Caroline and Bonnie’s first trip into Damon’s subconscious reunites us with Henry, Damon’s fellow soldier, who served with him and he saved his life in the Civil War. His reappearance doesn’t weigh too heavy on our emotions as we only seen Henry briefly over the years. He points out in Damon’s mind, he is still a human.and offers the first clue to freeing Damon from himself.
The next trip into Damon’s subconscious is where viewers feels really begin to creep up. Caroline and Bonnie find themselves in the Grill and I actually left out a squee seeing Vicki Donovan there waiting tables. It’s like nothing’s changed. Vicki looks as she did when we first met her. She’s working at the Grill and has the same sassy attitude we all came to love. The newspaper headline reports deadly animal attacks transporting viewers right back into season one. And to top it off and really bring on the feels, Sheriff Forbes is sitting busily working on a case. Caroline’s expression says it all. Her eyes, filled with both happiness and sorrow that triggers bittersweet feelings from viewers. Tears well in our eyes when Caroline softly utters she forgot how pretty she is.
Sadly, their reunion isn’t entirely happy. After discovering Caroline is vampire it’s obvious Liz strongly against vampires like earlier in the series. Our hearts break seeing her reaction is to imprison and torture her daughter just like her dad did. This hurts Caroline both physically and mentally. Her expression exudes sadness and her eyes resemble a scolded puppy. It’s tough to watch Caroline have to go through this again especially after she was so happy to see her mom again.
Grams is another exciting face for the audience to see again. Bonnie’s reunion with her is a happier one and Grams the same as we remember. Viewers feel a little deja vu hearing her remind Bonnie about getting involved with vampire business, As usual, Bonnie convinces her to help and a locator spell leads Bonnie to the Salvatore crypt where she finds Tyler. While viewers are excited to see him again, it re-opens an old wound. Seeing Tyler serves as a reminder of how far Damon went off the rails. So far, he killed a friend. Tyler’s anger also lets us know that Damon knows how awful he acted and wrong he was to kill him. While it was a treat for the audience to see so many familiar faces this week, as usual, things in Mystic Falls aren’t always sunshine and roses.
Defan Drama
Stefan and Damon’s relationship is front and center this week. The brothers may not have had the best relationship over the years, but they’ve always had each other backs. So it comes as no surprise Stefan is the key to breaking Damon free from emotionally torturing himself. Both Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley do a fantastic job as Damon and Stefan this week.
They illustrate perfectly for the audience their’ emotional states during the meeting in the cemetery. Damon’s expression is somber and his eyes convey the emotional pain he’s struggling with. The tone of his voice as he explains to his brother why he needs to forgive is sincere. And once Damon explains why Stefan needs his forgiveness just as much as he needs to forgive him, Damon’s expression softens as well as his eyes. He looks as if a weight had just been lifted from him.
“I forgive you for making me what I am. I absolve you of all the death and destruction i’ve caused as a result. And you want to know why? Because you’re my brother and I love you. There’s nothing you could ever do to change that.” -Damon.
Stefan’s reaction to his brother’s absolution isn’t received as viewers would’ve hoped. He struts into the cemetery with a smug look on his face reminding us in case we forgot his humanity switch is flipped. He half-heartedly blurts out he forgives Damon like he just wants to be done with the situation and be out. But after hearing Damon forgives him for turning him into a vampire, Stefan’s attitude quickly changes. He’s obviously pissed. His expression is angry and tone harsh as he insists Damon is the one who needs his forgiveness.
And when Damon just reassures Stefan of his forgiveness, Stefan turns hostile and punches him. Stefan appears smug as if he’s quite pleased with himself that he’s arranged to burn Mystic Falls to the ground and kill Damon too. Perhaps Stefan’s reaction would’ve been more accepting if his humanity had been turned on. It’s pretty great though to see Damon finally forgive his brother for forcing him to turn. Hopefully, when Stefan’s humanity is back viewers will get an epic Salvatore brother bonding moment we all love.
Mending Relationships
Damon’s made some really bad decisions over the years and done some pretty shitty things. This week, Damon not only offers Stefan absolution to his brother for forcing him into becoming a vampire, he mends some other relationships as well. Caroline explaining who Damon Salvatore is to her mom leads to her realize why she chose to forgive him after all he’s done.
We can see exactly when Caroline has this ‘Aha Moment.’ Her expression turns sad as she reflects on her mom’s passing. Her tone has a hint of disbelief but is sweet as she confesses to Liz she felt Damon was the only person who could imagine how much it hurt losing her. This gives viewers their own ‘Aha Moment,’ as it now makes so much sense why Caroline’s been so helpful getting Damon’s humanity back, First, she gave him Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) necklace at Christmas and then dances with him to help trigger the memories of he and Elena. It now makes sense why Caroline has softened when it comes to Damon. They even exchange a wink when Damon wakes and snaps his brother’s neck.
