The Vampire Diaries: Do Not Go Gentle (Season 3, Episode 20)

1920s? Close enough.

Klaus’s art is interesting, but I can’t help but laugh every time we see him paint. If we just saw the aftermath, that would be okay, but showing him draw only after it was mentioned feels like an afterthought. “Rebekah” (Esther) supposedly gives Klaus the last white oak stake, which he throws into the fire. He wants to leave now that Stefan has turned him down, but his sister/mother asks him to go to the dance. She mentions Caroline. He shows some emotion but says that means nothing to him. “Bekah” then says that he should go for her, his sister, and, after a suspicious look, he agrees. The originals seem very incestuous, but that’s the least of their problems. Also, Caroline/Klaus is the one ship I do not in any way get. Why, just, why would a mass murdering psychopath who cares only about blood relatives and a bloodthirsty vampire go for a bubbly and inexperienced teenager? No eighteen year old would be a challenge for a one thousand year old. Caroline puts up less of a fight than any normal human would.

Alaric’s evil alter ego pretends to be his good self, lying to Damon that he doesn’t know what happened to the stake, and he has to head out into the woods. “Rebekah” returns and refuses to tell Alaric where the real stake is until she’s back in Esther’s body. Alaric stabs her with the special dagger dipped in oak ash. She falls to the ground and the real Esther wakes up. If Esther in Rebekah’s body is still a vampire, how was she able to walk into the cave? I don’t usually care much about inconsistencies like this, but The Vampire Diaries has had one too many mess-ups. It’s getting confusing as to when something is actually important or just a mistake on the writers’ part. On another note, is anyone else sorry that Rebekah will miss yet another dance?

Caroline wonders why Rebekah didn’t show up to set up her own dance. She also ships Matt and Jeremy who are hanging up stars. Caroline’s fairly nonplussed about Elena’s makeout session with Damon, but she insists that Elena take Stefan to the dance. Caroline really likes them together, maybe because of what Stefan’s done for Elena and Caroline, maybe because Caroline doesn’t want anyone to suffer her ex. To be honest, it kind of makes me want Caroline and Stefan to get together down the road, though I love her with Tyler. Also, Bonnie asked Jamie to the dance. Caroline’s probably hoping for a date, as well.

Is Matt the bus boy, no matter the decade?

Elena calls Stefan and awkwardly asks him to the dance. He accepts, and looks concerned but happy. Damon quips about accidentally stabbing Elena in the chest with a corsage, indicating out that Stefan isn’t exactly a safe choice, anywhere. Damon visits Doctor Meredith. He searched Alaric’s apartment, and found that Alaric hadn’t been taking Bonnie’s herbs. Meanwhile, Esther leads Alaric to the place where Klaus ripped out her heart, which is now a tomb. She convinces him to give over his ring. She drops it in a large chalice, melts it with magic, and dips the oak steak into the liquid metal. It hardens. Now it will not burn up after staking one original. She rather cheesily dubs it “the ultimate weapon for the ultimate hunter.” This is explained later, but initially I was puzzling over this phrase. Alaric is a horrible hunter. He couldn’t even kill his very human girlfriend. The ultimate prey, she meant? Except they’ve managed to establish that originals are pretty easy to kill.

At the dance, Caroline tells Matt that Elena is spoken for, and he should watch out for his safety. She then leaves him forever alone at the sight of an adorably dressed Tyler. He certainly fits into the time period. He says that he’s jealous of Klaus, but he’s also competitive. (Would you be jealous of Ted Bundy?) He literally sweeps a giggling Caroline off her feet. Jeremy awkwardly runs into his ex, Bonnie, and her date, the sweet Jamie. She is worried about him still wearing the ring, but Jeremy says that he’ll take off his ring when his sister stops hanging out with vampires.

