by Michele Pearson:
The Vampire Diaries: “Memorial”
Original Air Date (The CW): Thursday October 18, 2012
Season 4 Episode 2
I love The Vampire Diaries and I love this new storyline but seriously…continuity people!! It’s only the second episode and already the plot holes are gaping. I apologize in advance for the length of the recap. They crammed so much into this episode. One thing I did notice is that there was some heavy Whedonesque dialogue in this episode that isn’t common in Vampire Diaries. Maybe one of Joss’ former writers is now on staff? Will definitely have to investigate that further but enough about that. Here we go.
Damon and Stefan are fighting over the best way for Elena to transition. Stefan wants her to drink animal blood and only animal blood. Damon maintains that she has to drink fresh, human blood straight from the vein. Stefan insists that she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she hurts someone and “her emotions are heightened” and she might just turn off her humanity. Damon says that if she never experiences the blood lust, she’ll never be able to control it.
So, Stefan takes Elena out hunting. He takes down a deer and she feeds, but only enough so it will be just fine. Later, Stefan is trying to get Elena to use her vampiric powers. Instead, she tunes into her “heightened emotions” and she and Stefan begin making out. Just as they are getting hot and heavy, Elena pushes away, runs quickly through the woods and vomits up all the blood she drank. (I always suspected Stefan was a bad kisser but still…)
Back at Pastor Young’s ranch, a mysterious stranger walks through the door and looks around. Opening the oven door, he finds a note addressed to April. He takes it and leaves.
Damon is down at the Mystic Grill, trying hard to do his best Spike impression by drinking and being rude to everyone to mask his feelings. Sheriff Forbes asks him point blank about whether or not he blew up the town council. He maintains his innocence with a snark response that he he wouldn’t have blew up the council but would have had a feeding frenzy. Mysterious stranger enters and, it turns out, he has a name. Connor Jordan introduces himself to the Sheriff and insists on speaking to her about the death of the council. Elena comes down to the Grill and asks Damon the same question. Damon, being the master of sarcasm that his is, asks if he’s wearing his “I killed the council” sign today. Elena confesses that she hasn’t been able to keep the blood down and she’s hungry. He points out the fine variety of “cuisine” available at the Grill but Elena refuses, afraid she’ll hurt someone. Damon tells her that she needs blood from the vein. Elena says there has to be another way. Damon responds by dragging her into the bathroom, biting open his wrist and telling her to drink but not to tell Stefan since sharing blood is “personal”. How personal? Well, Elena pushing Damon up against the wall as she feeds and he lovingly strokes her hair was way hotter than her brief make out session with Stefan.
Matt and Jeremy are getting things set up for the council memorial. Matt asks about Elena and says that he owes her his life. He says he will do anything to pay her back. (Foreshadowing??) A girl says hi to Jeremy and he remembers her as April Young, Pastor Young’s estranged daughter. She has been asked to speak at the memorial, even though she really doesn’t have many nice things to say about her dad.
Caroline and Tyler are in his bed having sex when Caroline suddenly feels guilty about having sex after so many people died. Before Tyler can convince her otherwise, the doorbell rings. Connor Jordan introduces himself to Mayor Lockwood who says she knows who he is…and that Sheriff Forbes has already told him that his services won’t be needed. He forces his way into the house and politely demands answers. Tyler comes downstairs, very much the man of the house, and Connor extends a gloved hand to shake. Tyler shakes his hand and his skin begins to burn. Connor pulls a gun and fires multiple times, point blank into Tyler’s chest. As Connor reloads, Mayor Lockwood screams for Tyler to run and he flees through the window. Connor runs out the door in pursuit but Tyler evades him and goes straight to Stefan with Caroline. Stefan removes the last bullet and notices that the bullets are wood, probably treated with vervain (as is Connor’s glove) and covered with strange markings. Stefan touches one of the bullets and says that they burn. He suspects that if Tyler were a normal vampire, he’d probably be dead by now.
Thinking that the symbols on the bullets have a mystical meaning, Stefan takes them to Bonnie. Bonnie has secluded herself her house, wracked with guilt for causing pain to her Grams and unable to perform the simplest spell without bringing the horrific scene back to the front of her mind. Stefan halfheartedly comforts her and asks her about the bullets. She says that they aren’t mystical and asks where he got them. When he says there’s a new vampire hunter in town, she has a look reminiscent of Willow and deadpans “Bad timing”.
Elena is helping Matt prep the church for the memorial and sees April Young. Since Elena used to babysit for her, she goes over to comfort the girl, who is scared to death about saying a few words about her dad. She just doesn’t know what to say. As Elena is trying to give her advice, she’s nauseated again and barely makes it to the basement bathroom where she throws up Damon’s blood…all over the bathroom. Frantic, she calls Damon, who happens to be just arriving at the church with a new dress for her. (That was fast!) While she’s on the phone, someone tries to get into the bathroom. When Damon gets down to the basement, he finds Connor Jordan waiting. Elena pokes her head out the door and apologizes to Connor saying that she spilled coffee all over her dress. While she changes, Connor tries to shake Damon’s hand but Damon refuses, claiming to be a germaphobe. He quickly ushers Elena away from Connor.
