Last week was the first and only Friday the 13th of 2016. To those who aren't superstitious that day has little to no meaning - beyond the SyFy and Chiller tv specials and the start of the weekend - but in my hometown of Covington, GA the 13th is a semi big deal; well, at least it is to those in TVD fandom anyway.
You see, the city of Covington, Georgia also goes by another name: Mystic Falls. Yes, the Mystic Falls, the fictional city in which the CW's smash hit The Vampire Diaries is filmed, and on Friday the 13th, the season seven finale which featured the episode Gods & Monsters aired.
As a memorable way to wrap up this season, the Square aka downtown Covington partnered with Atlanta's CW 69 to host Bite Night, a finale viewing party. Seeing as how I am home for the summer with virtually nothing to do, I decided to take a friend and make the 15 minute drive to downtown Covington and check out Bite Night for myself.
As we arrived on the scene, I didn't have very many expectations; none of the cast would be in attendance, and the entire event was completely free to the public. Usually when an event is free you cannot expect too much excitement - because you know, there's no profit to be made. Anyway, as my friend and I found our seats in the screen on the green like arrangement, we began to reminisce on our younger days, the days where we were super-fans of everything vampire and supernatural.
Seeing as how neither of us had actually sat down to watch an episode of The Vampire Diaries in a couple of seasons, we weren't too invested in what this finale had to offer. Instead, we discussed how engrossed we used to be in the fandoms of our day which included all things Twilight, Supernatural, Percy Jackson, and of course The Vampire Diaries. I would say that my formative years included way too much fanfiction.net, CW tv, and Yahoo! instant messaging.
Before the episode began, fans in the audience were greeted with personal video chats that featured some of the stars in the cast. Hearing a shout out for the beloved city of Covington, Georgia was honestly pretty enjoyable - not much happens in this city. Then the finale episode began to air. I was slapped with some of the fiercest nostalgia I have ever experienced. Unlike some shows, The Vampire Diaries has remained true from the pilot episode to 22nd episode of season 7. Friday the 13th's episode began in typical Vampire Diaries fashion. From the scenarios to the tropes, the show was just as I remembered. Though I did not stay for the entire episode - after two hours of just sitting outside without food or drink priorities change - I would say that I definitely grew a new appreciation for TVD. Over the course of 7+ seasons, a lot of shows can undergo changes, changes that aren't necessarily good for the health of the show. For the most part, The Vampire Diaries has done and is doing it right.
