Last week, I wrote my Vampire Diaries review as per usual—except the feedback wasn’t so usual. And by that, I mean that there were more comments than usual…and I have no idea why. I really appreciate that. A lot. You guys are boosting my ego too much. And I truly meant to respond to all of them, especially the ones arguing against me…but life happens. I’m thinking of writing a post where I analyze the triangle solely soon, before the finale. So I apologize about not responding to anyone. Those comments were absolutely great. Basically, what I mean to say is that I love you all. And if you’re still reading my reviews this week, well then I still love you. And if you’ve stopped, then I will always love you because once you love somebody you can’t simply just stop loving them. Y’know?
The aspect of tonight’s episode that stood out to me the most this week was that it was just, well, good. I was really, thoroughly entertained. I’m not much of a fan of the seventeen different love triangles on this show (and they were all on display at the dance), but for the most part, they were nicely executed and quite balanced this week. (Or am I just getting used to it?) Except for the lack of Delena.
This week, we got a more Stefan and Elena-centered episode — or rather, it was only Stelena-centric. This entire season, I’ve been watching with the knowledge that Elena will supposedly end this triangle once and for all in the finale. And I’ve truly thought that she was going to choose Damon (a part of me still thinks that) because the show has been very much stating that Damon is the much more thrilling, excitable choice.
But then Caroline comes in and tells Elena that Stefan is her “epic love.” By default, Caroline’s words mean an infinite amount more than Rose’s ever will. Besides the fact that I don’t truly agree with anything Rose said, Caroline definitely has more authority on the matter as someone who is Elena’s friend, has witnessed some of both sides of the relationship, and was even the first one to confront Elena about her feelings. But it’s mostly contradictory to Rose’s words. Rose’s speech seemed like a defining moment, but it just got trumped by Caroline’s one sentence. So what’s the deal, writers?
Stelena mostly showcased their history this episode. But it begs the question of where do we go from here? Will we have spent a season of Elena confronting her feelings for Damon for her to just choose Stefan? I don’t know, but here’s what I can say: the nervousness both of them portrayed in this episode prior to the dance was just endearing. Once again, I just feel the chemistry with these two in a way I don’t for the other two. That said, even though I like me some Stefan and Elena, I’m much more excited with Stefan’s one line this episode (at least I believe he mentioned something) about his humanity for his own sake. I don’t care for the characters trying to better themselves to be deserving of one another because no one here has the best moral compass to be another character’s justification for living up to them. I’m sorry, that’s a complicated sentence. In other words, at the end of the day, Elena wants Klaus dead (as she should) and technically everyone has darkness in them — so whenever Stefan or Damon think the bottom line for tapping into their humanity is to be good enough for Elena, it just irks me. It devalues their growth, for one, but it’s also contradictory to the theme of this season.
I will mention, however, that there is still this subtle difference between Damon and Stefan that keeps me sane when trying to differentiate the two of them. You can just see it in the way that they respectively apologized to Bonnie. And I will reiterate it as I have here plenty of times: Damon, to me, seems much more immediate; and Stefan, once again to me, is much more meticulous. I think those aspects of themselves transfer to the ways in which they love Elena, too. Like, I think for Damon, he truly didn’t think there was any other choice other than turning Bonnie’s mom into a vampire—to him, it was the only viable future. Stefan, there wasn’t a choice, either, but he can understand the choices that didn’t benefit his endgame. Damon would go to any length to keep Elena alive because he truly doesn’t see what’s wrong with that; Stefan sympathizes more with Elena’s wishes. I hope that makes some sort of sense.
Anyway, moving on, Bonnie gets screen time that isn’t devoted to just spells. And she has a freakin’ house! Who the hell knew? Honestly, it was insanely glaring to me that we still hadn’t seen the foyer to one of the most important characters of this show’s house at least. It’s important to give your plot device some characterization so that it doesn’t just seem lazy; there was some real progress this episode. (“Hey! We’re in a pickle!” “‘Kay let me just do some random spell and not be in the next episode!” —Bonnie all series long.) But I will say that there’s still a problem with threatening Jamie’s life. I’m truly glad that they at least tried to make me care for him this episode but I’m not that invested in his character, and yet Klaus still could not kill him. Who has he killed this season to keep me so terrified of him? A couple of extras?
