TVD 4x02: Not Much For Grief, But Definitely Much For Episode 2's
What'd I tell you people about the second episode of the season? I tried not to worry too much about the overall meh about 4x01 because I had a feeling, and lo and behold, this episode! SUCH fun. Just a really, really good episode all around, and I am pleased with the show and happy for fandom and super excited at all the feels felt tonight, and all is beautiful. Basically?
LONG LIVE EPISODE 2.
Shall we?
Ughhhhh, these new previously's. DIE DIE DIE. I find them so overdone and awkward that I had to mostly fastforward through them (which, I realize now on the rewatch, prevented me from noticing the hilarious comparison of S/E vs. D/E in the stupid 'those we love' section. Stefan and Elena get married on a rooftop and nuzzle kiss, and then suddenly there's audible gasping and motel making out with D/E. Which, lol. Oh, show. #OTP glasses, what can I even do at this point). However, I did notice Stefan's obnoxious line at the end, something about how he'll do anything to keep Elena ok or whatever. Oy. Stop pretending this is Stefan's show, well, Show. Leave it alone. WE KNOW. STEFAN + ELENA 4EVA AN ETERNAL LOVE TO LAST THE AGES. I'm off to go drink with Damon and a factually incorrect headstone.
The episode actually starts, and speaking of a love that will last forever (if I want...), here they are, cuddling in the woods. I brace myself for a whole fresh burst of immature S/E intolerance whining. Sorry, kids. Objectivity has fucked off to Yemen and left just me and my exaggerated OTP bias. Anyway. Back to cuddling.
I'd seen this scene in the webclips, because apparently I have absolutely no self control anymore and can't stop myself from watching every single clip they give me before Thursday. And it's a good scene. My intellectual side is at war with my emotionally reactive side, because I have this gut urge to punch Stefan in the face when he goes on his sanctimonious rants about the superiority of his personal diet (Animal Blood - Not Just For Rippers Anymore!), but then I KNOW that they're setting it all up to fail. Whether or not Stefan will be allowed to be included in that fallout remains to be seen, because if season 3 (what season 3?) couldn't get Stefan into moderation I don't know what will, but I am 100% sure that the show will not advocate animal blood as the right path for Elena. Even after all of the necessary accidental murders and regret and emotional trauma, she's still going to end up on some kind of Caroline-esque moderation diet, because that is so beyond obviously the only way. So while I still find Stefan intolerable while he's on his high horse about his crazy fad diet, the more rational part of me is telling myself to calm the fuck down and just deal with the plot set-up.
That being said, bless Damon and his penchant for speaking all my personal thoughts and feelings in canon. I don't know what I would do without him, really. And thus we begin Week 2 of this season's edition of "Damon Is Always Right and Mystic Falls (World's Most Terrible Town) Would Be 100000x Better Off If Everybody Would Just Fucking Listen To Him." Unwieldy title. I'll work on it.
"Wrong, you're just wrong, Stefan." Music to my ears. Stefan needs to be told he's wrong more often. Or, you know, EVER by someone who's not Damon.
If Stefan thinks Elena is so strong that she can beat blood cravings, then how come he doesn't think she's strong enough to handle possibly hurting someone, or, you know, actually dealing with human blood cravings like a real vampire? Oh yeah. Projecting. Carry on.
Ah, our first 'everything is magnified right now' comment. New drinking game rule: everybody take a shot whenever anyone talks about how being a vampire either 'heightens' or 'magnifies' things. ENJOY YOUR DRUNKENNESS TELL ME STORIES OF YOUR MISDEEDS.
GUYS, the deer is so cute! I would 100% be more ok with eating a human than eating a deer. Judge me as you will. But to quote April Ludgate, "animals should be rewarded for not being people!"
Stefan: You name me a vampire who didn't kill at least one person when they were new.
Damon: You name me one who didn't go on a bunny diet and kill dozens.
BOOM. Damon, you are my spirit animal.
Also really liked the line "It's a cheat. It's like giving a kid a calculator before they know math." Because it's actually a super good analogy (newsflash: I like Damon and everything he says. I know, surprising, right?). And it's proof that no matter how much this show wanks off to Stefan and allows him to think he's right always, it still actually understands that Damon's right about this. It's not just the Salvatore brothers arguing for tension. Damon has the right of it, regardless of this argument's overall importance in the character arcs of these freaks.
Elena shows up to break the vaguely incestuous tension, and Damon is a glorious douche about his (incidentally entirely correct) opinions. I know it's totally par for the course by now when Damon is unapologetic and 100% honest about what he thinks to Elena. But I still love it every time it happens? Elena asks if he's still not ok with the animal blood plan, and Damon just straight up goes 'fuck no, why would I be, it's the worst idea ever, stop it.' Love this boy.
I also had about 8 million feels about the very end of that scene, probably for OTP glasses reasons. But when they're leaving and Elena just looks at Damon, lingering gaze and everything, and he goes, "Trust me. You're going to be miserable." And there's just this moment, and I die. First of all, it reminded me of that scene in 3x09 when he asks her if she trusts him and she immediately said yes. Because no matter what's happened since then, no matter who she chose and how estranged they think they are, they both know it's still true. And they both know how well Damon knows her. So there's this instant when they're staring at each other and he tells her this and she knows he's right, because Damon has always been able to read her and she instinctively trusts him even when she wishes she didn't. She leaves anyway, because of course it doesn't REALLY make a difference, but still. They can try their hardest to emotionally detach from each other, but they have this understanding, and it's never going to go away. And then I died of OTP feels the end.
