Air Date: Thursday, October 21, 2011 8/7c on The CW
Sparks were flying. Was it really all an act?
Matt’s (Zach Roerig) loneliness drives him to dabble in the black arts; Stefan (Paul Wesley) gives everyone the creeps; and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) makes a promise to Elena (Nina Dobrev) I’m quite sure he’ll be able to keep.
While I don’t understand what the title has to do with the episode, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is pretty damn good. We learn what it means to be “sired” (feeling loyal to the one who made you), how loneliness can be so harsh it makes one do stupid things (yes, I’m talking about you, Matt!) and that Elena is definitely no Buffy. “You’re not strong enough. You’ll start lifting some weights; put some meat on your bones.” I want to laugh at Alaric’s (Matt Davis) spot on assessment of Elena, but his words hit home on another point. She’s not strong enough to let Stefan go. She may think she can; she may have the burgeoning of affection for Damon, but Stefan holds her heart. He is her first love after all. She saved him once and thinks she will be able to save him again—proof by her actions throughout the episode. Damon is a nice distraction, but is he really what she wants? Funnily enough, we humans tend to want what we can’t have. What she wants most is the one guy who wants nothing to do with her.
Should Tyler be glad Caroline is there to step in when he goes all baby vamp on people?
The new and improved Stefan kind of reminds me of Tyler (Michael Trevino) from season one. They have the same attitude, desire for fresh blood (now that Tyler is a vampire), and are douche bags. While there may be no hope for Stefan, I’d like to think Tyler can be kept under control. Caroline (Candice Accola) sees the issues with his assimilation into the vampire world, but is it just me or does Tyler seem to have a new swagger now that he’s a little ‘extra?’ “I’m his first successful hybrid, Caroline. Don’t you think that’s the tiniest bit awesome?” Hanging out with “Barbie Klaus” (don’t you love Damon’s nicknames?) is going to get him into trouble.
Observations and thoughts:
How surprising is it to see Rebekah (Clair Holt)? I thought for sure she vanished with her brother, but am happy to see I am wrong. I can’t believe Klaus (Joseph Morgan) left her behind. I love the implications behind her physical appearance—the new hair, different attitude, enrollment to Mystic Falls High. She’s looking to stay, fit in and maybe take over. Also, she’s fresh meat. The action never lacks when there’s a new person on the block.
DAY-UM! The sexual tension building between Damon and Elena is smoking hot. His demonstrating the way to a vampire’s heart made me hit the rewind button—twice. “I’ll do whatever it is you need me to do Elena. No one’s going to hurt you… especially not my brother.” If Elena isn’t picking up the signals loud and clear, she truly doesn’t deserve Damon’s attention or affection. I hate to think she’s still hung up on Stefan even though he’s not himself anymore (even though I know better).
Bodyguard or pain in the ass? You decide.
If Elena manages to have Stefan fall in love with her again, would their love be able to override Klaus’ compulsion? The two clearly have a moment when she’s in his arms; could that be part of her plan she hasn’t revealed?
Not to be a killjoy, but if Stefan is supposed to be knocked out on Vervain long enough to get him locked away, why does he wake up so soon? And what the hell is up with the candles whenever anyone does magic? ‘Cause yeah, there’s a secret stash (or never ending supply) of candles in the high school and other random areas of Mystic Falls.
I don’t want Mikael (Sebastian Roché) to kill Klaus. I like Klaus. We barely know anything about the originals yet they keep dropping like flies. If they can’t be killed, what exactly does Mikael have planned for Klaus? And will he go after Rebecca and all other vampires in Mystic Falls, too?
I love some of the lines the guys spout off to the loves in their lives. *swoon* Not only are they sweet, but the delivery is convincing. Kudos to the writers and actors! The ghost story arc is becoming more interesting. There’s a lot being played with there—the ability for a ghost to become a permanent fixture in the real world—and I’d love to know if anymore dead vampires will be popping up. Or other ghosts for that matter. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Tune in to The Vampire Diaries Thursdays at 8PM/7c on The CW. For more on the show, visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries.
Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW ©2011 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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2 comments
Forget about what I mentioned about the heat source. I am pretty sure that there have been scenes without them. I don’t know what I was thinking when I suggested that.
Stefan and Damon, for a time, had been ingesting vervain to build up some resistance, and that is why I believe that the vervain didn’t cripple Stefan further. Of course, he probably stopped because he wouldn’t be able to have a supply of it while on the run with Klaus. That would mean his resistance to it has since dropped. Remember how it took a full syringe of vervain to take out Damon when Jules and her buddies ganged up on him? And Damon had only started to ingest vervain at that point, so Stefan having about that much resistance to it (maybe more than what Damon had at that point) would explain how the effects didn’t last too long. Remember that Katherine had been ingesting vervain for years, and was only faking being affected by it. Of course, ingesting vervain does not prevent vampires from taking damage on the surface level (only their internal bodies gain resistance), meaning that you can still get burned by having it splashed onto your skin. If Stefan fell into the well that Mason rigged with vervain, he would still bleed because his skin had no resistance.
With the candles, it just seems like a source of warmth is needed. I think when Bonnie and her grandmother were performing a spell on the tomb, there were torches ablaze instead of candles. So, they haven’t explained this, but I think a source of warmth/heat is needed. But of course, there is always the possibility that this is just for dramatic effect. I don’t even really remember if there were torches, and maybe there weren’t, but I think a heat source being required is still a possible explanation.