The Vampire Diaries review – 5×02: ‘True Lies’

Even though it is seriously lacking in suspense, the second episode of The Vampire Diaries seems to be finding its groove and get this fifth season off to a pretty steady start.

Let’s bitch it out..

As we discussed on The Originals this week, the whole immortal thing is getting a little tired. What happened to the old school The Vampire Diaries where you could never count on a character making it through any given episode because everybody was vulnerable? Ah yes, those were the good ol’ days. Now, everyone is immortal and no one can be killed… well, except for Kat Graham’s Bonnie, of course (but hey, that’s really no loss at all). Take the moment when Stefan/Silas (Paul Wesley) is fighting with Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), and they’re both stabbed with a branch. There is literally not one ounce of suspense in that moment because neither of them were ever going to get hurt. Or when Stefan/Silas snaps Matt’s (Zach Roerig) neck: again, no suspense at all. I actually said out loud (… to myself…) “uhhh we all remember last week when he got his Gilbert ring back. Duh”.

I’m nostalgic for the good ol’ days when Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) accidentally shot and killed Jeremy, or my beloved Alaric (Matt Davis) said his final goodbye, or back when Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) was killed as part of Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) blood/moon sacrifice. Those were gasp worthy moments that we didn’t see coming, and these moments kept us guessing about who was going to make it through any given episode alive. At this point I would love to get some of that suspense back just to shake things up. I need to be worried about my favourite characters, not just watch passively because I know they’re all immortal now so they’ll be fine.

Things I’m more interested? The mystery surrounding Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) father, her dead roommate Megan (Hayley Kiyoko), and the mysterious new professor Wes Maxfield (Rick Cosnett). There has to be some supernatural forces at work here, but the writers aren’t giving away too much, which is nice. Like I said above, this show needs some more suspense and it’s nice because it’s unraveling slowly. There’s no urgency here, as Elena indicates to the professor, but it is something that we will start figuring out in the coming weeks. At this point we are five seasons in on a show about supernatural beings so there is literally only so many immortal witches or werewolves or hybrids or hunters, etc to go around. At this point, the show needs some new storylines and I’m really hoping this is it. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Other Observations:

• The one liners on this show are gold sometimes. For example, when Stefan/Silas is saying he doesn’t understand what Elena sees in Damon (Ian Somerhalder), his response? “You’ve never had sex with me”. Love it! Or Jeremy, when he says “I work out”. Yes, yes you do, and we are all very appreciative of that. Surprisingly, Paul Wesley is actually great at delivering the dry humour and sarcasm – something we don’t get to hear enough of when he’s Stefan. Stefan survives by brooding so there isn’t as much room for wit, but I’m always impressed when Wesley gets a chance to show us a different side. All in all, ‘True Lies’ includes some expertly delivered one-liners that actually stuck with me because I enjoyed them so much.
• Does anyone else just cringe with awkwardness when Elena and Damon start to make out? Real life couple Nina and Ian broke up earlier this year, so all I can think of when we see them get hot and heavy on screen is how awkward it must be for them. I know they’re professionals, but it’s all I can concentrate on! Geez guys, way to have your break-ip ruin the mood for me as a viewer!
• How much longer are we going to have to deal with Bonnie forcing Jeremy to keep the secret that she’s dead? This girl was annoying enough when she was alive, so it’s kinda shocking that she’s even worse now that she’s dead! Girlfriend still manages to act like a martyr! This frustrating storyline just reinforces my problem with immortal characters: there’s no suspense about losing a favourite character on this show because even when they die, they still hang around!!
• Why are we keeping up this charade with Tyler (Michael Trevino)? He was gone for the majority of last season, too (or it feels like it anyway), so what’s the point of this? There are only so many “wolf packs” around America that need his “expert” guidance, don’t you think? May I suggest bringing him back for one episode, have him die in a really dramatic way, and allow Caroline to finally stop moping and go back to being fun Caroline. That would finally fulfill the much needed suspense factor again, as well. Just sayin’.

What did you think of the second episode? Is the lack of suspense bothering you, too? Are you as excited as I am to finally see Stefan stop drowning over and over? Ready for Bonnie to bite the bullet once and for all? Any theories about what’s going on with Elena’s dad, the dead roommate and the professor? I’d love to hear them! Sound off below!

The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8pm EST on the CW