A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-20

Alright so this question needs to be asked: What in the blue hell is the party budget over at the Mystic Falls High School? On top of having a new event every week, they’re even ordering crystal chandeliers. Crystal chandeliers that are apparently being discarded, no less!

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So the ongoing joke this season has been the many, many, many deaths of Alaric Saltzman. And these repeated deaths made me wonder if his actual death, should it ever happen, would lack an emotional impact. But I have to say, I was extremely moved by the scenes revolving around Alaric’s demise. Of course, they ended up faking us out yet again by having him get forced into his transformation, but nonetheless I think this episode proved that his eventual death (again, assuming it happens) can still be handled in a touching way. The various scenes hit all the right notes.

In particular, the scenes between Alaric and Elena were great, and I’m especially happy that they didn’t cross any potentially uncomfortable barriers. To be blunt, having a middle aged man and an attractive young woman grow close can give people the wrong idea (check out the fanfic out there), and I’m glad they avoided anything that could be misconstrued here. We know that these two characters care and love each other, so it was a good idea to resist having them say “I love you.” And even a simple kiss on the cheek – while innocent – would have taken away from the moment. But what they did say was beautiful. Elena focused on the fact that she was not only losing another friend, but also the one person who could protect her in the most human way possible. And for Alaric, Elena and Jeremy weren’t a burden that he was trying to get away from. They were the one thing that truly gave his life purpose. It was through their scenes that I realized that, amongst all of the supernatural events they’re surrounded by, their relationship provided them with the human comforts that they were lacking.

I also thought it was sweet how all of the characters united to be there for him when he made the decision not to go through with the transformation. When you have a series that features deaths so frequently, it’s easy to become a bit desensitized to it. It’s always refreshing when these characters act like they care when somebody in their life is, ya’ know, going to die. The silent acknowledgement that he touched each of their lives was sweet as well. Definitely one of those moments where less is more.

The scene between Damon and Alaric, while brief, was enjoyable as well. I was actually a bit surprised that it wasn’t longer. This is one of the closest and most complex friendships we’ve seen on the show, so I expected it to get a bit more attention (of course, this really didn’t end up being the end for Alaric, so perhaps that is why). Having said that, their short moment together was sweet and nice.

One thing I found very interesting about this episode was the sudden villainous tone of Esther’s behavior. Since being introduced to her, it’s seemed like she was always interested in doing the right thing. She had seen the err of her ways, and wanted to rid the world of the evil she had unleashed upon it. However, in this episode, she seemed far more willing to hurt and take advantage of innocent people in order to accomplish that mission. She knowingly used Alaric’s “disability” (for lack of a better word) in order to get what she wants – knowing that it would kill him. She forced Elena to participate, despite her protests and knowing full well what she was taking away from her. And she was willing to kill Matt and Jeremy if they got in the way. And even after her demise, Esther still went against Alaric’s wishes, and was willing to sacrifice Bonnie in order to accomplish that. This was probably the worst Esther has looked yet.

Last week I noted how Jeremy is the one person who would show a preference to Stefan over Damon, given the fact that he wasn’t victimized by Stefan the same way the others have been. Well, this week Caroline surprised me by acting extremely pro-Stefan. I wasn’t disappointed – hey, I want Elena to end up with him too – but I didn’t expect it. While Caroline and Damon have always had a complicated relationship, I did always sense a certain closeness between them as well. And while I’m glad it’s happening, I am a tad surprised that many of these characters have been so willing to accept Stefan back into their lives now that he’s good again. Of course I understand Elena and Stefan, since they each love him, but it’s odd to me that everybody but Bonnie has seemingly opted to just forgive and forget.

Actually, I’m starting to suspect that Caroline might be reading my columns, because she was also the first character to bring attention to the growing closeness between Elena and Matt. Since one of the characters noticed it, and brought it up, clearly the writers want to make sure that the audience has noticed it as well. Which makes me wonder where this might be going. They’ve clearly got their hands full with Elena being torn between Stefan and Damon, so why throw Matt into the mix?

Speaking of which, it was a really fun pro-Stefan/Elena episode. Like I’ve been saying for the past few episodes, jerky Stefan was a lot of fun, but I’m glad to see the Stefan of old back. And it’s nice seeing Elena and Stefan attempt to rebuild their relationship. For what it’s worth, I think they’ve found a solid foundation for this love triangle. Stefan is the one Elena truly wants to be with, but Damon is the one she cannot resist feeling something for. It certainly makes each relationship distinct, and makes me truly unsure of who she will choose this go around.

And just a random observation here, but I found it strange that Jeremy so openly mentioned vampires in front of Jamie. Does he know who Jamie is? The same thing happened on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville. Once all of the central characters were in the know, the writers seemingly forgot to have the main characters keep their secrets from random side characters.

Then again, maybe Jeremy was just being a world class c-blocker. If so, well played.