THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Brave New World

Previously on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES…
The bitch is back. And in case you weren’t sure the particular bitch I’m talking about, it’s Katherine. The doppel-vamp was all business and wasted no time in wreaking havoc on Mystic Falls. She stabbed Uncle John, seduced Stefan and killed Caroline (well, kind of). Anyone else ready to send her back to wherever she came from?

Yeah, me neither. She’s fabulous!

After Elena rejected Damon, he went a little berserk and snapped Jeremy’s neck. He survived. Thank God for the little ‘rings’ in life.

In “Brave New World” Elena Gilbert did her best to be a ‘normal’ teen by immersing herself in the Mystic Falls High carnival. Try as she may, this girl is doomed to be bathed in a dark light and no amount of cotton candy is going to let her escape her fate.  Despite Elena’s protests, Stefan is the one to blame. If only he could have stayed away, I’m sure Mystic Falls would have been a nice place to visit. A quaint vacation spot.  Now it’s just a hub of decimation and slaughter. (Not sure they should print that on their ‘Welcome’ brochures.)

Quick! Someone get Caroline a bottle of ‘True Blood’. Sister is going to need it now that she’s been vampified by Katherine.

Yes, I think we all knew the undead life Caroline was bound to lead after Katherine smothered her with the pillow, but seeing blondie actually partake in the thrills of the afterlife was a bit disheartening. It’s not like Caroline was all that warm blooded when she was human, but she had found love and seemed to be on a good path, and then BAM! you’ve been vamped. I hate when that happens.

Caroline Forbes certainly had an eventful first day as a vampire. An insatiable thirst for blood. Eyes vamping. Fangs drawn. A silver burn. First human feed. First human kill. All and all, given the circumstances, I think she handled herself quite well.

If killing Caroline and then bringing her back as a vamp is what it took to give Candice Accola the spotlight for an episode, then so be it. The girl killed it tonight (pun absolutely intentional) conveying Caroline’s bouncy house of emotions after being turned. The confusion, the grief, the bewildered joy, and the sadness over the life she left behind. She weaved in an out of a myriad of sensitives, whether they be physical in nature or otherwise mental all while maintaining the human core of Caroline Forbes. Accola was already a favorite of mine, but she really brought it tonight.

Caroline wasn’t the only one getting a glimpse into her new, supernatural life. Tyler Lockwood might not have it all figured out just yet, but he knows something isn’t quite right with his ‘ambiguously supernatural mystery’ uncle Mason. First is was all the questions about Tyler’s temper.  Then there was the shadiness about the heirloom moonstone. But when Mason intervened on behalf of Tyler during a fight, Mason’s emotions got the best of him and Tyler looked directly into the eyes of a monster…who just happened to be his uncle.

Mason tried his best to downplay what Tyler saw, but his excuses were lame. His eyes were yellow because of the reflection of a car’s headlights? Come on Mase Dogg (his new name btw), you can do better than that, no?

Tyler was suspicious and knew something was up but he didn’t seemed nearly as freaked out as maybe he should have been.  Dude, if I’m in a fight and my uncle gets all fired up, starts jumping around like an animal and then his eyes turn bright yellow, I might be a little wigged out. Ok, in his defense I’m not sure I would have surmised that he’s a werewolf, but I certainly wouldn’t be as calm as Tyler seemed.

We’re going to have to wait and see what effect that moonstone has on Tyler and his family, but it can’t be good. Unless that stone had something to do with Tyler Lockwood’s brand new abs, then it’s nothing BUT good. (Note: Wondering if Michael Trevino can take one more cue from The Situation and maybe hit up a tanning salon.  You’re playing a werewolf buddy, not a ghost.)

So far we have werewolves, witches and vamps (oh my!). This can’t be good for the property taxes in Mystic Falls. But it certainly helps the town with population control, especially when all the supernaturals are hell bent on killing each other.

Tonight we had Damon attempting to kill Caroline.  Caroline killing a human (and a hot one at that).  Bonnie came thisclose to flame broiling Damon. And Jeremy considered killing Damon.

