Monday, October 19, 2009

Vampire Diaries - Lost Girls, S01E06

This episode is being hailed by most TV writers as the best episode of Vampire Diaries ever. Considering that it's only the 6th episode and it was terrific, that isn't a stretch to say, but I am still a little disappointed.

This is because of the telling, rather than the showing. The episode started with the arrival of Elena (Nina Dobrev), confronting Stefan (Paul Wesley) about who or what he is, and suddenly we were transported back to 1864 as a human Stefan greets Katherine (also Nina Dobrev) for what seems to be the first time. I expected that we would spend the entire episode in the 19th century, watching as Stefan and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) fell in love with Katherine and out of favour with each other. I expected we'd learn how they became vampires, though I suspected we would not see how that saga had ended (with Katherine burning in a church).

Instead, we got a fantastic story focusing on Vicki (Kayla Ewell) and Damon in the present, while Stefan told Elena about the past and we got a couple flashbacks to illustrate. Come on! It would have been so easy to show the story Stefan told Elena and then to have us return to present with the Vicki/Damon development. But, regardless, I still really enjoyed the episode.

While Stefan told Elena of the friendship he and Damon used to share, as well as their attraction towards Katherine, Damon killed all of Vicki's friends and burnt them to hid the COD. When he got to Vicki, she was still alive. He brought her back to the house (which despite the incident with the vervain, he and Stefan will apparently continue to share), where he drank her blood, and she drank his, and they had one heck of a dance party.

As Damon slowly makes Vicki a vamp, we learn that Katherine was a wanton and a bitch. Playing the brother's off each other, flirted excessively and ended up in bed with each of them the night of the Founder's Ball. Very reminiscent of Ashton Main from North and South. Turns out she was the vampire who turned our boys so that the three could be happy forever. It would have been nice to see rather than be told a little more. Why was Stefan so in love with her, why is he still? She's like a female Damon. Good thing that other than appearance she is completely different from Elena, or rather than Elena is different from her.

Damon and Vicki continue to dance, slow this time. Vicki is telling him her pathetic life story, and he determines that she has no self esteem. Only one thing will help - death. And he breaks her neck.

Don't worry, she wasn't completely dead yet. She could still become a vampire - all she had to do was feed. She leaves Damon and turns up at Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and Elena's as if she were utterly high. Jeremy proves again that he's really a fantastic guy and calls her brother. He's super concerned. Stefan and Elena show up - Stefan knows exactly what is going on. When Vicki bolts from the house, refusing to drink Jeremy's blood, he knows exactly where and how to find her.

Unfortunately, the members of the town who are aware vampires exist are out a-hunting. One of them, Logan (Chris J. Johnson), Jenna's former-ex-possibly-current boyfriend, has Jeremy's watch rigged with a Vampire compass (weird, I know, but whatever). He finds them and shoots Stefan with a wooden bullet, preparing to stake him. But no fear, Damon is there to save the day, declaring that he's not going to let anyone spoil his fun with Stefan's death. Then Vicki, who'd been resigned to die, chomps down on Logan's neck and runs off into the woods.

Stefan returns Damon's ring, and returns himself to Elena to admit his failure. She dumps him, breaking her own heart, which reminds me of how very young she is. I wonder how much more likely it is for a high school student and a vampire to make it than two high school students. Just seem like bad odds.

So, despite not getting enough of the 1860s, it was still the best episode yet and I am very excited to see where it will go.


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