The Vampire Diaries 3.04 “Disturbing Behavior”

This week we deal with one of my problems from last week immediately, as Rebekah is taken to get new period-appropriate clothes, and must come to terms with everyone dressing like whores (she’s fine with it) and modern music (it sucks) since she was last awake during Prohibition. She may have missed out on rock-and-roll, but embracing the fashion trends post Sexual Revolution makes sense, as the 1920s were when the stultifying rules of the 19th century regarding women and so many other things began to finally dissolve. Thanks for at least hand waving the concept of culture shock away, show.

Instead, this week, we gather that Rebekah is more or less used to being “killed” whenever Klaus feels like it, as he keeps a lot of the family on ice. He’s a petty tyrant. Well, maybe they’re not all such great shakes either, but at least his sister seems a little more fun-loving. At first. He did tell Stefan she was crazy.

The show is all over the place this week, in that busy active sub-plot way: we see nearly everyone but Matt, I suppose. A lot of things happen, in the show’s manner where they don’t have a lot of lasting impact but look pretty flash in the moment. Let’s see what I recall: Caroline and Tyler get closer, as her father’s cruel treatment of her didn’t come close to breaking her spirit and she wants to ensure everyone she’s fine (which anyone who knows her can see). Dear old dad Bill, however, remains unconvinced, being such a tool about the whole vampire thing that his ex-wife, Sherriff Forbes, asks Damon to compel him to leave town.

Which, wth?, doesn’t work. Apparently Bill has trained himself, using just human willpower, to resist vampire control. Told you he was a badass. This leaves Damon, who’s cranky enough this week to have already killed Alaric (after checking that he was wearing his revival ring), with no choice but to feed on the big creep … which is when Caroline springs to the rescue and uses those vampire stealth super-speed and strength powers to rescue her daddy.

“I’m older and stronger than you,” Damon rages, trying to strangle her, to which Caroline replies, “and I’m madder than you” and fights him off long enough so that she vanishes with her dad in her arms. How does dad repay her for this act of loyalty? By insulting her just before he drives off, real classy.

Damon’s cranky because everyone is getting on his case about getting closer to Elena, who … oh, she’s totally the most boring part of the show this week, because Katherine is still hanging around Chicago. And lucky for Stefan she is, because witch Gloria wants the Macguffin/necklace that Rebekah lost so long ago, and that Stefan found and gave to Elena so recently, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get it, including getting all medieval on Stefan’s ass with knives and giant metal vein-opening staples. Girlfriend is serious as hell about this.

But no one is ever prepared for Katherine, who has the same effect on Nina Dobrev that Faux-livia has on Ana Torv on Fringe, I imagine. The joyous release of the bad girl role. Elena’s dark doppelganger is starting to convince me she actually cares about the Salvatore brothers after all. Or at least about using them to help her kill Klaus (whom she’s almost as old as); that’s probably more likely.

More hints drop about whomever it might be that’s chasing Originals, but unfortunately for Stefan his nosiness on the subject puts him back exactly where he doesn’t want to be for next week. And Alaric demands a place on the Founder’s council, in order to represent the humans (since Carol’s son is a werewolf and the Sherriff’s daughter is a vamp, it only makes sense). And Jeremy is trying to choose between witch girlfriend Bonnie and ghost girlfriend Anna, who saves him from a mystic flame-broiling thanks to witch Gloria. All questions, no answers, which means things are about to get rockier than ever in Mystic Falls.

So, let’s tally up: one gratuitous torture scene, two last minute rescues, at least five murders (one only temporary), several potential betrayals … are we in mid-season already?