"The Descent": An Emotional Whirlwind

Hours have gone by and as I sit down to weigh in on last night’s return of The Vampire Diaries, I realize that I’m still speechless. No, really. This episode is one of the most emotionally difficult episodes yet, as we come face to face with despair so raw that it feels like we’re standing right beside these characters, watching them break down before our very eyes. Granted, "The Descent" focused primarily on Damon’s emotional crises, but we’ll get to that in short order. We'll also discuss the significance of the episode title in relation to a few of the primary characters.

It opens with Jules, the troublesome werewolf who bit Rose in "By the Light of the Moon," waking up in the woods. It seems as though she doesn’t quite remember what happened the night before, but her memory is quickly jogged as she comes across the campground which she clearly tore to bits – yes, people included. There’s something recklessly frightening about Jules as we realize the true extent of the power that a werewolf has on a full moon and observing the destruction, it becomes clear that she may be slightly psychotic. In any case, it does not end well for the officer who offers to help her upon seeing her ‘crying’ on the ground. Jules has ‘descended’ into a state of utter destruction; she knows who killed Mason and she is out for blood.

After the title credits role, we’re finally subjected to some happy news – abs. All I can say is thank God for a shirtless Stefan because without that, there would literally be nothing happy in this episode. Also, is it just me or is the number of times Stefan and Elena break up and get back together a little ridiculous? Don’t get me wrong – I love them together as much as any one – but if they’re going to take a break...they should actually take one. They have some serious issues to consider in the wake of all of this destruction. Anyway, that little bit aside, there’s nothing like the fresh, poisonous smell of vervain in the morning is there? Seriously, Stefan just thought to start building up his tolerance? I thought of that in season one, when we first learned how dangerous vervain is to vampires. But kudos to him – that shit looks unpleasant.

Soon after, Stefan leaves, hoping to find Isobel. Damon and Elena have a conversation, in which they both try to make light of the dire situation Rose is currently in. “How is it?” “Definitely...better...right, Elena?” Um, fail guys. That was not convincing in any sense of the word. At least they’re not fooling themselves here; when Elena asks Damon if Rose is going to die, he says “probably.” Yeah. That wolf bite wound is not looking good. At all.

Meanwhile, we discover that our favourite supernatural teenagers actually do still have school. I never thought I’d say this, but Caroline, of allpeople, is being the responsible onem, seemingly committed to academic and extracurricular activities. Good on her – the vampire and the werewolf (Tyler) haven’t completely forgotten their priorities – yet the human (Elena) has not attended school in I-don’t-even-know-how-many episodes. Anyway, Tyler and Caroline have a conversation – he wants to know why she cares so much, and she just responds with her sweet non-answers. After Tyler leaves (suspicions aroused) Matt comes back into the Caroline game. I agree with good ol’ naive Matt – him and Caroline definitely “have some wires crossed.”

Meanwhile, Jules just casually strolls into the grill like she didn’t just tear apart an entire camp of people. I don’t know about you, but the threat Jules poses has now become perfectly clear – she is dangerous and the vampires of Mystic Falls have their work cut out for them. Of course, Alaric is at the grill, too – um, hey, wait a minute, Mr. Saltzman! Don’t you have a God damn history class to teach? Seriously, if the vampire and the werewolf can make it to school, so can you! Unless the writer purposefully left out the story line where Alaric becomes the town drunk and has taken to drinking in public in the middle of the day. Anyway, Alaric calls Damon to alert him to the presence of the wolf and Stefan shows up. They have a conversation and Stefan politely (but not-so-much) demands Isobel’s phone number so he can get an answer.

At the Salvatore boarding house, Damon has left Elena alone with Rose. When the hell is that ever a good idea? I’ll tell you – it’s not. On the plus side, we viewers finally get to see Damon’s room and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s exactly how the producers described it. And that bed is so huge that it's almost ridiculous. But I love it. The room is simplistic but essentially all Damon – I love the stack of books by his bed (he is a learned man, God damn it)! Elena picks up a copy of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised, especially by what this implies about our humanity-hating vampire.  “Not what you expected?” Rose quips as Elena pokes around. “It’s just a room with a bed,” Elena replies huffily. Is it? Okay, wow. Enough about Damon’s bedroom and back to the actual story.

