The Vampire Diaries 3x04: Disturbing Behavior

Original Air Date: 6 October 2011

Storyline: Still in Chicago, Klaus uses Gloria, a witch he knew long ago, to help him track down missing information that will explain why his plan isn't working. Gloria's spells reveal intriguing glimpses of the truth, but she soon realizes she needs Stefan's knowledge to complete the puzzle. When Stefan suddenly finds himself in danger, help comes from a surprising ally. Back in Mystic Falls, a frustrating new enemy pushes Damon over the brink and he lashes out in a way that will have lasting consequences. Caroline struggles with her own emotional issues, even as she tries to help Elena face her feelings. Jeremy makes a brief but disturbing breakthrough with one of his ghostly visitors, leaving him more confused than ever. Finally, Bonnie has a strange encounter that will affect everyone.Best Quote:

Katherine: Come on, Stefan, you're not the diabolical type. Whatever you're planning, it's not gonna work.
Stefan: Well, if the most diabolical woman I know can't seem to figure it out, then I must be doing something right.

Damon's Best: I am not Stefan. How about you stop trying to turn me into him?Katherine's Best: I'm just a girl, looking for a partner in crime.Review: I was seriously contemplating for a minute there giving up on this show entirely. This season started out so well, but we're four episodes in and it looks like the only characters who are remotely interesting are Klaus and Caroline. Everyone else is boring, useless, annoying or plain stupid. Fortunately, Katherine's return - even though she's still only a vessel for the main story and doesn't really have her own plot - shakes things up a notch and Damon has finally rebelled against Elena's with to turn him into Stefan, something he'll never be, thankfully.

Things in Mystic Falls have been less than thrilling, despite a lot actually going on. Elena and Damon have been playing house under the scrutinizing eyes of Alaric and Caroline, who think they shouldn't get too close because Damon will never change. But as adorable as they may be together, my favorite blue-eyed boy is reasonably pissed that he has to behave and does what he knows best in order to feel like he hasn't turned into Stefan all together: pisses off the only friends he has. His actions will change the dynamics in Mystic Falls for once: with Alaric being part of a Council that has forgotten why it was create din the first place, we're bound to see the vampire hunter back at work in no time. I just hope the most recent neck snapping will not have lasting effects on what is probably my favorite bromance on TV. 
Bonnie's back (was she on TVD anymore?) just as Jeremy learns that Anna is around because he is thinking about her. Talk about how this show loves to create love triangles. But what about Vicki? The reason behind her appearances was not given, but it's something dark. Ugh, isn't it always something dark? As for Bonnie, her character is a lot like Katherine in that she doesn't really get her own story, but is a means to tell the story of the others. She is now involved on two planes: figuring out what's happening to her boyfriend and trying to find out more about Elena's... ummm... Rebecca's necklace. Unfortunately for her, she's not nearly as entertaining as Katherine, so it's actually very easy to forget she's on the show most of the time.
As for Caroline and her vamp-hater father, we find out there's a reason why Bill thinks he can suppress his daughter's vampire side: he himself has found a way of resisting glamouring or whatever mind control is called in this show. The best thing about his short appearance this season was the fight scene between Damon and Caroline. One shouldn't mess with Vampire Barbie when she's angry!
Moving on to Chicago, let me rant about Stefan for a little bit. I was hoping his character could actually become interesting now that he's Klaus' sidekick, but he's actually stupid stupid stupid. And stubborn. So much so, that he refuses Katherine's help, despite her saving him from the white-haired witch who so easily looked into his mind and discovered the doppelganger was alive and well and wearing the necklace. And not only that, but he actually thought he could deceive two Originals simply because Rebecca was still in love with him. The bad thing: he lead a now intrigued Klaus back to Mystic Falls, right to the place he wanted to take him away from. The good thing: he lead Klaus back to Mystic Falls. At least now we might get some real action again, despite my disappointment at Stefan and Elena getting back together. 
Other stuff: Katherine is very good at pretending to be Elena, so good that not even Bonnie, who senses vampires, realized it was her. And not only does she have the necklace, she also convinced Damon, who I bet was getting really bored at pretending to be a nice guy, to work with her. I'm very excited to see these two together. Elena (finally) admitted her feelings for Damon, sort of. But that doesn't mean anything when she's not acting on them because she's afraid of how it might look. Meh... I'm going to sound whiny here, but why are vampire shows so adamant in making their lead female characters so annoying and self-righteous? Also, Julie Plec teased that "Something will go terribly wrong" between Caroline and Tyler. I just hope they won't be breeding a new hybrid, because honestly, if there's yet another story about vampires being able to procreate, I'll barf. One of the main reasons I like this show so much is that it's not Twilight (though Elena does act a lot like Bella Swan at times).
It's definitely clear that none of the vampire shows on air right now will ever be as good as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have to stop hoping that TVD will ever be more than a what it is right now - a teen series with some entertainment value and a couple of good actors.  
The Vampire Diaries 3x03: The End of the Affair
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