The Vampire Diaires 3.16 -- 1912
Okay so I actually really liked the episode tonight. I think based on the little Twitter reaction I've seen this is an unpopular opinion, but the episode focused mostly on core characters so I think I enjoyed it. Also I've been rewatching the series from the beginning (more on that later) that made me feel a bit more connected to the story they were telling tonight, like I don't know if I would have even thought twice about Damon's crow otherwise. Plus, I'm just now watching Elena fall for Stefan in season one so seeing her reflect back on that with Matt after everything that has happened is kind of interesting. And Stefan journaling! And I'm prone to like all flashback episodes more because vampires in old times make me happy for reasons I can't exactly explain.
One of my favorite dynamics in the show is Stefan/Damon and since this episode was about that a lot, I don't know, I just really liked it. I thought it was fun that Damon was helping Stefan out and wanted him to learn moderation. I'm a little bit confused about what happened to drinking human blood from blood bags and not actual humans, but I get that they wanted to do a past/present parallel. Elena stumbling onto the scene of the crime was..I don't really know what the point was unless it was to remind Elena who Stefan and Damon really are. I mean a lot of times she doesn't have to face the cold hard reality of what their existence means apart from the big super dramatic stuff that happens to them. But in some other ways I don't really get why this was shocking.
I loved Elena's reasoning for why she was attracted to Stefan. I was thinking about how I've read two YA books recently where the girl protagonists lost a parent and broke up with their boyfriend from before for someone new. And Elena fits right into that so there are about a billion reasons why Stefan would be attractive apart from the obvious reasoning that he could never die. But aw Matt and Elena. They've had so many good moments lately I hope the show is sending us a message.
I thought Damon being the one to blame for Stefan's ripper-ways--in that he dragged him into it was a nice touch. Stefan turned Damon into a vampire, but Damon tempted Stefan into one of his worst periods ever. They both save each other's lives on a regular basis. All very nice and enjoyable stuff, show, I like it. Less enjoyable was how much Sage was wasted. I understand she's the one who got Damon to become his bad boy self--loving the killing and savoring the kill, but I feel like I could have seen more of her. I didn't enjoy the whole, "a woman isn't only for feeding, a woman is also for pleasure" stuff but since it was in the preview, I was fully prepared for it. I hear Sage will be back though, and I'm guessing all the stuff about her being obsessed with Finn will come back.
As far as Alaric and the ring, as soon as Alaric mentioned not being able to remember something I knew he was the killer. I just don't get exactly what the connection with the ring is and what it all means. I mean the ring wasn't working and now it's like...making him crazy? I was actually hoping it had its own spirit and that Alaric was possessed by Samantha Gilbert or something. I guess we'll see how it works out. Also why is he killing Council members if he's not possessed? As I've mentioned before though, Iris and I have talked a lot about choices and consequences being a theme and I think the ring plays into that since Elena insisted Alaric keep the ring. I just..I don't know I also didn't like how Elena blamed herself for Bonnie's mom. I liked the beginning of that story line last episode, and while I think Elena should be sensitive to how much everyone else is suffering, I don't want her to take the blame directly. Also, nice that Caroline is helping her through the transition but didn't help Tyler! (still bitter) and also no one is concerned about how Bonnie's mom is going to get human blood? Oh the things I think about.
Switched at Birth 1x21 -- The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters
So after that disappointing episode a couple of weeks ago, the show has gotten back on track for me! I fully loved this week's episode and am back to wishing more people watched the show so there would be more people to talk about it with. I mean YES it's a teen soap but it's a smart, emotionally grounded one in my opinion and I just love it.
So, last week Emmett and Simone were both devastated and hooked up and deeply regretted it the next morning as we saw. But Emmett's birthday was still a thing and Bay didn't know about the Emmett/Simone hook-up and she and Daphne planned this awesome thing together, to make this deaf zombie horror movie as a birthday party for Emmett. These girls are awesome, just saying. And they get everyone all involved, and of course to ratchet up the dramatic tension they have to borrow some equipment from Simone that they don't know how to use and so Simone has to stay and it's all SUPER AWK and Emmett and Simone are furiously texting about how she needs to leave and then SIMONE SETS HER PHONE DOWN WITHOUT LOCKING IT. So Wilke picks up the phone to use as a prop and sees the texts and woe is Wilke since Toby (Simone's sort of boyfriend) is his best friend and Bay is Toby's sister but also Emmett's girlfriend. Meanwhile Emmett is all guilty and tells his mom and she's like "you have to live with this but now you need to decide if Bay does" which is an interesting idea but not very practical in this case because of the people involved. So by the end of the episode my poor girl Bay still doesn't know. :(
But apart from that drama and the zombie movie and how adorable all of that was, I looooved the Regina/Kathryn and Regina/Daphne subplots because they sort of embody what I love most about the show. I love for example, that the switch is still a thing. That Daphne's childhood was stolen from her, and that everywhere she looks she's reminded of that and since Regina knew she can actually cast some blame. But at the same point in time, she loves her mother and so it's a real struggle of emotion, something that IS that can never actually be fixed and made right. It's just something she has to learn to live with. And I thought it was cute they went swimming to create new memories, but I'm not sure it would actually be warm enough in Kansas City for that.
