The Vampire Diaries 2x02 Review

[iaria]

Brave New World

This episode didn’t have the shocking or cliff-hanger ending like the show usually does nor were there a ton of ‘omg’ moments during it but I still really loved it. I think this was a very solid episode.

• I felt so sorry for Caroline throughout the episode. The fact that she went through the whole vampire process by herself was pretty horrible and made me want to hug her. It did feel like it went much faster than we got with Vicki – the in-between stage for Caroline was only a couple minutes. But despite being alone and not knowing what the hell was going on I thought Caroline did awesomely well. I was impressed. She kept it together pretty well, figured out the whole mind compulsion trick, didn’t kill the nurse when she fed for the first time (which does make her killing Carter later a little strange) and didn’t go on a killing spree or even try and take a bite out of her boyfriend.

• I liked how apologetic Caroline was to the nurse for feeding on her, though entirely in her own bubbly Caroline way, and her cover story (‘my husband likes to get kinky’) amused/horrified me. Oh, Caroline, really? I was left wondering where the hell all the other nurses were. Even if the others were busy, entirely possible, what happened between Caroline and the nurse had to have taken at least ten minutes and no one came by in that time?

• I loved Caroline getting in Damon’s face. Thank you show! That was an awesome scene.

• I loved Stefan taking care of Caroline at the end. ♥ I knew he would be great at that and I can’t wait to see more scenes between them.

• Stefan and Elena remain adorable and wonderful. I loved their final scene.

• Even though Elena and Bonnie were busy, apparently being completely in change of the school fair (um, adults? Teachers? Bueller?), I was still expecting one of them to pay a visit to Caroline. I guess they know she’s going to be fine so it wasn’t urgent like doing the fair but still.

• I really loved all the Bonnie/Elena this episode. They made me feel very ‘aw’. We didn’t really get any of them in the last episode and it felt like their friendship fell to the wayside at the end of last season, so them having three substantial scenes was noticeable. I hope that continues.

• “I was killed by a vampire and brought back by a magic ring. How do you move forward from that?” – Jeremy. I didn’t really notice Alaric’s absence in the previous episode but in this one I did. The obvious answer to Jeremy’s question was clearly for Stefan to re-introduce Jeremy to Alaric. I mean Alaric went through the exact same thing! Hell, they were killed by the exact same vampire. I think Alaric can empathise. I really hope we get an Alaric/Jeremy scene at some point.

• I really liked the Jeremy/Damon interactions in this episode. Their first scene was very needed, IMO, and exactly what I was expecting from both of them. Of course Jeremy would be arrogant and confrontational, and Damon would not be impressed and would threaten him. I think it was a really important scene for Jeremy. That ring, and what it gave him, made him far too cocky and probably made him feel far too invincible and he needed that deflated or Katherine (or another vampire) would eat him alive. As Damon showed the ring may give him some protection but it doesn’t make him invulnerable (and works best when no one knows what it does).

The final Damon/Jeremy scene however was unexpected. I mean there was actual almost Jeremy/Damon bonding. Damon got Jeremy to laugh and Damon seemed almost impressed by Jeremy’s attempt at whittling a stake and there was sharing of feelings. If there’s any punching or road trips Jeremy will officially be Alaric 2.0. What is it about Damon that inspires bonding in people after he kills them? (Maybe that’s his problem with Bonnie – he only tried with her.) Jeremy’s plan actually was a good one (spike Damon’s alcohol, stake him) and could very well have worked. I am a little confused about Jeremy’s change of heart though. He makes planning to kill Damon about his legacy and father and uncle and what they would do, and wanting a purpose, and not about, say, Damon killing him. Jeremy asks: “But killing you... what’s that going to do?” Um, revenge? Getting rid of a threat? Geez, he is so like his sister. I think I would have understood Jeremy here more if Anna and the Jeremy/Damon scene pre-suicide attempt had been brought up. I do enjoy Jeremy in his scenes with Damon and since he’s one of my least favourite characters I’ll be happy for more of them. I do wish though that Damon had told Jeremy that his father had killed him and Stefan because I really want to see Jeremy’s reaction to that.

- Another reaction I want to see is Elena’s to Damon and Jeremy bonding. She is going to blow her lid (and also be very confused). As someone who loves Elena and Damon’s friendship him bonding with Jeremy pleases me because it’s yet another indication that Elena and Damon are likely to make up much sooner than I had thought (and I am all for that).

• Side-note: I find myself surprised that Stefan (nor Damon or Isobel or John) has asked/told Alaric to give ‘his’ ring to Elena especially considering that it’s rightfully hers and if ever she’s needed protection from magical harm that time is now!

• “You didn’t put in any effort at all!” – Damon. Hee. Damon sounded so... petulant and (little-boy) angry when he said that, that I was very amused.

• I have been looking forward to the werewolf plot but at least in this episode I found that the most boring plotline. Does the moonstone amplify or decrease the werewolf rage and abilities? Which is stronger – vampire or werewolf? Stefan told Damon that he did put effort into that arm-wrestle with Mason but we don’t know if Mason beat Stefan trying his best or if Stefan let him win (so as not to reveal exactly how inhumanly strong he is). The sort of leap-frog jumping Mason did was both silly and neat. I was not expecting the jumping.

