By The Vampire Diaries has been ramping things up quickly, lately - Kol's murder last week is just one example of that - but if you were hoping that the cure would be discovered in one episode you were wrong.
Instead, while the hunt is on in earnest - everyone arrives on a suitably deserted, wooded island with suitably stunning scenery - we'll have to wait a little longer to find out what's really going on with the cure.
While this is a little frustrating in some ways, I can also understand that there are other things that have to be set up first. I'm not too convinced by the weird, dreadlocked men lurking in the forest, who are apparently working with Shane and seem to be up to no good, but presumably their purpose will become clearer later.
Indeed, we do discover more about Shane - who, I'm sorry, may as well be carrying around a flashing sign saying: "Don't trust me." It turns out I'm right not to be too convinced by his claims, because he ends up nicking the tombstone, gathering Bonnie and Jeremy and heading off solo to raise Silas by himself.
Well, duh. We all knew Shane was a bad guy, and while we might have thought this was some kind of unholy alliance - in the way that the 'good guys' have teamed up with Klaus before - it wasn't too surprising when we found out Shane's true colors.
That's particularly the case because we learned further details of how Shane knows all of this stuff; his witchy wife died after trying to bring their son back from the dead (turns out the expression overwhelmed her, much to Bonnie's consternation), and he visited the island and drew a little blood to see her again in a magic well. It was there that she told him of the things he needed to raise Silas and bring back people from the dead.
Shane tells all this to Damon - basically the only guy who's rightfully suspicious of him - and it's a concerning moment when he reveals that he needs three sacrifices... and has only completed two. Are the gang on the island in some serious trouble? I like that Shane has some serious motivation - he's clearly been driven mad by the death of his wife and son - but it's still a little frustrating that aside from Damon, everyone's willing to take him at his word.
The more human aspects of the time on the island are much more intriguing. There's the standard awkward threesome when Rebekah, Elena and Stefan are forced to work together and the two women make no bones about how much they dislike either. This is all fairly standard stuff, though elevated like so many things in The Vampire Diaries by the stars and the writing.
But things get very interesting when Elena eventually flounces off in a huff and Rebekah points out that she's not necessarily the bad guy - after all, while she did kill Elena, it was only to save her family (in other words, what any of the so-called 'good guys' would have done). And where is the hatred and disgust for Elena, who has actually killed not one, but two of Rebekah's brothers? Why is Rebekah assumed to be the villain?
This is really interesting stuff - especially coming, as it does, after Rebekah admits her vulnerabilities to Stefan and admits that being a vampire is actually horrendous, her love for it merely a front. I love it when The Vampire Diaries flips things - are the Originals really as bad as we've thought? And are Stefan, Damon et all really the team to root for?
That's not all the deep, meaningful stuff on the island, either. Shane gets plenty of digs in at Damon about how he has the most to lose if Elena gets the cure, so it's no real surprise when Elena and Damon are eventually forced to confront the issue. Elena seems to think Damon's concerned about her feelings for him, but it actually seems a little deeper than that - Damon may not even want to take the cure at all.
What on earth would that mean for their relationship? It's unclear so far, but I'm certainly excited to find out what's ahead. Of course, this all may be moot, since by the end of the episode Damon is left lying in a seriously compromised position after an encounter with another hunter. There may be trouble ahead...
But what really captured me about this episode was actually the segment that took place off the island, back in Mystic Falls. There's something about Caroline and Klaus's relationship that has always captivated me and intrigued me - possibly because it's a tiny peek at the vulnerability which, as Caroline points out, is a reminder of Klaus's humanity.
Tyler's been taunting a trapped Klaus - gloating over his prison of Bonnie's making - so Klaus lashes out in the only way he knows how: violence. He stakes and bites Caroline, dooming her to death unless he then deems her life worthy enough to let her feed from him. Tyler's begging isn't good enough, not even when he promises to be Klaus's slave again, because Klaus has a point to make.
It's only when Caroline is on the verge of death, literally expiring in front of Klaus's eyes, that things change. Caroline murmurs some words about how Klaus really is human, and as someone capable of love (he loves her, after all), he is capable of being saved. It's heartwrenching seeing Klaus desperately try to convince himself she's hallucinating, but when Caroline sighs: "I guess I'll never know," it's too much for him and he rushes to save her.
I loved this whole segment for various reasons - yes, it's tragically romantic in the most twisted way, but it also gives us an insight into the real Klaus. Torn between his villainy and stubbornness and his love and humanity, Klaus chooses the latter, which is something really intriguing about his character. Turns out his love for Caroline was more than a passing fancy...
So while I may have wished we had more development in terms of the search for the cure this week - and I'm really not too sold on the weird island inhabitants, yet - I can't complain too much about all of the great character work the episode gave us. There are serious questions about Damon-Elena, plus of course we're really getting a different perspective on the Originals now, too. More, please!
Dear Diary
- Tyler and Klaus's head-to-head was great fun, from: "Morning, sunshine. You look... pathetic," to Klaus reminding Tyler of how exactly he murdered Carol. What. A. Bitch.
- Bonnie was touching Jeremy a lot (a lot) when she was photographing his hunter's mark. Just get on with it, guys.
- "You have a nice behind." And Damon's "yeah, that makes sense" face.
- "Now, that was definitely worth the calories."
- Mind you, I did totally love Caroline kicking ass and taking names before Klaus, like, tried to kill her and all.
- I know the stuff in the well is probably true, but if I was Shane, I might just question whether I didn't just have a concussion.
What did you think of the episode? Let us know below!