And I like how Regina came around to sharing her side of the story with Kathryn, to taking control of the narrative because essentially I love everything about the book storyline. And I thought the stuff with Sarah Lazar was interesting. The thing is, as a viewer, I don't know if I believe John or not. I can understand why he's frustrated Kathryn doesn't trust him, but at the same point in time she deserved some space to deal with the revelation that he'd told her about the miscarriage. I think the thing is that even if John's affair with Sarah wasn't physical, it might have been emotional and I don't know if he realizes that's a big deal, too.
I'm so sad that there's only one episode left before it goes on hiatus. And same with The Walking Dead! (which by the way I'm recapping at Intimate Strangers in place of Gossip Girl) I'm enjoying both shows so much right now, I'll be sad to see them go.
But I want to discuss this cheating thing and take a poll. Do you think that if someone is in a committed relationship and makes a drunken mistake it's better to just not tell? Or is honestly always the best policy?
TVD Rewatch
I've been kind of wanting to rewatch TVD since...well before this season started, lol. I finally started in on it this week for reasons completely unknown to me* and have now watched through episode 6 of the first season. It's interesting because I don't remember a lot of the details even while remembering the bigger plot points and also now that I know where the characters go, it's interesting to go back and see how they all started. Also the show felt so much more high school back then and smaller..you know things weren't such a big deal. I think back then I didn't like the first few episodes, you know they had the cheesy diary stuff and Stefan was super broody and Damon could control a crow, etc. but now I find myself kind of missing the slower pace of all that in the face of what the show has been this season, I don't know. Also! I remember the first book a lot better since I reread it sometime during the first season which has made me think about some of the choices they made with the show vs. the books.
One of the things, for example, that was different for me on this watch is just how SORRY I felt for Vicki. I think the first time I watched the show I sensed she was a throwaway character and I didn't care about what happened to her, I think I even found her annoying. I wasn't really...thinking about how she was the girl from a poorer class with two guys that had yet to REALLY love her for herself, who had, as Damon put it, no self-esteem. Yeah she had her own problems, but I could just feel how trapped she felt so much more this time around. And I think it's interesting that this show really doesn't address class issues, but they did a tiny bit with Vicki. (tbh, I don't know that I'd be thinking about this on this rewatch without my interest in the Ivy/Ripley connection on Gossip Girl or people pointing out how Matt has no health insurance in a recent episode.) So anyway, yay for me growing a heart!
Also, it's interesting how different the early Stefan/Elena is from the books. In the books, Elena was a much more...I don't know self-absorbed character? Like the main reason she was trying to get Stefan's attention was because she didn't have it and she was used to getting everything she wanted. When she found out he was a vampire, she was like "it's no big deal, I LOVE YOU." My friend told me they wanted to soften the character of Elena to make her more likable to the TV audience, but it's a shame!! I think if they'd kept her like this I'd like her a lot more. I do like her a lot more in these early episodes, she quickly and easily owns up to the times she's wrong, and she's obviously fighting hard against her attraction to Stefan, she sees how messed up what the vampires do is...sigh.
Also, like...the Damon/Caroline stuff is really horrific. It's so weird, because it's all obviously so very wrong but Stefan thinks how he's handling it is the best way and..he's like, oh it doesn't matter what Damon does because Caroline can't remember. I like that Elena is so horrified on Caroline's behalf. But it's also a good story in some ways, like how Caroline's insecurity and desperation to have something of her own make her a good target for an abuser like Damon. And how even when she tries to break free, he still has a lot of control over her (even if it's supernatural in the show, it's kind of a nice touch)
Also Jenna! I just...felt a lot of feelings for her in the second episode (especially knowing her fate) She's just this young woman trying to get her thesis who suddenly has her life turned upside down when she's given Elena and Jeremy to take care of and she has to move back to the town she left on purpose and take care of these ungrateful kids and she lost her sister, too! It's really sad!!!
I loved Damon so much more back in these days! (I just realized I started three paragraphs with also) He was funny and unapologetically a bad guy and it was good. And, since I just watched Lost Girls, I love how Katherine is SO OBVIOUSLY SCARLETT. Look I know Scarlett was evil and used people and stuff but she's still one of my favorite characters of all time and Katherine is one of my favorites on TVD and so I like it. I mean seriously, that scene where she's flirting with the two brothers and this scene especially are direct visual references to Scarlett in my opinion. But it's another huge departure from the books where Katherine was all sweet and actually died and didn't look EXACTLY like Elena.
So...that was a lot of words on a rewatch but it's really interesting! Like part of me is sad at all the stuff left unexplored or quickly killed and a lot of me is really interested in seeing my continuing thoughts on how things go and how things are now.
*I know, I KNOW I'm supposed to be watching The Good Wife, and Roswell, and Friday Night Lights but I was just in the mood okay? And I think after this I'm going to do a Supernatural seasons 1-3 rewatch so deal with it. ;)
Alsoooo, I'm thinking of doing a Lost rewatch over the summer. Would anyone be interested? Like maybe a couple of episodes a week or something. It's on Netflix and Amazon Prime so it should be easy for everyone who doesn't own the series boxed set like myself to watch.
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I appreciate hearing your thoughts.