All my recaps would be a lot shorter if they just consisted of me stating "And then I died of OTP feels the end" and walked away. Sorry, kids.
Cut to Elena giggling with Stefan, and it's jarring, but the voice in my head that sounds like Alex is telling me that it's supposed to be? Because the S/E in this ep was all about self delusion, and can I tell you how fucking relieved I am that the show clearly realized the inherent problems in S/E this week? I felt so much better about what the show is doing with them, because even if I still can't handle the saccharine they seem to feel the need to throw at us every week, the darkness was actually there this time. THANK GOD.
Ok, and then we get to this S/E *sexy* scene. Tell me: did anyone else feel super awkward about it? Like, maybe I am just the worst and couldn't enjoy this scene because it was S/E and I'm immature and petty, but even on the rewatch, I just find it SO uncomfortable? Like, everything they're saying is too explicit in a strange way, and I can't figure out why it's making me feel so weirded out. You all know I'm no stranger to explicit - or downright filthy - so why did this awkward me out so much? I had to sort of watch the scene out of the corner of my eye to deal with my embarrassment for everyone involved. And Stefan's breathy little 'how does it feel' line? Low grade porn flick. Stop it, Stefan Salvatore. Go play acoustic guitar and write about your feelings. Keep away from the sex talk, thank you very much.
I was pleading Elena to hurry up and get to the vomming long before she did. And then she finally did. And it was gross. Ok, poll time: what was less pleasant to watch, Elena vomiting animal blood or Stefan and Elena trying their hands at dirty talk and groping? You decide, flist.
And all of this before the title card. Eek. What a ways to go we have.
Random new character is doing some investigating. Ok. Let's see what new and exciting way you can get killed, sir. Basically, the theme for TVD is becoming what the theme to Game of Thrones always was: Don't Get Attached.
Damon is day-drinking. And being accused of mass murder. Business as usual, really.
"I always take credit for killing people." Best ever, this kid. Be mine forever, Damon Salvatore.
DINNER PARTY WITH THE ANGELIC BLINKING. THE EYE FLUTTER, GUYS. I CAN'T.
New dude shows up to cause some trouble. His super obvious suspicious glove is super obvious and suspicious.
Paper lanterns. Boxes and boxes of paper lanterns. Oh, Mystic Falls. What do I even say about you at this point.
GUYS. GUYS. GUESS WHAT. I CARED ABOUT MATT DONOVAN IN THIS EPISODE. I CARED. ABOUT MATT. MATT DONOVAN. This episode was a bloody wonder, people.
"If there's anything I can do, you know, short of giving her a ride." LOL. Matt Donovan, you sneaky thing, you. I legit laughed at this. Guys, Matt can be funny! What a delightful surprise. Carry on just like this, Matt Donovan. You are great like this.
April shows up, and I brace myself for more blatant Love Interest Guest Star of the Week stuff (we all know she's going to get with Jeremy, right? Yes.), but I actually kind of liked this girl! I thought what they did with her in this episode really worked. I think she might be sticking around for a bit, so who knows if and how they'll ruin her, but I rather enjoyed how they managed her presence in this episode, so that was promising. I was bracing myself for the good old 'oh look it's this hot girl from the past who was always one of our best friends but who we somehow never mentioned once in three seasons but still she's super important to us all and let's have her bone one of our gents now, yes?' approach. This was much better.
I also quite liked her awkward misstep-laden mourning. "I'm just, you know, not much for grief, I guess." I'm with you, girl, and it was kind of a refreshing take on the whole thing.
So this S/E scene is one of those moments when I need to get the fuck over my initial irritation because I see what the show is doing and it's a good thing to be doing. Though I flat out loved that she called Caroline, no caveats about that. Caroline is who Elena should be going to in all this, and one of the best things about this episode was that Caro was the most effective of Elena's vampire guides. But beyond that, I loved that we got to outright see that Elena knows, deep down, that Stefan is not the guy to be helping her through this. Beyond the simple fact that he's actually a terrible vampire, it's that Elena knows that she can't help herself from prioritizing Stefan's needs above her own, and this is a situation that she has to prioritize herself in, for once. She keeps catering to his feelings because that's how Elena has programmed herself to work, but the stakes here are too important. So she's literally sneaking around behind his back for real help with her transition. And narratively, I'm glad they had that Caroline phone call to show that it's not just a D/E vs. S/E issue. If Elena had only been sneaking around with Damon, it could be misconstrued as a shipper issue instead of just an Elena issue. But if Elena is guilty and hiding her phone call with Caroline from Stefan too, it becomes explicit canon that this is an issue separate from just romantic entanglements. Given the nature of this show, I'm always glad when that happens.
So Elena quickly hangs up when Stefan comes in, and we engage in a little more jovial S/E delusion. Again, my instinctive annoyance at having to endure S/E saccharine is negligible when I can so clearly see the underlying issues that they're covering up. This is why I found the S/E in this episode to be so much more palatable. Perhaps the show was trying to hint at deeper things last week, but it was too covered up in Epic Love of Epicness, whereas this week, all the complexities of the S/E relationship were more than clear. I may not ship S/E ever at this point, but I sure can enjoy a storyline in which they're written as a couple with actual problems and complications.
That being said, I still had a few highly immature snarky moments. Elena marvels at how Stefan is so cheery, and I grumble to myself that that's because Stefan is getting his way, as always. He gets everything he wants, and people will bend over backwards to give it to him. And when that shuts down, he has a hissy fit. See: later in the episode. Lol, Stefan Salvatore.
