The cure was finally found! Now, what will Elijah do with it? Will he do as Klaus suggested and have a family meeting? Or, does he love and believe in the reformed Katherine enough to force Klaus into giving the doppelganger her freedom? On “American Gothic,” the cure may have been revealed, but the story of what will be done with it is far from over. The Salvatore brothers still want it for Elena, Rebekah wants it for herself, and Silas wants it to complete his mission.
In previous Vampire Diaries seasons, storylines were quickly resolved after a few episodes. In season 4, that pacing was changed up with the search for the cure running throughout the whole season-to-date. While “American Gothic” provided an opportunity to better understand both Katherine and Elijah, the rest of the hour was wasted retreating the same old story.
Rebekah wants the cure to become human, so she can live a finite life and maybe even fall in love and have kids. Elena doesn’t want the cure, because she loves and embraces the freedom she has now without feeling the pain of any consequences. And, Damon and Stefan both miss the old Elena and want her back.
In an interesting twist, both Damon and Stefan claimed that they now want the old Elena back, but that they no longer want to be in her life. I call hogwash on that. They don’t like this new Elena, but if she took the cure and was back to the the demure, lovable Elena they wouldn’t be able to stay away. She’s their curse.
For a moment, it appeared that Rebekah had gotten her wish when she took the fake cure. She was happy, but only for a second. Damon failed in his mission by letting her drink it and after his initial relief felt guilt over that. He took that opportunity to try and kill Rebekah, but failed because the cure wasn’t real.
Katherine had played them all. Was she playing Elijah too? At the restaurant, Katherine felt pretty confident that she would succeed over the out-of-towners when it came to the cure and with good reason. Elena had no hope of convincing Elijah that she was Katherine.
But, Elena and Elijah were previously friendly and she was able to use that to give Elijah doubts about Katherine’s intentions. Elijah is an honorable man and Jeremy’s death was not something he could condone.
After breaking Elena’s neck, Katherine tried with all her might to convince Elijah that what they had was real and that she truly cared about him. After running for decades from Klaus, the cure was her chance to gain her freedom. And, Elijah was the key to making it happen.
Katherine was rather convincing. For the first time ever, she appeared to be genuine and in order to prove it she gave up her only leverage — the cure. She could have tried to use it on Klaus, but that would have only hurt her in the end. She loves Elijah and to prove it, she gave him the cure and hoped he would do right by their relationship.
Now, Elijah has to decide what to do with the cure. Does he give it to Klaus? Help Rebekah’s dream come true? Or, do something else with it? He has the power right now. Will he pick love or family?
Of course, that’s only if he is able to keep the cure safe. Damon and Stefan both still want the cure for Elena. At the diner, she told them to stop trying to get the cure for her. When they refused, she killed the waitress and told them as long as they continued, she would continue to kill.
In a twisted way, Elena’s decision to kill innocents to punish Damon and Stefan just further supports their goal to get the cure for her. As long as she continues down this self-destructive path, they will do whatever they can to stop her. And, the best way would be to make her human again.
Is it possible that Katherine is the good and loving doppelganger now and Elena is the evil and selfish one? That would be an unexpected twist in personalities. Though at the same time, Katherine’s isolation may have opened her up to accepting love, while Elena’s loss of humanity has now isolated her. Elena can no longer feel the love and friendship of those around her.
While the cure shenanigans was going on in Pennsylvania, Klaus was dealing with Silas and the pain from the white oak tree in his back. Silas came to Klaus in the form of Caroline to further torment him and remind him the only way out was by finding the cure.
Later, the real Caroline arrived. Klaus wanted her help to remove the oak. She tried, but then refused to help more until Klaus agreed to let Tyler return. Klaus’ stubbornness got the better of him and he refused. Caroline that screamed at him and his pain went away.
Silas never stabbed him! Instead, Silas got into his head and made him believe it had happened. Who or what is Silas? Is Silas in Mystic Falls in a physical presence at all? Is he just messing with Bonnie’s head too? That would explain why she had her memories when “interacting” with Shane, but then couldn’t remember anything later.
Klaus didn’t agree to let Tyler return, but he did give Caroline a snide smile and mentioned that he isn’t chasing after Tyler. That’s something, but is it enough for Caroline to befriend Klaus? Probably not.
Who should use the cure? Does Katherine really love Elijah? Or, is she just playing him? Even though she gave him the cure, it could have been her only move. Will Elena continue to kill? Will that make Damon and Stefan more or less likely to want the cure for her?
The Vampire Diaries returns in three weeks and it’s prom! Check out Elena and Caroline’s gorgeous and stunning dresses!
‘The Vampire Diaries’ Episode 4.19 Photos: It’s Prom Night on ‘Pictures of You’
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(Image courtesy of the CW.)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.