The same “suspense” happened in a big way that was just truly noticeable in this episode for me. I know that I should just buy into it — verisimilitude, hello — and be scared for all the vampires’ lives because Esther wants to kill them all. But I know they won’t all die. And so the “war” doesn’t mean much to me. (Though, I will mention that the Evil Alaric and Esther pairing was another favorite of mine.) Personally, and I mentioned this on the Mystic Harbor podcast, I’m disappointed with Caroline and Tyler’s lack of passion to stop anyone’s plotting to kill Klaus. I think it’s noble that Tyler would sacrifice himself for the greater good, but at the same time I want a bit more struggle with this group, instead of them just uniting to fight off guest stars. It’s part of the reason I loved this Alaric ring story. And it’s part of the reason I think I’ll love the Bonnie and Evil Alaric story, bearing it goes anywhere past tonight. (It has such potential to be…well…epic if half the group were against each other, especially all-powerful plot device Bonnie. But it’s wishful thinking; she will always just be there to undo spells.)
Speaking of Evil Alaric, I know that a lot of people felt tricked with everyone mourning his death…only for him to live, but I’m very much a fan of it. Alaric’s fatherly role never made much sense, quite honestly, but the funeral-esque scenes helped everyone go through the emotions before they might have to, quite literally, kill him. They’ve said their goodbyes, and now the conflict isn’t not wanting to kill him because he’s Alaric — since they’ve made their peace and we know it’s not him, technically — but the issue remains with his prowess. That said, it’s still a crutch this show relies on: if you have a Big Bad, just create an even Bigger Bad. So, now, the Originals are just really useless…not that they ever were much of a threat to begin with.
And finally, we are still revisiting the dark debate and what it means to be human. Is murder really just murder, or is Esther justified in her actions? Would Damon be justified in his actions if he had mercifully kill Alaric? Also, will Esther ever just die? Does it matter if anyone dies since we can see them as ghosts now? And what does this mean for Elena remaining human going forward? I think, for now, the answer is “Who knows!? There are only two episodes left!” It’s clear this isn’t getting answered anytime soon… if at all. I will always be confused about good and evil on this show, methinks. But as I mentioned, I was able to sit through this hour and just be excited about it all. I was entertained, so thank you TVD writers!
And if I don’t stop here, I will be in the ballpark of a senior thesis.
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Can't believe I'm the first to comment... but anyway, tonight's episode... totally entertaining I remember enjoying it the entire time I was watching it, but all I can think about now is that this means there are only two episodes left, or one and a season finale and those always blow my mind... and it doesn't help that Julie Plec and all the actors were all over twitter mourning the finale... so my paranoia is kind of sky high, and after the twist that I did not see coming at all over Esther during Alaric (who comes up with these name choices...) into an original... I'm kind of in shock.
I was completely frustrated that they didn't remove the dagger from the scene of the crime... I was literally yelling at my screen for their stupidity on that part. I mean HELLO! Also, "a" sedative... this guy is potentially an original vampire potentially worse that Mikael and you want to take a chance with anything less than a horse tranquilizer!?! Really??
I used to be a former hardcore Forwood shipper but somewhere between Tyler getting sired and the show turning my crackship from last summer into a canon possiblitiy I started shipping klaroline (although surprisingly I still hold a small candle for my steroline ship) and let me just pause to say that my shipping on this show is crazy.... I mean I have my ones I'd potentially like to be endgame but in the broader sense i'm all over the place...
I dont even want to get into the main triangle... I've never really been a fan of Elena, she has badass moments, and i'm speaking in reference to pretty much this season only. So I never really was able to start shipping her and Stefan because I couldn't stand her. Then Damon who I started liking a part from her, fell in love with her and I've pretty much been shipping them since her mother told her he was in love with her... and that's all I really feel like saying on them... I still kind of ship Stefan with Katherine... she did really love him. As much as Katherine loves anyone... :]] (also... where is the only reason I started liking Nina Dobrev in the first place???)
