Wow. Just wow. Any fears that The Vampire Diaries‘ second season premiere wouldn’t live up to its promise have been dashed … I stand in reverent awe at the altar of Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson. Although it picks up exactly where the first season’s finale left us, there are some differences, some nuances, that season two will be different.
Stefan is mean
Get a load of Stefan the Mean, threatening Uncle John so vehemently, and then telling off Katherine so effectively. I don’t necessarily think his meanness is a bad thing, since he’s still got his head on straight (not like his slip last season) … he did refuse to fight with Damon, after all, because he knew that Katherine was trying to pit the brothers against each other. This streak of Stefan’s — he finally got a pair — will possibly keep me from rooting for Damon. A smart move.
Damon is meaner
I know you did it too — you were starting to feel sorry for Damon. The poor guy was just so vulnerable at the end of last season, and the fact that Elena and Katherine (the doppelgangers, ha!) both love Stefan just sent him over the edge in this episode. Rather than leave us with a big puddle of gooey Damon, the writers brought us back to his roots — choosing not to feel so that he didn’t have to account for his actions.
Knowing what’s behind Damon’s douchiness was a stroke of character development genius. He’s instantly understandable, but you still really hate him for making the choices he’s making.
And some things remain the same….
Tender moments
Awwww … Damon gave Caroline blood to save her. Jeremy and Tyler bonded over dead daddies. Uncle John gave Jeremy the Gilbert family pep talk. The Vampire Diaries wouldn’t be The Vampire Diaries without its weekly dose of awwww.
Hunky new character introduced
Just when you thought you were satisfied with ogling the Salvatore brothers last season, Alaric comes along for more drool time. Now it seems we’ve got Uncle Mason to enjoy. No one will ever accuse The Vampire Diaries of being light on eye candy.
OMG moments
I’ve come to love the shocking moments that the writers deliver in layer upon layer in each episode of The Vampire Diaries. Oh, who am I kidding? I squee. I squee with vigor. My squee bubbles over … and I don’t know what got me more this episode — when Damon snapped Jeremy’s neck or when Katherine smothered Caroline. “Game on,” indeed!
Worth mentioning:
I adored the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries and I can’t wait for more — how about you?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Sep 09, 2010 @ 21:00 EST5EDT
I really do think Julie and Kevin are taking this show in the right direction. Especially in terms of characterization. I’m absolutely loving the dichotomy in both Damon and Stefan. It’s original, refreshing and SEXY!
Great episode! Great review :)
Another question…Did Caroline still have enough of Damon’s blood in her system when Katherine killed her to become a vampire?
I think that’s why Katherine told her to deliver the message. Someone is gonna have to show her the vamp ropes.
game on indeed…
K i wrote that before I read the review.
-Katherine was invited in to the Lockwood mansion when Tyler invited her in.
-I think the uncle is a werewolf too, but like he said, he’s learned to control it.
-If the ring only protects from the supernatural, does that mean Alaric getting staked (that’s how they tried to kill him, right?) was considered supernatural?
-That ending was awesome!
-He snapped his neck? OH SNA… er… damn… lol
I can’t wait to see Damon get all crazy!
Agreed – Katherine entered the mansion after Tyler said, “Go on in” thinking she was Elena. She hesitated as she put her foot to the threshold. I doubt she would have done that had she already been in the house in the past.