The Vampire Diaries: By the Light of the Moon

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  December 13, 2010 @ 9:14pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

On the eve of the full moon, Elena makes a deal with an uncertain ally while Tyler discovers that even after watching Mason's videos, pain is just the beginning.

With time running out until the next full moon, Tyler Lockwood is prepares for the worst night of his life as he is about to transform into a werewolf for the first time with Caroline along for the ride. Meanwhile at the Gilbert residence, Bonnie talks about breaking the curse to free Elena but events take a drastic turn when Elena makes an attempt to steal the moonstone and turn herself into Claus and The Originals. Luckily, Bonnie and were already onto Elena's discretions and had a plan waiting which plan waiting that also falls into Elijah's favour. At the Lockwood estate, Stefan begins to understand what it means to be trapped in a cave with Katherine while Damon and Alaric try to make friends with the newest resident of Mystic Falls, Jules.

While at times slow, "By the Light of the Moon" certainly had its strong moments. While I am surprised to see Katherine return so often since she was trapped in the cave, her interactions with Stefan are never dull. When not locked in mortal combat, the two of them have excellent chemistry and walk a fine line between friend and foe. The fact that Katherine is still able to affect Stefan also speaks volumes about a character when she has been trapped inside a cave for the past four episodes but I am looking forward to seeing what Katherine will do when she finally gets out of her cage. While it was only her first appearance in the series, Jules (played by Michaela McManus) definitely made an impact on The Vampire Diaries. Werewolves have been in short supply this season and Jules attack on Rose and her call to yet another mysterious character will have an impact on episodes to come and possibly reignite the war between the vampires and the werewolves.

The strongest aspect of "By the Light of the Moon" was clearly Michael Trevino. I had never been sure where Tyler Lockwood had fit into the story until this episode. Tyler's journey this season has been anything but brief this season as every episode he has discovered something new about his family history and the dark secrets it held. As the full moon finally approached we saw his anxiety turn into fear which only led to his inevitable suffering during his transformation. Every agonizing moment was cringe worthy as his bones fractured and broke while his body went through a strange metamorphosis in what would be a spectacular scene. Trevino has never had the same amount of screen time as Elena, Stefan or Damon but he completely stole this episode.

"By the Light of the Moon" was a solid episode that keeps the show headed in the right direction. While not the strongest episode of the season but I can't really find any fault in it. Elena made a deal that is bound to backfire with Elijah while the werewolves are making their presence known which must have some connection to the moonstone/curse. A greater story is coming together on the show and I am excited to see where this is going.

Tags: The Vampire Diaries, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Jules, Michael Trevino, Tyler Lockwood, Michaela McManus

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