Vamp bro vs. vamp bro...with a Vicki in the middle
8.5
"Great"
It's not often, whenever a new show airs, that the episode following its pilot is better than. This is not one of the exceptions. This newest "entry" in 'The Vampire Diaries' gives us loads of insight into these characters while propelling the season's stories up notches. But the pacing was very slow and certain parts seemed out of place at times. Still, it wasn't a bad episode.
I'd like to begin by commenting on the horror aspects of the show, i.e. the special effects and such. It's still very subtle stuff, much like last week, with the vamp bros' face changes and all, but there was way more added. For one, we got quite a bit more into how the vampire lore will be treated on this show, such as Stefan's ability to super speed and his super hearing ability. True, these abilities were hinted at last week, but they were displayed more clearly here. Add to that, according to dialogue, these said abilities will not work properly unless a vamp feeds on actual human blood, something Stefan hasn't done for a long time now. However, thus far, he hasn't shown any signs of weakness in using them. Still, other factors abounded that yielded some horror-induced reactions. For instance, Damon's stalking of Caroline and Vicki's hallucinations - and the very end of the ep - all made for some really shudder-worthy moments. But along with the horror, we of course get to the real meat of the story: the drama. And there's a lot going on. This is the ep in which Elena and Damon first meet, a very anticipated moment, no doubt. There was some great intensity throughout, especially once Stefan showed up. While Elena plainly has a thing for Stefan, it's clear that whatever game Damon's trying to play Elena will inevitably fall for him in time. It was suspiciously made clear when he dropped hints of Katherine in front of Elena, sorta like he was starting to plant the seeds of proverbial doubt in her mind toward Stefan. This is THE triangle, after all, so it will be thrilling to watch how this unfolds. Also, I'm still very interested in finding out these two brothers' history.
The others' stories aren't far behind. Matt is now very suspicious of what is going on with his sister, Vicki. By the episode's end, he seems to have developed a sense of curiosity about Stefan, especially after seeing him at the hospital and his infatuation with Elena. After all, he confessed to Elena that Vicki uttered the word 'vampire', something Stefan was unnerved about after overhearing this. Vicki herself is already starting to hit rock bottom. She's attacked by a vampire, and was played with by both vamp brothers regarding the "mind control" power they exhibit, allowing them to alter her thoughts and memories. On top of that, she's doing drugs anyway, courtesy of Jeremy, while obviously denying a sexual relationship with him in order to maintain her image so she can be with her real interest, Tyler.
If Vicki were smart, she'd dump Tyler and stay with Jeremy, although the drug problem would be...well, a problem. Their little tryst was almost made public this week, and if she's not careful, her foils could be her own undoing. Personally, I think once her attack is realized to the truth of what happened, her drug problem will be the blame, further complicating things for her. Which will actually make it easier for Jeremy to step in for her. He's obviously not about to let her go that easily, hence his animosity toward Tyler. But at least Jeremy's intentions with her are true and pure, whereas Tyler's just being an ass. But Jeremy has to overcome his own drug addiction as well, which will complicate any kind of relationship he has with any girl. He's already starting to isolate himself from his family, Elena and Jenna, with his behavior, which is unfortunate due to his sister's involvement with vampires (a fact none of the humans on this show even know yet), a fact that will play importantly in the future because it will affect everyone involved.
Bonnie and Caroline had no real bearing on the events this week other than to provide some emo support for Elena and give us hints of what's in store for them on down the road. Bonnie and her psychic thing is already killing me! I wanna know what she's seeing! Grrrr!!! Oh well. That just makes the wait more exciting. As for Caroline...well, what can I say except for what is going to happen to her now since she was attacked by Damon in the last shot of the ep? It's making me wonder if she and Vicki are merely pawns in Damon's game to get to Stefan, using Elena's friends as a way to that means. Or perhaps his intentions are far more sinister with Caroline. Time will only tell, I guess. Still, it'll be exciting to see what happens.
Odds and Ends:
- I was glad to see Jenna get more screen time. It gave us more insight into her character and how she will be involved in these kids' lives.
- Even though he's still a minor at this point, I am dying to find out what Zach's part is in all this vamp fam drama.
- Still kudos for the soundtrack. I liked it better last week, but it was still very good this week.
I'm giving this ep an 8.5. It was slower than the pilot last week, in my opinion. But it wasn't necessarily worse. Just....slower paced. And I hope it continues to grow and gain a very popular fan base and boost in ratings to keep it going. As I said last week, it shows considerable promise. And after this week, I stand corrected. Next week's previews look as if Stefan joins the football team. This will be a hoot. Can't wait to see.....moreless