Air Date: Thursday, November 29, 2012, 8/7c on The CW
RATING:
“I would never hurt my sister.” – Jeremy Gilbert
“My Brother’s Keeper” draws attention to the responsibility siblings have toward one another. Can they control what the other does? Can they influence them so they make better choices? Better yet, if your sibling wants nothing more than to kill you, how do you cope? Between the Salvatore brothers and the Gilbert duo, running away seems to be the simplest answer. To be fair, the major revelations during the episode lead me to question the future of some of the characters. But now that we know what we know, what does it mean? Will things ever go back to normal for the siblings in Mystic Falls, or does the saying ‘Blood is thicker than water’ ring true?
Observations and thoughts:
I’m going to get this off my chest right now: after all the build-up for Gabby Douglas’s guest spot, why wasn’t her scene more exciting? It was great to see the Olympic gold medalist but we don’t get to see her megawatt smile, nor does she get to utter a single line. In fact, she is only on screen for about 10 seconds. I’m not sure The CW knows how to highlight special guests on their shows. Give the fans a little more than a quick blink-and-you-miss-it cameo.
I kept waiting for Stefan to slug Damon. Glad to know he’s not a sore loser.
Who’s up for a werewolf/vampire fight? I know I am. I would love to see Caroline (Candice Accola) and Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) duke it out. I bet Hayley fights dirty and will give Caroline a run for her money. I’d love to see how Accola does with an action sequence. She always shines as the annoying yet endearing Caroline.
Speaking of Caroline, how did she become Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) champion? “Look, I’m your best friend; I would never pick sides but are you sure this is what you want? Because Stefan is your soul mate.” Really? Since when, Caroline? I’m cutting the girl some slack because she is able to figure out what’s going on between her best friend and the Salvatore brother she loves to hate, but come on! Give Elena (Nina Dobrev) a break. She’s finally making a decision about her love life and sticking with it. Let her make up her mind and do what she feels.
Someone was getting a little too friendly with Klaus (Joseph Morgan) *cough* Caroline *cough*. “You’re… perfect.” Not that I mind, of course. I still think they would make a cute couple. Tyler (Michael Trevino) is so not Klaus. There’s no comparison between the two and I think Caroline would endure less drama with Klaus. So far as I can tell, he doesn’t lie to her. The games being played to convince Klaus that Tyler and Caroline aren’t together will backfire and may have already. Cat fight! I mean, vampire/werewolf fight!
I think it’s safe to say Jeremy can take care of himself.
Then there’s the trouble with Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). His sister is a vampire and it doesn’t leave his mind for a second. But why would he want to destroy the one person closest to him? It’s a bit of a cop-out to blame the hunter’s mark for Jeremy’s new ‘hunger.’ Although, considering he’s not too worried he’ll lose it and start slaying any vamps in his way, someone needs to rein him in. A killing spree wouldn’t be good for the townsfolk. Heck, it wouldn’t be good for his home life either. Loved the scene between McQueen and Dobrev; the tenderness felt for a sibling was expressed in their eyes and they displayed the tension during the confrontation very well.
The chemistry between Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena can’t be denied. “You want to know what I think; I don’t think I’ve ever seen you more alive.” Damon gets Elena (and steals every scene he’s in). I think he’s always been attuned to her in a way Stefan wasn’t. There’s something between the two that can’t be denied and it’s about damn time the girl gives in to her urges. She’s wanted Damon since the beginning but settled for the safe and quietly brooding Stefan because she didn’t know any better. This is the Elena I like; the Elena who follows her heart. She doesn’t hold back, hesitate or second guess herself. She lives in the now and takes what she wants because she can. And right now, what she wants is Damon. Hot dawg! But wait… there’s a catch delivered by none other than Stefan, “Elena’s sired to Damon.” Well, now that’s a game changer.
Anyone else cheer during this scene? I don’t like the idea of a sire bond though.
I’m not surprised to find Professor Shane (David Alpay) is up to something dastardly. I half expected to catch him twisting the ends of his handlebar mustache as he mutters some clichéd one liner about getting those nosy kids. I’d love to know what his plan is and why it involves hybrids, but I guess we’ll be let in on that little secret soon enough. As long as it isn’t something stupid or short-lived, I’ll be satisfied. I’d like to see the professor hang around for more than a few episodes. Klaus can’t always be the only bad guy in town.
Memorable and funny lines:
Damon: “Where’ve you been?”
Stefan: “Ah, you know, out.”
Damon: “Where you going?”
Stefan: “Out.”
Damon: “OK. I see that Shady Stefan’s back.”
**
Caroline to Elena: “Fine. Friend-tervention. I think your so-called feelings for Damon are really starting to cloud your judgment, and the thought of you two together really makes me want to barf.”
**
Caroline: “How did I become the bad guy?”
Klaus: “Let’s get you a drink. I’ll tell you all about being the bad guy.”
**
Elena: “My brother wants to kill me.”
Damon: “Welcome to the club.”
**
I wanted to like “My Brother’s Keeper” more but the lack of progression gave me pause. I’m no longer sure where the show is going and I’m getting bored. It’s time for someone to start trouble and get things going again. I’d even take a Stefan/Damon fist fight about now.
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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