by Michele Pearson:
The Vampire Diaries: “My Brother’s Keeper”
Original Air Date (The CW): Thursday November 29, 2012
Season 4 Episode 7
I have been accusing The Vampire Diaries writers all season of ripping off Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So imagine my pure joy when I realized that Episode 7 of season 4 finally found its own voice!
Last week, Stefan and Elena broke up. This week Stefan is talking to Caroline, his Sober Sponsor, about dealing with the fact that Elena has feelings for Damon. Caroline is incredulous, since Stefan and Elena totally belong together! Stefan laments that being a vampire has really changed Elena (or, Stefan, maybe she’s just not that into you) and they both agree that’s the reason they need to cure her. Klaus overhears this and learns that Stefan doesn’t understand the meaning of the phrase “tell no one about the cure”. He then tells Stefan that he needs to find Jeremy more vampires to kill to complete the mark…and Stefan better keep this particular mission quiet.
Back at the Salvatore mansion, Stefan sulks around like a little wuss, telling Damon about the breakup. Damon lets that information slide and tells Stefan that he thinks it would be in their best interest to find another hunter, in order to keep young Master Jeremy from going all Connor-style crazy. Damon mentions that he was going to ask Professor Shane but Matt found a link between the good professor and Pastor Young blowing up the Founder’s Council in the days leading up to said explosion. He lays out his plan of confrontation, threats and violence to get the truth. Stefan says no thanks. Seeing that his baby brother is probably one plasma droplet away from going all Ripper again, he suggests some brotherly bonding. Stefan tells Damon to stop pretending that today isn’t the best day of his life and leaves the house.
At the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, Caroline tries to be non-judgmental (her words) and figure out why Elena would choose icky Damon over her soul mate Stefan. (Great job with the lack of judging there Caroline!) Elena says she still loves Stefan but since she turned, her feelings for Damon have grown. Suddenly, Professor Shane shows up. He’s at the pageant as a judge. Hmmm. Both Caroline and Elena think over everything the good professor has done lately: getting Bonnie obsessed with getting her magic back, telling Damon how to break the hunter’s curse and now he’s judging pageants. In Elena’s words, “Jack of all trades or seriously creepy?”
Matt and Jeremy have been drafted to unload the booze truck. I kid you not, that’s what it is. There are kegs and cases of booze…I thought the Miss Mystic Falls pageant was for high school students? Sorry…I digress…apparently, Jeremy is going to be April Young’s escort for the pageant and participate in that bizarre, traditional dance they have. Matt has a hard time lifting one keg but Jeremy shows off how strong he’s gotten by lifting two kegs at once. Matt’s worried since the hunter abilities goes hand in hand with the hunter desire to kill vampires and, well, Jeremy kind of lives with one. Jeremy brushes off Matt’s concern. After all, he’d never hurt his sister.
Stefan makes his way to the hospital where he finds an unrepentant murderer (he compelled him to confess) and turns him into a vampire. Well…in the words of Ron Burgundy: that escalated quickly! Stefan turned a guy!
Back at the pageant, Klaus meets up with Caroline to check on the status of their date. He offers to accompany her to the pageant. Caroline is lukewarm on the idea but agrees to continue the ruse of the Caroline/Tyler/Hayley love triangle.
Meanwhile, Hayley is helping another hybrid break the sire bond. Tyler shows up and tells her that Klaus is taking Caroline to the pageant. Perfect, says Hayley. They can go together to keep up their cover. Tyler reluctantly agrees but Hayley seems almost giddy at the prospect of a date with Tyler.
Jeremy starts having dreams of killing vampires, starting with a dream where he strangles Elena with her own necklace. He even discovers that he’s carving wooden stakes in his sleep. (Really, that’s a useful talent to have.) He tells Matt about it and he’s terrified that he’s going to become another Alaric. Matt reads about the symptoms of a newly christened hunter and tells Jeremy it’s not a psychotic break. The subconscious drive of the hunter to kill all vampires is all consuming and it will keep growing with every vampire he kills….and maybe he should tell Elena. (Nah man, it’s totally cool. I’ll just keep living with my vampire sister. Nothing bad will happen, I know it.) Suddenly, Jeremy gets a text from Stefan to meet him in the Lockwood basement. (Hmmmm…I wonder what he wants…)
Back to the Miss Mystic Falls thingie…that seems to dominate an episode every season about this time…anyway…
Caroline and Elena are trying to help April Young pick out her dress. Caroline and Elena both like the more modest blue dress but April really likes the red one. Damon walks into the room looking for Professor Shane and comments that he likes the red dress. Suddenly, Elena agrees that the red dress is perfect. Caroline is surprised and confused, as is Elena. Elena then runs after Damon to talk. She finds out that Stefan didn’t tell Damon the real reason for the breakup but before she can get the nerve up to tell him, Professor Shane shows up. Damon says he has to talk to him and walks away, looking as confused as everyone else.