Can’t we all just calm down and stop trying to slaughter one another? Everyone needs to just get on a ferris wheel and chill.

Two guys who kept themselves together fairly well given the circumstances were Damon and Jeremy.  What was with the ‘my dad was a vamp hater, too’ bonding? Unexpected, but I like it. Here’s to hoping that these recent interactions with Damon means that Jeremy will have a bigger storyline this season.  Now that’s he’s ‘in the know’, I’m hoping we see more of him week to week. The more Steven McQueen we get, the better. (Did I mention he’s 22 years old? I feel better when my admiration isn’t directed at jailbait.)

Kudos to the writers for not going down the ‘Jeremy the Vampire Slayer’ path.  I wasn’t totally anti, but I think it was somewhat expected given the way last week’s episode ended. To see Jeremy realize that following in the Gilbert forefather footsteps wouldn’t bring him any solace was another example of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES refreshing unpredictability.

Despite the darkness that has descended upon the town, Stefan all of a sudden found the funny.  Guess little bro was over having Damon be the king of the wit.

In my favorite exchange of the night, the Salvatore brothers try to figure out just what kind of creature Mason Lockwood might be.

Damon: “If they’re not vampires then what the hell are they?”
Stefan: “Ooh, maybe they’re Ninja Turtles”
Damon: “You’re not funny.”
Stefan: “Zombies. Werewolves”
Damon: “No comedic timing at all.”

I beg to differ, Damon.

Katherine didn’t materialize tonight. (What does she do in Mystic Falls when she’s not tormenting others? Perhaps she too enjoys fall programming and wanted to catch up on the DVR. Maybe she missed last week’s TRUE BLOOD finale and wanted to watch before she was spoiled.)

I wonder if Katherine will make an appearance every other week.  Having her in every episode must be quite taxing on The Dobrev.

Despite missing the deliciousness of Katherine, overall “Brave New World” was a solid episode. It lacked the overall explosiveness of last week’s season premiere, but it didn’t slow down in the storytelling and it set up quite a few arcs for the remainder of the season. It was every bit satisfying as that Capri sun pouch of blood that Caroline was drinking from.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is the cornerstone of my Thursday night schedule. It earned its place at the top of my ‘must watch’ list last year and two episodes into the new season I don’t see it slipping from that coveted spot anytime soon.

A few more random thoughts and favorite quotes while I take a stab (get it, a stab) at trying to whittle a proper wooden stake.

• Tonight was the Mystic Falls High School Annual Carnival.  Is it me or does this town find any excuse to party?

• Bonnie: “We have to make Caroline proud, or she’ll kill us.” (Oh Bonnie, if you only knew)

• The final scene with Stefan and Elena made me think of two of my favorite things in life: Everwood and Twilight (don’t judge me, you’re watching The Vampire Diaries). Stefan surprising Elena with a ride on the ferris wheel was so Ephram and Amy circa 2006. And come on, any sentence that starts off with “you better hold on tight” should always end in “spider monkey”. Can we make that a law or something?

• Loved the bluntness of Jeremy:  “I was killed by a vampire and brought back a magic ring. how do you move forward from that?” Hilarious!

• There is absolutely no way that Caroline’s new lot in life isn’t going to affect Matt, but damn if that boy doesn’t deserve a break. Too cute for words. The ‘I love you’ despite the fact that you’re a crazy ass bitch’ speech was brills!

• Is it me or did Mrs. Lockwood seem surprisingly chipper for just having buried her husband? At least pretend to be the grieving widow, even if it’s just for appearances.

• Really glad we are going to see Caroline attempt to live the good life.  I really liked the chemistry between Stefan and Caroline. Looking forward to seeing the bloodsucking Yoda teach the young undead Skywalker the ways of the Vamp.

• Um, donde esta Alaric?!

That’s all from me.  Now it’s YOUR turn.  Thoughts on tonight’s VAMPIRE DIARIES? Are you digging Caroline all vamped out or are you bummed she’s no longer human? Favorite moments of the ep? Share with us like Stefan will share with Caroline.