A Woman Scorned and All That Jazz... Review: The Vampire Diaries "After School Special"

Air Date: Thursday, January 17, 2012, 8/7c on The CW

RATING: ★★★★★

“I think this town could use a few more rules.” – Mayor Rudy Hopkins

Continuing from where we left off, we find a town in upheaval, a son in mourning, and a forgotten sister seeking knowledge. So who is the new mayor (Rick Worthy) and just what does he think he can do in Mystic Falls? He’s Bonnie’s (Kat Graham) dad and no stranger to the supernatural (say what?!), but will he succeed or just make a mess of things? I’m interested to see how this new addition adds to the flavor of the show. New blood never hurts. Especially when that new blood is a relative of Bonnie’s.

Observations and thoughts:

Rebekah (Claire Holt) is back, and pissed: “Why are my least favorite people always the most durable?” She’s got a neat little trick handy to all Originals that I almost forgot about. (As an aside, I wonder why Klaus (Joseph Morgan) hasn’t compelled more people to do his bidding.) I thoroughly enjoyed the little show Rebekah puts on as she gets answers about what’s going on in town. Only, she uses her evil powers to no avail. We know why she wants the cure but I don’t think she’s contemplated the possible consequences of her actions. Has her hatred for her brother grown so strong she’s willing to defy him in such a major way? Although, I do love a good sibling rivalry. This one ought to bring about a war Mystic Falls has never seen.

A Woman Scorned and All That Jazz... Review: The Vampire Diaries "After School Special" 1

Damon doesn’t get much air time, but he uses his few minutes wisely. Can’t wait for the reunion!

You know, I have to nitpick a few things every episode, and “After School Special” is no different. How does everyone have the same Samsung phone when I swear they were all using BlackBerry® smartphones last episode? Yay, product placement! And someone got a haircut while hanging out at the lake house. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). Consistency, people! That’s what I’m talking about. These may be insignificant to some, but for those of us who pay close attention to what we’re watching, it can be distracting.

Stefan (Paul Wesley) sure is one to hold a grudge. Now that he knows Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon have done the horizontal mambo, Stefan’s kind of put Elena on his shit list. Too bad she’s not fazed by it: “I didn’t sleep with Damon because of the sire bond; I slept with Damon because I’m in love with him.” Ooh, tell it like it is! What a blow to Stefan’s ego. Good thing he’s not interested in Elena or anything to do with her anymore. Or is he?

After her confession, will Elena stick to the truth or go back on what she feels? Again.

Come on, writers. Did it really have to take Rebekah compelling Elena to finally get the truth about her feelings for Damon? What I want to know is does Elena believe what she’s said and accept it as how she feels, or will she continue to deny what we all now know to be true?

Professor Shane (David Alpay) has lots of cards up his sleeve. Who knew he wasn’t susceptible to compulsion? But what I’m most confused about is his fascination with all things immortal. He wasn’t shocked to see Rebekah or Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic), and knew exactly who they were. That can’t be a coincidence. I’m curious about what other secrets he has locked away in that brain of his: “Once I raise Silas, Silas will raise the dead…” Knowing Shane’s endgame still begs the question of why he would want to do that. What good (or evil) could possibly come from Silas walking the earth once again? I’d be OK with Silas coming to town. He sounds like a fun dude. At least he could give Klaus a run for his money. It’d be nice to have a real showdown for once.

The has come for Jeremy to show us what he can do. I hope he’s ready.

Tyler’s (Michael Trevino) guilt over his mother’s death is eating away at him. It’s a way for the writers to provide Trevino scenes where he can stretch his acting chops. I miss the Tyler of old who evoked emotion atypical of an alpha male. He’s gone soft; maybe his mother’s death will bring about a new side to him that we’ve yet to see. I was getting bored with the character so it would be a nice change of pace to have Tyler going off the rails.

Memorable and funny lines:

Caroline to Stefan: “Seriously! You decided to go on a Ripper bender now?”

Klaus: “How many vampires has he killed?”

Damon: “If we throw Jeremy out into the world right now, he’s chum.”

Klaus: “Yeah, see, that’s not a number. Twelve, that’s a number. That’s how many of my hybrids I slaughtered with my sword; three, that’s how many days it took to quell the urge to kill your brother after he knowingly watched as I walked into a death trap; one, that’s how many purposes you serve.”

Rebekah: “So… vampire Elena is a trollop who likes bad boys, which explains why Stefan wreaks of alcohol.”

Professor Shane: “Bonnie, listen to me, you are the key to everything. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”

Elena: “I love you, Damon. I love you.”

Overall, “After School Special” is enjoyable. Moral of the episode: don’t mess with Original vampires. Having Rebekah around spices things up a bit and that’s never a bad thing. And I can’t forget the awesomeness that is Klaus. The man makes counting fun! I remain intrigued by this season and the mystery surrounding Silas. The race to the cure is on!

Tune in to The Vampire Diaries Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW. For more on the show, visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries.

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Follow The Vampire Diaries cast on Twitter: @ninadobrev, @iansomerhalder, @josephmorgan, @katgraham, @paulwesley, @michaeltrevino, @candaceaccola, @claireholt.

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