Review of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – The Last Day (2011)

If it’s your last day on earth, how do you spend it?

In a touching and bittersweet episode, we were privy to how Stefan (Paul Wesley), Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) would each spend their last day — not the last day of their lives, but rather, the last day of Elena’s human life.

In a shocking and horrifying twist, in one last act of desperation, Damon forced Elena to drink his blood so that when Klaus (Joseph Morgan) killed her, she would at least come back from the dead as a vampire.

Thus, Damon’s last day was a frantic last minute attempt to do anything and everything within in his power to ensure Klaus could not go through with the sacrifice.  After forcing Elena to drink his blood, Damon’s next stop was to collect on the debt with Katherine (Nina Dobrev) and find out what Klaus had planned.  Upon discovering that Klaus had Tyler (Michael Trevino) and Caroline (Candice Accola) tucked away in the tomb, Damon rushed to rescue them so that they could not be used to perfect Klaus’ ritual.  So Damon’s last day was busy, rushed and ultimately futile for Klaus had anticipated that one of the Salvatore brothers would attempt to intervene — and as Klaus reminded Damon, one does not live to be one thousand years old and not have a back-up plan.

Then on the other side of the spectrum, there were Stefan and Elena, who chose to spend the day dealing with the emotional fall-out of Elena’s impending death and the likelihood she would resurrect as a vampire — a fate worse than death in her mind.  For Elena, it was a day of acceptance and grieving over the life she would not get a chance to live.  It was a death of a different kind — the death of Elena’s humanity.  Stefan decided he wanted to spend his last day simply in Elena’s company and to be there to comfort her as she came to terms with both her physical death and her human death.  Neither death would ultimately claim her life, but Stefan knew Elena would grieve the loss of the life she had planned to live.

Their individual choices regarding how they chose to spend that last day was painful, no matter how you looked at it.  Damon running around as if he were on a hamster wheel — desperately trying to ensure Elena would live one way or another — simply because he did not want to face an eternity without her.  Stefan choosing to be as steadfast and supportive as always, the shoulder to cry upon for Elena and standing aside in order to honor her wishes when Klaus finally appeared to claim her for his sacrifice.  And Elena trying to understand what her life would now be like — to not be human anymore and cursed for eternity — robbed of the one decision she wanted to have control over.  Elena was perfectly willing to sacrifice herself willing as a human to save those she loved; but she resented having that freedom of choice stolen from her — and condemned to live a life she never wanted.

All three were lost in their grief — and the last day ended up being one of loss, futility and grieving.

Points of Interest

1.   There were glimpses of Damon’s humanity again, such as when Elena nixed the option of using Bonnie (Katerina Graham), telling Damon, “Bonnie can’t use that much power without dying.” and Damon impishly replied, “I’ll write her a great eulogy.” Yet when Elena firmly stated, “It’s not an option,” he did not make a fuss.  Instead, with Elena dead-set against sacrificing her best friend, Damon tried everything else he could think of to save Elena’s life.  The fact he continued to spare Bonnie’s life showed that a small sliver of humanity is still lurking in his soul — and as well as some respect for Elena’s wishes.  For if you think Elena will not forgive Damon for turning her into a vampire, imagine how much more she would have hated him for sacrificing Bonnie’s life to save hers?

2.  Then, after what felt like too long an absence, it was great to have Tyler back.  When Caroline pointedly told Tyler, “Your explanation must have gotten lost in the mail, along with your good-bye,” Tyler had the good sense to at least look a bit chagrined about it.  Then later when Caroline continued to press him and softly demanded, “Why did you leave me?”  Tyler finally admitted, “I thought you hated me.  I thought you deserved better than someone like me in your life.”  Alas, his confession was cut-short by Damon coming to rescue them.  But it foreshadowed a conversation that Caroline and Tyler will need to continue at a future date.

3.  And how cool was it that Katherine withstood Klaus’ test by standing in the sunlight without her protection bracelet just so that he would not know that she could no longer be compelled by him?  Though his suspicions will undoubtedly push Katherine to commit further atrocities before he is done with her.  But Damon may have hurt her worse than Klaus ever can when he told her, “What if I were to tell you that Elena has vampire blood in her system?  . .  . Imagine how much fun that will be competing with Elena for Stefan’s love for — I don’t know — forever?”  Katherine can face just about anything — but competing with her doppelganger for eternity for the one man Katherine ever loved, that is more painful than any torture Klaus can dream up.

What Worked

The entire episode was about the question of trust:  who do you trust — and who should you trust?  Damon should have trusted Elena and Elijah (Daniel Gillies), that the plan they had concocted would work rather than forcing his blood on Elena.  Yet because he could not trust that such a crazy plan would work, Damon came up with a horrifying insurance policy.  In addition, Elena’s trust in Damon was also put to the test when he showed that he would violate her trust and her wishes by inflicting the vampire curse upon her.  Finally, Stefan had to trust in Elena and abide by her decisions — even when she asked him to close his eyes and let her go willingly to an unknown fate.

Interestingly, these very points of trust were highlighted and debated by Stefan and Damon.  As Damon continued to protest that they should not be trusting Elijah, Stefan firmly said, “Elena made her decision.  She’s choosing to trust Elijah.  I’m going to put my faith in her.”  Yet when Damon exasperatedly asked, “Why?!  Because she’s going to end up dead!” Stefan tried to explain, “Because she put her faith in me.  She chose to trust me in spite of what I am.  If I’m going to bet on somebody’s instincts, it’s going to be hers.”  To which Damon retorted, “Well, then that makes you the biggest idiot of them all.”  But Stefan reminded him, “She chose to trust you too,” and Damon icily replied, “Maybe you shouldn’t be so sure about her instincts.”

