VAMPIRE DIARIES: 1.08 “162 Candles”
I asked the question, “Are you keeping count?” It seemed to be all over this episode: how many years Stefan has been “alive.” How many people are tracking down the vampires. And most of all…
How many people have been killed off this series?
It’s not that I thought Lexie was long for the Vampire Diaries world. I actually thought it would be a one-off episode, and in the end, she’d leave Stefan with what he needs to either help him with Elena or supposedly get over her and we’d never see her again. Well, we got one thing right. We certainly won’t.
I’m incredibly amazed at how well the writers made the character of Lexie. She was equally likable and dangerous. And you really liked her by the end of the episode. Right up to the point that she was staked by Damon’s hand. Honestly, this loss–while not as dramatic and heartwrenching as Vicki’s–might’ve been more painful. I really liked her. And there was something especially upsetting to know that she’d survived 300+ years, was Stefan’s best friend, and was killed just like that.
And really, Damon’s kinda brilliant. Well, yes and no. True, the authorities now think that they’ve gotten the loose vampire (though I wish they’d just planted Vicki’s body somewhere and used her as a decoy as I read another blog suggest, though maybe they wouldn’t have believed it), but how will Damon sustain himself now? The deaths have to stop, now that there’s someone to blame–and that someone dead. Can he just feed and erase their memories? Elena caught Caroline’s wounds before she even realized vampires existed!
And what about Stefan? We all knew that Damon wasn’t going to die in this episode (though according to the executive producer, everyone will at some point). But the shift in discovering that Stefan didn’t kill him, just because that would prove him to be just like Damon, well, that was new.
But let’s not get vampire sidetracked. I’m so much more interested in Bonnie’s storyline right now (and you know I’ve always been a Bonnie fan). I’m really looking forward to next week when we find out more about her past. Right now, let’s just concentrate on the necklace.
We know that it’s a family heirloom and that she has to wear it all the time. We know that it shocks people who try to take it from her. And we know Damon wants it. Why? Why do you think he really wants it? Is the magic that’s held in the necklace something that helped kill Katherine so long ago? Is it something that charmed the rings he and Stefan wears–which means it could easily take that magic back? There are a lot of options, but either way, I think it’s ultimately dangerous for Damon, not something he can use. I think that’s in Bonnie’s hands.
So for an episode that was advertised as a ho-hum episode following the major tragedy, we were pleasantly surprised. Another big, dark episode for the series. I loved it.
I’m hungry for more.
