It was an exciting, twist-filled, and often heartbreaking episode of The Vampire Diaries this week, and one I felt was easily superior to the last few installments of the show. Aside from Bonnie's absence (which continues to be frustrating), "Prayer for the Dying" had TVD's strengths on full display, with the struggle to save Liz perfectly complimenting the compelling problem of the imminent twin merge until the two plotlines themselves unexpectedly combined.
"I was trying to fix something that I had no business trying to fix. It's like textbook definition of a control freak from hell." Caroline had a lot of guilt to grapple with after her desperate attempt to save her mother backfired, which became clear after her test patient became a "Stage 10" cancer sufferer who was also a vampire. Even though Damon and Elena were a bit judgmental (with Damon rubbing Caroline's mistake in her face and Elena questioning why Stefan let Caroline give Liz her blood*) about the situation, Stefan reassured Caroline that her motives were pure and that's all that matters. I liked the way Stefan's support showed his steadfast closeness and affection for Caroline, despite the writers maybe making Damon and Elena a little overly harsh to offset this.
However, Damon did show his affection for Liz quite touchingly, first by mentioning it specifically to Elena and then by taking strides to do the near-impossible in order to prevent Liz from suffering a terrible fate. After Tyler attempted to rouse Kai to stop Liv and Luke from having to merge, Damon remarked, "I could kiss you, you beautiful moron," which was one of the best lines of the episode (lol times a million). Damon made a deal with Kai whereby the villain would drain the magic from Liz. Unfortunately, this initially resulted with Liz apparently having a heart attack, in a terrifying scene in which poor Caroline (and doubtless many viewers) sobbed uncontrollably. Meanwhile, in Liz's mind, she was visualizing her understanding that her demise was nearing by picturing herself packing a suitcase full of mementos of Caroline and calling to her daughter to say goodbye. This part was so poignant and sad that I can hardly recall it without tearing up again. Well done, TVD and Marguerite MacIntyre - I think this was one of the most moving sequences the show has had in some time.
The scenes between Stefan and Caroline this week were truly beautiful and showed the special bond the two characters share. I liked the way Stefan anticipated and understood Caroline's feelings of guilt and trying to overcompensate by taking on other tasks (like picking the flowers for Liz's memorial) that allowed her to indulge in her perfectionist tendencies. It was also lovely that, after a heartfelt chat of support, Caroline reached for Stefan's hand, after he took hers last week. Another special moment came when Liz charged Stefan with being there for Caroline when she dies, as Caroline will need someone to look after her and make her laugh. This showed that Liz recognizes the depth of Stefan and Caroline's relationship and relies on it to see Caroline through hard times. Even though it's going to be hard to (seemingly inevitably) see Liz go, I'm so glad it won't be under circumstances where Caroline is to blame and Liz has to go through unnecessary extra suffering.
"You win some, you lose some. Except for me. I always win." After removing the magic from Liz and predictably showing no concern for her subsequent problems, Kai was off frolicking to a showdown with Jo, but meanwhile Liv and Luke's encounter with their father sent Luke off on a new path. After realizing that their father would stop at nothing to see that they merged (the man's cold attitude towards his own children is truly repugnant), and that this would most likely result in Liv's death, Luke resolved to merge with Kai himself, protecting both of his sisters in the process. That was incredibly noble, and Luke had good enough reason to think he actually had a shot at surviving, given his strength as a witch. But knowing the magnitude of Kai's big badness, I think we all knew this wasn't going to end well for Luke. Sure enough, it was Kai who survived the merge, leaving poor Luke to die and our gang in hot water, since Kai will now be at his strongest. Who can stop the snarky villain now? Anyone? Anyone? Bonnie?!
*I know, I said the same thing as Elena in my review last week, that Stefan could have convinced Caroline to wait longer before giving Liz her blood. Still, that probably wasn't the most sensitive time for Elena to bring this up to Stefan.
What did you think of this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments! And don't forget to catch an all-new The Vampire Diaries next Thursday at 8/7c on the CW.
