Bonnie Bennet

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”  Robert Frost

As I see it, the theme of the season finale of “The Vampire Diaries” was about choice – about our power to choose, and where it leads us.

So let us reflect on the choices of the residents of Mystic Falls, and the actual or possible consequences of those choices.

Elena

After reflecting on her sleeping brother and Jenna’s empty room, Elena makes the choice to live her life – to go through the motions of each day – eat, breath, sleep, and get up and do it all over again.  This is a choice most of us make every day, whether we are conscious of it or not.  Our days are mostly tedious routine, but that is what makes things “normal” – our routines.   The bumps in the road are not.

When Damon asks for her forgiveness, Elena initially makes the choice to ask for time to grieve.  And Damon gives it to her, knowing he doesn’t have much time.  But when Elena learns that Damon is dying, she makes the choice to forgive him and tell him how she really feels about him.

Why do people so often wait until it’s nearly too late to tell people how they feel?

Caroline

Caroline’s choice is “We persevere”.  This is a great choice.  Perseverance is a characteristic that is worth developing, because you just never know when adversity is going to appear in your life – and if you are not ready for it, it can devastate you.  If we practice perseverance, when we hit those bums in the road, perseverance makes them a little easier to take.

Caroline also chooses to confront her mother, to let her know that despite what the Sheriff believes, she is still her little girl. Bravo for Caroline – she makes a brave choice.  She risks her mother’s rejection but she tells the truth – and so far the consequences of that choice are reconciliation. 

The Sheriff makes the choice to embrace her daughter.

But before that happens, Sheriff Forbes continues to make choices based on her fears (because fear is what drives the “vampire haters” of Mystic Falls) and those choices lead her into making a fatal error.

Jeremy

Jeremy has often had choices made for him, and he’s sick of it.  So when Damon gets loose from the Salvatore Boarding House cellar, Jeremy’s choice is to be included on the hunt.  Unfortunately, he reaps some unintended consequences. He is shot dead by Sheriff Forbes, who – because she is ignorant of the powers of vampires – doesn’t realize how easy it is for Damon to escape her bullets.

Jeremy is dead – even his ring can’t save him.  It is only protection against the attack of a supernatural – and Sheriff Forbes is human.  But Bonnie simply will not give up on him.  She saves him – but the consequences are looking rather ghoulish – Vicky and Anna have suddenly shown up in his house!

Bonnie

Bonnie makes two important choices in this episode.  First, she chooses to risk the anger of the witches in order to help Stefan discover a cure for Damon’s werewolf bite. She gets the cure, but a warning comes with it.  

Second, she begs for their help in order to bring Jeremy back from the dead.  She confesses to them that she loves him.  Her wish is granted, but there will be consequences.

Tyler

Tyler was absent from this episode, but he’s already made some choices.  He made the choice to return to Mystic Falls because of his mother’s accident.  And apparently, he has also made the choice to stay.  We will see what the consequences of being the lone wolf in Mystic Falls are in Season 3. 

Matt

Mat is also absent from this episode, but has made some important and difficult choices. Overwhelmed with his life of school, work and bills, he has made the choice to break up with Caroline because he can’t deal with any more drama.  This choice has put him in the worst position possible for someone with so much stress in his life – he’s isolated.  The consequences of isolation and stress are usually not good.  

Alaric

After losing all the significant women in his life, Alaric’s choices are the ones I like the best.   I have always liked him, but in this episode, I loved him.  In the middle of what looked to possibly turn into an epic bender, he receives a phone call from Stefan, who needs his help with Damon. 

Alaric’s immediate choice?  “What do you need?”  He’s there for his friends. 

In the scene between him and Damon, we see what makes this bromance so great.  Alaric doesn’t even hold a grudge against Damon for a) turning his wife into a vampire and b) getting Jenna killed.  He’s there for his friend, offering aid (the ring) and comfort (the booze).  And when Damon begs Alaric to kill him, Alaric offers mercy (vervaine).

