All of the characters are dealing with their grief in their own way – Matt (Zach Roerig) joined the neighborhood watch, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) chose booze and boobs, Tyler (Michael Trevino) walked onto the Whitmore College football team (and is clearly suffering from PTSD), and Alaric is just trying to readjust to what it means to be alive.
The only character who is maintaining more than just their emotional distance is Stefan (Paul Wesley). It’s hard to take what he says at face value, though. Damon labored to save Stefan over and over again, so it’s doubtful that after a few months Stefan is just ready to throw in the towel and move on. He’s obviously working an angle with his new female friend, and although he probably does enjoy her company, there’s also probably some other reason that he’s keeping her around.
As always, Caroline and her pluckiness is going to bring everyone together. Her natural perkiness used to be a bit on the obnoxious side, but over the seasons it has become a reliable and equally integral part of the show. The Vampire Diaries deals in so much death that there has to be a happy balance or the show would reek of depression. Everyone may understandably be a little down in the dumps now, but give it a few episodes and there’ll be something more urgent to draw the attention away from the current tragic circumstances of being magically locked out of their own hometown.
The Vampire Diaries has jumped right back into the thick of it, and if this episode was any indication of what’s ahead in season six, you won’t want to miss a single second of whatever the writers have in store for us.