We dive deeper in to the infamous Klaus, both through the monster and the man. It’s questionable whether he ever really was more than a monster. He certainly causes plenty of mayhem during this episode, but we are also taken back to England 1491, when he had just met Katherine. His brother, Elijah, had actually met her first and instantly fell in love with her. Klaus quickly inches in and charms her. Katherine falls far Klaus despite it being clear that he doesn’t really care about her or possibly about anyone.
The relationship between Klaus and Elijah would have been quite similar to the Salvatore brothers if Damon would have been the one to get Elena/Katherine. There’s a similar love triangle with one brother caring too much and this being eternally crippling to him while the other gets the girl with ease. Klaus and Damon share the same nonchalant, charming, and malevolent attitude. They have the desire to exert their own power through the darkness that runs through them. Their own agenda is the most important thing to them. This is who Damon is at his core, but this version of him has been tamed to an extent. The main difference between them is that Damon cares so deeply for Elena that he would do anything to protect her whereas Klaus was only interested in protecting his own ego and sense of self-righteousness.
Elena has stated that things are going to go the way she says. She is sick of Damon, Stefan, and everyone else around her try to make this decision for her. It’s her life and she has the ultimate authority on it. Elena takes this to a new level in Klaus when she defies both Stefan and Damon. She clearly puts her life in great danger by revisiting a threat that was seemingly put to bed. Elena learns of everything that happened between Katherine, Klaus, and Elijah. She also learns the true nature of the curse of the sun and the moon and what really lies behind it; something that has been disguised for centuries. Originals aren’t affected by anything that other vampires are, not even the sun or silver. Klaus has something much bigger and personal in mind in breaking the curse, something that he has been trying to make happen for the past thousand years.
While all this information is being found out about Klaus, he is busy at work. He has an unforgettable encounter with Jenna, now having the invitation in to her house. Stefan is over there, trying to stop things from getting too out of control. It’s clear Klaus is there to mess with Stefan and to weaken the trust within Elena’s family by revealing the vampire secret that Elena has been shielding Jenna from. In the process Klaus has a little fun, turning the tables and showing just a piece of the person now underneath Alaric’s skin.
Damon and Stefan’s disagreement on how to deal with Elena’s risky choices becomes physical. Damon’s obvious love and desire for Elena spawns their fight, leaving them literally at each other’s throats. This was reminiscent of the original books series where the brothers would constantly be on the verge of killing each other…for good this time. Stefan is able to be the bigger man, but Damon has always operated through his ego. So much of his personality comes from it and him embracing his powerful, alluring, and bloodthirsty nature. He takes a step back to that, having lashed out both over Stefan and Elena. Not having Elena is bad enough, but being forced by his weaker brother to just sit back and watch her walk to her death is another thing. The monster he has been trying to hold in begins seeping out unable to deal with this.
