Vampire Diaries: It’s Not Going to Get Any Easier |
 |
 |
| Written by April Yorke |
| Friday, 17 September 2010 13:32 |
|
Blood Does a Body Good Caroline wakes up from Katherine’s murder disoriented and hungry. The night nurse tries to blow Caroline off, but she grabs a bag of blood from the IV across the hall. Tough luck, that guy! Caroline downs some blood, grosses herself out, and downs some more. At no point does Caroline question her thirst for blood. She just keeps drinking it. Matt, arm still in a cast, comes by the next morning just as Caroline’s realizes she’s developing a sunburn far more quickly than usual. Naturally wigged by what’s happening, Caroline’s hot and cold with Matt, so he peaces for the school fair. Later, Caroline compels the same night nurse into giving her a snack (the story she remembers? “My husband likes to get kinky.” Hee! Caroline is so good at this. Remember when Joyce “fell on a barbeque fork”?) and releasing her into the dark. Next time we see Caroline at high school, her hair’s straight, and she’s got a brand new attitude. That attitude? Damon sucks. Just like we learned last season with Vicki, when you transition, everything you’ve been compelled to forget comes back to you. And what Caroline remembers is that Damon was the worst boyfriend ever. Yes! She’s strong, she zooms around at vamp-speed, and she can compel after one day? Caroline’s a natural. Elena, Stefan, and Damon meet up for their weekly pow-wow. This week it’s in a classroom, hopefully Alaric’s (where is that guy?). Damon’s of the opinion that Caroline is Vicki Donovan all over again: dangerous newbie must be killed. Elena balks, and Stefan agrees that Caroline can be trained to control herself. Damon remains convinced that staking is the only way. Still, that Caroline’s got a message from Katherine puts everyone on edge, and pretty soon Stefan is punching carnival booths and blaming himself. He says Katherine’s focused on him, not Elena, but he doesn’t elaborate. Does Elena know that Katherine says* that she wants Stefan back? *I haven’t yet decided whether to take Katherine at face value. Caroline and Matt have minor fun at the fair, but it doesn’t go so well when Caroline breaks a bunch of bottles during ring toss, then runs off after thirsting for Matt’s blood. She ends up draining Carter (more on him in a minute), and pretty soon Damon and his tent stake find Caroline crying over the body. He tells her the only way is death, which shouldn’t be so bad, what with already being dead. Caroline, as you can imagine, isn’t so hot to get staked. Damon’s just about to turn a hug into a staking when Stefan stops him, having sniffed out the blood. Caroline momentarily freaks at Elena for turning her and again even after she realizes it’s Elena, blaming her for bringing Katherine into their lives. Damon goes for the kill again, and it takes Elena and Stefan putting both their bodies between Damon and Caroline to get him to back down. Elena also makes an emotional plea (Caroline’s my friend), which I find an odd choice to make given what transpired between them last week. I don’t love you, but you love me, so do this for me? Be careful, Elena. In the bathroom, Caroline’s a mess: Carter’s blood plus tears (blood tears? I can’t remember) everywhere. Stefan tries to clean her up and eventually gets to her to concentrate. He teaches her a simple breathing exercise to get through the blood lust. It’s just like when Bonnie burned that car back before she knew she was a witch: you can count on Stefan in a crisis. He’s going to get Caroline through this. She’s his sister now. Back out in the parking lot, Bonnie finds Dead Carter and Vampire Caroline, and she has had enough. Damon hits the ground with a massive headache, and fire from an open hose zips toward him. Elena tries to talk her down, but Bonnie knows the score. Damon may not have turned Caroline himself, but he helped set these events in motion. I’m with Bonnie on this one. Elena, however, is not. She jumps through the fire, which I’m sure is supposed to be all meaningful in terms of her and Damon but means a lot more in terms of her and Bonnie, and grabs Bonnie by the shoulders. “This can’t be us,” she tells