THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Fool Me Once

For the love of Damon Salvatore! VAMPIRE DIARIES doesn’t return until March 25th?! Please excuse me while I stamp my feet like a 3 year old.

If we’re going to have to wait over a month until we head back to Mystic Falls, at least we were left with one hell of an episode. Although I missed some of Damon’s trademark sass, “Fool Me Once” had me completely captivated (and a bit spooked). Talk about gut wrenching.

Tonight the much talked about seal was broken and the tomb housing Katherine and the other trapped vamps was finally opened. But much like Katherine, luck wasn’t much of a lady tonight, nor was she on anyone’s side.

Before we start in with our Wiccan chants, let’s back up a few and talk about the tortured soul that is Damon Salvatore.  He may have little disregard for human life, and kill on a whim, but deep down he’s just a guy with a broken heart. His first love might have been a few centuries ago, but he’s never really gotten over her. And he’s never really forgiven his little brother for his role in her capture. Having seen the flashback to what really happened, I think Damon’s being a little hard on Stefan. It’s not like he turned her in. It’s been a few hundred years, cut the guy some slack.

Still it was difficult to see Damon’s brows all furrowed while wallowing about his lost love. And by difficult I of course mean damn sexy. I’m not sure what I like more – sultry Damon and sullen Damon. Can I have both and call it a day?

I knew Damon was damaged but it wasn’t until Stefan came to him begging for his help to save Elena that we got to see the depth of his angst. “I mean this sincerely,” Damon said, “I hope Elena dies.” Ouch. Did their little jaunt to Atlanta not mean anything to him? Of course it did, and it’s the reason why Elena is the one person that can compel Damon to do what she wants. But more on that later.

Jeremy finally came around on Anna only to have her admit she was moving away…with her dead mother (she may have left that last part out). But I wouldn’t count on Anna being able to stay away from Jeremy for too long. Much like a pubescent boy, Anna wasn’t able to hide her true feelings when Jeremy finally smooched her. Seems Anna and her mom share their taste for the Gilbert men.

TV Talk Podcast listeners know that I’m over goody two-shoes Jeremy. I think it’s about time Damon whisper sweet nothings into his ear again, and get back at least some of his angst. Perhaps his Bing’ing of ‘vampires’ means that Jeremy is accessing his inner dark side. Will he find out about the vamp world? Will he be accepting of his sister’s choice of friends or will he go all Fellowship of the Sun on us and work tirelessly to rid the world of the undead?

Let’s get back to the Bing’ing, here’s where I need a little bit of help. What was the catalyst for Jeremy’s search for the vampires? I feel like I might have missed something. Fill me in. Perhaps I was too distracted by the obvious Bing product placement. It was a little too meta given that Bing has a vampirey commercial that usually airs during the show. Weird. But did I miss something? What made Jeremy think about vampires?

Was I the only one surprised that the tomb opening storyline is done and over with? I thought it was going to go on for a lot longer. I’m not complaining though. VAMPIRE DIARIES has set a fantastic pace, and I was nearing the point where I was just going to grab my grimoire and open the damn tomb myself.

I really liked how the whole tomb-scene played out. Grams & Bonnie opening the tomb but not breaking the seal, essentially locking the vampires inside? Well done ladies. Even though I knew that Damon nor Stefan were going to be locked inside forever, the scenes were still suspenseful.

When Elena followed Damon inside I was waiting for her to come face to face with Katherine. I was expecting Vamp Katherine to attack Elena forcing Damon to choose between the two women. I suppose that did happen…in someone’s fan fiction. Oh and speaking of Elena inside the tomb, I have no problem admitting that I hid my face behind my hands while she maneuvered around in the dark amongst all the dead’ish vamps. I may or may not have turned the lights on in my apartment during that scene.

Since I’m heaping praise, I have to point out one small issue I had with the episode. What the hell was Elena doing at the tomb in the first place? They were opening a tomb filled with vampires who haven’t fed in centuries. Why would they bring a human along? And did she not have any concerns for her own safety when she somewhat willingly followed Damon into the tomb? Again, Elena…you need to learn the do’s and don’ts of hanging with the vamps.

That being said, I suppose it was well worth it for Elena to enter the tomb if only to see how quickly Stefan reacted to her screams. Knowing that he would never be able to leave the tomb, he didn’t hesitate to run inside when he thought Elena was in danger. Romeo, oh vampy Romeo.

