In any case, the finale was everything I hoped it would be and more. It is a pity and a shame that we may not get to see what happens next. But here’s how it went.

Diana wakes up – in Grant’s car. He’s sitting in the driver’s seat. Her phone’s been ringing all night, but Grant didn’t wake her. She checks her messages and says she needs to go. Grant lets Diana know he will take her across the country if that’s what she wants, and she does, someday. But today, the Circle needs her.

She meets the Circle (minus Faye, who’s been kidnapped by Eben and the Witch Hunters) back at the abandoned house. They are locked in a debate about how to get Faye back – with or without John Blackwell’s help. Diana says that together they are more powerful than they were separately, but Melissa reminds her they could not defeat a Witch Hunter who only had one demon in him, and Eben has six.

Cassie’s phone rings and Eben’s on the other end. He tells her to bring a crystal to the boat where their parents burned or Faye will burn like they did. He knows they can’t form the Crystal Skull without all six crystals, so he’ll take one, thank you very much.

Adam says, “Let’s do it,” but Jake is sure Eben can’t be trusted. The only way to get Faye is to kill Eben before he hurts her, and the way to do that is with the Crystal Skull. Diana demurs. They think that because it’s what Blackwell told them, and he can’t be trusted, but Jake says his grandfather told them it’s the most dangerous weapon ever created. Eben is afraid of it, and Blackwell is the only one who knows how it works, but Diana and Cassie will have to be part of creating it.

Adam, Jake and Melissa go off to the boatyard to see if they can rescue Faye.

Cassie and Diana meet Blackwell to create the skull. He explains they have to destroy the family crystals and that will unbind the Circle. Diana says no – they can’t unbind the Circle without talking to the other members. Cassie argues that Faye will die if they don’t create the Skull. It’s worth the risk even if they don’t know what will happen to the other members of the Circle when it is unbound.

Blackwell begins the ritual, and starts to look like the creepy dude I’ve always seen lurking beneath the surface. And the ritual is creepy too.

At the boatyard, Melissa, Jake and Adam are feeling the effects of the unbinding, and Jake is ready to go after Faye, but Adam stops him – with his individual power. Now they know the Circle is not bound any more. It’s too dangerous to go on the ferry.

On the ferry, Faye has also discovered her power is back. She’s loose and looking for a way out. And she bests a Witch Hunter to get her phone back. I LOVE FAYE.

At the Meade house, Charles’ mother has come to call, and Dawn is also there. Kate Meade is clearly concerned about Faye. As they talk, Faye calls her mother. She tells her where she is and what’s happening – and that she knows she’s a witch. And Dawn knows she knows. (I love the comedic exchange in the midst of the stressful situation!) During their conversation, Faye is attacked. The situation is now urgent.

Dawn begs Charles’ mother not to let history repeat itself. Kate Meade says the second generation’s power was destroyed when it was stripped, but she will give them her own! Go Grandma!

Meanwhile, back at the beach where the skull is forming, something is happening beneath the water. It is churning and bubbling. Cassie walks into the water as she feels the pull of the skull. She picks it up out of the water. It is not yet fully formed, but she is clearly feeling a connection to it. She encourages Diana to touch the mass, and as both Cassie and Diana touch it, the Skull forms.

Cassie looks satisfied. Diana looks terrified.

Melissa, Adam and Jake are worried about Cassie and Diana – neither will answer their phones. Adam is going after them, while Melissa and Jake stay at the ferry and go after Faye. This is one of the best scenes of the finale. Adam and Jake encourage each other, and we see the deepening feelings between Adam and Melissa. It’s a moment of warmth in a series where there always seems to be tension and danger.

Blackwell takes the skull, but Cassie wants to hold it. Diana insists they do whatever it takes to save Faye. Blackwell says the skull reflects an individual’s power, but without limitations. Cassie seems to be mesmerized by the power of the skull and her connection to it, so she takes it from Blackwell. Blackwell wants it back, and claims Cassie’s dark magic isn’t advanced enough to use it. Diana supports Cassie’s claim on the skull, and if she needs help to kill Eben with it, Blackwell can guide her. Cassie chimes in – they all have the same goal – isn’t that right?

And then the moment of truth … Blackwell admits they don’t have the same goal, but they will. The girls fall to the ground at his bidding.

Back at the Meade home, Kate Meade has transferred her power. Dawn thanks her and leaves. Charles tells his mother he knows that Diana is not his daughter. Turns out his mother has known all along that Blackwell was Diana’s blood father, but she tells Charles blood does not define a family. Kate claims that the demons in Eben cannot be killed without the Crystal Skull but Charles knows there is another way; however, he needs his mother’s help. He speaks of redemption, and we all know what he’s talking about.

Melissa and Jake make their way onto the ferry, and find Faye. Eben disarms them, and the demons can be seen running around his head.

Cassie and Diana regain consciousness at the abandoned house. The Skull is sitting on a table, and Blackwell is looking through a book. The girls quickly discover they are encircled and can’t escape. Turns out Blackwell couldn’t care less about the other members of the Circle – or Eben.

