Oh no! Bonnie turned Elena into a mime! Seriously, though...Damon resorting to getting Bonnie to do a spell that'd prevent Elena from leaving her house? That's verging on Edward Cullen levels of over-protectiveness. When you start trying to control someone in that way, it gets a little creepy (I do understand that he was just keeping the promise he made to Stefan about making sure Elena stayed safe). I enjoyed Damon calling Caroline "Vampire Barbie", as well as Elena throwing a pillow at him (followed by her shoving a laughing Jeremy off of her onto the floor).
I had to laugh at Damon answering Alaric's "Where is Mason anyway?" question with "Decomposing in his truck.".
Also funny? Caroline's reaction to seeing Tyler taking his shirt off. Guess that's not the usual reaction he gets.
I loved the bit with Alaric, Damon and Mason's mysterious friend (Jules), where Alaric was playing the town drunk role and Damon was playing the nice guy role whilst they were slipping her Wolfsbane. Gotta love Damon/Alaric's buddy cop duo.
Nice fake-out, in the scene where Stefan started making out with Katherine in the tomb. I'd forgotten she could pull that mind trick with him. I'm so very glad it wasn't real. My respect for Stefan would have dropped considerably if it'd been real. Glad to know he's still a man of integrity.
Also a surprise was the reveal of Elijah in Elena's house behind Jenna. I was worried for Jenna.
Damon continued to amuse me with the act he was putting on for Jules (especially his "I know Mason!"/"He's a great guy."/"Missing missing?" lines).
The scene with Elena and Elijah, where he explained the deal he wanted to make with her, was the first time I've been able to tolerate his character. Still don't like him, however. And just as well he *didn't* want to kill Elena (considering she was trapped in her house with him thanks to Bonnie's spell).
I thought all the scenes with Caroline and Tyler were really good. Both actors did a great job. Michael Trevino certainly looked like he was putting himself through the ringer to convey the agonising pain that the transformation was causing Tyler. And Candice Accola totally sold the feelings of helplessness and horror Caroline must have been going through whilst watching Tyler in pain.
Nice to see that Jules wasn't fooled by Damon's act. I'm glad she knew full-well what he was and what he was trying to do to her (has Damon already forgot that Mason knew what he was way before he revealed himself and tried to stab him in the chest?). It's always nice when there's someone who fails to be impressed with Damon's threats and I liked her calling him on his arrogance. I'm also glad Alaric tried to talk some sense into Damon, reminding him that picking a fight with a werewolf wasn't so bright - considering one bite would kill him.
Although hearing Tyler telling Caroline to go and her refusing to do so *did* get a little repetitive after a while, I was glad to see that she stood by him until she literally could no longer do so. Those bone-crunching sounds, not to mention the noise of his hollering/growling - they really went a long way to making the transformation seem like a truly horrific experience to go through. I admired the effects used to convey his changing, they were just the right amount. Very well done.
Whoo! A mention of Isobel! I SO hope to see Mia Kirshner on this show again soon. Then again, given TVD's habit of offing characters on a regular basis...she's probably safer if she stays gone.
Poor Katherine. I did actually feel sympathy for her, being left in the tomb while Stefan was allowed to leave. Kudos to Nina Dobrev for being able to make me feel sorry for a character like Katherine. She may be evil, but that look on her face...it really did make me feel for her.
I was happy to see Elena and Stefan reunited at the end. Less happy, though, to see that Rose's werewolf bite looked to be going very bad for her. I just *knew*, when she showed up so late in the episode, that it didn't bode well for her. Poor Rose, that boil-y rash looked nasty. Damnit, show, don't off Rose! She's awesome! And I like that she said she doesn't love men who love other women/that she thinks more of herself than that (so she's not blind to the fact that Damon's still in love with Elena). I really felt for her when she expressed such relief (when her bite was healing quickly) and thought the legend of the werewolf bite must not have been true. I also liked that she risked her own life for Damon (and that he said he was glad the legend turned out to be fake. Too bad he spoke too soon). Plus, she wanted to stay to help save/protect Elena. So she can't be that bad. She's a great character, and Lauren Cohan has nice chemistry with Ian Somerhalder.
Thank goodness this episode was a great improvement from last week's. Props especially have to go to Trevino and Accola, who totally stole this episode. This has been a strong first half of Season 2. TVD must be commended for not suffering a "Sophomore Slump" like so many shows do. The writers/creators of this series have proved that they're in it for the long haul and are more than up to the challenge of maintaining the high quality we've to come to expect. Only ONE 'bad' episode (last week's) out of eleven episodes so far? Pretty impressive. This continues to be my favourite show on TV at the moment and the one I look most forward to seeing every week. Well done to everyone involved. Cannot wait for your return.
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