THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: “Lost Girls”
Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW.
Read on for my recap and review of The Vampire Diaries episode 1×06, aired October 15th, 2009:
This episode was directed by Marcos Siega, and written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. Bravo to them all for this stellar episode. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I liked it more than last week’s (“You’re Undead to Me” may possibly remain my favorite episode of the show for all time, for many reasons), but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was left wanting more. Is it next week already? This show makes me impatient. But enough of that–on to the recap.
We begin with Elena’s VO from last week: “Dear diary, I’m not a believer. People are born, they grow old, and then they die. That’s the world we live in. How can I deny what’s right in front of me?” We get to relive her discovering Stefan’s secret all over again, or we are subjected to a replay of something we ALREADY watched—take your pick.
Cue flashback. Oh, my favorite thing! I’m a sucker for flashbacks, especially if they involve fancy costumes. Check and check. The screen reads Mystic Falls, Virginia 1864. We see a large colonial mansion, and Stefan standing outside. Katherine (yes, KATHERINE!) drives up in a carriage. Stefan: “You must be Miss Pierce.” Katherine: “Please, call me Katherine.” Oh, you can already tell that she’s a heart breaker. Stefan doesn’t stand a chance. Title card.
Cut to Elena knocking on Stefan’s door (again), and she asks him what he is (again). Her question, almost makes Stefan cry. Stefan is a bit of a whining crybaby in this episode, so my brief crush from last week is cured. Stefan: “You know.” Elena lies: “No, I don’t.” Stefan: “Yes, you do. Or you wouldn’t be here. Everything you know, and every belief you have is about to change.” Oh goodness, they could do this dance all night. Should I make more popcorn? Elena asks him (again): “What are you?” Stefan: “I’m a vampire.” Elena: “I shouldn’t have come.” She runs away scared, but Stefan uses his super speed to follow her. She manages to drive away, but I’m sure he won’t be far behind.
Elena returns home. She sees pouting Jeremy on the couch. After she enters her room, Stefan appears. Just another reason not to invite vampires into your house, ladies. Seriously, these relationships do not end well. They all turn out to be creepy stalkers. Sigh. Stefan says that he would never hurt her, but that would probably be more convincing if he bothered to knock. He says that he doesn’t drink human blood. He also tells her that it is dangerous for her to know that he is a vampire, and that she has to keep it secret. Instead of saying, “Duh,” she says: “If you mean me no harm, then you’ll go.” Stefan takes a hint and leaves. She locks the window, and I giggle a little bit about this ineffectual maneuver. Bonnie needs to step up her witch training, so that she can un-invite the vampires from Elena’s house. I mean, Willow had to do that all the time, and it didn’t seem too tricky. Speaking of Bonnie, she doesn’t exist in this episode. Next week better be Bonnie-heavy to make up for it.
Cut to Damon enjoying the blood of someone. Is it Vicki? Nope. He puts the body in the fire, and there are more than one. Looks like those “small town lifers” are dead. Damon calls Stefan and demands his ring. When Stefan asks where he is, he quips: “I’m at the Sizzler. I had the buffet.” Hehe. When Stefan expresses that getting the ring could take a while, Damon asks: “What? Did you Fedex it to Rome or something?” Hee. He says that he wants his ring, or the next stop is Elena’s. Damon sees that Vicki is still alive, and quips, “You just don’t want to die, do you?”
Cut to Stefan skulking in the shadows outside Elena’s house, like all good vampire boyfriends. Ick.
Elena wakes up the next day and tries to write in her diary, but has no success. Then she brushes her teeth. What? This is worth recapping, as dental hygiene is important. Twice a day, kids. Elena determinedly leaves the house.
Cut to Elena and Stefan at a café. She wants him to explain the truth to her. The truth about vampires in this universe: they like garlic, sunlight’s not an issue due to the magic rings, crucifixes are merely decorative, holy water is drinkable (um, not in my family), and mirrors actually show their reflections. Stefan also explains that Damon used mind compulsion on Caroline, so that she didn’t know what was happening to her. Elena still sees the problematic aspect of this: “Is that supposed to make it OK?” She is pissed off, and I love her for it. Stefan is concerned about secrecy, and states: “There was a time when this time was very much aware of vampires, and it didn’t end well for anybody.” What made him think it would work out better this time, when he didn’t even bother to change his name? He wants Elena to promise not to tell, but she can’t make that promise. She does, however, give him one day to explain, and then she will make up her mind.
Cut to the crime scene in the woods. The Sheriff and Logan Fell find Vicki’s wallet. Sheriff proves herself to be a compassionate human being, and hopes that Vicki is not one of the bodies.
She’s not. Vickie is, in fact, sleeping on the couch at Casa Vampiri, and is getting blood on said couch, much to Damon’s chagrin. Damon is impatient with Stefan’s delay in returning his ring. House-bound during daylight, the bad boy vampire is extremely bored and impatient. Suddenly, he decides to entertain himself with Vicki: “I’m so going to regret this.” Then he pierces the skin on his wrist, and Vicki drinks. Uh oh.
