The Vampire Diaries - "Down the Rabbit Hole" - Review

Well, that was more like it!

After last week’s massively disappointing “Into the Wild”, “Down the Rabbit Hole” reminded me about why I watch this series.

I could analyze this episode in great detail, but I have only one thing to say: KATHERINE! 

The show has failed at the one thing it’s become almost infamous for: its plot twists. And there were so many turn of events in this episode that it had me yelling out like I hadn’t in a long time. How lovely were they, let me count the ways:

Well firstly we got the nice bombshell that there’s only one dose for the cure, which shakes up alliances and complicates matters in a way that the universal healthcare package cure just wasn’t pulling off.

Secondly, we got ourselves good ole Katherine. Now I was actually thinking to myself while watching this episode: man, this show is gotten really far away from its origins, and Katherine was at the heart of that. 

The series just kept expanding and expanding to the point where this season took it to a point where it had expanded perhaps a bit too much with the cure plot (which felt “shark jumpy”, but wasn’t nearly as terrible as the sirebond).

The series always was a little more fun with Katherine around and it was only a matter of time before she came back, and boy did she ever come back. As if that awesome twist wasn’t great enough, we got the biggest cliffhanger in a long while: little Jeremy Gilbert has left this earthly plane. 

HOLY SHIT!

I had complained in the past how the series had been too cautious and kind with its characters. It needed to kill someone to raise the stakes again (or least something on par on the devastating scale). 

Not only that but the show needed a new villain and Silas looks to be the answer to shaking up the dynamics of the series and prevent it from going stale.  

This was the show at its finest. Finding ways to be shocking and daring, while still being intelligent, emotional and remembering its characters. 

Stray Observations:

-Man these opening recaps are terrible and cheesy. And seem to be getting worse as we go along.

-After having the Caroline-Tyler-Klaus story feel totally disconnected last episode, the writers find ways to make it dovetail nicely with the main plot.  

-Our new hunter had a nice accent; Damon quaintly describes him as “Shrek”. They utilized him well for the short time he existed. RIP.

-“Need any help my love?” “Nope” – Great line reading by Candice Accola.

-“It’s called a cryptex … what I’ve seen the Da Vinci Code”

-Bonnie was actually pretty great this episode. “I’ll kill him myself,” shes tell Jeremy about if Shane were to cross them. Way to finally wise up.

-Shane breaks his leg, and everyone’s reaction is, “Well, you kind of deserve it”. “Best to stay off it,” Bonnie replies to his pleas for help.

-“You’d still give it to Elena wouldn’t you?” – I want to ship Rebekah and Stefan. Why won’t you let me?!

-“Your attachment to your friends will be the end of you” – that was very Star Wars-y

-That contraption that the hunter used on Rebekah was kind of awesome.

-Silas using Grams to manipulate Bonnie: Not cool man!

-“You prefer who you are to who you were” – Caroline begging for Tyler’s life was a great scene.

-An even better scene: Tyler and Caroline on the porch saying goodbye. “Tell me you’ll forget about me… that you’ll lead a happy life without me,” she pleas. That’s not tears … something just got in my eye.

-“I’m done playing nice” – Nina Dobrev is usually pretty good, but her talent really shines through when she gets to play Katherine. 

Grade: A-

What did everyone else think?