photo: cw
Klaus
Original Air Date: Apr 21, 2011
Meg – Staff Writer
meg@thetwocentscorp.com
I hope I won’t disappoint you all by saying that I had mixed feelings about this episode. There’s been such a build up to the arrival of Klaus –he’s the oldest vampire in the history of time! A nefarious puppetmaster (but not that one)! Evil mastermind! An original!
In some ways I think the show set itself up for something it couldn’t necessarily deliver on. In other ways, I hope I’m just being prematurely judgy, because Klaus himself wasn’t exactly front and center this episode (despite it being named, you know, Klaus).
1492 – London
It’s flashback time! We know it’s a flashback because everyone has terrible hair and looks like their en route to RenFest. It’s Klaus’ birthday party – Katherine is there and—I hate to say it—not so much rocking the English accent.
I had a really hard time concentrating during the flashback scenes because people kept switching accents. Elijah went from fuddy duddy Brit to vaguely Eastern European; Klaus went in the other direction; and Katherine sounded like she was rehearsing for a school play.
We finally meet Klaus, in the flesh, and he’s young, handsome, and—like everyone else on this show with a Y chromosome—is immediately taken with Katherine.
Elijah and Katherine appear to have bonded. During some girl talk, Elijah tells Katherine he doesn’t believe in love. Oh are we doing emo vampires now? Geez, Elijah, why don’t you just throw on some skinny jeans and tune up the Dashboard Confessional.
Klaus wants to sacrifice the doppelganger (the first one), but Elijah has developed a fondness for Katherine and wants to protect her. Klaus rather snottily points out that love is a vampire’s greatest weakness. Sure, I mean, after sun, fire, pointy wood products, etc…
Elena and Elijah
We closed off last week’s episode with Elena resurrecting Elijah. Despite the fact that Team Save Elena has immolated, staked, stabbed, and killed him (twice), Elijah seems oddly enthused to work with her again.
Elena fills Elijah in on what he’s missed since she, you know, murdered him— (Satan) Klaus is in town wearing an Alaric suit, Manwich and son are dead, Wills and Kate are getting married, etc…
Elijah returns the favor by spilling a secret. Why does he care so much about (Satan) Klaus? He and Klaus are brothers…! While Elena collects her jaw from the floor, Elijah remarks, “I may be behind the times, but I believe the term you’re searching for is OMG.” Love him!
So what’s the story? Elijah and his six brothers and sisters were born to human parents and somehow became the first vampires. Well that’s… vague. In a twist I love, Elijah tells Elena that the big bad “sun and moon” curse that everyone is in such a tizzy over? Yeah, it doesn’t exist. Elijah and Klaus made the whole thing up (which makes me feel better about the whole “Bulgarian Aztecs in Virginia” aspect of it).
Klaus himself is cursed. His mother got frisky with a local werewolf and Klaus is apparently a hybrid (not that kind). To protect the balance of nature, witches (who apparently play some sort of supernatural hall monitor role) bound his werewolf side. Not sure how that’s a curse, considering what we’ve seen of the werewolf experience. Elijah explains that Klaus wants to unbind his werewolf side and start his own hybrid blood line.
(Satan) Klaus
Klaus is still dressed like an Alaric. He dispatches Maddox (who looks like Kellan Lutz and Shawn Hatosy had a baby) to fetch his body and “get me out of this bad hairdo.” On behalf of Matt Davis and his luscious coiffure, I object.
Since Katherine is a (literally) captive audience, Klaus exposits that he has come to Mystic Falls to sacrifice the doppelganger. Katherine does not point out that we’ve known this for at least ten episodes. Klaus takes off and compels Katherine to stay in his apartment. I mean, it’s better than when he compelled her to stab herself in the leg every five seconds, but still – I hope he has cable.
Meanwhile in Mystic Falls
Jenna – having remembered that she is a de facto parent to the Gilbert kids—returns home and freaks out that Jeremy and Elena are gone. Stefan realizes that she is probably in danger (oh, it must be Thursday) and races over to chez Gilbert to protect her from Klausric.
Klausric is chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Anyone who watched last season’s finale knows that cannot possibly end well. Klausric starts blathering on to an increasingly confused Jenna about how—surprise! Vampires are real!
