Friday, October 29, 2010

The Vampire Dairies: Plan B (Season 2, Episode 6)


In Plan B, our heroes have tough time. In fact, everyone has a pretty bad day. But the episode is so fun it almost feels like a direct thank you to fans. And I thought this would be a low key episode.

Let's begin with Mason, who had the worst deal of them all. The highlight of his day must have been the morning romp with Katherine. (That excellent opening scene featured both Katherine/Mason and Elena/Stefan sex scenes.) A few hours later, Bonnie gives him multiple aneurisms, Stefan and Damon knock him out, and Damon tortures him with a hot poker and anti-wolf devices. Actor Taylor Kinney shows more emotion here than he has so far. Mason is sympathetic, protesting that he loves Katherine, making him one of her many saps. After an unpleasant afternoon, Damon rips his heart. A very bad day indeed.

Stefan foolishly jumped into a dark well full of vervain, which acted on him like acid. He survived, only to have his girlfriend dump him that night.

Katherine compelled Jenna to spy on Jenna's own niece (and listen to her have sex with her boyfriend?!) and then stab herself with a knife. Miraculously, she survived. Still - pretty embarrassing.

Caroline proved herself by helping save Stefan. More importantly, "Bonnie wasn't mean to [her] once!" She explained to her bigoted mother the ways of the vampire, noting that she was better at controlling herself around blood than Stefan the addict. Even though her mother accepted and validated her for perhaps the first time, Caroline knew it wasn't safe for her to know about the Salvatores' vampiric natures. She thus brainwashed her mom into forgetting everything related to that fact - including their recent bonding.

Katherine lost her werewolf lover but made up for that by having 25 backup plans.

Tyler thought his uncle Mason abandoned him. (Is that better or worse than knowing he suffered a painful death?)

Damon's day wasn't as bad. He mutilated Mason and even laughed in his face, but he did express some sympathy before putting Mason out of his misery. Then Damon showed unbelievable stupidity by calling and taunting Katherine. Stefan could only shake his head at this. (The two of them were adorable together. At one point, Stefan chastised and smacked Damon on the shoulder for dragging Jeremy into danger.) Ultimately, Damon got hit with a good dose of guilt.

Jeremy joined the team and didn't heed Elena's warnings since it was her fault he was involved.

Elena showed stunning bravery when she jumped into the (snake infested) well to save her boyfriend and retrieve the magical moonstone. After her dazed aunt stabbed herself in front of Elena, the girl tearfully told Stefan it was over. She has enough courage to go around. (And enough nosiness. She had to know everything that was going on. Makes sense.)

Bonnie pleased everyone by befriending Caroline and overcoming her prejudice. (And shows again that a girl can knock Mason down.)

In the final reveal, Katherine compels Matt into pursing Tyler until Matt is dead and Tyler is a werewolf.

Ah, Plan B. Where everyone endured heartbreak and tried to band together.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Vampire Dairies: Kill or Be Killed (Season 2, Episode 5)



Let's begin with a summary of this action-packed episode. Mason Lockwood exposes vampire brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore to Damon's longtime friend and vampire hunter Sheriff Liz Forbes. She and two deputies try to kill them but are rescued by Stefan's girlfriend Elena Gilbert and her vampire friend Caroline Forbes, the sheriff's daughter. Stefan begins to drink human blood, and after an argument, Elena volunteers several drops of her own blood.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's brother, confronts Tyler Lockwood, Mason's nephew, about werewolves. Tyler at first is furious but eventually reveals that a) Mason is a werewolf, b) Tyler is not, but if he kills someone, he will be, and c) Mason is searching for a moonstone that Tyler is hiding. Two girls visit and get drunk, and Tyler accidentally pushes one down the stairs, giving him a scare - other than the obvious fright of someone falling down the stairs. Tyler eventually gives Mason the moonstone, which he hands over to the vampire mastermind Katherine, Elena's doppelganger.

As you can tell from its description, the episode Kill or Be Killed is exciting, but it isn't as intense or dark the previous week's episode Memory Lane. Mason becomes a more interesting character (though the actor musters up very little emotion). At first, Mason is sympathetic. "Nice brother" Stefan's apologies on Damon's behalf turn to threats. After Mason proves that they are vampires by spiking Damon's lemonade with anti-vampire vervain, Stefan joins Damon in cornering Mason in the woods with the intent to "put him down."

Mason turns out to be smarter than he looks, for he has set up the brothers for an ambush. Mason displays a sinister side when he threatens to snap Elena's neck in hopes of warding off vampire Caroline. This fails miserably. In an awesome scene, Caroline beats the tar out of him. The fact that Mason gives the moonstone to Katherine isn't super shocking since Memory Lane concluded with a flashback which showed Katherine handing the moonstone to Mason's ancestor more than a century ago.

Katherine condemns Mason for distracting himself by attempting to kill the Salvatores, because they are probably part of her plan, and at least Stefan is an object of her affection. She and Mason kiss. Luckily, they are stealthy creatures of the night. If anyone saw this, surely they would object to the teenage Elena making out with her peer Tyler's uncle. Instead she makes love to her 160 year old boyfriend, but as far as the locals can tell, he is seventeen. Anyway, Katherine's line "I know not to pet" a werewolf takes on a whole new meaning.

