The Vampire Diaries "Moonlight on the Bayou" Review

Tyler Lockwood rarely figures in my favorite scene of an episode, but a first time exists for everything. Damon’s never-ending battle against himself, which has seen many shades and depictions throughout the series, reached a turning point in the locked cell with Tyler Lockwood. Eventually Damon cannot continue living as he does or expecting his friends to die for him. Tyler, during his werewolf transition, shouted that maybe ripping his throat out would be best for everyone because then no one would ever have to sacrifice himself or herself for him again. Something about Tyler Lockwood spoke to Damon, though. Bonnie brought the hand of Enzo to unlock the cell door, but Damon pleaded with her not to. Bonnie’s love for him motivated her to save him. It nearly killed her. Damon experienced an epiphany as he sat holding his best friend’s hand that he must become someone worth saving. He didn’t think it fair to ruin the lives of the people he loves most in his life for his unlovable life. Damon told her that tomorrow he’d spare them all from himself, which probably means Damon, in trying to free people from protecting him, will alienate Bonnie and Stefan more by selfishly desiccating himself next to Elena’s coffin. His intention is not to wake up until Elena does--even when attempting nobility and selflessness, he’ll piss off people.

The Armory imprisoned Damon and Bonnie in the armory. Enzo’s father founded the Armory, a new secret vampire-fighting group. Enzo worked with them to learn about his father. The loss of Lily motivated him to join the group that kidnapped and emotionally manipulated him. Enzo, forever lashing out against people because he didn’t have a family, tried quitting the group after he lost a hand and nearly killed his former best mate in the world and his future love. Of course, the leader of the Armory revealed to him the aforementioned information about his father as well as that she, the leader, is related to him. Enzo’s always been a drifter character, lacking central purpose and direction, and filling whatever plot hole the writers needed. The Armory is as limp and flat a group as the travelers.

They want to find Stefan so that they can eliminate The Huntress. The Huntress briefly appears to nearly kill Stefan twice, once in a gas station, and again near New Orleans. Stefan stopped in New Orleans for magic protection from The Huntress, provided for by one of Klaus’ New Orleans bars. Klaus freaked when he learned why Stefan fled Mystic Falls. Klaus adds more legitimacy to The Huntress’ street cred as badass vampire killer. If the most powerful vampire in all the land fears her then the audience should fear she’d one day kill Stefan Salvatore. Klaus kicked Stefan out of his city, but his conversation with Caroline changed his heart. He saved him from near phoenix stone hell fun. Afterwards, Klaus asked Stefan to let Caroline go and to free her from the burden of putting her life on hold for him, and then he asked Stefan to stay in New Orleans to continue the crossover event with The Originals (and to introduce him to a witch that may help him with his Rayna Cruz problem).

“Moonlight on the Bayou” belongs to Damon more than Stefan. Stefan’s story concluded in the latest Originals episode. Stefan’s time in New Orleans acts as a prologue, I guess. Him and Klaus drink, then Klaus threatened him, and then he saved him. He refused to give his blood as antidote in case Tyler bit Damon. Stefan wanted to leave by train to somewhere far from Rayna. “Moonlight on the Bayou” also is half-complete. The Damon stuff’s good, but Stefan’s story extends for another hour. In between is the introduction of the secret Armory group, which I had to remind myself was integral to the episode. Matt acted snippy with Valerie in reminding her she’s the reason he has no co-workers, and she fires back that she’s the reason for Stefan’s and Caroline’s safety. Matt relents and nods like she’s right, but Matt, three years from now, would shoot a vervain arrow in her neck. Mary Louise and Nora nearly brought unhealthy gas station food before the Armory shot them in the neck and took them away (presumably to use as backup bait for Rayna, though neither are marked; however, Rayna may hate every Heretic with the hot fire of Jermaine Jackson diss song and cares not whether she marked this or that vampire. I mean, we know she doesn’t care about killing unmarked vampires. She’ll kill any vampire that gets in her way of the marked one. The three year jump is coming in #716 or #717, I think. Maybe no one sees Nora and Mary Louise for another three years.) What I’m getting at is that the episode is scatter-shot, a transition episode for a transition episode, as well as a transition episode for a spinoff crossover event.

Other Thoughts:

-Where could Stefan travel by train from New Orleans? Let me count the ways. The Sunset Limited would take him from New Orleans to Los Angeles. He’d enjoy a near 3 day journey through the state of Texas. He could’ve met up with Caroline in Houston or San Antonio. Stefan could’ve taken the Crescent from New Orleans to Virginia, or the City of New Orleans to Memphis or Chicago or anywhere in between. Stefan, after The Originals nonsense, should travel to LA, compel himself a boat, and hang out on the water.

-Caroline and Alaric C story: keep newborn babies quiet in a public restaurant, as well as Caroline being unwilling to part from the babies. I’d wonder why Alaric and Caroline took them out in public before their vaccinations, but this is TVD and the babies are magic.

-Three years flash forward tease: Caroline asked for Klaus in New Orleans, but his bartender told her no one has seen him in three years. The intrigue.

-Caroline Dries & Brett Matthews wrote the episode. Jeffrey Hunt directed.

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