Outside, Elena asks if he brought the blood bag. He gives it to her and she tries to drink but immediately throws it up. She asks what’s wrong and Damon wonders if it’s her Doppelganger blood rejecting the change. (Ummm…wasn’t Katherine a Doppelganger too?) Elena heads back inside the church and Damon tries to clean up as he sees Stefan approaching. Damon breaks the news to Stefan that Elena is not fine, that she can’t keep any of the animal blood down, not the blood from the hospital..hell she can’t even keep Damon’s blood down! Stefan looks shocked and probably wouldn’t have been near as upset if Damon had told him that he’d had sex with Elena in Stefan’s bed.
Inside the church, everyone has gathered for the memorial. Mayor Lockwood calls April Young to speak but she isn’t in the church. Surprised. she then opens the floor for anyone to speak and a very shaky Elena stands. As she begins to say a few kind words about Pastor Young, he attention is diverted. Blood. Turns out, Connor Jordan has stabbed April Young and hauled her up into the balcony of the church to let her bleed out as bait in his trap. The other vampires all recognize the trap and know he’s watching, refusing to turn in the direction of the smell. Stefan rescues Elena (who looks like she’s just lost in grief instead of murderously hungry) and tries to keep her calm in the pew. Recognizing that someone has to do something, Matt offers to let her feed from him. Holding her in such a way that he appears to be comforting her, Connor is unable to tell vamp from human through his sniper scope. Elena is calm, full and able to stop without Matt even going weak in the knees. Suddenly, Tyler is at the podium. He starts his speech by saying Pastor Young stressed the importance of teamwork. Connor quickly raises his stake gun and shoots Tyler in front of everyone and runs out the door, Damon in hot pursuit. Tyler is fine, though Mayor Lockwood calls an ambulance for a cover story, since the entire town essentially saw him get shot. Elena and Caroline rush upstairs to find April bound and badly wounded. Caroline stops a bloodlust crazed Elena from feeding on April and feeds April her blood. Caroline then tells Elena that she is the only one who can compel April to forget what happened. Elena complies, coming up with a good story for April to remember.
Outside, Damon attacks Connor and rips the door off his truck. Wrestling a bit, Connor pulls his handgun and shoots Damon multiple times in the chest. Damon wrestles the gun away and Connor pulls a stake. Hearing Stefan approaching, Connor escapes in his truck and Stefan punches a seemingly alright Damon. Damon knows why.
Later that night, Jeremy and Matt are at the Mystic Grill where they see Connor Jordan, not knowing who he is. Connor comments on Matt’s bandaged neck and Matt blames it on an overly aggressive girlfriend. Jeremy compliments Connor’s large tribal arm tattoo, much to Connor’s surprise. Matt looks but sees nothing. As they leave, Matt asks Jeremy what he was talking about since the guy had no tattoo. Jeremy brushes it off but Connor is stunned that Jeremy saw them. Connor retreats to his Winnebago and reads the letter Pastor Young wrote to his daughter April.
Stefan confronts Elena about lying to him and for going to Damon for help. Most of all, he’s totally pissed that she fed on Damon. As an extremely emotional Elena starts to breakdown (her emotions are heightened..yes yes..we know we know..), Stefan calls everyone to the park for closure. He wants them to light the memorial balloon lanterns in memory of everyone that died. Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Jeremy and Elena all say their last good-byes to their family and friends who have died, especially Alaric. Damon refuses and walks off. He goes to Alaric’s grave to have a drink and to sarcastically thank Alaric for leaving him alone with “the kids”. Damon admits that he misses Alaric and his friendship. As he talks, Alaric appears and smiles as he listens to Damon vent. After Damon says good-bye and leaves the cemetery, Alaric says “I miss you too buddy.”
And so that concludes this week’s rollercoaster ride. Now let’s revisit my continuity and plot hole comments.
1) Stefan claims that the bullets that he pulled from Tyler would probably have killed a normal vampire. Later, Damon is shot with the same gun, presumably by the same bullets, and barely flinches.
2) Damon suspects that Elena’s Doppelganger blood is possibly rejecting the vampire transition. Elena’s ancestor Katherine was also a Doppelganger before she turned into a vampire (you do remember her don’t you Damon? Sired you and your brother…looks just like Elena…)
3) The letter that Connor finds in Pastor Young’s blown up stove has absolutely no burn marks or damage to it but the oven it sits in is totally burned.
We’ll see if the writers get a little bit tighter in their writing. As it is, they are throwing in so many storylines and introducing another major bad guy character with absolutely no back story. I love the fast pace but if they’re not careful, the writers will burn through this storyline within four episodes.
Until next week!
Michele Pearson is a contributor for DarkMedia. She covers Vampire Diaries and any other films, books, etc that come her way. She reads everything from Lonesome Dove to Game of Thrones and loves epic tv series like Doctor Who and Star Trek: TNG. Michele also loves a good horror film and was able to channel that love as a judge for Shriekfest 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @GirlInRowB and check out her blog at http://www.girlinrowb.com.
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