“You really think your witch friend destroyed the moon stone?” So how is it that the delusion-driven werewolf-bitten vampire is asking all the right questions? Bonnie, in fact, did not destroy the moon stone, but it wasn’t her fault. In case you missed it, Luka set her up in "By the Light of the Moon."Yeah, not good. The next five minutes revolve around Rose’s slow and painful descent into the dementia aspect of the wolf bite. It is not pretty and I must say, every single person involved in the production of this episode has done a damn good job of making me feel exceedingly uncomfortable.

Back at the grill, Stefan attempts to call Isobel. I love how they show the phone number. By the way, if you call that number (919-399-2507), you’ll get a very special message from your vampire friends. Anyway, Isobel doesn’t answer (why the hell would she?) so Stefan leaves a message. Damon shows up and he and Stefan have a very deep conversation about – you guessed it – how Damon doesn’t care about Rose and how he’s not upset. Oh, really, Damon? Because everything you’ve done thus far in this episode has indicated otherwise. “Sometimes vampires die.” Yeah, they do – but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt any less. Damon then confronts Jules anyway, and let me tell you – cold-hearted bitch on the move, that’s all I have to say. She tells Damon how to cure Rose’s wolf bite (“take a stake and drive it through her heart”) and then leaves a slightly stunned Damon behind to ponder that concept.

Back at the Salvatore boarding house, we’re treated to a very frightening game of cat and mouse as Elena attempts to control Rose’s delusions and thirst. She finds Rose in the basement blood storage, sucking away at the stuff like nobody’s business. Elena finally does something smart and locks herself in Stefan’s room, stake and all.

Ah, back at the school, we’re treated to some normal high school teen drama. Caroline drops the L-bomb on Matt, which I must say, I was not expecting it at all. And she seems about to tell him just exactly what is going on, but an interruption stops her (of course) and she disappears.

Elena emerges from Stefan’s bedroom, wielding the stake. Um, this is scary because Rose is nowhere to be seen and we’re expecting her to jump out and attack Elena. Someone does come out of nowhere, though, and it’s Damon. I must say, even though I knew someone was going to appear, I still jumped about eight feet. Also, my dear Elena, that stake was a little too close to Damon. Watch where you point that thing! “Where’s Rose?” he says to her.

As it turns out, she’s found her way to a large gathering of people (of course) and has promptly attacked a garbage man. Luckily (or maybe not), Damon and Elena find her and bring her home. Can I just pause for a moment? Lauren Cohan’s performance here is absolutely compelling. Just...such fantastic acting. This woman was not afraid to get her hands dirty – rolling on the ground, face covered in blood, sweat and tears. Just...wow. Hat definitely goes off to her in this scene.

They bring her back to the house, and Rose makes some observations about her own and Damon’s character to Elena. Elena ponders. Rose goes into another fit of convulsions. Things are not looking good, and by this point, I can already feel the back of my throat burn because I know the inevitable is coming soon. Rose has nearly fully descended into madness and the impending crisis looms ever closer.

So...Tyler shows up at Caroline’s house. They discuss the fact that a wolf bite can kill her and Tyler is clearly uncomfortable. He then kisses her. And then Caroline freaks out: “Everyone needs to just stop kissing me!” or something to that extent. Haha, I’ll agree with you there, Caroline. You have some major issues you need to deal with. We see Tyler’s descent into suspicion and mistrust and Caroline’s descent into all around confusion.

Once again, back at the Salvatore boarding house, Damon is caring for Rose. And it is the most beautiful part of the whole episode. Seriously. The nurturing side of Damon had me in God damn tears. He takes Rose, via dream, to her favourite place to go as a human, and the two talk. It switches from dream world to the real world and that makes it all the more poignant and beautiful. Rose tells Damon how much she misses being human, and asks him if she’ll get to see the people she cared about in her human life. Damon holds her, and they just feel the sun on their faces and oh my God it’s just too heartbreaking. In the real world, Damon holds Rose just as he does in the dream, but he also has a stake in his hand. As they count off to their race in the dream, Damon drives the stake through her heart, ending her life. She didn’t die in pain, though, and the fact that he made sure she was free of pain first...so lovely.