Tyler and Jeremy show some refreshing maturity. The ladies who hang out with them do not, but it is nice seeing one of them show interest in the doomed Jeremy. The other girl replies that Jeremy is "damaged goods," and she proceeds to ask Tyler if they can hang out. Jeremy has been depressed, drug addled, and suicidal, but he's a safer bet than Tyler, who has anger management issues and a werewolf gene. It's no surprise when one of the girls falls headfirst down the stairs at Tyler's hands. (She is unharmed, and, to be fair, it was an unintentional.)

Like Damon, Tyler is perceptive about Mason's insincerity. He doesn't trust him. (Both Mason and Katherine are in town for reasons neither want to reveal.) Ironically, Tyler's progressive choice to give up his obsession with werewolves causes him to hand the moonstone over to Mason who gives it to Katherine. This can't be good.

Damon is in fine form. He doesn't kill the sheriff (but may kill one deputy - perhaps Caroline does both deputies in her rescue attempt), and defends Caroline and Stefan. Damon's glance at Stefan who lay unconscious and riddled with bullets is subtle enough to be touching. The brothers banter and collaborate in superduo mode. Stefan is more amoral than usual in his willingness to kill Mason for purely selfish reasons. Damon has his usual hilarious lines, including his response to Mason's, "Nice is overrated" (a hint at his true nature) with a baffled, "I agree!"

Stefan and Elena pretend to fight but completely blow their cover when all hell breaks loose. They argue for real when Stefan wants to fortify himself with human blood. Elena remembers that he went bonkers last time he tried that. Usually their relationship is as healthy as a young human and old vampire romance can be, but they are becoming eerily codependent. Elena doesn't know if Stefan can control himself around human blood, but she stabs her hand and lets her drink from her. She declares that it's the two of them "always." At least they didn't break up for silly misunderstandings. But sometimes, couples SHOULD break up.

The Vampire Dairies: Memory Lane (Season 2, Episode 4)


The wait for this episode felt longer than usual. Actress Nina Dobrev, who plays Elena Gilbert and Katherine, said that this was one of her favorites. Actor Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) claimed that the episode almost killed them all, in a good way. Producer and writer Julie Plec said she was “kind of obsessed” with Memory Lane. What resulted was a complex episode that alternated between a a barbecue at the Gilbert’s and an emotional showdown featuring vampire exes Katherine and Stefan (Paul Welsey).

Memory Lane unsettles the viewer by beginning with what appears to be a flashback (there is even a “1864 - Lockwood mansion” subtitle), but it is in fact a dream that moves between the past and present. At the Founders’ Ball, Katherine lies that Stefan dances better than his brother Damon, and Stefan proves again that he doesn’t like the no touching rule while dancing (he commented in Miss Mystic Falls that the near-touch was “overrated”). Stefan turns towards his brother to see that he also has an escort--Elena, dressed in modern clothes and heading for a pool table.

He wakes to find Elena in his arms. Within a few seconds, he realizes that she is in fact his (identical to Elena) ex-girlfriend Katherine. She admits to manipulating his dreams with her vampire powers, prompting him to attack and her to toss him to the ground. Katherine wants to be civil, though, noting that deep down inside his “gorgeous body” (her quote, not the nodding fans’), he still loves her.

At the Mystic Grill, Damon greets Elena who says that she wants nothing to do with him. He replies, “OK. See you at Jenna’s barbecue.” He has convinced Elena’s aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) through her boyfriend Alaric (Matt Davis) to invite newcomer Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney) to a little get together. Damon’s plan: to put silver into Mason and prove he’s a werewolf. At a party? That’s just rude. Meanwhile, Mason is hilariously chill in the face of his nephew Tyler (Michael Trevino) discovering his secret: “What do you want me to say, man? Yes, turn into a wolf. No, it’s not going to happen to you.” Tyler is understandably furious, but his uncle refuses to explain exactly why Tyler won’t turn into a wolf.

Meanwhile, Katherine twirls her hair and acts Damonesque while Stefan, surprisingly calm, gives her a drink. She reminisces about the past and asks Stefan the question many viewers have wondered: why did he keep her photograph? She suggests that Stefan came back to Mystic Falls hoping to find her. He touches her face and says some sort of romance novel line before kissing her, faking the phony sentence well enough to keep the audience nervous. Then he stabs her in the back with a shot of anti-vampire vervain, recalling the time when Elena had to do/did the same to him.

Stefan chains her up in the basement and tortures her with vervain. (What makes the scene more uncomfortable, other than him putting on gloves and saying “we’re playing by my rules now,” is that Katherine looks exactly like Elena.) Katherine tells him that he didn’t have to do this, and answers his interrogations as to why she’s in Mystic Falls with more stories from the old days. Back in 1864, Katherine became aware that some of the Lockwoods were werewolves who planned to frame vampires for their own murders. (She also clarifies that vampires are stronger than werewolves in their human forms.)

Mason joins Jenna and Alaric, suggesting a whole new possible love triangle. (Jenna deserves it after the jerks she’s fallen for.) Damon arrives in full faux friendliness mode, responding to Mason’s comment, “I’ve heard great things about you,” with, “Really? That’s weird. Cause I’m a dick.” He smiles. Caroline (Candice Accola) munches away to fight her new-found craving for blood, commenting that Stefan hates that Elena is a constant temptation. Clearly doing Katherine’s bidding, Caroline continues to note that, "The desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you--trust me it's there." Barbecue’s ready!