Jake, Faye and Melissa are now wearing robes and tied to a post on the ferry – just as Blackwell was 16 years before, and it is encircled with ash. Eben enters and gives the standard lecture about how he has to kill them because they are abominations, and he sets the ash circle on fire. As he and his minions leave, the entire room catches fire.

Dawn and Charles arrive and see smoke, and hear screaming. Charles takes on Eben and tells Dawn to circle around the other way. Charles’ strategy becomes clear – he’s going to get the demons out of Eben and take them on himself! Meanwhile, Dawn puts out the fires and breaks the kids’ bonds. Off they go, but when they hear Eben screaming, Jake follows the screams as Dawn takes off the other way with Faye and Melissa.

Charles has taken on the demons and Jake shows up just in time to shove a knife into Eben’s gut, avenging his parents and his brother, Nick. But he looks up to find Charles gone.

Back at the abandoned house, Blackwell says Witch Hunters have always been the best way to galvanize witches (and here I am reminded of the chase for the moonstone and the doppelgänger in my other favorite show!). The strategy becomes clear – Blackwell wanted children, but not their parents. Broken orphans are easier to control, but Amelia figured it out and tried to get Ethan to help kill Blackwell before his evil plot could take hold.

Blackwell – dressed all in black to match his heart – explains that the deaths of the parents gave him the opportunity to disappear and wait until the right moment to return.

We head back to the boat. Charles has run outside, and Dawn and the girls have caught up to him. They can see the demons running loose inside him. He asks Dawn to tell Diana that he loves her, and then jumps overboard.

Blackwell begins to chant over the skull as Cassie and Diana watch, stuck in the ash circle. Inside the skull, black vapor dances. Cassie demands, “If you are not using the skull to kill Witch Hunters, then what is it for?” And Blackwell replies, “To kill witches … every single one without Balcoin blood.”

Then he holds up his hand to reveal the mark of the Balcoins – the imprint of the medallion.

On the boat, Dawn, Faye and Melissa are suddenly in distress, burning from the inside out. Blackwell explains that the other witches have kept the Balcoins weak for 200 years. The time has come for a cleansing.

Adam arrives at the abandoned house, also in distress.

Blackwell drops his final bombshell. There are 4 more Balcoin children – born in other towns, raised in other Circles, on their way to Chance Harbor to join Diana and Cassie.

Diana declares that Adam’s grandfather was right. Blackwell says a Balcoin Circle will be perfect. It is made of the purest race. (Race?) Together, a pure Balcoin Circle will be a weapon more powerful than any Crystal Skull.

Megalomaniacal much Blackwell?

Adam, crawling along the floor and burning up, is not going down without a fight, but Blackwell counter attacks.

When Cassie sees that the Skull is burning Adam – and understands that this is happening to all the members of the Circle, including Jake who has caught up with Dawn, Faye and Melissa – she reacts swiftly. Realizing her dark magic is not enough to break through the barrier, she turns on Diana, knowing Diana’s survival instinct will kick in.

And it does. Diana fights back and the barrier is broken. Cassie grabs the skull and begins to reverse the spell. Blackwell fights back and for a moment, it looks like he is being successful, as blood begins to drip from Cassie’s nose, but Diana joins her and Blackwell begins to burn!

And together, they kill him!

Later, Cassie, Diana and Adam greet Faye, Melissa and Jake at the door of Cassie’s house. Cassie admits that none of what has happened should have – she just wanted to believe in her father. Melissa says they were all fooled by him, but Cassie insists she should have known it was wrong.

She apologizes, and they move on to the next bit of business – how to destroy the indestructible Crystal Skull so nothing like this ever happens again. Cassie describes its power as dark and seductive (and Faye hears it calling her name). Adam suggests they surround it with lead and drop it deep in the ocean. Cassie says Adam should do it because “no one’s more reliable”. Even Jake agrees.

Cassie wants to rebind the Circle, but the others are not so sure. With Eben and Blackwell gone, there’s no compelling reason to increase their group power. And all the evil stuff started to happen once the Circle was bound. Better to go back to the way it was … maybe.

But Cassie reminds them there are other Balcoins coming, and being bound is a protection against them. Diana wants no part of it, and she’s leaving town. Cassie begs her to stay – she’s the only family Cassie has left, but Diana reminds her that no matter where she may go, that will never change. She needs to leave Chance Harbor.

Diana feels lost – something Cassie understands better than most. When she came to Chance Harbor, Diana was the one who helped her. Now Cassie wants to do the same for Diana, but Diana is terrified of her dark magic, and she can’t get away from it and be with Cassie at the same time, so she leaves.

Jake and Faye leave the promise of a rekindled love affair glowing as Faye departs.

Grant meets up with Diana at the coffee house – she’s packed a bag and ready to go with him.

Melissa comes home to find Faye in her room with champagne and in a partying mood.

Jake opens a package from Grandpa Royce. It contains a note that says, “The Circles are coming together – your fight is far from over.” Inside the package is a talisman every bit as mysterious as the Balcoin Medallion.

Charles – who is not dead – sits in a chair as his mother carves into his wrist the same symbol that bound the demons in Heather, which also made her catatonic.

