The Vampire Diaries (2009 - Present): Review By Vamp

Another great episode of "The Vampire Diaries." While I'd say that this episode doesn't exactly scream awesome like the previous episode did, as well as the Pilot, it's not as slow paced as the others of the series. It's got a great pace to it, just a tad shy on the action, though it makes up for it with the killer (in more ways than one) ending. What I like about this one, is that it kind of creates an all knew story arc that wasn't in the books. I'll explain this arc later on, but it's definitely something that I enjoyed watching throughout the whole episode. Once again, the actors are getting better and better at playing their roles, meaning that you're getting more and more used to the characters, since they're progressing. You feel more and more for them each episode, and I really like that. It keeps you hooked on the show, which also means that you're probably not going to miss another episode. Another part of this episode that I really liked, was the fact that it's pretty much that turning point of the series that it's been hinting at for a while now. You know what I mean? After this episode, you're going to be pretty much lost if you're just starting out. So I'd make sure to find someone whose saved all the episodes and catch up before you start watching any farther in the series. I always love this point in series' because it means that they're not going to spend much more time on introducing characters that we've already met. They're going to get straight to the gritty action and drama that the episode is going to contain. This makes this episode way fun to watch. Don't worry, though, guys because if you've got a foggy memory, they're still running the "Previously on 'The Vampire Diaries'," montage before each episode, which is always nice.

Once again, the show shows how well it can do with the visuals. Once again, we get another glimpse at Stefan's vamped-out mode, which is definitely still awesome looking. As I've pointed out before, it's a pretty subtle change, but it's noticeable enough to be seen, as you will undoubtedly find out with this episode. However, like the last episode, we don't get to see Damon's fog... BUT! This is kind of obvious, after having seen how the previous episode ended, resulting in Stefan's enslavement of his brother, Damon. This leads me to mention a new and excellent visual that's been added to the series. Since Damon has been captured and deprived of blood, he's not looking so well. This is one of the best deprived-of-blood vampire looks that I've seen since the emaciated version of Anne Rice's famous character, Lestat, in "Interview with the Vampire" played by Tom Cruise. He was pale, and green-looking, and his eyes were dark and puffy-ish. It was an all around sickly effect that worked out spectacularly for the character as well as the plot of the movie. Another visual that returns, is, of course, Damon's Raven. As Damon is unable to move about freely now, his minion, the raven, is sent to scope out for Caroline. This is always a very impressive looking bird, and nothing changes for this episode. Bonnie's witch powers are continuing to blossom into complete fruition, which is something that we can definitely tell in a very hot (in more ways than one) car-wash scene. You'll know what I mean once you've seen the episode, but I'm not going to ruin the awesomeness for you. So in all accounts, this episode definitely manages some excellent visuals to keep your eyes glued on the screen.