All in all I liked this episode, not the best of the season, but not the worst. (The salt though.... like REALLY???) anyway... I'm not emotionally prepared for the finale... I dont know how I'll deal!!!
(should probably read this over for errors... but its 3am.... so.)
I am such a hardcore Steroline shipper!! Honestly I hope Stefan ends up with Caroline, they are so great together!! I cant believe their friendship is gone this season, feels like tonight's only time they interacted ALL season!!! And I love Klaroline!!! Season 3 made me lose interest in Tyler (I too believe it was after the sire thing), I get annoyed with his personality for some reason. When Caroline talked to Matt tonight I actually liked the idea of them getting back together even though I lost interest in them in Season 2 because I wanted Forwood to happen. I still want Bonnie and Damon to happen, even if just for a little while. Actually after tonight I even liked Meredith and Damon. OMG I have crazy shippings for this show!
I feel like... I didn't mention that I am so over people acting like Damon turning Bonnie's mother into a vampire was the end of the world. I was sure they were just going to kill her when that scene was going down. I remember thinking... "Shit... they are going to kill her mom... how is she gonna forgive that!" then they turned her and I thought "Oh wow! Brilliant, at least now Bonnie still has her mom in some way" I mean you said it in a photo recap, when Caroline wouldn't let Elena in because Bonnie was so pissed that her mom didn't totally die to save Elena's life. .... I don't know. I didn't expect Damon's apology to be anything more than it was, and I felt like it was sincere enough in Damon's own way. It's not his fault she has a bitch mom who likes to abandon her children! She should be more upset about the fact that her mom was alive-ish to walk away at all. Hmph!
Well I think it's important to note that I'm not saying it was the end of the world. It's sad for Bonnie, and she's right that Damon DID have a choice…but we all know that at the end of the day, they're going to make the choice that keeps Elena safe. The difference between Damon and Stefan's attitude towards it and their apologies chalks up to which character you like most, to be honest. Neither is right or wrong, depending how you view it.
Mostly, given the whole "everyone is dark" thing this season, I've just been trying to find ways that define these brothers this season.
But they often make a choice that doesn't result in a personal sacrifice. It's not like Damon or Stefan are risking THEIR lives for Elena. It's always the more or less "expendable" friend and the always necessary plot device/witch. To me these types of decisions are just an exercise in fetching low-hanging fruit. They could come up with better ideas that actual require they struggle to defend not only Elena but the things that supposedly make her happy. Like the time Bonnie faked her death to convince Klaus that Elena and her group would no longer be a threat. That was ingenious planning and the effect pulled on many heartstrings.
Instead of killing Bonnie's mom, couldn't Bonnie had used a spell to seal her mother's powers as was done to her in Season 2? Just something temporary? I'm pretty sure they could have even threatened Bonnie to do just that, however I might feel about that, and then reverse the spell afterwards.
It wasn't the end of the world, but it might be the thing that broke the horse's back in regards to bonnie and the salvatores being allies. it doesn't matter that abby has been a neglectful mom, it was her mother and they didn't give bonnie a choice/chance to save the situation. i wish people would put their selves in bonnie's shoes in this situation and see if you would forgive/move on from this craziness as easily as these writers have shown her to do.
my hope for the future of this show michael is that bonnie gets a backbone. she doesn't have to go dark as people have proposed - she just needs to learn how to effectively say "no, i'm not going to do that," and be firm with her beliefs and go the route that will make her happy. she just needs to drown out the needs of her friends (because they obviously don't care about hers) and do what is best for MF as a whole.
that's part of the reason why i was slightly able to stomach the bamie stuff this episode, because he showed her some appreciation and support.
