After two legitimately fantastic episodes, The Vampire Diaries delivers a more by-the-numbers installment this week. It’s extremely entertaining, but there are some questionable character choices that I hope can be resolved after the Olympic break.
For example, although evil Damon is ridiculously fun, the development seems to undermine much of the growth he’s shown over the years. Sure, losing “Elena” is a dagger to the heart, but pinning this all on changing for Elena? That’s the mark of a show running out of ideas for a certain character, and while I certainly welcome diabolical, even-more-sarcastic-than-usual Damon Salvatore, I also question it.
I also question the development of Katherine, who, just like Damon, is very entertaining to watch as she tries to pass herself off as Elena; Dobrev is pitch perfect when it comes to her behind-their-backs facial expressions, whether it be annoyance or mad glee. The problem here is that everything revolves around Stefan now, and I just feel like they can milk much more tension out of certain relationships without going the soap route. The same goes for Caroline and Stefan, the idea of which springs forward in this episode; I must say, it does surprise me that we’re going here, and I’m not terribly excited for it. I’d rather this stay a platonic relationship, as it’s one of the best relationships in the show.
Of course, this all makes me sound like I dislike the episode. In fact, it’s filled with entertaining moments, and there’s an interesting parallel going on here between Damon and Katherine: Damon’s acting like season 1 Damon, while Katherine’s acting like Elena. They’re both playing versions of themselves that others perceive them to be, and I find this very interesting.
Also, we get some nice Matt moments in this episode, as he’s quick on his feet and realizes that Nadia’s working with Katherine; although it doesn’t seem like Nadia’s the type of person to not kill him, I am looking forward to more of those interactions. All in all, it’s an enjoyable episode that sets up storylines that hopefully will work out well.
GRADE: B
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-I didn’t talk about Enzo. I like the Damon-Enzo team-up.
-Oh, diaries again.
-“You’re better than this.” “On the contrary, brother: I’m better like this.”
-See you in a few weeks.
Photo credit: The CW, The Vampire Diaries
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