Damon tells Shane that they need another hunter since the potential they have is sort of a problem. Shane says sorry, he can’t help. Damon then turns on the macho threats, flat out asking Shane how he convinced Pastor Young to kill all those people. Shane appears shocked at the accusation. Saved by the bell, Mayor Lockwood announces the start of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant.
In the Lockwood cellar, Jeremy shows up and Stefan points out his newly turned vampire (who he finishes turning by forcing the guy to drink Jeremy’s blood). Stefan shoves a stake into Jeremy’s hand, takes the chained up vampire off its leash and starts screaming “Do it Jeremy! Do it!” This scene was…well…disturbing. Stefan completely bypassed unhinged and drove straight to crazy town.
Back to the Pageant. Caroline and Klaus have their date, Tyler and Hayley show up…everything gets awkward…Caroline announces the Miss Mystic Court and Matt finds Elena to tell her that Jeremy is missing and oh by the way…he’s been dreaming of killing Elena. Suddenly, April Young is announced and her escort (Jeremy) is a no show. Being the gentleman that he is, Matt steps up. Elena and Damon share a few awkward glances and Elena tries to call Jeremy. Caroline and Damon join her and Elena finds that Jeremy is not answering his phone. Elena tells them that Matt told her (it’s like a bad game of telephone, I know) that Jeremy is having nightmares about killing vampires and has been hiding it from her. (Um, Elena…that’s not what Matt said.) Damon tells her not to worry about it, Jeremy probably just stole a bottle from the bar and snuck off to the woods and Damon will go find him. Caroline tells Elena to go home, that she’ll ask around about Jeremy. Elena says no Damon was probably right. Caroline seriously wigs out on her and Klaus has to tell her that she’s making a scene. Elena storms off.
Damon calls Stefan and asks about Jeremy. Stefan says he’ll do what he has to; Elena needs a cure so she’ll turn back into the girl who loves him. (Dude seriously…I’m thinking she’s just not that into you…ok?) For once, Damon is the voice of reason and Stefan hangs up on him. Stefan then demands that Jeremy tell him how far the mark grew on his arm. Jeremy says no. Stefan tries to compel Jeremy to tell him and Jeremy rams a stake through Stefan’s stomach. Apparently, he can’t be compelled anymore.
Caroline and Klaus go for a walk where she vents to him about how much Elena has changed since she became a vampire. That she suddenly has feelings for Damon and everything he says and does is right. Klaus gets a knowing smile…Caroline asks what that’s all about and he says that it will all make sense eventually. Caroline tells him to hurry up and find the cure and Klaus tells her that he’s working on it. Tyler watches Caroline and Klaus hanging out and sees a bit of a spark there.
Damon sees Shane talking to Hayley. Tyler joins him and Damon ponders the coincidence of the council burning up, a hunter suddenly showing up in town and here comes the good professor…who knows everything about everything. Tyler calls him paranoid but seems to consider the possibility that something’s not right with Shane.
Jeremy finds his hidden stash of weapons and goes off to look for vampires but is stopped by April. Jeremy explains his absence by saying he got held up at work. Jeremy sees Shane and April happily tells Jeremy that she had talked to Shane about her dad. Jeremy gets serious and tells her that the Pastor and the council were doing right by Mystic Falls…that they died heroes. He stalks away, leaving April saying WTF?