Adam holds the Crystal Skull in his hands and seems to be seduced by its power. Is it Adam … or did Blackwell take possession of him during their battle at the abandoned house?

Diana gets into Grant’s car, and as she begins to fasten her seat belt, notices something on her hand – the imprint of the Balcoin Medallion.

Remember Diana that no matter where you go, there you are!

Cassie stands alone staring at the same symbol on the palm of her own hand. She turns it toward the fireplace and lights a fire, and her face glows with satisfaction.

And on the outskirts of Chance Harbor, on a promontory, stands 4 figures – 3 boys and a 1 girl, dressed in black. On their palms is the imprint of the Balcoin Medallion.

So this is where it ends?

It breaks my heart to have watched the show build and build and build – all the elements coming together – and now we are left to wonder what happens next, because there will be no Season 2.

It also seems to me that the shows that are rich in storytelling, with interesting characters and complex plotlines – and intricate mythology and/or history – seem to be on cable. I do not pretend to understand the entertainment business well enough to know why, but that is my observation. So I am hoping that somewhere out in the world of cable, some smart executive sees the potential that is in The Secret Circle and picks it up for at least another season.

I believe the show – and its loyal and passionate fans (of which I am one) – deserve it. This season was 22 episodes of great entertainment.

Thank you Kevin Williamson for making it happen, thank you Andrew Miller for keeping it happening each week. And thank you to the cast, Britt Robertson, Thomas Dekker, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Chris Zylka, Louis Hunter, Gale Harold, and Natasha Henstridge for giving it your all in every episode and making me excited to see what happens next.

Photo Courtesy of The CW

The Fall Schedule:

Monday:
8:00: 90210
9:00: Gossip Girl

Tuesday:
8:00: Hart of Dixie
9:00: Emily Owens, M.D.

Wednesday:
8:00: Arrow
9:00: Supernatural

Thursday:
8:00: The Vampire Diaries
9:00: Beauty and the Beast

Friday:
8:00: America’s Next Top Model
9:00: Nikita

New Midseason Shows:

The Carrie Diaries will be on Mondays at 9 starting in January. Cult will also start midseason.

The New Shows:

Arrow is a Green Arrow adaptation starring Stephen Amell (Private Practice), Paul Blackthorne (The River), and Katie Cassidy (Gossip Girl).

See more at the official site.

Beauty and the Beast is a remake of the 1980s show, starring Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) and Jay Ryan (Go Girls).

See more at the official site.

The Carrie Diaries is a Sex and the City prequel starring AnnaSophia Robb (Soul Surfer), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Austin Butler (Switched at Birth), and Matt Letscher (Scandal).

See more at the official site.

Cult is a drama about a cult of fans recreating crimes from a TV show, starring Jessica Lucas (Melrose Place) and Matt Davis (The Vampire Diaries).

See more at the official site.

Emily Owens, M.D. is a medical drama about a doctor starting her first job, starring Mamie Gummer (The Good Wife), Justin Hartley (Smallville), Michael Rady (The Mentalist), and Jack Coleman (Heroes).

See more at the official site.

(Photo courtesy of the CW.)

The last two episodes were a mashup of present and past as we dealt with the fallout of the faux confession/suicide and Daniel’s attempt to return to normal life while Emily discovers that Nolan had some hidden nuggets of information about her dad’s conviction.

First off, we learn that Nolan has another tie to Grayson Global through his aunt, who was Conrad’s secretary. He tipped her off to get the hell out of dodge when David Clarke was murdered and then made extra sure she was safe by faking her death and setting her up upstate.

When Emily finds the aunt’s name in her dad’s journal, she tracks her down and gets the full backstory from Nolan. The added bonus is that his aunt can ID the guy in David’s last picture the day he was killed—not by name, but by sight and reputation (James Morrison is the actor playing him)—that he was a fixer whom Conrad was afraid of. [I have to call bullshit that the guy would’ve been photographed, but whatever.]

In that same episode, Daniel gets a full confession from Conrad about ALL the Grayson dirty laundry when Victoria sets the SEC on him. Emily overhears everything via her bug in Conrad’s study and she’s happy Daniel will be on her side now but is instead devastated when he takes an opportunity to rip the rug out from under his parents on national TV and doesn’t do it. They run this development up the middle like Daniel really is that stupid, so if it turns out he actually had a plan, Emily and I will both be surprised.

Ashley gets a job with the attorney who was handling Daniel’s case and then loses it when Victoria outs her for leaking the crime scene photos to the press. By the end of the episode, Conrad has reversed her fortunes again with the keys to a fancy Lexus and a new job at Grayson Global. Out at the cemetery, Victoria tries to convince Charlotte that she really does love her, and she really loved David, and they’re startled to find Emily’s rose on his headstone.

Last week’s episode tabled all of that for a blast from the past to the last week of 2002 that showed us a much more fragile Emily who went blazing up to the Hamptons full of rage but not poised enough yet to take on the Graysons. Nolan rescues her from an NYC bar fight and tells her she really needs to read the journals so she finally does. Then she stints at the Graysons’ New Year’s Eve party (where she ended up in the background of one of the photos as a cater waiter).

