So whenever The Vampire Diaries does a flashback episode, I equate it with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy did a fantastic job of shedding light and developing some of their core characters. The secret was in moderation, though, and that’s one thing I think The Vampire Diaries hasn’t realized yet. It feels like last year alone we had flashbacks for Klaus, Elijah, Katherine, and Stefan. That might not be entirely correct – I honestly don’t recall – but it does feel that way. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a criticism. I’ve enjoyed the flashback episodes, and although I was initially worried that this wouldn’t give us any new information (yes, we get it…..Stefan used to be a cruel, brutal, monstrous murderer), but thankfully that didn’t turn out to be the case.
The big reveal of this episode was that, during his most vicious days, Stefan not only knew Klaus, but he was in love with the original’s sister. The three had grown so close that Klaus had considered Stefan a surrogate brother, and Stefan felt the same way. However, for reasons that weren’t made immediately clear, Klaus was forced to erase Stefan’s memory of ever knowing either of them – and he staked his own sister when she chose Stefan over him. At the episode’s conclusion, Klaus made Stefan remember all of those hidden memories. One would assume Stefan’s feelings for Rebecca will return, as well.
That would actually be a really interesting story arc, with Stefan torn between his two loves. He was clearly emotionally impacted by Rebecca (once his memories were restored), but he still protected Elena when the topic of the necklace came up. We don’t know enough about Rebecca to know if she’s outwardly evil, or if she’s got a softer side like Lexie, but there are a lot of interesting possibilities here.
Speaking of Elena, I actually really enjoyed her silent connection with Stefan in the closet. It hit just the right notes. It lasted just the right length, and I’m glad they didn’t have either of them say anything. I’m also glad they resisted the temptation of having them touch (although I didn’t mind when it happened later). It was a really great, tense moment. Speaking of Elena, I was surprised about something, though. Following the revelation that Klaus compelled Stefan to forget about him and Rebecca, I thought Stefan would do the same to Elena in order to get her to stop looking for him. It seemed like an organic advancement to the story, and the intensity of the scene seemed to call for something fittingly dramatic.
I’m glad they didn’t drag out Caroline’s captivity longer than necessary. It was an interesting story and it’s always super awesome to see Jack Coleman, but this wasn’t an arc that should last more than a few episodes. The notion of forcing the vampirism out of you through Pavlovian methods is interesting, actually (and not to sound controversial or unintentionally offensive, but is that what happens at those anti-gay camps?) It was also kinda awesome to see how far Sherriff Forbes has come since last year.
Oh, and it was fun seeing Katherine again, too. It’s odd – even though she’s portrayed by Nina Dobrev, it still felt like a “guest appearance.” What’s she up to? And who’s hunting Klaus and Rebecca?
