The 100th episode of The Vampire Diaries airs tonight (January 23) as the entire gang at Mystic Falls gets together to memorialize a dying Katherine Pierce. Katherine’s presence on the series, going all the way back to Season 1, has always given the show a jolt of energy; as she expires, a lot of that energy is remembered both fondly and with amusement by the other characters.
I admit – my Vampire Diaries viewing has lapsed and I’d been several episodes behind before checking out the screener of the 100th, which is called “500 Years Of Solitude.” Fortunately, aside from one new character I wasn’t extremely familiar with, I was able to follow it, and still felt rewarded for the 90-ish episodes that I have seen before.
Here are some teasers that might be slightly spoilery to get you in the mood for tonight:
1. Callbacks. We already know Joseph Morgan’s Klaus factors in somewhere, and apparently it has also been announced that Michael Trevino’s Tyler is back. But don’t be surprised if other faces or moments from the show’s past 99 episodes are revisited. There’s a lot of territory to mine there. “Remember when Katherine cut Uncle John’s fingers off? Remember when Grams died trying to open a tomb that Katherine wasn’t even in?” That sort of thing. So much fun. As the characters reminisce, you, too, will as a viewer.
2. The element of surprise. You know that thing you think is going to happen tonight? It probably is not. But that thing that you think could never possibly happen? You might get that. A good percentage of what I expected to see was the total opposite from what we actually get, and in every case, the TVD alternative is better.
3. Even on her death bed, Katherine is still feisty. If Katherine is going to die, I’m going to miss Nina Dobrev’s dual performance here. Even without her power, and physically weakened, Katherine is a force to be reckoned with.
4. Also moving forward. I mentioned that I liked the callbacks; however, the other thing I liked here is that this episode propels the next 100 (or however many) episodes. Some cool elements are set up for what can come later, and it’s good for a lapsed viewer like me.
5. The cast gets plenty to do. Every series regular on The Vampire Diaries gets some decent material to work with tonight, which is great if you’re a fan of Stefan/Damon/Elena/Katherine/Matt/Tyler/Bonnie/Caroline/Jeremy/take your pick.
6. Sex. That’s why you all want to catch VD, right? There might be sex. Or at the very least, some talk about it.
The Vampire Diaries’ 100th episode airs tonight at 8PM on The CW. Take a look at some promo images here!
