The Vampire Diaries Break on Through
WHAT WAS THAT? I don't even really know what to say about this episode because I really disliked it, which is why this recap is so late. When I finished watching the episode I was very meh on it.
Sage Even though she tells Damon to exploit Rebekah's weaknesses that, of course she has because she's a girl (what?) Sage outsmarts Damon and uses him for her own benefit. What I don't like is how incredibly stupid the idea is that she's in love with Finn and doing this because he's her one true love. Though it also helps explain the whole girls having weaknesses because we all know what Sage's weakness will be--if we are to accept this story at face value. I can't help but kind of love Sage because she's the kind of vampire I normally love, but I don't get what all this grossness in her story line is about. ("a woman isn't just for food, but for pleasure") I do think it's interesting how often the mentors on this show are female, Lexi/Stefan, Sage/Damon, Jules/Tyler, Rebekah/Tyler. So of course when it goes the other way, Stefan/Caroline or Klaus/Caroline everyone ships it.
Meredith I really like her! Even though every time I look at her I think "you are the reason I read The Bronze Horseman (really it was the actress but anyway....) I like that she tries to protect people. I just like her and I'm glad she's not really dead.
Sage/Rebekah/Damon I didn't mind this scene because I enjoy when vampires act like vampires and not like they are bound by human conscience.
The ring explanation It just feels really weak to me and has been a little confusing. When Alaric was looking through those reports where he beat people up, I was confused. What were they trying to say? I guess ultimately I just find the idea that dying and coming back to life tears at their psyche and releases their dark side to be disappointing. I would have preferred possession or something like that. This whole plot feels, I don't know, like something out of the blue that they hastily threw together. I think it has bigger implications that may tie into a larger point they are trying to make but the fine details could use some work. UNLESS this ends up being like the stupid moonstone curse that also never made any sense, and something else comes up later. Also, the "let's fix everything with a spell" plot needs some work.
Caroline It's really hard for me to say this but she was annoying to me in this episode. I don't know, I felt like her lecture to Jamie was unfair given that Jamie was being dragged into this world. Honestly, if he wanted, he should have been able to hightail it out and never come back. His guardian is a vampire now, associated with some of the most powerful and deadly vampires there are. For Caroline to say, "get over yourself" was just...ugh to me. I mean it's like the show can't decide if the vampires should be scary or not. Though it is notable as soon as he sees Abby she bites him...so maybe we are supposed to be thinking vampires are scary, I don't know.
Bonnie and Elena WHAT EVEN. Okay so while I don't actually think it's Elena's fault that Bonnie's mom was turned, I thought that scene where Bonnie couldn't talk to Elena was really smart, because of course at a certain point you are going to start wondering if you should hang around someone who's existence, even if it's not intentional, has led to some of the biggest losses in your life. This could have been an interesting nuanced story but instead it seems like it was used solely to explain Bonnie and Caroline's absence in the last episode. I mean Bonnie was just like, whatevs, I forgive you this episode and it wasn't even like a situation where Elena needed her forgiveness? It was a situation where Bonnie rightfully had some very complicated, deep emotions she was never allowed to give voice to. Only Caroline was. Everything about this story was a fail, I wish they'd just had Bonnie be okay with things from the start than for it to go this way. I feel really really cranky about this. This was Gossip Girl-esque to me in a huge way, to have this big major thing happen with no resolution that makes any sense for the characters, we never got to see Bonnie dealing with this, it was just, ugh. The only thing is that I wonder if things will change once Bonnie sees that her mother has left again.
The stupid white oak tree thing is annoying me beyond belief. As soon as Rebekah, was like..."oh wait! there's another tree" a few episodes ago I was rolling my eyes so hard. I mean, they had the original parents around and killed them or did away with them much too soon. Those were different and inventive plots. Still mourning Michael. This white oak tree stuff is ridiculous. So everything about that was stupid to me.
Some thoughts on possible overarching themes.
