The Vampire Diaries
Season 8 Episode 11: “You Made a Choice To Be Good”
Directed by Carol Banker
Written by Melinda Hsu Taylor and Celine Geiger
Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey
The CW
Air Date: Friday, February 3rd, 2017, 8:00pm

Last time on The Vampire Diaries, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) was trapped in his own head, and even Sybil (Nathalie Kelley) couldn’t get him out. It was up to Caroline and Bonnie (Candice King, Kat Graham) to go in through a back door. Caroline reunited with her mom (who arrested her), and Bonnie figured out that it was really Stefan (Paul Wesley) who needed to be in there (cameo by Vicki Donovan – Kayla Ewell). He jumped in and told Damon he forgave him, but there was a twist. It was Damon who needed to forgive Stefan, and he kept repeating it. Stefan was not having it, so he jumped out ready to have the whole town go up in hell flames. Damon to the rescue! Humanity back, he saved the town and is ready to make amends. Oh, and Cade (Wolé Parks) sent Sybil and Seline up in flames, after becoming corporeal on earth.

Spoilers below.

The Vampire Diaries
Season 8 Episode 4: “An Eternity of Misery”
Directed by Rob Hardy
Written by Brett Matthews & Neil Reynolds
Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey
The CW
Air Date: Friday, November 11th, 2016, 8:00pm

Last week on The Vampire Diaries, Sybil (Nathalie Kelley) played a little game – have Bonnie (Kat Graham) choose who should die, Damon or Enzo (Ian Somerhalder, Michael Malarkey). We all knew exactly who Bonnie would choose. Things got a little hairy, as Stefan kept jumping in the middle of the fight, because Damon made him his second. Stefan (Paul Wesley) was determined not to let either of them die. But once the ladies finally showed, Enzo chose Bonnie… by switching off his humanity. Then, predictably, Sybil went back on her word, Bonnie almost died and everyone ran. They did manage to capture Sybil with a giant tuning fork, but she still had Damon doing her bidding, which apparently included killing Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino).

Spoilers below.

The Vampire Diaries
Season 8 Episode 2: “Today Will Be Different”
Directed by Pascal Verschooris
Written by Melinda Hsu Taylor
Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey
The CW
Air Date: Friday, October 28th, 2016, 8pm

Last week on The Vampire Diaries, Enzo and Damon (Michael Malarkey and Ian Somerhalder) acted as bloody errand boys for a watery monster aka The Siren (Nathalie Kelley), who demands the flesh of evil. Damon coped by shutting off his humanity switch, while Enzo used all of his will to keep his innermost thoughts to himself, while leaving clues from Homer’s Odyssey for Bonnie (Kat Graham). Alaric’s nanny almost died, but Caroline vamp-runned home in time to knock out the culprit (who bit out her own tongue instead of talking), saved the nanny via vampire blood, and check on the savvy children.

Spoilers below.

The Vampire Diaries
Season 8 Episode 1: “Hello, Brother”
Directed by Michael Allowitz
Written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey
The CW
Air Date: Friday, October 21, 2016, 8pm

Last season on The Vampire Diaries, there were a bunch of flash forwards in the midst of the present hijinks. Mommy dearest and her Heretics took over Mystic Falls, but our gang evacuates it to make sure no one gets hurt – of course that did not work out that well. The Phoenix stone captured vampires and made them live in their own personal hell, and Damon and Stefan (Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley) got a taste of it. Damon’s was during the Civil War, and although he did manage to escape it, it followed him out, until he burned Elena’s coffin (or so he thought). Their stepdaddy, more of a monster than anyone, was resurrected, but was eventually killed again.

Caroline (Candice King) gave birth to Jo and Alaric’s magical twins, then they became a family. Bonnie and Enzo (Kat Graham and Michael Malarkey) fell in love. The huntress, Rayna, made everyone go on the run, until they managed to put her down, and it temporarily transferred to Bonnie. Damon sacrificed himself to save Bonnie, and was captured by a monster, Enzo falling prey soon after.

Spoilers below.

The Vampire Diaries
Season 7 Episode 9: “Cold as Ice”
Directed by Geoffrey Wing Shotz
Written by Brian Young
Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice Accola, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey, Scarlett Byrne, Todd Lasance
The CW
Air Date: Thursday, December 10, 2015, 8pm

The midseason finale of The Vampire Diaries helped move the plot closer to this “three years from now” world we keep getting glimpses of, and continued to explore the common TVD themes of kindness, family, revenge, and betrayal.

Spoilers ahead.

In Chicago three years from now, we see Valerie (Elizabeth Blackmore) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) together as a couple. At the beginning of the season, this idea would have seemed crazy, but the story has brought the two closer and closer together, and this couplet is very believable. Stefan declares that he must go save Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Caroline (Candice Accola King) because they are both people he cares about, and that Valerie can’t come because he won’t add a third to the list of people he loves that are missing.