The funny thing is, it's hard to distinguish the Bonnie/Jaime relationship from the Bonnie/Jeremy one. I mean, wasn't that the sole reason for Jeremy wanting to be with her? So she could have support and appreciation? It was repetitive . . . and just plain sad. I honestly wanted to put Bonnie out of her misery b/c this situation is never going to get any better. So after this season I'm done. I get it, nobody cares about her. She isn't a real character. Hell, when's the last time she got to actually hang out and spend time with her "friends"? This episode was really jarring to me in that it seemed like Bonnie existed as an island unto itself only until the vampires needed her for something. More on that in my own individual post.
Actually one last thing. I share your desire for Bonnie to have a backbone. But have you noticed how many times she isn't even allowed to speak for herself? Like when Klaus threatened Jamie she hardly said more than "no" and then Stefan threatened him FOR HER. Like she couldn't have said those big bold words herself? When she wanted distance between herself and Elena who spoke for her? Caroline. When she was confronted with Damon, who had been previously tortured who spoke for her then? Klaus. How can a character have a backbone when they aren't even allowed to express how they feel, to a logical extent?
I'm sorry but, would you have told Bonnie "Sorry you have a bitch for a mom" given all that has happened to her and her family? Like that is even remotely appropriate, just to justify your view of things? I'm surprised Damon didn't say that as his so-called "apology." That's right up his alley.
OMG i waited for ages and your review is finally here! Honestly I kept refreshing the webpage!! But i do know its exam time so you must be extremely busy with school so thank you for posting this!
honestly after last episode and today's, i have converted from a Delena lover to a Stelena one. Season 3 made me truly like Stefan a lot more now that we see more sides of him. Even though at first i thought Rapper Stefan returning to Good Stefan would be disappointing, but i still like him now that he's changed back just because we have seen the ways in which he struggled and his inner demons. i will probably always love Damon more but to me Damon can be really selfish sometimes. He will do anything for Elena but at the same time he is willing to sacrifice anyone else without feeling guilty about it (or seems to not feel guilty) just for her, like Bonnie's mother. His apology to Bonnie left me disappointed becasue it did not seem sincere at all unlike Stefan's. At this point i just feel like Stefan and Elena are meant to be together. A lot of ppl say Stefan is the safe choice but i don't think that at all. I think that he is the right choice for Elena. I love the chemistry between Elena and Damon but they just don't seem like a good fit. Elena will never love all of Damon and it just seems like Stefan is better at comforting Elena and understanding her than Damon is.
Although I'm sad that Caroline chose Tyler but it is very realistic for her character. But i do like the option Klaus gave her; she needs to see more of the world and gain more perspectives on life rather than just being stuck in this tiny place.
I was so sad when Alaric died, though somehow i always kind of knew that he will come back just because it is such great potential to turn him into a vampire who is stronger than all other vampires. Still, the spell didn't make that much sense to me as magic just seems to outpower everything and making an Original vampire seemed so easy. I feel like it was great that we got to mourn him but in the end didn't lose him. Honestly I would hate to see him go; even though at this point it seems like he will eventually die.
I like Bonnie more and more only because I feel like she has the potential to become a great character but she is only used as a plot device. Even though we got to see more of her today I still feel like she deserved more screentime and more scenes. Like at the beginning of the episode, Caroline mentioned Bonnie had a date. Why not just show Bonnie in a scene where she asks Jamie to go to the dance with him or accepts his offer I forgot who asked who. And at the dance Elena commented on Bonnie enjoying herself, why not let her actually have some dialogue instead of just showing some scenes with her dancing in them? I feel like being in the position Bonnie is in, hating vampires, her mom being turned into a vampire, and yet still having to help out because of her friends must make her have a lot of inner turmoil and the series should show more of that, more of her vulnerability and what she is feeling inside. She is way too underused and underdeveloped as a character yet overused as a plot device.
Overall a great episode. I have been pretty disappointed lately but I almost cried on several occasions during this episode where the group were saying goodbye (without dialogue) to Alaric and Alaric & Damon in the tomb. I had to control myself really hard to not let my tears come out and this is the first time I felt so emotional in a TVD episode (I feel bad saying this as I did not feel as bad when Jenna died, though I wished that she stayed).
