A night to remember with exquisite beauty, romance, betrayal and one nasty mother
Is it wrong to really like Esther? I was a bit worried last week when she announced that she just wanted her family all back together again. But now that I see that she really means back together in death, I am kind of rooting for her plan to work. Though it was rather obvious that Elijah didn’t buy the lies Elena was telling him and that he did not really drink from the toast, so that binding spell is about to backfire spectacularly. But then again, it wouldn’t be THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, without some plan going completely haywire because someone doesn’t trust somebody. Heroes, villains and innocent bystanders — nobody trusts their teammates or anyone on their side. Everyone has their own agenda and secretly plans to do exactly as they please. Well, except for Matt, who is just trying to do the honorable thing. Though I’m now questioning Matt’s sanity as he agreed to be the date of a vampire whose entire family verges on lunacy and sociopathic tendencies.
It does seem that love, honor and petty grudges are tripping everyone up. It should have been a night of fairytale magic — a ball by special invitation with the Original family. But everyone was just going through the motions and playing their part. Esther needed a ruse and a way to get Elena to help with her plan to kill her entire family without their knowing it. Klaus wanted so desperately to be the picture-perfect family that he ignored the family shenanigans around him and tried to woo the one girl guaranteed never to fall for him because he compelled her boyfriend to try to kill her. Elijah was suspicious of his mother’s true motives and kept pestering Elena to get the information he needed. Finn was playing the “good son” and working to ensure his family died according to mommy-dearest’s plan. Kol wanted to defy his mother and have some diabolical fun at Matt’s expense. Rebekah only wanted to strike back at Elena without incurring the wrath of her family members. And that’s just what was going on with the Originals.
On the good-guys team, Stefan and Damon continued to vie for Elena’s attention and respect, with Damon being the sore loser on that score and returning to his bad-boy ways to take the edge off Elena’s rejection. Caroline begrudgingly showed up at the party wearing the dress Klaus gave her so she could keep an eye on Matt; and Matt was just too decent of a guy to say ‘no’ to Rebekah when she invited him to be her date to the ball. (Someone needs to tell him that it is okay to always say ‘no’ to a vampire with a grudge against your friends.)
In the end, it was not clear who we were rooting for. All the relationships got so muddled that by the end of the night, it was only clear that Ether had the best idea: she wanted to kill off her entire family to get rid of the abomination against nature that she created when she turned them into vampires. But even that seems questionable as we don’t know if she succeeds whether it will have a ripple-effect and kill off all vampires with linage through her children — that could mean the death of Stefan, Damon, Caroline and possibly Tyler, if that were the case.
Does mother actually know best? Shouldn’t Elijah be the “good son” and want the same thing, to end his family’s reign of terror on the planet? Why is Klaus choosing the worst possible girl to fall for? So many questions. Not enough deaths. Oh, my god. How is it that no one died in this episode? A serial killer is stalking Mystic Falls, there’s more vampires infesting the town than ever before and who knows what else lurking in the darkness. A night without death. Isn’t that what the ball was for?
Points of Interest
1. With Tyler M.I.A., Rick in the hospital, Jeremy compelled to forget everything and leave town, and Bonnie trying to rebound with her mother, all the usual suspects were sorely missed. As fun as the Originals are, they just aren’t the family we crave.
2. Whoever whipped up those ball gowns for Elena and Caroline deserves a gold-star. Truly magnificent! As a girl, I was weak-in-the-knees with envy over those gorgeous gowns. But then having a hot guy or two on your arm while wearing one isn’t so bad either.
What Worked
We really have stepped into an alternate universe when the hero of the night is Esther and the guy sweeping the girl off her feet is Klaus. Alternate or not, this is the reality we have to work with. Shall we?
Okay, begrudgingly, Klaus rocked the night. Unlike his usual arrogant and nearly insane self, tonight Klaus was almost human. He allowed himself to be open to the possibility of falling in love again. He invited Caroline to the ball and gave her an exquisite ball gown to go with the stunning diamond bracelet he gave her for her birthday. It was risky and foolish. But it was also courageous. He was willing to take a risk — one that was nearly guaranteed to be thrown right back in his face after the stunt he pulled with compelling Tyler to bite Caroline. By making himself vulnerable to rejection and hoping against hope, Klaus seemed relatable and sympathetic. The stunned look on his face when he saw Caroline enter wearing the dress was rather endearing. He was genuinely surprised and touched. That she strode right by him with the briefest of acknowledgement didn’t even deter him. He was willing to make the effort to try to spend time with her and get to know her. He took cues on what was appropriate to talk about, like talking about her father was off-limits. He was open to talking about his own troubled past with his family and still tried to compliment Caroline and woo her by showing off his valuable artwork. The Klaus we have always seen has been accustomed to demanding what he wants and getting it. To see Klaus actually working at winning over the girl was much more impressive — and his “thank you” gift of the hand-drawn sketch of Caroline and the horse with the scrawled message, “Thank you for your honesty,” was just perfect. Caroline is not a girl to woo by gifts and impressive displays of wealth and power. She is her own woman and the only thing she desires is a man who is honest and respectful of her as a person. By not compelling her and letting her speak her mind, Klaus showed his respect and appreciation. It was a rare gift and Caroline understood it. This was perhaps Klaus’ first step to really being a man we all can like and respect. It has the makings of a beautiful love-story. It’s just a shame that it comes at a price: Tyler and Caroline’s relationship. I’m not sure we’re ready to throw in the towel on that hard-fought for relationship.
