Candice Accola, Paul Wesley
The Vampire Diaries, Season 5, Episode 13: “Total Eclipse of the Heart”
Written by Rebecca Sonnenshine and Holly Brix
Directed by Darren Genet
Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on The CW
The completion of Katherine’s possession of Elena’s body and the return of Enzo both proved to be pivotal moments in last week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries. With Katherine fully ingrained into Mystic Falls, and Damon once again out hunting, the possibilities of fracture among the show’s core group was high. This week’s episode once again picks up on the aftermath of the two situations, in a suspenseful outing that brings both Tyler and Bonnie into the fold.
The potential of Tyler going up against Nadia is a promising one. As one of the last two remaining hybrids in the world, Tyler is in a unique position of power that he has yet to fully explore. With fighting Klaus no longer occupying his time, however, he now has the freedom to properly explore his place amongst vampires and werewolves. Going up against someone as powerful as Nadia is a great way for him to explore the capability of his power, particularly as the character does pose a threat, but her death doesn’t put anyone in the Mystic Falls group in jeopardy, save perhaps for Elena. It will be interesting to see how Tyler goes about confronting Nadia, or combating her actions. His attacks against Klaus have been more strategy-based, making Tyler no stranger to subterfuge, and it will be intriguing to see how he fares against a more equal opponent. How he goes about handling the situation, as well as whether he gets any assistance from the rest of the group, will very likely dictate how he assimilates with the rest of the Mystic Falls crew in general, and Caroline in particular.
Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev
Damon becoming a vampire feeder is also an intriguing development. With him already on the outs with the Mystic Falls group, Enzo is the only viable help Damon has now, and he is unlikely to stick around, meaning Damon will have to navigate this on his own until others find out. As his thirst for vampire blood becomes more well-known, it’s very likely that other vampires will band against him for their own preservation, making him a target. If that is the case, it is Katherine’s reaction that promises to be the most fascinating one. Despite her not being concerned with Damon’s well-being, she still has to keep up appearances as Elena. Damon’s new state, however, gives her the perfect opportunity to get rid of him without blowing her cover, and it will be interesting to see if she takes this course of action or not. How Damon himself reacts to his new change will also be worth seeing. While his propensity for hurting others has been pointed out before, going after vampires is a different matter altogether, if only because they have the capability to fight back. In addition, Damon’s current hunger is not of his own volition, but rather a result of Dr. Maxfield’s experiments, making Damon’s urge to resist even stronger, and how he deals with his new situation promises to be fascinating.
Overall, this is another exciting episode. Nina Dobrev continues to do excellent work despite the added complexity of her role as Katherine pretending to be Elena. Dr. Maxfield aligning with the Travelers is also an exciting development. The two forces have very similar interests, but it will be worth seeing if they clash in their methodology, and who gains the upper hand if they do. Bonnie having a new witch friend to mentor is also a nice development to see. Often, she has been caught up in the schemes of others, reduced to little less than a pawn in others’ machinations, or disappearing from the story altogether, and having Bonnie embark on her own arc is due. It will be interesting to see how she does in the role of trainer, rather than trainee, and how her teachings are received by witches on the other side. Bonnie not being aware of Katherine being alive, however, continues to be a glaring plot hole. As someone who’s clearly still not used to feeling supernatural creatures pass through her on their way to the other side, Bonnie should have been aware that Katherine is not in supernatural purgatory, and brought it to the attention of others by now. How Katherine’s continuing deception plays out, as well as how Damon’s new hunger affects things, are both storylines worth seeing in the ensuing episodes.
– Deepayan Sengupta