Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: C | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT The Night Of the First Kiss
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 2 | Aired on 09.17.2009
Mossy Manse: Elena rings the doorbell, but when there's not an immediate answer, she uses the knocker, which pushes the door open, slightly. That's good enough for her. Having no apparent manners, she enters the house and calls Stefan's name. As if that weren't bad enough, she goes a bit further in, at least until she hears the door behind her creak on its hinges. When she spins around a crow flies at her head. I totally want an attack crow, now. Elena ducks, turns and ends up an inch away from Damon's face. The crow is gone. Damon cocks his head and almost smiles. COMMERCIAL!
Elena, still standing perilously close to Damon, apologizes for barging in and explains that the door was open. Damon seems to be a close-talker. "You must be Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother." When Elena admits she didn't know Stefan had a brother, Damon smiles. "Well, Stefan's not one to brag." Hee. He invites her in, saying he's sure Stefan should be along shortly. Elena is overwhelmed by the ornate parlor, but Damon dismisses it as kitschy, and steers her toward the subject of Stefan's love life. "I see why my brother is so smitten. It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one." He draws a sharp breath. "Nearly destroyed him." Elena makes this too simple for Damon -- she's far too easily bothered by the mention of Stefan's "last one." Damon then name-checks Katherine, waits a beat, and says, "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation, yet?" Elena chokes out a, "Nope." Damon then plants the idea in Elena's head that Stefan avoided mentioning Katherine so Elena wouldn't know he was on the rebound. He's very good at being so bad, and Somerhalder is the perfect blend of pretty and crazy in this role. He looks like he's having a hell of a time, too. Damon lays out his fatalistic philosophy that all relationships are doomed to end, and before Elena can take much exception to this, he says, "Hello, Stefan." These guys are always sneaking up on the womenfolk. I don't like it. Stefan addresses Elena, but his voice is flat -- his eyes never leave Damon's. "Elena, I didn't know you were coming over." She starts to apologize and says she should have called, which gives Damon the opportunity to play the gracious host. Stefan will have none of this and cuts off the conversation. "Thank you for stopping by, Elena. Nice to see you." His eyes are still trained on his brother. Once Elena gets out an ice pick and chips away the giant block that's frozen her in her tracks, she beats a hasty retreat. Stefan only looks at her to get out of her way. Brrrrrr!