The Vampire Diaries 2.08 “Rose” Review

You would think that I would be getting tired of saying that this was yet another action packed episode, but “Rose” continues this incredibly strong second season and in the first of two mythology heavy episodes it really didn’t disappoint. For an in-depth account of the mythology and more check out the “Rose” recap from Mark O. Estes here.

New vampires were introduced who represented the old world; Rose and Trevor who have been on the run for 500 years after helping out a certain Katerina Petrova and Elijah who is one of The Originals. Elijah shows that he has strength beyond anything we have previously seen, not only swiping Trevor’s head clean off his body (nice work special effects department) but also surviving a very huge stake to the chest, even after his face has gone all grey and veiny. These three new characters provided much of the mythology exposition and it sure helps that Elena would ask so many questions as it didn’t feel clunky in the delivery.

The great thing about how Elena is written is yes she is feisty and demands answers, but she also isn’t stupid and shows the appropriate amount of fear for someone who is the key to unlocking the curse. She doesn’t reveal the location of the moonstone until her vervain necklace is taking away and she even delivers the vervain grenade with excellent aim, shame it didn’t do more to stop Elijah. The other main women of the show have strength but are also vulnerable despite their supernatural powers (or because of this power); Bonnie opens up to Jeremy regarding her weakness and Caroline reveals herself to Tyler despite Damon’s warning.

The overall theme of the episode appears to ride on the juxtaposition between loneliness and companionship, each story featured aspects of both; Jeremy and Bonnie both feel alone in their paths but have found a secret that bonds them, is this heading towards a romantic avenue? Tyler and Caroline are both going through drastic supernatural changes, whilst Caroline does have those she can talk to, Tyler is essentially alone. These pairings really work and it will be interesting to see what will happen if/when Tyler finds out about the other vampires.

The feelings of loneliness though can perhaps be best attributed to the Salvatore’s, Stefan finally apologises to Damon for getting him to turn (that didn’t take long did it?) and reveals in part that he didn’t want to be alone in the world without his brother. Though now Stefan isn’t so alone and even if he and Elena are not back together yet I can see that happening in the next few episodes. The guy who is really alone is Damon and this is made apparent in the scene where he reveals his true feelings for Elena, the single tear, the admission of selfishness, that Stefan was the one that deserved her was truly heartbreaking and shows how far Damon has come from just being the villain. Excellent work from Ian Somerhalder here and with the introduction of Rose who is now all alone in the world could they be heading in to each others arms for some comfort?

Whilst you might say that the central relationship revolves around the love triangle, the one between Stefan and Damon is just as important. The chemistry between Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley has always been brilliant and the road trip showcased this, both have a common goal and using Alaric’s bag of tricks (though I would like to see Alaric get in on the action, enough of Jenna babysitting) showed their excellent team work. After the apology and Damon’s confession that never happened it will be interesting to see if their dynamic changes. Excellent work from everyone in this episode, expanding the story, pulling characters closer together and for introducing a big bad that is bigger than Katherine. A

What did you all think? Scared of ‘The Originals’? Which couple are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments below or join us in the forum.