By John Keegan

Leave it to “The Vampire Diaries” to use a Christmas hymn as the background music for a slaughter. The writers for this show don’t fool around when it comes to the mid-season cliffhanger, and that is triply so in this case. There are shows that don’t display this level of ambition and fearless change in a season finale.

By John Keegan

I had a feeling what we were in for when the episode began with a flashback to happier times for Elena.  And given my prediction in the review for the previous episode, as events continued to converge, I began to wonder how much was real and how much was in Elena's mind.  On that note, I'm still not clear, but the end result was one of the most lyrical season finales I've seen in a long time.

By John Keegan

I'm not sure what I was expecting coming into this episode, but whatever it was, what we got was not it.  And I mean that in a generally good way.  Alaric's first actions as Esther's vampire assassin were just about as brutal as it gets, and things definitely look to be changing in Mystic Falls.  (Which only makes the official fourth season pickup all the better!)

By John Keegan

Rumors of Alaric’s impending demise, based on the actor’s upcoming schedule, have been running rampant for quite some time.  So it’s only natural that his character arc this season should lead to a death scene.  It provides the season with one of its more poignant farewells in quite some time, and sets the stage for an emotionally draining season finale.

By John Keegan

I mentioned in the review for the previous episode that it felt like the third season arc had been poorly conceived, and that what should have been a clear path to the season finale endgame was becoming a muddled mess.  I was hoping that this episode would resolve that problem, but for the most part, it just continues along the same path.

By John Keegan

My initial reaction to this episode was frustration.  There’s nothing worse than following a season-long plot arc, only to realize that most of it was a diversion, with the story circling back on itself when the final episodes arrive and it’s time to get serious about setting up a resolution.  While I’ve been able to forgive some of the backtracking and red herrings this season, this latest reversal in the Team Elena vs. Originals saga is maddening.

By John Keegan

This episode was off to a rocky start when the writers brought in Sage, who was introduced in the previous episode, and had her interact with the characters as if she had been around the entire season.  While it may make sense from the character’s point of view, to some extent, it doesn’t quite mesh and comes across as very jarring.  It feels a bit like the Nikki and Paolo issue in the third season of “Lost”, and reminds me all too much of Cassidy Freeman’s abrupt introduction on “Smallville” as well.