Cut to Stefan and Elena in the woods. She wonders why he brought her to the middle of nowhere, and I wonder why she followed this vampire into the woods, where no one can hear her scream. It’s not like she’s a slayer, or something (sorry, Buffy reference #3), or like she asked Stefan how to kill a vampire in her long line of questioning (that should have been top priority). Stefan: “This didn’t use to be nowhere. It used to be my home.” Elena wonders how long ago that was, and how long he’s been an Undead-American (OK, I’m going to have to stop counting Buffy references for this recap, as I’m clearly hopeless). Stefan: “I’ve been 17 years old since 1864.” Elena: “Oh my God.” Stefan: “You said you wanted to know. I’m not going to hold back.” He goes into the story of his former life, and we fade into a flashback. Woo hoo!
VO: “Damon and I, we were both born here. The Salvatore brothers—best of friends.” The boys play football, and Katherine interrupts the game to flirt.
Cut to the present. Elena: “You knew Katherine in 1864?” Stop interrupting, Elena. I want to hear more of the story! Elena posits that everything has happened was “All because you loved the same woman 145 years ago.” Oh, women! What trouble they cause! Sigh. Cringe. Stefan notably leaves out the fact that Katherine looked EXACTLY like Elena. Way to be truthful, buddy.
Back to the past. Stefan and Katherine are running around the maze in the yard, when Damon shows up unexpectedly. He left the Confederate army: “I was simply having too much fun to return to battle.” Katherine needs an escort to the Founders Ball, and both brothers offer. Katherine: “The smart and kind Salvatore brothers both coming to my rescue. How will I ever choose?”
Present Stefan: “She chose me. I escorted her to the ball. The original Lockwood mansion.” Elena realizes that this was the first Founders party, where he signed the registrar. Stefan explains that he didn’t care about his brother’s feelings, all he knew was that he wanted her. Elena guesses that Damon was upset. Stefan: “That’s the thing about Damon. He doesn’t get mad, he gets even.”
Back at Casa Vampiri, Vicki comes downstairs after showering. He uses his mind warp on her. He tells her the truth, but makes her OK with the frakked up nature of said truth. They trade blood again.
Back in the woods, Stefan explains that Katherine was with Damon too. Elena thinks this means that Damon stole Katherine from Stefan, not the other way around. Stefan: “Turns out, she wasn’t ours to steal.”
Cut to Katherine and Stefan making love. He says that he will love her forever. Katherine: “Forever is a very long time, you know.” Then she vamps out and bites him. The next morning, Katherine’s maid laces up her bodice. She asks her maid to leave and turns to Stefan: “You’re upset?” She controls his mind, and tells him about her plan to be with both brothers for eternity: “You will not tell anyone. We will go on exactly as we have. You have no idea of the future I have planned for us. You, me, and Damon.” Can’t really blame the girl. Who wants to choose?
Stefan in the present: “It didn’t work out that way.” Stefan uncovers Damon’s ring, which he hid out there. When Elena realizes what it is, she doesn’t want him to give it back, but Stefan is adamant. He knows that things could get really bad if he continues to deny Damon.
Cut to the Sheriff and Mayor Lockwood. They have learned that Vicki was not one of the deceased. Logan gives the Mayor the watch, who in turn opens a box and inserts the watch into a different case. Mayor: “It’s ready.” Logan: “That’s it?” Mayor: “Yes, that’s it.”
Meanwhile, Vicki is having way more fun than anyone else, and is dancing in her underwear. She tells Damon that she’s over Tyler, and that she Jeremy is sweet to her. Damon picks up on the fact that Jeremy is Elena’s brother, and his interest is piqued. Then she asks, “Hey, why don’t you have a girlfriend? You’re like totally cool and SO hot.” Damon: “I know.” He is over love, as it is painful and overrated. Damon: “No more talking. Let’s daaance.” Adorable and cheesy dance sequence ensues, as the two dance throughout the house. Then Damon sees the picture of Katherine and gets sad. He and Vicki slow dance. She talks about her family, and cries on Damon’s shoulder. Damon: “You are so damaged.” Vicki: “Yep.” Damon: “You don’t have one hint of self esteem.” Vicki: “Nope.” Damon: “I think I know what can help you.” Vicki: “What?” Damon: “Death.” He snaps her neck. WTF!
Cut to a vague amount of time later. Damon paces, and sticks his hand in the sunlight and it sizzles. Vicki wakes up. Oh no, I was suspecting something like this! Damon tells her that she’s dead: “Now you have to feed to complete the process.” She wants to leave, and he tells her to stop by her boyfriend Jeremy’s house. I am not thrilled about Vampire Vicki. Sorry. I would prefer that a certain someone else was made a vampire first.
