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The Vampire Diaries: O Come, All Ye Faithful

Stefan (to Klaus): "I need to find a cure now more than ever. Yet here you are making post-modern snowflakes."

Josie asked me to fill in for her by reviewing this episode - something I'm really excited about since it was this site that got me to give the show another chance after the pilot. Unfortunately, the episode itself was kind of a mixed bag.

Most of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" dealt with immediate problems in (possibly) temporary ways, while having little impact on the overarching story.

Elena persuaded Damon to not send her away, but within 24 hours he knew he needed to. Of course, Elena's send-off was far less permanent than Charlotte's, but unless Damon is leaving Mystic Falls, there's no way it can be. I foresee more angst for our never-the-right-time couple. If only unsiring was as easy as it is on True Blood.

Stefan may have done the honorable thing in breaking up with Elena, but he's still acting like she's his girlfriend, which kind of nullifies that. It's pretty obvious that he's just waiting for the cure to "fix" Elena so they can go back to being the perfect couple. So in his mind they're taking a break, while in Elena's mind, they're over. A disastrous recipe that makes Stefan act like a jerk pretty much the entire time.

While it did seem a bit of an easy fix, I loved the way the show found around Jeremy the hunter always wanting to kill Elena the vampire - the idea of a detour between the conscious and subconscious mind was pretty cool. And it's nice that Bonnie's the person who will get his mind to realize he shouldn't kill his sister (and her friends, too, I assume - especially with Damon staying to look after Jeremy).

We got a few more details on Professor Shane and what he knows, but it's all pretty nebulous since no one knows when he's telling the truth. Him knowing a way to the cure means there's an alternative to Stefan teaming up with Klaus. It's hard to tell which distrustful partnership is worse, but despite this episode's events, at least Klaus' motives are clear. Shane is the invisible puppeteer, orchestrating events to get a witch, a pack of hybrids, and even an Original to do exactly what he wants.

Tyler's world changed so much in this episode, going from a leader fighting for the freedom of his friends to an orphan on the run, reeling from Hayley's betrayal. I'm glad we've seen the last of her for a while.

The most powerful, gruesome moment of the entire episode was "O Holy Night" playing while an enraged Klaus ripped his hybrids to shreds. I wasn't expecting that at all. I thought their plan would actually work but for less time than they envisioned, after which Klaus would come after them. C'mon, who didn't want to see Claire Holt play Klaus for a few minutes?

While I didn't consciously consider that Carol Lockwood would die in this episode, it didn't surprise me at all, thanks to the heartfelt moments she and Tyler shared. It sure doesn't pay to be an adult in Mystic Falls, does it? Santa Klaus kept up his holiday-themed killing spree with "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for the mayor's death. And so, by taking his pack and his mother, Klaus gives Tyler a brutal taste of his own loneliness.

Klaus may have gotten his revenge for the hybrids' plot, but by doing that he destroyed any good favor he'd built up with Caroline and anyone else in town. He is truly a villain, and truly alone now. Maybe it's a good thing Rebekah is coming back. And what place will April take in all this, now that she knows what's really going on in Mystic Falls?

Bites:

Caroline: "Well, who’s dumb enough to allow their body to be a Klaus sublet?"

Damon: "Bonnie’s enlisted Dr. Evil in her plan and I have to thwart him."

Caroline: "Is this you in crisis mode? Because it's a lot more subtle than mine."

Klaus: "Loneliness, Stefan. That's why me and you memorialize the dead."

And Pieces:

For a show about charming mass murderers, Klaus really takes the cake. It's pretty amazing writing that you can still feel a little sad for a guy who just killed 13 people.

Caroline really stinks at keeping secrets. Last episode she told Elena about the sire bond, this week she told Stefan about Tyler's plan with the hybrids and how "together" Damon and Elena were.

18 comments:

  1. Terrific job, Katie!

    Yes, I agree that it's odd how I'm sort of liking Klaus. I wonder if the writers set him on this episode's killing spree in order to give him his evil teeth back? :) I was actually happy that Damon didn't immediately go all noble, and that there seem to be constant hints that Elena may be sired, but she still has genuine feelings for Damon.

    Twelve people in the cabin, twelve hybrids -- are we going to get a sacrifice of twelve vampires next?

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  2. I love Klaus. He's basically all the bits of Spike Damon didn't get, minus chip, plus invincibility.

    Stefan and Caroline are being such nosy busybodies they're driving me crazy, but at the same time I find myself strangely drawn to the idea of a crazy threesome between Stefan, Caroline and Klaus. Which isn't going to happen because this isn't True Blood, though I hold out some hope for Stefan/Caroline, depending where Elena/Damon goes (which had better be good places. If she gets back together with Stefan, I want Klaus to rip both their hearts out instantly).

