Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B- | 160 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Back To School
By Cindy McLennan | Season 5 | Episode 1 | Aired on 10.03.2013
Event O' the Week. Bonnie's Interim Dad is making an End of Summer (the event's theme) speech. Ghost Bonnie is touched when he remembers her penchant for cotton candy in his remarks. I am aggravated when he brings up those damned postcards she's supposedly sending as she's traveling the world. I would assume Bonnie can no longer do magic that affects people on this side of the veil, otherwise, she would have tried to do something to heal Jeremy. Jeremy certainly isn't traveling the world and sending Bonnie's dad postcards. Gah! Not the point, I know.
Interim Dad is blathering about family, when Stylus walks up and takes the mic. He compels Interim Dad to step back, then announces to the crowd that he has the ability of mind control. Stylus confirms the power had been limited to one person at a time (which is the point of Damon's logic lapse, back at the Grill, and no, I don't mean that as a positive remark), but he spent the summer sucking down an immeasurable amount of blood, and getting stronger and stronger, so now he wants to know if he can compel everyone in the town square. He compels them to be silent and not move, then slits Interim Dad's throat. Only Ghost Bonnie screams. She rushes to her father's side and watches him die. Stylus again approaches the mic. "Now that I have your attention, I need a favor. I need you to find someone. You all know Elena Gilbert. Well, the girl that I'm looking for looks exactly like her." Title card.
This is a pretty strong season 5 premiere. Elena is likable again and I hope Caroline soon will be. I'm intrigued by Matt's story -- as in, maybe he'll actually have one. Who knows, maybe Stylus will turn out to be the little bad, and Matt will be the big bad. I'm not crazy about the fact that Bonnie's death is still a secret. I'm enjoying Paul Wesley playing Silas, particularly because it looks like he's enjoying it so very much. I'll be back with coverage of this week's episode, "True Lies." In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page, and then come on over to the forum, where we are sometimes all wet (no offense, Stefan).