Review of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Break On Through (2012)

Walls and curses are meant to be broken, even if they are made with the best intentions

Alaric and Abby, two of the unlikeliest of souls reached a crossroads in their journey nearly simultaneously.  Neither asked to have a curse placed upon them, yet each awoke and wondered how their life had gone to hell.  Abby had been a witch who lost her magic, who found herself turned into a vampire.  Alaric was a man who hunted vampires, and found himself possessed by a demon — a serial killer alter-ego.  They are not what anyone ever dreams of becoming.  Both Abby and Alaric woke up one day and found their lives irrevocably changed for the worse.  It is just a matter of how they chose to deal with their cursed new lives.  Abby could not bear the shame and loss of self-control, fearing the danger she posed to her daughter and adopted son; so she ran away.  It is the only way she knows how to live with some dignity.  For Alaric, his demon may be kept at bay by Bonnie’s witch-spell, but only if he takes herbs twice a day to help him keep his wits and sanity.  So he too has been banished of a sorts, as Damon escorted him back to his loft under watchful eye.  Alaric can no longer be trusted to live under the same roof as Elena and he left with shame in his heart for the curse placed upon him and the danger he posed to those he cares about.  Even Dr. Fell has retreated after Alaric nearly killed her in a blind-rage.  Should either Abby or Alaric be shunned and feared because of their cursed states?  Perhaps not, but their inability to control their inner demons has made them a danger to those they love.  It is not safe — and distance is the necessary barrier.  We mourn the lives they lost.  Abby has been forced to give up her children and again to wander as a lost soul.  Alaric has been shut out and now everyone will watch his every move with fear and distrust that he may lose control again.  These are not the lives anyone would wish for.

So as Alaric and Abby bravely faced their respective cursed existences, we also saw the dueling interests Stefan and Damon versus Sage and the Originals.  Damon and Stefan want to permanently eradicate the Originals from the entire planet; whereas Sage just wants Finn back and Rebekah simply wants to live.  But, unlike Abby and Alaric who shall struggle to find peace in their lives, the battle between the “good” vampires and the “bad” vampires is reaching a boiling point once again.  There just isn’t enough space on this tiny planet for the likes of all of them — especially since the Originals believe they are akin to royalty over the entire planet and everyone else shall bow before them.  As this season races towards its finale, the showdown looms.  We shall hope and pray that no more of our beloved heroes falls in the battle to destroy the Originals.

Points of Interest

1.  Who shall look after Jamie now that Abby has left him to fend for himself?  Will Jamie be returning with Bonnie to Mystic Falls?  Is he the long-rumored new love interest for Bonnie?  There is certainly a spark between them.

2.   Surely no one believed for one second that all was well in Jeremy’s world simply because he lives several states away.  Like Alaric, he has died and revived too many times to not be affected by the resurrection ring and its black magic.  Someone needs to check on him in person ASAP.

3.  Just out of curiosity, where would the Originals go to hide?  Where would they seek comfort and security when Klaus most likely has a vast worldwide network of spies who can report back to him should Esther and Finn surface.  Is the planet too small when one such as Klaus is hunting for you?

What Worked

Let’s just start with the monster in the mirror, shall we?  Alaric, do we even know you at all anymore?  The minute we saw what he saw as the MRI mirrored-reflection stared back at him, we knew that Alaric’s sanity was slipping.  That he did not tell anyone about it was even more disconcerting.  Then to find out that he has a drawer filled with a “hit list” of Council members and had leaved detailed written instructions for Jeremy on how to complete his mission if Alaric should fail – it is beyond words.  Suffice it to say it was horrifying and bone-chilling.  Just how long has Alaric been having these “blackouts”?  Does he really have no memory of what appears to be a long-history of “missing time”?  Could he have fooled us all for so long?  We shudder to imagine it.  But it certainly has added a layer of intrigue and fascination to a character that we thought we had put into his proper box long ago.  Was this the reason that Klaus chose Alaric to possess when he first came to Mystic Falls?  Did Klaus sense a certain “moral flexibility” that would make it easier to possess Alaric?  Our minds are twisting in knots trying to comprehend what we thought we knew and what really occurred.

