Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A+ | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Just Between Us Girls, Who Would You Have Picked?
By Cindy McLennan | Season 3 | Episode 21 | Aired on 05.03.2012
Gilbert Gables. Everyone else has gone home. Elena finds Jeremy painting Alaric's old room. I am not going to nitpick their painting technique. I am not. I am not. I am not. Jeremy looks around and says, "I hate this room." Elena: "Me too." Jeremy chuckles before Elena continues talking. "Mom and dad were right. Alaric should just kill all the vampires and put an end to all of this. But then that means that Caroline dies, and Bonnie loses her mom." Um, I wouldn't use that last bit as an argument, but go ahead, Elena. "The Mayor loses her son, and I lose Stefan and Damon. So, if it makes me the bad guy for wanting to keep those people alive, then fine. I'll be the bad guy." Jeremy reminds her that Alaric never wanted any of this. "Once he carries out his plans, what if he decides he doesn't want to live anymore and he kills his human connection, to end his life? That would mean I would lose you. I'm not going to let that happen." Elena sighs and laughs. Jeremy says he's going to shower and get some sleep. He bids her goodnight and walks out.
Elena looks around the room. She grabs a paint brush and starts on the window trim. When she bends down to dip her brush again, she grabs her head with her free hand. She winces. Her eyes roll back in her head and she keels over. The camera pans from a spilled paint container to Elena's face. She's unconscious and bleeding from the nose. Title Card.
While there are a couple of tweaks and additions to my speculation, the rest of this is pretty much from the idiot's recaplet, so if you've already read it, class dismissed! I'll see you Friday morning. If you haven't, or you're interested in said tweaks, please read on.
"Before Sunset," moves at the breakneck pace typical of The Vampire Diaries. While I have a couple of canonical quibbles, they pale beside my delight that this seemingly immortal Original storyline will be put to rest, at least temporarily. I love the solution of desiccating Klaus because it leaves a door open for Joseph Morgan to return, but also gets rid of Klaus for at least a little while. The show needs to detox from its Original addiction. I'm not spoiled, but I keep thinking there are only two ways to defeat Vamparic. If you don't want to read my speculation, avert thine eyes.
Now that we're free of those people so spoiler-phobic that they can't even bear unspoiled speculation, let's talk. The only way to stop Vamparic is to either desiccate him too, or kill Elena. If I were king of the forest (or Julie Plec), I'd choose that second option. Feed her some vampire blood (or take her to the hospital and let Mere administer it) to heal her, then kill her. Alaric will die and Elena will be a vampire. Her willingness to be the "bad guy" seems to foreshadow this, as does Stefan's early "Going darker, huh?" comment. Besides, if/once Elena is a vampire, that opens the door to letting her have a relationship with Damon, without it wounding the Salvatores' brotherly bond as deeply as it might, were Elena human. It also somehow leaves Elena's human character less tainted, in ways I can't quite articulate. I hope you know what I mean. Anyhow, I'm just thinking aloud. No matter what happens, we'll have to wait 'til Thursday to find out.