Also surprising and I’m not entirely sure what to make of it, it was nice to see how gentlemanly Matt treated Rebekah. He not only accepted her invitation to the ball, he gently put his jacket around her to keep her from getting cold. At this juncture, Matt should only be suspicious of anything to do with the Originals. That he was willing to be the decent and honorable human willing to put himself in harm’s way just for the sake of being a good guy was astounding and admirable. It also saved him from Rebekah’s plot to kill him to punish Elena. It was a nice reminder that there was a reason that both Elena and Caroline used to be in love with him. Matt is the kind of guy you want to be with because he will treat you right and make you feel good. Why aren’t there more Matt’s in the world? We could use a few more.
I am at a loss of how to really explain Stefan and Damon’s behavior. Their desire to protect and win Elena seems to have led both astray. It was visually stunning watching them escort Elena into the ball; the picture they posed was striking and symbolic. They will both stand by her side no matter what. But how each chose to demonstrate their love and protection was not as you would expect. Damon was the overprotective one, hovering to the point of suffocation — forcing Elena to rebel and flee, and saying a few harsh remarks that she quickly regretted. Then Stefan took a step-back from being Elena’s shadow to allow her the freedom she desired to make her own decisions, but still chose to run away when Elena questioned whether he had successfully turned off his human emotions — proclaiming that he did not dare because he could not bear the pain. Doesn’t he know that love outweighs pain?
So as Stefan was rejecting Elena because to love her would be too painful, Damon was baring his heart to her and even dared to admit, “I’m mad at you ’cause I love you.” Damon was freaking out because he was allowing himself to feel how much he loved Elena — and she was rejecting him because of it? When she snapped, “Well, maybe that’s the problem,” the look on Damon’s face was of horror. Even as Elena tried to take it back, Damon just replied, “No, I got it, Elena. I care too much. I’m a liability. How ironic is that?” In that moment Damon realized that not only was love making him weak, that Elena was repulsed by it. She only is drawn to him when he is the devil-may-care bastard.
What was interesting about this dichotomy was the complete role-reversal of Stefan and Damon. Damon had turned into who Stefan used to be; and Stefan has become the old Damon. It was only once Damon saw himself through Elena’s eyes that he saw what he had become. He had tried so hard to curb his instincts and dare to feel, only to find that it wasn’t what Elena wanted after all. In a fit of anger and pique, Damon quickly sought solace the only way he knows how — alcohol and sex, with the very woman who had just tried to kill Elena. That’s the Damon we know. Will Elena be happy now? And Stefan, is he fighting to not fall back in love with Elena or really just denying to himself that he never fell out of love with her? Either way, it’s a losing battle. Stefan has always loved her and always will. It shows in everything he does. Even when he is acting out, his love shines through. It is the beacon that draws Elena. She is inexplicably drawn to pain — and Stefan reeks of it. Elena has never really loved the “good guys.” She craves the bad-boys screaming for redemption. Stefan’s soul was in agony when they first met and she’s been aching to sooth his raw agony ever since. She is addicted to his pain. And that’s what she saw in Damon too. She wants to be their savior. She feels empowered by their tortured souls and it is her drug of choice. There is a fine line between love and hate — and an even thinner line between love and pain. They are a curious trio — and absolutely fascinating.
What Didn’t Work
Did I mention that there’s a serial killer loose in Mystic Falls? Someone tried to assassinate Alaric and killed Caroline’s father and no one is looking for the culprit. Really? Shouldn’t Damon’s “spidey-sense” be tingling with over-protectiveness and demanding to root out the evil-infested person responsible? It’s outright appalling that no one is looking for a killer that was in Elena’s house. The Originals have the decency to defer to Klaus and Esther about the “no killing” mandate at the moment. But an unknown serial killer is roaming around Mystic Falls killing human vampire-sympathizers. Someone should be worried and doing something about it — and sooner rather than later. Rick survived his attack once, but who is to say he’ll survive a 2nd attack. After all, Bill Forbes was killed at the hospital. Rick can’t be too safe there either. Shame on Stefan and Damon for overlooking this blatant risk to Elena and everyone else. Whatever is going on with the two of them, get over it. We need our heroes back — undistracted and with their heads on straight.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
“Dangerous Liaisons” written by Caroline Dries and directed by Chris Grismer. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ stars Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Joseph Morgan, Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Matt Davis, Daniel Gillies. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.
Related:
“Michael Trevino’s Inside Scoop on Tyler’s Dilemma on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (VIDEO INTERVIEW)”
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