Katherine insists that she and Stefan still love each other, recounting his declaration after the Founders’ Ball. In Katherine’s flashback, Stefan stuns her by saying, “I look at you, and I see an angel.” As soon as she leaves him, Damon pounces on her. She forces him to go, meaning that she is either leaving something out or that Damon lied when he said they spent that night together. Whatever the case, she seems to be affected by Stefan’s innocence.

Our crew of two vampires, one werewolf, and two humans are now playing pictionary. This is an awesome party. Damon draws a picture of a dog in a tutu. Poor Mason calls it correctly: Dances with Wolves. They all insult Damon’s drawing as he traipses off to harass Elena in the kitchen, noticing Jenna’s silver collection. He hands a peach cobbler with a silver knife in it to Mason who uses his hands to help himself and apologizes: “I’m an animal.” Alaric subtly marks his territory with Mason over Jenna, but she is too drunk to notice the jealousy. I love how the behavior of these alpha males reflect pack mentality. Mason toasts “to new friends.”

Stefan learns that, in exchange for her freedom, Katherine sold out her vampire friends to George Lockwood and promised him a special something. She says she did this all without blinking, but her somber face may indicate that there is more to the story. Stefan is clearly shaken by all this, the fact that she never compelled him to love her, and that he and Damon died needlessly trying to save her.

Now that Jenna wants to break out guitar hero, Mason wants to bail. After another barb from Damon, Mason concedes, “You win. You’re hilarious.” He wants to be above a blood feud, but Damon hates people who are too good to fight and accuses Mason of trying to kill his brother. (As Damon once said, if anyone’s going to kill Stefan, it will be him.) Mason says he has no control once he changes, and Damon retorts, “What, no obedience school?” Mason is either very nice or very duplicitous, and since it is The Vampire Diaries, possibly both. He leaves, and Jenna enters, responding to Damon’s attempts at camaraderie with, “You’ve never dated you. I’ve dated many yous.” This isn’t quite true, since Katherine is a kind of Damon. The scene ends with Damon covertly grabbing a silver knife, practically whistling to semble innocence.

Elena goes off with Caroline to find Stefan, who hasn’t been returning her calls. Elena doesn’t seem to consider that her friend, now a bloodsucker, may be less than safe. Caroline secretly lets the air out of a tire and during the drive harps on Elena’s and Stefan’s relationship: “You are going to be 70 and in diapers, and he’s still going to be smoking hot.” When the tire goes flat, they pull over and Elena insists on walking to Stefan’s. Caroline is terrified, most likely about Katherine but possibly also about the fate of the poor tow guy who just arrived.

Damon follows Mason and stabs him in the stomach with the silver knife. Unfortunately for Damon, Mason heals almost instantaneously and declares that Damon has made a new enemy. Mason has been so cool about Damon, he deserves what he gets from Mason. Burning bridges is Damon’s forte.

As Elena heads towards the Salvatore mansion, Katherine threatens to kill Elena and everyone she loves. Stefan moves to stake her, but he looks like a fool when he hesitates. Katherine notices this, breaks free from her restraints, and once again knocks Stefan onto his rear. Apparently Katherine has built up an immunity to vervain over the past century and a half. She was just playing along, meaning his hardcore plan is a failure. At the sound of Elena’s voice, Katherine incapacitates him with a stake in the leg. Katherine approaches Elena, who asks how they look alike. Katherine brushes against Elena in a believably narcissistic manner and tells her that perhaps she isn’t asking the right question. With that, she is gone, Stefan appears, and both he and Elena are visibly unnerved.

Katherine meets a terrified Caroline in some bathroom, confirming that Caroline was working for her. First she was Damon’s lackey, now Katherine’s.

Tyler is waiting for Mason at home to ask him about how one becomes a werewolf and if Mason ever found the moonstone he was searching for (and Tyler is hiding). Frustrated, Mason reveals that killing someone triggers the curse. As violent as Tyler can be, he is shocked, but still keeps the moonstone to himself.

Stefan, Elena, Caroline, and Damon hang out at the Grill. Stefan and Elena sit at their own table and have a tense conversation about Katherine. Stefan indicates that it’s dangerous to be together, and Elena says that if they separate, they following Katherine’s plan: “She wants to get between us.” Stefan replies, “She already has.” Elena walks off. Caroline hears this and looks relieved. Damon listens in but his expression is ambiguous, a mixture of puzzled and amused, neither devastated nor pleased.

Damon heads outside to find Katherine lounging about. “Bad day?” she asks. “Bad century,” he replies. She warns him about playing hero around deadly werewolves and asks if he’s jealous she spent the day with Stefan. This time, he blows her off. Once again, Katherine has gone to Damon after Stefan rejected her, indicating that she might care more about him than she lets on. Why else would she plan to turn him into a vampire? (Perhaps she didn’t want Stefan to miss his big brother.) Damon and Katherine indeed have a lot in common, especially if Katherine’s tale of loving the unattainable Stefan is true.

