Saturday 11 December 2010

The Vampire Diaries: By the Light of the Moon Review

So the promo for this week’s episode of the vampire diaries had me expecting one thing, and yet we were given something completely different. That’s not a bad thing, it just meant that it took me longer than I would have liked to get into the right mind set.
               


Expecting: Stefan and Katherine in the tomb with her breaking him down bit by bit until he snaps and pins her (half naked) against the wall.
                Actuality? Well they were in the tomb, and she was messing with Stefan’s head, but it was brief and not particularly great and the steaminess was all a day dream? What? There was so much potential between the two of them stuck in this confined space, but I really didn’t feel that that was utilised, and Stefan got out way too easily. I really wanted at least one more episode with him stuck, and with more than a couple of two minute scenes of the two of them. There is so much unresolved between them, no matter how many times Stefan says that he’s over Katherine. It’s lies, lies I tell you!

                Expecting: Damon and Elena to have interactions, and for him to possibly make a move.
                Actuality? They had one scene together. One. Now I don’t care if he doesn’t pin her against a wall and ravish her, but I love Dobrev and Somerhalder’s chemistry, and again I felt cheated that they weren’t really used. However, the scene we were given was pretty awesome in its own little way. Cushion throwing? Damon’s snarky jokes? Damon and Jeremy not killing each other, but actually laughing together? Apparently all you need to do is lock Elena up and everyone else bonds over the hilarity over her pouty face.

                Expecting: Some sort of awkwardness over Jeremy’s attempted kiss between him and Bonnie.
                Actuality? None whatsoever – in fact there were cute smiles and plotting and hilarity over Elena’s housebound status. (Which was awesome by the way, I liked Elena being trapped and unable to race off and do really stupid things that require one or both of the Salvatore brothers to rush off and save her. Also, the glass in that door was incredible – not a trace.)

                Expecting: Luca to be more than a little pissed with Bonnie.
                Actuality? Ok so he is double crossing her to do what his dad wants, so he may not actually have forgiven her as easily as it seemed – but come on, make her beg a little more before you give her the melty smile? She almost burst your brain last week! And she’s not really all that sorry, I bet you five bucks she will do it again if she needs to.

                Expecting: Damon to be off fighting evil in his super cool way.
                Actuality? He was in the grill with Alaric (although they do get points for their awesome crime fighting duo which will never ever stop being funny, particularly when Alaric is either drunk or pretending to be.) chatting up some wolf girl (badly) and getting increasingly frustrated that the usual Salvatore charm wasn’t working. I know Damon can’t be epic every week, but this was poor for him. However, seeing him get put down by a girl and watching his reaction to that did go a little way towards appeasing me. Only a little way though. On the plus side, as well as being kick ass, I kind of like how Jules is shaping up – basically anything less useless than Rose is a good thing.

                Expecting: An awesome transformation and general epicness from Tyler and Caroline.
                Actuality? Way, way better than any expectations or thoughts I had before watching this. I mean, oh –my – freakin – god. That was incredible. It was unpleasant, and it made me cry, but it was supposed to, and I’m glad it did and that they didn’t shy away from showing just how awful the transformation was. So much is over cgi’d now, or doesn’t show it so that it’s safe for younger audiences, and a little bit of me was scared they’d do that with this, but seeing this just reaffirmed that I should stop stressing, because this show is not just in capabale hands, it’s in freaking awesome way beyond any of my highest expectations hands. Yeah ok the rest of the episode wasn’t up to the usual levels of high tension, but I think everyone watching was really only focused on one storyline – this one.

Trevino was incredible. He’s been really showing himself this season, and has gone from strength to strength, but this was beyond anything. It was incredible and horrible and painfully heart breaking  to watch him full on sobbing and crying that he couldn’t do it, because there was nothing anyone could to help take away the pain and horror for him – although Caroline tried her damndest.  The whole set up was really well done – I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who found it difficult to watch Tyler wrapped up in chains, (the hardest for me were the ones round his neck) the noises the guy made were heart wrenching and awful, and I know I’m repeating myself but I can’t seem to find words to convey what he did in those scenes. I’ve watched it through twice now, and I cried both times.

Also, I am so glad only bits of the transformation were visible, they were just enough and just right to convey without it looking fake. His arm? His spine? His whole freaking stomach and rib cage?! I want to make a little statue award and give that and a hug to Trevino for getting through that and doing such an incredible job.
One final note before I finish gushing about this part – Caroline and Tyler. I am so, so glad that she was there with him, that she ignored his urging to leave, and she was right back beside him when it was over. Her cradling him and him reaching out to grasp at her as if she’s the only thing keeping him together was truly heart breaking. Thank you Vampire Diaries for going there.

Next time?
Well I’m not quite sure how I’m going to get through the next month without new episodes, particularly not after the new promo for the next episode… I think they just upped the ante a little bit. Although I will admit, not really all that fussed about Rose – the only thing that made me glad she was back, was so that Damon didn’t get bitten.

Two notes of interest from the final scene:
1) Do you think when Rose isn’t using it, the silk robe is actually Damon’s?
2) Who could possibly resist Damon’s “are you sure?”

So this week wasn’t what I was expecting on some levels, and way better on others, but it turned out incredible and I think the bar has just been raised yet again.
Add your own thoughts in the comments below!

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