Writers: Barbie Kligman and Andrew Chambliss
Grade: A
This episode was packed with so much awesome that I don’t even know where to start. Since this episode dealt largely with Stefan’s “addiction,” I guess I’ll start there. I was dreading this storyline, and in concept, I still don’t like it, but in execution, it’s kind of working for me. Which is weird, because normally it’s the other way around—works in concept, fails in execution—but this show’s writing and acting are strong enough to overcomes my Buffy- and Supernatural-bred distaste for this kind of storyline.
The fact that this story encompasses so many different relationships is a huge part of why it’s working. Take the scene in between Elena and Damon in Elena’s bedroom. On one level, it’s just typical UST fare, with Damon trying to unsettle Elena by invading her personal space—announcing to anyone within earshot that he’s going to her bedroom, clutching her teddy bear, pawing through her unmentionables. Looking deeper, however, I think Damon is genuinely curious about Elena and wants to know her better, and he uses his deliberately annoying persona to disguise it. Who would ever guess that there’s genuine interest and caring under all that sociopathic bluster? And while Stefan is falling off the wagon, who will Elena have to lean on for support besides Damon? Probably no one, so this storyline could end up deepening their bond.
And even more importantly, I think the key to Damon’s confusing attitude toward Stefan’s blood drinking lies in his bedroom conversation with Elena. At first, I felt like there was a strange disconnect between Damon’s “Aw shit” expression at the end of the previous episode and his devil-on-the-shoulder attitude in this episode. It was like he went from genuinely concerned and dismayed by Stefan’s blood bender to all but forcing Stefan to drink human blood. Damon’s conversation with Elena, however, led me to think that Damon believes he’s helping Stefan learn to accept his true nature and be a complete being (as well as a stronger ally). So at first, he was kind of like, “Well shit, this is going to be a pain the ass to deal with,” but upon thinking about it, he decided it could be a positive thing. The way Damon sees it, Stefan keeps half of his identity bottled up, and it’s Damon’s job to force it out and equalize the pressure. Also, for what it’s worth, it seems significant that Stefan never told Damon why he refuses to drink human blood in the first place. There has to be future plot point in that.
Stefan’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde relationship with himself is also important. Human blood apparently turns him into a power-hungry control freak, what with his insistence on dominating Elena during their makeout session and compelling the asshole at the party to apologize. Drunken Stefan coming off the blood bender was a little more fun than we’re used to, but he was also much more volatile.
As for Stefan and Elena, there was a lot to love here. I was thrilled that Elena came to Stefan for advice about Jeremy, and he came through for her. That’s part of what relationships are all about, but so many other shows forgo that aspect of a relationship in favor of steamy sex scenes or pointless angsty arguments. Sometimes Elena and Stefan are more Eric and Tami Taylor than Bill and Sookie, which I’m quite happy about. I thought it was great that Elena and Stefan danced with other people at the party with no apparent jealousy from either of them. Stefan didn’t even bat an eye at drunk Matt flirting with Elena. Human blood may bring out Stefan’s inner control freak, but he’s still not the jealous type. (I was much less fond of the Twilight-esque makeout session that ended with Stefan flying into the wall, but hey, bygones…).
Their scene near the end was absolutely beautiful and a highlight of the series for me. I was thinking about how sweet it was that Elena was so loyal and supportive with Stefan, a soothing balm for his anxiety and self-loathing, and then he dropped that heartfelt “I love you.” I believed it completely, because it wasn’t pretty young people making googly eyes at each other, it was love earned through pain and hardship.
I was also glad to see the writers revisit Jeremy’s vampire essay with Alaric telling Elena about it. The characters on this show actually communicate! It’s refreshing to see a suspenseful television show whose plotlines don’t rely on characters keeping important information from each other for no discernable reason (I’m looking right at you, Lost and FlashForward).
Damon snapping John’s neck was unexpectedly hilarious. I think he had every intention of walking away, but then he turned back and saw John smirking at him. It was all very “I didn’t like the way he looked at me.” And despite thinking it was a huge waste of David Anders, I was still surprised when John came strolling back into the party unscathed a little while later. I should have known better!
As if all of the above weren’t enough excitement for one episode, Jeremy finally read Elena’s diary and knows everything she’s been keeping from him! I’m not looking forward to the prospect of Jeremy going dark again, cozying up to skeevy Uncle John and being nasty to Elena and Anna. Then again, every time I’ve dreaded a possibility, the writers have either gone the other way or made it work in spite of my misgivings, so I’m hopeful.
I’ll close with some speculation:
The death of Elena’s parents was not an accident. We now know that Papa Gilbert was once in possession of a magical invincibility ring like Alaric’s, which now belongs to John. This means that had he not given it up or lost it, he possibly wouldn’t have died in the accident (I say “possibly” because it’s unclear whether it protects against death in general or against death by supernatural means). Obviously shady Uncle John knew this, as well as Katherine and Isabel. This is television, so there’s no way the Gilberts weren’t murdered for some twisted reason.
Some have also speculated that Uncle John is Elena’s father. It would seem likely, except for the fact that David Anders is only 29, so unless they’re having him play a character a few years older than he really is, or unless those magic rings also slow down the aging process, Uncle Jon would be a bit young to be Elena’s dad. I can’t blame people for thinking it, though. A new male Gilbert pops up seemingly from nowhere, and he knows both Isabel and Katherine? How is that not suspicious? Not to mention that Jeremy actually said to Elena’s face that she’s not a Gilbert, which means she must be!
Other Stuff
-Hee to John admitting that he and Jenna used to get it on. It was totally unexpected, and Jeremy’s reaction was priceless.
-Kelly Donovan is fucked up on a level I can’t even comprehend, despite having several equally fucked up friends at various points in my life. It’s like they suffer from a complete inability to consider the consequences of their actions. I can’t decide which is worse, making out with your dead daughter’s ex-boyfriend, or making out with your dead ex-girlfriend’s mom.
- I’m glad Caroline wasn’t around to look heartbroken at seeing drunken Matt still crushing on Elena. I have nothing against Zach Roerig, but Matt is becoming an increasingly worthless character. He’s kind of miserable, he makes Caroline miserable, and his unrequited love for Elena will remain unrequited because she’s got enough on her plate already with the two vampire brothers. I think the writers tried throwing him a bone with the returning absentee mom storyline, but as much as I like Melinda Clarke, the storyline was boring and pointless because it was mostly separate from the main plot. It’s hard to imagine what the writers could do to make his character work at this point, although it might be worth mentioning that they seem to be setting up Tyler’s werewolf storyline but saving the bulk of it for next season. Matt and Tyler’s friendship has grown increasingly strained, but I could still see Matt playing a bigger role in the werewolf storyline next season. It’s that, or he can die. Or become a werewolf himself. Or just continue to be a useless peripheral character.
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