It’s funny how different television episodes can be from the promos that sell them. There’s an obvious reason why—the networks almost exclusively cut them, not the showrunners themselves—but it never ceases to amaze how often the episode they promote turns out to be completely separate in tone (and sometimes even content) from the teaser. The CW is an especially egregious offender, often creating whole storylines in promos that never actually appear in the episode. For “The Last Dance,” the promos made it seem like a non-stop action fest, filled with tasty Klaus-as-Alaric shenanigans. The episode did feature a few mighty fine shenanigans, and there was action to be had, but what is interesting is how rooted in character dynamics the end product turned out to be. Aside from a few quick action sequences, this was an hour filled with emotion and devotion, and that’s what ended up making it kind of beautiful.
Before we get to the emotions, though, we must discuss Klaus-as-Alaric. (Klauslaric? Alaraus? Klalaric?) Matt Davis has been light on story this season, as I’ve discussed previously, and tonight showed that he definitely has been missed. His Klaus isn’t over the top or particularly demonstrative, but when you’re the oldest vampire in the universe, doesn’t over the top seem a bit gauche, anyway? What his Klaus is, is terrifying: Anyone who can get Katherine to whimper like a frightened puppy definitely has some mojo. He’s not just smooth; he’s also clever, playing games with Elena and Bonnie to draw them out and potentially eliminate Bonnie’s power as a threat to him. Overall, he made every scene he was in plain old fun, and I’m looking forward to getting even more of him next week. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Alaric escapes Klaus’ possession fully intact, and that would be a shame because Matt Davis is an asset. Maybe a magic dagger will fix him?
This entire season has been about saving Elena from Klaus and her doppelganger destiny, and those loyalties are front and center this week, as Bonnie reaffirms her vow to save Elena at all costs, including her own life. Her sheer conviction is what sold the biggest twist of the episode, when instead of dying in an attempt to stop Klaus, she and Damon were secretly faking her death to throw Klaus off her trail. Perhaps I am naïve, but at no time did I suspect it was a ruse. OK, I’m definitely naïve. Still, Bonnie, Damon and especially Elena’s reaction to Bonnie’s “death” delivered the bad news like a punch in the gut. (However, it’s good she isn’t really dead, because I immediately started questioning the purpose of her “amazing” power if she couldn’t even hang in a fight for 30 seconds.) The resurgent Bonnie/Elena bond was particularly nice to see, considering she was Elena’s first non-family relationship revealed in the pilot, and their friendship has been more than rocky since then.