

The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries – Nostalgia’s a Bitch (8×10)
Oh sweet humanity. Well… not too sweet for Damon, who was literally a zombie after getting hit with all his feelings again. That’s what happens when you try to outsmart a siren I guess right?
Caroline and Bonnie THOUGHT they were going to have a drama free day when all of sudden, they landed smack dab in all of Damon’s drama. Seeing that he wasn’t reacting to anything in the outside world, they made a deal with Sybil to free his mind from the burning torment that was happening inside. That required convincing Damon that he isn’t completely destructive to those around him.
Elena’s BFFs muddled around in his brain in order to find him and convince him that he could get over all the bad things he’d done… and this season, he did a lot of them! However once inside, they realized finding him in his subconscious wouldn’t be as easy at they thought. He was hiding out in season 1 of the series and Elizabeth Forbes, Vicki and Bonnie’s Grams were all alive and happy as can be.
After Elizabeth realized her daughter is a vampire, she tortured her until Caroline finally realized she had to forgive Damon because he’d always been there for her mother. His friendship to her made up for all the bad he’d ever done. And just like that, she was kicked out of his subconscious. Clearly, she wasn’t what he needed to wake up and it made sense, she was never really close with him. Bonnie on the other hand, had way more success. She visited her Grams, catching up a bit and and asking her to do a locater spell with the letter he wrote her before he called it quits and “went to sleep.”
She was led to his crypt and ambushed by Tyler Lockwood, another person Damon felt personally guilty for killing. See the pattern in his brain here? That’s when Bonnie realized that the only way to bring Damon back from the brink was to convince Stefan to help him. After all, the one person who probably held the most resentment for his was his brother right?
Ripper Stefan is not pleasant to be around. I never like him as the evil brother honestly and this time, he’s lacking even more remorse than usual, which means he’s quite a pain in the butt. At least when Damon’s evil, there’s a shred of good still left. He does bad but only because he has no way out. Anyways, he agrees to help his bro, but not before setting Mystic Falls up for its ultimate demise – compelling Matt to ring the town bell 12 times to open up a portal to hell that will kill everyone in the near radius. Seriously… could you be more evil?
Inside Damon’s brain, Stefan is in for quite the shock because Damon doesn’t want his brother’s forgiveness, he’s there to forgive his brother for all the evil he’s done to him. He explains that there’s a reason Stefan is always there to straighten his brother out and always sticks by him no matter what – he feels guilty for turning Damon into a vampire. The realization hit Damon, who finally admits he too blames Stefan for all the bad in his life.
This pisses Stefan off and he begins punching Damon while he finally tells him that he loves him back! “Nothing you can do will ever change that,” he informs him. Seriously, how cute is this? I mean, yes they are literally beating each other up but only because they finally, after hundreds of years, forgave each other for every wrong doing. This show was always more than two brothers fighting over a woman – it was about the bond between them and how they stuck by each other, no matter how tough things got. We’ve never lost that concept and honestly, the show has lost itself many times.
Stefan’s solution to all of this – watching his brother go up in flames, much like the whole town. Except that it doesn’t because Damon surprises everyone, come back from his subconscious’ coma, rips Stefan’s heart out, and runs to the bell tower, where Matt and his father are in a heated boxing match as he starts ringing the bell. You have to give his dad props for not killing him, despite knowing the town’s fate was hanging on by a thread.
Damon knocks out Matt as he’s about to ring the bell for the 12th time and gives us his usual Damon humor – “I hope that didn’t count.” Same. With Damon on the forgiveness trail, he finally apologizes to Matt for killing his sister. Long time coming right? To be fair, this isn’t the same Damon that we met in season 1 – he’s come a long, long, long way. Who knows, maybe by the end these two will even be – dare I say it – friends! Matt then informs him he’s not going to abandon his town, instead choosing to fill the Sheriff’s position. “I always did love the Sheriff’s in this town,” Damon says. Be still my heart.
Back at the Salvatore mansion, Caroline decided NOT to give up hope on Stefan after all. She chained him up in the dungeon where she tells him she knows he loves Damon more and that’s okay. She’ll also do anything to get him to turn his humanity back on, regardless of whether or not their relationship will work.
I don’t think that will be welcome by Cade, who appears to both Sybil and Seline at the bar where they are bickering about sisterly things. Before they can even explain their failure and, he explains that the 11 chimes were enough to release him onto the Earth and he’ll “handle it.” With that, they burst into flames and TVD gets rid of yet another villain.
Meanwhile, Damon continues making amends, this time with the only woman that he loves as much as Elena – his best friend Bonnie. Remember that letter he wrote her but she refused to read because she was so mad at him. Well, he memorized it and recited it to her. In it, he admitted to being a coward because he didn’t want to face life without Elena. The part that really broke my heart, he was too scared to “fail you both.” I mean, DAMON… the feels!
In a way, most of the series was Damon finding redemption for the horrible things he’s done. He was always looking up to his brother, the good one, but fully knowing that he resented him for becoming this person. And now the tides have turned and Stefan is equally as bad as Damon – they’ve both been monsters and they’ve both found the light but it’s always been together and with a team of friends by their side.
I truly believe Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson will give us the “full circle” sendoff we need. And hey, we know some way, some how, Elena comes back. And while the episode titles are a good nod to season 1, I loved seeing Damon brooding and in the cemetery, just like the first time we saw him!
The Vampire Diaries
Paul Wesley Reflects on His Brotherhood with ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Co-Star Ian Somerhalder, Addresses Toxic Masculinity