What is left, however, is a very broken man and that is clear from the multiple (no single manly tear here) tears he sheds as he holds her dead body. This is the part where I break out into sobs because it is that upsetting and that riveting when we see what the death of a close friend can do to a man – or vampire. And so Damon begins his own descent - into both feeling and rejection. His journey is unique because while he pushes away his human side over and over again, he is clearly not strong enough to fight parts of it any longer.

Jules and Tyler have a conversation about werewolves and vampires, but frankly, I’m not too interested in this because I’m still bawling my eyes out over Rose. No, really. Good God. I try to pay attention because I know this tension is going to play a huge role in the following episodes, but it’s so hard. Anyway, in short, things are about to get even more complicated as Jules leaks the details of Mason’s death to Tyler. He doesn’t seem to believe her, but she slowly begins to win him over.

Damon and Elena have a conversation. “Damon, you’re so close, don’t give up,” she says in reference to his feelings and his humanity.  Elena tries to break down the barrier, but he keeps evading her. “I feel, Elena, okay – and it sucks. What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me.” So Damon not only is grieving the loss of his friend, but also feeling guilty about it. Seriously, guys, I just can’t even tell you how good Ian Somerhalder’s performance is in this episode. I’m freaking crying again as he tries to explain to Elena how much he feels yet how much he doesn't feel. Elena hugs him and though he just stands there much like he did in "Fool Me Once", he’s clearly fighting emotions as he tries not to cry. And the lip quiver.

Elena returns to her house to find Stefan and oh – guess who? Uncle freakin’ John. Goody! And by goody, I definitely mean, "as if things in Mystic Falls weren't complicated enough, we can now add 'Daddy issues' to the list of things that need to be dealt with!"

And then we see the complete and total breakdown of Damon’s character and it is terrifying. He attacks a girl by posing dead on the road, and, drunk and alone, makes her listen to his existential crisis. “I can’t be what she wants me to be.” And – oh, congratulations, Mr. Somerhalder, for catapulting me into tears again – then he kills her. Keep in mind, guys, that Bonnie said in the season one finale that if Damon spilled one drop of innocent human blood, that she would take him down. So I wonder how that’s going to play out?

In closing, I must say that "The Descent" has thus far been one the best episode of the entire series. Lauren Cohan and Ian Somerhalder gave some outstanding performances, and honestly, I can't even look at some of these pictures without crying. Now that's powerful.

The best speech of episode goes to Damon in the last few minutes of the show; it really shows the complexity of his character, and not only how far he has come, but how far he still has to go.

"Sir, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm...lost."

"Lying in the middle of the road?"

"Not that kind of lost - metaphorically; existentially."

"Do you need help?"

"Well...yes, I do. Can you help me?"

"You're drunk."

"No...yes, a little, maybe...no! Please don't leave! I really do need help...don't move."

"I don't want any trouble!"

"Neither do I...but it's all I got...is trouble."

"Why can't I move?"

"What's your name?"

"Jessica."

"Jessica. I have a secret. I have a big one. And I've never said it out loud. I mean, what's the point? It's not going to change anything; it's not going to make me good...make me adopt a puppy. I can't be what other people want me to be - what she wants me to be! This is who I am, Jessica."

"Are you gonna hurt me?"

"I'm not sure...because you are my existential crisis...do I kill you? Or do I not kill you?"

"Please don't."

"But I have to, Jessica. Because I'm not human. And I miss it; I miss it more than anything in the world! That is my secret. But there's only so much hurt a man can take."

"Please don't!"

"Okay. You're free to go."

And so am I, my readers. See you next week - looks like we'll have to be sorting out some "Daddy Issues"!

SourcesAll images belong to the CW.

‘Got Wood?’ The CW Urges Viewers to ‘Catch VD’

The "Catch VD" billboards on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California and Times Square, New York City, New York.