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  3. I've started pulling for a Caroline/Stefan thing because let's face it, she could never be happy with Klaus and I don't like Tyler (although I certainly felt sorry for him in this one). It would be so nice if the Elena/Stefan thing just went away. Elena's relationship with Damon, even when it's not romantic, is so much more interesting than anything she's had with Stefan.

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  4. Definitely! I can live with Stefan when he's not with Elena, and when he's with Klaus (or sometimes Caroline) he actually borders on interesting, but Stefan and Elena together are so dull they just suck the life right out of the TV... Whereas Elena and Damon are always interesting whatever they're doing.

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  5. I think Professor Shane is the best friend that buried Silas and that’s how he knows where he is buried. The show has already established that powerful witches don’t age.

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  6. I'm really not liking Caroline this season, she is judgemental and controlling and not in a fun way.
    I have to agree about the great writing - I was really kinda sad for Klaus even as he slaughtered a whole bunch of people.

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  7. I definitely prefer the Stefan/Caroline pairing, even though Tyler's grown on me as he's matured. I never could see how Stefan/Elena was epic - Damon/Elena was always more fun. But then I'm a Buffy/Spike - Angel/Cordy girl, so I guess it's only natural. I used to always root for the good guy, Romeo/Juliet pairings, but meeting Spike, Damon, Logan, Jess, Eric, etc. have completely destroyed that inclination. Some bad boy will eventually end up breaking my heart, and I will blame TV!

    Juliette, I love your comment about Klaus being all the bits of Spike Damon didn't get - that fits perfectly!

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  8. I can't help defending Stefan. I think people should cut him some slack. He has every right to be hurt. I certainly don't find him "jerkish".

    The way I see it Stefan wants to find the cure for Elena because he knows that she would want to hold on to her compassion and humanity, and her vampirism is clearly taking that away from her (she even said that she didn't want to be this person). I don't think that's selfish at all. That's beautiful.

    Then again I'm a Stefan/Elena girl. But it's interesting how our interpretation of what we watch can vary so much.

    Heh. Katie, I love Buffy/Spike and Eric/Sookie, but I absolutely despise Damon/Elena. Strange, because it should fit the bad boy/good girl pattern.

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  9. This episode was weird for me, i usually love the Damon and Elena bits, but in this one they were kinda lame, i didnt feel the chemistey that they usually have, and she seemd very willing to let him go, alot more than Charlotte.
    The best part of the episode for me was killer Klaus, the part where he killed the hibryds was awesome!
    Caroline and Stefan were extremly annoying the last couple of episodes, and i usually like her..
    Somehow the 'bad guys' are the most loveble charachters, should it be like that? I mean without Klaus and Damon the show is vanila.

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  10. So, I'm confused. I thought that Tyler broke up with Caroline (rather emphatically) after she helped arrange the murder of his friend? What the heck? I was so happy about that! I prefer Tyler with Hayley and Caroline with...anyone else.

    I was impressed with April's composure during the bathroom scene, which allowed her to escape a shocking and dangerous situation unharmed. She just became a lot more interesting!

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  11. Katie, what a wonderful review! Thank you so much for filling in.

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  12. Noooooo, I don't really want Klaus to be this killer-bad... I kinda like the idea of Caroline making him better and stuff... Cliché huh?

    It's weird, I thought the Caroline/Tyler combination was adorable and great in the beginning, but he is somehow... It's like he doesn't appreciate her for everything she is and does. So that sucks.

    Oh boy, please, no Caroline/Stefan combination! They would be like 'the moral couple' or 'the goody-goody's'. Ugh. The girl for Stefan right now would be April, I think. He could go all Twilighty on her since he seems more of a human-girl kinda guy. Vamp. Guy.

    The professor is giving me the chills. He seems so nice and helpful but we allready know he is the worst kind of evil. Hardcore evil. Scary shit right there... I can't wait for Januari! To bad we're all going to die the 21st ;)

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  13. This show soo continues to impress!!! I agree completely about Klaus. I defo think VD is one of the best written shows on TV, and here is why. Just when we might actually be seeing a good side to him, and even Caroline and Stefan are starting to maybe realize they are just as bad as him, he goes and kills 12 hybrids, without even breaking a sweat. Klaus is not someone you want to annoy!! I seriously commend the writers for basically having an invincible main character and not neutering him all the time. Klaus is indestructible. He was when they introduced him, and he still is now. Nobody even stands a remote chance in a fight against him (aside from the now dead Mikael and Alaric), yet they still find ways to flesh out his character and keep him interesting.
    Compare this to Supernatural's Castiel. I love Supernatural, and I love Castiel... but every season the writers are continuously finding ways to neuter him down. Behind the scenes it must be one hell of a headache to write episodes with Cas as he kind of doesn't fit in the monster hunting part of the show... hell Sera Gamble simply gave up last year!

