On the run from the Huntress, Stefan drops by New Orleans for help from Klaus. Meanwhile, Damon and Bonnie learn about Enzo’s dangerous new allegiance. Here is a recap of the Vampire Diaries episode “Moonlight on the Bayou.”
Recap:
New Orleans, Louisiana. Three years from now. Caroline takes the kiddos into Klaus’ bar, but no one’s heard from him in three years. In the present, Stefan detours from Valerie’s directions to a safe house to stop for a phone charger. He narrowly escapes Rayna’s sword. Stefan enters the safe house slash bar and receives a welcome shot from Klaus. He notices Stefan’s Phoenix Sword wound and freaks, kicking Stefan out and demanding he never ask for another favor.
Damon and Bonnie visit Enzo in his new mansion, the Armory, home to a society of supernatural artifact collectors. They kidnapped Enzo four months ago, and a woman named Alex promised him information about his family if he collaborated. While helping Matt track Stefan, Valerie warns Damon that the Armory is dangerous. He and Bonnie try to skedaddle, but Enzo takes them hostage. Damon wakes in a lab next to Tyler, who’s in a coma until the next full moon heals him. It’s tonight, and Damon’s on the werewolf menu. Bonnie’s magic is gone due to something Enzo injected her with.
Also on the run from the Huntress, the lovebirds stop at a convenient store. Nora gives Mary Louise an engagement ring pop, but their happiness is cut short when the Armory takes them down.
Now awake, Tyler starts his transformation, which Damon slows with a serum. Bonnie knocks Enzo out and chops off his hand to open the door, despite Damon’s concern that when Tyler escapes, he might kill Bonnie too. In the brawl, Bonnie gets shoved against the glass, which knocks her out. Damon tries to heal her, but the anti-magic serum prevents his blood from working. Over an unconscious Bonnie in the hospital, Damon decides he needs to take himself out of the equation. She and Stefan will never stop trying to save him, and all it does is put them in danger. Even though Alex sews Enzo’s hand back on, Enzo says he’s quitting the Armory. Alex reveals that his father founded the Armory; also, she’s his relative.
Alaric informs Caroline that he’s moving to Dallas today. He’s leaving town to fulfill his promise to Jo. Caroline joins him to approve his house and nanny. When they stop at a diner, the babies start crying, so Alaric takes one for a walk. Caroline coddles the other while on the phone with Klaus. He ensures Caroline that he’ll look after Stefan. Rayna shoots out Stefan’s tires and plants an arrow in his leg. About to stab Stefan with her sword, Klaus comes to his rescue. Driving Stefan to see a witch, Klaus tells him to let Caroline go or he’ll spend eternity sacrificing everything he loves in order to save his brother, just like Elijah has done.
Comments:
– “Moonlight on the Bayou” felt like a consequence of the amount of characters The Vampire Diaries has thrown into the mix. While they could have taken the route of Enzo having just been off gallivanting through the country in his absence, they decided to turn it into a story. The result was the seemingly random introduction of a new Big Bad in a season that’s already had two Big Bads. Although the Armory must have a connection to Rayna since Enzo knew exactly where to find her, it unnecessarily splits the focus of our heroes attention.
– You’d think after Enzo’s history with the Augustines that he’d be better at recognizing and avoiding human organizations intent on researching and/or destroying supernatural creatures.
– The phone call between Caroline and Klaus was filled with so much tension and so many layers that I’m thoroughly impressed. It acknowledged the history between the characters, while also highlighting how much they’ve grown in the meantime. Klaus’ speech about it being okay to love what you cannot explain came at a perfect time and from a source far enough removed from Caroline’s day-to-day life that the impact was just right.
– I miss Lily. Or, at least, I miss the order she brought to the series. Since her death, the heretics have fallen apart, lost their threat, and been awkwardly thrown into the episodes out of a need to continue using these characters they’ve stuck in Mystic Falls. They weren’t, and still aren’t, particularly interesting.
– Damon and Bonnie’s friendship is still the best new(ish) development to come out of the recent seasons. Not only does it provide both actors with delightful material, but it also demonstrates that platonic male/female relationships are possible to come by, so I hope it stays in that zone.
– Unless the writers decide to have the flash-forward in “Live Through This” be some sort of dream or alternate reality, Bonnie’s going to be fine – alive at least. One problem with doing flash-forwards of this sort is that they have now created a false sense of tension. The danger for the characters feels less real and threatening because we know they won’t meet their demise any time soon. However, what almost saves Bonnie’s storyline this episode is that it may very well be the beginning of her insanity and lead to her future time in the psych ward.
– Now Bonnie and Enzo are back to hating one another, which completely destroys the progress they’ve made this season. Their chemistry from “Best Served Cold” seems to have disappeared and leaves us wondering again how they turn into a couple three years from now.
– Granted I haven’t seen that many episodes of The Originals, but Klaus brought up an interesting parallel between himself/Elijah and Damon/Stefan that I hadn’t thought of before and probably should have. Amidst all the romance and supernatural chaos of Mystic Falls and New Orleans lies a story about brothers, a story about what you’re willing to do to save your family member, despite how many horrific acts they’ve committed. I appreciate how they’ve added a real, grounded, and relatable thread to these often crazy supernatural series to make a general statement about human nature.
– Almost every character stops for food in this episode. Somebody was hungry when writing.
– Klaus looks a little too much like Julian when the camera catches both men in profile.
– What is with the CW’s shows and chopping off hands this season?
– “Good news, tween wolf. You’re about to get your sweet revenge on me.” – Damon
