One of the main leads of The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder, takes his first trip behind the camera in tonight’s episode of series, which is called “The Downward Spiral.”
The episode airs at 8PM on The CW, and it’s safe to say Somerhalder’s first directing job is a good one. Here are a few teases and thoughts about what you can look forward to:
– I was a bit concerned about the whole “Caroline turns off her humanity” thing, fearing a redux of the “Off-Switch Elena” story from a few seasons’ back which was no fun at all. Thankfully, I can say that this version of Caroline, if anything, reminds me of the vapid Caroline of Season 1, which Candice Accola seems to have so much fun playing. She’s not nice, but she CERTAINLY has personality, and a lot of the things she does will shock the audience.
– I’m not sure what to make of a slightly nicer Kai. On the bright side, I really like Christopher Wood, and I would be interested in where this arc takes him, but I also fear that this story won’t get to its logical conclusion as Wood has signed on as the lead of Julie Plec’s new show Cordon. I respect and encourage the actor’s opportunity to do new things, though I’d really like to see him in Mystic Falls for a longer stay.
– Because of the strong presence of Off-Switch Caroline, Enzo, and Kai, this is a perfect episode for Ian Somerhalder to be directing, as each one of them, spiritually, reminds me of the extreme-a-hole Damon of the show’s past. Again, it’s an example of the show’s early days prompting strong and positive feelings, so it’s nice to see echoes of that. I never thought I’d see the days where Damon Salvatore was one of the nicest people in the series.
– Candice Accola really kills it. Yep, going back to her again: It seems she’s having a lot of fun exploring these sides of Caroline, and even the look of Caroline seems to be changing a bit.
– There’s some interaction between Enzo and Sarah within, as she tries to find out more about who he exactly is.
– Bonnie’s back! Finally. I’m also happy to say that Bonnie seems pretty powerful right now, and a powerful Bonnie is a more enjoyable Bonnie. Of course, with Caroline acting weird, the three female BFFs won’t get much hang-out time.
– We will hear a voice from the past in this episode.
– There are a ton of shocks that are in a Do Not Reveal list so we can’t mention them. I will say, though, that the final shots of the episode were quite a good reveal, and I’ll give director Ian Somerhalder credit for that, because it looked unique.
“The Downward Spiral” is a good jumping-back-on point and it’s a good episode to start this current run of episodes, and as for its director… again, “well done” to Mr. Somerhalder.
The Vampire Diaries “The Downward Spiral” airs at 8PM tonight on The CW. See some preview images below:
