A RESCUE IN THE NIGHT - When Alaric (Matt Davis) realizes that Jo (guest star Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) can't be compelled, he asks Elena (Nina Dobrev) to do some digging into her background. After learning that Enzo (Michael Malarkey) has been captured by Tripp, Caroline (Candice Accola) teams up with Matt and Stefan (Paul Wesley) to rescue him before Tripp learns their true identities. Armed with some new information about her past, Sarah (guest star Gabrielle Walsh) breaks into Tripp's (guest star Colin Ferguson) office and is surprised when she finds Matt (Zach Roerig) there, doing some investigating of his own. Meanwhile, Elena is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions, and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) hits rock bottom, lashing out in a destructive way. Lastly, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is determined to take matters into his own hands when he receives some upsetting news. Garreth Stover directed the episode written by Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux (#606).
After a big time jump, the premiere opens with Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) still gone. While their whereabouts will be revealed quickly, the question of what happened while they were there will be a season-long arc. Elena (Nina Dobrev) will be grieving over the loss of Damon by making some surprising choices and bonding with Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Alaric (Matt Davis), who does some bonding of his own with a woman he meets. Get ready for a handful of new faces, including a militia leader (Colin Ferguson) and a tough doctor at the university hospital (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Matt (Zach Roerig) will be thriving as he gets involved in the new magic-less community, while Tyler (Michael Trevino), now back to a human with the werewolf gene, will return to his testosterone-filled, hard-headed personality. Will he reconnect with Caroline (Candice Accola), whom executive producer Julie Plec says will take the loss of Bonnie and Damon "in a weird way the hardest"?
The Vampire Diaries features:
Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan
Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood
Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman
Michael Malarkey as Enzo
The Vampire Diaries returns November 6