“Catch VD?” I said to myself aloud, observing the glaring red letters on black-as-midnight-background. This was yesterday morning, as I checked out Vampire Diaries news, as I do every day.  Well, of course I’m gonna catch VD – it’s the first new episode since the winter hiatus,” I continued quietly to myself, once I noticed that there was, in fact, another person less than five feet away from me. Since I’m a little bit slow in the morning – as I’m sure we all are – I didn’t get it right away. And then came the revelation as I continued staring at the brand new ads: “Wait – what the hell?”

As an adamant and obsessive viewer of The Vampire Diaries with a seemingly one-track mind, especially in the final days of this hiatus, seeing the simple acronym of “VD” brought to mind my favourite television show. I slowly realized, as the coffee settled in, that this ad could be interpreted (and is wholly meant to be) a completely different way. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ads yesterday, and to be honest, I still don’t completely know today. What I do know, however, is that I have some semblance of an opinion after a twenty-four hour speculation period.

On the one hand, the ad did exactly what it’s supposed to do – draw a lot of attention to itself. On the other hand, it seems like most of that attention has been either negative or neutral. I do think the ad is slightly humorous. But when I look at the image that’s going to be replacing the original ads, I feel something shift.

Ah, what a great way to “Catch VD” – with Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, and Ian Somerhalder. To quote season one Damon, “You know, I really like this whole ménage-à-threesome team thing. It’s got a bit of kink to it.” Me too, Damon – except when it’s underlying association is venereal disease! What does this ad then imply about our beloved actors? I realize that yes, they are in character, and that the ads are not meant to be taken completely seriously, but I can’t help but find it slightly disconcerting.

With that said, however, the CW is definitely no stranger to overly sexual television advertising – I loved the promotional photos for season two of Gossip Girl. The use of negative comments made by the PTA, etc., to emphasize the risqué pictures in the background was genius. They took some potentially troublesome opinions and turned them against the original speakers.

Maybe the CW got the whole “Catch VD” component wrong - after all, we’re talking about diseases here. Personally, I think they should be focussing more on their original season two promotional photos; they have a dash of class and wit, and the pictures are gorgeous. Yes, of course, they’re sexual, too - what advertisement for television isn’t in this day and age.

At the end of all this, I feel like The Vampire Diaries (known as ‘TVD’ in the fandom, by the way, not ‘VD’) deserves a better marketing campaign because it’s such a great show – actors, producers, writers, etc. – they’re all phenomenal. On the other hand, sex sells, and if the CW feels the best way to sell that sex is through VD, then that’s up to them. In any case, I don’t care what kind of advertising they use to try and draw in new viewers – all I know is that I will keep watching until the series is finito.

For those of you wondering, I'm not offended by these ads. Rarely anything offends me. Au contraire, I find them more amusing than anything - this is just what I happen to think in general.

With all this in mind, by the way, the CW released a mid-season preview today.

“Got wood?”

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/26/sexy-vampire-diaries-trailer-video-season-tw/

Haha, okay, CW. That’s like a stake reference, right...right?

For further reading, all you have to do is type 'Catch VD' into Google. No, seriously. There are some great articles. I think I'm the last person to post something!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll be catching a brand new episode of TVD tomorrow night on the CW. See you soon!

Sources
First three photos can be found here: http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/25/vampire-diaries-billboard-catch-vd-ex/
Gossip Girl promos found here: http://www.popcrunch.com/x-rated-gossip-girl-season-2-promo-pictures/
The Vampire Diaries promos found here: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/katherine-pierce/images/16412692/title/new-tvd-season-2-poster-both-brothers-want-dead-hq-photo

Mystic Falls: Where ‘Daddy Issues’ Come Out to Play

As I’m to understand, fans of The Vampire Diaries have slowly been losing their minds over this crazy-long winter hiatus – and yes, I am included in this category. I’m seriously beginning to think that the writers, producers, and actors of this show have been playing a twisted little game with us die-hards: an interview here, a tweeted picture there – you get the gist. They are teasing us. Mercilessly.

Lucky for us, though, the winter hiatus ends next week - Thursday, January 27^th, The Vampire Diaries returns with a brand new episode: “The Descent.” And if you’re anything like me, you’ve been nosing around the forums, blogs, magazines, and Twitter, hoping to catch even a glimmer of what our pals in Mystic Falls are up to.

