photo: cw

Original Air Date: Apr 1, 2010

Zeba – TwoCents Reviewer
zeba@thetwocenstcorp.com

Have you made it through another Thursday of shocking twists and turns on “The Vampire Diaries?” Congratulations! Grab a seat and let’s compare notes. This week, Stefan and Elena are trying to be “normal” despite the ever growing threat of new vampires in Mystic Falls, Damon is wallowing in his despair over Katharine, and Jeremy lays one whopper of a surprise on us.

But before we even reach the Gilbert household, there’s the Gibbons house, where a vampire sympathizer has given up her home (and her veins, yikes) for Miss Pearl, Anna, Harper, and two other sketchy vampires named Frederick and Beth Anne.

Pearl seemed all sweetness and sunshine in the flashbacks we saw of her a couple episodes ago, but it looks like the hundreds of years trapped in that tomb have taken some of that sweet edge off. She is a straight up BADASS in this episode, and with her eyes on buying back her old apothecary in town, it looks like she’s got something big planned for the citizens of Mystic falls…

Against that juicy little plot we have the dramatics of Matt, Caroline, Stefan and Elena. At school, Elena complains to Stefan about all the vampire-y stuff bringing them down. She wants them to just be a “fun,” “normal” couple. Silly Elena. Doesn’t she know Stefan’s smoldering is serious business? Caroline is struggling with insecurities about her relationship with Matt, and suggests a double date with Stefan and Elena (secretly hoping that if Matt sees that they’re happy he’ll get over Elena). Uh, oh. This won’t end well.

At the Salvatore house, Damon is languishing and finds Pearl and Anna who’ve let themselves in uninvited. They tell him that the vampires from the tomb have all escaped (it looks like the spell didn’t actually hold after all). Something’s about to go down. Pearl knows that Damon is best buddies with Sheriff Forbes and the Founders, and wants him to be her mole. She even dangles the possibility of reuniting Damon with Katharine. He refuses and the BADASSERY of Pearl is unleashed when she GOUGES HIS EYES OUT, then reminds him that she’s four hundred years older than him and generally more awesome. Fierce.

Later that evening at the Mystic Grill, the double date is in full swing. It starts off well enough until Matt and Elena start reminiscing about when they used to date. Stefan takes it all pretty well (I’m starting to really like this guy), but Caroline is seething and drags Elena to the bathroom just to bitch her out about it. As they leave the bathroom, Elena bumps into the Evil Vampire Dude Frederick (who Pearl expressly ordered NOT to leave the Gibbons house). Of course, he mistakes her for Katharine. Uh, oh, #2.

Elena hurriedly says, “You’ve got the wrong person” and lets Stefan know that there are vampires lurking about (though Frederick and Beth Anne disappear before he can confront them). Stefan suggests that the double date move over to the Salvatore house. Matt is only too happy to leave, since the entire time they’ve been there, his mother Kelly has been at the bar getting drunk with Damon and Cool Aunt Jenna (drink!).

Meanwhile Jeremy is at home looking up info on vampires. Actually, he’s just in some tacky chat club asking random people how to kill vampires and how people get turned into vampires. Really? Who doesn’t know this stuff by now? And why didn’t he just “Bing it,” like Aunt Jenna did? Whatever. The doorbell rings, and Anna shows up. It’s pretty clear that Anna, despite all her scheming vampire dealings, genuinely likes Jeremy.

But does Jeremy like her, too?

The answer comes when he constantly brings up vampires while they hang out, wondering if maybe vampires can be “good” and are just “misunderstood.” Then, while they’re in the kitchen cooking, he purposely cuts his hand open with a knife (seriously?) and waves the damned thing in Anna’s face till she’s forced to reveal herself as a vampire. And then he tells her to…drink his blood…OK, then.

Less confusing is the double date that’s moved to Stefan’s house. He shows Matt a vintage sports car of his and there’s a bit of friendly banter, until Caroline runs off in a huff when Matt makes some random comment about making out with Elena (in the paaast). Yawn. Stefan tries to smooth things over by sending them out for a ride while he and Elena hang back at the house.

During the drive, Matt tells Caroline that while he still “feels something” for Elena, he only wants to be with her. Yeah, whatever. It looks like the night is going to have happy ending but – DAMN IT, DAMON – they return to mansion to find Damon and Matt’s mom sucking face in a corridor. Talk about awkward.

Matt grabs his mother and leaves in a rage (he lectures her about her lack of responsibility) and Elena takes Caroline home. That leaves Damon and Stefan alone. Just when Stefan gears up to complain about Damon’s behavior, Frederick and Beth Anne come crashing through the windows and attack them!!! With Damon’s help, Stefan is able to kill the lady vampire, which scares off Frederick who leaves just as fast as he came in.

This episode kind of felt like a whole lot of nothing going on, but the last scene was certainly very juicy. Anna (who earlier jetted right after Jeremy let her drink his blood, since Aunt Jenna showed up) returns that night in his bedroom, Edward Cullen style. She confronts him, warning that she could have killed him. But she didn’t, because she likes him, Jeremy aptly points out. He talks about Vicky, who he’s starting to think might have been a vampire, and then…He asks Anna to turn him. DUN. DUN. DUN.

Where the hell did that come from? Is it just me or is Jeremy pretty much the most random character ever? What do you think Pearl and the other vampires have in store for Mystic Falls? Or generally what the hell is going on???? Give me your TwoCents. ‘Cause I’m getting confused.

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