In a neat casting trick, the party is a sea of people she’s since checked off her list. We find out the motivating factor for her vengeance on all of them was Roger Halstead, the one promising lead at the party, who was David’s friend and who Frank (remember, we’re back in 2002) kills because there was a concern about him coming clean about what they’d all done. When Emily finds Halstead’s body, she’s shattered and newly resolved to get her mad on. She also takes the time to tattoo the infinity on her wrist (which I think is a retcon, but I can’t be 100%).

We also learn that Nolan had previous dealings with Jack’s dad when he bought their house along with their neighbors, which is what sent the family to live above the bar. Turns out Nolan did them a favor because Declan and Jack’s mama came calling for a divorce and only wanted cash. I found it odd that neither Jack nor Declan has made any sort of comment in the present about Nolan’s swankienda sitting on their former land.

We get a sidebar of how Lydia came to own the Clarke house—the Graysons had kept it and only decided to relinquish it when Lydia wanted to be nearby. Victoria confesses to Lydia that she’d kept it as a remembrance of David, the only thing she had left. So I’m guessing Lydia didn’t know David was Charlotte’s father. That Lydia had already thanked Conrad for the house earlier that evening by launching their affair is particularly skeevy.

In the extra backward flashback, we see how Victoria and David met at a New Year’s Eve party at the Graysons, but we don’t get the year of that party. When Emily lands in the Hamptons, it’s New Year’s Eve 2002, and she tells Nolan she’s been on her own for ten years (which would make Sammy over 20 years old, so I do now have to also call bullshit on that).

We finish back in the present with Emily and Daniel leaving for a New Year’s Eve 2011 party, where I’d bet we can expect Emily to launch her own fireworks.

It’s been a meandering 22 episodes. As I said a few weeks ago, I think the first 15 were super tight, but the back five so far have treaded a bit as they tried to figure out what the end game is for the first season. I’d guess we’ll get a cliffhanger, or a new crime, or both, to wrap up. It was announced Tuesday that the show will be moving to Sundays in the fall, inheriting the Desperate Housewives slot. I get that ABC needs the eyeballs, but I’ve been kind of partial to my midweek soap fix. Either way, I’m glad they’ll be back.

Two more episodes!

Photo Courtesy of ABC

The Fall Schedule:

Sunday:
7:00: 60 Minutes
8:00: The Amazing Race
9:00: The Good Wife
10:00: The Mentalist

Monday:
8:00: How I Met Your Mother
8:30: Partners
9:00: 2 Broke Girls
9:30: Mike & Molly
10:00: Hawaii Five-0

Tuesday:
8:00: NCIS
9:00: NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00: Vegas

Wednesday:
8:00: Survivor
9:00: Criminal Minds
10:00: CSI

Thursday:
8:00: The Big Bang Theory
8:30: Two and a Half Men
9:00: Person of Interest
10:00: Elementary

Friday:
8:00: CSI: NY
9:00: Made in Jersey
10:00: Blue Bloods

Saturday:
8:00: Crimetime Saturday
10:00: 48 Hours Mystery

New Midseason Shows:

Golden Boy, Friend Me, The Job

The New Shows:

(Note: The midseason shows don’t have any photos or trailers yet.)

Elementary is a modern Sherlock Holmes adaptation set in New York City, starring Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) as Holmes and Lucy Liu (Southland) as a female Watson.

See more at the official site.

Friend Me is a comedy about friends (an introvert and an extrovert) moving to California to work for a Web site, starring Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) and Nicholas Braun (10 Things I Hate About You).

Golden Boy is a cop drama starring Theo James (Bedlam, Downton Abbey), Holt McCallany (Lights Out), and Chi McBride (Human Target).

Made in Jersey is a legal drama about a working-class woman becoming an attorney at a fancy firm, starring Janet Montgomery (Human Target), Kyle MacLachlan (Desperate Housewives), and Pablo Schreiber (Lights Out).

See more at the official site.

Partners is a comedy about architect best friends/business partners, one straight and one gay, starring David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill), and Brandon Routh (Chuck).

See more at the official site.

Vegas is a drama about Ralph Lamb, cowboy-turned-sheriff in 1960s Las Vegas, starring Dennis Quaid (you know who he is), Michael Chiklis (The Shield), and Jason O’Mara (Terra Nova).

See more at the official site.

(Photo courtesy of CBS.)

The lyrics above flashed through my mind as I watched the final episode of Season 3 at the moment when it became clear that Damon had actually met Elena before Stefan saved her from drowning.

The episode opens with Elena waking to “So What” by Pink! Dressed in her cheerleading uniform, she joins Aunt Jenna for breakfast. Clearly we’ve flashed back to a pre-vampire time in her life. We meet her Mom, and then Elena awakens in present time, in a hospital bed.

Meredith is reassuring Jeremy that Elena has a mild concussion. She asks him if there is anyone he wants to call. Next thing you know, he’s locked horns with Damon, who is furious (as is Stefan) because Elena is now an exposed target. The Salvatores are turning back.

