CliqueClack TV
TV SHOWS COLUMNS FEATURES CHATS QUESTIONS

Vampire Diaries goes out with a bang, a bite and some balance

Now come on - that was just ridiculous ... one ridiculously good hour of television, that is! Is it even possible we have to wait four months to find out what happens next?

- Season 2, Episode 22 - "As I Lay Dying"

“It’s OK to love them both — I did.” – Katherine to Elena

Really, Julie? Kevin? That’s how you’re going to leave us, all cliffhanger-y like that? How do you expect us to enjoy our summers?

I knew I was going to love this episode the moment I saw the title, “As I Lay Dying.” It takes some awesome literary minds to steal the title of the snarkiest, tongue-in-cheek Faulker novel written (though I guess I’d have to give Homer a little credit for the title too), my hands-down favorite of his. So you knew this episode was going to be a flawlessly written masterpiece, but I never expected half of the stuff that went down to occur.

It seems the pattern of redemptive Damon for season finales is one that’s working for The Vampire Diaries. It’s always nice to see the softer side of Damon, but I didn’t expect him to completely forgive Stefan, take responsibility for his own choice and confess his love to Elena. And I sure didn’t expect her to kiss him, dying or not! He set the tone when he asked Elena for forgiveness, and told her she could have all the time she needed, knowing that he himself didn’t have any. And he just continued to martyr himself from there on out. Since Stefan’s all Stefangelus again, will we see some Elena / Damon action next season?

Speaking of Stefan, you have to wonder how much of his willingness to cooperate with Klaus had to do with sacrificing himself for Damon, and how much had to do with simple temptation. When do you think it started to turn — around blood bag number two or three or eight? I love evil Stefan, because you have to know something is bubbling under the surface of that goody-goody, boring guy … it only stands to reason that it has to come out to play once in a while.

I really can admit when I’m wrong, and on the surface it seems as though I didn’t quite hit the mark with my theory on the cure for a werewolf bite. At the risk of appearing as if I’m simply stroking my own ego, I still think I’m right, for a couple of reasons. First of all, way back when Damon asked Jules for the cure for a werewolf bite, and she replied, “Bite me,” she clearly knew a cure and didn’t want to tell him … even though she did. Also, Klaus wasn’t even a hybrid back then, so that can’t be what she was thinking of. So far, it is still looking like my theory could be right. Klaus cured Katherine, but he is the one who bit her. We don’t know if it cured Damon yet, and even if it does, Tyler’s blood could also have cured him. It’s bound to come up again, because Klaus won’t be in the show forever, but Tyler and other werewolves probably will be. Besides, if Klaus wanted to turn Stefan into Stephangelus, why would he bother to tell the whole truth anyway? That, and the whole theme of nature making sure there was a balance … well, that balance wouldn’t be that Klaus’s blood is the only cure. That’s not a balance. I’m still thinking there’s more to it than what we saw, but we’ll have to wait until season three to find out.

This, that and the other thing (because you know you couldn’t go on summer hiatus without my crazy observations):

  • Tyler’s mother has aged so much in the past year … was it his disappearance, his father’s death, or is Susan Walters just closer to 50 than 40 (she’s 47)?
  • Stefan had Heat Miser hair again in this episode.
  • The sheriff really needs to wear some real clothes. Remember what an attractive woman she was on Kyle XY?
  • I was actually surprised to see Klaus and Elijah … I thought they’d be gone until next season.
  • Yet another wholesome all-town activity: a Gone with the Wind movie festival.
  • I’m curious to see where Bonnie and her powers will go next season. She’s overstepped one too many times with the witch spirits, but she’s going to have to cure Jeremy of his vampire ghosts. But hey, Anna and Vicki!
  • Caroline and her mom had such a sweet moment; I really hope the sheriff can get over her vampire bigotry and just love her daughter … since Carline knows she killed someone and all.
  • Alaric and Jeremy were so cute — do you think he’ll move in and be “Dad”?
  • Klaus has all of the family bodies … does this mean he has enough daggers to be preserving them all? Oh, and what a total dick he is for using Elijah, yet again, and then stabbing him.

Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW

8 Responses to “Vampire Diaries goes out with a bang, a bite and some balance”

May 13, 2011 at 4:03 PM

you are the only one who noticed, like i, about Klaus’s blood and the balance of nature. I tend to agree with you on its a smoke screen.

also it would seem that the are taking somethings from the book, that happened to Elena, and applying them to Jeremy. if i remember right, Jeremy was something they added to the show he was not in the books, but in the books Elena does die and come backs to life (back from the other side) and makes her slightly supernatural with an essence or aura that arracts vampires etc.. personally i think Jeremy needs something he is basically a third useless wheel that’s only around because he is, “oh that girls bother” or “he is dating so and so” let him see the dead and get a little crazy.

May 13, 2011 at 4:05 PM

how come Klaus could use the dagger and Damon couldn’t?!
I though the dagger was supposed to kill “all demons” if a vampire used it… well, maybe it was because Klaus isn’t *all* vampire…. :|
but still! how many times they intend to kill Elijah?! :(

May 13, 2011 at 4:08 PM

is it “all demons” or just the undead? if so that would explain it. werewolves are not undead.

May 13, 2011 at 4:11 PM

I think when Elena was reading it for Stefan she said “all demons”….
let me check
.
“it must be brandished by humans alone or it will bring death to all demons who wield it”

May 13, 2011 at 4:21 PM

i guess the question is does werewolves fall into that? probably not seeing as her ancestor was most likely writing about vampires, they didn’t seem to know about wolves, and well its a weapon that doesn’t work on them.

May 13, 2011 at 4:24 PM

well then I guess that’s another example of “the balance in nature”!!

May 14, 2011 at 10:48 PM

So I guess i’m alone here, but I was kind of let down this season. Yes there were great points to the overall season, but it is really starting to feel like they are doing a lot of shock for shock’s sake alone. Maybe not all the time mind you, but a lot of it. A plot twist or surprise a few times a season is effective. A plot twist or surprise a few times an episode gets to be over kill and ruins their overall impact. Like the ending for example: I know I was supposed to say OMG, but ended up saying, who cares. Last season’s Catherine coming to Mystic Falls was exciting; Vicky and Anna coming back… not so much. (Besides the fact that I don’t really think they are there, I think Jeremy is loopy due to his overall trauma.)

The Damon and Elena thing I saw coming a mile away. For the past few episodes they have payed up the whole ‘them’ thing and as soon as i saw that everyone thought Damon was going to die I said that Elena and Damon are going to do something romantic just before he ‘dies’. The only thing was I also thought that Stefan was going to see it and be pissed which obviously didn’t happen. (Though you know Catherine is going to tell him.)

And as for Stefan, I think he is totally playing Klaus. The blood isn’t affecting him like it used to but he has to let Klaus think it is so he can find out what’s going on and save Damon. Other wise why would they have spent all that time talking about Stefan ‘building up a tolerance like Catherine did’, and drinking Elena’s blood and all that. The only people who know about that are Damon and Elena so Klaus wouldn’t know. yeah he killed that girl, but he had to so that Klaus would be convinced. Personally, I think it’s a show.

May 14, 2011 at 11:33 PM

I’m still not over Jenna’s death!

Powered By OneLink