an adorable exploding kitten.
He wants “people like me” dead! I love the supers with a *love* don’t get me wrong, but as ever, let’s not forget that they’re the super-strong immortal predators, the vast majority of whom have no reason not to chow down on the unsuspecting populace. Painting vampire hunters as villains is understandable from the kids’ POV, but cosmically it’s a bit like a bunch of Death Eaters whining about Muggles who mock their fashion sense.
This episode is all about the illusions starting to collapse. Jeremy can see the tattoo. Playing dumb just makes you look dumb. Stefan comes clean with Caroline; Damon with Meredith. Tyler’s double life comes back to haunt him.
Of course Rebekah is center stage in this episode; she’s the character who refuses to pretend for anyone. I was so touched by the genuine compassion she extends to April, who’s a mind-zapped juicebox to everyone else around. I loved her offer to help, so much - she’s going to be the most adorable little vampire Veronica Mars! And aww, she’s so sore from the betrayal by Klaus that she doesn’t even remember that she has two other brothers who love her, gone though they are. Rebekah is kind of taking over the willful scapegoat role from Klaus. She MADE ME murderous! LOL. It has nothing to do with the months of repressed emotion ramped up by bloodlust colliding with prideful self-definition by social status, noooooooo. ALL REBEKAH’S FAULT!
Along with the other illusions, Elena’s good-girl façade is collapsing faster than ever. For all her claims that she’s not herself, the Elena we saw in this episode was bang on target with the pre-series Elena I’ve been imagining all this time. Not mean-spirited, but every inch the vivacious fun-loving queen bee and so help anyone who threatens that. And oh, yeah, the big thing that scares her is the murderous impulse toward Rebekah, but her second-biggest concern isn’t collateral damage or the way she endangers people who haven’t pissed her off, but that she almost did it “in front of everyone in the middle of a party.” That’s not her, to let everyone see that someone’s gotten to her! The appearances are a big part of her identity. They likely always have been, but they were the dominant coping mechanism while she was grieving over the past year and a half. Having snapped out of it, she’s riding an emotional high and not hiding that she’s reveling in it.
I actually liked how Matt worked in this episode??? What?? His response to the crash is fascinating, as he keeps almost pressuring Elena to take his blood in order to assuage his guilt. I actually didn’t mind him being a jerk to Rebekah - she tried to kill him. She did it for the completely understandable reason of self-defense, but Matt and Elena are completely in their rights to hold it against her. Everyone gets to have their sides aired; nobody here’s the hero. Matt ratting her out to Connor was some good thinking on his feet. Moreover, this is the first episode in a while where Matt’s mean side has been highlighted - Rebekah’s hallucination worked because it was what he thinks of her (as shown in the way he manipulates her as part of the plans throughout S3); it is clearly a hallucination because we know he’d be too intimidated ever to say it.
The horror of compulsion is a big part of this episode. April’s exclusive trust of Elena in this episode - thank God I know somebody here - comes from the specific promises Elena made to her in that vulnerable moment in the choir loft. I’m going to help you. Even though at this point she must have heard about Tyler being shot, April’s not questioning anything else about that beautiful service that went so well. She diminishes her own sharp logical thinking as paranoia; she’s skeptical of Rebekah’s clearly genuine offer of help (because Elena’s the one that helps her). Similarly, Damon compels Matt not only to cover up Elena’s attack on him, but to virtually guarantee that it will happen again. As long as Matt thinks he can do it at no risk, he’s going to keep doing it, even though indulging the survivor’s guilt complex would be unhealthy for him. Even the fact that he can be compelled - that this kid in a town full of vampires isn’t taking vervain on the daily - reminds us of how vulnerable Matt’s status and his reaction to it makes him.