Now THIS is a great review!Maybe you should make your reviews instead of waiting for others to do one ;)
Stefan will always be here for her.And i loved how he didn't even want to know what happened during the trip. The way i see it, Stefan LOVES elena and would do anything for her, even if it means giving her up. while damon loves being with elena, doesn't care if his choices are going to make her unhappy, he just wants her to be alive..which is why he never feels guilty when he hurts the people around her. But i want to delena to happen because its a love triangle, it would just not make sense after this whole season of questionning her feelings for damon, to just go back to stefan. I want to see them as a couple,that would be interesting!
The last scene when alaric turns into a vampire: I LOVED!! i was so excited
Oh, definitely. I had to reread my review this morning and edit it so that it made more sense, but I agree. Well, for one, I don't see much chemistry (if at all) with Damon and Elena — and I truly believe that the difference between them is how they react in certain situations, where Damon's only endgame is to keep Elena alive at all costs.
I agree with Klaus's words (which I think, quite honestly, can be applied to most of the longtime residents), but I still would not (and never will be) okay with them being together. No one seems to be concerned with how he is some mass murderer (of extras), except that Tyler's "jealous" and he has "no reason to be." It shouldn't even be a competition; the thought of Klaus romantically with Caroline should just be a nonfactor to Caroline. My two cents.
The Originals were always non-threats, anyway XD
Bonnie DOES have the potential to be a great, much more compelling character, but the show decided she was just going to be a plot device and bitch about vampires every now and again so now the audience mostly dislikes her. Such a shame. I think there's potential here with Bonnie versus Vampires, but it's not gonna happen. And as you said, they didn't even care to have her ask Jamie out — but at least they showed them dancing and "other stuff."
I didn't understand Klaus/Caroline's dialogue when they were dancing. His "tempting" offer is to show her the world, now last I remember Tyler is a Lockwood and those people are rich. So there is nothing stopping Caroline from seeing the world. Is he insinuating that something is holding her back in MF? That Tyler is? I'm going to need to know why Caroline should drop Tyler to be with Klaus, he needs a better argument if wants to be a factor in this equation. lol
but everybody seriously, we now know bonnie has a house, we should all rejoice!
I so agree about that whole trip around the world Klaus is talking about....That argument was seriously lame and badly written...First of all Tyler comes from a wealthy family, so as much as I despise money talk, that is not an issue for Tyler so he can take Caroline anywhere....Second, when you go travelling you need a friend by your side or you love...so why Klaus thinks Caroline will enjoy his company is a HUGE question to me...Finally, Caroline will appreciate travelling and experiencing the world more with the man she loves..not with a British tour guide..lol.
And yes, Bonnie is not homeless!
I agree with most of what you've said except the stuff about Klaus/Caroline. As others have stated, what could he give her that another rich man, i.e. Tyler, couldn't? He hasn't really sold me on his ability to share experience with others. Sure we've seen him and other vamps live in the past, but in what conceivable way could Klaus offer Caroline "more"? Her friendship with Stefan would be a lot more fulfilling in my opinion. And I could see her in a relationship with lots of other characters, including Stefan. But Klaus . . . I can only suspend my disbelief so much.
I definitely liked this episode and thought it was an improvement over the previous ones, seems like things are getting better again (let's hope it keeps heading in that direction). Although I'm still irked by a couple of things, mostly because of what they had to work with I guess, like fallout from the episodes before this that were less good. The Klaus/Caroline thing, Tyler actually being jealousy of Klaus (although to be fair I don't understand why Caroline kept that picture anyway), Elena jumping rather quickly between seeming Stefan favoured and Damon favoured and the time devoted to characters and relationships I really don’t care about, like the Jamie and Bonnie relationship. I mean Bonnie hasn’t really been my favourite or best developed character and then they pair her with some guy nobody cares about? Just doesn’t work for me. But aside from these annoyances there was some great stuff in here too I think. Some cool action, The ‘funeral scene’ and the last Damon/Alaric scene which seemed very emotional because it was so very ‘contained’ on the surface and the last image of the blood covered Alaric Original standing there with the invulnerable stake so clearly no longer Alaric. I think the combination of the fact that Alaric is still physically alive, the goodbye scenes and the image of him standing there covered in blood actually made me feel like he’s dead more so than if he had actually just died, just because we see him so incredibly unlike himself. Although one thing I do wonder. If Esther is the one who curropted Alaric, why did she corrupt that Gilbert girl in 1920?
rip pooh bear basically
Love this episode because of the exciting storyline and Stelena. This ep reminds me why I loved Stelena in the first place. I can feel the love when they're together. Although, if what happened in this ep means she officially chose Stefan [for this season], I'd feel a tiny bit disappointed bcuz it seems like not much thought was given to her Damon moment last ep.
