Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder
Writer: Jose Molina & Julie Plec, Based on the books by L.J. Smith
Director: Rob Hardy     
Network: The CW, airs Thursday nights
Original Telecast: October 18, 2012

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES continues the evolution of Elena (Nina Dobrev) in the new episode “Memorial”, and while that is the central point of this one, there’s a lot going on in and around a few other storylines as well.

This show has had its fair share of Vampire hunters and the like, and the supernatural population of Mystic Falls has always had the town council to contend with to varying degrees of trouble, but this episode introduces a guy who seems like all he does it kill vamps. He doesn’t really come to town with any cover like Alaric (Matt Davis) being a school teacher, he just shows up and starts trying to kill vampires. Connor Jordan (Todd Williams) is his name, and he is not a human to be trifled with. I will freely admit that he looks more than a bit like Principle Wood (D.B. Woodside) from BUFFY, and it’s not a the fact that they are both beautiful men; Williams has a clean shaven head and the same sort of mustache thing going on. Come on, there are at least a few BUFFY fans out there that have drawn the same comparison! Plus what’s up with the disappearing and reappearing ink on his arm? Some kind of mystical branding perhaps?

So back to Elena for the moment and her varying paths to try and transition to being a full fledged vamp. In this episode she is having trouble keeping down animal blood, Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) blood, and even bagged blood; so at one point it looks like she might be in mortal danger again. Then, she feeds off of Matt (Zach Roerig) and suddenly having taken live human blood from the source, she’s going to be alright for now.

Grace Phipps from THE NINE LIVES OF CHOLE KING joins the cast in this episode as April, the daughter of the dead preacher from last episode. She’s a good addition and I liked her on CHLOE, so we’ll see where this goes. My only problem when a series needs to introduce new characters that have been a part of the community the ‘whole time’ the writing feels a bit forced and clunky, like Caroline (Candice Accola) telling Elena not to feed off of April because April is her friend that she used to babysit back when. It just feels WEIRD for them to be talking about a brand new character like that. April was away at boarding school until now, so at least that’s a plausible explanation.

There’s a nice scene at the end of this episode where Stefan (Paul Wesley) gets the gang together so they can launch paper lanterns into the sky in memoriam of those who they have loved and lost. Once the characters start rattling off their lists, you realize just how many supporting cast have been offed on this show, and that’s just on the good guys’ side! But, the best scene of the evening is Damon talking to Alaric’s grave and Alaric sitting behind him as a spirit. Maybe this means Rick is coming back in a ghost form? Who knows? At least he won’t be a punching bag for bad guys if he’s a ghost, and that’s a step up form where he was when he was alive!

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Article: TV Review – THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Season 4 – “Memorial”

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