Elena goes to her room, where Stefan awaits. They embrace, mulling over their apparently fake breakup manufactured to trick Caroline and appease Katherine. (Because I bought the breakup, Stefan’s presence in her bedroom momentarily worried me.) Elena asks, “All this to get you back?” Stefan smiles at her incredulity and assures her that Katherine doesn’t love him. No matter what Katherine claims, she is incapable of love.

As he says this, Katherine stares at the moon and remembers running off with George Lockwood. In a flashback, she gives him a moonstone, the same one Mason has been seeking. Before leaving Mystic Falls, she runs back to Stefan’s dead body and kisses him, repeating her line from his dream: she loves him and promises that they will be together again. (Like she told Stefan earlier, she can wait.) In the present, Katherine touches her lips and smiles. She may be psychotic, but her love for Stefan comes across as rather tragic.

This intense, frightening, funny, and strangely romantic episode left me with one important question:

Why doesn’t anyone have a Southern accent?

The Vampire Dairies: Bad Moon Rising (Season 2, Episode 3)



Our (non-Twilight) teen vampire saga continues. Elena (Nina Dobrev), her vampire boyfriend Stefan (Paul Wesley), and his vampire brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) consult history teacher and wannabe vampire hunter Alaric (Matt Davis) about the supernatural Lockwood family. Alaric, whose wife Isobel researched vampires at Duke and eventually became one, notes that legends mentioning vampires sometimes included lycanthropes. Viewers have heard the word “lycanthrope” explained so many times, it is refreshing when Elena immediately says, “Werewolves?”

The answer to Damon’s question, “Where are all the werewolves?” is of course that they are running around the woods shirtless. Damon brilliantly describes the situation in terms of (old) movies. Mayor Lockwood was Lon Chaney, his son Tyler is Lon Chaney Jr., and Bela Legosi (Damon) “is screwed.” There is something wonderful about watching incredulous vampires discuss the shocking possibility that werewolves exist.

Elena’s Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) says goodbye to her crush Alaric and comments, “Men and their baggage.” Elena bears a “you have no idea / tell me about it” face. She has decided to join Damon and Alaric on a trip to Duke in order to learn more about Katherine, her vampire doppelganger, while the boys study lycanthropes. Before hopping into the car, Elena fiercely (and hilariously) makes out with Stefan in front of Damon, who not only has attempted to kiss her multiple times but also nearly murdered her brother. Though Damon deserves this, Elena seems to be trying too hard to get his attention.

Meanwhile Caroline discovers that vampirism sucks. One can’t spend a beautiful summer day out with one’s boyfriend, or even open the door for him. Stefan, who is sticking around Mystic Falls to help newbie vampire Caroline, asks (actual) witch friend Bonnie (Kat Graham) to create a ring for Caroline that will allow her to walk in the sun. Bonnie points out that Caroline has already killed someone, but Stefan makes a compelling case for Caroline’s need for normalcy to remain stable. Then again, he’s biased.

In true Caroline form, the young vamp is not pleased with the ring’s aesthetics, but she finally shuts up and Bonnie blesses (or whatever she does) the ring and presto. Caroline is good to go. Bonnie warns that Caroline now will have an ever present urge to kill. Stefan’s awkward expression seems to confirm this.

After a road trip in which Damon tries to befriend Elena again, the trio arrives at Duke and meets Isobel’s (expectedly) sexy assistant Vanessa. The moment they turn their backs, the assistant shoots at Elena with a crossbow. Damon heroically takes the arrow for her. Admittedly, Vanessa had a good reason. She thought Elena was the wicked Katherine.

Back at Mystic Falls, Tyler (Michael Trevino) asks his mom about ruins, including a dungeon, in the forest. She says they do not speak of anything having to do with slaves. She also tells him to be careful at the swimming hole because if anything happens on their property, they will be liable. Poor Tyler can only quip, “Of course.” He and his classmates party it up at the water hole until his uncle Mason tells him to clear everyone out by dark. His excuse is unfortunately believable: "someone ends up wasted and dead at the bottom of the lake."

Caroline and Stefan are adorable together, though his explanation about his existence as a human is lame. He basically says that as a human he was a great, caring, empathetic person, and as a vampire his qualities are amplified. She later comments on his array of serious vampire looks, and it’s touché. Luckily, no one sees them and assumes Stefan is pulling a Damon by making moves on all of Matt’s women.


Back at Duke, Vanessa mentally compares Damon to Edward Cullen because she asks if, along with having super hearing, Damon can read minds, to which he replies, “You know, if you want to see me naked, you just have to ask.” Joking aside, the quad attempts to answer questions about doppelgangers (supposedly one doppelganger torments the other) and werewolves. According to myth, the dangerous werewolves and vampires were enslaved by the moon and sun. This in no way bonded them; werewolves’ preys of choice are vampires. (Damon’s reaction: “Oh.”) Vampires decided to follow human example and nearly exterminate werewolves.

Caroline visits Matt (Zach Roerig) at the party and compels a flirtatious girl to stalk someone single. He tells Caroline off. Even though Matt just claimed he loved her and she was just in a car accident, he continues to put her down. Considering his miserable home situation, his dislike of drama is understandable. He can’t accept Caroline for who she is. Still, the two wander off into the woods for some rough kissing as Stefan gets a call about the werewolves. For once, vampires have to fear a bigger bad. Also, now Stefan has to worry about Caroline, Matt, and himself.