Then Damon calls, and I am amused. Not to mention that I really do think it's well done, the way that Stefan thinks Damon comes between him and Elena in this one way, and what's actually going on is so very different. Stefan should be concerned. Boy, should he be concerned. But the way he thinks he sees it happening is actually not the case at all.
LOL FOREVER at Elena IMMEDIATELY rushing to accuse Damon. I'd seen this scene before via webclip too, but idk, it was just so much funnier seeing it in context? Like, Stefan hears the news, and cut to Elena instantly accusing Damon. These two. Shaking my head at their ridiculousness.
And yes, this scene was amazing. I love love love Damon's exasperation and exhaustion. I love that his annoyance is not an act. He isn't pretending not to care. He genuinely does not want to deal with this. He is tired as fuck of having to solve everybody's problems while they fight him all along the way. But he'll do it, of course, because that's what he does. Which makes the final scene of this episode that much more flawless.
Basically, I love all of Damon's little reactions, the sighs, the eye rolls, all of that (you know, brat prince stuff). More than anything, I LOVE that moment when Elena admits she needs his help, and he just closes his eyes for a second, all "Ugh, of course, FUCK." He really is just worn out by it all, and I love it. Did I mention lately that this is exactly the Damon I wanted to see this season? Like, EXACTLY exactly? How perfectly divine.
LOL, the ethnic food types. What are you, boy.
Then that whole blood sharing thing happened. Um. Yeah. I don't really need to go into this, do I? You people know. You know.
Though I will say, I want to fucking know what Damon meant by how blood sharing is 'personal.' I mean, obviously we know it is, and it was pretty clear in the scene too, but come on, I want it to be explicit, yo. God knows fandom has imagined every which way blood sharing can go. So what kind of personal are you talking about, Damon? Spell it out. Let me have this, man.
Then we cut immediately to Caroline and Tyler boning, and did anyone else find this amusing? Like, it was basically the show going "now we have worked you up and trololol let's cut away and see how all the other couples get to have sex and this one doesn't ever ever ENJOY YOUR COLD SHOWERS EVIL LAUGH." Yeah, show, we know. D/E, the ship of sexual frustration and perpetual taunting.
You know, watching this scene the first time, I wasn't paying that much attention, what with just having been seriously cockteased and all that, but this second time around, I'm actually kind of enjoying it. Perhaps because I had a bunch of Tyler feels later in the episode and that has possibly restored some of my Tyler/Caroline feelings. But also because it occurs to me now that I enjoy that they're just a good, functional couple now. I'm all for angst and misery when it's done right, but I also really respect a show when it just depicts a healthy, affectionate relationship. Tyler and Caroline have had enough angst, and if the show can just leave them alone and let all the drama come from other sources, I would appreciate it. It's something pretty much all tv shows need to learn to do more.
The doorbell rings, and I 100% expected it to be Klaus hilariously cockblocking them. Alas, it's just our new trigger happy guest guy. He has a name mentioned sometime. Connor something. Ok.
He grills Carol, then Tyler comes down and those super obvious gloves do their work. I would be pleased with my call if it hadn't been so, well, obvious. But like Tyler says, the guy didn't hesitate, and I kind of love that? Very tired of villains pointing guns and revealing plans and generally waiting for the heroes to regroup and launch an attack. Shoot first, gloat later. Well done, rando.
Then Tyler wakes up and bolts, which is also good, because as much as I appreciate competent antagonists I don't actually want Tyler to die, but I have to wonder, why did he crash through the window instead of running through the very much still open door? Curse you, logic.
STEFAN'S helping with bullet removal? Ok, sure. Why not.
Cut to daylight, and I have a whiny moment of "WHY can't I have D/E aftermath of THAT scene?" Meh, I should have expected no less. They gave us some pretty overt D/E in the second episode of S/E's hallowed reunion, so they probably couldn't risk proper exploration of that. But boy what I would have given to see the end of that scene, complete with awkward goodbyes (and probable shower wanking WHATEVER I AM WHO I AM).
Ok, Elena's dress is super cute, but I'm actually glad it got all blood-vomited on, because it definitely stands out in an awkward way in a room filled with people dressed in black? Come on, Elena. You have been to memorials before. I know the last one was at the fucking Mystic Grill for convenience, but still.
Oh, another comment about how 'everything's heightened.' Take a shot. We missed one during one of the S/E scenes too, I think. DOUBLE SHOT.
Girl scene! Again, April worked. I'm not exactly clamoring for her to become a cast member or anything, but I found April to be entirely unobjectionable in this episode. And I usually find everything objectionable, so.
Also, girls taking care of each other will never not be lovely to watch.
Then there's more gratuitous blood vomit, which, ew, and also lol. The prop department really had a lot of fun with that.
Guys, Bonnie has a house! And it's a Stefan/Bonnie scene! (Remember how I secretly ship them? Shhhh just let me have this.) And I found Stefan so much more likable in this scene? Ok, guys, I need you to tell me true, am I just super biased? Or is Stefan really just instantly more likable when he's in scenes with people other than Elena (and sometimes Damon, unless they're being incestuously homoerotic, in which case, carry on, boys)? Like, I need to know if other people feel this too. I will not be offended. Am I wildly prejudiced? Or does the show just write Stefan as so much more sympathetic and enjoyable when he's with other people?
But all Stefan/Bonnie feelings aside, I legit wish she had not invited Stefan in. I really enjoyed this scene, but I had this kind of fantasy where she wouldn't invite Stefan in because she somehow hadn't yet and she needed just one place where vampires couldn't reach her and fuck with her life. That being said, she was still pretty flawless in this scene. So far, this season has been doing Bonnie pretty damn right, and I am pleased.
