The Vampire Diaries – Recap & Review – Rose

photo: the cw

The Vampire Diaries
Rose

Original Air Date: Nov 4, 2010

Meg – Sr. Reviewer
meg@thetwocentscorp.com

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delayed posting, but I was kidnapped by vampire besties on the run from a centuries old vampire patriarch who really knows how to hold a grudge! Or…. maybe that was Elena. Yup, definitely Elena. Our heroine is having one helluva day – after getting magically staked and battered last week, she was abducted from a parking lot by a castoff from Cirque du Soleil. Tonight she gets some good news and some bad news. On the plus side, she gets rescued! On the down side… she’s apparently destined to die as a ceremonial sacrifice to liberate vampires from the sun…

Kidnapped
Elena’s kidnapper hands her over to a thin, pale-skinned, sunglasses-wearing mystery man in an SUV with tinted windows. He’s either a vampire or an Eminem impersonator. No, apparently he’s Trevor (or, if you watch Smallville, Mikhail Mxyzptlk). Before he can start snacking on Elena, he’s chastised by… Bela from Supernatural? Way to recycle your guest stars, CW.

Bela, who is the titular “Rose” character of this episode, smacks Elena into unconsciousness so she and Trevor can provide the audience with some helpful exposition. We learn that Rose and Trevor have been on the run for about 500 years and that they want to offer Elena to some nefarious Elijah character in exchange for a pardon. As Rose and Trevor strategize, Elena wakes up and, instead of heading doorwards, sneaks closer to the two vampires, immediately exposing herself. Seriously, Elena? I would have been less interested in learning their diabolical plan and more interested in the “getting the hell out of there” plan.

Elena asks them who Elijah is. Rose says, “he’s your worst nightmare!” Oh, my god, he’s Pennywise?! And, of course, Rose knows of Stefan and Damon. Man, everyone knows about those guys. Are they in some sort of vampire pin-up calendar somewhere?

Rose explains to Elena that she is a “Petrova doppelganger” and the key to breaking the vampire curse. As long as she doesn’t mind, you know, dying. Apparently 500 years ago Trevor trusted Katherine (then known as Katerina Petrova) and saved her from her fate. In retribution, the “Originals” (that sounds more like a pop group than a primordial vampire coven) have been hunting them ever since. Really? They don’t have better things to do with their time?

Trevor freaks out because he is sure that Elijah is going to kill him (spoiler alert: Trevor should trust his instincts). Elijah arrives (played by the guy who dated Kirsten Dunst for, like, two seconds in Spiderman 2) and meets with Rose.

Rose bargains for a pardon for herself and Trevor. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop Elijah from cutting Trevor’s head off. Oh Rose, don’t you know that vampires love semantics. You should have specified! Haven’t you ever seen Wishmaster?

Rescue Rangers
Tipped off by Jeremy that Elena’s gone MIA, Stefan immediately blames Katherine and accuses Damon of only pretending to seal her away in the tomb. Stefan wants to go interrogate her, but Damon helpfully explains that contact with Katherine will only lead to negotiations and homicidal rampages.

Bonnie steps in and volunteers to use Jeremy’s blood to do some sort of locator spell. It’s kind of a less sanitary version of the scrying they used to do on Charmed. With the location identified, Stefan and Damon stock up on Alaric’s vampire-killing toys (is he Q now?) and race off to play hero.

Stefan wants to use the roadtrip time for some bro-bonding and straight up asks Damon if he’s helping Stefan for the sake of helping his little bro or because Damon loves Elena. Damon refers to Elena as the “elephant in the room.” Considering Nina Dobrev weighs, like negative pounds, I’d go with “hamster in the room.” Damon blows it off.

When they arrive at the house, they do some tag-team fancy vamp-zooming to freak out Elijah. Then they stake him! Through the hand. With a pencil. Okay…. Stefan passes Elena a vervain bomb to lob at Elijah (thank goodness she has good aim. How embarrassing (and fatal) would it have been if she missed?). Damon stakes Elijah and everyone sighs as he expires.