The flirty lady followed Caroline’s advice and pursued a very pleased Tyler, who takes her into the forest to show her the dungeons. Typical Tyler ignores her discomfort and creepily answers her question, "Is everyone else coming?" with an unconvincing, "Yeah..." The moon is full, but, when she mentions her feelings for Matt, thankfully Tyler doesn’t take the date rape route this time. During their conversation, an unseen, chained up Mason leaves the cells because he knows that seeing anyone's uncle, even an attractive one, in that situation is weird.

Inevitably, Matt hurts himself and the blood is too much for Caroline. His appalled expression as she licks his wound is amusing because it’s so plausible. Also inevitable is Mason’s transformation into a vicious lupus. Stefan comes to Matt’s rescue, and she and Caroline Twilight (last reference, I swear) through the spooky woods, hoping to lead Mason away from Matt. An awkward moment between Tyler and Stefan (“What are you doing here?” “What are YOU doing here?”) is interrupted by Mason pouncing on Caroline. Tyler awesomely stands his ground and just says “no” to werewolves, causing the creature to run off.

Stefan and Caroline brainwash Tyler and Matt into forgetting about their vampireness. Caroline alarmingly says that Matt is the one person on this planet she has never wanted to hurt. Scary! The next day Caroline commits an act of self-sacrifice that puts Damon’s arrow-taking to shame. She sees the flirty girl once again hitting on Matt. Knowing she is on thin ice with him, Caroline plays up her jealousy and chews the girl out, causing Matt to break up with her – for his own safety. Sigh. Something so soap opera can be so tragic.

Before the trio leaves Duke, Vanessa encroaches on Jenna’s territory by swooping in on Alaric, who rebuffs her, and Damon gives Elena a book on Katherine, whose real name was Katerina Petrova. Upon arriving home, Alaric plants a big one on Jenna, and Damon acts like a manipulative baby to try to win Elena back. But he is also charmingly vulnerable and honest, admitting that he did not see Jeremy’s protective ring when he snapped his neck. Elena thanks him for the book and his sincerity. She also responds to his pleas that their friendship not be gone forever with a definitive, “Yes, you have lost me forever.” That’s what happens when you kill someone’s brother in front of her, even if he comes back to life. He realizes that she’s been playing him during the trip in order to find out more about Katherine. Damon tells her that she and Katherine have a lot more in common than their looks. Zing! Though that doesn’t quite make sense – manipulating a murderer isn’t on par with supervillainy.

Speaking of Katherine, she is there when Caroline wakes up the next morning, proclaiming that the two of them are going to have such fun together. Rise and shine.

The Vampire Diaries: Brave New World (Season 2, Episode 2)

There is something peculiar about the second episode of the second season of The Vampire Diaries. Perhaps it is the sense that months, not hours, have passed since the smashing premier. Whatever the case, the plot is very Vampire Diaries: as heroine Elena and her best friend Bonnie set up a Mystic Falls carnival, their friend Caroline wakes up in the hospital as a vampire. Meanwhile, vampire brothers Stefan and Damon check out potentially paranormal dudes Mason and Tyler. Since this is such a character driven episode, I’ll comment on each character’s journey.
Elena is remarkably composed considering her brother Jeremy died in front of her only the night before. Granted, he came back to life thanks to a magical ring, but she didn’t immediately know that. Her complete denial (she refused to discuss anything supernatural) is believable, but her ability to focus is not. What works is her eventual emotional disintegration. She refrains from confiding in her boyfriend Stefan (gasp!) and states that recent events were nobody’s fault. Hanging over her statement are the facts that recent disasters were indeed individuals’ faults and that her boyfriend’s vampiric nature compounds matters.

Bonnie goes from cracking lines about Caroline killing them if the festival is a failure and being out of team Jacob t-shirts to watching her friend turn into what she hates most. After Caroline kills Bonnie’s new crush, Bonnie nearly kills Damon with her witch powers. While her reaction is irrational (“everything is Damon’s fault”), it is a tragically believable demonstration of her festering hatred against the vicious Damon.
Jeremy is understandably confused and angry after Damon snapped his neck. At first, against Stefan’s advice, he confronts Damon and is bested. However, by the end of the episode, he nearly turns the table on Damon. Last week, his conversation with his vampire hunting uncle foreshadowed a Jeremy who had vampire hatred in his veins. Instead, he admits that killing Damon and other vampires won’t change anything, and that his attempt to kill Damon is more due to an identity crisis than vengeance. [Damon is impressive. Both men he’s killed (Alaric and Jeremy) seem to think of him as an okay dude.] Their conversation is actually quite funny and poignant. This scene demonstrates one aspect of the show that viewers appreciate: characters demonstrate unexpected maturity. Though this can be a contrivance (no one kills Damon because they are “better than that”), it is something lacking on television that people crave.

