Dun, dun, dun, duh... Review: The Vampire Diaries - "American Gothic"

Season 4, Episode 18

Air Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013, 8/7c on The CW

RATING: ★★★★★

“You’re not just a vampire though, are you? You’re something more.” – Elijah

I tell ya, if it weren’t for my two favorite fighting-against-fate lovebirds, I wouldn’t have enjoyed most of this episode. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face, even though I didn’t understand his part in the story. Please tell me there’s more to the story now that the cure has fallen into other hands.

Observations and thoughts:

Just where has Elijah been?

Who else is happy to see another Original family member in the house?! Elijah (Daniel Gillies) is back and I’m screaming like a fangirl. The story always steps up a bit when he’s around. Add to that how much the man classes up the joint a bit just with his presence. But I don’t know why he’s been reintroduced. Is he the only person capable of retrieving the cure from Katharine (Nina Dobrev) because of their ‘history’ together? I know the two were doomed lovers from the start, yet it seems they’ve been stoking that fire… Katharine may want to be careful though. She’s on shaky ground with everyone and it would suck not to have a single friend in the world.

I think I’m on the fence regarding the new Elena (Dobrev). I like the change but I don’t like it. She’s kind of over the top with her rebellion and can be a bit immature when it comes down to it. How does turning off your emotions make you revert to acting like a teenage kid? Dobrev does such an outstanding job as Katharine, you’d think she would rejoice having the freedom to do the same thing with Elena. Too bad she’s going in the wrong direction with her character. On the positive side, at least we don’t have to deal with the whiny Elena. That would be worse.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) road trip was a little amusing. Their bickering kept me chuckling but even that was temporary. The boys don’t seem to be on their game anymore. Katharine keeps one-upping them; I always thought two heads were better than one. Guess not.

I’m all about this ship!

Rebekah’s (Claire Holt) so hell bent on getting and taking the cure, I don’t know if she’s truly thinking of the consequences of her actions. But I want her to have it; I want her to have the American dream of a house in the suburbs surrounded by a white picket fence with lots of babies. She desires the simple things in life, yet her brothers want to keep them away from her. Are they trying to protect her or is there something more behind their motive to keep her a vampire?

I don’t like seeing Klaus (Joseph Morgan) in such a weak position. “Silas got inside my head.” I bet it kills him to have to depend on Caroline (Candice Accola) for help. And considering how much she hates him right now, she won’t make it easy on him one bit—though I do love seeing the two together. Anything to get those sparks flying! They had a moment when Klaus realizes what Caroline did for him. He knows how important she is to his life. When do you think she’ll consider Klaus might be just as good for her? I won’t push it; I’ll just hope from my little corner of the world that Caroline sees what she has right in front of her.

Memorable/funny lines:

Damon: “Ooh, silver lining. If Rebekah takes the cure, then she’s mortal; then we can just kill her right then and there.”

Stefan: “Ooh, dark cloud. Elena stays a vampire forever.”

Elena: “People die. We move on.”

Katharine: “After turning off our humanity switch. So sad for the boys though. Their special snowflake of human frailty—gone.”

Katharine to Elena: “People change. I’m not the girl you think I am.”

Klaus to Caroline: “If I die, you, Tyler, all of your friends die with me.”

Caroline to Klaus: “If Silas can make you, of all people, believe that you’re dying, what can he do to the rest of us?”

Rebekah to Elijah: “Why don’t you just give me the cure so I can judge you silently elsewhere?”

What won’t Stefan do for Elena?

While not the most engaging hour of television, “American Gothic” shows us just how crafty Katharine can be. I like the idea that a lone woman can wreak so much havoc in a world dominated by men. No wonder she’s been able to avoid Klaus for so long. What will happen when the two finally come into contact with one another again? I don’t think there’s anything Elijah can say that will stop Klaus from going after Katharine. Then again, if Caroline is around…

Tune in to The Vampire Diaries Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

For more on the show, visit the official site.

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Follow The Vampire Diaries cast on Twitter: @ninadobrev, @iansomerhalder, @josephmorgan, @katgraham, @paulwesley, @michaeltrevino, @candaceaccola, @claireholt.

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