The Vampire Diaries Review: Devil of a Time

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If Kat has lived nine lives in her 500 years of being on the run, The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 12 definitely represented my favorite one.

I've been critical of this character for seasons now, calling the writers out on many occasions for making Katherine nothing but a plot device, someone to randomly show up from time to time in order to move the story in some direction.

But when she actually is the plot? When she's insulting Elena's hair and showing a vulnerable side to Stefan and ratting out Caroline's scandalous sexcapades on The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 11 and wondering how anyone could love Bonnie?

Yeah. I'm all aboard the Katherine train now. It was a really fun ride this week.

The installment was titled "The Devil on the Inside," presumably because Damon's monster came out to play with Enzo by hour's end.

But the entire episode was about characters trying to pretend they are someone they're not, trying to see themselves in the best light.

Damon is the obvious example. He's someone who believes he's at his best when he's with Elena and someone who finally realized this week how insulting it actually is to her to think he could poison her with his darkness.

But Elena Katherine gave Damon a perfect response to his little speech outside the party. Yes, she broke his heart. And, yes, she walked away smirking because that was her intention. But wasn't she also correct? Doesn't Damon need to be a good person on his own before he thrusts the pressure on Elena to make sure he remains that way?

It's like they always say: you need to love yourself before anyone else can really love you. In Damon's case, however, the problem is that he does seem to love himself... when he's embracing his own inner Ripper-ness.

Seriously. Some of us eat entire pints of ice cream or listen to sad mix tapes when we get dumped. Damon commits homicide. The guy's got issues and it shouldn't be on Elena (even if it was Katherine pretending to be Elena) to fix them.

Elsewhere, Caroline didn't want to think she was the person who would actually get slammed against a tree in a passionate lovemaking session sleep with Klaus. She scoffed at the "Prudy Trudy" nickname, but she likely preferred it over what Tyler was thinking and essentially said with his bared teeth: Hybrid Ho.

Leave it to Stefan to swoop in, deliver a winning line ("Drunk or not, she doesn't deserve that.") and later hit all the right notes when comforting Caroline.

Should these two just get together already? Vote now:

Tyler, of course, was also pretending from the moment he returned to Mystic Falls.

He wanted to leave his stint on The Originals behind, to toast to a new beginning at home. But it was a nice moment toward the end when he confided in Matt just how terrible things were for him in New Orleans - and how they've only grown worse.

Indeed, nearly every character was forced to face a truth about him or herself this week. Some came out of it better and stronger (Caroline was able to accept her Klaus-tastrophe and realize it didn't make her a bad person), while others just came out of it bloodier and more of a savage.

We're sort of seen this with Damon before, but Enzo makes the storyline feel fresh enough. He's been a winning addition so far.

Small Bites:

  • It's worth repeating: The Vampire Diaries Season 5 spent weeks and weeks saving the life of Bonnie, only to essentially ignore her since. Couldn't they just have killed her off?
  • My goodness. Matt has A LOT of friends. Did you see the turn out at that party?!? He must mix a mean drink at The Grill.
  • On an acting level, it was a lot of fun to watch Nina Dobrev toggle between Elena and Katherine.
  • Caroline Forbes should never not be cleaning. Especially in that tanktop.
  • Elena and Damon. Damon and Elena. I know there's a nickname in there somewhere. Best TVD line ever?

What did everyone else think? Check out this teaser for The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 13 and sound off now:

The Devil Inside Review

Editor Rating: 4.7 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0 (201 Votes)

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

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The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 12 Quotes

Stefan: Define "out."
Damon: One who hovers and sticks his nose in other people's business. Wait... I was defining "annoying."

How's my dress? It screams safe and predictable. Am I right? Or am I right?