The Vampire Diaries 4x07 Review

[iaria]

My Brother's Keeper

• So... did Damon really sire Elena? I'm not sure what I believe. Certainly Caroline laid out some compelling evidence and this episode very much had Elena acting weird towards Damon - immediately agreeing with his opinions, specifically - and yet I'm not convinced. I think largely because Elena was behaving towards Damon in a way that stuck out. She's been a vampire for 7 episodes now and before this one wasn't behaving this obviously towards him. At least that I remember - it's been a while since I watched the previous episodes. Plus I'm sure that Elena's gone against Damon's wishes this season.

I'm really hoping it's not true because if it is I feel pretty horrified and sad for both of them.

Also if the whole sire bond is true I'm really not sure I like it as far as Elena's character goes. Her becoming a vampire should give her more agency not less. I can see where this could do very interesting things for Damon's character arc but not so much with Elena.

- Plus we the viewers, and Elena and Stefan, all know Elena was in love with Damon before becoming a vampire so the show isn't trying to sell her feelings for him as all part of her heightened vampire emotions and the sire bond, right? Is this to create conflicted where no one else believes her feelings are real? If this is all leading to Elena being uncertain about her feelings I'm not going to be happy. Because that would be stupid and annoying.

- I'm also looking a little askance at TPTB and their choice to make Elena and Damon's first time together be intersected with Caroline and Stefan realising that Damon/Elena have a sire bond - and thus Elena isn't truly in control of her own choices. Why would they even do that?

- The sex scene itself was awesome and I loved it. I loved the first kiss and Elena slamming Damon into the wall. It was certainly better then it could have gone - the show seemed to take pains in showing Elena taking charge and all the sex being very reciprocal between them. Which is something else I really loved - I love the way it was filmed. There was a second where you see Elena smiling/giggling and just so happy - loved that. And finally it was just very hot.

• "You don't have to love me like this. This is who I am now. The old Elena died when she went off that bridge. Let her go." - Elena. I love this.

• I was super annoyed with the last episode and how it didn't deal at all with a) Elena killing Jeremy and b) Jeremy killing, with aforethought, to save Elena. These were two huge moments in their relationship and they didn't even have a scene together. So I figured that the next episode had to have them dealing with it. ... Nope. They don't talk about Jeremy killing for her, they don't talk about the fact that she killed him (even if she was hallucinating at the time). In fact Elena tells him - "I would never do anything to hurt you" - which left me a bit flabbergasted. It may not have been her fault but Elena still killed him like two days ago!

And possibly they really should have taken a moment to discuss all their issues because they devolved into a fight pretty damn quick! And for all that I enjoyed Jeremy stabbing Stefan him sticking a stake in Elena's neck was making me go 'what the hell! Stop that!'

• I do love that Elena knew that she and Jeremy couldn't keep living together so she chose to move out and she got Matt to move in to be there for him. I love Elena the big sister, taking care of her little brother the best she can.

- And I loved this line: "If getting my humanity back means stripping Jeremy of his, I don’t want the cure."

- Oh, and I also liked that when Elena informed Damon/Caroline about Jeremy's dreams she only mentioned him dreaming about killing 'vampires' and not that she was the vampire in question. It's a small thing, and she possibly should have told them, but it felt like her trying to protect him and I liked it.

• I like Stefan. I like liking Stefan. But, man, is it hard to keep liking him right now. Less for the turning a murderer into a vampire and forcing Jeremy to kill him (though that's not great), and more for the way he's behaving with and towards Elena and Damon. He is being such an amazing ass and it is getting seriously old. If I'm honest with myself I've been finding it hard to like him since mid last season.

• I find myself sooo conflicted about Klaus/Caroline. He is the worst and JENNA, and also really just a horrible person and yet... he's kind of sweet and adorable with Caroline? Like, he seems to adore her and finds her amazing and enjoys her slapping him down and her personality... and I find them cute? And I like the idea of Caroline having someone who worships her exactly as she is?

• I loved Stefan/Caroline. I'm really enjoying getting to watch them being friends again. (Now if only they won't team up to try and control Elena'a choices and actions.)

• I actually really like Caroline's continuing disgust towards Damon. He's part of her made-family name, she trusts him, but she doesn't like him. And I like that, that she hasn't just forgotten and forgiven everything he did to her.

That said her attitude towards Elena was very irritating. And her cheerleading Elena/Stefan, while understandable, got a bit annoying. Also her lecturing Elena about Damon while at the pageant with Klaus and complainging about Damon/Elena to Klaus makes me shake my head a lot considering Klaus killed Jenna (and Elena and a lot of people).

• Jeremy distrusting Stefan and then stabbing him was kind of great. I can't really blame him for it. (Also possibly I just enjoyed watching Stefan being stabbed.) And honestly in this little family stabbing someone is almost a sign of affection. It's not like he tried to kill him or anything.

• Damon trying so hard at the beginning to bond with Stefan - to get him interested in working together, offering him comfort for the break-up - made me sad. ): I'd be nice if Stefan could get his head out of his ass soon. I miss the OT3ness of season one.

• I loved Damon's reaction/expression when Elena confessed that he was the reason she and Stefan had broken up.

• I liked the Tyler/Hayley scene when they first arrived at the pageant. It was cute.