by Ryan J. Downey
Maybe they should rename the show "The Stefan Diaries!"
Tonight's "Vampire Diaries" episode spills revelation after revelation which drive this season's arc forward as we journey to Chicago during the roaring '20s, where Stefan (in a tux!) may have smooched a lady or two roughly a hundred years before he enrolled in Elena Gilbert's high school. There's some present day shenanigans in the Windy City, too, as Damon and Elena track Stefan and Klaus thanks to a certain source with her own agenda.
We also get guest star Claire Holt ("Pretty Little Liars") but to explain too much about that would spoil some major fun. Let's just say that fans of "retconning" (retroactive continuity) and origin-rich explorations are in for some serious treats. How this show manages to ramp up the romantic love triangles and steamy sex appeal while satiating the appetites of comic-book weaned, book devouring genre fans boggles the mind.
And don't worry; this episode doesn't neglect poor little Caroline's cliffhanger peril from last week. Sadly, there's no Jeremy (and his great season three haircut), Matt or Bonnie this week, but the episode is so rich with story involving so many other folks, there just couldn't possibly have been room. They'll be back soon! Tonight is all about Stefan's past and present... And how that may affect Elena and Damon's future.
The CW invited Hollywood Crush and a select group of television reporters to a private screening of tonight's episode, "The End of the Affair." As soon as the showing concluded, always engaging and talkative executive producer Julie Plec answered several questions. Julie embodies the type of passion for these characters all of us fans understand so well. Did any of you catch that tweet where she said she was crying as she wrote a scene recently? Yep, we love her.
Last week's episode ended with Caroline locked away by her vampire-hating father. Thanks to generations of vampire hunting within their family, he can't accept what she is and is determined to change her or kill her. "It's a story about a parent thinking they know what's best for their child," Julie explained. "What we wanted to show was this idea of trying to rescue someone who ultimately doesn't need to be rescued. I think ultimately the point of her father is, 'Yeah, you do.' That's something we'll get into the next episode as well."
Tonight, Candace Accola turns in what is easily her best of many strong performances throughout the series thus far. And while the Caroline stuff is fantastic, this episode really belongs to Stefan. Thanks to his diary, we're treated to some brilliant flashbacks as he takes a trip down memory lane in Illinois.
"Because of the title of the show, one of the devices we moved away from was the narrating diaries," Julie said when quizzed about this week's introduction of Stefan's diary. "As [executive producer] Kevin [Williamson] and I like to say, a diary is for when you have no one you feel like you can talk to. It's an expression of your loneliness, a secret you're keeping when you feel like there's no one you can trust to keep your secret.
"Once Stefan and Elena found each other, they could express everything to each other, so we moved away from framing our episodes with that," she continued. "We still like the idea that there's a canon, folklore, centuries of storytelling—especially in our vampires—centuries of life that can still be sort of referenced and looked back on during times when maybe they didn't have anybody or they still thought they had to keep things secret. It's [called] 'The Vampire Diaries'; we will always find a way to give a little shout out to that."
We've known for a while now that Stefan wasn't always brooding, remorseful or heroic. There was certainly a time when he embraced his darker impulses with abandon. This episode explores that period much more deeply. And as much as Elena is aware that Stefan, Damon and even Caroline have murdered people, Julie acknowledged there's a certain suspension of disbelief and willingness to indulge necessary to the story.
"I [would] get into debates with people about this on Twitter during season one. I learned that lesson the hard way: don't debate on Twitter," she said. "There's an element of escapism in this world that you have to embrace. If you don't, you'll never get to go along for the ride. If we start stacking up the responsibility for body count—Caroline, our glorious beautiful Caroline—ripped some dude apart at the carnival!"
Mystic Falls is a hyper-real fantasy place, but Elena is still going to have to confront her own willingness to accept the multiple murders the people closest to her have been responsible for over the ages. "Elena is a human. She's going to defend the integrity of humans and protect the people she loves until the end of time," Julie explained, teasing future episodes. "She's going to be a hero, she's going to struggle, and she’s going to ask herself some tough questions. 'Who am I that I love these people? And why and what do I do about it.'"
We'll have much more from Julie after tonight's episode airs. There's so much to talk about!
Are you excited for "The End of the Affair"? Sound off in the comments and on Twitter!
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