Guys, Stefan/Bonnie hug! HOW COULD I NOT SHIP THIS? Ugh, why does it seem so much less condescending and smothering when Stefan hugs Bonnie than when he hugs Elena? More of this, please.
Lol, Jamie. Way to take care of that non-storyline. However, good riddance, cardboard Bonnie Love Interest human.
"You came here because you needed something, right?" I actually loved every single thing about this exchange. At the start of this scene I was all snarky, because of course Stefan shows up at Bonnie's house when he needs something. But then they actually talk and he listens and isn't acting like a sanctimonious dick. Then she asks what he needs, because naturally he needs something, and he does. But then he tries to tell her not to worry about it, and for once I believe him? Like, it did not seem like something he was saying just to go through the motions. And best of all, Bonnie insists he tell her what's up, and it's amazing, because firstly, it's that this girl is so wonderful that she has to be of help when she can be. But my favourite part of it is that Bonnie insists she can help because she sort of needs it. She's trying to get out of this life, trying not to be the deus ex machina everyone can go to when they need a quick fix, but she's been living like this for so long that she doesn't know how to not be this anymore. And she's feeling so lost after what happened with Grams, and she needs a purpose. So she clings to the chance Stefan is giving her, because she's desperate to feel like something is bigger than this terrible pain and regret she is feeling. Bonnie is amazing, and Kat was really subtle and sweet and lovely in this scene, and all of it won everything.
Also, "I think we have a new vampire hunter in town," "Oh. That's bad timing." LOL x 10000. Nothing shakes these people anymore.
ELENA CALLS DAMON FOR HELP AND I DIED OF OTP FEELS THE END. Also, he brought her a dress. Do you think he went through her closet judging all her clothes before he found a suitable companion piece to his own outfit?
She asks him to hurry, and he does THE MOST AWKWARD little shuffle run. The fuck, Ian. What was that. I legit cackled.
Damon arrives to save the day, and I enjoy every bit of his douchebaggery to new hunter rando (whose name I will start using someday. Today is not that day.).
"Damon. Germaphobe." Damon Salvatore, Smarter Than Everyone Else Since 2009.
That's a lot of blood, Elena. Next time, try to localize your mess.
DAMON SALVATORE, YOU GLORIOUS BRAT PRINCE. Funeral pun. Just.
New douche stabs April. Ngl, this was actually a super good twist. I was taken aback. It's not a bad plan either, really, so well done, rando, for having an actual almost effective plan and vaguely functioning intellect. Good job all around, show.
And then when he kind of cradled her in his arms as she was bleeding out? Creepy. Which also means awesome.
Damon, way to be worried about how loudly Elena mentions bloodbags and then pick THE MOST OBVIOUS PLACE EVER for her to have a snack. The fuck, you two. You are in broad daylight outside a chapel rapidly filling with people who may or may not be hunting for vampires. This is possibly one of the worst places in the entire town you could have chosen to do this in at this present moment. The fact that you didn't get caught doesn't mean you weren't being idiots. It just speaks to the fact that Mystic Falls really is that awful. People drinking blood outside of a memorial service? Nbd. We see it all the time.
WHAT.
Just. Best to move on.
Elena does not take to the bloodbag well. Poor Nina, constantly covered in fake blood.
Ok, this scene, just. Fuck these two, basically. I just will never with the way he touches her, with the hands and just. Every time his thumb touches her bottom lip, I die a little. Idk, guys, this is super sappy, but I just, I CAN'T when they're like this. Their physicality with each other. I have lost the ability to form anything but choppy fragments and rambling sentences that trail off into I can't's. Because. I just. Can't.
Elena gets well and truly distressed, which seems pretty fair given the situation, and I know it's more than obvious, but the contrast between the way she handles this with Stefan and the way she handles this with Damon is so striking (and I love it, obvs). It's so overt in the text that it hardly even warrants me recapping it, since it's just repeating what the show is essentially telling us, but boy do I love that it's telling us this. Yeah, probably from an OTP glasses point of view, but still. There may be no apparent emotional payoff from season 3 (huh, season 3? what's that?) in terms of Elena and Stefan and everything they should be dealing with, but there is a noticeable lack of comfort, and, dare I say it, trust, between them, especially compared to how it is with Elena and Damon. Elena can let herself be honest with Damon - she can be as frightened and despairing and self-loathing with Damon as she wants to be, because she doesn't worry about what Damon will think of her or how he will feel seeing her like this. She doesn't worry about Damon at all (lol, what a ship we've gotten ourselves into). But in all seriousness, Elena is never concerned about letting all the darkness in her show with Damon, because there's no standard to live up to. And I'm not trying to be unfair to Stefan. A lot of the standard of Stefan's Elena that she feels like she has to meet has been set up by her. Elena has an idea of how she should be with Stefan as much as he does. It's a mutual delusion that she has equal part in. But when she slips - when she needs a minute to not be anyone but who she is in that very moment, that's when she calls Damon. Because there is no version of Elena that Damon doesn't love. And that isn't romantic to her - in fact, it's terrible, and it's exhausting, and it's infuriating. But in moments like this, it's necessary too.
All this to say that watching her break down in front of him like this killed me in all the best ways. I really think that both Elena and Damon are trying to emotionally detach from each other now that The Choice has been made and Stefan is back and everything can revert to how it was before (ish), but when things get really bad they can't help themselves from falling back into each other, because after all this time they are way too emotionally codependent and they have no control over the matter. Which, incidentally, is the one thing both of them hate most.
Then they have one of their fucking moments when they stare at each other (well, Damon stares at her, Elena stares at his lips, the usual), and there's hands on faces, and I spontaneously combust from OTP feelings. Fucking Damon and Elena. You guys. It's rude, what you do. It's rude to me.