Paul Wesley opened up in an interview with SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Mike Muse Show” about his bond with Ian Somerhalder and toxic masculinity all while encouraging men to be emotionally vulnerable.
Acting in a popular teen drama, Wesley experienced a lot of pressure to perform in his career-defining role as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, saying, “You spent your whole life hustling as a young actor, trying to get to that next thing, this, that, you never really enjoy it because you’re always putting pressure on yourself.”

Ian Somerhalder (left) and Paul Wesley (right) on The Vampire Diaries. Credit: The Cw/ The Vampire Diaries
However, through this opportunity, he met Ian Somerhalder, who played his on-screen brother Damon Salvatore. He recounts the moment they formed a bond and brotherhood over a night of shared bourbon and cigars.
“I just remember, first of all, we were on this journey together on this show, ‘Vampire Diaries,’ and it was such a huge sort of grind for us emotionally, physically…And that was a moment where we sat down and just were like, wow, this is so cool. We’re so lucky. How great is this? We’re having a cigar, we’re in a castle in England, and we’re on this great show. And that was a real moment of kind of gratitude and connection that we had with one another that I kind of think really stood out for both of us. We talk about that a lot.”
The duo have team up to create a special bourbon called “Brothers Bourbon.”
Wesley went on to emphasize the importance of vulnerability and true masculinity, especially coming off a role that put a huge focus on his looks and heartthrob capabilities,
“I would encourage to any men listening to have emotional vulnerability with your friends. I think it’s really positive for the world, honestly,” Wesley said. “I think masculinity is a beautiful thing, but I also think part of masculinity is just being vulnerable and it’ll help people in whether it’s their careers or their personal lives.”
“I love it when we drop that machismo, that act, and we can sort of talk about things like real men.”
He continued: “It’s such a stigma, isn’t it, that men need to be tough? And you can be tough and you can still be a man and you can still be sensitive and talk about your feelings and open up with others. I love that. I love it when we drop that machismo, that act, and we can sort of talk about things like real men, frankly..I love that, man.”
The full interview with SiriusXM Urban View’s “The Mike Muse Show” airs Sunday, August 29 at 11:00 am ET.
The Vampire Diaries
Why Caroline Forbes Never Needed a Man on ‘The Vampire Diaries’

This is a story about a girl named Caroline Forbes.
Caroline is not the same woman she was when The Vampire Diaries first premiered in 2009.
In terms of character growth, the vapid perfectionist — brought to life by the impeccable Candice King — underwent the biggest evolution in the show’s eight-season run.
Though she was introduced as a shallow, oftentimes insufferable teen, with time, she blossomed into a strong-willed and impressive young woman who knew what she stood for and always stuck up for her friends.
Most of all, she grew into a fiercely independent.
She was no longer the girl that needed a man to feel a sense of worth — a stark contrast from the Caroline we met on The Vampire Diaries Season 1, who looked for love in all the wrong places.
In those early episodes, Caroline was a control freak who took on as many extracurriculars she could squeeze into her schedule (head cheerleader, in charge of dance committees, town activities, and more) to be the best.
Deep down, however, she was insecure and sought validation from the opposite sex, and then blamed herself when she didn’t get it. Not being “the best” made her feel worthless.
We saw that on full display on The Vampire Diaries Season 1 Episode 1, we saw that a smitten Caroline tried to date brooding newbie Stefan Salvatore. When he told her it would never happen and chose Elena instead, Caroline was heartbroken and drowned her sorrows.
“How come the guys I want never want me?” she asked Bonnie before wallowing in self-pity and emphasizing that she was never good enough.
Teenage Caroline was a bit neurotic and even downright mean, as she lashed out at everyone around her, including her closest friends. Her toxic behavior was mostly fueled by insecurity and jealousy.

