Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | 87 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT And The Black Guy Always Dies
By Cindy McLennan | Season 5 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.21.2013
Whitmore. After the party, Elena and Caroline clean the common room. Caroline sort of apologizes for earlier, but says it just sucks because, "...Jesse was one of the good ones." Thanks for telling me that, Show. You know what would have been nice? If you had shown me. Instead, we get yet another character of color, who is introduced, underdeveloped, and then killed off. Elena agrees with Caroline and says if she could have, she would have done something else. Jesse was dangerous. "I need you to believe that." Caroline eventually does, but there's a but. "But Elena, when are you going to figure out that the outside world isn't nearly as dangerous as the world you're inviting into your own bedroom." Oh Caroline, your last lover was one of the few people who could have killed you with a love bite (and tried to do so once, while he still labored under the sire bond). Ditto your longtime admirer (i.e. Klaus) who was more dangerous to all of you, Elena especially, than ten Damon's could ever be. Elena is so over Caroline's scolding about Damon, but Caroline stands firm. "The day that I stop telling you is the day that we're no longer best friends [...] and I hope that day never comes." Caroline departs, leaving Elena alone with her thoughts. We cut to...
Maxfield's lab. As Damon puts the disease samples back in the fridge, Dr. Maxfield uses a scalpel to cut through the tubing that binds him to the table. I have a hard time buying that Damon wouldn't hear that. The Contrivance Fairy says, "Hush. I shut off his vampiric hearing for this very scene." Damon grabs a blood bag and asks Maxfield, "Why does this say 12114?" Maxfield: "What do you care?" Damon's voice drops. He almost sounds choked up. "Because I was 21051." The sound guy gives us a Dun, because otherwise, the show would lose that fraction of the audience that glazes over at the mere mention of these numbers.
Maxfield says, "21051? Hang on. You were an Augustine Vampire?" Damon has a brief jumpy flashback featuring him in medical and lab settings. When he speaks, his voice is dreamy. "Augustine. I haven't heard that name in decades." After another quick flashback he adds, "Vampire lab rats. Coded subject names. I thought you guys shut down 60 years ago." Maxfield's face is half in shadow, making him even creepier than usual. "You thought wrong."
Damon throws the blood back in the fridge and slams the door, then marches toward Maxfield. "You know how I said I wasn't going to kill you? I lied." He grabs a syringe, but Maxfield has cut himself free. He bounds off the exam table and dives for the red button. When he presses it, mist pours out of the sprinkler system. As it overwhelms Damon, he coughs and falls to the floor. Maxfield is unaffected. "Atomized vervain. When working with vampires you can never be too careful. I'm sure Augustine will be thrilled to have you back." Damon passes out. We cut to the...