Writers: Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Grade: A
Despite my annoyance at the last weeks ‘shipper-tastic Damon/Elena dance scene, I enjoyed their interactions here—puppy blood and feet in laps, very cute. There is the fact that Elena probably shouldn’t have such an easy rapport with someone who murdered various people, abused Caroline, tried to kill Bonnie, slept with and vamped her mother, and tormented her boyfriend for over a century, but… I guess it is what it is. And it’s not like she’s the only one who finds him irresistible. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie between Damon and Alaric, too, when they let their guard down, and Alaric has plenty of his own reasons to hate Damon.
I never would have guessed that Damon didn’t want to be a vampire and was coerced into it by Stefan, but that fact really illuminates the basis of their dysfunctional relationship. The same goes for Damon realizing what an asshole their dad was and Stefan refusing to listen. They may be old wounds, but between the Katherine triangle, the daddy issues, and Stefan being responsible for Damon’s vampirism, I can understand why Damon finds it so difficult to make peace with Stefan (and thankfully, because Damon was so forthcoming, I think Elena has an inkling, as well). Even Damon’s attitude toward being a vampire, and the way he torments Stefan with the worst of his nature, makes perfect sense. As far as Damon is concerned, Stefan wanted Damon to be a vampire, so fine, Damon fully embraced being a vampire and made Stefan suffer with the knowledge of what he’d created. Damon may try to say that his constant torment of Stefan is All About Katherine, but up until this point, it was just as much about the fact that Stefan essentially forced him to complete his transformation.
Considering all of that, I think the scene where Damon tells Stefan to stop appropriating Damon’s guilt is a huge step. I think it’s Damon essentially saying, “I’ve been acting like a monster for over a century to make you suffer, but in the end, I made those choices, not you. But I’m still pissed about Katherine, jackass.” Somerhalder also delivered the dialogue perfectly, almost rushing to get the words out, to get the reluctant act of brotherly love over with.
Other Stuff
-Stefan’s tortured addiction storyline was mostly boring to me—I’m more concerned with the things happening around and because of it than the storyline itself, which is pretty straightforward—but I did like the moment where Elena called Stefan’s bluff and refused to be intimidated by his threatening demeanor. It was stupid but admirable. She’s fully committed to him now, so she had faith that the person she put her love and trust in wouldn’t actually harm her.
-Emily had a brother? Surely that wasn’t just a throwaway line. My first thought was Harper, but the timeline doesn’t seem right. Harper should have been locked in the tomb with the other vampires, not helping Emily with the Salvatores. I don’t think there’s been any mention of Emily having children, though, so maybe Bonnie is actually descended from Emily’s brother?
-Aww, Jeremy and Anna are adorable and hot together. (And maybe I should have been grossed out by their foreplay, considering that they’re supposed to be teenagers, but I just watched the first three seasons of Skins a few weeks ago, where both the characters and the actors who play them are teenagers. This was chaste compared to some things on that show, so I was un-phased.) I fear that Pearl’s death may be the end of Jeremy/Anna, though, if Anna finds out that Jeremy’s uncle did the deed.
-I was happy they included Papa Salvatore insisting that journals and records avoid mentioning that Damon and Stefan became vampires, or even sympathized with them. That explains why the Founder’s Council hasn’t considered that today’s Salvatore brothers are the same as the 1864 Salvatore brothers.
-I love how Damon calls Alaric “the teacher.” It’s so obviously a distancing mechanism and a way to save face, to minimalize their growing friendship just in case it blows up in his face. It’s almost like a crush, pretending you don’t like the person so that if they’re mean to you or reject you, at least no one else will suspect that it actually hurts.
-Elena’s story about blowing off family night for a party the night of the car accident provides some insight into her character. It backs up what other characters have said about how Elena “used to be fun,” and it also makes it easier to understand why she was so hard on stoner Jeremy at the beginning of the season.
Quotes
John: “What do you think your mother would say if she knew you were dating a vampire?”
Elena: “Which mother?”
Damon: “You brood too much. Everything on this planet is not your fault. My actions—what I do—it’s not your fault. I own them. They belong to me. You are not allowed to feel my guilt.”
Stefan: “You feel guilt?”
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