The Sun Also Rises brings us back to the sacrifice showdown. Jenna has been forced to drink vampire blood and might very well be dead now. It’s clear what Klaus’ plan is. Jenna is punishment for Damon’s meddling with his plans. She is meant to be the replacement vampire since Caroline was set free. Jules has taken Tyler’s place, which is no surprise since she’s the only other werewolf in town. Elena is moments away from her death, but even worse is the thought of letting others die because of her. Even if she does rise again, it might very well be as a vampire. Her friends are hard at work trying to find a way around this, but even they have their limits considering everything they are up against.
This episode really reinstated my pro Caroline-Tyler feelings. Even when he is trying to kill her she gets him. She sees it’s the beast that is after her. This is a fundamental part of him, he is changed forever, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still Tyler. The same can be said for Caroline, but this is something she struggles so deeply with as she knows many people she cares about will never understand this about her. There’s just this energy and dynamic between the two that is so strong.
Matt came off as extremely blind and lackluster throughout the episode; proving how undeserving he is of Caroline. He seems to just really be lacking any emotion lately. I’m not sure if it’s Zack Roerig falling short in his performance or if the writers are just unable to give him some sort of understanding or depth. Matt was never the most interesting character, but his character in the book was certainly far superior to what we have been getting from him in the show lately.
Even though Matt disappointed me in the episode, Bonnie was a pleasant surprise. Recently, there was question of if her controlling the Salem witches magic would kill her. Her death would affect characters I did care about even though she’s a character I could easily say goodbye to. At her worst, she’s hateful, small-minded, and stubborn. She hasn’t been that version of herself in a while. Luckily, tonight we saw her at her best. Bonnie was fierce, strong, and so animalistic and elemental. No matter what my previous opinions on her were I couldn’t help but respect her.
The Sun Also Rises is equally intense and emotional. We have been leading up to this point for so long. I always liked that the show was never afraid to kill off featured characters. At first, you would think no matter the situation death wouldn’t be the result; they would get out of it somehow. The writers were bold enough to kill many people off. It made us realize that no one was necessarily safe, anything could happen. Our main characters have been way out of their league this season. It’s expected that they will find a way to turn things around, but the more intriguing possibility is that they won’t. What will that mean for them and their world? This episode really keeps you on your toes. It’s thrilling and is full of pivotal turning points. Every bit of action is matched with death, sorrow, and paralyzing emotion. It marks the end for many things and there very well might be more loss to come.