Side note: jfc, Ian's eyes look so damn pretty when he's out in the sunshine. What are you, sir.
And because I'm in an OTP mood, I just have to say, this show is ridiculous. Like, if you'd never seen this show before and you flipped on the tv and happened to catch this scene, how could anyone think they weren't a legit couple? In what universe is that normal behavior for two people who have technically never even been close to dating, let alone sleeping together or agreeing to be in love or anything? If you watched this scene, and then were told the sum total of all Damon and Elena have ever explicitly done together in a romantic context...how baffled would you be? This is a word problem, SAT style. I expect you all to show your work as well as your answer.
Then Stefan shows up. Oh, Stefan. Sorry your brother and your girlfriend are in love. I actually kind of am sorry, too.
Damon reacts much like I do. Oy, Stefan. Here to be a judgmental douche.
Sorry, let's just appreciate the irony of this: "You're really that intent on having your way?" Coming from YOU, Stefan Salvatore? That's cute. Because it seems pretty obvious to everyone that the only person hellbent on getting his way, regardless of logic or nature, is you. This boy should get an award for self-delusion. This recap is sounding increasingly caustic about Stefan, but as the day wears on, I'm actually starting to find Stefan's particular brand of fuckery charmingly doltish. Like, you are a fool, Stefan Salvatore. Dance for me.
That being said, he really makes no sense. Damon makes a Ripper crack, and Stefan says he can't let Elena be anything like him. But isn't he currently trying to indoctrinate her into being exactly like him? First of all, he's trying to impose the animal blood diet. Second, he's depriving her of the chance to actually learn how to manage human blood rather than be controlled by it. I know, I know, projecting. But still. Listen to yourself, Stefan Salvatore.
I love that Damon is the one who tells Stefan that Elena drank from him. I was a little concerned that it would be one of those things that lingered on the backburner for a few episodes in a shadow of guilt and then came out when Elena 'confessed' her sins or something. But I need to keep reminding myself that I am not watching Gossip Girl (thank goodness). But no, secret's out in this very episode. And Damon delivers it in his particular glorious Damon way. He kind of slips it into conversation and immediately makes a snarky joke about it so it has the appearance of being a taunt or something. But the thing is, I really don't think Damon wanted to taunt Stefan about this. He would probably genuinely prefer that Stefan never knew. But Stefan has to know, because it's vital information to keep Elena going, so he tells him, because he has to help Elena. He can't help himself. Then he flounces off, because he has no real desire to talk about it. Damon, you wonderful dick, you.
Elena kind of wanders inside like she's lost and sits with our resident humans. Scary dude is on the balcony with his bleeding hostage, and as the plan becomes clear to me, I actually feel a swell of pride. A competent guest star, guys! A clever, efficient anti-vampire person. I am so impressed! But really. This was legit a good plan. Who are you, guy, and what are you doing in Mystic Falls. This is where intelligence goes to die.
And let's talk about Mystic Falls. Because it's bad enough that Stefan, Tyler, and Caroline have a highly incriminating conversation in the middle of a crowded room filled with people who, as previously mentioned, may or may not be on the lookout for monsters just like them. But what's truly baffling is that the people who are 100% in range of this conversation? DO NOT REACT AT ALL. Stefan's talking about how a hunter is out to get Tyler, and the girl sitting directly next to Tyler doesn't seem concerned about this at all .Tell me, when was the last time you had a conversation in the middle of a packed but fairly quiet room that no one listened to at all? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, MYSTIC FALLS. I should really let this go. #never
So the service starts, and April is obviously unable to come to the stage. And then there's the terribly awkward moment when no one else wants to say anything either, and this was actually set up really well, because something about the "everyone said really nice things" business actually seemed super sympathetic to me. So of course Elena goes up, because she's wonderful, but she's also crazy strung out, so really it's just uncomfortable to watch. You know when you're watching someone do a terrible performance and you're just cringing out of secondhand embarrassment? Yeah, that.
Oh, but guys. Can we discuss the literal perfection that is Damon Salvatore and his amused blasphemous crossing gesture? Like. I can't. "I don't know why that always makes me smile." I do, you glorious brat prince. YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO ME, DAMON. P.S. it was super hot shut up Alex agrees.
Stefan blames Damon for Elena's condition rather than deal with what it means that Elena herself didn't tell him she was rejecting all blood, and you know what, it's wildly unfair but it's also very Stefan, so, whatever. Also, "bite me." Oh, Stefan, if you only knew how much I wanted to see THAT scene.
Then the rando guest guy's plan starts to kick into action. And I know it hardly even needs saying, but seriously. THE TEAMWORK. I JUST. LOVE x 1000000. Listen, you all know I judge Team Mystic Falls like it's my job, but when they work together, really work together? I die. This was amazing.
Also, another edition of Damon Salvatore Is The Cleverest Guy In The General Vicinity, God Help Us. Damon figures it out so damn quick, and he just springs into action as the unofficial team leader, because, let's be honest, that's exactly what he is. And is anyone surprised that I found it super hot? IT WAS SUPER HOT, OK? I REGRET NOTHING.
But I love love loved them all talking to each other. About time that super hearing actually got utilized.
The image of the blood dripping into that sacred water thingy was awesome (ok, I have zero religious terminology. I am a heathen.).
Oh god, Elena struggling up on stage is so awkward. Stefan swoops in to the rescue, and I support it wholeheartedly.
What a remarkably in tune town. I know you have the choir leading them and all, but I've been to my share of mass singing events, and they are never this universally melodious. Just saying.