Tyler confesses his anger management problems to his curious uncle Mason. Though Mason is still not particularly compelling, I like Tyler. He initially came across as a stereotypical jerk, but soon genuine emotions surfaced. Mason’s mystery, lemur-like acrobatics (his excuse: Brazilian martial arts), and interest in a family heirloom pique Tyer’s interest. He is aware of vampires though he claims not to believe in them, so his reaction to the vamps in Mystic Falls should be intriguing.
Caroline is the heart of this episode. Her transformation is marvelous. “What’s that smell?” she asks the orderly when she wakes up hungry. (Blood bags.) Sunlight stings, as does her vervain (anti-vampire herb) laced necklace. Her face transforms in painful and terrifying ways. In these eerie scenes, Caroline is in turns repulsed, famished, overly peppy, and anguished. She discovers her ability to brainwash, and instructs one victim to attribute her bite marks to a kinky husband. In true Caroline style, sporting fabulous heels, she faces her former abuser Damon, knocks him down, and tells him, “You SUCK.”
Her all-American boyfriend Matt is, of course, in for a ride. Though he is one of two boyfriends in this episode who sneaks into his girlfriend’s bedroom, he earns points by immediately confessing his love for Caroline. After so many doubts on his end, as they embrace, Caroline is the concerned one. But thanks to Stefan the vampire sponsor, she is able to control her urges to drain him dry. It’s a relieving scene for a somewhat rocky couple.

Both Damon and Stefan seem to have miraculously recovered from the previous day’s train wreck. Damon is still fixated on Elena. He asks if he’s in her every conversation; unbeknownst to him, she has forbidden anyone from mentioning his name. He is also gung ho about ending vampire Caroline. He underestimates her and asks if anyone remembers the “tragic story of Vicki Donavan,” the last young lady turned vampire. (Stefan staked her when she tried to eat Elena and Jeremy.) Damon goes in for the kill, causing an intense but ridiculous moment between him and Elena as she leaps in front of Caroline. Though Damon is flippant about what he’s done to Jeremy and the poor man Caroline eats, he seems more miserable than dangerous in this episode.
To raise his spirits, he becomes hilariously obsessed with Mason and Tyler Lockwood. He and Stefan have a brilliant conversation as they, two vampires, observe Mason and Tyler, two werewolves, arm wrestle. Damon volunteers Stefan to go against Mason. Stefan lets him win, but notes that Mason was stronger than a human. Damon: “If they’re not vampires, what are they?” Stefan: “Ooh, maybe they’re Ninja Turtles.” Damon: “You’re not funny.” Stefan: “Zombies. Werewolves.” Damon: “No comedic timing, at all.” (Incidentally, Damon refers to them as Combat Turtles, and Stefan corrects him. Could Damon be unaware of the Ninja Turtle phenomenon?)


This brings us to Stefan, who is behaving rather bizarrely. There appears to be three possible reasons for this change: 1) he’s drinking human blood again; 2) Katherine’s appearance has shaken him; 3) the writers want him to have more “personality.” The new Stefan is all good, but I miss calm Stefan. He jokingly calls Elena a slave driver, describes Jeremy’s snapped neck as “a little bit of an ordeal,” and concludes the episode by pulling an Edward Cullen: he sneaks into Elena’s bedroom and whisks her into the air. (They kiss at the top of a ferris wheel.) He also contradicts Elena’s comment about Katherine’s ill deeds, “She’s doing this to me, isn’t she?” He responds, “Actually, she’s doing this to me.” This may be an attempt at comfort and he may be right, but disagreeing with Elena and directing attention to himself are uncharacteristic. Absolutely in character is his counseling of Caroline. That very sweet scene indicates that he is convincing both her and himself that control is possible. However, it makes one wonder if Stefan is taking on too much. He is now determined to protect Caroline, her potential victims, Elena, and Jeremy.
Brave New World ends somewhat ominously. There is no twist. Instead, Elena asks if things are going to get any easier. Stefan replies, no, they aren’t. This episode felt off, but perhaps its intent was to unsettle.

The Vampire Diaries: The Return (Season 2, Episode 1)