Strangely enough, though, that’s not the episode I’m blogging about. Yes, “The Descent” [2-12] has me so excited that I am literally counting down the days until I get to see Stefan sans shirt, Elena avec stake, and of course – the hug (don’t even pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about)! The episode I am blogging about is “Daddy Issues” [2-13], of which a summary and episode stills have been released. I’m intrigued because the episode title itself could refer to any one – I’m not freakin’ kidding!

I’m here to round up the “daddy issues” of each primary character in Mystic Falls because if we’ve learned anything from The Vampire Diaries, it’s don’t trust your father because he’s either a) a vampire hunter b) a d*ck or c) all of the above. FYI, if you want to check out the official synopsis or more episode stills, head over to virtually any TVD fansite – these guys are on top of things!

Elena Gilbert
From what I understand about Elena’s adoptive parents, they were pretty decent people, besides the fact that they were keeping her adoption secret from her and that her ‘father’ was actually her uncle. Her real dad, Jonathon Gilbert (whom she thought was her uncle), is actually part of the long tradition of Gilbert-vampire-betraying, as we saw in the episodes in season one, up to and including “Founder’s Day.” But don’t worry, Elena! He’s just trying to protect you – but not before he burns your vampire friends alive! In case you haven’t figured it out, John Gilbert is a d*ck – and he’s still alive. Even though Stefan made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t to ever set foot in Mystic Falls again because bad things would befall him (i.e., death) it looks like Daddy Gilbert is going to be paying a visit. Elena’s issue with her father? Um, she hates him. That’s going to be an issue of contention at the breakfast table.

Jeremy Gilbert
His parents are dead. I’m pretty sure that’s bad enough.

Damon & Stefan Salvatore
Giuseppe Salvatore shot his own sons in cold blood for trying to do something noble – save Katherine from fate of a fiery church. Oh, did I mention that he treated the elder Salvatore like dirt and frequently used the younger to do his bidding? I feel like this had something to do with the loss of Mama Salvatore, but she has yet to be brought up on the show. Stefan ends up accidently killing his father to top it all off. In any case, if I were either of the Salvatore brothers, I would have daddy issues, too.

Katerina Petrova
One of the most heart-breaking scenes of season 2 thus far is in “Katerina” [2-9], in which we get to see what exactly happened that made Katherine turn. We’re taken to 1490 Bulgaria and discover that she had a child out of wedlock. The child is taken from her and her father kicks her out of the house (hmm, is it just me, or is this still happening to young teenage girls? But I digress). Anyway, while Katerina is gone and is turned, she returns home to find that Klaus murdered her entire family. Um, thanks, because this show wasn’t already tragic enough with all of the familial issues!

Bonnie Bennett
Her dad does not like the fact that she’s descended from witches, so it sounds like he just completely shuts out that aspect of her life (a growingly important aspect and one which is important to Bonnie). Other than that, we don’t know much about Mr. Bennett because this guy is just absent.

Caroline ForbesHer dad left her mother by running off with a man. Caroline seems to like her father, but he did leave her and her mother alone. Not cool, Mr. Forbes.

Tyler Lockwood
As we saw in the first season, Mr. Lockwood liked to get a little rough, especially with Tyler. He was emotionally and physically abusive to the poor kid. He kicks it in “Founder’s Day” and some of us rejoice that his unhealthy father-son relationship is finally over, but now Tyler has no father or male guidance. His uncle, Mason, looked like he was going to be a good influence, but, uh...things got a little rough when Damon confronted the werewolf. Tyler does not yet know that his only other father figure was offed by a pissed vamp.

Matt Donovan
Matt’s parents suck – they really, really do. His mother is absent and when she’s around she’s pretty lousy. As for his dad...um, does he even have one? In any case, Matt’s father is absent and he’s left to fend for himself. Couple that with the fact that his sister, Vicki, is dead, and you’ve got a recipe for some major familial issues (but Matt’s just as sweet and as charming as ever and we can only hope he’ll stay that way)!

There you go, folks. If the residents of Mystic Falls don’t have “daddy issues,” I don’t know who does. Feel like I missed someone? Drop me a comment and add your own two cents!

The hotties of Mystic Falls got their swag on. Also, they have daddy issues. But that's okay.