Nina Dobrev, Janina Gavankar
The Vampire Diaries, Season 5, Episode 7: “Death and the Maiden”
Written by Rebecca Sonnenshine
Directed by Leslie Libman
Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on The CW
The discovery last week of what the supernatural purgatory was really anchored to opened up the story of Silas and Qetsiyah with an added variable that ended the episode on a fragile note. With the formerly immortal witch proving himself less than trustworthy, the Mystic Falls group was left with a dilemma on how to keep Amara alive long enough to bring Bonnie back. This week’s episode puts its entire focus on this storyline, bringing all the participants together in dramatic fashion in a superb episode that brings about some resolutions quicker than expected.
The idea of Bonnie as the anchor to the Underworld is an intriguing one. While it does bring her back into the land of the living, the cost that Qetsiyah points out as she passes is bound to be a heavy one, particularly if she feels every soul passing. It’s easy to see why it drove Amara mad, and it will be interesting to see how Bonnie copes with this side effect going forward, and whether she reveals the information to the others in the group. Bonnie’s new role as anchor also holds potential on its own; as she will interact with every supernatural being that passes over to the other side, as well as those who are dead, she is bound to hear some of their stories. Witches on the show have often been shown as the unofficial equalizing force among supernatural entities, making it entirely possible that the story of some creatures may stir Bonnie and cause her to take action to right perceived injustices. Whether or not this does occur, how being the anchor affects Bonnie is worth keeping an eye on.
Ian Somerhalder
The return of Stefan’s memories, and the pain associated with his repeated drowning, is also a promising storyline. Most of Stefan’s inner torture to date has revolved around guilt over his actions since becoming a vampire, which has been adequately explored over the course of the show. Having the underlying shadow of his repeated drowning give him PTSD-like symptoms is a great way to view the character in a new light. It will be interesting to see how he manages to cope with this, and whether the effects of turning his humanity off to escape the pain are any different from turning his humanity off to escape guilt, as it’s entirely possible he may end up becoming someone other than The Ripper. It will also be interesting to see, now that Silas is out of the picture, how Elena and Damon deal with the guilt of knowing Stefan was drowning all summer, particularly if it leads to the younger Salvatore turning his humanity off.
Overall, this is an excellent episode, feeling very much like a season finale in a way that Vampire Diaries has excelled at previously. The clean break from the Silas storyline, and the deaths of all the major players involved, is a welcome development, particularly following the unfortunate corner the show wrote itself into with regards to Klaus and Mikaelson family. While Bonnie’s return may not have been entirely unforeseen, it’s nonetheless good to have the character and Kat Graham back and interacting with everyone, and what role she plays in the Augustine saga, if any, is worth keeping an eye on. With the cure now out of play following Amara’s death, the Travellers are also left without a purpose, yet by one of them possessing Matt, they still remain in play, and could prove to be a fascinating group, as their power is clearly vast, yet unknown at this point. Given an extra load this week, Nina Dobrev performs admirably, particularly when the three doppelgangers interact with each other. How Katherine and Nadia deal with the former vampire’s rapid aging, and how the Augustine story plays out, as well as what new threats pop up, are all worth tuning in for going forward.
– Deepayan Sengupta