The Vampire Diaries ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ review: 12 hybrids of Christmas

I watched a film titled Code Blue at MIFF (that’s Miami International Film Festival for you non-locals, *pretentious laugh*) this year. It was beautifully shot, but shortly put: it was an awful film. Just godawful. It was entirely too slow and too silent and in the final five minutes it managed to shock, alienate, and utterly offend everyone in the theater. It had no substance. And the director stood in front of us after the lights came on, cheerleading it on as a masterpiece of the human condition. Whatever. The point is that she said something that did actually manage to resonate with me and that was brought up again during tonight’s episode. Holding someone’s life in your own hands, as literally as that can be said, is for the most part the most intimate you can be with someone else. Klaus stated it so matter-of-factly tonight, the idea that he and Stefan cherish those moments because it gives them a sense of intimacy and togetherness. Of course, they’re psychopaths. But the idea still rings true, I think. And in that split second, they make the decision that will impact them eternally. Quite grandiose.

I think this may be the first episode of The Vampire Diaries that has finally begun to “get it,” the philosophy that we have for so long desired it to understand. Earlier this season, we got a lantern funeral for everyone we’ve lost on the show, and that definitely helped ease the desensitization of murder and death on the series big time. But tonight was more about finding the show’s moral compass yet again (if it ever had it in the first place). From then on, Stefan comes to realize that he, nor Caroline, nor anyone else for that matter, is truly any better than Klaus. They’ve all murdered people. No one is truly much of a victim in their lives. I won’t get into how “the difference” is that everyone but Klaus has family they can rely on… because that’s just not true, but regardless, I understand what conclusion the show wanted us to draw. I think that conclusion — the idea that Klaus is just lonely, poor him — is wasted potential, and the episode’s final scenes prove it. But I digress, I can only be elated that the show is moving forward in that arena.

This episode, however, was also about just taking someone down, which is a story that works well on The Vampire Diaries, even if it’s the same villain for about a year and a half now. In this case, the episode moves smoothly. Seasons past have been plagued some by having the entire cast sort of be a Scooby gang, but where this season gets it quite right is that everyone has their own agenda and the conflicts arise without having to introduce too many outside forces. Instead of it being “Everyone vs. Klaus,” it’s woven much more intricately. We have Stefan and Caroline who want to keep Klaus alive, while Tyler does not, and Caroline struggles with both sides, meanwhile Hayley double-crosses them, and Creepy Professor offers them The Cure that maybe Elena doesn’t even want because she wants her relationship with Damon to be real which Stefan and Caroline assure is bad for her and anyway her own brother is trying to kill her. It’s kind of ludicrous.

But also, extremely fun. And it’s finally a show where the tensions stem from our main characters against themselves. Going into this season, the lack of a big bad loomed over its head, but thus far I like the direction its headed. Of course, this episode just reinforces the fact that hybrids are good for nothing but dying, but whatever let’s not get into that.

Also in this episode, people don’t really consider Elena that great. Sorry, but that’s always good. It’s not because Elena is awful or anything, but it’s because she’s not all that great either and it was ludicrous that everyone would sacrifice anything just to save her. A few episodes ago, Caroline gave up Tyler’s friend for Jeremy to kill[*]. And Tyler was just not okay with it. The same happens this episode too, where Tyler doesn’t really understand why everyone is more concerned about getting The Cure for Elena instead of taking out Klaus. It’s true for Jeremy too, in a sense, who can overcome the urge to kill because of Bonnie and not Elena. It’s good enough that two main characters fawn over her, so I like the direction. And now that Tyler’s mom has paid the ultimate price[**], I imagine that Tyler’s opposing opinions will be heard even more.

[*] Which was a big deal in a way that’s laughable, but also because the show is desperately trying to make us feel shocked by death again… which is why we’ve been warming up to the hybrids in episodes past.

[**] Which, by the way, was a good enough death, don’t you think? In this episode, we really only lost 11 people we barely heard from, 1 character who had a three episode arc, and Tyler’s mom… most people my heart didn’t exactly break for. But Tyler’s mom helped aid the current status quo on the show where deaths only really happen at the fringes. I know you might bring up Alaric, but that was a very expected death after he turned, so it was just like waiting for the clock to stop ticking rather than this.

That scene, and the amazing slaughter before it, helped bring Klaus’s street cred a bit up to par with what the show continues to tout him to be. And again, that’s always welcome as well.

And finally, this episode put a mini-end to the Elena’s sire bond (drink!) to Damon. For the most part, I kind of hate the solution to this. Damon basically telling Elena to “Go on now, git!” is such a haphazard way to deal with it and it’s kind of infuriating that that’s the only solution, according to True Blood’s Tara’s mom (who, did I mention, I was so mad they didn’t make her do an accent, which she’s obviously amazing at?). It’s maddening because it doesn’t allow Elena to decide on her own whether or not what she feels for Damon is real or not, which it obviously is because that’s what a sire bond is. But regardless, because of its ickiness, it’s either all or nothing. It’s maddening because it surely is supposed to be an epic romantic roadblock. And finally, it doesn’t allow Elena to get her hands dirty with Jeremy so that they can find out where The Cure is. She’s just going to go back to Mystic Falls and become a vagabond as usual again? That’s no fun. Thus far, the sire bond was a fun twist when it first appeared, but has been a bit hit or miss in practice. I hope the resolution for it pays off big in the future.

Speaking of which, is not for another month or so. Darn holiday hiatus! What ever will we do without everyone’s favorite desensitized psychopathic murderers for so long?

Also, did I mention that hybrid killing spree was a thing of beauty?