Vampire Diaries: Shocker! Why Does Everybody Have To Die On Me?

Dear Diary:

The brothers are not just my dirty little secret anymore. Suddenly, Entertainment Weekly loves Vampire Diaries, too. Everyone has realized that, against all odds, this show has gone from so bad it’s good, to guilty pleasure, to actually good. Each episode improves on the last. By the end of this one I found myself not only shocked but moved. A major character death was completely unexpected. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

The Hunger

Vicki is waiting for Ty in his car. I hope she’s about to deliver some vampire justice for the attempted date rape, but she’s still Vicki: a scared crying, jonesing mess. She wants to bite Ty, but only because she needs her fix. Fortunately for Ty, Stefan and Damon arrive and pull her off him. Damon uses his hypno power to make Ty forget the whole thing. I support the rapist getting roofied.

The brothers take Vicki back to their house to go through the vampire version of methodone maintenance. Stefan encourages her to stick to animal blood while Damon advises her to drink from people then erase their memories. Somewhere, a philosophy major prepares to write a scholarly paper on the ethics of erasing a crime victim’s memory. Stefan tells Elena that Vicki’s drug history is complicating her transition. I am fascinated that having an addictive personality as a human would impact a vampire’s personality. Stefan advises Vicki to drink coffee so her skin will not be as cold to the touch. I like this show’s unique vampire mythology. Stefan has put a lot of thought into the best ways to “pass” as human. He admits he drank human blood in the past, which does not thrill Elena. I think it shows the strength of his will power. He knows what he is missing and still has the strength to reject it.

Elena asks Vicki to stay away from Jeremy, afraid he will take a bite out of her brother. Vicki’s issues have carried over into the afterlife. She thinks that this is about Elena seeing her as trailer trash. Nobody puts Vampire Vicki in the corner. She grabs Elena by the neck and calls her a, “Perky little bitch.” I like her moxie, though only someone as miserable as Vicki would describe angsty Elena as perky.

Damon takes Vicki outside at night and lets her experience her powers. She uses her super speed to flee to Matt. Oops. He immediately invites his sister inside their house, though she quickly grows annoyed with his questions about where she was for the past few days. At Vicki’s instruction, Matt won’t invite Stefan in the house. Given how everything turns out, this may be the one time she protected her brother. Elena advises Jeremy to let Vicki go. Jeremy refuses to give up the one person who makes him happy. Vicki texts Jeremy to meet him at the school Halloween party.

Crappy Halloween

At the party all the teens are in their full slutoween glory. Matt and Elena are in last year’s doctor and naughty nurse costumes, which is a nice way of showing us the cute couple they used to be. Maybe Elena really was perky before her parents died. Vicki comes as a vampire. Ha! This is probably the only time in her existence that she has been intentionally funny. She stares at everyone’s necks. The party is a buffet to her. Vicki takes Jeremy to the school bus garage. She asks him to run away with her. In another one of this show’s, “How the heck did they get away with that at 8PM?” moments, she bites his lip and starts licking up the blood. He understandably freaks out, but thinks she might just be getting a little too in to the Halloween spirit. She vamps out as Elena arrives. They get into a massive brawl, with Vicki using her strength to beat the crap out of Elena. When Vicki bites her, Stefan stakes her. Whoa. I did not see that coming. Kudos to the show for killing off a series regular this early, and to Kayla Ewell for making me care about this unsympathetic character. (Apparently, the scene originally ended differently.) Unlike in the Buffy universe, her body does not turn to dusk. They are left with a grey corpse. I like that this show does not shy away from the messiness or the darkness of its premise. Stefan calls Damon for help. Elena slaps Damon have it for turning Vicki. He stares at the blood on her neck, then coldly tells her she needs to leave. Clearly, he is capable of fighting temptation. Damon takes Vicki’s body away, presumably to dispose of it.

Elena lies to Matt that she does not know where Vicki is. He ironically wonders if he is in for a lifetime of worrying about her. Poor Matt. Vicki was a mess, but without her he does not have anyone. Elena tries to comfort a devastated, confused Jeremy. He laments, “Why does everybody have to die on me?” Steven McQueen made me tear up during this scene.

Elena asks Stefan to make Jeremy forget. He tells her only Damon has the ability. Damon readily agrees to do it. She asks him to tell him that Vicki left town and he should not look for her. For some reason, they let Damon work his mojo on Jeremy without their supervision. It happened off camera, so who knows what Damon actually convinced Jeremy to believe.

Who Doesn’t Love A Great Gatsby reference?

The mayor and his wife, dressed in leftover twenties clothes from Monday’s ‘Gossip Girl,’ dine at the town’s only restaurant. Damon flirts with the mayor’s wife, recognizing that she is dressed as Daisy Buchanan. He uses his powers to get her to reveal she knew Zach from the Founders Council. Whoa. Was he a double agent or hoping to stake Damon? Too bad Zach is dead so we will never find out. She knew about Zach’s vervaine supply. She and her husband have a limited amount. She wants enough for her friends, family and the council. She also reveals that they checked the arrival times at the Founders Party, assuming those who arrived during the day could not be vampires. The council clearly has no idea that the Salvatores are vampires, or that the rings exist. I hope Damon ends up taking Zach’s place.

The Witching Hour

Grandma Jasmine Guy tells Bonnie their family fled Salem for Mystic Falls. They kept their witch history secret ever since. Jasmine is a professor of the occult. Caroline gives Damon’s amulet to Bonnie to use in her Halloween costume. Damon orders her to give it back to him. He tries to take it, but the jewel burns She asks Grandma about it. It turns out the gem belonged to her great great great great grandmother Emily Bennett, who appears to be Katherine’s maid. I wonder if Emily was helping Katherine, or trying to stop her.

Quote

Okay, count Deepak. - Damon, to Stefan

How can you be so brave and stupid to call a vampire arrogant and glib? - Damon

This daylight thing is a bitch. - Vicki

Your life was pathetic. Your afterlife doesn’t have to be. - Damon

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