7.9/10
“An enjoyable Halloween episode that takes the series into a much darker place”
So here it is, the review of the seventh episode of the CW’s hit freshman series The Vampire Diaries. I’ve been a loyal viewer to the program since it’s September premiere more because of it’s future potential than because of the actual product delivered. With this episode, however, my outlook has changed as I find myself actually excited about where this little series is headed. Just a warning, MAJOR SPOILERS follow:
“Haunted” starts out continuing the story of a recently turned Vikki as she attempts to deal with her newfound strength and hunger. Stefan and Damon, acting as her sort-of vampire parental figures, clash over the ways each brother feels that Vikki should be raised and the different ideologies she should embrace. For the most part, the first half of the episode serves as a fun way for the series to explore the struggles new vampires face. She’s bored. She’s hungry. She wants to see her friends. Yet as the episode progresses, we begin to realize just how serious this situation is. Vikki had no self-control as a human (she was a notorious drug user) and she still doesn’t now as a vampire. So after Vikki threatens Elena and runs off, Elena and Stefan rightfully fear for the worst when they discover Vikki’s come to their school’s Halloween party. And this is when the series kicks it into overload as Elena and Stefan search the party for Vikki – worried she’s going to hurt Jeremy. It’s a tense scene made suspenseful because of some impressive editing and a perfect song choice (“Sleep Alone” – Bat for Lashes). Eventually Elena and Stefan find Vikki and a scuffle ensues, ending in Stefan staking Vikki to save Elena’s life.
The Good (+):
There was just a lot of great improvements to the series in this episode. As mentioned in the episode summary, there were some really suspenseful scenes later in the episode. The best example being the scene where Stefan and Elena search the halls for Vikki and Jeremy.
The editing was top-notch - conveying a sense of real urgency and genuine terror as Elena frantically searched for her brother - and the choice of song was perfect. In fact, kudos to the music department because all of the song selections were flawless, from Sander Bohlke's 'Weight of Us' to The Longcut's 'Open Hearts' - each song completely enhanced the emotions of their scenes.
Praise must also go to the set designers. The sets used for the high school Halloween party were really good, creating a real sense of a chaotic atmosphere. They acted perfectly as a physical representation of the inner torment and chaos that Vikki was going through. Colors everywhere, people scattered around, music fading in and out – just as all of Vikki’s senses were competing for control and attention, so were ours.
The acting also improved this week with every series regular turning in worthy performances. Dobrev showed that she’s capable of conveying a wide range of emotions in a single scene and in doing so, adds a few extra layers of depth to the ordinarily wooden Elena.
There were a lot of memorable scenes tonight but none stood out more than Elena’s run-in with Matt just moments after she witnessed Stefan kill Vikki. This single scene had more irony and misery than anything I’ve seen this television season – and that’s a tribute to the actors, the writers, and the director. It’s a scene jammed full of lies. When Matt asks Elena if she’s seen Vikki, you can see how much she wants to simply burst into tears instead of merely repressing the rising emotion. The conversation continues to add to the depressing irony as Matt wonders aloud if this is what’s he in for – wondering where Vikki is for the rest of his life. And it suddenly becomes clear that as traumatic this has been for Elena, it is Matt who’s going to carry this loss for the rest of his life. Matt’s heartbroken counter argument, “Maybe she went home”, is all the more affecting because Roerig makes it clear in his performance that Matt knows something isn’t right but he’s choosing to lie to himself because he can’t even process this thought. Elena’s reply, a simple ‘maybe’, also says miles about the character as Dobrev helps convey the feeling that just for a second, Elena wants to lie to herself too – that maybe Vikki will be at home.
It’s an incredibly powerful scene and it’s a testament to both Dobrev and Roerig that they pull it off so seamlessly. Elena’s breakdown in the car immediately after the conversation brilliantly topped off what’s sure to be one of the series’ more memorable scenes.
Congratulations as well to both the writers and to Steven McQueen for presenting a different and much more sympathetic side to Jeremy who’s considerably less annoying this episode.
The entire cast really deserves praise for the episode. From Accola’s scene-stealing (and all-too-brief) appearance to Somerhalder’s reliable menacing performance, it’s clear that all the actors are getting more comfortable in their roles and in turn, are turning in much finer performances. The only real complaint is that Stefan wasn’t given more of a reaction to Vikki’s death with Wesley’s stoic performance bordering dangerously close to wooden.
Yet the real star of the episode was undeniably Kayla Ewell who made sure that she left a lasting impression on the series. Vikki’s transformation and eventual downfall was hard to watch towards the end as we were really rooting for her to overcome her newfound desires and alienation. And Ewell played this sense of confusion and desperation beautifully. I liked the fact that the creators decided that her vampirism was merely going to amplify her established personality traits instead of turning her into some kind of soulless monster. Vikki left the series, the same way she was introduced: fun and vivacious yet desperate and destructive. So it’s oddly fitting that her addictive personality and lack-of-self-control is what ultimately killed her in the end, not because she was a vampire. Thanks goes out to Ewell who consistently gave solid performances and for bringing to life such a fun and crucial character to the series.
The Bad (-) :
The biggest problem with 'The Vampire Diaries' still lies in the relationship between Stefan and Elena, the supposed center of the series (the gel that is supposed to initiate and drive the plot while always holding together the various subplots), is still weak. Dobrev and Wesley look good together but any feelings of passion or moments of genuine chemistry between them are absent. Their love just doesn’t feel on the same level as the couples from the shows and movies they’re trying to emulate (i.e. Buffy/Angel; Edward/Bella) – and this could prove fatal to the show if they don’t start working on it.
And the dialogue on the series is still hit-and-miss. Corny lines such as: 'So she's a vampire with issues?', continue to bring down the series' quality as a whole. This is a real shame because some of the dialogue on the show is pretty witty (Damon's retort, 'You mistake me for someone with remorse', comes to mind) but these instances of wit are being lost in a sea of uninspired lines that are trying way too hard to be hip and feel dated in our times. I am in utter denial that Kevin Williamson (writer of the amazingly witty 'Scream') could approve some of this dialogue, let alone write it.
Conclusion:
R.I.P. Vikki Donovan
So where does that leave us? An episode that verges on 'greatness' but one that is ultimately held back by a lackluster core couple and some instances of poor dialogue.
The final fifteen minutes showed us exactly what this series could be: captivating, suspenseful, and emotional. The Vampire Diaries really stepped up its game tonight across all boards: the acting, the writing, the direction, and the soundtrack. If the show can keep us this level of quality, it could easily become one of the more enjoyable guilty-pleasure shows on television. And if it can manage to further exceed this benchmark, we might have a show on the same level of its older brethren: namely, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood. Though I'm not entirely convinced that the show needs to do this. It's doesn't need to be groundbreaking or controversial, just entertaining - and tonight's episode was certainly that.
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