“Because he was the only person who truly understood how much it hurt to lose you.” - Caroline.
While Matt and Damon’s relationship isn’t entirely on the mend, it does make great progress. Matt’s hell bent on getting out of town and doing what’s best for Mystic Falls for once instead of a Salvatore or some other supernatural. Compelled to do the impossible or be forced to ring the bell, Matt is stuck, but it is Damon, who stops Matt from ringing the bell 12 times and saves Mystic Falls from burning. Damon then apologizes to Matt for Vicki, a huge step in his character development. Matt’s expression conveys that finally hearing this gives him a sense of relief. The mood lightens between them and Matt even has a slight smile as he tells Damon, he isn’t forgiven, but he’s definitely on the right track. Awe.
Damon and Bonnie’s friendship makes huge progress this week.The letter Damon wrote Bonnie before he abandoned everyone and desiccated himself is what thaws things between them. He finds Bonnie on the porch at the Salvatore House and recalls from memory what he wrote her in the letter. As he does, Damon’s expression is caring and genuine. His eyes are kind, and voice is sincere as he recalls his heartfelt words. Viewers can feel the compassion and how much Damon cares about her and their friendship. It’s obvious Bonnie is touched by her friend’s profound words and it’s tough for viewers not to shed a tear along with Bonnie. It’s such a beautiful moment between them.
“… you’ll talk me out of running away from my problems, You’re gonna make me face a future without Elena. Then you’re going to help make me the best man I can possibly be. The same way she did. And I’m absolutely terrified of failing you both, So I’m leaving. Because I’d rather let you down once then let you down for the rest of your life… “ - Damon.
FINAL VERDICT:
“Nostalgia’s a Bitch” is an appropriate title for an episode that centers around forgiveness and painful events of past making viewers feeling a double dose of deja-vu. Brett Matthews penned an episode offering a clever way to reunite with a parade of familiar faces that are truly a delight to see again. Characters appearing has been a staple on TVD since the beginning of the series, but Matthews puts a new spin on things. Instead of seeing characters the on the ‘other side,’ in a flashback, as a ghost or from behind the veil, it’s through Damon’s subconscious that reunites us with Vicki, Liz, Grams, and Tyler this week.
Of course, not all reunions can be happy, but Matthews carefully interweaves each reappearance to serve a significant purpose in the season’s storyline. He cleverly uses Vicki, her bandaged neck and the newspaper headline as a reminder of what Damon did to her. Episode director, Kellie Cyrus, focuses on her bandaged neck and zooms in on the newspaper so viewers don’t miss these important details. Vicki reappearing as well as the reminder of what happened to her makes Damon’s apology to Matt more emotionally significant for the audience.
Bonnie and Caroline showing up at the Grill is a smart decision from Matthews. It also allows for frequent diner and another familiar face to appear. Sheriff Forbes. Cyrus first shows her from across the room to slow play her returning. And then focuses on Caroline’s expression to heighten the emotion of the scene. Candice King does a fantastic job conveying Caroline’s emotional response given another interaction with her mom. Liz isn’t as accepting of her daughter’s supernatural status as she was when we last saw her, While it’s painful to see Liz imprison and torture her daughter, it is a unique way for Caroline to realize why she forgave Damon.
The scene between Bonnie and Damon out on the Salvatore porch is beautiful from all aspects. Kat Graham and Ian Somerhalder work fantastically together and both do a wonderful job in such a heartfelt scene. Matthews penned Damon’s letter to Bonnie as genuine and profoundly sweet. And Cyrus makes great use of camera angles of alternating close-up shots of Damon and Bonnie’s faces to capture each of the emotions.
The soft tones of “Everything Has Grown” by Colouring playing in the background, a musical selection from music supervisor, Chris Mollere, and bring on the waterworks. The episode keeps viewers interested throughout and hopefully, now that Damon’s humanity is back Stefan’s won’t be too far behind. Because it seems the devil’s escaped hell and on his way to Mystic Falls.
Let’s just hope someone has a grand plan on how to take down Cade.
Questions, Comments, Concerns:
- LOVED so many season one reminders!!
- I totally loved when Matt’s head hit the bell and Damon said, “Let’s hope that one doesn’t count.”
- Umm… did Bonnie say what Enzo (Michael Malarkey) was busy doing this episode?
- Damn! Cade ain’t playing! He got rid of the Sirens real quick!
- Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if Stefan’s reaction to Damon’s apology with his humanity on is similar to when its off. There wouldn’t be so much anger and no violence. He’d still insist Damon needs his forgiveness because he always blames Damon for everything.
