The Vampire Diaries - 2 x 18 The Last Dance
Have I mentioned how fricken glad I am that my show is back???? No? Well, I AM!!!
I loved this episode (so much so that I didn't mind getting up at 5 am on Friday to watch it before I went to work). It was chock full of good stuff like Damon & Elena moments, Brothers Salvatore moments, amusing one-liners, and awesome performances by pretty much every cast member.
Damon & Elena
Elena at the door of her boarding house, was lovely to watch. I love how she took the opportunity to reinforce Damon's promise to do things her way. Her expressions were fabulous and then there was an example of their signature banter:
Damon: What are we twelve?
Elena: One of us is.
This was followed up with Elena's stubborn plan to actually go to school with Bonnie. Stefan is totally flummoxed but Damon actually capitulates to Elena in this lovely moment:
Damon: Your way, Elena E**lena nods
Stefan: Wait. I'm coming.
I love how much Damon & Elena showed in that little moment without many words at all. For me, it underlined the differences in the brothers' handling of Elena (with Damon's being superior, IMHO). I love take-charge Elena. She has such strength of character.
Stefan twirling Elena into Damon's arms was wonderful - as was the expression on Elena's face as she got close to Damon. Damon asking "How you doing?" immediately made me think of Friends Joey Tribbiani (who I adore). Even though their dance didn't last nearly long enough for my liking, it was suffused with their signature chemistry and Elena's expression was the most relaxed and happy that she's been in a looooooong while. Of course, there was Damon's fabulous, "I've got moves you've never seen." Elena's expression at that moment was rather excited to my eyes.
Also, it was cool to see Elena witnessing Damon's interaction with Bonnie on the dance floor. When she asks Jer what they were up to, it occurred to me that under the surface Elena could be having yet more unacknowledged feelings.
Their scene in the boarding house parlor was simply raw and powerful and full of tension. It made my heart ache as Damon stood in front of her and allowed himself to be the vessel for her despair and frustration. I have never known a love so strong and selfless as his for her is.
That was a great set-up for the Damon's bedroom scene. I have re-watched it several times and am simply taken with everything about it - how the physical distance between them disappears along with the emotional distance, their need to convey the importance of their convictions to the other, Damon's initial groan (even though we know he's thrilled to see her in his doorway, Elena's soft expression after her apology >>> simply marvelous!!!
Damon seemed pleasantly surprised when Elena understood his motives. Then there was that adorable moment showing just how well they know each other:
Elena: Look. I shouldn't have hit you.
Damon: Apology accepted **does eye-thing
Of course, I loved how completely open and ernest they both were when revealing the really important things:
Elena: Let's get one thing straight, Damon. Bonnie will not die for me. I will NOT let that happen
She is so determined in that moment, but it's done without being antagonistic towards Damon. She simply wants him to understand how important this is to her. It's refreshing to see her in that light rather than over-reacting to everything else that's going on in her life.
Damon: Let me be clear about something. If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always choose you.
Damon took my breath away when he said that. Elena's silence and exhale spoke volumes to me in that it felt like the beginnings of acceptance and certainly showed a deeper understanding of Damon's feelings for her.
I felt that her over-the-shoulder look back was because she knew that the decision she had just made would not be to Damon's liking.
Ian and Nina's performances where simply out of the park this episode. Nina had so many emotional scenes and was flawless in all of them. From worrying about Bonnie's involvement, to relaxed & happy with Damon, to totally freaked out at Bonnie's death, to jubilant on Skype, to determined & slightly remorseful with Damon - Nina played all of these beautifully, believably and was just plain awesome. She is such a talented actress. Ian's delivery of the iconic "I will always choose you" line was just all kinds of awesome. His expression and timing but just enough weight and emphasis on the appropriate words.
Damon & Stefan
It was great how the differences between the brothers was showcased in this episode. They may have a common goal of protecting Elena, but that doesn't mean they'll do it the same way. Far from it, in fact. I'm definitely on board with arabian's observation that Stefan's love of Elena is a selfish one, whereas Damon's is completely selfless.
