Review of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – The End of The Affair (2011)

Maybe this was one mystery better left unsolved

It felt like an Agatha Christie mystery night as Klaus (Joseph Morgan) took Stefan (Paul Wesley) down “memory lane” to rediscover his lost memories and a lost love.  But the greatest mystery of all was finally solved as Klaus revealed that he did not just want Stefan as an errand-boy to do his dirty work, he wanted to bring Stefan home — for once upon a time, they were nearly family.  Stefan loved Rebekah (Claire Holt), Klaus’ sister and they were the best of friends.  Alas fate intervened, and when Rebekah chose Stefan over him, Klaus tucked Rebecca away for safe-keeping with a knife in her chest and compelled Stefan to forget about them. Those black-out periods in Stefan’s life were not just ’caused by his blood-lust, it was Klaus erasing his memories of a critical time of his life.  Was Klaus truly being cruel to be kind by taking away Stefan’s memories of their friendship and Stefan’s love for Rebekah or was Klaus merely ensuring he had covered his tracks from whoever was hunting him and eliminating liabilities?

Then for Elena (Nina Dobrev), she finally came face-to-face with Stefan and plead her case for him to abandon Klaus and just return home.  Alas, that door is now closed. Stefan — even before Klaus returned his memories — knows all too well that returning to Mystic Falls only leads Klaus back to Elena — and Stefan will never put her life at risk, even if it means being separated from her forever.  But Elena is still too young to understand the weight of Stefan’s decision and why she needs to respect it.  She only sees that the man she loves is being kept from her and she continues to fight against it.  Elena has a lot of growing up to do if she does not realize the danger she places herself and everyone else in Mystic Falls in if she gives Klaus a reason to return.  Time to grow up little girl!  Points to Damon (Ian Somerhalder) for letting her see for herself how hopeless the situation is and how determined Stefan is.  Damon gets the high-stakes involved and appreciates that Stefan’s choice is the only thing keeping them safe.

In true murder-mystery fashion, the big reveal was a shocker: Klaus is not a monster enslaving Stefan; Klaus came back to set Stefan free.  He returned Stefan’s memories of his love for Rebekah and his deep friendship with Klaus.  Klaus was bringing his family back together again.  Did anyone truly see that coming?!  Stefan as Klaus’ soul-brother and his soul-mate is not Elena after all.

But as Stefan reminded Klaus, if he only wanted Stefan, then why did he feel it was necessary to kill his girlfriend on an alter in a ring of fire?  Klaus’ motives are never so simple as wanting to resurrect and reassemble his family; he wanted to create a hybrid army to protect his family and the only way to do that was to break the curse and make more hybrids.  Unfortunately, due to the sleight of hand done by Stefan, Damon and Elena’s father, Elena did not really die in that ritual — and that is the secret they are all desperately trying to protect.  Klaus must believe Elena is dead, or the illusion is shattered and death and destruction will reign upon Mystic Falls.

Points of Interest

1. Nice job finally explaining the significance behind the necklace that Elena always wears.  It just seemed like such a pretty locket, but apparently there is much more to the necklace story that we are now dying to find out.  It belonged to an original witch, the same witch that placed the curse on Klaus.  It is the Easter Egg hiding in plain sight.  Very clever!

2. With so many witches roaming around, isn’t it about time we were introduced to a proper coven?  Why is it that they all seem so solitary? It only makes them more vulnerable.

3.  Stefan’s “wall of shame” was not about remembering his sins, it was about reliving his “glory days” — a way to track his scorecard of kills, if you will.  That’s even more heart-breaking than if he kept the list of who he killed to remember the lives he wrongly took.  There was no remorse in that list, but there should have been. Nice to see that Lexie was sprinkled throughout Stefan’s diary as the lone voice of reason in trying to get him back on the straight and narrow and how long she fought to redeem his soul.  Getting Stefan the Ripper to seek redemption was no easy task.

What Worked

While the Chicago story and flashbacks were cool, the biggest moment of the night was Tyler’s (Michael Trevino) heroic rescue of Caroline (Candice Accola).  Now that was breath-takingly beautiful!  Who did not swoon seeing Tyler open that dungeon door, rush to remove her shackles, lovingly put back on her sunlight-protection ring, and gently pick her up in his arms?  And then as if that were not enough, it was a night of double-dose goodness when Tyler later joined her in bed to cradle her in her arms as she cried.  That is the image that we shall all be sleeping with tonight.  Love is not just about moments of sweeping passion; love is about the tenderness when your body is broken and your spirit is crushed.  It soothes away the pain and comforts the soul when all seems lost.  Tyler has proven himself to be a man worthy of Caroline’s love.  He comes to her rescue and he is there to ease her pain, both body and soul.  Plus, points to him for using his head and wits by enlisting Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) help in locating her daughter.  A smart young man, making smart choices.  And he has a great sense of humor too as he smiled and said, “Would now be a bad time to give you crap about sneaking out on me?”  Whose heart was not a puddle of mush after hearing that?!