Already the question of trust was weighing heavily upon them and it growing more burdensome by the minute.  So much so that when Elena sought out Damon in his bedroom, that trust was put to the test.  When Damon angrily told Elena, “You’re going to die,” she simply replied, “And then I’ll come back to life,” willfully choosing to believe that Elijah’s elixir would resuscitate her.  However, Damon angrily retorted, “That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”  Yet, to emphasize her point, Elena took Damon‘s hand and reminded him, “But I am.  It’s my life, Damon.  My choice.” As much as Damon wanted to believe her — he did not believe it was going to be that easy — and the risk was too high.  With her life on the line, he did not want to leave anything up to chance.  So as he brokenly said, “I can’t lose you,” he made a shocking decision. Ferociously saying, “There is another way!” he bit his own wrist and forced Elena to drink his blood.

With every drop, Elena’s trust was stripped away.  Damon had taken something infinitely more precious from her — her choice of life.  From the depths of her being, Elena never wanted to be a vampire and he had forced it upon her — just like Stefan had forced it upon Damon.  And Damon, of all people, should have known how devastating that is — to be stripped of your humanity against your will and condemned to live as the damned — it is like living a life of hell on earth.

Thus, as Stefan rushed to Elena’s rescue, demanding to know what Damon had done, Damon merely said, “Saved her life.  She’s so bent on dying — at least this way I know you’ll come back.”  And with shock and horror, Stefan said, “As a vampire?  She’ll come back a vampire.” To which Damon wearily said, “It’s better than nothing else.”  As Stefan continued to demand, “How could you of all people take that choice away from her?” Damon flippantly replied, “Go ahead and wish me an eternity of misery — believe me, you’ll get over it.”  Yet even Elijah knew that such a violative act would not be so easily forgiven and warned Damon, “She’ll never forgive you — and never for a vampire is a very long time.”

So while Damon had to deal with the fact that Elena may never forgive him, and tried to find a way to undo his thoughtless act of selfishness, Stefan had to pick up the pieces of Elena’s shattered soul.
For what is the benefit of living forever, if it is not the life you wanted?

Hurt and horrified, Elena turned in anguish to ask Stefan, “How can he do that to me?  Why?!”  Knowing perfectly well that the “why” would not really answer the pain she was feeling, Stefan opted instead to help Elena grieve.  He softly told her, “We never talked about this. What this all means.” Despondent and shaken, Elena wearily replied, “It doesn’t matter.”  To which Stefan firmly said, “Of course it matters.  It matters.”  Worried that Elena may be closing herself off and putting up walls that he may never get past, Stefan kept on pressing her to talk about how she felt.  It was only he finally confessed, “If it were my choice, I’d want to be with you forever,” that Elena curiously asked, “Why have you never brought it up?” and Stefan was forced to admit, “Because I knew if it were an option, you would have.  . . It would be selfish of me to ask you.”

The crux of this tale of two brothers and history repeating is a doppelganger loved by two brothers — one who is selfless and one who is selfish.  Just as with Klaus, Elijah and Katherine, centuries later, the same love triangle repeats with Damon, Stefan and Elena.  So as Elena angrily snapped back at Stefan, “Didn’t stop Damon,” Stefan merely sighed and said, “[Damon] shouldn’t have done what he did — [but] he did it because he loves you.”  To which Elena raged, “But he did this to me, Stefan.  Which means he really doesn’t know what love is  . . .  I was supposed to grow up — to decide if I want to have kids and start a family — to grow old.  I was supposed to have a lifetime of those choices and now it’s all gone . . . I don’t want to be a vampire, Stefan.  I never wanted to be one.”  Resigned and saddened, Stefan softly replied, “I know.”

What one will do for love?  Damon will act heedless of the consequences to protect those he loves and Stefan will chafe under his restraint knowing that he was not able to protect the woman he loves.  So when Klaus finally came for Elena and she told Stefan to close his eyes and he opened them to find her gone, he could only stand in grief and impotence.  Stefan was the good brother — the one who would honor Elena’s wishes and keep her trust.  Whereas, Damon was the bad brother, the one who would break all the rules and so Stefan did the one thing he could, he called his brother and told him, “Klaus came. He took her,” and Damon calmly assured him, “I’ll take care of it.”

These are the roles they have chosen — and who is to say which of them lost more by their decision.  Stefan had Elena’s love and trust, but may have lost her forever.  Damon lost Elena’s love and trust, but may have saved her forever.  Indeed, Damon gave up everything to save Elena, even his own life as he rushed to rescue Tyler and Caroline, to make sure Klaus did not have everything he needed to break the curse.  By saving Tyler, Damon was bitten — and there is no cure for a vampire bitten by a werewolf.  And in that twist of fate, Damon’s self-sacrifice may one day earn him the love and redemption he so desperately craves.

What Didn’t Work

While understandable that Bonnie and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) are still hiding in the wings to deal with Klaus when he was his most vulnerable — after the curse is broken and he is in transition  — it felt like two other major power players were M.I.A.  Where were Liz Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) and Elijah?  Now that Liz knows what is going on in Mystic Falls, one would have thought she would be keeping a close eye on Caroline and/or the rest of the vampire crew.  And was Elijah also just bidding his time so that Klaus would not know he was alive again too?  With Damon playing Lone Ranger to save everyone, it would have been great to see that someone besides Matt (Zach Roerig) had his back.  Though kudos to Matt for having the foresight to stock up on wooden bullets — which are handy at dispatching both vampires and evil witches.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

“The Last Day” was written by Andrew Chambliss and Brian Young and directed by J. Miller Tobin. ‘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. on the CW.