Falling into the abyss of death and despair has never hurt so bad
Damon (Ian Somerhalder), Damon, what have you done? Fear and loneliness may drive a vampire into the arms of a willing embrace; but anger, frustration and pain only drives a vampire to thirst for blood. Literally.
The five stages of grief have nothing on vampire pain. Vampires simply go from grief to rage to acceptance — but their form of acceptance is accepting who they are and their natural instinct to kill. Will Damon feel guilt, remorse and ultimately acceptance of his vampire instincts? A vampire is born to do one thing: kill. They do not give life, they merely bring death — eternal death to those they turn into vampires and immediate death to everyone else who crosses their path. Damon’s only agony was the loss of his humanity. He so desperately wants to be human. He would give anything to be human again. But in the end, he accepts what he is. He is not human; he is a vampire — and he did what he does best: he kills people. Not bad people. Not people that deserve it. But anyone who happens to come along. Compassion has nothing to do with it. The need to feed is overwhelming. It is the one constant craving that never goes away. It does not matter how much blood is consumed or how many bodies pile up, the demon within is never satisfied.
It is a battle between the human soul and the demon within. Which will ultimately control the vampire? A vampire can turn off their emotions and allow their demon nature to control; or they can flip the switch and choose to feel — and try to be human. To try to retain their humanity and cling to their soul. It is a constant battle.
But after losing Rose (Lauren Cohan) — being forced to stake her — Damon decided he would be both. He would let his demonic side take over and let his human side feel the pain and despair as he battled himself. It is only in death that a vampire is truly free; and Rose understood that. She yearned for death in the end — to be free of a life of fear and self-loathing. It is the dirty little secret of vampires — they wanted eternal life, but in sacrificing their humanity, they got the wrong kind of eternal life. They are damned for eternity. It is not known if they will be welcome in heaven after a lifetime of wanton death and destruction. Yet even then a vampire still yearns to be reunited with their lost loved ones. They learn the hard way that vampire eternal life is a curse and a prison sentence. They want to be free and pray that when death welcomes them, that it offers a better reward — that they will finally achieve the peace and happiness they craved every day of their damned existence.
Rose got her wish. She died dreaming of the perfect life. But Damon — he is still haunted by the one thing he cannot have: his humanity. He may try to inoculate the pain with alcohol, a feeding frenzy and self-pity, but he is still in absolute, exquisite agony. The agony and the ecstasy. Only in his pain did Damon feel the ecstatic joy of feeling somewhat human again. The pain reminds him that a part of him is still human. A true vampire would never even feel the pain. There is hope yet for the vampire wishing for an impossible dream. Dream, Damon, dream. There is hope for you yet.
Points of Interest
1. It may have been just a dream, but Damon granting Rose one last perfect moment was beautiful. To see her as she had wished she had lived: carefree, radiant and happy with the world around her. Her dream was so simple. She only wanted to be amongst a golden field with flowers, trees and wild horses — and someone to share it with. Only in death did Rose achieve her greatest happiness.
2. It was also interesting that Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) search for Isobel (Mia Kirshner) landed Uncle John (David Anders) instead. Hopefully Uncle John a.k.a. Daddy Dearest to Elena (Nina Dobrev) is a bit more forthcoming during this visit to Mystic Falls. If he knows all the deep dark secrets, then perhaps it is about time he shares a few.
3. Matt’s (Zach Roerig) decision to confront Caroline (Candice Accola) demonstrated his commitment to her and his desire to be with her. He did not want to hear any more excuses, he just wanted her. So when Caroline finally confessed her she love, Matt simply said, “What are you keeping from me? If you love me, you’ll tell me.” It was brave and bold — and exactly what he should be doing. If he truly loves her, he needs to figure out what is going on.
What Worked
This was the episode of love lost. In trying to move on, Damon had opened up his heart to Rose. Despite his repeated assertions that he did not care, he clearly did. He may have tried to fool Elena when he flippantly said, “The sooner [Rose] dies the better, it’s as gloomy as hell in here.” But anyone with eyes in their head could see how grief-stricken Damon was.
On a different note, it was perhaps just a hint of something more, for Elena’s curiosity about Damon’s room was fun to behold. It was not at all like she expected. Unlike Stefan who lives like a professor with books, papers and mementos, Damon lives much more simply. His room has a bed, a spacious bathroom and one book: “Gone with the Wind.” Even Rose noted with amusement, “You’ve never been in Damon’s room before. Not what you expected, is it?” Had Elena truly not cared, she would not have even noticed. It would have been just a room. But the fact that she took the time to assess her surroundings gave a glimpse into the most hidden part of her heart. Somewhere deep down she wonders what it would be like to be with Damon — to be the one he reads books to — to share his bed. She may back away from the forbidden vision and buries it in denial, but she does wonder. Especially when Rose further noted, “You’re lucky, you know. No one’s ever loved me the way you’re loved.” To be loved is the epitome of human desire. It is fascinating that some vampires still cherish that very thing.
Rose was on a philosophical-roll in this episode. When she told Elena, “Damon’s a lot like me — he wants to care, and then when he does, he runs away from it,” that is exactly what Damon does. Rose has known Damon for but a moment and she has pin-pointed the one thing that makes Damon redeemable. With his humanity reawakened, it scares him senseless. Damon may fear the pain of human emotion, but he still rejoices in it. He just cannot handle it all at once. Love does not come without a price. You have to take the bad with the good and the price of love is enduring the pain of loving.
So later when Rose told Damon, “I miss being human” and he quipped, “Being human is not all it’s cracked up to be,” they both knew that it is everything. Rose spent her life running from relationships, running from being human. In the end, all she had was a mere existence, not a life. She envied Damon’s choice — he had decided to live. As she wisely told him, “You built a life whether you want to admit it or not.“ Then, in one last act of human kindness, Damon staked Rose putting her out of her pain and misery. With one perfect tear, he did what had to be done. He had been cruel to be kind. Yet Rose was finally at peace. He knew it too, but the pain of loss still hurt. So later when Elena tried to comfort him and held him, Damon bravely declared, “There’s been enough doom, gloom and personal growth for one night” — all the while trying to hold back the tears.
Finally, unable to bear the pain, Damon sought solace the only way he knew how — by killing. When he cried in anguish, “I can’t want to be what other people want me to be — what she wants me to be — this isn’t who I am,” it was not because he lost Rose, it was because he himself is lost. He is cursed to be a vampire until death. He can never be human again. He can never truly have the life and love that he dreams of. So when he sadly said, “I’m not human — and I miss it — I miss it more than anything in the world. That is my secret — but there is only so much a grown man can take,” he did the only thing he knows to ease his pain. The agony and the ecstasy — he punishes himself for not being human enough.
What Didn’t Work
What a wicked girl Jules (Michaela McManus) is to spring so much overwhelming news on Tyler. Did she not sense his innocence and his youthfulness as a werewolf? She made herself the wicked villain with her clumsy and unnecessary warnings. Plus, her lack of guilt or remorse over killing an entire campsite of people while in her werewolf state speaks of a woman who nobody needs in their lives. She does not even act human anymore. Beware werewolves bearing gifts or bearing false tidings, Tyler!
The absence of Bonnie (Katerina Graham), Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), Luka (Bryton James) and Jenna (Sara Canning) in this episode was felt keenly. Hopefully, they will all make appearances soon to help balance the vampire angst. Also, M.I.A. was Elijah (Daniel Gilles). It would also be fun to see him again to explain what he knows about Klaus and why he is so anxious to kill him.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
‘The Descent’ was written by Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft, and directed by Marcos Siega. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ stars Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Sara Canning, Matt Davis. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.
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