The Vampire Diaries 2x16 Review

[iaria]

The House Guest

This was an awesome episode. I loved it!

• Okay, so I am very OT3 about this show and they are pretty much the centre of my interest. But if Katherine sticks around, and the show keeps giving her scenes with them like she got in this episode, than I might just end up shipping OT4 as much. I’ve mused on the idea before but with this episode I could actually see it and I really liked what I saw! I liked that the episode was bookended by two OT4 scenes.

My favourite bit was definitely the final scene with the four of them. I love how it was shot and played out: Elena vs Katherine at the centre with Stefan and Damon standing in the background silently watching. I loved how Elena and Katherine were the focus, that they were the ones talking and coming to an accord (or not) while the boys were observers/support. I loved the look Stefan and Damon exchanged while they were talking.

• “It’s getting really easy being you.” She really is getting good and I was impressed. She even managed to fool Stefan that time. I’m thinking that they need to stop attacking ‘Katherine’ unless they know 100% that it is Katherine. My favourite part was the supremely pissed off look on Elena’s face. I do find it interesting that Katherine chose to interfere when Stefan was choking Elena instead of waiting to see how it played out. Anyway that whole scene from Damon attacking Katherine to her showing up in Stefan’s room was excellent.

• I wonder if the boys taking a bit more of a background/supporting stance (very similar actually to the Isobel/Elena face off last season) is part of them acting according to the deal they made with Elena at the end of the last episode where they agreed to her being in charge (basically)?

• At the very least I love Katherine’s inclusion because the other three dislike and distrust her so much that it automatically makes them into an even more tight knit trio. Regardless of what issues are happening between them when Katherine is around they will always pull together and that makes me happy. I love best when they work as a unit.

• Elena/Stefan were pretty adorable. Their opening scene made me smile all the way through.

• This episode largely dealt with Katherine/Damon and I really enjoyed it. I’m hoping that the angsty stuff is dealt with, or moved into the background, quickly because I am delighted with bickering Damon and Katherine. They are so much fun! I kind of love them. I want bickering forever. My second favourite scene in the episode was when Damon was unpacking the Gilbert journals and Katherine wants to help and they end up getting in a slap fight (he slaps her hand without looking, she looks affronted and slaps his back, he slaps her again) which was really adorable and that lead to Damon grabbing Katherine by the throat, stealth Salvatoreing her onto the piano bench and it suddenly turned into sexiness and was very hot. I approve.

• A couple interesting things: 1) When Katherine screams for Damon he immediately comes running. 2) Damon knew Stefan was there while Katherine was surprised by his appearance.

• I loved this exchange:

Caroline: Maybe he’s trying to protect you.
Jenna: That isn’t his call to make. I deserve the truth. Everybody does.
Caroline: Sometimes it’s harder than that.
Jenna: Not if it’s somebody you care about, it isn’t.

Them all deciding to keep things a secret is so patronising especially when the danger is all around them and affects their life as much as it does Jenna’s. I loved her unknowingly calling out Elena on keeping the truth from her.

When they went from that to deciding to go dancing I was all ‘that was your cue to tell her Elena!’ I pretty much spent most of the episode thinking ‘oh, this is when Elena tells Jenna the truth’. If Elena doesn’t tell Jenna the truth in the next episode – after everything that happened in this one and with the arrival of Isobel – I am going to be pretty pissed. It is far past time.

• The Alaric/Elena classroom scene was excellent. I really loved that Alaric tracked down Elena at the very first opportunity he had to discuss the Jenna situation with her. I really loved that he thinks its Elena’s decision on whether to tell Jenna the truth. I love that he wants to be truthful with Jenna but he respects Elena’s place in Jenna’s life and believes that it’s Elena’s decision. I love how he treats Elena like an equal. I also really liked that Elena is finally acknowledging that Jenna not knowing the truth is putting her in more danger. Now if only that leads to her telling the truth.

• I was also surprised by Matt’s reaction to the truth but I really shouldn’t have been. In fact that’s exactly how he should have reacted and I can’t believe I never thought of it. Matt freaking out in itself was understandable because ‘your girlfriend is a vampire’ is a pretty big thing to discover. It’s clear that Caroline had this whole vision in her head where their love would overcome everything and she’d tell the truth, he’d accept her completely and they’d be happy. Caroline’s big vampire/human relationship base is Stefan/Elena and while they have their problems at the heart of them is their love and Elena who accepts Stefan for what he is. Poor Caroline. She was being so strong and opening herself up and he just did not react according to the script in her head. When he brings up Vicki she looks so confused because that wasn’t even on her radar. He reacted in a way that she didn’t even consider and she was just so baffled on how to respond. For Matt to learn about vampires and to immediately leap to thinking of his sister and what happened to her to leaping to the idea that Caroline had something to do with what happened to Vicki is so completely logical. At this point Vicki is pretty much off everyone’s minds – unless you loved her, unless you’re Matt who is still dealing with her death – god, of course he would think of her. God job, show.

