The Vampire Diaries - Before Sunset

So to sort of simplify things. Esther wants all vampires dead. Alaric is her weapon to do so and once that task is complete he’ll be dispatched as well. And if Alaric dies, so does Elena because they are connected by blood. Much like all the vampires as offshoots of the Original vampires created by Esther, connection by blood can be a death sentence. So if Klaus were to die or Rebekah, any of the vampires we know and watch episode to episode could die. There is a desiccation spell Bonnie can perform that renders the selected vampire chosen to be “killed” (essentially rendered incapacitated), with help from a human willing to be sacrificed momentarily (the heart stopped so that the target vampire’s heart will be stopped). Damon and Stefan will have to form a brief partnership with Klaus to hopefully desiccate Alaric at the school while he holds Caroline and Elena hostage. Yep, once again Caroline is tortured. Pencils in the hands and vervain-soaked fabric gag around the mouth, Caroline is weakened and helpless while Elena wants to save her but can’t because Alaric is far more powerful, dangerous, and stronger than her. Elena realizes, though, that without her Alaric’s mission will be jeopardized because they are connected by blood.

There is a key scene in the episode where Elena cuts herself as Alaric was poised to bury his oak stake into Klaus, creating enough time for Klaus to whisk Elena away. Elena was nearly drained of her blood by Klaus so he could sire hybrids and all willy-nilly abandon her to die slowly, left to wither away…nice guy, Klaus, what a piece of work. At the end of the episode, Elena collapses to the floor of the room Alaric once stayed, blood from her nose. She just can't get cut a break. Bled by Klaus, tormented by Alaric to watch him hurt her friend, told that her parents would be ashamed of her for being loyal to vampires, and now unconscious on the floor with a bloody nose...life just wallops that poor girl.

Klaus in the third season has been quite the heavy, always lording his superior strength and power over the cast of Mystic Falls. Finally the Salvatore Brothers subdue him, as Stefan grabs Klaus’ heart while Bonnie performs her spell on Jeremy, almost losing him when her resurrection spell barely reawakens him. Although I don’t think anyone felt this would be the last you see of Klaus, the satisfaction of his defeat in this episode, as he painfully desiccates while Stefan looks into his dying face and shocked expression, cannot be understated. He has been an absolute pain in the ass to the cast of “The Vampire Diaries”.

There have been other characters like Damon who make things difficult from time to time, but Klaus is in a class by himself. Now that he has been taken out, Alaric ascends to the chief antagonist, gathered with the Founders of Mystic Falls to inform them that the mayor and sheriff are hypocrites, each with a child that is vampire (Tyler is half-vampire/half-werewolf while Caroline is vampire), stirring up the pot. Alaric, this ferocious vampire hunter that is now a vampire thanks to Esther’s magic, is full on heel, at one point pressing Elena up against a locker with a fierce grip. Alaric is so strong he can take on both Damon and Stefan, total them like a Mac truck running through VW bugs, with relative ease. This new Alaric is quite effective thanks to Matt Davis’ turning on the menace, the sweet soul history teacher and mentor to Elena and Jeremy lost thanks to Esther’s dark magic. Bonnie having to lure back her mom in order to learn about how to use dark magic provides some uncomfortable tension between Abby and Damon, the vampire responsible for her turn. The “Klaus-free” happy evening party for Elena was a nice touch. Alaric is the monkey wrench Carol Lockwood and Liz Forbes couldn’t have anticipated. 2.5/5

*the episode doesn't disown the soapy melodrama that is its hallmark. Elena is tasked with choosing between Stefan and Damon, and the two brothers have a pleasant ride in the night after vanquishing Klaus, agreeing to separate once she decides which of the Salvatore Brothers she prefers romantically. Klaus, before his defeat, enjoyed teasing Damon and, especially, Stefan about Elena and their eventual brotherhood/bond's dissolution. Rebekah telling Klaus that she was leaving without him because he just couldn't leave well enough alone, insisting on bringing Elena with him instead of coming with her...it continues to remind us that Klaus doesn't want to be alone. His desiccation in this episode would seem to indicate he will be alone...forever.