The Vampire Diaries: The Hybrid

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

Apparently, when Stefan killed his brother's compelled/real/fake girlfriend last week he didn't quite get the message across that he didn't want to be found. Unfortunately for Damon, Elena and Alaric, a brand new monster is just waiting to be discovered.

After Stefan killed Andy in last week's episode, Klaus has taken him for a camping trip in the Smoky Mountains where an unsuspecting group of werewolves have no idea what horrors await them. Back in Mystic Falls, Damon has given up on his brother completely but Elena refuses to do the same. She even manages to get Tyler's help to track down where Stefan might be and twists Alaric's arm into tagging along. Just when things seem like they might get out of control, Damon steps in and is ready to haul Elena back home but once again, her unwavering determination to save the man she loves even persuades Damon to join in on the fun. (They are in werewolf country during a full moon so what could possibly go wrong?) Meanwhile, Tyler is forced to confront his mom about his true nature while Matt and Jeremy continue to struggle with the ghosts of girlfriends past.

While some elements of The Hybrid worked quite well, a number of others didn't quite have the affect the show was going for. While the concept of a unique hybrid is intriguing the idea that Klaus desires to create an army of them immediately trivializes all of the events that lead to his final step in creation at the end of season two. In a sea of sharks, Klaus is Jaws. He is the oldest, biggest and scariest monster out there and if you kill him he will only come back angry. Now imagine that every shark is Jaws and it no longer has the same affect. Also, how was it that the werewolf pack and Alaric knew what hybrids were? I thought that everyone that had encountered Stefan and Klaus were dead. It's a small issue but it didn't help the story for the rest of the hour (Along with the weird picture where Matt looked younger than his sister).

What I found to be the largest missed opportunity of the episode was Tyler Lockwood's time with his mother. Tyler confronting his mother about vampires and his eventual reveal of his family curse was incredibly exciting but essentially glossed over in the few bits and pieces we have been shown. As the audience, we have always known Stefan and Damon as vampires but the same can't be said for Tyler and Caroline. This was a missed opportunity to show Tyler with his family which we have not seen a lot of unless there is another fundraiser at the Lockwood estate.

What truly piqued my interest the most in The Hybrid was when Klaus mentioned that "He" told him his actions to create hybrids would work if he killed a werewolf, a vampire and a doppelganger. I'm excited to see what character is introduced who even Klaus would listen to. The moment Klaus suspected Elena could still be alive was riveting and the fear streaking across Stefan's face captured the emotion perfectly. Speaking of introductions, Caroline's father (played by Jack Coleman of Heroes fame) is a surprising twist and one that I am definitely looking forward to watching play out now that John Gilbert is out of the story.

If one thing is for certain in The Vampire Diaries, it's that everything comes to a head. It's only a matter of time before things go from bad to worse for Stefan and Caroline is still bound to a chair, waiting to be tortured by her psychopathic father and I can't wait to see what happens in next week's The End of the Affair.

Tags: The Vampire Diaries, Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Jack Coleman, Tyler Lockwood, Michael Trevino

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