The storyline of the movie is starting to get more complicated since, as I said, they're not focusing their time on introducing who the characters are anymore, and anyone just starting to watch may struggle to understand who the characters are, what they're going through, and why they're doing the things that they are doing. So, as I also said earlier, I urge you to make sure you catch up on episodes so that this confusion can't infest itself inside of you. Anyway, Stefan Salvatore (played by Paul Wesley of "Killer Movie") has finally succeeded in putting a stop to his brother, Damon Salvatore's (played by Ian Somerhalder of "Pulse") reign of terror in Mystic Falls. After giving Caroline vervain (a plant that is lethal to vampires when ingested) in her drink, knowing that Damon would feed on her, Stefan managed to incapacitate him, and trap him in a cell, where he'll go into a blood-coma, which would not be helped. Damon is, of course, furious, but there's nothing he can do about it, since he is being held captive by his brother. Meanwhile, Elena Gilbert (played by Nina Dobrev of "Degrassi: The Next Generation") has begun to worry about what's going on with Stefan, and his brother, whom she found out has been abusing Caroline Truitt (played by Candice Accola of " Juno"), one of her friends. Now she wants to know what's happened to the both of them. However, once Stefan resurfaces, there's more secrecy from him, and she finally cracks and tells him that if he can't be truthful with her, there's nothing else to be had from the relationship. Stefan decides to tell her about himself, but more and more things keep happening that get in his way. Jeremy Gilbert (played by Stephen R. McQueen of "Club Soda") and his newly-attained girlfriend Vicki Donovan (played by Kayla Ewell of "Fired Up!") are happy together, and now that Jeremy has finally found happiness, he's ready to stop using drugs. The only problem is, Vicki isn't, and she's not about to put her relationship before drugs, either. Caroline, in the meantime has been struggling with her memories, which are starting to come back, but disappearing at the same time (a result of the vervain relinquishing Damon's hold), but at the same time, she keeps having hallucinations about Damon. Bonnie Bennett (played by Katerina Graham of "17 Again") has been trying to console her, but is having issues of her own, struggling to understand what is going on with her witch powers. Logan Fell (played by Chris J. Johnson of "Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia") has, as we found out, been working with some of the other in-towners to track down a vampire, and to do this, he's got to get back in good graces with his ex-girlfriend, Jenna Sommers (played by Sara Canning of "Taken in Broad Daylight"), who is Elena's aunt, and guardian. He's got to find the stopwatch that Jeremy has so that he can help to bring down the vampire. He's definitely getting this done, as well. And as all of this goes on, Elena begins to realize the war that is going on around her. While she doesn't understand the full consequences of this, she definitely know that danger lurks ahead.

All of the actors have been, as I've pointed out, gaining control of the characters, and really delivering some excellent performances. Paul Wesley once again stands out as Stefan Salvatore. While the character may look different than the one described in the books, he definitely acts just as Stefan did, with a few minor, expected, details. He definitely gets the humanity in his immortality thing down, which is something that plagued Stefan throughout the books. Ian Somerhalder also steps up his game as Damon Salvatore, and his performance as a captured and starving vampire is done very nicely. He still manages to get in little quips through the pain, and Somerhalder manages these nicely, while sounding like he's in pain at the same time. This captive bit is the part of the storyline that I really liked because it was new, and offered something else to keep your attention on the screen. Nina Dobrev once again stuns me as an audience in her role as Elena. She seems a little more laid back than the Elena in the books, but that's definitely not a bad thing, as she portrays the character VERY well. Sara Canning and Stephen R. McQueen also play their roles as the family very nicely. Canning and Chris J. Johnson definitely work together well for their scenes, as Johnson deceives her to get at McQueen's character. McQueen in the meantime, works REALLY well with Kayla Ewell. They've definitely got some on-screen chemistry going on there. Candice Accola does a great job with Caroline, making her just as confused as she should be, after being kept as Damon's mind-slave for so long. Katerina Graham, of course, does a great job as Bonnie, and really plays the confused and scared-of-her-powers part very well, which really adds some intensity to the scenes that she's in. So all around, the actors are starting to REALLY get a hold of their characters nicely.

So if you're bored on Thursdays still, then as I always do, I continue to urge you to watch this show. It's a very fun show, and very well done. Many compare it to "Twilight," but I say that's utter bullsh*t. There are some similarities, I must admit, however, they're not enough to say "it's just a rip-off of 'Twilight!'" It's another vampire romance story, and this one is acted out very nicely, and has plenty of action and storyline to keep your attention held very nicely. The characters are likeable, the vampires don't sparkle, and there's plenty of fangs to go around. It's a great show, and definitely one of my new favorites to watch. The storyline is enticing, the acting is excellent, and the visuals are great. What more could you want out of a television series. So what are you waiting for? Get off your butt and start watching some of the episodes. It is DEFINITELY worth it. I know that vampires are kind of getting over done at the moment, but I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this show. You might not, of course, but take a chance! It's worth the risk, trust me. I DEFINITELY can't wait for the next episode to come!