Of course, the biggest adjustment was done by our DVRs, which went from having nothing to record on Thursday nights to having an entire evening of unadulterated vampire perfection.
Suddenly Silas
On top of everything else going down this week, Silas (Paul Wesley) spent the season premiere raising hell in Mystic Falls — first seducing/trying to kill Katherine, then setting his sights on a much more mayoral target: Bonnie’s dad! Kat’s scream was heartbreaking as her father went down at the end of the episode, even if no one around her was able to hear it.
Side note #1: This might sound sadistic, but I really hope Silas sticks around for a while. This dark material is really giving Paul a chance to shine, and while some people might have figured out his shtick — it took Jeremy no time at all to tell Damon who Stefan really was — I’m going to savor the dramatic irony for as long as I can.
Side note #2: How much would it suck to be Stefan right now? Every time they cut back to a shot of him drowning in his little safe, I had a mini panic attack. Drowning once is bad enough, but multiple times a day? Come on, now, that’s just torture. But the fact that Elena’s been dreaming about Stefan didn’t go unnoticed by this guy. Has she really made up her mind, after all?
Roommate? More Like Doom-mate!
Sorry, that pun was bad, but so was the fate of Megan (Hayley Kiyoko), the girl chosen to share a dorm with Caroline and Elena. After an awkward moving-in period — did she have to walk in on the girls right as they were shot-gunning blood bags? — Caroline discovered vervain water in Megan’s mini-fridge, which triggered more than a few red flags.
Fortunately for the girls, but very unfortunately for Megan, she wasn’t a problem for very long; she got totally murked at her first college party by what we assume was a vampire. Sorry, not sorry!
But the real twist for Megan came at the very end of the episode, after her death, when the girls discovered a mind-blowing picture on her phone: one of her with Elena’s dad! It’s anyone’s guess how Megan and Papa Gilbert were connected, but I’m sure they’re having a great time catching up in heaven now.
‘Forwood’ Foreshadowing
Though Tyler (Michael Trevino) was mentioned on the season premiere, we ended the hour having never seen his angsty little face on screen. Caroline did her best to include him — she literally enrolled him in school, which I’m pretty sure you’re not actually allowed to do — but a disappointing message from her boyfriend put a serious dent in her plans.
Candice told HollywoodLife.com that “we will see Tyler at some point as the series goes on,” but she doesn’t know exactly when that is. Well, either she doesn’t know, or she just couldn’t say. Either way, Tyler is going to be off helping another wolf pack for the time being, leaving “Forwood” fans out in the cold. But, hey, what else is new?
Jeremy Gilbert: Oh, Brother
Back in Mystic Falls, Little Gilbert started his first day of high school, and it went… not well. More specifically, he beat the crap out of some kids in the hallway and got expelled. Damon managed to lessen his sentence with a little compulsion, but he still read Jer the riot act. It was kind of adorable watching Damon get all big-brother-y with Jeremy; they’ve really come a long way since the time(s) Damon tried to kill him.
Still, you have to wonder where Jeremy is headed this season. He’s clearly got a lot of anger to go along with his new, larger physique — so how’s he going to channel it? I’m hoping for some kind of Mystic Falls Fight Club, but mostly just for the skin-tastic costume.
What’s Eating Matt Donovan?
After spending four seasons putting everyone else’s needs before his own, Matt (Zach Roerig) finally got a huge reward in the form of an international romance with Rebekah (Claire Holt). They basically spent the summer having threesomes in various European paradises, and Matt didn’t seem to mind one bit.
Unfortunately, one of couple’s conquests — a saucy little minx named Nadia (Olga Fonda) — stole Matt’s Gilbert Ring mid-hookup, then showed up in Mystic Falls to return her booty. But just when I was ready to applaud her for having a change of heart, we learned she was merely a distraction! *Someone* came up behind Matt and did *something* that knocked him out and made his eyes go all wonky.
(Prayer circle for Matt please!)
WATCH: How To Snag A Vampire Boyfriend, By HollywoodLife.com
HollywoodLifers, what was your favorite part about tonight’s season premiere? How long do you think Stefan is going to be stuck down in that safe? Do you miss Tyler? And what do you suppose is going on with Matt? Drop a comment with your review of the episode below!
— Andy Swift
Follow @AndySwift
More ‘Vampire Diaries’ Season 5:
- ‘Vampire Diaries’: Candice Accola On Caroline & Tyler’s Season 5 Separation
- ‘Vampire Diaries’ Video: Damon & Elena Strip Down On Season Premiere
- ‘Vampire Diaries’ Scoop: Damon & Elena Face A ‘Disturbing Reality’