Not Jeremy! Say It Ain’t So! Review: The Vampire Diaries – “Stand By Me”

Season 4 Episode 15

Air Date: Thursday, February 21, 2013, 8/7c on The CW

RATING: ★★★★★

“But we’re talking about Elena here. She feels grief more powerfully than anyone else.” – Stefan Salvatore

The pitying stares and whispered conversations are what seal the deal for me on “Stand by Me.” This is such a depressing episode because you know where it’s going to go and why. My heart breaks, and I have to commend all the actors for digging deep and putting a face to devastating grief.

Observations and thoughts:

Can’t wait to see how Matt fits into the picture now.

I never thought I’d say this but I feel for Elena (Nina Dobrev) during her grief. She’s not the most likeable character, at the best of times, but seeing her hurting at the loss of her brother is devastating. Considering the transformation Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) went through to become the hunter he was destined to be, you’d think he would stick around for a while. But he doesn’t and I’m at a loss for why this has happened. Elena’s despair reaches an all time high and she pulls at my heart strings. This may be Dobrev’s best performance (since playing Katharine). Her tears are believable; her anguish is palpable. I’m left wondering how an immortal being is supposed to accept death when they are able to cheat it themselves. Especially since Elena is still dealing with her own untimely death. This is definitely Dobrev’s time to shine and show us what she can do with her character. I love her as Katharine so I know I’ll get a kick out of emotionless Elena. Thank you, writers for taking a risk with her.

And where the hell was Jeremy’s ring?! Oh, right… it was still on his finger. “He’s supernatural. The ring won’t work anymore.” I almost feel like his death is a plot device being used to push Elena’s story forward. Had she not been so close to going crazy, would she have ended up pushing away her humanity? Granted she may have been living just for her brother, but it’s possible she’ll see other things to live for now. Like a certain vampire she’s in love with…

Now that the brothers have kissed and made up, what will they do to antagonize one another now?

Rebekah (Claire Holt) is the only Original who seems to hang around when the rest are off doing whatever it is they do. You’d think Klaus (Joseph Morgan) would want to know what’s going on with the cure but I guess his fear of being reverted back to human is keeping him at bay. Or he’s off plotting something even more vindictive now that things with the cure have gone awry. The romantic in me wants to believe Klaus is seeking to make himself a better man while pining away for his love, Caroline (Candice Accola). You know he won’t stay away for too long because he can’t bear to be away from her. What? It could happen!

Professor Shane (David Alpay) is playing Bonnie (Kat Graham) like a fiddle (and the fact that only Bonnie can see him…) and it’s kind of scaring me. Not only is she spouting crazy stuff that will send her over the edge, she actually believes it. But I’m wondering if Bonnie is even herself anymore. It has to do with something Vaughn (Charlie Bewley) says about Silas (actor not shown) being “anyone.” Now that Jeremy isn’t around and able to point out the lack of ghosts in town, will Matt (Zach Roerig) step up to the plate? I do remember him going over to the other side and coming back able to spot the paranormal visitors in town. Has that changed? He might be the only one to convince Bonnie she’s seeing things and that Silas is in her head again.

Will the gang turn against Bonnie or will she win them over in the end?

In the last few episodes it seems Damon (Ian Somerhalder) has been pushed aside. I hope now that Elena needs him more than ever, he’ll come back to the forefront. I miss the witty quips he throws out to break the tension in a room. And let’s not forget Somerhalder’s magnetic gaze. He hasn’t been using it much lately and that is Damon’s trademark. I’d like to see things get back to wild and crazy times normal as soon as possible. I know I can’t be the only one looking for some action in ol’ Mystic Falls.

We’re once again treated with the repetitive phone calls to the ever running Tyler (Michael Trevino). There is so much more for Caroline to do with her best friend falling apart; why is she always on the phone with Tyler, talking to his voicemail? Accola should be used for more impressive scenes than ones where she’s on a telephone talking to air. The scenes with her and Morgan alone are enough to get me excited for a new episode. There’s chemistry there and it should be explored. Just saying.

Memorable lines:

Damon to Rebekah: “Beware of the immortal Silas. He was asleep in that cave; he’s awake now.”

Elena to Stefan and Caroline about Jeremy: “There’s no way—there’s absolutely no way that my brother is dead. I’m not in denial.”

Professor Shane to Bonnie: “Silas needs you. You can bring Jeremy back; you can bring everyone back.”

Stefan: “I’ve been alive for almost two centuries now. You’d think with the amount of people that I’ve seen die, it would hurt less each time. It never does.”

Bonnie says: “I know how to bring Jeremy back.” Well, I don’t know about that at this point. Silas might be good at brainwashing people, but I’m clear on what’s going on. If you had any doubts about Jeremy being dead or his return to the show, that five alarm blaze Elena uses as a Viking funeral pyre should put your mind at ease. I’m not sure what’s going to happen after such a huge turning point, but I know Elena will never be the same. It’s about damn time!

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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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