Meredith encounters Ric in her office. He spills the vials of vampire blood out on her desk, and tells her that her license is being revoked, and that Mayor Lockwood and Sheriff Forbes are also being relieved of their duties. Ric is in control! He wants Elena released to his custody, but when he goes to get her, her hospital bed is empty. Matt, Tyler and Caroline have rescued her and brought her home. (Is it me, or is this not the first place Ric will look for her?)

Elena has another flashback to when she was a cheerleader. She was dating Matt, and Bonnie was her non-witch best friend. Bonnie noticed that Elena didn’t seem to be responding to Matt the same way anymore, and admonished her not to string him along.

Clearly, it is time to choose – which Salvatore brother will Elena select?

She wakes to find herself alone with Matt. They reminisce, she apologizes, and she acknowledges that she needs to let one of the Salvatore Brothers go … just as Stefan appears.

(And right there, I knew what her choice would be, and I cried a little inside.)

There is an exchange between Stefan and Matt about choices. Matt is convinced that allowing Elena to make her own choices is wrong, but Stefan is all about free will because he had it taken away from him, so he values it highly. And while it is true that the freedom to make one’s own choices is a value to be treasured, one is not always aware of exactly what the consequences of a choice will be. I shared Matt’s concern.

Enter Elijah!!!

Elsewhere, Ric is interrogating Jeremy about the location of Klaus’ body, and Jeremy is not very cooperative. Ric wants to kill Klaus and all of his line, and tells Jeremy once that’s done, Bonnie can spell him the way she did with Klaus so they can lock him away and Elena can live a long, normal, human life. When she dies, he will die and there will be no more vampires.

Meanwhile, Elijah is attempting to strike a bargain with Elena, Stefan, Matt and Damon (by phone). He says he and his family can take Klaus’ body and the weapon and scatter. Ric will go looking for them, but they have been running for 1000 years. They’re good at it, and can surely make it another 50 years. Klaus promises not to revive Klaus in her – or her children’s – lifetime, but Elijah has broken his word before. Damon is totally against the deal, but Elena goes for it. (And here I am thinking, “Stupid girl, will you never learn?”)

At the Lockwood mansion, Carol and Liz are explaining to Caroline and Tyler that they need to leave town after being out to the council. They don’t have a choice – stay and die or leave and live. Caroline is reluctant but Tyler convinces her it’s the right thing to do. Caroline says she needs two hours to help her friends.

Damon and Bonnie arrive at a storage facility, and I’m excited. I love Damon and Bonnie team-ups! Damon has stashed Klaus’ body here. Even Damon finds Klaus’ desiccated state creepy. At Bonnie’s request, Damon leaves her alone with Klaus. Something’s up and I have no idea what, but I’m sure it’s not good.

Stefan has an intimate moment with Elena, who is clearly struggling with her choice, and then we hear Stefan and Damon plotting. Jeremy is going to lead Alaric to them. Damon describes the stark contrast between them and their approaches. For Damon, there is nothing more important than keeping Elena alive and he would sacrifice anyone and anything (including Elena’s free will) to ensure that.

Stefan, in contrast, believes in freedom to choose – no matter where the consequences of the choice may lead.

Damon hears a noise and hangs up on Stefan, assuming it is Rebekah, but it’s Ric. He gets Damon in a lock and when Damon won’t tell him which storage locker Klaus is in, Ric breaks his neck – again.

Elsewhere, Matt is serving up “over-honeyed tea” to Elena (and I recall that in the books on which the show is based, Matt’s last name is “Honeycutt”). Elena tells Matt for the first time that Stefan saved her life. She says she doesn’t feel that she “owes” Stefan her life, but he made her glad she was alive, and that’s what love should be.

“You should love the person who makes you glad that you’re alive.”

But there’s a problem – when she is with Damon, he consumes her. And she doesn’t want to lose anyone else. She’s sure if she makes a choice between the brothers, she will lose the one she doesn’t choose.

Flashback to “Family Night” ditch. Elena is calling Jenna from the bonfire, asking for a ride. She and Matt have had a fight and she needs someone else to get her home. Jenna hands the phone to Miranda, who tells Elena that Matt is trying to figure out where he stands with her. He seems to have his life mapped out and he is pressing Elena on the future. She claims she doesn’t know how she feels, but Mom knows best. Elena needs to tell Matt how she feels, and set him free.

Elena awakens in Matt’s truck, and Matt has doped her! He’s taking Elena out of town to keep her safe.

At the storage facility, Rebekah arrives. Damon manages to grab and silence her as Ric comes upon locker 1020 – which is now empty since Damon and Bex are rushing it out of the facility. But Ric catches up to them. He quickly dispatches Bex, then Damon, and then opens the coffin and plunges the Original Stake into Klaus’s heart! Klaus catches fire. Ric removes the stake and closes the coffin lid and turns for Rebekah, knowing that Damon will be dead soon. Damon pushes Rebekah behind him, tells her to run, and then takes on Ric, who quickly dispatches him and takes off.

