With Mystic Falls still a no-go zone thanks to the protective spell cast by The Travellers, our favourite characters seem to be in limbo – especially with Damon and Bonnie stuck on the other side. Debashine Thangevelo looks at how the addiction to The Vampire Diaries remains strong for viewers even with the spin-off series, The Originals, proving to be a hit.
THE obsession with brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) has been gaining momentum since season one.
Admittedly, while the cauldron of witches, vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers and vampire hunters has been indulgently entertaining, the same cannot be said of the brothers’ on-off love triangle with Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev). But, addicted we remain nonetheless.
Creators Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec truly have a masterful hand when it comes to storytelling. Over the seasons, they have introduced enough red herrings in the form of twists and mysterious characters to ensure that the premise never becomes boring or monotonous. Just when fans think they have t all figured out, they stump them with another curve ball.
That is why the spin-off series, The Originals, while just as gripping, won’t steal the limelight from The Vampire Diaries. Any doubts were muted by the first episode of the sixth season, which picks up from the aftermath of Damon and Bonnie being trapped on the other side.
Stefan has turned into a bit of a loner on his mission to track down a witch who could help bring back Bonnie and his brother. Elena, still as annoying as ever with her sanctimonious-cum-self-destructive rebellious attitude, has been blackmailing Luke to make her a potion that allows her to see Damon.
Do-gooder Caroline is on a mission to have everything back to normal. Jeremy, a mess without Bonnie, has been a drunken slob, while Tyler is a ball of anger trying to find his place in the new world. And Alaric is adjusting to being a vampire and lecturing at university.
Talk about the supernatural world being terribly off-kilter.
In a chat with TVLine, Plec hinted at what they have planned: “The whole idea of finding peace versus getting sucked into oblivion was deliberately structured (this year) to be left open to interpretation. We don’t like to say things like ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ on our show. But anybody can define what they saw the way they want to. I can say that Lexi, in my heart, found peace. And I believe the same is true for Grams. I definitely know that Silas and Markos and everybody else is definitely gone for good. As for Damon and Bonnie, the question is: ‘What happened to them? What did they find?’
As for Tyler’s journey, she revealed that he is working hard to contain his temperament. Physical workouts seem to be his outlet right now.
By the way, Enzo is back.
Plec shared: “Enzo’s not making any friends. The beauty of Enzo is that we find him delightful and he doesn’t need any friends. He definitely is a thorn in a couple of people’s sides and will continue to be so in that delicious, devilish way that he has.”
As for Stefan’s ambiguous mood – she hinted that they are going to milk that in a fun way. Oh, and Matt is the good Samaritan as always – but he misses his friends.
The good news is that this season won’t be penetrated by any doppelgangers. And there is a love interest arriving in Mystic Falls. But it remains to be seen if it is Matt, Jeremy or Tyler who gets lucky this time.
As anticipated, fans can brace themselves for more upheaval and an emotional joyride this season.
• The Vampire Diaries 6 airs on Vuzu Amp (DStv channel 114) on Mondays at 9.30pm. The second season of The Vampire Diaries spin-off, the highly successful The Originals, also kicked off this week. Catch it on Vuzu Amp, Thursdays at 9.30pm