The Vampire Diaries: We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  November 15, 2012 @ 9:57pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

In the wake of Connor Jordan's death, Elena has taken a turn for the worst. Unknown to Elena and those closest to her, whoever kills a hunter becomes cursed and the cure comes with a heavy price.

Since she ended Connor's life, Elena is being tormented by hallucinations of Connor that have steadily gotten worse; it's only after she stabs Jeremy in the throat with a kitchen knife that she tells Damon what happened. Damon suggests that they bring Stefan into the mix but Elena still doesn't trust him since he lied about Klaus last week. Luckily, Damon called him before he got there. Jeremy also survived his sister's attack due to his family ring and wakes up just as Klaus calls Stefan. Klaus knows too well about Elena's suffering and that it will push her until she ends her own life. When the hallucinations begin to take hold, Elena begins to lose control, giving Klaus the opportunity to take her away indefinitely. Determined to get her back and end the curse, Stefan and Damon will have to turn to a friend to save her.

Even with Elena's impending insanity, We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes didn't have the excitement of last week's The Killer or the emotional kick to make it memorable. I have never seen the concept of the hunter's curse before and the punishment after death is powerful. Connor was killed off just as he was getting interesting and if can make this much of an impact in death, imagine what it could have been if he had been around longer. This episode was a missed opportunity to show that Klaus and Elena share some similarities; if not by character then at least by their experience. If the episode had started with a flashback to the days following Klaus's slaughter of The Five and the torment he suffered and then gone back and forth between his experience and Elena's, it could have been something great. Klaus would have given Klaus another dimension we have not yet seen along with a genuine sympathy for Elena and show just how agonizing and consuming the curse becomes.

What didn't turn out as well as The Vampire Diaries may have hoped were the scenes with Elena. Don't get me wrong, Connor stole the show when he was there and even seeing Katherine as a delusion was a welcome surprise. The problem was Elena. Elena has been the least likeable character of the season by far and her willingness to forfeit her life after less than a day was pathetic at best. When Elena became a vampire, I was hoping this would lead her to a newfound independence and strength but thus far, it has been another excuse for her to be a victim week after week. In a sense, The Vampire Diaries has become very much like Twilight in that aspect. While other characters have changed around her, Elena has not. Even with fangs, she is still the same girl that needs two men to save her from every situation. Hopefully Elena changes for the better, becoming more empowered and less of a sexist cliché.

The two highlights of the episode were Tyler's frustration after the death of his friend and the breakup between Stefan and Elena. Tyler's involvement with Hailey and the hybrids does take him away from the others but also makes him an independent character that has devoted himself to a cause. His frustration with Caroline was understandable because he promised his friend he would be safe. Everyone has to sacrifice for Elena and when will it ever be enough? Lastly, Stefan and Elena breaking up was bittersweet because it was the best for the both of them but no one came out a winner. Even though he has an eternity, why should Stefan always be the good boyfriend while Elena decides if she loves him or his brother? Hopefully, break from the love triangle will give the greater story time to develop on its own.

Overall, We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes was just another example of how Elena needs to be rescued. Others sacrifice a great deal to keep her safe and you couldn't help but think that even though Katherine was a hallucination, everything she said was right. We'll find out if that changes in My Brother's Keeper.

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

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