Episode 213: Daddy Issues

The Vampire Diaries

This is the episode of who to trust.

1.        Uncle John.  He claims to only want Elena to be safe.  Considering she is his biological daughter and previously his niece, it is probably safe to say that to some extent he does care about her safety.  It’s tricky to determine his true intentions.  He seems to be playing a lot of mind games: claiming everyone else needs to gain his trust first, abruptly dropping the daddy news on Jenna, trying to bond with Jeremy, keeping Elena out of harm’s way, showing Damon how to kill an original, and giving Elena a memento of her late (human) mother’s.  He is all over the map with his behaviour.  These could all be the actions of a man who has a very strategic plan.  The light becomes a little brighter for this idea when we see him visit Katherine in the tomb.  It should be very interesting to see what the two of them are plotting, and if they are truly on the same side.

2.       Dr. Martin.  Where does his loyalty lie?  He’s proven handy in keeping Elena’s friends safe for now, but was that his only purpose?  Maybe having werewolves in town would put a damper on Elijah’s plans.  How loyal does he feel to Bonnie?  She obviously does not trust him and Luka right now, but this may change since they are of the same kind.  The two warlocks’ involvement and impact is sure to get interesting. 

3.       Caroline and Tyler.  Their relationship was built on the foundation of Tyler having no one else to turn to.  Then he finds out the one person he thought had his back had betrayed him.  His outburst was understandable.  He is even showing he has better control of his emotions when he was able to stop himself from completely losing it on Caroline.  Despite the betrayal, he doesn’t want her hurt.  He hesitates before releasing her in the trailer, but he doesn’t really want any more harm to come to her.  He freezes when Caroline is held at gunpoint.  He is completely overwhelmed by the situation and all that has changed in his life recently; he simply does not know what to do or who to trust.  In Caroline’s perspective, she has selflessly done so much and risked so much for Tyler during his transitional period.  She cannot believe that in her great time of need, he doesn’t help his friend.  She decides to cut the ties with him.  His actions in her eyes are unforgivable, and she can no longer trust him.  To add to the spider web of trust issues, poor Matt is even discovering he can’t trust Caroline when he catches her in an outright lie.

4.       The Wolf Pack.  Jules reveals a redeemable side: her desire to help Tyler.  She genuinely seems to care about him and all of her kind.  As she put, it is her “duty and honour to help”.  Brady seems to care about Tyler as well, but I fear he will get dangerously distracted.  His main focus seems to be vengeance, and now he has a whole lot more reasons for it.  There apparently isn’t a large population of werewolves, so it seems doubtful they can call in more reinforcements.  It is probably safe to say that these two aren’t ready to pack up their bags and leave peacefully quite yet.  Poor Tyler doesn’t know if he belongs with them, but again he is faced with being alone.  

5.        Damon.  Throughout the episode, Elena is pushing Damon to “be the better man”.  It’s hard to say if Elena really knows what it’s doing to him, but Damon is definitely feeling the pressure.  He feels torn between being the man she wants him to be and being the vampire he is by nature.  Elena trusts that Damon will do the right thing because she has asked him to.  The question is whether or not Elena should be dishing out this trust for Damon.  When she pushes too hard at bringing out his human side, she runs the risk of causing him to break (or him to break her little brother’s neck).  Last week’s experience with Rose and Elena lead him to kill a girl.  He can’t handle the loss in control over his emotions.  He can also only express this to those under compulsion.  He tried this on Elena once, apparently liked it, and is now doing it to his sexy reporter lady.  Damon now has a lot of people depending on him.  For the first time in his vampire existence, he has a life and people that he cares about and care about him.  Will he decide to take the path of the hero or the villain?  Hopefully he can withstand the pressure that is sure to increase tenfold, before he cracks yet again.

Most Heart-Breaking Scene:

Caroline stands up for herself at the end of a miserable day. 

Cutest Scene:

Stefan brings the girls over to slumber with Caroline.  I’m really looking forward to seeing more bonding between Caroline and Stefan.

Points to Ponder:

• ·         Werewolves can obviously sniff out vampires no problem (Tyler sensing Stefan behind him, Jules knowing Stefan was in the clearing), but do vampires not have the same sense for werewolves, or any person for that matter?  Stefan and Damon seemed to have no idea that they weren’t alone with Jules in the clearing.
• ·         Apparently werewolves are a decent match against vampires, but not against powerful witches like Dr. Martin.  He would be the last person in town to cross.
• ·         Did anybody else find the prospect of Damon getting a new hairstyle exciting?  I hope it is one with less grease…
• ·         Are Jeremy and Bonnie an official couple now?  They sure seem cozy together.
• ·         Caroline can single-handedly lift a boulder, but she can’t bend the bars to escape?  Is she just weak from her torture?
• ·         Anybody notice how often the plot forces Damon and Elena together and Stefan out of the picture?  I wonder what that means.
• ·         Wonder what Tyler thinks of Dr. Martin’s witchcraft.  He has a lot to learn about the supernatural world and the implications it has on Mystic Falls.
• ·         Will Tyler become anti-vampire, or will he try again to patch things up with Caroline?
• ·         What was Mason’s relationship with Jules and Brady?  Did the two of them know about his relationship with Katherine?