Having both Jeremy and Alaric now taken from her, and Bonnie and Caroline out of town as they assist Jamie and Abby, Elena is alone in the world.  So she turned once again to the one person she feels safe with:  Stefan.  It did not matter that Stefan was still trying to figure out if he wanted his humanity back, or that he did not feel the same was he once did for her.  Elena desperately wants something, or rather someone, in her life to look after.  Having pushed Damon away, that leaves Stefan.  Elena may be repulsed by Stefan’s feeding habits, but because she needs him, she forgives him.  She wants to save him from himself and mold him back into the Stefan she used to know.  So instead of being more concerned about Alaric, Elena reacts more to the fact that Damon had forced Stefan to feed on a live human being.  In fact, when Damon told her that Stefan needs to learn control, Elena only icily replied that Stefan was just fine when he was feeding on her.  But Stefan does not want Elena’s help.  He wants to hide in his shame in the darkness.  Thus, when Damon returned home to find Stefan having a feeding frenzy over the basement freezer, he flippantly told Stefan, “Own it, live it, love it.  Stop being ashamed of who you are.”  Damon then later brought Stefan the one thing that would give his life purpose again.  Unveiling the missing Wickery Bridge sign — made of the same white oak that can kill an Original —  with dawning realization Stefan said, “We have a weapon,” and knowing he had Stefan’s full attention now, Damon grimly affirmed, “The game’s back on brother. Let’s go kills some Originals.”  Stefan does not need a savior, a shoulder to cry upon or someone to sooth his eternal pain – what he really wants is payback.  Thank god Damon knows his brother so well!

As for Elena, her preoccupation with Stefan’s bloodlust only shows her own loneliness and desperation.  The world does not revolve around Elena anymore and she does not know what to do with herself.  Her home feels empty without Jenna, Jeremy, Alaric, Stefan or even Damon, and even Bonnie left to return to her mother.  So Elena called Jeremy just to hear his voice.  Elena needs to take a page out of Stefan and Damon’s playbook – nothing helps fill the void in one’s life that striking back at the person who has taken so much.  Elena needs to buck-up and help plot the take down of Klaus.  Only once her life has purpose again will she find it less empty and meaningless.

It is interesting that both Sage and Damon could see Rebekah’s neediness and loneliness, but not Elena’s.  But then again, Elena was not hiding anything, and Rebekah reeked of someone who has a secret; and there is simply nothing more enticing than ferreting out a secret.  The dalliance with Rebekah to make her drop her guard so that Sage could do some mental snooping in Rebekah’s brain was actually pretty hilarious.  Fantastically portrayed by Cassidy Freeman, Sage exudes such confidence that nothing seems to phase her.  It was actually a great strategy for Sage to lull both Damon and Rebekah into a false sense of security and that she was able to extract both their secrets:  Rebekah’s search for the lost white oak tree lumber and Damon’s knowledge that killing one Original would kill them all.

Yet despite Sage’s worldly bravado, she saw Rebekah’s desperation and loneliness simply because she recognized a kindred spirit.  Sage has been pining for the love of her life, Finn, for over 900 years.  While we do not know if Finn was incarcerated all those years in a coffin, Damon certainly struck a nerve when he pointed out to Sage that Finn never bothered to go look for her once he did get out of the coffin.  In fact, Finn was willing to accede to his mother’s wishes and kill himself in order to exterminate his entire family.   The last thing on his mind is Sage.  Damon may have been flippant when he said, “Hope’s a bitch, Sage.  Get out while you can,” but there was a lot of truth in his advice.  The reality is that Finn must not feel the save depth of love as Sage if he would willing give up his life without a second thought.  As the Wickery Bridge burned behind her, Sage looked heart-broken to realize that while she may have saved Finn’s life, he does not love her.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Alaric’s turn to the dark-side is rather intriguing.  His murderous rampage through the Gilbert home was scary as all hell, and the calm way he tried to discount his lost control to Elena sent shivers up our spines.  Thank goodness Stefan was nearby, or else who knows what Alaric may have done. Who would be there to save Elena then?

This time the best line of the night goes to Alaric, who when asked by Dr. Fell why he had never killed Damon, he laughingly replied that he had tried, but Damon had just killed him instead.   It was a funny enough observation, but the really undercurrent was how Alaric rubbed his hand where the resurrection ring used to be as he said it.  Even knowing that the ring was infused with dark magic and that it was unleashing a demon inside of him, Rick still craved the feeling it had given him.  It made him feel invulnerable and invincible.  Can he really free himself from that addition?

What Didn’t Work

Klaus’ absence is still glaring.  For a man that seeks to control everything within his domain, it is inconceivable that he would not make a rapid appearance with Sage’s return or allow Rebekah to snoop around all on her own searching for the one thing that could kill them all.  Klaus is much too much a control freak.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

“Break On Through” written by Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Lance Anderson. ‘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, Torrey Devitto, Claire Holt. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.