Old Fashioned Bargaining

The Vampire Diaries 

Season 3 episode 10 – "The New Deal" 

Dear Diary,

Three years ago we were introduced to two brothers and four eyebrows. One brother was good trying to shun his evil ways. The other embraced all that was dark and bloody about being a vampire, while setting about, causing all kinds of havoc to bring about his diabolical master plan for revenge. The only similarity it would seem is that they have incredibly similar taste in women.

Who would have thought, three seasons and countess life altering and soul crushing moments, later the role of good and bad vampire would switch hair colours. They both still have the same taste in women (or woman recently) but know our saintly Stefan, after being schooled in the Emily Thorne/Katherine Piece art of revenge, is making decisions that could end up killing everyone he cares about. While on the other side of the handsome vampire coin, Damon is now Elena’s hero, trying to figure out what Stefan’s end game and helping to keep the people (well the people at least Elena) cares about safe.

It’s hard to remember, because this show moves so fast, but up until this episode nobody but Stefan knew about the four coffins existence. Following the fun of Homecoming everyone is on edge, expecting Klaus to suddenly appear behind a door or open locker to exact his vengeance. Klaus it seems doesn’t want revenge but to set up a home in town (that sire bond is so strong that not only would they rip out their own hearts if asked but are willingly doing manual labour) and just wants everyone to work together to get his family back or he will start killing people they care about etc the usual Klaus threat. It turns out that Stefan is hiding out in the old witch house and does not want to play ball, no matter who it may hurt (I can be very forgiving when it come to television characters but I swear if Stefan touches one hair on Elijah’s head, no amount of smouldering looks will make me forgive him.) In the end by using Tyler, Klaus nearly gets Jeremy killed and Klaus’s hybrid in a hybrid actually kills Alaric whose ring it seems may be running out of juice. Oh and Elena and Damon may have kissed.

While Stefan and Damon became doppelgangers of each other’s past selves, every other character seemed to get a sucked into a season 1 reboot, sliding back into character traits and decisions we would have expected in the first 22 episodes of the show.

Season 1 – Elena:  Young women trying to cope with the loss of a loved one while navigating the confusing and scary world of the supernatural and making out with vampires, that sometimes led her to  make stupid decisions like compelling her brother.

Season 3 - Elena is not the same person she was at the beginning of the show. She is tougher and learning to fight back, as you could see by her opening jogging montage, but there are fundamental personality traits that still remain.

Elena has always put her family first. Despite the doppelgangers and love triangles and revolving door of parents, this is something that has always been true. It is also a fact that appears to be swaying her pull between the two brothers. The heart crushing moment of the episode, when Stefan says he doesn’t care what happens to Jeremy, from the look of horror and despair on Elena’s face (before the well-deserved slap to Stefan’s) could be put down as the moment, Stefan loses her and for the first time puts Damon in a real position as a contender. Nothing matters more to Elena than her family, and this episode Damon put that first.

At the end of the episode after finding out that once again Stefan risked everything to save him, Damon doesn’t actually need to confess that Stefan was doing a solid by them; he could have just taken the hero moment and swept her off her feet. Season 1 Damon would have taken advantage but the character has grown into someone who is decent and caring and deserves her attention. A lot of shows rush into the relationships between characters but this arc between Elena and Damon feels real and the moment and kiss feels timely and earned rather than rushed. 

While the brother may have changed, Elena seemed to replicate some stupid decisions from seasons long ago. While Damon may think compelled and away is better than dead, no good is going to come from this. Neither is making a deal to hand over Rebekah to Klaus in exchange for Jeremy’s safety (track record Elena, these vampires may not sparkle, but they most certainly lie.) She had very good intentions and in that position I may have made the same choices, but there is no way that either of these choices are not going to come back and bite her in the butt.

Season 1- Alaric: Was the town’s new history teacher. Starting with no apparent ties to the community, it was soon discovered that he was not only a day-drinker but a self-taught vampire hunter, with a magically life saving ring, who hated vampires especially Damon, who had murdered his wife, Elena’s birth mother which at one point, technically made him Elena’s step-father.