So Jeremy’s compulsion at the end of last season looks now like it can have a hell of a payoff. The scenes with Matt and April hammer home how you don’t mess with someone’s mind because you care too much about them. You do it because you want to control them, which is especially obvious because you always end up putting them at risk. Freaking out and zapping his mind when Jeremy started showing signs of his potential hunter identity was even more futile than we thought it was. And imagine if Kol had had a way to know what Jeremy could become. He told them he could be a badass; trying to deny it doesn’t make them look good, but it puts him in a hell of a rough spot, to the point where his loyalty to them against Connor (his metaphysical, and depending on the mythology, possibly also biological family) should be sorely tested.
SO CONNOR. I feel like I shouldn’t like him, because I’m braced for ugly race stuff to fall out the way it always does. But, uh, I do. He’s smart, and scary in his logic, and has connections we don’t understand even a little, and is set up for an excellent uneasy alliance once this Greater Evil shows up. And he brings us new mythology, which I love. I’m excited for the story behind the Five. JUST STOP HURTING TYLER, OKAY??
I was worried that Tyler’s arc would stall out now that he’s been through the possession and nothing could possibly be worse than that. But ugh, then Klaus comes back, and scares him about the Big Bad lurking in the bushes and surrounds him with the hybrid “family” under the auspices of Tyler’s own protection. This leads to Klaus being around to find out about Hayley, who represents the one part of Tyler’s life that was defined by its separateness from the Klaus drama, and now he’s gotten a little bit of that influence over Tyler. Even if Tyler comes clean to Caroline right away, he’ll still have done something because Klaus made him, and that means Klaus can make him do things, in one way or another.
That worked because Klaus was his fabulous, narcissistic, awful self. Truth be told, I’m as evil as it gets. My reputation precedes me. He’s not trying to fight against or impress his family anymore, so he’s reveling in his reputation as Klaus the big bad wolf.
Both Salvatores worked as well here. I like this Stefan and Caroline chat. Stefan not playing anyone, asking for help and voicing his doubts about himself. The praise he extended to Caroline was so genuine. Caroline’s new role as Vampire Supernanny is wonderful for her, in that it shows how much her friends respect and admire her. The one thing is that it’s tough for that role not to get taxing. And Damon is just perfect. He’s proud and stubborn, and does things he doesn’t have to do. He shows his need to be asked to stay saying he wants to leave. And, as Meredith notes, he’s a good brother. He’s a dick, but he’s a good brother. And that’s why everyone knows they can leave the murdering to him.
This episode is all about the illusions starting to collapse. Jeremy can see the tattoo. Playing dumb just makes you look dumb. Stefan comes clean with Caroline; Damon with Meredith. Tyler’s double life comes back to haunt him.
Of course Rebekah is center stage in this episode; she’s the character who refuses to pretend for anyone. I was so touched by the genuine compassion she extends to April, who’s a mind-zapped juicebox to everyone else around. I loved her offer to help, so much - she’s going to be the most adorable little vampire Veronica Mars! And aww, she’s so sore from the betrayal by Klaus that she doesn’t even remember that she has two other brothers who love her, gone though they are. Rebekah is kind of taking over the willful scapegoat role from Klaus. She MADE ME murderous! LOL. It has nothing to do with the months of repressed emotion ramped up by bloodlust colliding with prideful self-definition by social status, noooooooo. ALL REBEKAH’S FAULT!
Along with the other illusions, Elena’s good-girl façade is collapsing faster than ever. For all her claims that she’s not herself, the Elena we saw in this episode was bang on target with the pre-series Elena I’ve been imagining all this time. Not mean-spirited, but every inch the vivacious fun-loving queen bee and so help anyone who threatens that. And oh, yeah, the big thing that scares her is the murderous impulse toward Rebekah, but her second-biggest concern isn’t collateral damage or the way she endangers people who haven’t pissed her off, but that she almost did it “in front of everyone in the middle of a party.” That’s not her, to let everyone see that someone’s gotten to her! The appearances are a big part of her identity. They likely always have been, but they were the dominant coping mechanism while she was grieving over the past year and a half. Having snapped out of it, she’s riding an emotional high and not hiding that she’s reveling in it.