One of the best episodes yet.
Disclaimer: though The Vampire Diaries is neither gritty nor grounded solely in realism, though it includes cliché lines and a ridiculously attractive cast, its plotting, consistency, and heart vault it into the realm of delightful junk food. Tastes like candy.
The second season of the CW show The Vampire Diaries got off to a roaring start. Based on the books by L. J. Smith about a teenage orphan Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), her vampire boyfriend Stefan (Paul Wesley), and his wickeder vampire brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder), the first season gained a rabid following.
Not a minute has passed between the lauded finale and its premier, the title of which refers to the return of Elena’s vampiric double Katherine. Elena discovers her uncle John (David Anders) -- and biological father, too difficult to explain -- bleeding from his stomach and missing several fingers. As she calls 911, the reason for these wounds, Katherine, slinks around Elena and out the door. Upstairs, Elena’s brother Jeremy (Steve McQueen) awakens after had overdosing with vampire blood in his veins in order to become a vampire. This pivotal moment precedesThe Vampire Diaries title.
Jeremy is disappointed to discover that he is still human. In a clever twist, the vampire blood actually healed him of the pills’ effect since he didn’t ingest enough to die. Stefan, old enough to be Jeremy’s great, great, etc. grandfather, is stern (grabs his face and slaps him) when he realizes Jeremy’s intent.
At the hospital, Elena’s high school friends Bonnie (Katerina Graham) and Matt (Zach Roerig) await Matt’s girlfriend Caroline’s (Candice Accola) fate after a car crash. Somewhat soap-opera-y music and acting ensues, until Damon enters the scene and comforts Caroline’s mother Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre). Initially befriending the vampire hunting sheriff to protect himself from detection, Damon’s hugs and words of wisdom imply that he may finally have crossed the line between insincerity and genuine concern. He even feeds Caroline his salubrious blood, out of either goodness or the desire to impress Elena.
Damon shows vulnerability as he tells Elena that their kiss (featured in the previous episode) may not have meant anything to her, but he can’t forget it. Elena is clueless, for Damon in fact smooched Katherine, his manipulative ex-girlfriend and vampire sire. His realization is priceless.
Meanwhile, Katherine plays Stefan a visit, again pretending to be Elena. Stefan figures her out in a split second, puts on his scary vampire face, and attacks her. John’s assault gave Stefan a heads up, but Damon had an entire conversation and makeout session with Katherine without suspecting anything.
When Damon and Elena return, Katherine easily throws Stefan to the floor and escapes. Damon masks his fear with a few insouciant lines about what happened when he thought Katherine was Elena: “To risk creating a frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead, we kissed.” Stefan, of course, is not pleased, but Elena says they can fight another time. Stefan wants to divine Katherine’s plan, but Damon says that ignoring her will draw her out.
Thanks to Damon’s blood, Caroline wakes to utter the words, “Jersey Shore is on!” Matt and Caroline kiss, Bonnie tears up, and they giggle and profess their love for one another. (The scene is actually adorably believable.)
At the Lockwoods’ wake (or gathering, judging by everyone’s attire), Caroline Lockwood is furious at Sheriff Forbes about her husband Mayor Lockwood’s death. The sheriff notes that the mayor helped John carry out his “idiot plan,” which involved downing vampires with a special device and then burning them. The mayor and his son Tyler (Michael Trevino) were affected in the process, and the mayor was thrown in with the vampires.
Tyler greets his dull uncle Mason as “the black sheep,” which means, considering his relatives, he is either terrible or wonderful. Luckily for vampires, the Lockwoods find it necessary to meet their guests at the door, and Tyler also invites Katherine in, thinking she’s Elena wearing an inappropriately sexy outfit. Katherine gives an evil little smile.
Elena and Stefan visit John in the hospital. He is miraculously alive but understandably startled by Elena’s visage. Elena assures him she isn’t Katherine and asks him what he knows. He claims ignorance and refuses to answer questions in Stefan the vampire’s presence. Elena storms out, but now that Katherine’s here, Stefan isn’t messing around. He threatens John with a fate worse than death: he will turn him into a vampire if he doesn’t leave town. Stefan voices his own self loathing when he tells John he will “watch him hate himself more than he already does.”
Back at the Lockwood’s, Bonnie (who is a witch, by the way - minor detail) and Damon jab at and threaten one another. Their conversation ends when she, cutely cocky with her improving witch powers, gives him a vampire headache. She then runs off to complain about Damon to Katherine who pretends to be Elena by overemphasizing that Damon is “awful.” But when Bonnie touches Katherine, she senses something and runs off to call Elena. Elena’s response: “I know I’m late.” Gasp!
Katherine introduces herself to Bonnie before choking her and demonstrating that her magic skills won’t work on her. Bonnie impresses Katherine by blowing the door open, and a very serious Stefan appears telling Katherine to back off. Stefan asks what game she’s playing; Katherine asks, “Why, do you want to play with me?” He replies, “How can I play if I don’t know the rules?” According to her, there are no rules.
Katherine observes that the Lockwoods got rich by appropriating vampire land. She flirts with Stefan and notes that his girlfriend is her twin. He says he’s not Damon, he hates her, threatens to tear her heart out – the usual ex behavior. She stabs him in the gut and states that hate sounds like “the beginning of a love story.”
Inside, Damon spots Elena and morosely says that he’s “walking on sunshine.” He explains the “doppelganger hijinks” the previous night and observes that Elena is worried Katherine will send him off the deep end. He ominously adds, “I don’t need Katherine to do that.”
Jeremy and Tyler commiserate about dead fathers, though Tyler tragically (and correctly) notes that his father was a dick. Jeremy agrees. They bond. Mason interrupts their illegal drinking but doesn’t seem to care.
Elena finds Stefan and tends to his wounds, prompting Damon’s “cover up, Fabio.” Damon switches from insecure (he warns Elena that Katherine is trying to steal her man), to self-hating (he wants Stefan to fight him), to loving (“our bond is unbreakable”). Of course, he hides all of this beneath his playful façade. Either clever or in denial, Stefan says that Katherine did not come for him. He also remarkably acknowledges that Damon kissing Elena is a sign of humanity, and he doesn’t want Katherine to destroy that by playing them against each other. Damon’s expression: inner turmoil.
John gives Jeremy a “great responsibility” speech, saying it’s inevitable that his family’s legacy of vampire hatred will take over. He also states that the rings he and his deceased brother inherited couldn’t save Jeremy’s father because his death wasn’t supernatural.
Corny music plays as Tyler breaks his father’s photos, espouses hatred (I can hardly blame him for that), and pushes his mom. Mason tackles and calms him. Tyler says he doesn’t know why he loses it and doesn’t want to be that way. Mason tells Tyler that there he has learned to control the “Lockwood curse.”
Katherine visits Damon for a goodbye kiss. Damon walks away, but Katherine tackles him and begins ripping the clothes off her “sweet, innocent Damon.” Clearly, she loves corruption and can’t take no for an answer. Damon gives in but takes a “breathing pause” to ask a question. He is willing to forget 145 years of obsession and pain to start again with her: “that’s the beauty of eternity.” She responds to this desperate plea by saying that she knows the question and answer: she never loved him, only Stefan. Dramatic music plays; Damon’s expression is heartbreaking.
Damon shows up drunk in Elena’s bedroom just doing his “part in the neighborhood watch,” once again proving he has the best lines. He proceeds to echo numerous fans (and Katherine’s comments to Stefan) by telling Elena that he knows there is something between them, but she denies this. He gets pushy and tries to kiss her, but she inadvertently says a most dangerous phrase: she loves Stefan, and always will. Jeremy enters, and Damon reminds him that he wanted to be a vampire. In an attempt to hurt Katherine, Stefan, and Elena, Damon breaks Jeremy’s neck. Elena is of course devastated as her brother falls to the ground, but soon notices the supernatural ring on his finger.
Stefan’s attitude is very different from his earlier “my brother is pure evil” mindset, for he says that Damon killed Jeremy because he saw the ring. Elena claims this isn’t true, so Stefan puts the blame on Katherine. Elena says that Damon has chosen to be hated because it’s easier, and he’s succeeded. Jeremy wakes from near death for the second time this episode, terrified and clutching at Elena.
In the hospital, Caroline wakes up to Katherine telling her to send the Salvatores a message: “Game on.” Snotty till the end, Caroline demands, “What message?” before Katherine smothers her with a pillow.

