Contributor: John Keegan
I don’t know about anyone else, but I very nearly forgot about this being an episode set during a high school homecoming dance, until I re-checked the title. After all, very little of the action has anything to do with the dance itself; it’s just a backdrop for the confrontation between Mikael and Klaus. And since this is the mid-season finale, it was a foregone conclusion that the confrontation would be intense and deliver long-ranging consequences.
The big change in this episode is that Stefan is freed from his compulsion, and he is not happy with Klaus one damn bit. It probably has something to do with the fact that Klaus was willing to sacrifice Elena (and pretty much everyone else) to win his war with Mikael, and Stefan was powerless to do anything about it. Needless to say, Stefan is cranky.
Some might be eager to see Elena and Stefan back together now that he’s free, but I don’t see that happening for a while yet. Too much happened between them that will take time to reconcile. Besides, I’ve always felt that Damon is a better fit for Elena, especially if it can bring out the inner Katherine that we know is just waiting to come out. Besides, Stefan is going to be busy getting some much-deserved revenge on Klaus.
Frankly, I don’t see how that’s going to work out well. Mikael was only a threat to Klaus because he was far more powerful, and even then, it took a little bit of trickery to give Klaus enough edge to win. But Klaus did win, and while Stefan may be holding a few cards at that moment, that doesn’t mean Klaus is a pushover, by any means. (And he still has the hybrids around, and/or the ability to make more.)
Actually, I think Tyler is going to be the real problem, because Klaus sired him, and now he’s back to being really annoying. While I completely understand his point about enjoying a relatively pain-free existence, having dealt with enough werewolf transitions to have had his fill, I still think he’s ignoring Caroline’s thoughts on the subject. And since he and Caroline were “paranormal friends with really, really great benefits”, one would think he’d want to preserve the relationship.
On the other hand, it looks like Katherine is weaseling her way back into Stefan’s life, one way or another. Appealing to his tortured humanity is not a bad angle to take, and I almost believe that there’s still some lingering human morality left in her. Within the context of the series thus far, that has always been a potential; Damon’s entire character arc has been a meditation on the depths of his formerly repressed humanity. Whatever the case, I’m glad to see Katherine back, and in a role that should put her in the center of the storm.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
