The Vampire Diaries Review: Live Through This (Season 7 Episode 5)

Congratulations, Lily. You’ve finally done it.

Julian is alive and well, thanks to the Phoenix Stone and some proper magic. We’ve yet to see just how evil Julian is, and why his hold over the Salvatore matriarch is so strong, but based on everything that we DO know about him, it’s already clear that Julian is going to cause some big problems for our favorites on The Vampire Diaries.

Enzo: I meant to ask you about this pretty stone. Where did you find it?
Bonnie: Rocks r’ Us. It was on sale.

Oh, that Phoenix Stone. Bonnie knows better than to play with unknown magic. While it seems that Jo and Oscar are alive and well with bad cases of amnesia, it turns out that the little red rock doesn’t revive those who’ve died, but instead revives the souls of the dead vampires that are locked inside of it. (Oh, and RIP again, Oscar.) 

What does this mean for Alaric and Jo? Alaric is playing the role of a supportive husband perfectly. For a moment in, “Live Through This,” we see a glimmer of Jo, as she bandages up Ric’s hand. Her medical instincts are definitely in place. But she also remembers a death that wasn’t her own.

It’s sad, what’s happening to Alaric, and also noble. Now that he knows it isn’t Jo inside of his wife’s body, he’s still going to help the soul inside. Is this how he’ll get his twins? Will this stranger deliver them in Jo’s body?

Speaking of baby talk, let’s talk about Stefan, finally discovering that he was almost a daddy. I have to give credit to Paul Wesley; he played Stefan’s reaction to the news perfectly.  We see a thousand thoughts run across his face as Valerie tells him the story of Julian, “fixing the problem.” It’s a heartbreaking moment for Stefan, knowing what he came so close to having.

Damon: No former flames will reignite on my watch.

While Stefan is now sufficiently fueled to kill Julian, I don’t see he and Valerie having anything more than a partnership against Julian. Stefan is still in new couple bliss with Caroline, although his failure to tell her what’s going on is a misstep so early in the love game. Maybe that isn’t a conversation to have over the phone.

Lily’s love of Julian has certainly reignited, though truthfully, it never went out. Enzo never stood a chance and I’m glad to see him walk away from her. I have to continue to wonder what Enzo’s game is. I’m still not totally convinced that he was ever in love with Lily and that his role in her plan was for another self-serving reason altogether.

Now that we see where Enzo ends up in three years, we can only assume that he’s a good guy in all of this. He’s obviously quite passionately in love with Bonnie, who appears to be in a mental ward, feeling responsible for someone’s death. We haven’t seen Matt Donovan in the future, so my money is on him.

Knowing that Bonnie and Enzo are headed for romance seems like such a stretch at this point, however, their flirtatious arguments showed that there is a spark there. The flash-forwards are driving me crazy. I need to see THAT story, like, right now.

Damon: Everything’s coming up Salvatore!

Oh Damon, you’re speaking too soon. Damon is all ready to turn over a new leaf until he finds out that Lily, his own mother, is the mastermind behind Elena’s long nap. While Stefan is looking for revenge on Julian for taking away his almost-child, Damon is fueled to go after Julian as revenge for Lily.

It seems like Julian already has quite a few enemies for a guy who’s just come back from the dead. He’s also got a familiar scar, one that we’ve seen in the future on Stefan. That scar opened when the mysterious hunter returned. So, it seems that this femme fetale is connected to Julian, as well.

Can we all agree that Lily is just about the stupidest woman alive? What is the hold that Julian has on her? Is she really just THAT lovesick? Does she realize all of the awful things he’s done, or does she see it and just dismiss it? Whatever the case, Lily’s got what she’s wanted all along, but I wonder at what cost.

This unlocks even more questions about the future. Does this mean that Stefan will die and be revived? Did Julian’s reawakening awaken the hunter? My theory that the hunter was Jo last week is already out the window, so who is the hunter?!

What did you think of “Live Through This”? Are you just as anxious as I am to see how the story unfolds to the flash-forwards? Is Caroline stupid or secure? Is your heart breaking for Alaric? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!

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