And I almost cried thinking that Alaric might die this ep
Yeah, I agree about that…going from a pretty deep Delena episode to a Stelena one was weird; but I guess, at the same time, Caroline sort of mentioned that transition from the beginning. Though, if she chooses Stefan (without major explanation) at the end, all of this season would have been moot. But I don't think flat out NOT choosing Damon would render the season useless.
I have to say this episode was much, much better than the previous one, and not because it was a Stelena one...LOL, are we going to get such episodes from now on? One - Delena, then - Stelena episode...seriously, though, the show must not focus so much on the triangle and before people start attacking me with "but this is what the show is about based on the books"...first of all read the books and there the triangle developed along with the story nit driving it.
Anyway back to the dance...floor! The Alaric part of the story made me think that they should have titled this episode "Murder of the Dance floor", but that would be to obvious. So is this the new villain everyone was talking about lately or are we still in store for something else? Well, for now its good and judging by the promo for the next episode he should be good at his job of being a villain, I mean FINALLY Elena is going to actually get hit! Against the lockers! YAY to that, because seriously nothing really bad ever happens to that chick and other people are thrown under the bus (cough* Abby *cough) for her. As for the whole Bonnie and spells....wow, it all happened so quickly, I am not sure I followed all of it...and then there was Esther, who I ship with death so hard!
Now, about Forwood, well, I hope they are calculating all their moves precisely and accurately because if I know Klaus, and the Sun Also Rises episode proved it...this guy probably has like A-F plans concerning Tyler, so I just hope they remember that when it comes to the whole sire bond theme and Klaus's affections for Caroline.
Ok, time for dessert: mmm, Stelena felt good this week, sorry DE fans! It felt good because it felt right, and this brings to the whole argument from some DE fans that Stefan is only a safe option for Elena...Actually when it comes to BOTH Salvatore brothers safety - ain't an option. Matt - now that is a safety option, and a very dull one at that. Stefan is the right and best option for a girl like Elena - a girl who wants an ordinary life with a good man by her side. If more characteristics from book Elena were written for tv Elena, then I could agree that Elena should be with Damon or Stefan or even both! But here, the choice is obvious - Stefan. Last week there was a whole debate about Rose's speech (which was incredibly bad written, seriously, if I shipped DE I would have come up with much better reasons than her challenge theory). This week we had Caroline being the advocate for Stelena, but the difference is that no matter how you define "epic" its still the most appropriate word to describe Stefan and Elena - they have been through so much, she has seen his good side and bad side, and still her love for him never gave up (although seeing my boyfriend eat two people in front of me is where I would draw the line in my relationship or I would be in a mental facility by now). Rose's lecture had two major points I could never agree with despite my feelings for Delena - first thing was about the challenge - which made me laugh because taking into account Elena's thinking abilities its a challenge for her to first think then act, and Damon has nothing to do with it. Then there was the whole thing about him being the best or the worst thing for her...now telling that to Jeremy, as in the guy who suffered so much as the hands (literally) of Damon was just WRONG.
Anyway 2 episodes left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love how you said you ship Esther with death. But you know death does the polyamorous thing so you got to ship death with a few more people, like say the entire BOriginal family. XP Assuming that doesn't kill off too many regulars.
haha, yeah , but I can't let Elijah go! And I have a lil crush on Klaus and wanna kiss Kol!