• While I buy Caroline being able to knock Damon across the hall – despite knowing that she’s becoming a vampire it hasn’t really sunk in and he’s taken off guard – I do not buy him staying on the ground, seemingly hurt by it. But then I suppose Damon is a drama queen and he did ‘appear’ hurt when Elena slapped him.

• “What do you want Damon?” – Elena. Wow. For their first meeting after Elena watched him break her brother’s neck that is really freaking mild. Even for her. That’s ‘I’m mad you read my diary’ or even just irritated. It’s definitely not ‘you just tried to kill my brother, I hate you’ mad. I found Elena’s reaction throughout the episode with regards to Damon really mild. She avoided talking about him or changed to subject as soon as his name was brought up instead of the disdain and/or anger that I was expecting. I mean I love that she isn’t calling him evil and declaring all out war on him, but it’s unexpected.

• I love that when Damon went to Elena and told her seriously that he needed her to come with him she did. There is still trust there between them. Despite what he did she still trusts him and I love that.

- I love that Damon went for Elena first, then Stefan, even though it possibly would have worked better if he’d done it the other way around.

• “Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty, little slut.” – Damon. I did not like this at all. *frowny face* There are many better choices than ‘slut’ to call Katherine. I mean using that word in context of what they were discussing (Caroline being turned) doesn’t even fit! I mean ‘bitch’ would work, or psycho. Slut does not and it irritates me that it was used. I mean this is Damon saying it, yes, but writers chose that insult for him to use.

• “Talk about a town where history repeats itself.” – Damon. This actually makes me feel more secure about Caroline’s fate (as did how things played out this episode) because in this town things might superficially seem to repeat but it doesn’t really. When it does the new iteration also goes different from what went before. Elena/Stefan/Damon is not Katherine/Stefan/Damon. I think a common point running through this series is not doing the same thing, and facing the same tragedies but doing things better. Vicki may have gotten out of control and had to be killed but that definitely doesn’t mean that Caroline will share the same fate. In fact I think it assures that she won’t.

• “She’s doing this to me isn’t she?” – Elena. Wow, that was pretty self-absorbed wasn’t it? No, Elena she’s doing this to everyone. As for why she may be doing it – you’re probably a part of it but the Salvatore’s are just as much.

• I loved Elena standing between Caroline and Damon’s stake but how did she move so fast?

• “Damon, she’s my friend.” – Elena. My first thought was ‘um, that didn’t work so well with ‘brother’ so why would you expect ‘friend’ to?’

• “I promise you I will not let anything happen to you.” – Stefan. Um. Oh. Hmm. That actually makes me more worried for Caroline now. I do love that he did it but it really isn’t something he can promise her.

• “Everything that happens is his fault Elena.” – Bonnie. Bonnie trying to take Damon out with a mix of mind-power and fire was actually a pretty scary scene. I think this is really the first time that we are seeing Bonnie’s inner darkness and the way that she could end up going bad. Her emotions – her rage and hate – and her sense that she knows what’s right could lead her down a very dark path. The fact that it’s Damon who is the target of her rage here might seem a little grey since, despite Damon being innocent of wrong-doing in this case, he’s definitely earned her hate. However, the way that she said ‘everything’ and the way she’s placing blame regardless of whether he was involved or not, was a bit much. She was angry and in pain and probably feeling guilty about Caroline being turned into a vampire and lashed out at the nearest source she could. She took her feelings out on him and that is not okay. That way leads bad ‘Willow’ or ‘Faith’ places. Now this could actually be a really interesting storyline but in this instance I’m not on Bonnie’s side. (Time appropriate vengeance, Bonnie! That’s the key.)

• We also see a bit of Stefan’s darker edge in this episode – something I love about him by the way – when he doesn’t stop Damon’s mind-washing of Carter. He didn’t even try to stop Damon, nor did he intervene before Carter got to Tyler. I think it’s a really interesting aspect to Stefan’s character that makes him so much more complex than you’d first think.

• “This isn’t us. This can’t be us.” – Elena. This sounds an awful lot like what Elena said to Lexie’s boyfriend. Regardless of how she frames it as them being better than killers, and hey it’s entirely possible it could be true, it means that once again Elena has saved Damon’s life.

• Carol, as acting mayor, appointing Damon as head of the council really amuses me. He’s like seriously a step away from being mayor himself at this point. It’s ridiculous. I wonder what Liz is going to think about this? I hope it doesn’t put a tension in the Liz/Damon relationship. While I love Liz/Damon best Carol/Damon isn’t bad either and I can foresee Carol leaning on Damon a lot in future episodes. I want more of Damon acting as intermediary between Liz and Carol, but even more I’d love to see the three of them kicking ass together at some point.

• I do not agree with them sending fledgling Caroline back to her house (which how did she even get in there since she had to be invited in by her mom first?) That just seems like a bad idea. Wouldn’t it have been smarter to try and get her to go to a sleepover at Elena’s (and then spend the night at the Boarding House) or if that didn’t work, and I can see how it couldn’t, then have Elena or Bonnie sleep over at Caroline’s?