Cut to the Sheriff and Logan out in the woods. The Sheriff gives the idiot reporter wood bullets (which will slow a vamp down, but not kill one), and asks him if he can handle it. Why isn’t she going out in the woods to hunt the vampire, instead of the inept scum bag?
Vicki arrives at Jeremy’s and she’s super hungry. Jeremy assumes that she’s high, and he obnoxiously tells her that it’s the middle of the day. It wasn’t long ago that he was getting high in the MORNING AT SCHOOL, so he really needs to shut the hell up. Ugh.
Meanwhile, Elena wonders if Stefan did the mind control thing on her. He tells her no, and that her necklace has vervain in it, which protects her against vampires.
Back at the Gilbert home, Matt shows up and Jeremy leads him to the kitchen. Vicki is very upset. She hurts, and something is wrong with her gums (as in fangs). She also wants the talking to turn off. I guess her super vamp hearing has kicked in, as the “talking” is coming from the TV in the next room. The group learns from the news that bodies were found in the woods, in the same place that Jeremy and Vicki were partying. The boys ask Vicki what happened. She pushes Jeremy away, and she is definitely rocking the vampire strength. Stefan and Elena come in and Stefan uses his mind warp thing. It doesn’t seem like it should work on her, since she’s a pre-Vampire, or whatever, but it seems to anyway. Stefan tells Elena that Vicki is transitioning into a vampire. Stefan realizes that Damon got to her, and tells Elena that Vicki has to feed on human blood, or she’ll die. Stefan explains that Vicki will have to make a choice. Elena asks, “The same choice you made?” This would have been a good opportunity to cut to another flashback, but alas, no.
Cut to Vicki and Jeremy, having a sappy moment. Matt looks on, and then quickly leaves. Vicki starts to touch Jeremy’s neck and it seems that she might bite him, but then she says “No!” and runs out. Matt and Jeremy chase after her. Stefan tells Elena that he can track her and she tells him to go.
Cut to Logan with the compass/ pocket watch. It seems to be some type of old fashioned vampire GPS. Too bad he doesn’t have slayer cramps to let him know when a vampire is near. Hehe. On second thought, thank God. Probably the scariest aspect of the original Buffy movie.
Back at the Gilbert home, Jeremy and Elena are in the kitchen, cleaning up after Vicki’s munchies attack. The door bell rings, and it’s Damon. Elena tells Jeremy to go upstairs. Damon: “You’re afraid of me. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess. Stefan finally fessed up.” He enters, as he’s already been invited. He tells her that he’s not going to kill her right now, because it wouldn’t serve his greater agenda. He also neglects to tell her that she looks EXACTLY like the dead love-of-his-life. Elena tells him that Stefan is out looking for Vicki. Damon: “Don’t look at me with those judgy little eyes. Girl’s gonna thank me for what I did to her.” Elena: “Did you thank Katherine?” Damon exits, but not before one last quip: “Oh, tip for later. Be careful who you invite in the house.”
Stefan finds Vicki crying in the woods. She’s starting to remember things, what happened when she was glamoured, etc. Vicki: “He said that I need to feed. What will happen if I don’t?” Stefan: “You’ll fade quickly, and then it will all just be over.” Vicki: “I’ll be dead. I don’t want this.” Stefan says that he can help her. Vicki: “Is it better? Will I be better? I want to go home. Will you take me home?” At that moment, Logan shoots Stefan with a wooden bullet, and he goes down. Logan is about to stake Stefan, and Vicki screams. But don’t fret, because Damon steps in and saves his brother. He kills Logan, and digs the bullet out of Stefan’s chest: “If anyone’s gonna kill you, it’s gonna be me.” Best moment of the episode. Stefan returns Damon’s ring. Vicki takes this opportunity to feeds from Logan’s body. Stefan yells “No!” but it is too late. Damon: “Oops.” Vicki says sorry, and runs off. Damon takes the pocket watch vampire detector as he leaves. So Logan Scum-Fell is dead, and the viewers won’t miss him. Bravo to the show for killing off another unlikable character. Hate someone on the show? Poof, he is killed by Damon in the next episode. Damon really is performing a public service here.
Later, the Sheriff is horrified to find Logan’s dead body. She tells her men to find the watch. Good luck with that.
Stefan goes to Elena’s. She sees that he is bleeding, or WAS bleeding. Stefan admits that the night didn’t go well: “Couldn’t stop her. I tried. She fed, then I lost her.” Elena: “Oh my god!” Stefan: “I’ll find her…” Elena wants to know what she can tell her brother and Matt. Stefan apologizes, but Elena is not assuaged. She tells him that she can’t be with him: “I’m sorry, I just can’t.” She then goes inside her house and cries on the other side of the door. Well, Nina’s crying doesn’t rival SMG’s, but Elena’s already proving herself to be smarter than Buffy. [Something she will completely disprove in the next episode. Ah, well ... she did the smart thing for a short time at least.]
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