I don't even know if this is a thing or not, but it's interesting to me that wearing the ring has consequences. Wearing the ring is cheating death so it's like it goes against the natural order of things. Being a vampire comes at a cost. Bonnie's mother turning caused her to lose her connection to living things. Caroline's father chose to die instead of turn into a vampire and I feel like that choice was treated with dignity on the show. The original witch wanted to erase the abomination of her vampire children from the earth. There's almost an underlying morality of the natural order of things being the right way. There are consequences to intervening in supernatural ways. I wonder if this is going to end up meaning something to Elena. Elena herself has mourned the loss of her normal human life and she's been reconnecting with Matt. I don't know maybe there's a bigger acceptance of life and death and the natural way of things that needs to happen. Elena was attracted to Stefan because he can't die, she's been trying to protect Jeremy through a variety of shady means, it's possible Elena will be asked to accept, confront, embrace the natural. Concede defeat. I don't know. I just feel like these threads must be building towards something. Also Iris mentioned the possibility (tbh I wish she wrote the show) that they might be setting up Bonnie up as a counterpart to Elena. I don't know now that everything got smoothed over just like that, but I like this idea since Bonnie as a witch represents the nurturing of life and nature while Elena is in cahoots with vampires--who are dead.
On a similar note, I think the story line with Jeremy...how she had him compelled and he wears the ring is a supernatural version of how you can't protect people you love, no matter what you do, life happens. You can only hope they are equipped with what they need to face what life throws at them. Elena thought compelling Jeremy would keep him safe as well as wearing the ring, but UH-OH the ring is actually kind of evil and vampires can travel to Denver. (j/k I don't know if that will happen but why didn't anyone think of it?) I liked seeing Jeremy again this episode by the way, I sort of miss the original characters. Not the original vampires.
Switched at Birth 1x22 Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time
This finale was underwhelming to me while also being perfectly adequate. I knew they were going to make Emmett's reveal a cliffhanger but I think it was a strange choice to hinge the main cliffhanger on Angelo and Regina. The Angelo/Regina storyline has been uneven--I would have liked just a bit more weight given to Regina moving on. I feel like they hit every narrative beat they needed to, but I'm not going to feel any REAL conflict on Regina's behalf in the idea of marrying Angelo for convenience because I still wasn't convinced she really liked the art dealer. I kind of ship Angelo/Regina so I will be annoyed by this story line I think. I don't really get why everyone is blaming Angelo for disappearing, to be honest, and I can't get a real handle on his character. It was weird that he asked Bay for money? I think maybe he just wanted to mention it since he knew she had connections? Basically this is all really messy to me.
I'd also like the show to draw some stronger connections between Kathryn almost cheating on John and how upset she was last week. I can't really tell what they are doing there. BUT I trust this show more than most so I'm willing to wait it out.
Daphne and Wilke was..I don't know, I knew he was cast in The Carrie Diaries so it wasn't unexpected. I think their relationship wasn't explored as fully as it could have been, but at least Daphne will hopefully have the opportunity for more love interests.
Hopefully Bay will too! I'm pretty much over Emmett and I hope the show doesn't try to bring them back together again.
The Secret Circle 1x17 Curse
I haven't been watching the show, but I heard about the Adam/Cassie have sex and unleash a curse plot and I had to watch because it sounded pretty funny. I actually enjoyed the episode and I thought the plot was pretty good, but this show suffers from the same thing as The Vampire Diaries in that in a rush to get through plot they forget to draw out the tension. Some of these story lines could be SO GOOD but they don't spend enough time on them. So I thought Adam and Cassie telling everyone they had sex and unleashed a curse and someone would die was hilarious. And it was pretty awesome that Faye was like lol yeah right that's just abstinence education. But the whole idea of drinking the elixir and forgetting how they felt was such a great plot it reminded me of that episode of Angel "I Will Remember You" where Buffy and Angel are together and Angel is human but then he realizes he can't help her fight and so he has to go back to being a vampire but also Buffy will forget everything and IT'S SO SAD OMG THE TEARS. The thing is there was so much history to Buffy and Angel at that point that the episode carried a ton of emotional weight and resonance where with Adam and Cassie it's all just beginning so I didn't feel it yet you know?
But I thought Cassie not forgetting was a good turn (someone has to remember for angst's sake!) but even better was the revelation that it WAS all fake and planned by John Blackwell. I kind of like this John Blackwell guy. I really really wish I liked this show more because at least it has some different and interesting things going on in it.
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