Why I Like 'The Vampire Diaries'

I thought the show would be worse than Twilight. Its setup is identical: a vampire falls in love with a high school girl. To my surprise, The Vampire Diaries kept me tuning in every week.

Our heroine Elena (Nina Dobrev) lives in the historic Virginia town Mystic Falls. Her parents recently died in a car crash, leaving her and her dope-head brother Jeremy (Steve McQueen) in the care of their young aunt Jenna (Sara Canning), a lovable pal but sucky guardian. Elena’s grief causes her to bond with the - unbeknownst to her - nice vampire stalker Stefan (Paul Wesley). Unfortunately, he has a vampire brother who is not so nice. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) enjoys making his brother’s life miserable and has no qualms about eating humans. He also notices that Elena looks exactly like their (yes, their) ex who lived more than a century ago.

Other cast members include Elena’s cute ex Matt (Zach Roerig), his a-hole best friend Tyler (Michael Trevino), and Tyler’s druggie girlfriend Vicki (Kayla Ewell). She is also Matt’s sister and Jeremy’s love. The town is incestuous. Then there are Elena’s best friends Bonnie (Katerina Graham) and Caroline (Candice Accola). Bonnie is sweet and supportive; Caroline is blond and bitchy.
It’s… Believable
For a cheesy show about gorgeous townsfolk and creatures of the night, it’s surprisingly realistic. (Note: I am used to television-hot actors not CW-hot. These people look like no one I've met.) The most initially stereotypical characters turn out to be some of the most complex.

It’s Funny
The Vampire Diaries doesn’t take itself too seriously. The heroine’s best friend matter-of-factly explains why she is psychic. They laugh at such a preposterous notion. (So does the audience, for other reasons, of course.) One vampire advises another: “You’re dead, dude. Get over it.”
It’s Surprising
Even though the series borrows heavily from previous vampire/teen stories, it follows its own path. It uses and plays with formulas. The pilot features Elena running through a foggy graveyard, complete with an ominous crow. It also quickly dissolves a budding love triangle cliché because a character actually acts sensibly.

It’s Consistent
They’ve done a darn good job with the vampire mythology. The explanations, including questions of vampire morality, have a basic logic. Not only that, but the tone, pacing, and character development are dependable. Unlike many shows, actions (usually) have consequences. Characters have motivations and don’t forget about what they did the previous week.
The vampire “look” is perhaps the best I’ve seen. When vamps get blood hungry they sprout fangs. Eyes become bloodshot and veiny. These immortal serial killers are scary twists on their human selves, beastlike and vicious.

The writing and acting are respectable. Nina Dobrev can be grating in a teenager-y way, but her Elena is an appealing character. Paul Wesley is somewhat one note, but he brings a wisdom and tenderness to the role of Stefan. That he manages to be less than creepy is a remarkable feat which alone elevates the show far above Twilight. Ian Somerhalder clearly relishes playing Damon, who is funny, flirtatious, and wicked, but perhaps not irredeemable.

Certain scenes are ridiculous and unintentionally hilarious, but the camp is part of the fun. Due to historical echoes, intertwining relationships, and flashbacks to the brothers’ vampire births, the show borders on epic. How can you not enjoy a show where vampires play high school football, embarrass history teachers, and attend Halloween parties dressed as – you guessed it – vampires?