Damon calls Stefan to tell him the bad news. Both of them are feeling OK at the moment, but they know it took an hour for the effects of Finn’s death to be felt by Sage, and an hour is not enough time for Damon to return to Mystic Falls. But it’s not his own goodbye that Stefan is worried about – it’s the one between Damon and Elena. Damon tells Stefan he will just have to say goodbye for both of them.

Jeremy tells Stefan that Elena is not at home; he and Matt are getting her out of town. Elijah and Caroline arrive and Stefan has to tell them the news. Jeremy calls Matt, who tells Elena the bad news, and now she is insisting they have to go back before everyone dies! Matt tells her Damon is not with them. Damon is 100 miles from where they are, but they are driving toward him. Elena has to choose: go back to Stefan, or forward to Damon!

Going backward is rarely a good choice …

Elena calls Damon. She has made her choice, and Matt is taking her home. (And here my brain is going, “Stupid girl, stupid girl, stupid girl.”) She’s not just going back to Stefan, but to Caroline and Tyler. Damon presses her and she makes it clear she is choosing Stefan. (“Stupid girl, stupid girl.”)

Then here’s the kicker – TIMING. Stefan came into her life at a critical moment, and she fell for him on the spot. (Please go back and check the lyrics above!) Elena cares enough about Damon to let him go. But maybe if she’d met Damon first, it would be different. (Please go back and check the lyrics above … again!)

Elena and Damon say goodbye, and Ric is pissed. Rebekah has somehow eluded him.

Caroline has run back to meet Tyler, and BRAVO to Michael Trevino for his acting chops! The look on his face when Caroline tells him that Klaus is dead – especially when we find out later what has transpired with Bonnie – is wonderful! If you get to watch it again, check out that big hug. Tyler tells Caroline to leave.

Caroline has called Elena and let her know Tyler is starting to feel the effects of Klaus’ demise. Matt is pretty broken up by it, too. In the woods, Bex is telling Elijah about Klaus’ fate. Elijah tells her Tyler Lockwood is dead, but how are the others alive if they are “descended” from Klaus?

Bonnie shows up at the Lockwood dungeon, and in walks a very much alive Tyler. Once again, all the kudos to Michael Trevino! He’s got Joseph Morgan’s walk and attitude DOWN! Brilliant! There has been transference, and that explains the look on Tyler’s face in that hug with Caroline – Klaus finally got a piece of what he’s longed for. Bonnie did a transference spell to save her friends, and she’s not concerned with blowback from her ancestors or anyone else in the spirit world. She’s done being pushed around by them.

But Bex is pissed. The deal made with Elijah is off – Klaus is dead, and the only way to get rid of Ric is to get rid of Elena. And as Matt and Elena drive across Wickery Bridge, Bex stands in the middle of the road. Matt swerves to avoid hitting her (why – what harm would that do? She’s immortal, for the lord’s sake!!!) and his truck flies through the air and into the water … in virtually the same place where Elena and her family went just a few years ago.

In the water, Elena is reliving the experience of being in the car with her parents while Damon is getting the crap kicked out of him by Ric at the storage facility, and reliving an experience of his own – the first time he met Elena.

Big reveal – it was before Stefan saved her! (Please go to the top of this post and read the lyrics!) Before Elena’s parents came to pick her up from the bonfire, Elena encountered Damon on the road. He thinks she’s Katherine, but Elena tells him no. He’s momentarily taken aback, but then we see the Damon of Season 1! They have a conversation – Elena’s fight with Matt, his mapped out future, she doesn’t know what she wants. Damon, who’s been around a long time, tells her she wants what everyone wants: “A love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger.”

Now, isn’t that what I’ve been saying for 3 years? This is the life Damon represents – passion, adventure, and risk. What fun. I don’t pretend to understand how Elena can still want a life with Stefan. Steady, solid, and BORING Stefan. But that’s me.

As Elena’s parents approach in their car, Elena asks Damon what he wants. He says he wants Elena to get everything she’s looking for, and as he says it, he is compelling her to forget he’s been there.

Back at the storage facility, Ric is about to stake Damon, but when Damon reaches out to defend himself, he is surprisingly able to fight Ric off. Ric is getting weaker, and Damon knows it’s because Elena must be dying.

In Matt’s truck, Elena is flashing between her current experience with Matt and her former experience with her parents. In both dreams, Stefan arrives. In the past, Elena’s father tells him to save Elena. But in the present, Elena tells Stefan to save Matt.

Why? Is Elena sacrificing herself to save the people she loves – knowing that if she dies, Ric will die also? Is she sacrificing herself knowing that Stefan and Damon are about to die, and life without them is not worth living?

As Ric dies in a distraught Damon’s arms, Jeremy is calling Matt wondering where the hell he and Elena are. Then he encounters Ric in the hall – and realizes Alaric’s a ghost! Which means Elena …

… is lying on a gurney with Stefan looking over her. Damon arrives at the hospital and demands that Meredith tell him where she is! Meredith tells him that Elena had a cerebral hemorrhage and that Meredith gave her vampire blood.

And Elena wakes up!!!

THIS IS THE BEST SET UP FOR A NEXT SEASON – EVER!