    Agree with Caroline and Stefan thing, although they both realized that neither of them were perfect. I commend the writers again for finding ways to keep the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle going 4 seasons in and STILL keep it interesting. Elena turned into a vampire at EXACTLY the right time. I'm so glad they had the balls to do it while at the same time glad they did not rush it.

    Did I say VD is one of the best written shows on TV. I think it contends for THE best written show, for so many reasons.

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  14. Great review, Katie; but, I'm afraid my love affair with this show is coming to an end. I find myself putting off watching it because I know it's either going to infuriate me or bore me. Tonight, it did both.

    I'm completely over the Brothers Salvatore/Elena triangle. The scene with Stefan and Caroline at the end made me roll my eyes. Stefan and Elena broke up because of her feelings for Daman -- what did Stefan think was going to happen?

    The whole sire thing continues to annoy me as does the story line about the cure. There seems to be a lot of men making decisions for Elena "for her own good." The bit where Damon said he liked watching her be normal made me groan out loud. Stop with the getting her back to normal and let's just have some fun with Elena the vampire.

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  15. M: They were faking the break-up to manipulate Klaus. Although obviously Tyler is still upset about the loss of his pack-mate.

    ChrisB, I hope VD regains its sparkle for you (and for me). I'm still enjoying it, but less than I used to. When I get home on Thursday nights, I usually watch Person of Interest first. That says a lot.

    Katie, thanks again for this great review! It was fun to watch the show without "pre-writing" in my head, although in a few place I wound up being thankful that I wouldn't be the one to review this episode!

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  16. Thanks, Josie. I thought the fake breakup became a real breakup, but obviously it was just wishful thinking on my part!

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  17. The entire Damon / Elena un-sire thingy seemed so useless. Elena gave the feeling vs actions part of siring side effects speech atleast thrice. Why can't they just let her have some vampirey fun?! Caroline's starting to give off some very interesting "not-an-act-really-like-him" vibes for Klaus. Let's see where that plot goes rather than have her micromanage Elena's love life!

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  18. This episode was almost a return to form after a rather bad previous three. I always feel like the best episodes are the ones that feature the entire cast and this one featured all eight of our main characters plus Klaus, April, Hayley, Mrs Lockwood, creepy professor and even Rebecka!

    First of all run away Tyler, run for your life! Tyler's been my fvourite character for a while and he seems to be the most nobel. I loved him rightfully telling Steffan that he can't trust him after he plotted to kill Chris.

    Funny how that conversation seemed to go over Steffan's head and that it was Klaus' conversation that made Steffan change his view of the situation. For someone who seems to pride himself on doing whats right he sure has a warped view of it.

    Caroline continues to be a drag. She told Steffan about Damon & Elena why exactly? Bonnie's meant to be the annoying kill joy character not her. I hate what they are doing with Caroline here.

    Speaking of Bonnie, I was instantly confused why her and Jeremey seemed all couple-ly at the start off the episode. Took me slightly out of it. I also wish I cared about the scenes with her, Elena & Damnon this week or Jeremey's situation but I just don't.

    I didn't find Damon's 'break up' with Elena very emotional and found it odd that he didn't tell her to stop loving him, which is what I thought he had to do?

    Klaus was an interesting one for me. I do get the impression that the writers are never sure whether to make him a true villain or turn him into a good guy and he seems stuck in in between at the moment. I did find his slaughter of the hybrids rather out of character though. All he's wanted since the show began is a hybrid family and now he kills them? Were them not being sired now a dealbreaker for him?

    Speaking of that I don't see how Hayley can ever been redeemed after that. What a truely selfish move that was. Letting twelve innocents die just for her parents, who we already know are dead and therefore either vampires or ghosts I assume.

    Poor Tyler, first losing twelve hybrids who he swore to protect and now his Mum. Feel very bad for the guy and I am going to miss Mrs Lockwood.

    Lastly I am so happy that April found Rebecka! I just want to see my favourite character back, though I do wonder what the point of this April character is though I loved her bracelet being remembered. I forgot about that at the time but even I thought that she didn't act compelled after Caroline tried to erase her memory.

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