Monday, December 13, 2010

Vampire Diaries Friendship, Love And An Unexpected Alliance "By The Light Of The Moon" Review/Recap


"Now that you've got that thing back, what are you going to do with it?"

     Elena has been a fiery force of nature these last few episodes and even though her screen time in "By The Light Of The Moon" was diminished, her 'Petrova Fire' was still burning brightly. I love that they have brought the selflessness of Elena from the books into the series. Even though her tired plan to trade herself and that damn moonstone for the protection of her loved ones is clearly a bad idea, Elena irrevocably believes it to be the only option. Well, that got her put on lock down at the Gilbert house, complete with chaperons. Who are, by the way, surprisingly repose with each other. After last week's sexual tension tease-fest you would think there would be at least a smidgen of awkwardness, but Bonnie, Jeremy and even Damon are acting more like Frat boys hazing a pledge.

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"Vampire Barbie asked if she could handle it."

     Of course it was Damon's idea to transform Elena's house into a cozy prison. This was really genius, for two reasons: The invisible barrier not only keeps Elena inside, but no one can take Elena out either. On a side note; Has anyone clued Bonnie, Caroline and all the other sacrificial puzzle pieces in on the fact they're in danger of being used, blead and/or killed over a bar of soap in the name of Klaus' Master Plan?!?!
    Damon is in full protective mode and I actually really like his restraint with Elena, especially given the situation. Instead of the usual outpouring of angsty, awesome chemistry that we often get with D/E(and love), Damon seems to have his eye focused to what's at hand. Personally, I like the slow burn of their constant intensity and inevitable coalesce. To me, that's what good storytelling is and Kevin and Julie have a penchant for it. Now, it's off to the Grill to investigate the new hottie in town and rekindle one of my favorite Bromances.

 
"Sheriff Forbes has officially declared Mason Lockwood a missing person."


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     I never get tired of Dalaric, they really play off each other beautifully. Fake drunk Alaric is hilarious, because you can totally tell it's fake and Damon swooping in for the rescue looks completely contrived. The plan is to slip some Wolf's Bane into Lady Wolf's drink. First, I'd like to say that when I saw this scene I totally got the 'I'm going to roofee and date rape you in the alley' vibe :). However, our Bromantic duo assuredly underestimated Jules. Back at the Lockwood Mansion Jules got on the horn with someone who was presumably another Werewolf and reported her intel. So, like is there a whole pack of surfing werewolves back in Florida just waiting to migrate up to Mystic Falls and do some Vampire hunting? Jules has the upper hand here, clearly she knows her mythology and can smell Vampires and Wolf's Bane. Ballsy; "You fool, I've been at this a long time. Tonight is not the night to pick a fight with me, you've been marked." Maybe Jules is more adept at controlling her werewolf alter-ego.


 
"You're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff."
 
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     I'm super glad Aunt Jenna and Alaric have been getting some sexy time, but bless her and her cluelessness. The Gilbert house is the easiest house to infiltrate in Mystic Falls, there's someone new and unwanted in there like every other episode. I know they can't tell Jenna about the new Hellmouth of the South, but someone could bring up the idea of ADT to her, and maybe shut the windows and lock the doors occasionally. Oh, and stop her from inviting every new person that arrives in Mystic Falls into the house!


Bonnie and Luka

I love the nickname of Manwitch that @cadlymack has given Joanes and Luka, so that's what I will be calling them from now on. I guess Bonnie is too smitten with baby manwitch to be suspicious by Daddy Manwitch's ginormous Grimoire collection. I don't know about you, but given everything that's goes supernaturally awry in Mystic Falls, that would send me a red flag. Anyway, Bonnie's heart is in the right place, but I can hardly believe she actually thought she'd be able to effectively de-spell the bar of soap, but Bonnie and baby manwitch give it a whirl despite my logic. As we have seen in the last two episodes, apparently channeling magic feels really awesome! Maybe that's why Bonnie shows a blind eye to the creepiness of Daddy Manwitch. I don't completely hate Luka, because he's very discontent with his role as minion to his father and Elijah. He delivers the bar of soap, unscathed, to Daddy Manwitch, but begrudgingly. Luka quite possibly could have some genuine feelings for Bonnie.

"I don't think it's like the Hulk where I get to keep my pants."