Did Elena know Meredith had given her vampire blood? Did she make the decision to save Matt knowing she’d “live”? Was it part of her plan to spend eternity with Stefan, knowing she’d made the right choice for her at this point in her “life”? Or is she going to wake up a vampire and have all her memories flooding back – the ones that Damon compelled away? She will learn she met Damon first, and he suggested a life far different from the one Stefan represents. She will wake with her most dominant trait magnified. Wow will she see the brothers Salvatore from this new perspective? Will she regret her decisions?

So, this turn of events nullifies “Elena’s choice”. The triangle begins all over again with a totally new set of rules. How will Stefan look to her now that all her emotions are magnified? What does steady, stable, and boring look like, especially if your true nature is strong and adventurous, And if, being a vampire, you no longer need safety and security? How will Damon look when she remembers everything he’s made her forget? Elena will see the side of himself that Damon claims he hides so he won’t have to live up to expectations, which is really a protective mechanism so he can avoid being hurt. Elena will see that vulnerability. How will she feel about that?

And let us not forget that in addition to being a vampire (should Elena complete the transition – there’s another choice), Elena is also a doppelgänger! Not only that, she is descended directly from the Original Petrova doppelgänger, Tatia. What does that mean in the mythology? Will Elena have special attributes as a vampire/doppelgänger that the other vampires don’t have? (The ability to make the transition back to human form, for instance?)

Oh, the possibilities!!!

Next season is going to be like all the other seasons – all about the choices we make and where they lead us. Elena will be reflecting on her choices of the past, and living a new life with new choices.

I can’t wait to see where this new journey takes us all. Which brings me back to the song I started off with …

If the planets were in perfect place, if your sign was on the rise
if my stars were in complete accord, but the sun was in your eyes
You’d have only seen my shadow, as I passed you on the street
and it might have been a hundred years, before our souls would meet again
and we would still be strangers, too early and too late
we are children of coincidence, coincidence and fate.

Photo Courtesy of The CW

The Fall Schedule:

Sunday:
8:00: Once Upon a Time
9:00: Revenge
10:00: 666 Park Avenue

Monday:
8:00: Dancing with the Stars
10:00: Castle

Tuesday:
8:00: Dancing with the Stars
9:00: Happy Endings
9:30: Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt 23
10:00: Private Practice

Wednesday:
8:00: The Middle
8:30: Suburgatory
9:00: Modern Family
9:30: The Neighbors
10:00: Nashville

Thursday:
8:00: Last Resort
9:00: Grey’s Anatomy
10:00: Scandal

Friday:
8:00: Shark Tank
9:00: What Would You Do?
10:00: 20/20

Saturday: College Football

Midseason:

Mondays in January::
8:00: The Bachelor
10:00: Castle

Tuesdays in January:
8:00: How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life
8:30: The Family Tools

Fridays in November:
8:00: Last Man Standing
8:30: Malibu Country
9:00: Shark Tank
10:00: 20/20

Mondays in May:
10:00: Mistresses

Other midseason shows include Body of Proof, Red Widow, Wife Swap, and Zero Hour.

The New Shows:

666 Park Avenue is a drama about a couple managing an apartment building full of supernatural stuff, starring Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters), Rachael Taylor (Charlie’s Angels), Terry O’Quinn (Lost), and Vanessa Williams (Desperate Housewives).

See more at the official site.

The Family Tools is a comedy about a man taking over his father’s handyman business, starring Kyle Bornheimer (Perfect Couples), Leah Remini (The King of Queens), and J.K. Simmons (The Closer).

See more at the official site.

How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life is a comedy about a recently-divorced mother who moves back in with her parents, starring Sarah Chalke (Scrubs).

See more at the official site.

Last Resort is a drama about a nuclear submarine crew that goes rogue and declares itself a nation, starring Andre Braugher (Homicide), Scott Speedman (Felicity), and Autumn Reeser (No Ordinary Family).

See more at the official site.

Malibu Country is a comedy about a woman who moves from Nashville to California after her divorce, starring Reba McEntire (Reba) and Lily Tomlin (The West Wing).

See more at the official site.

Mistresses is a drama about, um, mistresses, four female friends, starring Alyssa Milano (Charmed), Yunjin Kim (Lost), Rochelle Aytes (The Forgotten), and Jes Macallan (Justified).

See more at the official site.

Nashville is a drama about country musicians, starring Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes).

See more at the official site.

The Neighbors is a comedy about a gated community of aliens, starring Jami Gertz (Still Standing).

See more at the official site.

Red Widow is a drama about a woman forced to take over her dead husband’s position in a criminal empire, starring Radha Mitchell (Melinda and Melinda).

See more at the official site.

Zero Hour is a conspiracy drama about a skeptics magazine, starring Anthony Edwards (ER) and Michael Nyqvist (the Swedish Dragon Tattoo movies).

See more at the official site.

(Photo courtesy of ABC.)

Here’s our schedule, so hit the library or bookstore and join us back here on June 4 for the first installment!

