Air Date: Thursday, December 6, 2012, 8/7c on The CW
RATING:
“The point of breaking the sire bond is being free.” – Tyler Lockwood
I’m torn. “We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street” opens on a happy note and ends on its antithesis. Even the songs played during the opening (“Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation from the Twilight Soundtrack) and closing scenes are complete opposites. One rings of togetherness, the other resounds in melancholy and heartache. Do we know how things will turn out though? No. Although, being the romantic that I am, I have an idea that love will win out and it won’t matter that a superficial bond holds two people together. At least I hope it doesn’t matter.
Observations and thoughts:
We’re now in the let’s-talk-about-the-bond stage. Sire bonds (both hybrid and vampiric) rule the hour with questions of why they are formed and how they are broken. But what about the person who doesn’t want to break their bond? Do they get any say in how they feel? And why is the sire bond for hybrids broken when they can no longer “feel the pain of transformation”? I don’t get how an overwhelming “sense of gratitude” for their creator relieving them of said pain forms a metaphysical bond between them. Did I miss the episode where Klaus (Joseph Morgan) admits to this? How does that work anyway? Klaus: the hybrids personal pain-killer. Doesn’t have a nice to ring to it, does it?
I sure do miss Lexi. Life in Mystic Falls would be different if she was still around.
Stefan (Paul Wesley) breaks the news to Damon (Ian Somerhalder) about his “sire bond” with Elena (Nina Dobrev). While I hoped it wasn’t true, turns out it is and of course, Stefan the ultimate cockblocker must do something about it. What an easy way to get out of having Elena feel something on her own, writers. I dislike the idea that she has some mystical connection making her want Damon. She should be free to love who she wants, how she wants. If this is supposed to be a ploy to convince Stefan as if he’s Elena’s one true love, I hope it backfires. The implication kills the magic of the Elena/Damon dynamic. And the fact that Damon is always right. I wanted him to be right about his relationship with Elena. Now, I’m not so sure.
Wesley and Somerhalder do an excellent job portraying their respective characters’ frustration. I especially loved Wesley’s take on Stefan’s dry sense of humor. He’s so sarcastic with a sense of nonchalance about him. Somerhalder uses facial expressions and his gaze to display the emotions Damon goes through. They change so quickly, if you blink, you might miss them. Kudos to both actors for knowing when subtlety speaks louder than aggression.
The Bourbon Street set is horrible. I don’t know how anyone thought the cardboard cutouts even remotely resembled the real thing. I understand shooting on location isn’t always possible, but the NOLA scenes could have been better. You want me to believe what I’m seeing you’ll have to work harder than that.
I don’t think Damon is given enough credit for the things he does for his brother. Too bad Stefan doesn’t reciprocate.
I’m curious about the hybrid story line, but not enough to think too hard about it. There’s something big going on and it has to do with Professor Shane (David Alpay) needing them for his diabolical scheme. Yeah, that’s all I got. I’m assuming he wants to raise someone from the dead, although I have no clue who it is. Hopefully it’s someone who won’t be taken out easily. I’d like the new villain to stick around for more than a few episodes.
Stefan is awfully bitter and his statement to Damon doesn’t belie the sentiment. “Because it’s impossible for her to be so blind that she doesn’t see how wrong you are for her.” Didn’t Damon turn away from Elena when it was obvious she wanted Stefan? He was all set to leave Mystic Falls so that he wouldn’t interfere. So why is it so hard for Stefan to do the same thing? I can’t say which of the Salvatore brothers loves her more, but I can say Stefan doesn’t believe Elena should be with Damon. It’s not really his decision to make though, is it? Why doesn’t Stefan realize this is what Elena wants now? “A vampire only bonds to her sire when she has feelings for him; before she turns. Human feelings. Vampirism only heightens those emotions.” A witch’s words are like a slap to Stefan but I don’t know if he gets it. Like really gets it. Elena has always had feelings for Damon and now she’s giving in to them. Get over yourself, dude and move on. Clearly she has.
Sire bonded or just psycho? I hope Elena doesn’t turn out like Charlotte. Ooh, that might make for an excellent story line, don’t you think?
Caroline (Candice Accola) puts her foot in her mouth but finds a way to ease it back out again. I understand the Damon hating, but she doesn’t bother asking Elena how she feels. I’m not sure how good of a friend she’s being considering she’s dealing with her own love troubles. Having to decide between Klaus and Tyler (Michael Trevino) is a no brainer. So why do you think Caroline hesitates?
Memorable and funny lines:
Caroline: “Oh… creepy professor guy’s just Shane now?”
Bonnie (Kat Graham): “He’s—he’s not creepy.”
Elena: “We’re not judging.”
Caroline: “I am.”
**
Damon: “It looks to me the only reason you want to break Elena’s sire bond is to reset her original factory Team Stefan settings.”
**
Tyler to Elena: “The bond effects how you act, not how you feel.”
**
Lexi (Arielle Kebbel) to Damon: “For once, you need to put someone else in front of yourself.”
**
I’m not impressed with this week’s showing. It borders on filler and doesn’t provide any pertinent information to the outcome of anything important. We see Stefan’s jealousy come to the forefront and Caroline’s pushiness damage her friendship with Elena. What we don’t see is the plot moving forward and Elena being a vampire; also, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) has been put on a leash and given his own personal baby sitter to keep him from being a hunter. I’d like to see the kid go out and do his thing. There’s too many hybrids floating around; he can take one or three of them out since he needs the practice.
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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Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW ©2012 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved.
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