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The Vampire Diaries Review: “The Five” (Season 4, Episode 4)

Elena's (Nina Dobrev) all but graceful transformation from human to vampire hits another snag on tonight's episode of The Vampire Diaries when Damon (Ian Somerhalder) decides to take his turn as tutor. The pair piggyback on Bonnie's (Kat Graham) trip to meet the professor that took over after her Grams at a local college. At first he looks to be an over-eager academic type, but later on we find that there's more than meets the eye. Our first clue should have been that he thought it appropriate to attend an all-out rager at a frat house. It's been a few years since I've stepped foot in one of these, but I'm pretty sure even 5 years ago it would have been awkward if your professor showed up.

The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries

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“She IS a different person. She’s a vampire. We’re a predatory species.”

Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) all but graceful transformation from human to vampire hits another snag on tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries when Damon (Ian Somerhalder) decides to take his turn as tutor. The pair piggyback off of Bonnie’s (Kat Graham) trip to meet the professor that took over after her Grams at a local college. At first the professor looks to be an over-eager academic type, but later on we find that he more closely resembles an iceberg. Our first clue should have been that he thought it was appropriate to attend an all-out rager at a frat house. It’s been a few years since I’ve stepped foot in one of those, but I’m pretty sure even 5 years ago it would have been awkward if one of my professors showed up.

Bonnie, however, doesn’t seem jarred by this occurrence whatsoever. Somehow she ends up back in his office to discuss magic and such. I wonder if Grams would approve of this new acquaintance? For a lady that was all about the balance of nature, it hardly seems like he would be her first choice in confidants – especially given the new information we get about his association with “The Five.”

We did get a taste of Elena’s fun, for lack of a better word, side as she drank from countless co-eds at the costume party. With the help of  Damon she almost looks like she’s having a good time. That is, before Bonnie returns and the guilt pours over Elena like a cold shower. It’s not that Damon’s wrong when he sizes up the vampire race, but Elena’s humanity forces her to question these basic urges. And, with her supernatural roadblock stopping her from drinking anything that isn’t “straight from human,” she may have to tough it out and be more Damon-like if she’s going to survive.

The obvious elephant in the room is the new discovery that a cure might exist. When Bonnie’s attempt to bring Elena back to life failed in the season premiere, I still had an inkling that they would find some way to bring her back to human. She’s doesn’t exactly seem cut out to be a vampire and even she’s beginning to realize it. Ok, yes, she hasn’t killed anyone – yet. And, she can be around large groups of humans and most of the time is fine. But, her love for Stefan (Paul Wesley) versus her guilt for wanting, or more so needing, Damon to stick around keeps her in this constant state of confusion. I thought she had finally come to terms with this when she made her last-ditch decision, choosing Stefan over Damon at the thirteenth hour, but no, and like it or not the love triangle continues.

Back in Mystic Falls, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Stefan form an uneasy alliance with the unwilling help of Rebekah (Claire Holt). Connor (Todd Williams) may be chained up in the “red room of pain” (Fifty Shades reference?) but it doesn’t stop him from being an interesting part of the episode. Through a series of flashbacks, we get the cliff notes version of the history of The Five and how they crossed paths with the Originals. The ordinance was dead set on ridding the world from the menacing vampire race until they came across the Originals, or the more precisely, the Originals came upon them.

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