The Big Picture
Enzo’s tragic journey in The Vampire Diaries was filled with suffering and missed opportunities for happiness. His misfortune was often at the hands of the Salvatore brothers, particularly Damon, who left him in captivity and killed his love interest. Enzo’s redemption arc and love story with Bonnie was cut short when he was killed off, denying him the chance of a happy ending.
The Vampire Diaries might’ve ended in 2017, but the fandom still hasn’t recovered from Enzo’s (Michael Malarkey) tragic aftermath. The vampire was introduced in Season 5 of The CW show and slowly gained more onscreen time in the latter portion of the series, becoming a fan-favorite. When the final season aired, viewers were left devastated by his resolution in the show. After all, Enzo’s journey was filled with suffering from the start, having spent several years in confinement at Whitmore College before Damon (Ian Somerhalder) crosses paths with him again. Although he eventually gets free from his cell, it becomes clear that Enzo is lonely and unsure what to do for the rest of his existence. Once he manages to finally find purpose for his immortality by falling in love with Bonnie, The Vampire Diaries writers robbed him of the happiness he so rightfully deserved by killing him off.
The Vampire Diaries
The lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers.
Release Date September 10, 2009
Creator Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson
Seasons 8
Thanks to Damon, Enzo Spent Years Confined to a Cell at Whitmore College
Image via The CW
Before getting into the reasons why Enzo’s death was uncalled for, it is important to remember why the character deserved better in the first place. As previously mentioned, the vampire spent years in a prison cell underneath Whitmore College and was constantly made a lab rat by the Augustine society. In Episode 9 of Season 5, entitled “The Cell”, viewers find out that Enzo was a soldier that fought in WWII and was brought into captivity by Dr. Whitmore. The character meets Damon in prison, and the two are tortured every day by Dr. Whitmore (Trevor St. John) and Dr. Gilbert (Jason MacDonald), Elena’s father, as they try to find ways to use vampire blood for scientific advancement. Yet, after a fire takes place in the 1950s, Damon manages to escape prison and chooses to shut off his humanity over helping Enzo get out. Although the Salvatore brother regrets his decision later on, it is evident that the reason why Enzo spent so much time being tested on and imprisoned by the Augustine society was ultimately Damon’s fault.
When Enzo finally escapes, his ultimate drive is to reconnect with his long-lost love, Maggie (Heather Hemmens), a nurse he met during his confinement at Whitmore College. He becomes obsessed with the idea of meeting her and making up for the years they were apart. Yet, as the vampire begins to dig into Maggie’s whereabouts, he finds out that she was brutally murdered. Although Enzo initially thinks that Stefan (Paul Wesley) might be responsible for her death, he later finds out that Damon was to blame. Considering that Damon left his friend behind during the fire in the 1950s and killed his love interest, Enzo’s misfortune is once again at the hands of the Salvatore brother.
Related The One Time a TV Love Triangle Actually Worked The CW might’ve scored some of the most remarkable love triangles onscreen, but this TV show did the trope justice.
Lily Salvatore Never Accepts Enzo Into Her Family Like She Promised
Image via The CW
Without a family or someone to love, Enzo is left feeling alone and unable to trust anyone in Mystic Falls. After going through so much already, you would think that The Vampire Diaries writers would help him get through the rough patches and find happiness. However, the opposite happens when Lily Salvatore (Annie Wersching) returns in Season 6. Lily is Stefan and Damon’s mother and the person responsible for turning Enzo into a vampire back in the day. At the time, Enzo was very sick and near death. Although Lily technically saved his life by turning him into a vampire, she was nowhere to be found afterward. This only made Enzo feel betrayed because, prior to Lily’s disappearance, she promised him that he could join her family (The Heretics).
When the Salvatore matriarch returns to Mystic Falls several years after their last encounter, she reveals to him that the reason why she never came back was because she was stuck in a prison world dimension. Once he finds out the truth, Enzo ends up developing feelings for Lily and trusts that she will finally give him the sense of belonging that he searched for so long. Yet, he is never actually welcomed into The Heretics and his love for her never becomes mutual because she was already in love with Julian (Todd Lasance).
After His Redemption Arc, Enzo is Killed Off Before Getting to Spend a Lifetime with Bonnie
From working for the Armory to becoming mind-controlled by a siren named Sybil (Nathalie Kelley), the misfortunes on Enzo’s journey only pile up in Seasons 7 and 8. Yet, amid all the misery, the character finally gets a glimpse of true happiness through his unexpected bond with Bonnie (Kat Graham). After the series fast forwards three years, viewers find out that Enzo and Bonnie are madly in love. Although the build up to their relationship was a bit rushed, their undeniable chemistry made up for it. For the first time, Enzo feels joyful and sees a future alongside someone else. After all the suffering he had endured in the previous seasons, his love story with Bonnie really seemed like it was headed in the right direction. However, to everyone’s dismay, Enzo is killed off by Stefan minutes before he takes the cure in Season 8.
Looking back at Enzo’s trajectory in The Vampire Diaries, it is clear that the series did the character dirty. From the moment he was introduced in Season 5 to the moment he dies in Season 8, he is a target of multiple unfortunate events, mostly because of the Salvatore family. From being confined to a prison cell to having his heart snatched out of his chest instances before he could take the cure, Enzo never did get the chance to spend the rest of his life in peace. Instead, the character’s journey is cut short, and he becomes a living memory in Bonnie’s head as she lives out his dreams on his behalf. If Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon had the chance to grow old together, it would’ve been nothing but fair for Enzo and Bonnie to have done the same.
All seasons of The Vampire Diaries are available to stream on Max.
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