If there’s one thing I have always said about The Vampire Diaries, it’s that they don’t mess around. In season one, they killed pretty much everyone. In season two, they turned everyone into some sort of supernatural being (except poor Matt, who bemoaned his fate in this very episode). This season, they continue their streak of completely screwing with the viewers, by turning all common formulas on their heads and doing what we wish they’d do, what we hate that they do, but what all shows should do instead of playing it safe. They do exactly what it takes to tell an amazing story, without caring that they are changing the game with nearly every episode, changing the characters, their direction, their motivation … all while deepening the mytharc and not being afraid to do any of it.
It’s not every show that can turn what could have been the typical, 90210 senior prank episode into what we all just witnessed here tonight. This was not season one’s Founder’s Day picnic, folks. How did we get from mousetraps and toilet paper to Matt’s suicide, Stefan’s murderous streak and Klaus killing Tyler? Oh, and let me just insert here that Tyler drinking Elena’s blood as the solution to all the problems was a brilliant out. I had no idea how they were gracefully going to solve this problem, but they did. Do you think the necklace is going to matter for anything, or was it just a red herring?
Another thing The Vampire Diaries has done successfully this season is to bring past characters back as important pieces of the current storyline. I don’t think we’ve seen the end of Vicki and Anna, and there still is the question of the darkness Anna sees around Vicki and Anna’s loneliness and how much they both know. This angle could really be mined this season.
And we’re left with some major set-up as well:
The Vampire Diaries just keeps getting stronger. A show I’ve always loved yet once was embarrassed to watch (let’s just say I’m not in the target demo), that gave me so many OMG moments that I would squee, is becoming deeper and better that I could have ever hoped for. Thank you Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec!
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Oct 13, 2011 @ 22:27 EST5EDT
the necklace was only being used to contact the original witch to find out what went wrong. now that they know what went wrong, why he couldn’t get them hybrids to works, i doubt its important, except maybe to his sister.
also, i do hope they follow the Buffy track and have Willow, i mean Bonnie, revoke Stephan’s invitation to all their homes and such. i mean Elena does own the Salvatore house etc… so it can be done
my only niggle is that i wish they would stop putting so much obvious makeup on these people. the dude who plays Damon is a right handsome man but all i see sometimes i bad eyeliner and way too tan foundation.
Oh! It would be too funny to see Stefan expelled from everyones house! XD
That would tottally rock.
Stefan: “Let me in, Elena.”
Elena: “Nope.”
Debbie, I’ll join in being in the less-than-target group for this show. I’ve had a thing for monsters since childhood. Usually they never asked to be the monster, but are just victims of circumstances.
That being said, VAMPIRE DIARIES, how do I love you? It is so refreshing to watch a show that doesn’t drag out every story line until you just honestly don’t care anymore. VD only knows one speed….FULL OUT!
The actors must enjoy being involved with a show that allows them the opportunity to play 2 different characters within the same show. Elena, Damon, and now Stefan all have gotten to show two sides of a character. Stefan really turned it up a notch sliding into the dark world of having no humanity.
I must say the surprise for me was Matt, he was such a throw-away character to me until last night. Seeing Vicki, who has this darkness around her, might make a interesting story line at last for Matt.
Enjoyed it, can you tell?
*POST AUTHOR*
Thank you for mentioning how huge last night’s episode was for Matt’s character — you are so right! I was so busy being unimpressed by his whining that everyone was a supernatural but him (not that he wanted to be one) that I didn’t get past that to see that now he has something of the supernatural hovering about him, a real purpose for his character now.
rjupiter, Elena ‘died’ and I say this with a quotation mark because she didn’t really die. John’s life was bound to hers by a spell, so it was like she had two lives. She died, draining John’s life force away and then was able to come back. But, it still counted as a ‘death’ so the Salvatore house no longer belongs to her until she does the paperwork all over to regain ownership.
oh, shoot forgot about that, thanks for the reminder. but i would think there has to be a way to revoke an invitation, maybe? i know its never been brought up in the show, that i can recall, but it would seem like an obvious course seeing as how bonnie can erect barriers to keep people in and all.
also does anyone else notice the maybe obvious track, i say maybe because with this show you never know, that is it taking with the Stephan/Damon/Elena triad and Klaus compulsively turning off Stephen’s humanity?
I had a crazy thought when Klaus ran away at the mention of Michael.
Who is this Michael that the mighty Klaus is so scared of?
He’s a vampire
He needed to be “awakened”
He’s old
He knows how to kill Klaus
Does anyone else think that Michael could be Klaus’s father?! Or should I say Elijah and Rebecca’s father?!
So many things to comment on for this episode!
Pace – When Klaus caught Elena in the hallway I almost thought I had missed an episode – This show goes 110 miles per hour – good for them for not wasting a whole episode on the torture of Stefan, getting the info, and 90210 high school silliness.
Setting – I did enjoy the romping around the high school at night. Brought me back to some Buffy days. Done well.
Elena/Stefan/Damon – if they do it right it can be the greatness of Buffy/Angel/Spike. I cant help think that Damon needs to point out to Elena that she’s seen him on his worst day so there are no suprises coming. His worst day is way better than Stefan’s worst and she is being constantly kicked in the gut by what is next with him. Could Damon be more of a safe bet at this point? They made me cry a little at the end. Damon’s caring for her and his desire to make it all better for her was so heartfelt. I hope they at least drag that out appropriately (similar to the time it took for Buffy to be with Spike). Both amazing shows – let’s not feel bad in comparing.
Who is Michael? – Kiana I like your thinking. Would be fitting to have Klaus have a primal fear of his father (so much is about his family), and I wonder if Michael is looking to specificaly punish him for bad behavior.
Question – If Elena AND Catherine are both dopplegangers, that means there was someone before them that was…well the orginal. I think Rebecca made comment to that this episode – something like Elena wasnt nearly as pretty as the original. We dont have a lot of information on that. Who was the orginal to Klaus?…Hmmmm…Mother to Klaus and wife to Michael seems a little to awkward or too “neat”, but who knows!
This and that – Rebecca is annoying. Put her back in the box. Anyone else think she sounds like Veruca Salt?
*POST AUTHOR*
“I WANT IT NOW, DADDY!” translates to: “I WANT MY NECKLACE NOW, KLAUS!”