Certainly notable is this soliloquy of Damon's:
"See, that's why I didn't tell you, because you would never have been able to do it. Don't get me wrong, Stefan. I don't mind being the bad guy. I'll make all the life and death decisions, while you're busy worrying about collateral damage. I'll even let her hate me for it. But at the end of the day, I'll be the one to keep her alive."
So very true and makes it rather clear that Damon's sole objective is to keep Elena safe no matter the cost to him. Stefan wants her safe but also won't risk falling out of favor with her, which limits what he's willing to do.
Bonnie
Bonnie scored some points with me in her devotion and loyalty to Elena and her strength of conviction. Also, there was some chemistry with Damon on the dance floor and I loved this exchange between them:
Damon: With all that power, is there no way for you to increase your odds?
Bonnie: Careful, Damon. I might start to think you actually care.
Damon: Wouldn't want that.
She was awesome in her fight with AlarKlaus. Particularly, her delivery of "Let's find out." It's so good to see strong, female characters showcased on my TV screen. Katerina nailed that scene.
Klaus in Alaric's body (or AlarKlaus)
The appearance of the much talked of Original vampire Klaus did not disappoint. The opening scene with him and Katherine immediately showed what a twisted, sadistic vampire he is. Seeing Katherine terrified and begging to be killed made a strong impression. What a huge change from the overly confident, psychotic bitch we previously knew!!!
Using compulsion to find out current events was nothing new to us viewers but then sliding in the "stab yourself repeatedly while I'm gone" into it certainly had shock-value (at least for me).
There were several enjoyable AlarKlaus moments which included: walking into the Boarding House and calling himself "the biggest, baddest vampire", seeing Bonnie send Damon flying into the floor, dancing his way through the students, the hurt expression on his face when Damon said he wasn't impressed, leading Bonnie & Elena down the hall as "he just had to get away from that dance".
A couple of memorable quotes for AlarKlaus:
"The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah. That guy's a buzzkill."
"And show you kindness? I've searched for you for 500 years. Your death is going to last at least half that long."
Matt Davis played him so very well (as did Nina playing Katherine). It's great to see him conveying a different character.
All in all, the whole cast brought their A-game. This was an excellent episode and brings with it much anticipation to the remaining 4 episodes.
I loved this episode (so much so that I didn't mind getting up at 5 am on Friday to watch it before I went to work). It was chock full of good stuff like Damon & Elena moments, Brothers Salvatore moments, amusing one-liners, and awesome performances by pretty much every cast member.
Damon & Elena
Elena at the door of her boarding house, was lovely to watch. I love how she took the opportunity to reinforce Damon's promise to do things her way. Her expressions were fabulous and then there was an example of their signature banter:
Damon: What are we twelve?
Elena: One of us is.
This was followed up with Elena's stubborn plan to actually go to school with Bonnie. Stefan is totally flummoxed but Damon actually capitulates to Elena in this lovely moment:
Damon: Your way, Elena E**lena nods
Stefan: Wait. I'm coming.
I love how much Damon & Elena showed in that little moment without many words at all. For me, it underlined the differences in the brothers' handling of Elena (with Damon's being superior, IMHO). I love take-charge Elena. She has such strength of character.
Stefan twirling Elena into Damon's arms was wonderful - as was the expression on Elena's face as she got close to Damon. Damon asking "How you doing?" immediately made me think of Friends Joey Tribbiani (who I adore). Even though their dance didn't last nearly long enough for my liking, it was suffused with their signature chemistry and Elena's expression was the most relaxed and happy that she's been in a looooooong while. Of course, there was Damon's fabulous, "I've got moves you've never seen." Elena's expression at that moment was rather excited to my eyes.
Also, it was cool to see Elena witnessing Damon's interaction with Bonnie on the dance floor. When she asks Jer what they were up to, it occurred to me that under the surface Elena could be having yet more unacknowledged feelings.
Their scene in the boarding house parlor was simply raw and powerful and full of tension. It made my heart ache as Damon stood in front of her and allowed himself to be the vessel for her despair and frustration. I have never known a love so strong and selfless as his for her is.