Yeah, Elijah is my favorite when he isn't acting like soggy toast. He usually acts his age when it comes to being a vampire. He is my favorite Original. Klaus, when he isn't fawning over Caroline he's okay. I do like Kol for beating Damon's ass. And he's kinda cute. And I don't want Rebekah to die. But for the sake of the plot, there's really no reason for these people to be around anymore. So if they have to die I'll get over it. But it would be nice if they lived and just faded away. Left for Europe or something.
Yes, yes, yes! I agree with this soooo much! I like the Originals, but I did not expect TVD to give us sooo many Originals, maybe the should have had Elijah and Klaus for a while, then introduce Rebekah and sometime later Kol....not all at once. I can't handle this mother load of hotties! LOL!
Yeah like everyone has mentioned, it was weird to get such a DE episode and then get an SE episode from one week to the next. And I agree about how they're shaping the triangle. At this point, I don't really know what's the difference or why she would choose one over the other. I keep hearing that the books defined the relationships better, and from what I've been told, I wish it had transferred to the screen. But it is what it is at this point, I guess.
You keep hearing right, trust me had the books triangle been transferred onto the screen, it would have been more enjoyable. I have read the books and I found the triangle incredibly well-written, even though I don't read teen novels, I mean, I totally understood why Elena was torn between both brothers, both were unique in the sense that each brother stayed true to his beliefs and values. Whereas Stefan was the one with incredibly high morals, valuing human and even animal life, wanting to be the good vampire; Damon could not care less about all of this, he loved being a vampire, it was his true nature, a predator who gets what he wants, he despised humans, he laughed at their way of life. Over the course of the books the brothers manage to rebuild their relationship, mainly because of Elena, she really did everything in her power to unite them. She was attracted to both brother because even though she was a good person and wanted everyone to have a normal life, she also had a dark side, she could be mean and selfish if she wanted to, even sometimes being to harsh to her friends. With Stefan - she enjoyed a simple light life, with Damon she enjoyed being a part of the darkness. Another important factor was that Elena did not take forever to admit her feelings about Damon, actually once she did, all the people involved felt better because it was out there, no more secrets and feeling guilty about loving two brothers.
What I see on the screen is barely a love triangle, because I see a girl who loves one brother and has taken upon herself a mission to turn his elder brother into a better guy, which Damon secretly wants to be. I don't hate Damon, don't get me wrong, but ever since he admitted to missing being human, his character was destroyed for me because I do not want to watch Elena try to make Stefan 2.0 out of Damon.
Really Loved Bonnie in that episode! Very Happy About Stelena! Hell Yeah It Was a Really great episode.
I love that Bonnie got a scene or two that wasn't connected to being an extension of the plot. :)
I agree with you about Damon being immediate, and Stefan being meticulous.
And I loved Caroline's "He's your epic love" line. It's funny, because all the characters seem to be Stelena (except Rose) but all the cast and crew seem to be Delena. Even Carina MacKenzie. Not that I care about her at all.
I love that Bonnie got screentime this episode. I love her.
"Does it matter if anyone dies since we can see them as ghosts now?" - YES! THIS!
It was such more emotional when someone died in the past seasons!
When Bonnie died in the other decade dance I cried so much, but now Alaric was dying and I'm just like "It'll be fine, they'll make him come back in some way."
It didn't matter so much, because dying doesn't really mean dying in TVD anymore.
Take by example the Originals. And Esther. And Anna and Vicki and Lexi and Rose (but now they're really gone).
BTW, WHERE THE HELL IS KATHERINE?
Really? The cast is more pro-delena...interesting!
IDK anything about the cast's thoughts, but for the most part, I don't really know which way the characters side. My guess is Caroline is pro-Stefan but that's about it. I imagine Bonnie would rather her not be with either of them, Jeremy has no real preference, and Alaric is just there (or not in the near future).
Was it entertaining? Yes. Was it good? No.
Still not enjoying it, huh?
Here's 1 problem A) Esther making Evilaric become a Vampire Vampire Hunter B) Alaric refusing to transition, funeral, Dalaric scene C) Alaric transitioning against his will
A and B OR A and C is fine BUT A, B and C is NOT fine
My commentary will be more Bonnie centric as usual. But I will start by saying that your recaps have really affected the way I view the show. For instance, almost every time Elena starts emoting negatively I always picture her saying "mah fault, maaahh fault!". It makes the scene much more enjoyable.
