After such an exciting, well-paced, and thrilling episode last week, this one, sadly, seems slower by comparison. Don’t worry though because The Vampire Diaries still knows how to get its usual twists and kicks in, anyway. Besides, I’m sure it’s all just set up for the next especially dazzling episode.
Klaus, Rebekah, and Stefan are still in Chicago. Elena’s still getting comfortably close to Damon. And everything is about to change again after our two resident vamps and the humans display some “Disturbing Behavior”.
Stefan: I’ve only spent one summer with you and I feel like I want to blow my head off.
I thought it would be a lot longer before Klaus figured out Stefan was lying and not really on his side, but thanks to Rebekah, the little know-it-all, that time has apparently come. We’re still in Chicago again this week as the newly revived Rebekah tries to get her bearings (“So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes, huh?”), and Stefan is obviously bored by their games. It’s a good thing he then spots Katherine outside, who’s here to liven up his day.
You remember that time in the first season, and even the second, when Katherine was the baddest guy on the totem pole? Well, times have definitely changed. Still, I definitely find her, despite her saying Klaus is smarter than any of them, to be the smartest and baddest of our main vamps. We all know she didn’t survive for hundreds of years without coming up with some clever tricks of her own. She’s a token BAMF.
So Stefan really should take heart when Katherine tells him something. If she can instantly figure out his plan of saddling up to Rebekah in order to get information, then Klaus can, too. Plus, as Katherine also tells him, you just can’t trust that woman. Of course, Katherine turns out to be right and Rebekah becomes his undoing after a single kiss. It looks like Stefan got a little too reserved while dating Elena to remember that women can sometimes be wenches.
Elena: Where’s Damon?
Caroline: Probably off somewhere doing bad things to good people. What? Consider me the honesty police.
I’m actually happy with Elena’s storyline and decisions this week. While there have been times when I’ve questioned her actions, so far the writers haven’t had her do anything too out of character. And even though I’m not a fan of Elena being with Damon, I did like her admitting to Caroline that she has something going for both brothers.
It’s not as if Damon and Elena weren’t obvious about it, anyway. Alaric noticed (“You need to take a beat.”), Carolina asked about it (“So, you’re not like switching Salvatores, are you?”), and even Katherine wasn’t surprised to hear about it once she showed up in town (“Are you two lovebirds fighting already?”).
Elena just needs to realize that Damon will never be Stefan. She can’t just exchange or swap him in now that Stefan has told her to stay away, and she can’t expect Damon to take over where Stefan left off. They’re two different people, and one of them is definitely the nicer vamp, even if that one is currently displaying his Ripper tendencies. Though both Stefan and Damon seem depressingly difficult to fix right now, if I had to choose, I’d still put my money on Stefan.
Anna: I’m all alone!
Stefan, Damon, and Elena aren’t the only ones with problems. Jeremy’s still being stalked by his ex-girlfriend Anna’s ghost. Only problem now is his real girlfriend Bonnie’s back. I can’t decide if I trust Anna or not. She seems honest about everything that’s going on, and in the past we’d definitely trust her over Vicki, but I can’t help but think everything isn’t as it seems.
Regardless, Malese Jow nailed it as Anna this week. She’s probably my favorite guest character the show has had. It was heartbreaking when Anna cried about being left “all alone” after Jeremy decided to stop thinking about her, thus blotting her out of existence again, the instant Bonnie came back. This is not going to make for a very happy vampire ghost.
Gloria: You love her.
Which brings me to Bonnie. She just got back in town and already they have her on witch duty trying to stop whatever is going on with Elena’s necklace. Klaus’ witch Gloria is casting a spell to figure out why his Hybrid plans aren’t going to, uh, well, plan. Gloria kidnaps, tortures, and gets out of Stefan that all of this is going on because he’s still protecting Elena and she’s still alive.
That’s another point for all the Stefan and Elena shippers! But it doesn’t help Stefan out much when Katherine then kills Gloria to protect his secret, because there’s still Rebekah back at home to contend with later. Rebekah tells Klaus what she felt from their kiss, that Stefan’s not with them, and he decides to find out exactly what Stefan’s hiding back in Mystic Falls. That’s right, the three are back in town!
Alaric: You killed me!
Damon: Ric, no hard feelings, alright? I was on a bit of a tear, and everyone was trying to tell me how to behave.
Alaric: Maybe they finally realized you’re a dick.
Conveniently, so is Katherine. She’s there to get Elena’s necklace from Bonnie, by pretending to be Elena once again, and convinces Damon to get out of town. Which not too hard because he’s currently at odds with Elena, after trying to kill Caroline’s father, and with Alaric, after actually killing him once again. Is Katherine there to get Damon so he can’t protect elena or to save Damon himself? I’m curious.
Of course, Alaric isn’t happy about Damon killing him again, and it looks to be the last straw. Now that he’s joined the council, has he gone over to the other side? Lots of new developments this week should make for a very interesting episode next time.
Notes and Quotes:
Elena: It’s an old family recipe, okay?
Damon: I knew your old family. They made sucky chili.
Caroline: If my own father, who I love dearly, can’t change me. No one can change Damon.
Damon: He threatened to out me. Don’t get me started on the irony of that.
Damon: When i kill him she’ll have one more parent than we do.
Bill Forbes: You’re a vampire, sweetheart. I don’t think you’ll ever be okay again.
Next week:
Tick, tock, goes the clock, until Stefan bites Elena.