While these characteristics undoubtedly gave the character substance, they also gave her something much more important — room to grow. And that growth was wonderful to watch over the years.
Elena was always put on a pedestal, but Caroline was a constant work in progress, which leaned in her favor as it allowed her to flourish and surpass her story arc.
On the road to becoming your best-self, hardships are unavoidable, and Caroline went through her fair share.
Her eventual complexity, good nature, and thoughtfulness made her a far better lead than Elena. Upon Nina Dobrev’s departure, she (along with Bonnie, who also deserved better) carried the series.
Since Caroline’s self-esteem was effectively shot, she became the perfect target for any man who would give her even a smidge of attention.
Damon Salvatore was the first to prey on and manipulate Caroline for selfish reasons.
And it didn’t stop at Damon. In those early seasons, Caroline dated nearly every single man in Mystic Falls — Tyler, Matt, Klaus, Stefan, and Alaric, along with supporting characters like Liam and Jesse.
While the relationships usually progressed naturally, it was obvious that Caroline was trying to find herself and fill a void.
That strength was always within her; she needed help finding it.
Caroline was “revamped” — pun intended — when she turned into a vampire. Again, she was the victim of someone else’s selfish games, but it was a turning point for her and, quite honestly, the best thing that could have happened to her character.
Her transition wasn’t wasted or used simply for plot development as she found both physical and mental strength while gaining a new outlook on life.
Coffee Table News
Joseph Morgan Reveals If He’d Ever Reprise His Character Klaus Mikealson for ‘Legacies’

If you’ve been waiting for the day where Klaus Mikealson strolls back into Mystic Falls to pay his daughter, Hope Mikealson, and the Salvatore School — which he helped fund — a visit, well, don’t get your hopes up.
The first two seasons of Legacies have given us some grade-A guest stars from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals including Aunt Freya (Riley Voekel), Kai Parker (Chris Wood), and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig). We even briefly saw Lizzie and Josie Saltzman’s birth mother Josette (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe).
But as for baddie Klaus Mikealson, the man who brought him to life, Joseph Morgan, doesn’t think he’ll ever reprise his role again.
And turns out, he has a really good reason!
TV Guide caught up with the actor to talk about his Peacock show, Brave New World, and when asked about guest starring on The CW teen drama, he bluntly and rapidly shut down the possibility.
“No never, never. You’re never going to see it.” Morgan said. “You can hold your breath as long as you want. You know why? I have The Originals box set on my shelf, and it’s a beautiful thing because it’s five DVD sets that are a complete story from beginning to end of this guy, Klaus Mikaelson — well, starting back in The Vampire Diaries Season 2. So I just feel like to come back as a ghost or a flashback or something, for me, that journey, that story has ended. That’s the complete story, and it just doesn’t feel right to me to do that.”
As much as we’d like to see Klaus in the flesh again, you have to admit that’s a satisfactory answer. It shows that Morgan cares enough about the character not to reprise him without a purpose or taint his legacy.
Klaus Mikealson’s story came to a fitting end in the series finale of The Originals when he redeemed himself for the greater good and sacrificed himself alongside his brother Elijah to save his daughter. Since then, Hope has carried on his legacy; his memory lives on as she mentions him pretty often and channels what he taught her to protect her friends and fight off a plethora of demons and monsters.
Morgan added that he felt like series creator Julie Plec understood where he was coming from.
“I think Julie [Plec] feels the same. It just feels like it would be strange, like a little forced,” Morgan continued. “Like I’m coming back just so we can see something else of him, but when we see it we go, ‘Ugh, that was it?’ And I don’t want his legacy to be, ‘Ugh.’ I don’t know what the scene could be that it would be exciting enough and epic enough after the journey that he’s had.”
Morgan may get a pass, but Candace Accola surely doesn’t. We’d love to see her reprise her role of Caroline Forbes considering she’s raising two daughters with Alaric but has yet to pay them a visit or help out with the school! Don’t let us down, Caroline!
The fact that she is still alive in the supernatural world and has such close ties to Mystic Falls but yet never comes to visit doesn’t paint her in a great light!
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