Stefan picks up Elena from her house, and they share a moment, joking about how they have to go to the dance and live their lives. Does she really have to choose between brothers? Because I have a longer memory than the characters, I’m still a little scared of Stefan. She really should choose neither. Ah well. The two arrive at the dance and joke about Stefan’s 1920s dance moves and blackouts. Killing people sadistically is a barrel of laughs. She wants to dance it up, the way Damon would, but he waits for a slow song to make his move. He doesn’t want to hear about what happened between her and Damon. After all he put her through, he’s just honored to be her date. Judging by her apprehensive expression, she doesn’t seem to want to think about what he put her through.  He also says that he will apologize to Bonnie about her mother, though it will probably be futile. Suddenly, a wild Damon appears.

This is definitely behind the scenes. No one had this much fun.

Damon says that Alaric might kill Elena since she sympathizes with vampires. Oh no, not Elena! Damon wants to put Alaric, his best bud, out of his misery. Jeremy shows up and says Damon’s out of his mind. He’s right about that one. Jeremy also seems to be displaying very strong anti-vampire sentiments. Elena runs outside and into Esther who says that, willing or not, Elena will come. Elena follows. Damon and Stefan stride towards Elena only to realize that they are trapped in the school by a circle of salt. Esther cast a spell.

Jamie likes Bonnie’s friends, in spite of their weirdness. Poor Bonnie says that they’re the most important things in the world to her, and Jamie can’t be that normal since he agreed to go to the dance with her. After she tentatively kisses him, they start making out. Damon interrupts their “seven minutes in heaven” to announce their problem. On the dance floor, Tyler senses Klaus’s presence. Klaus asks where Tyler’s been (“mate”) and notes that he didn’t give him permission to leave. He asks to dance with Caroline. She says no, but Tyler accedes, to make Klaus think he’s still sired. Caroline asks why Klaus has to always prove he’s the alpha male. Klaus amazingly replies, “I don’t have to prove anything, love, I am the alpha male.” He and she dance as she looks at Tyler. He says Caroline would have loved the wild sexy girls of the 1920s who danced until they dropped. She should be nice to him since he’s leaving. She’s unimpressed, but he says that she’ll turn up at his doorstep in a year or a century because a small town life and a small town boy won’t be enough for her. Uh, couldn’t she leave both of these without going to Klaus?

Klaus leaves a phone message for Rebekah about how stupid this dance is. He then asks about the salt surrounding the school. Stefan helpfully says, “You’re mother’s back.” It’s funny to see the Salvatores, Klaus, and miscellaneous humans gathered in a room as Bonnie works her magic. Jeremy suggests that the humans cross the salt threshold to stop Esther, but the vampires look skeptical. Klaus threatens Jamie so Bonnie will work harder. Stefan convinces his ex not to hurt Jamie by claiming that Bonnie will let all the vampires die if they start killing humans.

I have a weakness for blondes. And guys that use hair gel.

In a big twist, Esther reveals that she will turn Alaric into a vampire hunting vampire, like Mikael, as strong as the originals. She will use dark magic to accomplish this. Every time he died and briefly visited the afterlife, Esther made contact with him, nurturing his dark hatred of vampires. Yikes! Unfortunately, I find Alaric’s glowering more humorous than threatening. Elena pleads with Alaric, saying that this isn’t him, he can’t want this. He says this is him and Elena only knows his weakest parts. Vampires are evil, and the blood of their victims are on his hands. First of all, dark Alaric is portrayed as evil, but the fact that the characters don’t care that their lovers and friends are serial killers is downright sociopathic. Elena doesn’t hesitate to refute “evil Alaric,” even after everything vampires have done to her. Second, how many times have we seen Elena plead with someone she loves, and the person, usually a man, says this is his true nature? We don’t need any more scenes like this. Esther cuts and bleeds Elena’s hand with magic. Alaric drinks the blood, and Esther kills him.