• Goodbye, Luca and Jonas Martin, we barely knew you. I wasn’t really attached to them but I was sad when they were both killed off, especially Luca. I actually didn’t realise that he was dead for sure until Stefan arrived at the Grill. For some reason I was sure that Stefan was going to save him somehow. I think I feel largely sad about their deaths because a) they were only doing what our gang does which is to try and protect their own, and b) because they got so little sympathy with their deaths. Jeremy’s reaction to Luca’s death – “after what he did to you. I’m sorry I know you feel bad about this but I don’t” – made me want to smack him. First, Luca burned to death and regardless of what he did that’s horrible. Second, what Luca did to her? How is what Luca did to her worse than what she did to him? I do not agree.

I feel really bad for Luca. I think he was a genuinely nice guy and what happened to him really sucked – not just how he died but everything that happened with Bonnie. Yeah, he made friends with Bonnie under false pretences and was planning on helping to sacrifice Elena to save his sister but honestly like Jeremy wouldn’t do the same? Like any of them would act any better to save a loved one? And in the end Luka was kind of sweet, and not happy about what he was doing and he wasn’t a killer and how many in this gang can say that?

• The fact that he burned to death has so many layers considering the fact that he’s a witch. God, every time I think of that – that he died in the worst way a witch can die, the way with most meaning – *shudder*. Poor Luca. Apparently I have an unrealised issue with burning to death because it really freaks me out.

• “He deserves to be with someone as amazing as you.” – Elena, they hug. I really liked Elena’s reaction to Bonnie revealing that she liked Jeremy. It took the expected, her freaking out, and did the opposite and it was completely believable. I love that Bonnie just grabbed the opportunity – ‘if she’s happy I’m happy’ – and spit it out. See Elena that is how you do things! Elena’s reaction was pretty great – shocked, confused, and not pleased but mostly she clearly just didn’t know what to think because who ever thinks their best friend will want to date their younger brother? She is clearly thinking fast and trying to work through her emotions because Bonnie is standing right there staring at her and she’s on the spot... and it’s Elena so of course she gives them her blessing. Because she loves them both, and she knows how much pain they’ve both been through, and in the end she only ever wants the people she loves to be happy.

I really love that when Bonnie asks her “really?” you see it on Elena’s face as she realises that yes she really did mean it. I love that. Nina is amazing.

• If Jenna invites Isobel in – I bet she will before Elena can stop her – I am going to laugh. Because that’s what poor in the dark Jenna does: she invites vampires into their home. Yet another reason to tell her the truth.

• I was very happy to see Isobel again. I think there is so much possibility with her. This is the first time Elena, Isobel and Katherine have been in the same place at the same time and I can't wait to see 'the family' interacting. I’m actually really excited about it. They just better not kill her off.

• “It’s kind of a girl’s night. Maybe Katherine can join us!” Hee. Elena was being snarky but I’d like to see that!

• Yet another nail in Katherine’s betrayal coffin. Even though we know exactly how little loyalty she has to anyone I was still sad that she told the town about Emily and got her sent to her death. No one is safe. Sigh. It’s even a bit worse because she did it to ‘tie up loose ends’, which she did with Pearl and the tomb but that was also about protecting her cover, whereas with Emily did she even know Katherine escaped? I still have this AU version of the show living in my head where Katherine, Pearl and Emily were so close and loyal to each other, and Katherine didn’t betray them both to their deaths. I like that reality.

• I really liked that Damon was down there trying to turn Elijah to ash, which is exactly what he should have been trying, and since I like Elijah I’m pleased that it didn’t work.

• I have to wonder why Stefan stayed with Elena and set Caroline against Jonas? It would have made more sense for it to be the other way around. Stefan is the older of the two, and thus would have had a better chance of succeeding, and Jonas has already left him alive once whereas there was every chance that he could have killed Caroline. Caroline could have just as easily gotten Elena out, switched with Katherine and back home.

• “John Gilbert and Isobel want you and Stefan out of Elena’s life. He offered me a deal. He knew killing Elijah would get me out of the tomb so he gave me a choice. Either I stay and help with Klaus or he kills Stefan. ... It was part of the deal. I could only save one of you.” I... don’t really like this. I’m disappointed actually. I was hoping for it to be a situation where the three of them have been working together for awhile now, from before either of Elena’s bio-parents returned to Mystic Falls. Perhaps they were her back-up plan in dealing with Klaus. The idea that John went to a tomb trapped Katherine and made her a deal is much less interesting to me.

- Also I’m hoping that Katherine is lying about the whole ‘stay or Stefan dies’ part of the deal because it’s stupid. Katherine would totally just kill John once she was out. It wouldn’t be that hard for her. And the whole ‘I could only choose one’ thing feels like her playing Damon yet again in some way. I think that she just really enjoys poking at this new Damon with a stick to see what happens. Plus this is Katherine so she has to be lying about something (I’ll take all of it personally).