Posted by Staff | July 12, 2012, 15:12 (EST) | 31 Comments
Category: TV Series
We know, we know. We’re super-late getting the Season 3 retrospective polls started this year. Here’s our first step in remedying this egregious mistake! We asked our readers to vote for their top episodes of The Vampire Diaries Season 3, and you have spoken! (And may Season 4 rock.)
Top 5 episodes of Vampire Diaries Season 3, as voted by Vampire-Diaries.net readers:
#5: Before Sunset (EP321)
Crissy: With one of the most powerful cold opens of the season, Before Sunset kicks off in high gear and doesn’t let up, with not one but two villains terrorizing Mystic Falls. From Klaus’s hilarious attack on the Gilbert house to Alaric’s utter coolness as a purely evil super vamp stuck in a high school, the episode is all high stakes and fun (except that bit where Caroline is tortured and Elena nearly dies and Jer too…). After some shaky mythology moments earlier in the season, we get the payoff here in one of those great TVD oh-no-they-didn’t twists: Alaric’s vampire life is tied to Elena’s human life; she dies, he dies. Not only does that connection set up the tear-jerking end sequence of The Departed, it forces Klaus into a corner, where his need for a backup hybrid family finally becomes his downfall. Joseph Morgan is at the top of his game here; the episode is a showcase for the nuance he’s brought to his character (“Just between us girls…”) and the energy he’s injected to the season as a whole. Before Sunset also delivers an important lesson to us all: when you’re drained of blood and suffering from a head injury, just say no to tequila shots.
#4: Dangerous Liaisons (EP314)
Abby: Fancy dresses! Tuxedos! Dancing! PONIES, for the love of bourbon! Between the costumes and the mansion, this was one of the most visually appealing episodes of Season 3, and let’s face it: we love it when they dance. Nevermind how the whole town knows the steps, we don’t care! This was also a great music episode, with Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love” used to particularly good effect. Even without all the pretty, however, this episode had an awful lot going on, from people getting pitched off balconies to magically spiked champagne. The Elena, Stefan and Damon dynamics were complicated and conflicted, culminating in Damon’s bitter exit from the ball and subsequent steamy hook-up with Rebekah. Team Elijah spent most of the hour yelling “DON’T YOU DARE!” at different people, but we’re pretty sure it was Team Klaroline that pushed this episode into the top 5. Dancing and ponies…gets us every time.
#3: The Reckoning (EP305)
Vee: As Vampire Diaries fans, we are accustomed to the insane plot twists and emotional sucker punches this show doles out like crayons in a Kindergarten class (so we can slam-scribble out our feelings, natch). But, once in a while, even fan expectations are absolutely murdered by an episode so tight, tense, and shocking that the hour becomes less an episode than an event. Much like last season’s excellent Masquerade (EP207), The Reckoning brought nearly all of the major players to Mystic Falls High for one Very Bad Night with one Very Pissed Off Hybrid. Decisions were made (MATT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!), fates were changed (Tyler, nooooooo…!), people were killed (R.I.P. Not Now Dana), relationships irrevocably altered, a switch was flipped – and all under a Klaus-imposed time limit. If you emerged from the other side of this hour without PTSD, you’re made of stronger stuff than the rest of us.
#2: Heart of Darkness (EP319)
Kate: Road trip episodes are always exciting, and this one was no exception. Everyone spent the episode exploring and trying to control different aspects of themselves, which led to all sorts of interesting dynamics and power struggles. Stefan and Alaric must both accept their dark sides as parts of themselves in order to find the white oak stake – and Klaus admits that he really just wants his friend Ripper Stefan back. Aww. He’s pretty adorable, for a terrifying monster. Meanwhile, Damon and Elena set off to retrieve Jeremy from Denver and Kol’s clutches, and to use Jeremy’s ghosty powers to touch base with Rose about who she’s shipping find out who turned Rose. And Tyler also makes his long-awaited return – possibly having broken his sire bond – only to find that his sire is trying to steal his girl. (See above about PONIES.) Also, did we mention the kissing? THERE WAS KISSING. After almost three seasons of tension-building, it would have been all too easy for Damon and Elena’s big moment to go awry or feel anticlimactic, but their perfectly-choreographed motel scene combined real emotional connection with physical chemistry for a big-time dramatic payoff.
#1: The Departed (EP322)
Red: Vampire Diaries finales now have a solid reputation for delivering twists and turns and leaving us with game-changing cliffhangers that have fans jittering all Summer long as they speculate what’s in store for the next season. The Departed does not disappoint, delivering an episode full of the unexpected. Klaus burning in his coffin, only to hop bodies into Tyler with the help of Bonnie (and that’s one slippery slope to the dark side you’re on there, Ms Bennett); Damon being the first of the brothers to meet Elena, surprising us with compassion that no one would have expected from the Damon of Season 1; Jeremy and Matt getting pro-active with protecting Elena’s life and getting her out of town; Carol and Liz defying the council and everything it stands for because the welfare of their own children is more important. Ultimately, this episode was about death and rebirth, endings and beginnings in the face of adversity and heartbreak. We say goodbye to Alaric as he’s finally able to move on, only for Jeremy to realise that this means his sister is dead. We see the end of Elena’s old life with the death of her parents, to the end of her human life as she drowns (a perfect nod to book fans – Wickery Bridge! Matt’s truck! Elena drowning!)… and then the beginning of something new and terrifying as her eyes snap open and we realise that nothing can be the same again.
V-D.net Staff Honorable Mention: The End of the Affair (EP303)
Abby: Among the prettiest of the flashback episodes, this episode is popular for many of the same reasons as Dangerous Liaisons (dancing! tuxedos!), but it has an entirely different tone. The End Of The Affair reveals the true nature of Klaus and Sefan’s relationship, something Stefan himself was unaware of until this point. With the revelation of their past friendship, Klaus’s motivations and actions are thrown into an entirely different light, and for the first time we see Ripper Stefan as more than just a wild-eyed monster. He formed intense relationships with people, and was even capable of romance. With some very tense and emotional scenes, this episode jerked fans up, down and sideways, and did a lot of emotional damage to all the characters involved. The End of the Affair also adds Original #3 to the mix, in the form of Rebekah, and gives us our first glimpse of Mikael. Wrapped in a bright, glitzy package, this episode is actually very dark and complicated, serving to set up the rest of the season. With its nicely balanced mix of humor and horror, The End Of The Affair won a lot of points with fans.
Abby’s Top 3:
- The End of the Affair (EP303)
- The Reckoning (EP205)
- Dangerous Liaisons (EP314)
Crissy’s Top 3:
- The End of the Affair (EP303)
- The Reckoning (EP305)
- Our Town (EP311)
Kate’s Top 3:
- The End of the Affair (EP303)
- Our Town (EP311)
- Dangerous Liaisons (EP314)
Red’s Top 3:
- Our Town (EP311)
- Dangerous Liaisons (EP314)
- The Departed (EP322)
Vee’s Top 3:
- The Birthday (EP301)
- The End of the Affair (EP303)
- The Reckoning (EP305)
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