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Glitter Guns, Streamers, and White Oak Stakes Make for a Great Party! Review: The Vampire Diaries “Homecoming”

Air Date: Thursday, November 10, 2011 8/7c on The CW

What an amazing episode filled with intrigue, action, and wrought with emotional turmoil.  I, for one, am thrilled for Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) return!

“Humanity is a vampire’s greatest weakness.” – Katherine

Just who's playing who here?

The plan Damon (Ian Somerhalder) comes up with seems foolproof except he discounts just how smart and resourceful Klaus can be. I know Klaus shocks me with his countermeasures and I don’t see them coming, but then again, this is Klaus we’re talking about. As he says, “People have been after me for 1,000 years…” so you know he isn’t easily fooled. My question is why doesn’t Mikael (Sebastian Roché) think as swiftly as his son? (Has his 100 year slumber slowed him down?) He’s a vampire hunter; shouldn’t he keep one step ahead of the vampire he’s hunting?

Observations and thoughts:

Elena (Nina Dobrev) surprises me tremendously. She’s slowly turning into Buffy. I didn’t think she had it in her. She catches Rebekah (Clair Holt) off guard during an emotional moment and knocks her out of the equation. Again I have to ask, how does a human get the jump on an Original? They are the quintessential hunters with supernatural powers. Can they not sense human deceit? That’s something they need to work on.

And speaking of Rebekah, she appears to have let her humanity take over. She’s open, sensitive and shows her feelings to Elena with no hesitation. I never saw that coming. My sympathy for her is overwhelming because she doesn’t like the life she leads. You can tell she isn’t happy being a vampire. I think she would have liked to remain a human being and lived out her life in her own time. She’s still such a young girl and has been emotionally crippled since her father turned her into what she is.

I’d like to say I feel sorry for Bonnie (Kat Graham), but I don’t. I’m glad she sets Elena straight about talking to her about her brother. I think her reacting any other way would be unrealistic and ridiculous.

I'm sure there's another vampire who'd snap up Tyler if Caroline doesn't want him

Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) freedom hangs in the balance; it’s reason enough for him to want Klaus dead. Only, once Stefan achieves his freedom, he doesn’t exactly get back the one thing he really lost—his humanity. I’m ecstatic the writers don’t diminish Stefan’s edge. I like him exactly the way he is and if he’d gone back to his usual brooding self, I would have a serious problem with the believability of the show.

There’s a glitter gun? What the hell is that? I’m sad to say the honeymoon phase is definitely over for Tyler (Michael Trevino) and Caroline (Candice Accola). They have an eye-opening conversation where Tyler reveals his feelings toward Caroline, yet she doesn’t seem to hear him. I don’t like the way the two leave things between them and I hope they can figure it out. I’ll be heartbroken if their romance is so short-lived. They are perfect for one another. Hey, who the hell else can tolerate Caroline’s whiny bossiness? I totally agree with Tyler: he is better off as a hybrid. And though Trevino does a tremendous job when he portrays a transforming Tyler, I don’t want to see him go through the change anymore.

Here’s another question for you: vampires can’t sense one another? After watching “Homecoming” twice, I managed to pick up a few hints I missed the first time around. I’m not complaining, as I whooped when I realized Katherine isn’t dead, but I didn’t know she was back in Mystic Falls. Talk about dropping a bomb! How does Klaus not know it’s her when they’re talking? There was a time when he wanted her; shouldn’t he have recognized something about her? The twists and surprises are unexpected and welcome. The Vampire Diaries keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure.

Elena or Katherine? The vamps can't tell and neither can I.

I know I’m inept when it comes to understanding the TVD world but I find myself more confused as the season goes on. Why isn’t Mikael able to enter the Lockwood house? I thought Originals could go where they wanted. But, then I remember vampires need to be invited into human-owned homes (turned vampires, that is), although hybrids are the exception. I don’t know how that works. Isn’t the Salvatore home still owned by Elena? Does she invite Mikael in? The rules where Originals are concerned seem far too complex for my vampire-addled brain.

Funny lines:

Caroline: “Secondly, quit hanging out with Rebekah the Evil Blood Slut.”

**

Damon to Mikael: “I’d offer you a drink but Katherine tells me you’re more of a vampire-on-the-rocks kind of guy.”

**

I have so many questions and plenty of other things I want to say, but I’m holding out until the next installment of the best vampire show on television. Yup, I’m saying it again. I don’t think The Vampire Diaries can top itself, until it does again and again. I am left in shock (and screaming “We have to wait until January 5th?!”) by the end of “Homecoming.” The only thing I have to ask is does this mean Elijah (Daniel Gillies) is coming back? Stefan holds the family in his hands and can choose whom he wants to ‘reanimate’ or leave lying in a casket. I hope he chooses wisely. They’ll need an ally to take Klaus down.

Tune in to The Vampire Diaries when it returns in January on The CW. For more on the show, visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries.

 

Photo Credit:  Quantrell Colbert / The CW ©2011 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle