As we head into the final third of this season of The Vampire Diaries certain story threads are being untangled and this episode definitely felt like a table setter to the overall plot and to remind us of what the goal of the year has been. The overarching story this year has been about the Originals; though it is only Rebekah (Claire Holt) who has featured in the last couple of episodes and these have dealt primarily with the serial killer plot and Stefan’s control issues. These were the two stronger parts of this weaker episode and other aspects such as the Sage (Cassidy Freeman) felt a bit flat.
So let’s start with what worked well in “Break on Through” and that begins with last week’s big reveal that Alaric (Matt Davis) was the one who had been going on a mini-killing spree. The opening with Alaric having a CAT scan was particularly jarring with his reflection that didn’t appear to be moving along with him and it was a subtle moment to show his breaking psyche. The problem for Alaric as they discover the hard way is that it isn’t the ring that is making him do these awful things, but it is the amount of times that he has died and come back to life thanks to the ring that is causing this psychotic break. Alaric really has died a lot on this show and also happens to have had anger issues in the past.
This episode also gives Matt Davis a wide range of states to be in which he clearly revels in, especially with his ‘do you feel remorse?’ scene with Meredith (Torrey DeVitto) as he went full on psycho killer on her. The horror movie like sequence was wonderfully executed down to running up the stairs, to hiding in a bathroom that happens to has three entrances (who knew a bathroom could have so many doors). I was genuinely concerned that Meredith was going to die and thankfully she didn’t as she has been a welcome presence to the show and to Alaric’s story.
Alaric and Stefan (Paul Wesley) both have issues of control at the moment and in a way they are very similar as both have a part of them that has caused them to hurt other people. Stefan’s relationship with drinking human blood is a complicated one like any kind of addiction and even though he passed Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) test last week he still lacks the control he needs when he is by himself; he needs Damon to tell him when to stop with the blood bag binge and he needs Elena (Nina Dobrev) when Meredith needs his blood to survive. Elena and Stefan have several awkward interactions throughout the episode, but Elena being Elena is refusing to give up on either Stefan or Alaric.
One person who is giving up is Abby (Persia White) as she effectively abandons Bonnie (Kat Graham) all over again. This story was definitely one of the weaker elements of the episode and this might be down to my ambivalent feelings towards Abby, who despite her reasons and regrets for abandoning Bonnie has never felt worthy of Bonnie’s forgiveness. This may sound harsh as she has become a vampire now after all, but once again Abby has ran away rather than sticking around to deal with reality and Bonnie deserves much better than this. If Caroline (Candice Accola) can’t convince Abby to stay with an impassioned speech then I don’t know who can. Will Abby be back? If she does return will Bonnie be able to forgive her for leaving again?
The other part that didn’t work so well in “Break on Through” was the Sage, Damon, Rebekah “sex sandwich,” even if there was some epic Damon dancing (this will forever make me think of “Lost Girls” and Vicki Donovan). Sage double-crossing wasn’t really all that surprising considering she has been waiting for Finn (Casper Zafer) for 900 years and we have seen the lengths that vampires will go to for love many times over now. So while the wood burning was a little on the not so interesting side, Damon discovering the original Wickery Bridge sign was more compelling, especially if it means that Damon and Stefan will be working together on a diabolical plan.
One surprising moment came in the form of a phone call and naturally Elena is worried about Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) as the wearer of the other ring. This concern was probably heightened after finding Alaric’s ‘hey Jeremy can you finish my kill list’ note. It was really wonderful to see Jeremy again even if it was only for a brief scene and all is going well for him away from the madness of Mystic Falls. This can only mean that this will be short lived, right? Can we expect Jeremy back in Mystic Falls soon or was this scene just to show how better off he is and that Elena made the right decision regarding her brother?
Other Observations
-Once again I would like to suggest that the Gilbert kitchen has less deadly utensils and should maybe stick to plastic knives. They might not be so effective in the kitchen, but it might reduce the amount of surprise stabbings that happen in that house.
-Carol Lockwood (Susan Walters) is going to be super annoyed when she finds out that she isn’t getting the original sign for the bridge.
-Rebekah wins best line of the week regarding her alcohol contribution “I stole it from Nik who stole it from a Queen. Not sure which one.”
-Damon wins least sensitive friend with this “The world can’t stop just because you’re an accidental psycho killer.”
-Damon also wins most snarky life coach with “Own it. Live it. Love it.”
-Alaric appears to have been ‘cured’ pretty quickly, will this be the case or will his inner killer resurface?
Have I been overly critical of this episode of The Vampire Diaries or were you disappointed with certain elements as well?
Next week Damon and Stefan put their plan into motion and things could be getting a little uncomfortable for both of them. To see the promo photos and video head here and here.
Follow Us