her. Broken, Bonnie backs down. I don’t know, Elena. Maybe this should be Bonnie. Caroline, Lexi, Vicki, Bree . . . what’s it going to take? (Note: I think Damon’s a fascinating character, and I love tuning in to see what Ian Somerhalder will do from week to week, but, in terms of their universe, Damon is constant threat that should be contained). Matt sneaks through Caroline’s window that night. He was worried, given her behaviour that day and also because he loves her. Aw! Caroline kisses Matt and breathes her way through her bloodlust. She’s gonna make it after all. When the Moon Hits Your Eye Mason and Tyler are going for runs and generally being guys. Mason tries to feel Tyler out about his rage (like a blackout) and if there is any pattern to it (not that Tyler’s noticed). Working out doesn’t seem to help. Mason’s also feeling out the entire Lockwood mansion for a moonstone that Grandma Lockwood gave Grandpa Lockwood back in the day. Don’t know yet if this will calm or bring out the wolf, but I’m willing to see where this goes. At the school fair, Tyler’s beating everyone at arm wrestling until Mason jumps in. Damon, because he just loves a mystery, yells out that Stefan will try his luck. Stefan loses, and Damon groans that he wasn’t even trying. Problem is, Stefan did (a little). Mason’s strength is more than human but less than vampire, and that’s enough prodding for Damon to glamour Carter into picking a fight with Tyler. Bonnie should never express interest in a guy. Carter does, out in the parking lot, and Mason intervenes when he sees Tyler flying into a rage. Unfortunately, Carter’s insistence momentarily sends Mason into an even bigger rage, completely with eye change, wolf leaps, and a massive backhand that sends Carter flying to the pavement. Mason and Tyler take off, and Stefan, watching from a safe distance, jogs over to make sure Carter’s okay. I’m sure Carter appreciates your incredibly delayed reaction, Stefan. Back at Lockwood Mansion, Mason’s asked Carol (Lady Mayor has a name! I think I might keep calling her Lady Mayor, though) for the moonstone. Tyler wants to know what was up with all that wolfing out. Mason’s evasive, so Tyler pockets the moonstone from his dad’s secret floor safe. There’s No Such Thing as the Real World Elena just wants a normal, high school day, which includes organizing the school fair in Caroline’s absence, deleting the “D-word” from her vocabulary, and kissing her boyfriend at the top of the Ferris wheel. Stefan’s on board, joking that Elena’s a slave driver. In the meantime, Bonnie expresses interest in carnival worker Carter, thereby sealing his fate. While the carnival is in full swing, Jeremy threatens Damon with exposure, so Damon threatens Jeremy with death. Oops. Bonnie congratulates Elena on a fair well thrown. Elena’s happy until everything goes down with Caroline, sending her into a funk and off to bed. At dawn, Stefan sneaks through Elena’s window and nuzzles her awake. He takes her back to the fair, where he’s compelled key staff members to take their breaks at this exact moment. He turns on the Ferris wheel and jumps up to the top, making Elena laugh. He gives her the kiss she was looking for after reminding her that all the craziness around them shouldn’t make them afraid to live their lives. They should seize these moments wherever and whenever they can. Too soon, Elena wonders if things will ever get easier. “No,” Stefan admits. One of the things I find refreshing about The Vampire Diaries is the lack of metaphor: whatever the vampires are supposed to stand for, I haven’t grasped it. Still, that was a pretty accurate description of post-secondary life. In other news:
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (0)
 |
| Last Updated on Friday, 17 September 2010 05:35 |
And thank goodness for that. Last night’s The Vampire Diaries, “Brave New World,” focused largely on newbie vampire Caroline, which is just as well, as newbie vampire Caroline rocks. Damon’s put moping on hold for a new obsession with the male Lockwoods, Bonnie’s taste in men still needs a little work, and Elena just wants to ride the Ferris wheel. Ah, high school.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
