The Vampire Diaries Review: A Bird in a Gilded Cage (Season 6 Episode 17)

Wow. So that just happened.

You know, for the past couple of seasons, I thought that The Vampire Diaries was losing its mojo. But this season has proven me wrong. Episode after episode, I’m left wondering what the heck just happened, and why, oh why, must I wait another week? This week’s episode “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” was no different. Spoilers ahead.

Stefan and Caroline both have their humanity switched off. It was fun to see how differently they handle that. Stefan’s mind goes straight to bloodlust, whereas Caroline, still the controlling, neurotic one, has everything down to a science. Things get heated when Stefan decides that since Caroline forced him to shut off his humanity, he wants revenge! He kills her drama professor/director, and she tears apart his bike. Was it weird that I still though their ‘revenge’ just looked like a supernatural couple getting into an argument? But then Stefan takes it a step further. He tells Care to just give in to the blood lust.

And you know what?

She does. She gives in, and chows on a random girl who lives in her dorm and proceeds to do the dirty with her long time crush. Even as a Steroline shipper, I couldn’t help but feel like it was a fake out, though. Their first time wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be beautiful, and sweet, and 100% real.

Across town, Damon’s making Bonnie a proposition. They need to get to 1903 to release his Ripper!Mom, who could hopefully help switch Stefan’s humanity switch. The problem? They’d have to take Kai. After some amazing powers of persuasion, Bonnie agrees. So, while Damon and Elana get reacquainted with Mama Salvatore, who had an eerie personality about her, Bonnie and Kai went to search for the ascendant.

Only they weren’t.

That proposition from earlier? It was that if Bonnie helped Damon, he would let her get revenge on Kai for all the horrible things he did to her in 1994. Watching Bonnie stab Kai over and over again, gave me chills- and not the good kind. I’m not sure I like this version of Bonnie; I want the old one back. And something broke in my chest (maybe it was the heart I once had, before I started watching this show) when Kai saw Damon, Elena, Bonnie and Lilly Salvatore performing the spell and realized they’d leave him there as he broke down and cried. Chris Wood gets major kudos for selling this version of Kai. I hope he comes back- one way or another.

The episode ends with Elena and Damon making out, and just being incredibly domesticated, which is probably intended to show us how far they had come as a couple.

They are in love; they are happy.

And then Bonnie comes in, and interrupts.

Elena leaves quickly, embarrassed, and Bonnie walks up to Damon and drops a bombshell.

When she went up to Nova Scotia to get some magic, she brought Damon back a gift. Yup. She brought him the cure. “I know you wanted it for Elena.” Damon looks so torn, wondering if he should or shouldn’t give it to Elena now, after everything they’ve been through.

It was interesting, to see the story rewind to season 4, and they could take it to many places! I can’t wait until April 16 to see how Lilly will deal with Ripper, Stefan, and what Damon will decide to do with the cure.

What did you think of this week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Vampire Diaries airs at 8/7c on the CW.

Smriti Jasra

Smriti (a.k.a Sim) is a TV and comic book enthusiast, and has been since the days of Angel and Alias. She watches over 20 shows a week, and her perfect idea of a date is sitting on a couch with some pizza, while having the ultimate debate of Marvel vs. DC. When she’s not live-tweeting her favorite shows or working at her day job, she’s usually writing fan-fiction. Her favorite shows include: Arrow, The 100, Suits, The Flash and Kingdom. Follow her on Twitter: @simjasra