 Season 3- Alaric is the one who has most changed from season 1. Aside from the surprising fact that he is still actually employed by the Mystic Falls high school, he is he is best friends with the vampire he swore to destroy and the primary and beloved caregiver of two teenagers. Every moment between this abnormal family was really sweet, from the scenes between Elena and Alaric trying to figure out how to help Jeremy and the way Alaric talked with Jeremy after the hospital. It soon turned to heartbreak though, as Alaric sacrificed his own body to save Jeremy and then sacrifices Jeremy’s free will to get him out of harm’s way.

 

 Season 1 – Bonnie:  Was just discovering her witchy powers while being given creepy and oddly specific yet vague enough dreams.

 

Season 3 – Bonnie: learns nothing that is the lesson of this episode. Sorry, that’s not fair she does learn one thing, which I am so proud of I could cry but I’ll get to that. Despite having had prophetic dreams in the past, she chooses to live in a world of denial about her current Klaus related dreams but then she goes to the witch house where she was kicked out from last time and wanders around a bit. No magical amulet or sword of Gryffindor to protect her. Just wanders on through despite even the creepy music warning us something is going to be skulking round. That someone being Stefan. Stefan, who I’m not sure, but I think gave her the dreams about the coffins, wants her to coat the stolen coffins with magical pixie dust to stop Klaus from finding them.  Magic always works out in Mystic Falls so this will in no way blow up in their faces or be easily over ridden, so it’s cool, right?

The fact that I am most proud of, particularly after last episode is that Bonnie tells Elena and Damon nearly straight away about the coffins. Yes!!! That never happens, well done.That joy only lasted a second though as Damon and Stefan in another one of the evening’s deals agree not to tell Elena that they are trying to kill Klaus

Season 1- Tyler and Jeremy: Tyler was a jerk of a jock dealing with an overbearing authority figure who expected him to behave in a certain way and was dealing with a romantic complication, and Jeremy was choosing to deal with his a series of losses by spiralling into path of self-destruction by drinking, taking drugs and blowing off responsibilities, and at the same time facing the consequences of his sister’s involvement with vampires and the like.

 Season 3 –Jeremy once again spiralling down the “rebel without a clue path.” The difference is this time he kind of makes a fair point from his view. Why worry about the everyday stuff, when monsters are coming at them from all corners and from the way he took out the hybrid on the Gilbert porch, before his free will was compelled away looked like he was heading down the vampire hunting path.

 

He also presents the most logical plan in the history of the series- why not just get the hell out of town? 

Tyler, who had made such progress from season 1, is now on a backward side. After losing Caroline last episode because of his new found loyalty to Klaus (which he says because he freed him from the pain of transforming, but honestly I think he just can’t say no to that accent) is only now realising how far down the rabbit hole he may be sunk with his sire bond situation. When you say that you would rip out your own heart if Klaus asked you too, it may just be time to reconsider your ‘Team Klaus’ membership. 

Season 1 – Caroline and Matt: Not important to plot so were not in as many episodes.

 Season 3 – While Caroline and Matt are now the best, are not important to these plot points so are not in the episode.  

And now what to me was one of the single, most important character introductions this season (in my opinion at least)  

What was meant to happen in Season 1:

Meredith Sulez made it to the screen book fans. Well, sort of. 

 -THE BOOK LOWDOWN- Meredith Sulez in the book series is Elena’s rock and best friend. Strong, tough, brave, and all round awesome. While she was still in high school it is revealed that she is secret vampire hunter; she starts a relationship with Alaric, her teacher and throughout the series is the only human Damon admits to being legitimately scared of. – OK I’M DONE-

Meredith was one of my favourite characters from the book series so I am very excited to see her finally making it to the show, as promised from the pilot. There has been some creative license taken with some change to her character. She is older; and a doctor plus she is now  Meredith Fell (Torrey DeVitto) making her one of the towns’ founding members. 

I will have to reserve my judgement until she has more than one scene, but here’s hoping she remains the toughness and snark that made her so great in the books.  

 Ok that is my piece for this episode. We are heading towards the middle of Season 3, and while villains come and go, decisions are made and romances change, it’s nice to know that we can look back and know that these are all choices match what we expect from these characters, while at the same time they do continue to change and grow.

So much happened this episode that I feel like I have only scratched the surface, but that is what makes the Vampire Diaries one of the best shows on Television at the moment in my opinion. So Until next time diary, hopefully by then we will have found a way to slip Jeremy some vervain so he doesn’t have to leave.    

Yours always,

Hanniebee