Kendrick Sampson, Candice Accola
The Vampire Diaries, Season 5, Episode 8: “Dead Man on Campus”
Written by Brian Young & Neil Reynolds
Directed by Rob Hardy
Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on The CW
With the deaths of Silas, Amara, and Qetsiyah last week, a big chapter in the lives of the Mystic Falls group came to a close, with a relatively happy ending, as Bonnie was able to return to the land of the living as well. However, this by no means signalled that the group was free of troubles, as there nonetheless remained several issues hanging over each of their heads, such as the Augustine and Stefan’s lingering terror over his repeated drowning. It is these issues that come to the forefront this week, in a strong episode that brings some long overdue topics to the surface.
The story of Augustine takes a big leap forward this week in making itself compelling. While it was clear in previous weeks that Maxfield had something in mind when experimenting on Jesse, seeing the successful fruits of his labour this week adds a new dimension, both to the season, and to the vampire mythology. The idea of a vampire who feeds on vampire blood is a highly intriguing one, and whether or not Augustine tries to create another one is something to keep an eye on. The society itself also gets a good boost, by extension, both by having a long history, and by experimenting with vampirism rather than just controlling or curtailing them. Maxfield’s warning to Elena to leave campus is also interesting in this context; as the professor demonstrates this week, he doesn’t feel sympathetic towards vampires, and he may have seen Elena’s transformation as a personal affront, given her family history. Instead of using her for experimental purposes, however, his decision to scare her away from campus and, by extension, Augustine, adds another layer to the story. How this plot plays out promises to be compelling, a huge change from its prior appearances.
Elena and Caroline’s conversation regarding Damon is also a refreshing aspect of this week’s episode. Despite his recent turn into anti-hero territory, the reprehensible nature of Damon’s actions early in the series cannot be ignored, as he positioned himself in the role of antagonist, leaving no possible justification. As a victim of Damon, Caroline’s grievance is quite relevant, and it’s good to see the show finally tackle the issue, as past seasons have always had a more pressing matter standing in the way of this conversation. It will be interesting to see whether Elena gives the appropriate weight to Caroline’s issues with Damon, and how her acknowledgment, or lack thereof, of Caroline’s problems affects the relationship between the three.
Nina Dobrev, Candice Accola
The tackling of Katherine’s mental state over her rapid aging and Stefan’s PTSD is a touching aspect of this week. With both individuals trying to come to terms with traumatic events, the two of them helping each other out not only makes sense, it also ensures that they can keep their issues relatively quiet, allowing both of them a measure of the privacy they’d like. Their past history, however, has not been the most trustworthy, so it will be interesting to see whether the memories of their actions affect how they help each other going forward. It also opens up the question of how Nadia will fit into this story as it progresses, and with the knowledge that she is Katherine’s daughter, how Stefan treats her has the possibility to be compelling.
Overall, this is a solid episode, and one that greatly benefits some stories that could have been duds. Watching Caroline and Elena coach Jesse this week is another compelling aspect of the episode. The two have come a long way from the people they were before they died and became vampires, and their decision to use their abilities to help a new vampire adjust is a great way to highlight both the inherent good nature of the two friends, and the ease with which they handle their powers. Katherine’s knowledge of how to kill the Traveler lodged inside Matt, while revealing more about her, unfortunately does also seem to close the chapter on that aspect of the season, leaving Matt once again as the odd one out from the Mystic Falls group. Bonnie’s ability to communicate with the dead also begins to sow effects this week, and her ability to communicate with supernatural spirits is promising, especially if she is able to harness it to be able to call on whichever spirit she’d want to speak to. How the Augustine story shakes out, and what Damon’s history is with them, as well as how Stefan and Katherine deal with their issues, is worth tuning in for in the weeks ahead.
– Deepayan Sengupta
