The Vampire Diaries - "Because the Nights" - Review

Something I’ve noticed lately in The Vampire Diaries is that it’ll have one plot that is great (arguably even one of the best it’s ever done) and then the other one or two storylines will feel slight. It’s usually been the A-plot (which is what you’d likely expect in a tv series) and for the most part these awesome plotlines are so good that they make up for the weaker portions of the episode elsewhere. This was true of last week’s episode where the newly transformed emotionless Elena was the highlight of the episode, and it’s true once again of “Because the Nights”.

It’s not just that Nina Dobrev is great in this new role. It’s the fact that this character is so completely unhinged that I have no idea what she plans to do. Klaus broods and complains, but he doesn’t really stir up unanticipated trouble. Silas is another one-minded villain hell bent on a singular goal. But, much like Katherine, emotionless Elena is a devious, calculating individual who is beholden to no one.

When Elena tells Rebekah how she’s aware of how Damon is playing her, and how she’s simultaneously playing him back, it had me grinning. This is the type of delicious scheming that is the raison d’etre of The Vampire Diaries. 

That this story is paralleled with a story of Damon’s involvement in the 1970’s punk scene is even better (Though I’d have liked to seen them play up the period detail more). Plus we get the return of one of the series best guest stars, Arielle Kebbel as Lexi. Lexi attempts to fix Damon and get him to embrace his emotions again, but Damon plays her, sleeping with her before leaving her stranded on the roof. Present day we find Elena (with the help of Rebekah – an unexpected but great pairing, which is the return of another classic Vampire Diaries element:  ever shifting alliances) doing the same thing to Damon. Karma is the worst sometimes.

While this storyline features some of the best elements to a great Vampire Diaries episode, the Silas storyline feels bland in comparison. Klaus and Caroline’s bickering has gotten repetitive and isn’t being taken in any new directions. The scheme to stop Bonnie from using expression magic to create a witch massacre also should have had more weight to it. Why isn’t’ the cavalry being called in? We get three characters trying to stop what could potentially cause the end of the world. 

The NYC storyline covers for a lot of the problems in the other storyline but I wish the episode was more streamlined. Although that ending paid off both stories nicely dovetailing them when Steffen and Damon talked only to realize they’ve both failed and thus things have gotten much, much worse. It’s the mixed bag that this season has ultimately been, but recent episodes have had enough fun and enough forward momentum to make up for the problems. And, hey, with a story as punchy as this, I can’t complain.  

Stray Observations:

-Great music choice: Talking Heads - “Psycho Killer”

-Back in the 70’s, Damon was killing people so their ID’s could be used for vampires on the run, including, unintentionally, Katherine.

-Man, they’ve done an awful job with using Bonnie’s dad.

-The crosscut of the feedings was weirdly erotic.

-“I hated the moral self-righteous you”

-Though much of the Caroline-Klaus stuff was a re-hash, this last scene between them I found to be really effective. Candice Accola’s acting was excellent.

-Caroline kills the witch to save Bonnie and in the process causes the massacre. How do we feel about this?

Grade: B+