Because Elena is a Better Person than Everyone, she tells the brothers to let Rose go. Then we get a weird moment where Elena hugs Stefan, but shares A Meaningful Stare with Damon. That’s only the first weird hug of the night, as when they get home, Jeremy grabs Elena in a decidedly un-sibling way… It’s a bit awkward.

Back at the Salvatore mansion, Damon and Stefan drink and debrief. Stefan apologizes to Damon for making him turn into a vampire and for being selfish. I don’t think Damon saw that coming. This whole episode is a really interesting examination of their brotherly bond. Considering they were actively trying to murder one another in the series premiere, I’d say this is progress. But I really feel for Damon here.

Rose pops up to offer the brothers her help in protecting Elena from the originals. She tells the boys that the original vamps are pursuing her at the behest of “Klaus.” Hold up—is Santa a vampire?!

Jeremy and Bonnie
After Stefan and Damon jet to rescue Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie spend most of the episode sitting thisclose on his bed.
Jeremy: I hate waiting.
Bonnie: Let me touch your arm and lean in closer.
Jeremy: I’m vulnerable. Want to make out?

Trying to be helpful, Bonnie grabs her grimoire and tries another spell. She writes a note to Elena and somehow lights it on fire/teleports it to her. Bonnie is so drained that she starts bleeding from her nose, shaking, and finally just passes out. Jeremy thinks, “this is SO not how I wanted having a girl in my bed to go.”

Bonnie sleeps while Jeremy watches. That is never not creepy. When she comes to, they have a nice moment where she confesses that she doesn’t want anyone to know that magic makes her weak. Jeremy uses his extra-husky emo voice to allay her fears.

Caroline and Tyler
Tyler is a complete mess this episode. He is basically reenacting Teen Wolf—increased strength, mad basketball skillz. Even his friends are impressed and want to know, “dude, where’d that come from?” He doesn’t stop to explain, “oh, a centuries old curse triggered by accidental homicide.”

Tyler spends the episode begging, stalking, and even threatening Caroline—he knows that she “knows something,” but she tries to convince him that he is remembering things wrong. When he starts to get handsy, she dropkicks his ass with some of her vamp-fu. Why doesn’t she just compel him? Can vamps compel werewolves?

Tyler confronts Caroline and demands that she admit that she’s a werewolf. She cracks the hell up, because, she is far too well groomed to be of the lupine variety. He gets a bit violent, causing her to bare fang. They have a cross-species moment and bond over some liquor. She talks him through the transformation process and tells him that they have to keep everything secret. Tyler, sort of pathetically, tells her he has nobody to talk to and that he’s scared. Aww…

Damon’s Denouement
We close out the episode with Damon visiting Elena in her bedroom. Considering he snapped her brother’s neck the last time he made an evening call, I can understand why she seems a little freaked out.

He came to give her back her vervain necklace, which was ripped off by Elijah (no respect for jewelry). Before he gives it to her, however (—sorry, I need a moment to fan myself here), he tells her that he loves her and he just needed to say it once. He tells her that he doesn’t deserve her, but that Stefan does. He seems to have made his peace with it. He kisses her forehead and compels her to forget.

Anyway, we end with Elijah coming back to life and pulling the stake out of his chest. Dangit guys, stop aiming for the spleen!

Wowza. I did not see the Damon/Elena scene coming. It almost feels too rushed, but I trust the show (also, not to belittle his revelation, but doesn’t EVERYONE know he loves Elena? Isn’t that discussed, like, at least once an episode?). His speech to Elena was a lot more about his growth in his relationship with Stefan than it really was about Elena. I think Damon is almost more comfortable keeping Elena on a pedestal – and while she’s up there, he thinks, she might as well be with the “good” brother. What do you think?

This episode had a lot of great stuff – for once, I liked Bonnie and she had a purpose, other than being a sanctimonious antivampire robot. Michael Trevino also did a great job—I really appreciate how he is tempering his fear and vulnerability with an underlying menace. He’s scared of his new strength, but he’s not afraid to use it to try and intimidate Caroline. This makes him a lot more interesting to me. Too bad I’m a cat person.

I want to know what you thought – what is your take on Damon’s revelation? Do you like the addition of Rose? Leave some comments and let me know your two cents!