Damon goes to see Shane again who tells him that it’s flat out impossible to find a hunter since most have no idea who they are or what their purpose is. (The mysterious appearance of a tattoo on their hand doesn’t freak them out?) Shane tries to leave but Damon shows off his mad vamp skill of speed. Shane tells him since it’s generally considered unwise for a vampire to actively seek out a hunter, Damon must be interested in the mark. If that’s the case, Damon needs to be aware that even if they find where the mark leads, it takes a certain kind of witch to unlock the spell. A Bennett Witch. And ours just happens to have lost her powers. Shane tells Damon that he’s the only one that can help her get those back.
April Young wins Miss Mystic Falls (shocker) and Elena sees Jeremy in the crowd. She follows him and sees he’s armed with a stake. He tells her that Connor was right and while he doesn’t want to hurt her, every part of his being is telling him to drive the stake through her heart. She tells him that she would never hurt him and takes his hand. Unfortunately, it’s the hand Stefan sliced open to turn the vampire. Elena starts to go blood lust crazy and backs away. Jeremy follows and Elena pushes him away. He stabs her in the neck and moves in to stake her when Matt walks in. He tells Jeremy not to kill Elena, that it’s the mark on his arm that’s making him do this. Stefan shows up, pulls Jeremy away and tells Matt to get him home.
Tyler and Hayley discuss their werewolf background. He asks her why she was talking to the professor. She laughs it off but Tyler asks if she knows him. No, of course not she replies but I don’t think Tyler’s buying that.
Klaus and Caroline share a moment where Klaus admits that at one time he did consider being human. He shows that he has a sensitive side and he seems to have genuinely touched Caroline. Tyler overhears it and wants Klaus gone.
Stefan tells Elena that it’s kinda his fault that Jeremy is going a bit nuts. See, he sorta found out the hard way that the more vampires a hunter kills, the urge to kill vampires gets stronger. (Oopsie doopsie) Elena is pissed but Stefan says it’s the only way to find the cure and fix all this…specifically Elena. She tells him to let it go, that this is who she is now…and well, she’s just not that into him anymore. (See? I told ya!)
Jeremy goes home to pack. He’s going to move out since he doesn’t want to kill Elena. Matt moves in, telling Jeremy that Elena has already moved out…and into the Salvatore mansion. Fine, says Stefan when Elena shows up on his doorstep, pick a room. He’ll crash elsewhere…leaving Elena and Damon all by their lonesome.
Back to the hybrid that Tyler and Hayley were working with to break the sire bond. She asks Tyler if it’s over now and can she stop turning. He tells her it is and texts Hayley with the good news…and Hayley receives the text while she’s in the company of the good professor! She tells him that they have another one. Good, he says. Hayley tells Shane that she wants to leave Tyler out of “this” when it goes down. Shane tells her that they’ll talk after they’ve broken the last one.
At the Salvatore mansion, Damon and Elena share a drink. Elena tells him that everyone around her wants to either kill her, fix her or just doesn’t like her anymore. Damon tells her that he’s never seen her more alive. Elena asks to dance with him. This leads to some seriously hot vamp on vamp action…and a great extended scene of Damon with no shirt on.
Stefan goes to visit Caroline and says that Elena is right and he should move on. Caroline says no, that Elena and Stefan are soul mates. Caroline asks Stefan if he’s going to stop looking for the cure and Stefan says that Klaus won’t let him stop even if he wanted to. Klaus wants Elena human so he can use her blood to make more hybrids. Caroline says he’ll need them since they almost have them all de-sired…..
Wait for it……..
It suddenly dawns on Caroline what’s going on. Damon’s blood was used to sire Elena…and since then, Damon has been the answer to everything. Damon was the one who told her that she could only drink human blood straight from the vein. Damon said she couldn’t drink from animals or blood bags so she couldn’t keep that blood down. Damon tells her to kill Connor so she kills Connor. Caroline says what if it was Damon’s blood that made her a vampire, isn’t it possible that she’s sired to him?
And that’s all for now!! I loved this episode after the disappointing opening to the season. However, I do have two teeny tiny plot holes.
Number one, I went back and watched last season’s finale and Dr Fell just said that she “helped Elena” (by giving her vampire blood) but it has never been specifically said until this moment that it was Damon’s blood. Number two: Damon told Elena to drink his blood. She didn’t keep that down. If she was truly sired to Damon, and he told her it was ok to drink from him for nourishment, wouldn’t that have worked?
Until next time….
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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