The Vampire Diaries, Season 1, Episode 21 (Isobel)

This week’s episode was pretty fantastic with Elena’s mother Isobel (Mia Kirshner) central to the drama and some pretty awesome secrets are revealed. Who better to introduce just before Mother’s Day than Elena’s mother dearest anyway right?

Isobel is the perfect combination of beautiful but deadly and wastes no time letting us know from the moment she arrives on the scene threatening Alaric. She’s already one of my favorites and I hope we’ll get to see more of her. Isobel wants to meet Elena and threatens Alaric to either make it happen or she’ll start killing off his students. Reluctantly, Elena agrees to meet and finds out that Isobel wants the mysterious invention of Jonathon Gilbert. She needs to get it from Damon, or “the blood will be on your hands.” The conversation alludes to the love triangle we’ve all been noticing the past few episodes. Mother’s intution? She mentions she is surprised Elena didn’t go for Damon instead of Stefan, and suggested she might enjoy them both like Katherine.

Bonnie meets Elena at school with an ancient spell book. We learn that ancestor Gilbert had never successfully invented anything, but that Emily Bennett had secretly spelled the gadgets. Hmm, I suppose I like that explanation. I wondered how the hell Gilbert could create all these supernatural gadgets. I mean c’mon, a scientific Vampire Compass? Heh. Bonnie reveals that the mysterious invention is actually an anti-vampire gadget that can destroy vampires.

Isobel confronts Elena at school while the students are all working on floats and preparations for yet another Mystical Falls event or celebration. They do seem to have a lot of these don’t they? Isobel threatens Elena’s friends and Jeremy with a little help from her minions. Matt ends up getting hurt as a float falls on him while underneath and Jeremy is kidnapped. Well, briefly anyway and Uncle John gets a little beat up. Isobel warns Elena that she’s doomed as long as she has a Salvatore on each arm.

Isobel returns home surprised to find a shirtless Damon playing strip poker with one of her playthings. She seduces him roughly, a little hair pulling and slamming around a bit. It gets a little kinky and he seems to really enjoy it. She tells him that she’s on his side and needs the gadget for Katherine. After a little vampire foreplay he takes control and warns her to leave Elena alone, and Katherine can ask him for it herself. She gets the gadget, which has previously been neutered by Bonnie’s spell. It was the only way Damon would part with it, well that and Elena’s insistence. Oh, well if Elena says so… sure!

We eventually discover that Isobel and Uncle J are both wanting to protect Elena, their daughter (Yes! Uncle John is daddy) and that means killing all the vampires in the tomb along with Damon and Stefan. A package is waiting on his doorstep, containing the gadget and his ring.

Isobel isn’t as cold and calculating as we were led to believe all episode, as she reveals her humanity with a tender moment with Alaric that she wipes from his mind once she leaves and her phonecall with Uncle John.

In the episodes lesser subplots, Matt and Tyler are still tending their wounded friendship although Tyler’s trying to patch things up. Bonnie spends a little more time with Caroline, while still mostly avoiding Elena. Alaric and Damon continue to chum it up throughout the episode. Many little glances and touches between Damon and Elena this episode as well as Isobel mentioning in front of the Stefan that Damon’s in love with her, to which he only glances at Stefan. The looks on their faces priceless of course. Jonathon tries to convince Jeremy that they need to destroy all the vampires. Will he join them? Jeremy finally reaches a very traumatized Anna by the end of the episode, who doesn’t know where to go or what to do now after her mother was killed. Some serious tension as Stefan confronts Damon about his feelings for Elena, and warns him that history won’t be repeating itself.

The episode ends with Bonnie confessing to Caroline that she did something horrible. She only pretended to lift the spell on the invention. Uh oh. Doesn’t look good for the Salvatore brothers.

We’re only one episode away from the season finale. I have the feeling it’s going to leave us excited and hanging until next season, kind of how I felt at the end of this episode while watching the previews for next week.

I must apologize for the underwhelming rambling recap, but I’m standing in for the wonderfully talented Annimi this week. Look for her to return with a spectacular wrap-up to the season finale.

By Veritas

Veritas is a faerie child, switched at birth and left with wonderful parents in a small shack deep in the hills of West Virginia. He believes in magick and hopes to inspire readers lured into the enchanted path. Occasionally, he'll post contributions from other authors so drop us an email if you're interested.

4 comments

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  3. does anyone know where i can find the picture where damon is shirtless and is zipping his pants up?? its on the promo, bu i need to find the picture!! i cant find it anywhere!! HELP!♥♥

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