Also deliciously fun was the return of Katherine (Nina Dobrev) — albeit in superhero fashion, via a phonebooth.  Hasn’t Katherine discovered cellphones in the 21st Century or is she just old-fashioned and wanted to use an old style phone.  Regardless of her resistance to use modern technology, it was still awesome when she called Damon and said, “I’m homesick, what have I missed?”  Her playful repartee with Damon is always something to look forward to and it is something she shares with her doppelganger Elena, who also is quick with a sharp tongue and witty exchange when the occasion calls for it.  One good example was when Damon asked Elena why she continued to hold onto the antique necklace that Stefan gave her and she retorted, “Like you?”  It was nice barb at Damon’s age and yet it made them feel more like an old-married couple than young people on the verge of being lovers.  Plus, who didn’t gasp along with Elena, but also secretly shiver with glee to find Damon in her bed and her snuggling up against him.  It may have been but for a second, but a wonderful second it was.  Then reality set in and Elena pushed him away.  But we will all remember those stolen moments — for there is nothing more decadent than forbidden love.  The saying may be, “2 seconds on the lips, forever on the hips,” but in this case, it’s “2 seconds in bed, forever on the mind.”  Let’s give Elena something else to think about for awhile now that Stefan’s heart may be committed to a lost love.

Then as much as we wanted to hate Caroline’s father (Jack Coleman), his misguided attempt to condition Caroline to associate blood and vampirism with pain in order to help her control the urges seemed rather endearing.  Wrong, but still fatherly in a warped way.  So when Caroline pleaded, “Why are you trying to fix me?” and he sorrowfully responded, “So I don’t have to kill you,” our hearts broke.  In his mind, those were the only options.  What a cold, cruel world he must live in.  But we applaud his desire to try to save his daughter’s life and soul — albeit in a rather vicious fashion.  Points for the thought, but minus points for torturing his daughter.

A better example of good parenting was Liz Forbes who not only showed up with a gun to make her ex-husband release their daughter from the dungeon, but brought Tyler with her so that he could rescue her too.  Later when Caroline told her, “Mom, thanks for believing in me,” that was a wonderful mother-daughter moment.

Finally, bravo to Stefan for telling Elena the cold-hard truth. In her youth and innocence, Elena stubbornly told Stefan, “I can’t give up on you, Stefan.”  So it was finally Stefan who told her what she didn’t want to hear, “Yes, you can.  It’s done. That part of my life is done.  I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to be with you. I just want you to go.”  Elena may be 18 years old now, but she is still acting like a schoolgirl in love and she wants to throw caution to the wind and be with the bad-boy even though she knows it is the wrong thing to do.  It was a long time coming, but it was exactly what she needed to hear — it was time for someone to tell her to grow up.  It’s a harsh world and you don’t always get what you think you want.  Plus, Elena’s actions are putting everyone’s lives at risk simply because she wants to be happy.  She insanely risks everyone for her wants and her desires, not considering the consequences; and she needs to start considering the ramifications of her actions.  That Stefan will forsake his happiness to keep her and everyone else safe says that he is doing the right thing and she needs to respect that.  And, unfortunately for her, Stefan just found out about another great love of his life — Rebekah.  Is Elena ready to compete with that?

What Didn’t Work

What became of Bill Forbes? Did Liz lock him up in the dungeon so she can talk some sense into him, or did she merely send him packing?  Surely, with such a great actor as Jack Coleman there should be some kind of wrap-up to his storyline so that it is not left dangling and open-ended.

While it was a less frantic episode with the story so tightly focused on the Stefan-Klaus story, we sorely missed the rest of the Mystic Falls crew: Jeremy, Rick, Bonnie, Matt and all the other friendly ghosts.  Here’s to hoping we see them soon again!  And Elijah, Elijah, where art thou?  We miss you too.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

“The End of The Affair” was written by Caroline Dries and directed by Chris Grismer. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ stars Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Matt Davis, Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Kayla Ewell, Malese Jow. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.