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     The highlight of "By The Light Of The Moon" was Tyler and Caroline. We all knew ahead of time that Tyler's struggle and transformation would be showcased in the Fall Finale and there was no disappointment to be had. My expectations were really all over the place with this aspect of the show, but I was really blown away by how TVD set themselves apart from other supernaturally based series'. The limited CGI allowed the audience to focus on the agony that this curse brings. The shadowing used was brilliant and made his bones breaking believable. I had to force myself not to look away at times. Tyler's convulsing and spasmic reactions embodied and authenticated what turning into a werewolf means in this lore. Michael Trevino owned the episode and his performance was heartbreakingly real and poignant. Even from the the first scene when Tyler was desperately trying to call Mason one last time, you could see the fear and anxiety with every expression and hear it in every word of dialogue Tyler spoke throughout the episode. Trevino's character has come a long way since season 1, Tyler has evolved into so much more than just a peripheral bully with a lot of rage.
     Caroline's support through her natural enemies battle was beyond incredible. Candice Accola's character has become so much more in this sophomore season of "The Vampire Diaries" also. Caroline, once self consumed has be reborn (pun intended) into a sincerely selfless creature. The kind of loyalty Caroline manifests is something Tyler has never experienced. A shining example is how she remains, cradling him on the floor with her vamp strength while he labors to exist in his torment. Finally, as Tyler crests into an uncontrollable state, Caroline is forced to leave. Even as Tyler is chomping at her through the bars, the tears still come and Caroline is left wanting and remorseful because she has to abandon her friend and succumb to forgivable fear.

"I'm a man of my word Elena, I make a deal, I keep a deal."

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     Daniel Gillies character Elijah has been a scary mystery since he arrived on the scene in "Rose".  I'm not gonna lie, Elijah totally creeped me out from jump. I thought, "He's one hell of a villain!". Elijah's revelation about Klaus's plan and delusional state of mind makes sense. That, coupled with the deal he made with Elena has me hoping he's not just a big fat co-conspirator keeping all the sacrificial puzzle pieces safe for the demented-one. Elijah's posture and subtle movements make him very disarming, which also makes you want to believe him. He hasn't lied thus far, that we know of, plus he's all like; I'm so powerful and awesome, why would I lie? Lord knows the kids, the Brothers Broody and Barbie Vamp need the help if Klaus is as strong and deadly as everyone says. Elijah would definitely tip the scales in their favor. In addition, he has come up with the only plausible plan to date. I just hope it's not too good to be true, as with so many things TVD.  

"The pleasure I'll get from watching you suffer is greater than any pain I'll ever feel." 

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     Back at the tomb we have Katherine tormenting Stefan's thoughts with sexual goodness, fun times ;). Alas, the tomb tumble was all a dream implanted by the diabolical mistress of darkness, and I for one was disappointed.  Nina Dobrev makes the character of Katherine irresistible and as Kat, she has an electrifying chemistry with Stefan. We see a darker, more assertive side to Stefan when he's with Katherine that makes for some great scenes. I don't believe that Stefan is completely over his love lost with her and I would've liked to have seen them trapped together just awhile longer. Why else would Stefan want her to show him she's changed to seemingly prove her love?  I really sympathize with Katherine and I can't help but have faith that she loves Stefan. What she went through the first 20 yrs of her life would have broke any normal girl and centuries on the run would harden the best of hearts. However, despite the non-hookup Katherine did inform us that Isobel found her. Isobel said Katherine sought her out; So, which one is it? Before Katherine can elaborate Elijah shows up to spring Stefan, leaving Kat compelled to stay. Stefan and Elena end up together, of course, by the end of "By The Light Of The Moon", but it never really felt like they were apart.

"I don't love men who love other women, I think more of myself than that, but it doesn't mean I can't be your special friend."

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     I won't say much about Rose and I know there's a lot of hate in the TVD fandom for her, but she grew on me with that line. She further grew on me when she knowingly, without hesitation took the werewolf bite that was meant for Damon. As far as everyone knew a werewolf bite would kill a vampire, but Rose, for all intents and purposes, sacrificed herself for Damon. That's selfless and deserves notice. With that we learn that a wolf bite doesn't equal instant death, but does leave a nasty flesh eating wolf toxin behind, plus a whole host of other symptoms behind that we'll see January 27th when "The Vampire Diaries" returns.

Photo Credit: Vampire Diaries Web, CW

1 comment:

  1. excellent review! I loved the episode. As a Elena/Stefan shipper, I was glad that the Kat/Stefan scene was just Kat playing around, but I do find the chemistry different between Kat/Stefan (a testemant to the aweseomeness of Miss Dobrev) Caroline and Tyler are all kinds of wonderful, and I cannot wait to see more of them..... as for Elijah, he is so good at being so bad! I love Luka and Bonnie and I hope that despite his soap stealing ways....they can find a way to be together. :)

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