Alright straight into the angst shall we? The love triangle between Elena, Stefan and Damon is still running strong. This week there was the suggestion that despite all of his bravado that Stefan might still have very strong feelings for Elena. When Stefan threatens to kill Elena, by driving her off the same bridge that her parents died on, Klaus is resistant to believe that he will turn her into a vampire and says to Damon, "love like that never dies." Okay people, say it with me, awwwww. After Klaus capitulates in order to ensure that Elena will live, because she is the key to him making more hybrids, Stefan stops the car. (Don't you wish they would just stop putting Elena in peril when there is zero chance that she will do us all a favor and disappear from the show?) Elena is visibly upset. She later attacks Stefan and asks how he could do this to her, and he answers that he has lost everything, and that he knew when he left town that he had lost her for good. When she asks him if he is trying to make her hate him, he says that he no longer cares what she thinks of him. Nothing like lovers games: go away, come back, go away, come back, go away, come back.
Why or why is Elena even talking to Stefan? He is supposed to be the so-called good vampire, and yet she has witnessed the corpses he has left behind, as well as seen the long list of his victims. Just that night he threatened to kill her violently, and forced his blood down her throat (note: blood transfer this way is a metaphor for semen and rape), and yet she is still concerned with whether or not he might love her. This absolutely disgusts me, and doubly so because this crap is aimed at young women. Violence is not romantic, no matter how much the abuser claims to love you, and there is no doubt about it, Stefan is a violent, abusive murderer.
On the other side of the triangle, we have Damon, who seems to have turned into Elena's faithful pet. At this point, I no longer recognize him. On one hand he is in collusion with Stefan to bring about Klaus' death, and the other he has become Elena's night in shining armor, waiting patiently upon her to decide that he is worthy of her love. What happened to the vampire that showed up in season one, unafraid to kill for his own amusement? What happened to the dark and terrifying Damon? And on that note, why is Elena even considering Damon after he killed her brother in cold blood just last season? The very same brother that she lied to in order to protect just last episode? Yeah, yeah, I know, the senseless pretty teenage protagonist always comes with the magical ability to change the basic personality of her lovers simply be her power to be awe inspiringly dense at every opportunity, thus causing his protective mode to kick in.
Speaking of Jeremy, it was a pleasure to see someone finally tell Elena off. When Elena told Bonnie that she had Damon brainwash Jeremy once again, Bonnie said, "you can't control what everyone does all the time. I just feel that it's really wrong that you compelled him leave town. It's his life, he should be able to choose how he wants to live it; you're taking his choices away." Finally, finally, we have Bonnie showing some agency, it's just a shame that she was only given a voice to protect and defend a White male. Of course, despite the bravado, it wouldn't do to have their resident White girl painted Black, be to independent, and so in the end, she submits to Elena's wishes, and says goodbye to Jeremy, without informing him that his sister once again violated his person, for the most selfish of reasons. It wouldn't be The Vampire Diaries if the show didn't revolve around Elena. The need to respect agency and bodily integrity, isn't worth a hill beans in comparison to allowing Elena to avoid worry.
Okay, so I suppose we have to talk about Caroline and Tyler. Caroline has finally turned 18, and in typical teen angsty fashion, she is upset that her life has not turned out the way that she planned. Guess what buttercup, you're no special snowflake. Tyler feeling regret for not being able to fully commit to her, suggests that they should not be together, and gives her the tackiest crystal bracelet you have ever seen. Seriously, did he make it at craft time with kindergarten kids?
Tyler then visits his lord and master Klaus, who tells him to bite Caroline and he refuses. This leads Tyler to believe that the power of lurve has ended Klaus' control over him. Gee, whatever could go wrong with the idea that true lurve saves all? Tyler then proceeds to bite Caroline, after promising her that he would never hurt her. Shocked that Tyler is not as independent as he promised, Caroline sends him away, and is rescued by the ever so useful Matt. Speaking of Matt, why is his character still on the show? What purpose does he serve?
Upon returning to Caroline's house, Elizabeth Forbes allows Klaus in to save Caroline. Sure just let the bad guy in, because it certainly wouldn't make any sense to bring Caroline to him, thus ensuring that the house remained a safe haven. At first, still filled with angst, Caroline admits that she just might want to die, but then Klaus tells her about the brave beautiful world that she would miss out on, and she changes her mind. In the morning, she awakes to find a diamond bracelet as a birthday present from Klaus. If they decide to to reform Klaus, I swear I am going to throw the remote control in disgust. This show does not need another love triangle.
In other human male news, Alaric has another run in with Dr. Meredith Fell at, wait for it, wait for it.... another worship our ancestors otherwise known as a founders gathering. To Alaric's credit, he does lay some snark about the fixation with the founders. At the little shindig, he learns that Meredith knows all about vampires because she is a member of the original families, and he even manages to save her from her clinging ex boyfriend David, who ends up dead at the end of the episode with a stake through his chest. You can see a potential love relationship all over this one. I guess a summer is long enough to grieve for Jenna. Maybe this will finally cause a light bulb to flash in Alaric's brain long enough to consider that with Jeremy gone, it is even less appropriate for him to be shacking up with Elena. In the end, Elena decides to let go of the girl that she used to be, by having the most emo fake funeral (Edward Cullen would be jealous) attended by Matt, perhaps the only one who can stand her going into a self loathing routine after micro managing everyone's life, because she is a big girl, even if she doesn't have the sense that God gave cabbage.