If that act of bravery wasn’t enough to earn Stefan a boy scout badge, how about him risking his own well being to get Damon out of the tomb? Here’s a guy who is constantly begging his brother to disappear from his life, but when faced with that very opportunity, he was desperate to save him. The power of brotherly love. I can see why you’re getting your flirt on with both the boys, Elena.

Elena doesn’t need any lessons in soliciting the affection of the Salvatore brothers. She may have been calculated in her manipulation of Damon, but I think we all know that there was more of a grain of truth in her little ‘trust me’ speech. Looks like her resemblance to Katherine isn’t the only thing those women have in common.

Can we talk about how hot it was when Elena slowly removed her necklace, leaving herself vulnerable to Damon’s compulsion? What wasn’t being said in that scene was much more important than the dialogue. But even Elena couldn’t keep quiet about what was happening between them, asking Damon why he didn’t compel her while they were in Atlanta. “I didn’t compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun. I wanted it to be real,” he said. “I’m trusting you. Don’t make me regret it.”

Damn.

Although quite a lot went down in last night’s episode, I don’t think anything was as significant as the reveal that Katherine wasn’t in the tomb. Damon had spent most of his existence looking for a way to break out the love of his life so they could be reunited. Now it seems that she sweet-talked a guard who let her walk before she was forced into the tomb. Katherine has been free this whole time and she didn’t care enough to seek out Damon. How devastating for him!

Damon was ruined by Katherine once again. Played for a fool for the second time. He was destroyed and not even a heartfelt hug from Elena could quell his pain. As he stared off into the fire, I couldn’t help but wonder how Damon would emerge from this betrayal. Any walls that Elena helped to break down will surely be rebuilt higher and stronger than before. I fear that we are going to experience the full wrath of Damon’s rage when he comes out of this. Poor heartbroken vampire.

One thing that I really dig about VAMPIRE DIARIES is how unafraid the writers are to kill off characters. I’m still not over the death of Vicki Donovan, but I’ll admit it was ballsy to kill off a main character so early on in the series. It set an important precedent and it let the audience know not to get too attached. While I don’t think the Salvatore brothers or Elena are going anywhere anytime soon, the other residents of Mystic Falls should sleep with one eye open.

Last night we saw the fiery demise of Ben. Given all the hoopla about the casting of Sean Faris, I thought he was going to be a lot longer for this world…or at least a lot longer for the after-world. Ben really should have taken Stefan’s advice and hightailed it out of Mystic Falls. Talk about being burned twice – literally. But I have to wonder, shouldn’t Stefan sit down with Elena and make sure he has the crib notes on how to kill vampires. Rather than try to sneak out the front door, why not just open the shades and burn him like Stefan did? Elena really needs to be quicker on her feet if she’s going to hang with vamps and witches all the time.

Ben’s death wasn’t the only dead body we saw last night. Well, I suppose we saw quite a few when we were in the tombs, but I’m talking about Grams. RIP Whitley Gilbert. It seems that the charm to open and close the seal was just too much for Sheila. I’m on the record as saying that I’m not the biggest fan of Bonnie, but she really killed it last night (um, the scene – not her grandmother). Katerina Graham’s devastation and her cries for help had me choking back tears of my own. Very powerful stuff.

Back in the land of the living, the adorable Caroline was busy giving some well planned speeches to Matt. She’s just too fabulous for words. I’m glad they’ve made her a lot more likable these days. How can you not love Caroline and Matt? If someone goes and breaks them apart (I’m talking to you Plec and Williamson) then let’s just say it will take more than some seal and a heavy tomb door to keep me in check. Got it?!

Not sure how their storyline is going to intersect with the Elena/Bonnie drama, but I’m always weary and fearful when characters find happiness. I’ve seen enough Kevin Williamson movies to know that it’s usually not a good thing, especially not on a show that kills off characters with such ease. Again writers – leave Caroline and Matt alone. Let them be happy, if only for a while.

So Bonnie is without her Grams. Damon is without his Katherine. Jeremy is without his Anna (for now) and we are without THE VAMPIRE DIARIES until the end of March. That’s a lot of time to think about the impact Mystic Falls’ two new vamps will have on the small town. Pearl seems harmless enough (for a vampire) but the creepy guy that walked out of the tomb after drinking Damon’s spilled blood can’t be a good thing. Nor can it be good that the tomb is now open. It’s just a matter of time before the other vamps find their own blood supply and wreak havoc on Mystic Falls.

Thoughts on last night’s episode? Was it enough to last you until March 25th? If you were stuck in the tomb for life would you rather have Stefan or Damon by your side?