Ok, here's the problem with rewatching. I seriously enjoyed this scene, what with the secret conversation and all the tension and all that, and it's still a good scene, but do you know what just occurred to me? Matt can't hear everybody. So while he can obviously gauge what's going on from being next to Stefan and Elena, he has no real sense of the urgency of the matter because he can't hear Damon. So when he insists "wait, wait, wait" at just the right moment...what's he actually responding to? Ugh, nitpicky. Fuck it, it was an exciting seen. Nocurr about logic. #would that that were true
And then Matt Donovan gets a truly great moment, and I feel all sorts of Matt feels. I can almost forgive the show for making Stefan the good old hero who got to give Elena blood for her transition instead of Matt if this is what they were saving Matt for. Because this is always how it should have gone. Matt always should have been the one to give Elena her first taste of real human blood. It's poetic justice, what with the fact that she literally gave her life for his. But it's also a testament to Matt and Elena's relationship, a friendship that has lasted their whole lives and will continue as long as Matt lives. It's also kind of a lovely acknowledgment of Matt's particular role as the last pure human in Team Mystic Falls. Most of the time, he's largely useless, simply because he isn't equipped with any superpowers that make him an asset in these crazy and dangerous situations they all get themselves into. But by simply being human, he turns out to be exactly what they need at this exact moment. And it's kind of amazing.
So well done, Matt Donovan. I may question your use sometimes, but sometimes you make me love you. Carry on, sir.
P.S. MVP award goes to Matt for managing his reaction to Elena drinking from him so well. He took it like a pro.
And for one last annoying note from the Logic Police, did anyone else think it was incredibly lucky that scary hunter dude just happened to be watching them from an angle that didn't show him what was actually going on? You could say the team planned that, but they had no idea where he was. Yeah. I'm difficult.
And then TYLER goes up and earns himself all the awards too. This episode was such a team showing, guys! It was really delightful in every way. Tyler goes up because he can see his function too - he's already a known threat, so he can risk exposing himself to hunter guy because there's no cover to protect. But that being the case, he also knows that he's putting himself in sure danger, and that that's exactly what will cause a sufficient distraction for the rest of them to help April. It's intelligent, cogent thinking, and I just love seeing every member of the team doing their part and being clever and making things happen. I love it when you're effective, Team Mystic Falls! It happens so rarely, but when it does, boy is it fun to watch.
And bless Tyler's speech about how he understands now what it means to be part of a community. Guys, I just, I fucking love team work. It gets to me like nothing else. ALL THE FEELINGS, BASICALLY.
Tyler gets shot, and they all (well, most of them) convene at the stage to check on Tyler, which is good. Carol insists that they call an ambulance for pretty legit reasons, but my question is this: yes, people will talk if they don't call an ambulance after Tyler got publicly shot, but what will they say when said ambulance arrives to an entirely unwounded gunshot victim? Think it through, Carol. *facepalm*
Damon apprehends a fleeing hunter bro with the very opposite of discretion. Obviously their cover is blown and all, but ripping off a door? Typical Damon. Go big.
Again, this rando guy doesn't hesitate to shoot, which still pleases me purely on the basis that I like competent people. Though I'm not sure I buy him besting Damon in a fight, gun and all, but still. I'll let it slide.
Stefan shows up and the rando flees, and then Stefan proceeds to act like a little brat. And listen, I can bear a good bit of Stefan snarking and actually find it vaguely amusing in a sort of 'oh you sad little deluded boy' kind of way. But this was kind of annoying. I get Stefan feeling slighted, and that seems reasonable, if not 100% fair, but punching your brother while he's down (from SEVERAL gunshot wounds) and then walking away? Total dick move.
Elena finds April and is obviously affected by the copious amounts of blood everywhere. This scene was actually a tremendous relief, because I think a lot of us were worried that Elena wouldn't really struggle with vampirism in the way we wanted her to. I know one of the things I most didn't want was Elena's *compassion* making it easy for her to resist bloodlust, which, no, go away. So seeing her actually go for April, someone we know she cares about, was awesome. Not because I wanted Elena to kill her, but because I wanted Elena to want to kill her. This storyline has to be more complex than even Caroline's, because if Elena figures it all out too quickly we will have been robbed of pure awesome, and I won't have that. So attack anyone and everyone, Elena. Have at it.
And then Caroline stops her, and it is the best. We all know that out of everybody in Team Mystic Falls, Caroline is far and away the most equipped to actually teach Elena how to lead a healthy and fairly normal vampire existence. And the show knows that too! Caroline makes the most headway with Elena, and that's exactly how it should be. Because while Stefan has his own projecting agenda and Damon has a fatalistic attitude about the path of all vampires, Caroline just knows Elena and what she needs to do in that exact moment. She isn't trying to sell her a doctrine - there's no attempt to sell Elena on a vampire 'lifestyle' right now. Instead, Caroline deals with the crisis of this instant, and she says exactly what she needs to say and exactly what Elena needs to hear, and it's amazing and I love these ladies and it was the best.
I LOVE x 100000000 that Caroline makes Elena compel April. It's pushing, but it's exactly the right kind of pushing, and it's constructive, and it's lovely, and it works. Go, ladies, go.
Random question: have we given up on pupils dilating with compulsion? Because I saw no change on either side. Unimportant details for the win!
Ughhhh, Caroline's proud look when Elena does it right. KILLS me. Love you two.
And when Elena says that "people said really nice things" and April looks so grateful? GORGEOUS.