Schedule:

June 4: Heat Wave Chapters 1-8
June 11: Heat Wave Chapters 9-20
June 18: Naked Heat Chapters 1-6
June 25: Naked Heat Chapters 7-12

July 2: Naked Heat Chapters 13-20
July 9: Heat Rises Chapters 1-5
July 16: Heat Rises Chapters 6-12
July 23: Heat Rises Chapters 13-20
July 30: Movie Week! The Thin Man

August 6: Deadly Storm
August 13: A Brewing Storm
August 20: A Raging Storm (to be released 7/3)
August 27: Derrick Storm Short #3 (to be released 8/7)

(Photo courtesy of ABC.)

The Fall Schedule:

Sunday:
7:00: The OT
7:30: The Cleveland Show
8:00: The Simpsons
8:30: Bob’s Burgers
9:00: Family Guy
9:30: American Dad

Monday:
8:00: Bones
9:00: The Mob Doctor

Tuesday:
8:00: Raising Hope
8:30: Ben & Kate
9:00: The New Girl
9:30: The Mindy Project

Wednesday:
8:00: The X Factor

Thursday:
8:00: The X Factor
9:00: Glee

Friday:
8:00: Touch
9:00: Fringe

Saturday: Sports

Midseason:

Monday: The Following
Tuesday: The Goodwin Games
Wednesday & Thursday: American Idol
Friday: Hell’s Kitchen
Saturday: Cops

The New Shows:

Ben & Kate is a comedy about an irresponsible man helping his sister raise her daughter, starring Dakota Johnson (The Social Network) and Nat Faxon (The Cleveland Show).

See more at the official site.

The Following is a drama about a serial killer, his fans, and an FBI agent, starring James Purefoy (Rome) and Kevin Bacon (every movie ever).

See more at the official site.

The Goodwin Games is a comedy about adult siblings trying to fulfill the terms of their father’s will, starring Scott Foley (Felicity), Becki Newton (HIMYM), and Jake Lacy (Better with You).

See more at the official site.

The Mindy Project is a comedy about an ob/gyn, starring Mindy Kaling (The Office).

See more at the official site.

The Mob Doctor is a drama about a young Chicago doctor indebted to the mob, starring Jordana Spiro (My Boys).

See more at the official site.

(Photo courtesy of FOX.)

(Image courtesy of FOX.)

The Fall Schedule:

Sunday: Football

Monday:
8:00: The Voice
10:00: Revolution

Tuesday:
8:00: The Voice
9:00: Go On
9:30: The New Normal
10:00: Parenthood

Wednesday:
8:00: Animal Practice
8:30: Guys with Kids
9:00: Law & Order: SVU
10:00: Chicago Fire

Thursday:
8:00: 30 Rock
8:30: Up All Night
9:00: The Office
9:30: Parks & Recreation
10:00: Rock Center

Friday:
8:00: Whitney
8:30: Community
9:00: Grimm
10:00: Dateline NBC

Saturday: Reruns

Midseason:

Once football ends, Sunday will look like this:
7:00: Dateline NBC
8:00: Fashion Star
9:00: Celebrity Apprentice
10:00: Do No Harm

Other midseason scripted shows include Smash, Infamous, Hannibal, Save Me, 1600 Penn, and Next Caller.

A Comment: Contrary to earlier reports, NBC now says that none of its comedies are definitely in their final seasons. Not even 30 Rock.

Update: NBC is now once again saying that this will be 30 Rock‘s final season.

The New Shows:

1600 Penn is a comedy about the First Family, starring Bill Pullman (Torchwood), Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg), and Josh Gad (The Book of Mormon).

Animal Practice is a comedy about an unconventional vet and his new boss, starring Justin Kirk of Weeds. (The female lead is being recast.)

Chicago Fire is a drama about firefighters in Chicago, starring Jesse Spencer (House) and Taylor Kinney (The Vampire Diaries).

Do No Harm is a Jekyll-and-Hyde medical drama starring Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me).

Go On is a comedy about a recently widowed sportscaster who joins a support group to convince his boss he’s back to normal and can go back on the air. It stars Matthew Perry (Friends) and Laura Benanti (The Playboy Club).

Guys with Kids is a comedy about, um, guys with kids, starring Anthony Anderson (Law & Order), Zach Cregger (Friends with Benefits), and Jesse Bradford (Outlaw).

Hannibal is a prequel to the Hannibal Lecter stories, starring Hugh Dancy (The Big C).

See more at the official site.

Infamous is a drama about a housekeeper’s daughter turned FBI agent investigating the secrets of the rich family she grew up with, starring Victor Garber, Meagan Good (Think Like a Man), and Laz Alonso (Breakout Kings).

The New Normal is a comedy about a gay couple trying to have a baby via surrogate, starring Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon) and Justin Bartha (The Hangover).

Next Caller is a comedy about mismatched radio hosts, starring Dane Cook (Dane in Real Life) and Collette Wolfe (Young Adult).

Revolution is a post-apocalyptic drama starring Billy Burke (Twilight) and Tracy Spiridakos (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

Save Me is a comedy about a woman who gets a direct line to God after a near-death experience, starring Anne Heche (Hung).

(Photo courtesy of NBC.)