That was a great set-up for the Damon's bedroom scene. I have re-watched it several times and am simply taken with everything about it - how the physical distance between them disappears along with the emotional distance, their need to convey the importance of their convictions to the other, Damon's initial groan (even though we know he's thrilled to see her in his doorway, Elena's soft expression after her apology >>> simply marvelous!!!
Damon seemed pleasantly surprised when Elena understood his motives. Then there was that adorable moment showing just how well they know each other:
Elena: Look. I shouldn't have hit you.
Damon: Apology accepted **does eye-thing
Of course, I loved how completely open and ernest they both were when revealing the really important things:
Elena: Let's get one thing straight, Damon. Bonnie will not die for me. I will NOT let that happen
She is so determined in that moment, but it's done without being antagonistic towards Damon. She simply wants him to understand how important this is to her. It's refreshing to see her in that light rather than over-reacting to everything else that's going on in her life.
Damon: Let me be clear about something. If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always choose you.
Damon took my breath away when he said that. Elena's silence and exhale spoke volumes to me in that it felt like the beginnings of acceptance and certainly showed a deeper understanding of Damon's feelings for her.
I felt that her over-the-shoulder look back was because she knew that the decision she had just made would not be to Damon's liking.
Ian and Nina's performances where simply out of the park this episode. Nina had so many emotional scenes and was flawless in all of them. From worrying about Bonnie's involvement, to relaxed & happy with Damon, to totally freaked out at Bonnie's death, to jubilant on Skype, to determined & slightly remorseful with Damon - Nina played all of these beautifully, believably and was just plain awesome. She is such a talented actress. Ian's delivery of the iconic "I will always choose you" line was just all kinds of awesome. His expression and timing but just enough weight and emphasis on the appropriate words.
Damon & Stefan
It was great how the differences between the brothers was showcased in this episode. They may have a common goal of protecting Elena, but that doesn't mean they'll do it the same way. Far from it, in fact. I'm definitely on board with arabian's observation that Stefan's love of Elena is a selfish one, whereas Damon's is completely selfless.
Certainly notable is this soliloquy of Damon's:
"See, that's why I didn't tell you, because you would never have been able to do it. Don't get me wrong, Stefan. I don't mind being the bad guy. I'll make all the life and death decisions, while you're busy worrying about collateral damage. I'll even let her hate me for it. But at the end of the day, I'll be the one to keep her alive."
So very true and makes it rather clear that Damon's sole objective is to keep Elena safe no matter the cost to him. Stefan wants her safe but also won't risk falling out of favor with her, which limits what he's willing to do.
Bonnie
Bonnie scored some points with me in her devotion and loyalty to Elena and her strength of conviction. Also, there was some chemistry with Damon on the dance floor and I loved this exchange between them:
Damon: With all that power, is there no way for you to increase your odds?
Bonnie: Careful, Damon. I might start to think you actually care.
Damon: Wouldn't want that.
She was awesome in her fight with AlarKlaus. Particularly, her delivery of "Let's find out." It's so good to see strong, female characters showcased on my TV screen. Katerina nailed that scene.
Klaus in Alaric's body (or AlarKlaus)
The appearance of the much talked of Original vampire Klaus did not disappoint. The opening scene with him and Katherine immediately showed what a twisted, sadistic vampire he is. Seeing Katherine terrified and begging to be killed made a strong impression. What a huge change from the overly confident, psychotic bitch we previously knew!!!
Using compulsion to find out current events was nothing new to us viewers but then sliding in the "stab yourself repeatedly while I'm gone" into it certainly had shock-value (at least for me).
There were several enjoyable AlarKlaus moments which included: walking into the Boarding House and calling himself "the biggest, baddest vampire", seeing Bonnie send Damon flying into the floor, dancing his way through the students, the hurt expression on his face when Damon said he wasn't impressed, leading Bonnie & Elena down the hall as "he just had to get away from that dance".
A couple of memorable quotes for AlarKlaus:
"The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah. That guy's a buzzkill."
"And show you kindness? I've searched for you for 500 years. Your death is going to last at least half that long."
Matt Davis played him so very well (as did Nina playing Katherine). It's great to see him conveying a different character.
All in all, the whole cast brought their A-game. This was an excellent episode and brings with it much anticipation to the remaining 4 episodes.