Picking up from last week’s cliffhanger, Elena has been abducted. Katherine is buried in the tomb, where she should have been all of those years ago. Clearly, someone else is behind this. Despite, being at the mercy of two vicious vampires, Elena is desperate to find answers. It’s the next morning before anyone even realizes she is gone. Once they do, Damon remembers the last thing that Katherine said to him before he closed her in the tomb. She said he needed her to protect Elena since she was the doppelgänger. Damon knew she would say whatever she could to get her out of there so he just assumed she was lying. Turns out it might have been the one time she was actually being truthful.
I’m starting to see a pattern here of things being joked about becoming very real things that effect the character’s entire world. First it was the jokes about Damon’s diabolical plan, which ended up being a lot more than just a snide sarcastic excuse for him being in Mystic Falls. The doppelgänger thing has been used in witty banter, describing Katherine as Elena’s evil doppelgänger counterpart. Now, it turns out Elena is the doppelgänger; the key to breaking the curse. She’s something every vampire wants. These are vampires after all so you can bet it’s her blood that they’re after.
Bonnie and Jeremy figure out where Elena has been taken without the aid of Katherine. Stefan and Damon head out to rescue her even though they know it’s a suicide mission. If they thought Katherine’s age and power was a challenge to defeat, they have another thing coming to them. The vampires who have Elena now are 500 years old; they’re nearly destructible.
No matter what Damon and Stefan are up against, even Katherine who was thought to be so superior to them, they are always able to take out their enemy without too much trouble. They are faced with something entirely different here. Of course, I didn’t have any huge doubts because if the Salvatores really were defeated there would be no show. Still, the tension was just so high that there were moments where it really seemed impossible not only for them to beat this immortal vampire, but even to get out of this alive.
I was really impressed with Caroline in this episode again. She’s just a really strong character. She proved that she’s smart and quick on her feet, preventing a catastrophe with Tyler before it begins. Of course, once Tyler learns of her strength he knows she’s something supernatural. He just assumes she’s a werewolf like him. His mind has only just opened to the existence of werewolves; he really can’t even conceive that there are other creatures out there too.
The last scene with Caroline and Tyler was extremely strong. There’s a spark there and far more importantly there’s an understanding and connection between them. Both of their lives have been turned upside down. They are just realizing the true nature of what they are. In Caroline’s case there are others guiding her, but none that are experiencing what she is. Caroline and Tyler are both very alone. There’s a bond between them now that could change that. I really hope they continue to develop this relationship.
One new relationship sparking up that I am far less interested in is the one between Jeremy and Bonnie. Bonnie is no Anna, who was perfect for him in my eyes. She’s not even Vicki in comparison. I just hope they don’t go in to their relationship much farther or let it be more than a minor sub-plot.
Rose was really a fresh change of pace. We were taken out of the normal atmosphere, at least Elena, Damon, and Stefan were. It was also very different than anything that’s happened in the show yet and even deviated from the original source material. It was something new and exciting and I enjoyed every second of it. Even aside from the excitement, it was really interesting. We are introduced to Elena’s real importance. It’s been stated that there must be a reason why Katherine hasn’t killed Elena when she clearly could have the second she got in to town. The reason is clear now; she was just too valuable. We also find out the importance behind the moonstone; it’s what binds the curse.
Another new element to the show here is the introduction of “the originals”. They are the first vampires ever created so essentially there is no beating them. Everything that a vampire is and strives to be is embedded in their nature. Stefan better increase his human blood intake if he has any hope of being a match for them. If Elena’s blood is the key, maybe he’s in better shape than any vampire on the other hand. We’ll have to see where this goes, that could be an extremely compelling twist.
Rose is without a doubt the best episode of this season and is one of the best of the series so far. It utilizes everything so well, bringing so much fresh material to the table, while setting up a long awaited plot from the books. For the most part, the show hasn’t really adopted any of the plot from the books. It’s taken the overall situation and most of the characters, working in its own situations for them to deal with. It’s nice not knowing what’s coming and being able to be caught up in each episode. Still, I’m eager for some of the more pivotal moments in the books series to be represented on screen. Luckily, an enticing and completely fearsome character who is sure to offer some incredible moments has been introduced, Klaus; the first and oldest vampire in the world.