He also chooses to stick around for Jeremy.  Whether he will be able to help with whatever Jeremy needs remains to be seen – but he is there.  Sleeping on the couch!

Klaus

Klaus is one the baddest villains I’ve ever seen.  Charming and sinister.  A complete sociopath.  I hate this guy.  You can see on his face that he actually enjoys torture and there is something remotely sexual about the kill for him.  YUCK!

Klaus makes the choice to kill his brother, Elijah, and store him with the rest of the Original Family members, which apparently he carries with him from place to place.  Because I would find it hard to believe they’ve been stored in Mystic Falls all this time.  However, nothing is impossible. 

Klaus also makes a choice to exploit his power.  Nothing can kill him and he is set on creating mayhem and murder – and he insists that Stefan join him.  For what purpose, we don’t know – but Stefan’s final choice is a pivotal moment in the finale.

Stefan

Stefan makes many choices in this episode, all of them bound up his guilt about Damon.  He chooses to save Damon from suicide by grabbing him out of the light and locking him in the basement.  He chooses a guardian for him in the person of Alaric – a true friend.  And he chooses to ask Emily – by way of Bonnie’s channeling – for the cure for a werewolf bite.  He challenges Emily with the “balance or revenge” equation.  He wins and gets the cure, but at what cost to himself, and to Bonnie, and to Jeremy?

Finally, Stefan makes the choice to return to his former, beastly vampire persona – the “Ripper” (or, as Elijah says “Rippah!”), and bind himself to Klaus as his “wingman”.   This is a choice he is bound to regret.  It means his brother is saved, but it also means giving up Elena.

But as said in my last post, blood is thicker than water.  Family ties are binding.

Choices made out of guilt are never good ones.  Season 3 is going to be  - in large part -about the consequences of Stefan’s choices.

Damon

Damon, in the process of enduring a long, painful death, reflects on his choices and where they have led him.  I don’t know why but this is such a human thing to do – to become reflective only when we are facing extreme illness or death. 

The final scene between Damon and Elena provides the sweetest moments in the series so far.  Note, that is “sweetest” – not “most romantic” or “sexiest”.   Apologies to all you “Delena Shippers” out there.  This pair has not crossed over into the realm of romance – not yet.

The scene is something of a mirror to the scene of Rose’s demise in “The Descent” only this time, Elena is playing Damon’s part, and Damon is in Rose’s position.  Wracked with pain, Damon reflects.  This too is reminiscent of Rose.

He sees that he is where he is now because of his own choices.  He chose to feed on Katherine’s blood back in 1864.  It is not Stefan’s fault that he became a vampire– he could have made different choices.  He tells Elena to let Stefan know he’s sorry – that it wasn’t Stefan’s fault – not knowing that Stefan has already made his bargain with Klaus.

Damon accepts that without the choices he made, he would never have known Elena. He’s sorry for everything he’s done to hurt her.  He knows she will always love Stefan.

He’s getting weaker and Elena moves closer to hold him.

Damon tells Elena that he wishes she’d know him in 1864 because she’d have liked him.  And Elena tells him she likes him now – just the way he is.

And he tells her he loves her.  She tells him she knows.  Elena kisses him – a sweet, innocent kiss.  Damon thanks her – and she tells him “you’re welcome.” 

Katherine arrives with “the cure” and Damon is saved.  Then Katherine informs them that Stefan chose to sacrifice everything – including Elena – in order to save Damon.

Uh oh!

So at the end of Season 2, we have Damon resolving his anger and angst and making peace with his choices.  Does that mean he loses his snarky charm? 

And we have Stefan, about to embark on a journey or murder and mayhem with an indestructible supernatural – who can kill him at any moment!  Does that mean Stefan loses his “cool” and becomes the bad-ass brother?

And where does that leave Elena?  With Stefan gone, there is nothing standing in the way of a relationship with Damon now.

Nothing except her choices.

“Every person has free choice. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.”  Alfred A. Montapert

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