I actually liked how Matt worked in this episode??? What?? His response to the crash is fascinating, as he keeps almost pressuring Elena to take his blood in order to assuage his guilt. I actually didn’t mind him being a jerk to Rebekah - she tried to kill him. She did it for the completely understandable reason of self-defense, but Matt and Elena are completely in their rights to hold it against her. Everyone gets to have their sides aired; nobody here’s the hero. Matt ratting her out to Connor was some good thinking on his feet. Moreover, this is the first episode in a while where Matt’s mean side has been highlighted - Rebekah’s hallucination worked because it was what he thinks of her (as shown in the way he manipulates her as part of the plans throughout S3); it is clearly a hallucination because we know he’d be too intimidated ever to say it.
The horror of compulsion is a big part of this episode. April’s exclusive trust of Elena in this episode - thank God I know somebody here - comes from the specific promises Elena made to her in that vulnerable moment in the choir loft. I’m going to help you. Even though at this point she must have heard about Tyler being shot, April’s not questioning anything else about that beautiful service that went so well. She diminishes her own sharp logical thinking as paranoia; she’s skeptical of Rebekah’s clearly genuine offer of help (because Elena’s the one that helps her). Similarly, Damon compels Matt not only to cover up Elena’s attack on him, but to virtually guarantee that it will happen again. As long as Matt thinks he can do it at no risk, he’s going to keep doing it, even though indulging the survivor’s guilt complex would be unhealthy for him. Even the fact that he can be compelled - that this kid in a town full of vampires isn’t taking vervain on the daily - reminds us of how vulnerable Matt’s status and his reaction to it makes him.
So Jeremy’s compulsion at the end of last season looks now like it can have a hell of a payoff. The scenes with Matt and April hammer home how you don’t mess with someone’s mind because you care too much about them. You do it because you want to control them, which is especially obvious because you always end up putting them at risk. Freaking out and zapping his mind when Jeremy started showing signs of his potential hunter identity was even more futile than we thought it was. And imagine if Kol had had a way to know what Jeremy could become. He told them he could be a badass; trying to deny it doesn’t make them look good, but it puts him in a hell of a rough spot, to the point where his loyalty to them against Connor (his metaphysical, and depending on the mythology, possibly also biological family) should be sorely tested.
SO CONNOR. I feel like I shouldn’t like him, because I’m braced for ugly race stuff to fall out the way it always does. But, uh, I do. He’s smart, and scary in his logic, and has connections we don’t understand even a little, and is set up for an excellent uneasy alliance once this Greater Evil shows up. And he brings us new mythology, which I love. I’m excited for the story behind the Five. JUST STOP HURTING TYLER, OKAY??
I was worried that Tyler’s arc would stall out now that he’s been through the possession and nothing could possibly be worse than that. But ugh, then Klaus comes back, and scares him about the Big Bad lurking in the bushes and surrounds him with the hybrid “family” under the auspices of Tyler’s own protection. This leads to Klaus being around to find out about Hayley, who represents the one part of Tyler’s life that was defined by its separateness from the Klaus drama, and now he’s gotten a little bit of that influence over Tyler. Even if Tyler comes clean to Caroline right away, he’ll still have done something because Klaus made him, and that means Klaus can make him do things, in one way or another.
That worked because Klaus was his fabulous, narcissistic, awful self. Truth be told, I’m as evil as it gets. My reputation precedes me. He’s not trying to fight against or impress his family anymore, so he’s reveling in his reputation as Klaus the big bad wolf.
Both Salvatores worked as well here. I like this Stefan and Caroline chat. Stefan not playing anyone, asking for help and voicing his doubts about himself. The praise he extended to Caroline was so genuine. Caroline’s new role as Vampire Supernanny is wonderful for her, in that it shows how much her friends respect and admire her. The one thing is that it’s tough for that role not to get taxing. And Damon is just perfect. He’s proud and stubborn, and does things he doesn’t have to do. He shows his need to be asked to stay saying he wants to leave. And, as Meredith notes, he’s a good brother. He’s a dick, but he’s a good brother. And that’s why everyone knows they can leave the murdering to him.