Season 5, Episode 4
Air Date: Thursday, October 24, 2013 8/7c on The CW
RATING:
“Hey, I never said I know what I’m doing.” – Damon Salvatore
The Vampire Diaries takes a bite out of the ol’ amnesia apple to bring viewers a different side of the undead life. How does a vampire who doesn’t know he’s a vampire get through his day? How does a witch who’s incapable of handling her death help those who love her to mourn? The answer is simple: it’s not easy.
Observations and thoughts:
So, not only has Stefan (Paul Wesley) lost his memories (sans the guilt of his Ripper days) but he doesn’t know he’s a vampire or what they’re capable of. Interesting. “How do I not remember you?” Oh, Mr. Charisma is making his way back from the dead. You would think if anyone could refresh Stefan’s memory it would be his one true love Elena (Nina Dobrev). Watching Dobrev and Wesley on screen brought back my memories from TVD’s first season. The chemistry is still there and these two actors shine while on screen. They look like former lovers separated by some unforeseen event who’ve been reunited, only to discover the sparks are still there. And yeah, they are there. You can see them. You can also see the hunger in Stefan’s eyes that isn’t for blood. I sense trouble on the horizon. We don’t need another regurgitation of the love triangle between the Salvatore brothers and Elena Gilbert. Please.
Oh, Stefan, when will you learn you can’t handle blood from the source?
I’m getting more into Matt’s (Zach Roerig) transition. He’s moving from being the handy-dandy human blood bag to some kind of supernatural go between. The bad thing is he has no idea what’s happening to him and there’s really no one to explain it. Nadia (Olga Fonda) isn’t into making things easy for people, so her screwing him over won’t be explained away. I’m a bit disappointed at how these events have come about. Matt’s smarter than this but he’s looking like a poor lost pup. But I do love seeing Roerig showcasing his acting skills. He slips into his ‘other’ character like a second skin—the accent is nice, his movements are sleeker. I don’t mind his foray into the dark side.
Then there’s Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). I’ll give you a minute to stop fangirling. Ok, he’s stuck in the middle of Bonnie’s (Kat Graham) mess and has finally decided enough is enough. I’m proud of him and wish he would have come clean sooner. “I’ve been lying to everyone for months and I can’t keep lying knowing that everyone’s waiting for her to swoop in and save the day.” Of course, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), always the joker, can’t handle what he’s hearing. “I don’t speak crazy person, Jere, you’re gonna have to translate that for me.” I love Somerhalder’s ease with bringing across Damon’s wit. He handles the scene beautifully, don’t you agree? I’m always in awe of his portrayal of the bad boy vamp with a heart of gold. Damon cares the most about everyone. He’s the one who tries to ease any pain; he’s the one you go to for comfort.
I wonder how Caroline will react to the ‘new’ Jesse.
As an aside, thank you to whoever selects the music for each episode. The mood is always set with the perfect musical undertones to complete a scene. “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles plays as the ‘gravity’ of Stefan’s situation becomes clearer to him. Not only that, Elena’s feelings are put on display. She still yearns for what she had with Stefan, even though she’s in love with Damon. It’s good to see her common sense win out preventing her from doing something to damage her relationship with Damon. He’s been through enough, dammit!
Other thoughts:
If I have to see Dobrev fake cry one more time I’m going to vomit. I hate seeing actors force an emotion they aren’t feeling. It ruins the scene and ruins their credibility as an actor. Yet, she keeps doing it.
Dr. Maxfield (Rick Cosnett) is evil. I wasn’t expecting him to be so cruel but he is the new resident bad guy. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what he’s up to.
Memorable and funny lines:
Damon to Stefan: “I need to go see a man about a witch.”
**
Jeremy: “I need you to come meet me and I need you to come alone.”
Damon: “And I need you to be less vague and less weird.”
**
Elena to Stefan: “You were always in control.”
**
Jeremy: “Bonnie’s dead.”
**
Damon to Elena upon Stefan’s departure: “I think we just got dumped.”
**
Damon Salvatore to the rescue! Now, who’s gonna rescue him?
“For Whom the Bell Tolls” ends on a somber note with a funeral and yet another unnecessary death. Tyler’s (Michael Trevino) return for Bonnie’s funeral is surprising and kind of pissed me off. He can show up for a funeral but not his girlfriend? What’s the point of bringing him in for two seconds? Is he sticking around? Ooh, will Tyler put in face time so Jesse (Kendrick Sampson) knows to back off? Now that love triangle would be good. I enjoyed this more than previous episodes. Now if the writers keep this up, the remainder of season five will be amazing. Let me know what you think. Drop me a line in the comments below, or tweet me @ellemoe.
Tune in to The Vampire Diaries Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW. For more on the show, visit the official site.
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Follow The Vampire Diaries cast on Twitter: @ninadobrev, @iansomerhalder, @katgraham, @paulwesley, @zach_roerig, @candaceaccola, @McQueeninchains.
Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW ©2013 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved.
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