The Vampire Diaries: Daddy Issues

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  February 3, 2011 @ 9:54pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

When Tyler learns the truth about what happened to his uncle Mason, not only does his trust in Caroline waiver but the consequences may just reignite the war between werewolves and vampires.

After Tyler confronts Caroline about the death of his uncle Mason and discovers she isn't the only vampire in town, his trust in her is shattered and he doesn't know where to turn. At the Gilbert residence, Stefan brings Elena's father John back to Mystic Falls in the desperate hope that he can save her from Claus and The Originals. Hoping she can save Tyler from making a choice he will regret, Caroline convinces Stefan to try and talk to him but that plan goes sideways when after Jules makes an unexpected phone call. Tyler's cry for help has surprising consequences for Caroline when she is taken prisoner and tortured by Jules's werewolf boyfriend Brady while they wait for Stefan to deliver Tyler. Shortly after Damon shows up as his brother's backup, the exchange turns out to be a trap, followed by an all out war between werewolves and highly outnumbered vampires but luckily for the vamps, they are saved by divine intervention. While they may be out of the woods for now, with the return of the werewolves and other enemies still working against them, the Salvatoroes are far from safe.

While not as effective as "The Descent" from last week, this week's episode made huge strides in creating a larger story for the second half of the season. Rather than focus on a few select characters like last week, "Daddy Issues" focused on the greater story and showed just how well "most" of the characters fit together this season. By "most" I am referring specifically to Bonnie and Jeremy who almost have no place in the show whatsoever rather than to serve pawns to progress the story. An especially glaring flaw in the episode was when Bonnie spoke to Dr. Martin and mentioned that Elena had told her that he and his son Luker were working with Elijah. Considering The Vampire Diaries usually takes every opportunity to cover all possibilities of story, I don't remember that scene ever playing out. Although I could care less about the character Bonnie, I would have been more connected to her story of feeling betrayed by some of the witches she knows if I had witnessed the story play out. It's just uncharacteristic of a show that covers every base.

As per usual, Ian Somerhalder gives another fantastic performance as Damon which has become a regular occurrence in the series. It's strange how Stefan was originally intended to be the mysterious and brooding brother between the two but Somerhalder has simply elevated Damon beyond his role. The writing for Damon has also been fantastic to say the least as he is torn between being the monster he is and trying to be a better man for the woman he loves in a fascinating display. Knowing that he will never truly have Elena's affection but still trying to please her by "doing the right thing" is never dull. Hopefully some of this momentum will rub off on Stefan, not because I am tired of watching Damon's character progress but because Stefan is getting left behind by his brother in the show.

Besides the few quips I mentioned earlier, "Daddy Issues" is another great episode from The Vampire Diaries. Since "The Masquerade", I feared season two had already reached its pinnacle but I believe the second half is shaping up for something even better. The inclusion of the werewolves and their interest in the moonstone, John Gilbert returning to Mystic Falls and his motives with Katherine while Damon continues his downward spiral have me quite excited to see what happens in next week's "Crying Wolf".

Tags: Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev

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