Matt and Jeremy are at the Grill, and again, they're having a conversation about how the council will cover up this latest disaster DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE BARTENDER. Whatever happened to discretion? Lol, Team Mystic Falls has never heard of such a word (perhaps they would have if any of them went to school EVER, but, alas).
Speaking of which, jfc, Matt, why go through all the trouble of hiding your blood giving to Elena so well if you're just going to put a fucking huge bandage over the most obvious vampire attack place ever? COME ON, MAN. Couldn't one of our many vampires have just given you a few drops of blood to heal you or something? A good plan is all about follow-through. Oy, these kids.
Guys, I actually think the thing about Jeremy and the tattoos is really cool. I don't even know why, but I am INTRIGUED. It was kind of nicely thrown in there, and I dug it.
Creepy stranger reads creepy death letter. Ok.
You know you're back in an S/E season when they get the end-of-the-episode scenes. Except that it's kind of hard not to feel bad for S/E as a ship at this point, so. Whatever, kids. Enjoy it while you can.
This scene was the best of S/E though, seriously. By which I mean that they had issues that were overtly dealt with. None of this rooftop marriage nonsense. They were directly addressing the inherent problems in their relationship, not in so many words, but in a way that indicates that the show realizes they have them. And it was excellent.
Stefan actually does have a right to be mad. As much as I have a gut reaction of rage when Stefan tries to guilt Elena about things, this is pretty bad. Elena didn't trust him with her vulnerabilities, and that has to hurt about a thousand ways. Because the crux of this whole thing is that Elena doesn't trust Stefan completely. Here's the really interesting thing about the Damon/Elena vs. Stefan/Elena dichotomy. Damon is the loose canon, and Elena can't let herself be with him because she can't trust him to be the kind of guy she wants to want, the guy she can trust with her friends, the guy who cares about innocent human life. But despite all that, she trusts Damon with herself. She worries about him with everyone else, but she can be absolutely herself, at her lowest, at her darkest, at her worst, with him. Contrarily, she trusts Stefan to be that perfect guy, to care about others and support her drive to protect everyone and be the model 'good' vampire. But there is a fascinating and fundamental lack of trust when it comes to herself. She thinks she trusts him because she feels like she should, but she cannot help herself from holding back a little from Stefan. It's something she has always done. S/E is based on both of them getting to live out their fantasies of being their best selves, and as a result Elena has denied her darkest versions because they don't fit the model of who she wants to be (and who she wants to be with Stefan). It was her choice to do so, but after a while, it became second nature to shove all those uncomfortable parts of her personality on the backburner, and by now it's instinct for Elena to hide her weaknesses from Stefan. That's not to say that she can't be vulnerable with him. She can confess her fears and frustrations and allow him to comfort her. But the very worst parts of her, the parts she hates to admit to even herself that she has? She doesn't know how to show them to Stefan. It's not something she's ever entirely been able to do.
And a lot of that is because of the way she sees both Stefan and Damon. For one, she really cares what Stefan thinks of her, whereas Damon's opinion is unimportant. It doesn't matter what Damon thinks of her, because he has absolutely no moral high ground to stand on, and even if he did, she doesn't want to be with him. There is nothing to lose with him. But with Stefan, she wants to live up to his idealization of her. And while that sounds really uncharitable to Stefan, it really is her choice too. It's a kind of tragic choice, but it's something Elena set out to do when she decided she needed to revamp (LOL PUN) her life after her parents' death. But beyond all that, Elena doesn't trust Stefan to be strong enough to handle the unadulterated version of her. It sounds really hard on S/E, but I think there's a part of Elena that has always subconsciously recognized Stefan's emotional imbalance. Stefan is not stable in any way, shape, or form, and deep down, Elena knows that he's barely keeping himself together, let alone her. So she can't entirely trust him to bear the full weight of her issues, because she doesn't know that he can, and she doesn't want to risk burying him. With Damon, she knows he can handle it. And even if he couldn't, why would it matter? She can't ruin him. Damon is already ruined.
/impromptu treatise on the love triangle
Just one more thing: I have to say, while this sounds like a description that is wildly preferential towards D/E, I don't actually mean it like that? Damon and Elena are fucked up as all hell all on their own. This is just one area in which they have an unexpectedly functional dynamic. And I actually love that Elena and Stefan are messed up like this (so long as the show acknowledges it, which it did in this ep)? It's one of the more interesting dynamics in their relationship. So carry on with this, show.
Anyway, back to the point, Elena admits that she didn't tell Stefan about what was going on with her because she didn't want to upset him, and that's pretty much making it explicit canon that Elena doesn't trust Stefan to deal with her darkest urges. She wants him to be happy and positive and hopeful, and she worries that her trauma will drag him down (which is just about the saddest thought process I've ever heard, but so very Elena), so she goes to Damon, because who the fuck cares what he thinks?
Ok, but I want to talk about this for a sec. Remember how I mentioned that in 4x01 I felt like Elena was trying to avoid discussing Damon? I don't know if I was just looking for it, but I REALLY saw that confirmed in this episode. Stefan brings Damon up, and she kind of braces herself, and it seems so clear to me that she does NOT want to talk about Damon with Stefan. She has to, at least a bit, but she deflects the conversation as soon as possible. Stefan is trying to guilt her for going to Damon, and I kind of wanted her to mention that she's spent the last who knows how many months being almost entirely emotionally reliant on Damon and she can't just turn it off like that. But of course Elena doesn't go there, and I realize it's because she can't deal with discussing Damon with Stefan. She chose Stefan, she wants to be with Stefan, but what's happened, been happening, is still happening with Damon? Is only for her and Damon.
