7.22 - 'Gods And Monsters' (The Vampire Diaries)

[arabian]

Here I am with my write-up for The Vampire Diaries season finale. A wee bit late, but only about three weeks, and for a season finale, that's actually pretty good for me. (I normally run in the months!)

Comments

[bogwitch]

Wow. I am impressed with your quickness this time; I wasn't expecting this until September at least! (I know I still owe comments and I am going to get to them once I have rewatched the episodes. I am doing a full Summer rewatch again and I am currently in Season 2, so things are moving along and I should get to these in a few weeks when I can remember what happened well enough to comment. My memory is so bad

[arabian]

I confess I can't really remember this episode well enough either to know if I agree about its issues or not, so I will probably come back to this and comment again

I'll be curious to see what you think.

I'm not much of a loud cheering-type person, sorry, but my metaphorical cheers would have been deafening! :D But yet again, my hopes were dashed. AGAIN!

Well, you can keep your hopes raised because it looks like he may not be back next season. Good news for you, sad for me.

I never really bought your assertion that Ian was leaving this year. It was very evident to me why you came to that conclusion, with the whole ‘let him go’ theme

I absolutely believe that was the plan for a good part of the season. You could see it in the writing. It was THERE! There was a whole sense from people involved that this was it, but I started to think around late February that maybe it wasn't going to happen, but I still wasn't sure. (I mean, I knew the show was going to be renewed by January.) But I am positive that the direction changed.

while

[ghidorah15]

Well, they've confirmed that Season Eight is the end of the road. I think we can breathe a sigh of relief. ;)

[arabian]

I don't know that I'd say sigh of relief because it will hurt not having new episodes to look forward to after the next 16 (yup, only 16 episodes), but knowing there is a planned endgame is good. They are going out on their terms. Plus, Kevin Williamson is involved. With only 16 episodes, I expect some nice, tight storytelling and no new arcs introduced but rather clearing stuff up. I'm very hopeful that this will be an awesomely kick-ass season to end the show's run.

[amberfocus]

Okay, that's going to take me reading it a few times to have any coherent reply. And some sleep. But pretty much all I'm really thinking at the end of it is...yeah, that. What she said. LOL I really didn't even think you'd have it up yet.

I didn't know about Flatliners. I remembering seeing the original. It could be pretty good with both Nina and Kiersey Clemmons from season 2 of Extant in it and I love her and totally can see Nina and her having great chemistry.

[arabian]

Okay, that's going to take me reading it a few times to have any coherent reply. And some sleep. But pretty much all I'm really thinking at the end of it is...yeah, that. What she said. LOL I really didn't even think you'd have it up yet.

I know! I'm so proud of myself. It only took me THREE WEEKS! After a FINALE!! Woohoo!!! I did love the season. I just didn't LOVE it.

I didn't know about Flatliners. I remembering seeing the original. It could be pretty good with both Nina and Kiersey Clemmons from season 2 of Extant in it and I love her and totally can see Nina and her having great chemistry.

I liked the original, annoyed they're doing a remake, but I hope it's good and that it does well for Nina's sake. I don't know the other actress.

[tj2013]

Thanks for your great write-up, I kinda expected it at the end of the summer - but hey, good job!!!!

I definitely enjoyed most part of the season.

Totally agree with your thoughts about a missing central romance we can watch and invest feelings into, the Heretics, and how in in hindsight it really seems they were planning the season as last season and had to switch direction in the second half.

Very curious about next season. Will Matt be there? Will it be a 22-episodes-season or a shorter one?
I know we haven't really seen switched-off!Damon yet, but I 'm honestly not sure whether I want to see him like this for more than a few episodes. I guess it depends on what kind of evil the armory thingie will be.

I'll definitely come back and comment some more over the summer.

Oh... season 1 recaps... that would be fun. I just watched 1x21 recently. One of my all-time favorite episodes.

[arabian]

Thanks for your great write-up, I kinda expected it at the end of the summer - but hey, good job!!!!

I know! Shocking right. This is the earliest I think I got a finale up, LOL!

Totally agree with your thoughts about a missing central romance we can watch and invest feelings into, the Heretics, and how in in hindsight it really seems they were planning the season as last season and had to switch direction in the second half.

Yup, yup, yup. They really should have made Bonnie/Enzo the central romance this season. They had 15 episodes to build it up before the 3-year time jump.

Very curious about next season. Will Matt be there? Will it be a 22-episodes-season or a shorter one?

Well, we know now, LOL! That's what I get for taking forever to respond to this (sorry!). Matt is there, and yes, shorter season (boo!).

I know we haven't really seen switched-off!Damon yet, but I 'm honestly not sure whether I want to see him like this for more than a few episodes. I guess it depends on what kind of evil the armory thingie will be.Well, we

[tj2013]

Wow, summer has passed so quickly and I oops, I didn’t comment any more. Sorry. Honestly - you summed it all up quite perfectly and even after these months I don’t find anything new to add. The DVDs aren’t out yet (so, no rewatch, which I really would have liked to do before the next season. Hmph…). Anyway, I am very much looking forward to the new, albeit short, season. And your posts, of course. Hope you are fine!

[arabian]

Wow, summer has passed so quickly and I oops, I didn’t comment any more.

Don't feel bad, I didn't even see/get to your response until partway through the next season!

Anyway, I am very much looking forward to the new, albeit short, season. And your posts, of course.

Me too!

Re: 7.22 / part 1

[arabian]

“Actually… it was my least favoritest of any Vampire Diaries finale ever.” - Yes, I also think it was the weakest one.

Ah well.

“I mean, come on, based on the Alaric and Caroline scene, and the last two Matt scenes especially, they felt like goodbye forever to these characters. They totally did.” - I guess the reason why I wasn't feeling that was because when I started watching S7, S8 was already in full swing. But now that you mentioned it, yes, I think you do have a point.

They just really, really did. I think I really saw that because I spent so much of the first half of the season believing this was the last season because of a sense of things I'd gotten between the lines of comments from Julie, Caroline (Dries), actors, etc. And then the repetition of the last couple of episodes, etc. followed by what happened in this one just made it really clear to me.

“Again… clearly, whatever bs is being sold in the press, when this season was broken down, far enough into it… they thought this was the final season.” - Well, I'm very, very

Re: 7.22 / part 1

[arabian]

It really was a matter of the show finding out too late that they were getting one more season; I do think they did a pretty good job of setting up, resolving stuff considering how little notice they had, but yeah, if you paid attention it was clear.