Jeremy donates blood so Bonnie can locate Elena. She tries, in spite of Damon and Klaus “lurking” over her. Damon doesn’t want to apologize, since he blames Elijah for Abby’s “death.” Bonnie says there’s always a choice. Esther is fighting her, so Bonnie can’t locate Elena. Bonnie guesses that Esther’s channeling a hotspot. Klaus knows where. Caroline is mad at Stefan for letting the humans leave to find Esther. But she tries to calm him. Stefan doesn’t want anybody to die, including Tyler, who has joined Stefan’s “I once loved but now hate Klaus” club. He wonders if killing Klaus will be the best option. Caroline says she doesn’t want Tyler to die because she loves him.

Esther tries to convince Elena that Jenna is in a peaceful place as she was pure, even as a vampire. Also, she refutes Elena’s claim that she is as bad as Klaus, killing the good with the bad. I have to agree with Esther—the “good” vampires have still murdered innocents. Klaus has eaten and tortured countless people who never hurt anyone. Still, Esther is ruthless. When Jeremy and Matt appear, Esther makes them point their weapons at one another. Alaric awakens and stabs Esther. He is confused. As Esther said, he would be himself for a little while.

I'm serious, Tyler! You're the cutest gangster I've ever seen.

Klaus blames Stefan for releasing his mother in the name of revenge. Stefan says he’s done with revenge. Klaus tries to reminisce about the 1920s, which had real moments of friendship and brotherhood. He says, “We’re strange bedfellows, you and I,” and I can’t help but misconstrue that. (Or am I misconstruing it?) Damon jumps in saying Stefan already has a brother, “not to get all territorial.” Klaus says he knows about the Salvatore’s epic bond, but it might weaken when Elena makes her choice. Bonnie says the spell is broken, and Klaus skedaddles. Stefan thanks her, but she says she didn’t do it for him.

Alaric doesn’t want to complete his transition. Jeremy is disappointed that yet another family member will die. Alaric says that his friend Damon will make sure everything goes down. Elena starts blaming herself again, but Alaric states that taking care of them was the closest to the life he imagined. I laughed aloud when I saw the townspeople (aka the cast) waiting outside with torches to honor Alaric. Still, their expressions are somber. Damon’s is especially heartbreaking. Alaric the unstoppable killing machine sounds extremely dangerous, so he deserves to be honored for his decision. Matt and Bonnie are teary about their teacher’s impending death, and Meredith, who hardly knows him, is also upset. Alaric walks back into the tomb and shuts the door. Wah!

Klaus undaggers his sister and yells at his mother’s corpse. He hopes she will be haunted by his existence for eternity. Yadda yadda he’s an egomaniac, etc.  Matt and Jeremy share a drink at the bar. “To Mr. Saltzman,” Matt says. Jeremy sheds a single tear after correcting him, “Alaric.” Elena freaks out as she cleans Alaric’s locker of his vampire hunting weapons. Stefan takes her into the gym and says that “someone” told him that emotions, good and bad, are what make us human. She thinks that was horrible advice and can’t accept that she has no one. Stefan says that she has him.

Damon drinks and mourns. Meredith gave him a sedative so he wouldn’t suffer. Damon’s insulted that Alaric refused his neck snap option. Meredith tells him to go visit Alaric. In a painful but poignant scene, Damon apologizes for killing Alaric, who teases Damon about the romantic dream he gave to Rose before she died. Tears roll down Alaric’s face, and the two drinking buddies celebrate the way they always do: with liquor.

Jamie thinks Bonnie’s amazing and asks if she’ll be okay by herself. She says no, so he plans to stay and comfort her. Bonnie and Jamie spoon on her bed. She dreams that Esther visits her, saying that her sisters need Bonnie to finish this. Damon watches his friend die. He stumbles outside to find Bonnie. He thinks she’s sleepwalking. She gives him a vampire migraine before stabbing her hand and feeding Alaric blood. He transitions into a vampire, bites her neck, and grabs the stake. So was all that “goodbye Alaric” stuff just manipulative, or is that really the last we’ll see of the Alaric we know?