Stefan holds Klausric at knifepoint and then vamps out at poor Jenna. Somehow Stefan manages to convince her to sit down and chat in the Salvatore mansion (he must have used the old magical puppy eyes of persuasion).
Jenna says that Elena’s mom used to tell her bedtime stories about vampires (really? That’s terrible!). Jenna is furious that Matt beat her by an episode and that she is officially the last person in Mystic Falls to know about vampires. Elena explains that by not telling her about the undead army of night-walking fiends, she was totally protecting Jenna. Uh…
The Brothers Salvatore
Damon is still playing house with Andi. It’s a little sick to watch. Especially when Andi finishes the episode cowering on the floor in her underwear after Damon tries to eat his feelings.
Stefan and Damon have lots of macho posturing over Damon being in love with Elena and Stefan being imperious and blahblahangstyfraternalfishcakes… They start punching the crap out of each other and –really? Oh don’t mind the impending vampire/werewolf armageddon—it can totally wait.
One Way to Make an Entrance
We close out the episode with a parade of witches getting chanty- this little coven includes Greta (the Manwich’s allegedly captive daughter), who seems rather chummy with her vampire overlord.
After some more chantingchantingchanting, Maddox opens up a sarcophagus (I bet that was fun to get through Customs) and out pops Klaus himself. He sort of ruins the moment with a cheesy one-liner (“now that’s more like it!”) that doesn’t do him any favors.
I still need to see more of Klaus before I can decide how I feel about him. I’m a little wary, given the sort of hammy portrayal thus far. I think the show made a mistake by introducing us to Elijah first, because Elijah so fantastically embodies how I think Klaus should be. Another mini-gripe I have is that I feel a little strung along. I’ve always given this show credit for not dragging things out – look at season 1 – they weren’t afraid of killing characters or revealing secrets. This season, I feel like I’m still waiting for the full story – what exactly did Katherine do to betray Klaus? It has to be more than “oh she ran away.” What did you think of the episode? Leave some comments and let me know your two cents on the episode and the season!
TheTwoCents 
this part here cracked me up
…Elijah went from fuddy duddy Brit to vaguely Eastern European….same with this
….like everyone else on this show with a Y chromosome—is immediately taken with Katherine
Actually like a none native speaker I had problems to understand them, but it was interesting to read how it seemed to hear for a native speaker.
Love the humor….anyway.
I agree with Klaus. He looked like lion, his smile was not really devilish more like a shy guy…dunno. I’m not so impressed either, I prefered Alaric at this point, but to his credit when he was yelling at Elijah I was imprest, but I feel the same Elijah is was more better. BTW was it a writers fault that Elijah couldn’t stay in the Salvatore manison, but Klaus had no problems to be in Alaric’s apartement….?
Thanks so much, Nisha! Also – good point about Klaus being able to be in Alaric’s apartment – do you think they’ll address that next episode or are we supposed to assume that the fantastical witch posse is somehow protecting him?
Maybe Klaularic invited Klaus and also Katherine, she had no problems to be inside as well. The witches are a good point, maybe? I was also thinking that the werewolf side may Klaus allow to enter a house.
Oh that’s a good point – I wonder if the werewolf side can override the anti-vamp magic. Also, maybe Klausric/Klaularic was exempt from the rule since he was technically inside Alaric’s body?
Maybe the werewolf part allow him to enter…. I would think the werewolf side would be just dominant during the full moon. Diffiicult TVD is not always correct and logical, impossible with so much story in such a short time, but sometimes they should try a bit more.
There is one thought I can’t get out of my head. Elijah had a real emotional reaction when he saw Katherine for the first time and he told her “ You remind me of someone.” The curse has been place on Klaus to punish him, so the original Petrova had to be someone to punish Klaus someone both had a connection to….might it be the unfaithful mother who could have known about the werewolf gene??? We have never seen a physical relationship between KatKlaus or KatElijah which surprised me.
Or a lover, maybe his wife who had children and Elena is an descendant. Is there may be a dormant werewolf gene in the Petrova line?
Oh I love these theories! You’re right – Katherine wasn’t the original – she’s the original DOPPELGANGER (am I right – I’ll admit, I could be totally off-base here…), so she herself had to have been created based on…. someone. I think it would be hilarious and potentially creepy if it turned out to be their mother (although mommy issues would explain a lot…).