Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Moral Ambiguity For The Win!
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 2 | Aired on 09.16.2010
Stefan and Elena walk through the grounds. He is all keyed up, and punches inanimate objects, because he's trying to give Elena the normal high school date she longed for. Oh no, that's not it. It seems part of him knows that Damon's right about Caroline. "Katherine all but signed Caroline's death sentence." Elena says they can't let it end that way and asks if Katherine is doing this to get to her. Stefan shakes his head. "She's doing this to get to me." I wonder how much he told Elena about his conversation with Kat last week. Somehow, I bet he omitted a few details.
Lockwood Mansion: When Brick House and Tyler arrive home, Tyler insists on some details -- like how Brick House managed to jump over a car, and why his eyes were glowing, but Mason denies he saw anything odd. And you know what, I think he might only be half-lying. He seems in denial, doesn't he?
Carnival: Elena and Stefan are looking for Caroline when Stefan catches a whiff of blood on the air. They head toward the scent and we cut to...
Damon finds Caroline and Carter's corpse on the back of a flatbed at the edge of the fair grounds. Damon is sweet and solicitous, and stupid, because he flat-out tells Caroline he's going to kill her. Commercial.
Just as Damon is about to stake Caroline, Stefan Stealth Salvatores up and knocks the stake out of his hands. When Caroline sees Elena she freaks, saying Elena tried to kill her. Elena tells her that was Katherine, but Caroline can't understand why they look exactly alike. She screams for Elena to get away from her, and finally Stefan takes Caroline by the hand and tries to calm her and lead her away to wash the gallon of blood off her face. As they head in, Damon retrieves the stake and goes for Caroline again, but Elena puts herself between them. She waits for Damon to lower his stake. When he doesn't, Elena looks him in the eye and says, "Damon, she's my friend." He can't resist her. He can attempt to murder her brother in front of her eyes, but he can't resist her. He lowers the stake and says, "Whatever happens, it's on you."
Just then Bonnie happens upon the scene. She sees Caroline's bloody face and tries to summon all her powers of denial, but when she grabs Caroline's arm, she knows the truth. Her friend is the evil dead. Caroline tries to get Bonnie to talk to her, but she's too weepy and Bonnie is in shock. Finally, Stefan leads Caroline inside the school and into a bathroom to clean her up. He explains the heightened emotions common to transition, even as she freaks about being a murderer. I'm really liking Caroline's mixed reaction to her new condition. She's repulsed and exhilarated and Candice Accola is doing a hell of a job. When Caroline looks in the mirror, she starts to vamp out again, so Stefan teaches her how to bury the feeling by breathing through it. Lamaze, it's not just for mothers in transition any more.