Vampire Diaries ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ review: All’s fair in love and war

I wasn’t able to post this review right after the episode aired, like I usually do, because I’m pretty sure that the entire Internet exploded. Well, well, well, it has finally happened — Damon and Elena finally got down and dirty and did the nasty. It’s a moment three years in the making, right? Let’s review what we found out during this episode, shall we? Bear with me so that we can get to Damon and Elena’s rendezvous soon enough.

Jeremy continues his descent into becoming a true foe to the characters on this show. (I mean, the other hunter sort of got killed off kind of easily, but still.) In a sense, Evilaric was the Klaus that Klaus never was, but his expiration date was never going to be as long as Klaus’s … and even Jeremy’s could be. Of course, if Jeremy further spirals down, the others may have no other choice but to, well, you know (not that Elena would be okay with that, as if anyone would ask her what she wants). Nevertheless, this is what I have wanted: “villains” that are compelling enough to command my attention. And with revelation that — shocker! — Bonnie is the only key to unlocking the supposed cure to vampirism, I see potential for dynamics on this show to shift into a gear that runs full throttle.

Caroline, meanwhile, is telling Elena just how much she doesn’t like Damon. While I felt it was laid on a bit too thick (and also, she seemed okay with it like a season ago), I can understand where her loyalties lie and why. Let’s face the truth here, Damon and Caroline’s relationship should be a lot more strained than it actually is presented on the show, given all of season one. And since Stefan was the one that helped Caroline through her vampire transition, she’s continuously had tunnelvision when it comes to him. (Maybe she’s sired too, hmmm?) (Also, seriously, he was being the most manipulative person ever this episode. And did Caroline not witness The Rippah? Homegirl needs to recognize. Not that either Salvatore brothers are good options, to be honest.) All that makes sense to me. But once again, laid on too thick. The only thing that really was jarring is that, this entire episode, Caroline is out on a date with Klaus, who is like the biggest mass murderer of all time. And she’s even daring to have a good time and be cutesy and flirtatiously laugh[*] and be all “you’re perfect.” Practice what you preach, Caroline!

[*] I can’t decide if their application-reading scene was giving me feels or the feeling that “why is this the show now?”

More importantly, however, she offered up a reason for why Elena’s feelings for Damon have been “magnified.” Once again, we can take this as Caroline somehow trying to figure out why her best friend has feelings for someone she does not approve of, or we can see it as plain fact. And thus far, I haven’t decided on which way to take it. On one hand, this completely validates the plot holes I’ve seen on the show this season. Once Caroline questioned why Elena could not drink out of a blood bag, I thought: “Yes! They are finally explaining it and that makes complete sense.” But on the other, while I’m not nearly the world’s biggest Delena shipper, it’s kind of infuriating that the show keeps on setting up these resets for the love triangle. It was a bit maddening already that the writers decided they would only “magnify” Elena’s feelings for Damon and not Stefan, because how does that make any sense? I was hoping that they would go with the fact that Elena was drawn to her own darkness. But the problem with that on the show is that Damon has somewhat transitioned into a slightly less dark version of himself, while Stefan has done the same (but opposite). And so I accepted the magnification.

But now, somehow, the “sire” thing seems to come out of left field. Elena has always had feelings for Damon. Well, maybe not always but for a long time now. In fact, all of season three was about Elena just could not decide between them. Again, this depends on whether or not the sire bond is fact or not. The show’s production values seemed to imply that we should take it as fact, and it certainly would explain the whole “from the vein” thing, but who’s to say yet? Anyway, as I mentioned, Elena has always had feelings for Damon — so why try to pretend like the only way she could like him is because of the supposed sire? Admittedly, the sire bond on The Vampire Diaries is loosely defined, but the writers via Caroline and Stefan seemed to imply that Damon would have had to give direct orders. My memory does not include Damon telling Elena: “Have sex with me.” Then again, perhaps the sire bond is just a really strong connection, which is why she felt more close to him and decided to break it off with Stefan. As aforementioned, the details are a bit iffy and I just won’t know how to react until I’m given them in full. And my feelings will change, like anyone’s, if we find out how much Damon knew about the sire. My guess is zero.

And what is a sire, anyway? This episode drilled in the fact that the sire to Klaus from hybrids is because they feel indebted for not having to feel the pain of shifting. Is Elena’s sire, if it’s real, appreciation of not being the doppelganger anymore?

For now, it just seems like a way for the show to allow Stefan to continue making Jeremy a hunter[**] and to put a reset on the triangle once the sire is broken. Also, what is with Stefan and Caroline continuously saying “the new Elena?” She didn’t act like any other kind of Elena this entire episode, don’t you agree? She’s basically the same exact Elena now, even though she murdered someone like four days ago. Either way, this whole sire thing seems to be lose for everyone involved. At the end of the day, can’t they just allow shippers to enjoy the sexytimes? The way they treat the Damon part of the triangle is particularly the reason I probably have never been able to jump ship (beyond chemistry, but that’s just me and like one other person in the world that thinks that way apparently); the writers always have to throw some wrench in their progression somehow. Elena began thinking of him as a viable option only when Stefan went off the rails. She feels closer to him only because she’s a vampire. She’s sleeping with him only because she’s sired … when in fact, they could just have a connection just because, but the storylines never present it that way.

[**] Did anyone think of “slayer” when Jeremy said now that he’s a hunter he has strength?

Though I guess sometimes the best twists are the most polarizing, the way this one plays out could make or break a fanbase or two.