The Descent
Vampire Diaries Episode Review
In which Caroline is kissable and Damon is definitely not huggable. The Vampire Diaries comes back from the winter hiatus and is so so good.
What Happened
Stefan insists that he didn't make any deals with Elijah, so he feels perfectly justified in searching for Isobel in the hopes that she has information about Klaus. Elena isn't sure that's a good idea and seems even less thrilled about it when Stefan returns home with "Uncle" John in tow.
Matt talks to Caroline, telling her that he loves her and wants to get back together. Caroline admits that she loves him, but refuses to reconcile. Tyler also approaches her, wondering why Caroline is being so supportive of him and the werewolf thing. When he impulsively kisses her, Caroline refuses to get pulled into that either and retreats home in confusion. Later, Tyler meets with Jules, who tells him that Caroline lied about being the only vampire in town and accuses her of killing Mason.
The werewolf bite on Rose's shoulder continues to worsen. Leaving Elena to watch Rose, Damon goes in search of Jules and demands a cure. She describes the pain and agony Rose can expect and tells Damon that the only cure is to drive a stake through Rose's heart. Back at the house, Rose loses her grip on reality and mistakes Elena for Katherine. Elena fights off the attacks and barricades herself in a room. By the time Damon gets home, there are no other options. He uses a compulsion dream to give Rose a little peace and then sadly kills her.
Elena tries to be a friend, but Damon isn't having it. The most he'll admit to is guilt that Jules was really coming after him when she bit Rose. After Elena leaves, Damon gets really drunk and goes in search of prey. Finding a random girl on the road, Damon unloads some of his angst in her general direction and then seems to agree to let her go - only to kill her in the end.
The Good
- So Jules? Not a nice person.
- Nearly Naked Stefan.
- Stefan being proactive - searching for Isobel and trying to build a resistance to Vervain.
- "Gloomy as hell in here." Grumpy Damon. Not fooling anyone.
- The first scene between Rose and Elena. Backstory. Personality. Thank you.
- Damon's interior design.Want that bathroom.
- Jules and Damon at the Grill.
- Resourceful Elena dealing with Rose. Run. Fight. Barricade. Open the curtains.
- "Everyone needs to stop kissing me." Aw. Caroline.
- Jules and Tyler. Damon and Elena and Jessica (random girl on the road). Uncle John is back. Great finish, as usual.
The Bad
- Caroline in black leather. Shows have this tendency to start putting everyone in black because it's "serious" (and probably easier) and it drives me batty. Put people in color!
- They know Luka is probably "Elijah's witch." Smart, but the writers are skipping steps again. Luka is Bonnie's story. We need to see her figuring out his allegiances. Don't just use that as a throwaway line from Elena.
- I'm really getting distracted by the false eyelashes.
- I'd have made a few more phone calls myself in Elena's situation. Did she call Damon? Stefan? Alaric or Caroline might have been helpful here, you know.
The Cliche
- Don't go in the basement. (Elena.)
Best Lines
Elena: "You're standing right behind me, aren't you?" Love. Them.
What Did I Think?
Damn. Rose went and developed a personality before she died.
If she'd been this engaging the whole time, I might not have made so much fun of her. Up to this point, I don't know that she had a single piece of dialogue that wasn't either exposition about Klaus and Elijah or her announcing one of her own personality traits. You don't tell Elena that you're a "sucker for bad boys," you demonstrate it by draping yourself over the nearest one. (Which, to be fair, she also did - but, oh, the clumsiness of the dialogue!)
Anyways, I did like about Rose's story because it made Damon's redemption arc about more than just Elena. I'm deeply skeptical of "I'm changing for love even though the girl in question keeps telling me she's in love with my brother" (dude, take a hint) and I'm glad they expanded beyond that. One thing about Rose is that she was unconnected to any of his existing issues, which makes it harder to rationalize the emotions away as being tied up with the whole Katherine/Stefan mess he's been carrying around for so long. If he can't "play nice" or "pretend to care" for the old reasons, then he has examine why he's acting to save Rose in the here and now.
Well. Emotionally healthy people would do a little self-examination. Damon - always ready to overcompensate in the wrong direction - reaches for the same solutions that he used in the season premiere: alcohol and violence.