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 I'm delighted to tell you that it didn't take all week to figure out how Vampire Diaries went from so-bad-it's-good to genuinely good. It was episode six, "Lost Girls." But first I had to slog my way through episode five, "You're Undead to Me." Okay, slog is a little harsh since the episode featured a car wash, which meant it featured lots of toned arms, but there's little of note except:
- Bonnie uses her powers for selfish reasons (she sets the car of a mean girl on fire), gets a little freaked out, finds an ally in Stefan, runs off to her grams. Again, I think the Bonnie-witch plotline has been paced well and showing Stefan as aware of her situation and willing to keep it to himself further deepens his character, especially after he appeared so blasé about putting Caroline at risk in the last episode.
- Stefan makes Elena dinner to win her back. It's cute.
- Damon gets free and snaps Zach's neck (killing off the Salvatore bloodline?). Not that I didn't think Damon was capable, but it's still made a good DUN!
- Elena finally figures out that Stefan's a vampire.
There were a few negatives: - When Stefan says that he thinks Seinfeld was the best American TV show of the last fifty years, Elena gets this big "I know, right?!" smile and nod going. No. Just no. Elena is 17. The show debuted two years before she was born and went off the air when she was six. She has no memories of Seinfeld.
- Matt warns Stefan that Elena's big on trust, so she won't stop until she figures out what Stefan's keeping from her. I said this last time, and I'll say it again: WTF does that have to do with trust? Learn another word, writers. Stefan's well within his rights to not tell Elena his biggest secret within, like, a month of knowing her. How 'bout Elena gives him a chance to see if he can trust her?
None of that matters because "Lost Girls" comes along, and things get awesome. Thanks to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, the dialogue's a little too on point, but they move through a heck of a lot of plot at a prodigious rate. The awesomeness can be broken down along two axes: - Elena/Stefan
Elena confronts Stefan over the whole vamp thing, and, while he justifiably needs to explain a thing or two to her, she is freaked out and tells him to get away. Yes! Bella and Sookie never do that. Freaking out is exactly what a normal person would do! Stefan's worried about the newly freed Damon, so he stands watch on her porch. Another excellent, not creepy, not watching her sleep manoeuvre. Elena gives Stefan the next day to explain himself, and, while the flashbacks show us the limits of Nina Dobrev's acting abilities (her Katherine's hardly the vivacious vixen Stefan and Damon make her out to be), they also show us the much closer bond Stefan and Damon used to have. Though the day seems to bring them closer and Elena believes that Stefan would never hurt her, Elena chooses not to stay involved with a vampire. The first time around, my viewing companion commended Elena for making the smart choice (me: Whatever, he's fly). Even though it doesn't stick, it is nice to see. Plus, Paul Wesley does a good shock paralysis. - Damon/Vicky
Damon tries to kill Vicki again and, when that doesn't stick, turns her out of boredom. First there's lots of drunken, silly dancing, some even sillier (and funnier) slow dancing, and the following exchange, to which text does not do justice:
Damon: You're completely damaged, aren't you?
Vicky: Yup.
Damon: You don't have one hint of self-esteem, do you?
Vicky: Nope.
So he snaps her neck. It's all part of the "whole ordeal" of becoming a vampire in the Diaries-verse, but it's well handled. A little funny, a little shocking, a little wee DUN! if you're feeling it.
Even though that would probably be the moment some people would end the episode, they have time to fit in a will-she-or-won't-she for Vicki's transition (last step: drink human blood), shoot Stefan, kill Logan, have Damon save Stefan (hmmm), and have Elena call it off. It's positively Gossip Girl-ian up in there for a minute (GG, particularly in the first season, has this fantastic way of ending with a DUN! only for you to look at the clock and see that there's actually ten minutes of episode left. "Holy shit! What else could happen?" is the natural reaction). And any time a show gets me to that "Holy shit!" point, you know it's firing on all cylinders. Well played, Vampire Diaries. You're good. Actually, genuinely good. Now if only I could figure out why Elena has multiple ruched sleeve jackets.
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