And am I the only one who thought that Elena was being more than a little manipulative in that last scene? She swings the conversation from Stefan's very legitimate point that Elena was trusting Damon more than she trusted Stefan in this episode right through her desire not to hurt him and straight on to Elena's misery and perpetual grief. And it totally works. She gets worked up, and he gets distracted, and Damon isn't mentioned again. I'm not trying to say that Elena's distress is feigned, but I very much do think that she uses it to carry her away from the things she does not want to discuss. This is the kind of vulnerability Elena is comfortable sharing with Stefan - she will give him her grief, her guilt, her unhappiness, but she can't discuss the parts of her she herself is frightened of. And she won't talk about Damon.
And Elena being manipulative like this? I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT SO HARD. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. THE END.
Ooh, we have another 'everything's heightened' comment. DRINK.
Elena goes on her grief rant, and Stefan mounts one of his typical Stefan Salvatore, Perfect Boyfriend demonstrations. I braced myself, but this one wasn't too bad. And at least there were no mouthed 'i love you's (I am still not over that piece of sap ruining an otherwise flawless scene grrrrrrr).
We get to Stefan's memorial thing, and just. Paper lanterns. For fuck's sake.
Stefan's like the school guidance counselor. He gives a mini-lecture on the grieving process. Thanks, Stefan. What would we do without you (there are so, so many answers to that. Have at it, flist.).
Damon's deeply incredulous reaction to paper lanterns is precisely like mine. As in, really? No.
LOL UNCLE ZACH. I probably should not find this mention so hilarious. But I never claimed to be a good person.
The mini memorial is actually pretty good. For one, someone remembered Jenna existed, which is always refreshing. But everybody got a shot. I was briefly worried that Jeremy wouldn't mention his parents so that Elena could have that honor, but they both got to, which is very right. Sorry I doubted you, show (though Elena 100% should have mentioned Uncle John. Just saying.).
I loved Jeremy trying to have a moment with Damon, because we all know I am obsessed with Damon/Jeremy, and I love that Damon rejected all of this. Damon is done with being part of this team and their feelings. He will protect them, because he's a member of Team Mystic Falls now and for all eternity, but he is so over even pretending to fit in with their powwows. Damon is emotionally detaching, and admitting just how much he's hurting right now is the exact opposite of emotionally detaching from these people. Basically, I love my damaged boy.
I loved Elena's addition of "and for me, I guess." Because she has a right to mourn the life she lost too.
And then she and Jeremy have a tiny sibling moment, and I die.
Overall, it's a sweet scene. Just. LOL PAPER LANTERNS.
And then we get to this last scene. Oh, this last scene. I'm pretty sure the internet has been vomiting feelings all over this scene (I'm not actually sure, but how could it not be?), so I'll try not to dwell too much. But this scene really was gorgeous. Listen, I won't pretend to have cared all that much about Alaric himself by the end. But I think that the Damon/Alaric scene in 3x20 and this scene in 4x02 are some of the show's finest moments. There's just a really simple, stunning way that both of these scenes work, and without being showy or overdone they are two of the most poignant scenes of the show.
Just to get it out of the way, Damon is a treasure. "Well, here's a newsflash: we're not Japanese!" Be mine forever, Damon. But actually, though.
I love that Damon's just rejected dealing with his grief, and yet here he is talking to a gravestone. He tries his best to be unemotional, but he's still Damon Salvatore, and he does these things. He just does them alone.
I LOVED Damon's speech about how Team Mystic Falls is basically all children. I've always kind of felt like this. As much as Damon is an immature freak, he's always seemed older and more advanced than the rest of our crew. I think a lot of that is his superior intellect and the resulting degree of responsibility they all shoulder him with, both consciously and unconsciously. Damon takes care of them, all the while being told that the methods they rely on him to enact are unsatisfactory. It's exhausting, and he's completely and totally worn out from this thankless job he had no interest in in the first place. And I'm absolutely sure that at multiple times in the past three seasons Damon has just paused and gone "fucking children." And I loved so hard that that became canon in this ep.
Ok, briefly: did anyone else notice that Damon went completely old school gangster movie on the "when you lose somebody?" There were definite shades of a De Niro accent there. What, Ian.
"A rock, with a birthday carved on it that I'm pretty sure is wrong." Loved it like whoa. Had to be said.
ALL THE AWARDS TO MATT DAVIS'S FACE. Well done, sir. This is what I'm talking about here - it was so quiet, everything that happened in this scene. Matt Davis was just really subtle and controlled and lovely. He didn't *emote,* he just had this truly gorgeous look on his face throughout the scene - that he was genuinely sad that his friend was in this much pain and he couldn't help him.
"I'm just stuck here fighting with my brother and taking care of the kids." Oh, Damon. But flawless characterization, so, gold star, show.
And the restraint of this scene is what gets me. Alaric just sits here quietly the whole time, and at the very end, he says just one thing, the only thing that really matters: "I miss you too, buddy." CHILLS. But really, though. Just beautifully done from start to finish. A truly fantastic scene.
And that's that! A really great episode. Consistently engaging, good moments for everyone, a few truly flawless moments...well done, 4x02. You can stay.
Side note: it occurred to me LONG after the fact that the Originals weren't in this episode! I think it's a testament to the strength of the episode that I really didn't notice at all. Not that I feel like the Originals need to be in every episode - much as I love them, I don't need them all the time. I'm just saying that the fact that I literally did not notice at all that they hadn't been there until hours later means something. There was never a moment in which I felt like something was missing, no scene that I wished had been replaced by another. So that's the mark of a very successful episode, if you ask me.
Basically, long live episode 2. Who's excited for 5x02?