Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | 561 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT The One I Watch Through My Fingers
By Cindy McLennan | Season 4 | Episode 2 | Aired on 2012.10.18
High School Exterior. Oh right, these characters are still in "school." As Jeremy and Matt unload boxes of paper lanterns, Jeremy explains that after the memorial, people will light them as a tribute to the fallen. Matt finally gets a good line. "No one thought fire would be inappropriate?" When the conversation turns to Elena, Matt makes it clear that he'll do anything to help her, "Other than give her a ride." What? Oh. Ha! I like Comic-Relief-Matt and hope we get more of him in future episodes.
Soon thereafter, a young girl walks up and says, "Jeremy?" It's the pastor's daughter, April Young (Grace Phipps), but for a second I thought it was Malese Jow's Anna. She's babbling nervously and is terribly awkward, all of which is delightful. Since she's an orphan now, she's no longer in boarding school and has to register at Mystic Falls High. The boys offer her their condolences on her loss, but April doesn't know how to graciously accept sympathy yet. When we later learn she had previously lost her mom, this scene seems less organic, but April is endearing enough that I'm choosing not to dwell on it.
Elena is alone in Stefan's room. She leaves Caroline a voice mail in which she says she's having "adjustment issues." Stefan comes in with a bottle of champagne from the year Elena was born. Even though her first feed was disgusting, traumatic and horrible, she survived, so he thinks they should celebrate. Elena hardly thinks her reaction is worth celebrating, but Stefan says, "Listen, I choked it down for a month before I could stomach the taste. It gets easier." He's willfully blind to the doubt in Elena's eyes and changes the subject to the bottle of bubbly in his hand, which he promises will go down like silk. Elena finds his cheeriness contagious, or is at least enough in love with him to pretend she's dealing. She pops the cork, fills their glasses and then the two kiss. The phone rings and breaks up their snogging. It's Damon. Stefan is annoyed by his brother's impeccable timing and disturbed by whatever Damon tells him over the phone. We cut to the...