One observation about Tyler's seeming willingness to die if he must. Um, perhaps they want to portray his mood in such a way so that fan displeasure will be suppressed. As if to say, if he doesn't care about dying, you shouldn't either? Cause given how much he's struggled to have control over his life, it doesn't make sense for him to so easily bend to the will of other vampires. If he is no longer under Klaus' influence, why hasn't anyone made the logical step to consider that maybe Klaus' death will not lead to his death but simply his reverting back to werewolf form? Klaus and most of his fam probably won't die, but if they do I don't think Tyler is going anywhere.
It did seem strange that there wasn't much interaction between Elena and Damon after last week's episode. Maybe Stefan will eventually be temporarily incapacitated to allow Elena and Damon to resolve things, even in the midst of danger.
I was wondering if the portrayal of the love triangle will be similar to the one in Twilight. By that I mean there are acknowledged ships, but only one is considered legitimate. Like in Twilight you knew Bella was never going to end up with Jacob. He was just a rebound to prevent her from remaining in a vegetative state while Edward was gone. At the moment I don't see Elena treating Damon like a legitimate option. But maybe that isn't the case.
I actually felt bad for Damon as he waited for Ric to die. They have a decent bromance on this show, and Damon's apologies to Ric usually seem quite genuine. I thought Damon was going to cry or something. It would have been good of him to make sure Ric was dead before he left. I guess that temporary lapse into "death" allowed his alter ego to reawaken.
And I hate that Rebekah keeps getting staked and stabbed. She is rarely allowed to just "live". I figured if she was left alone for a least a year or two she would grow out of her annoying and juvenile behavior.
Okay, it was nice to see Bonnie again this episode but all of her scenes and interactions were very disappointing. I mean, was that the best they could do? For me it just wasn't enough. It's never enough and this episode was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.
From the beginning she is not allowed to interact with her friends as they discuss Damon and the 20's dance. Elena doesn't even inform of her desire to go to the dance with her, so I wondered why was it a surprise that Bonnie decided to go with someone else. You didn't even talk to her, Elena! She doesn't talk to her friends the entire episode. Caroline just observes her from afar. But no one actually goes up to her just to say hi or to see how she's doing. You'd think that after all she's been through this season the writers could have given her a moment similar to Caroline's bday party. Just a moment to say "hey Bonnie, we love you, we appreciate you, you can always come to us if you're in trouble." But it never feels like Bonnie can actually rely on these people. They can need her but she is never allowed to need them for something. They can't possibly be her friends.
And the premise for the Jaime/Bonnie relationship is the same for the Jeremy/Bonnie relationship: the man is just there b/c she needs someone who appreciates and supports her. It's the same damn situation from Season 2. This fact hasn't changed, there has been no progress.
And how funny was that scene where Jeremy runs into Jaime and Bonnie? Jaime says it's awkward, but did Jeremy even register Bonnie's existence? No. He was going after Elena. So there was nothing awkward about that encounter at all. Jeremy doesn't even remember his relationship with Bonnie b/c he had previously been compelled to forget everything. As far as I know that hasn't been reversed and his sister didn't even tell him he had been compelled.
Bonnie snogging Jaime was weird. They haven't known each other for very long, and they didn't really seem to acknowledge Abby's disappearance or even her connection to them. To be fair, no one really talks about Abby. And then Damon had to come and interrupt them, needing Bonnie for yet another spell. And then Bonnie is in a room with three people who have terrorized her in some way. Me personally, if that had been me I would have had a PTSD episode or something. It was just very unreal for me that Klaus even has the balls to grab Jaime and no one physically does anything. Like Damon or Stefan couldn't have forced him to release Jaime or Bonnie couldn't have used any of her magic on Klaus?
The only thing I was happy about in this episode concerning Bonnie was that she made it clear that she doesn't do these things as favors to either Stefan or Damon. She's just doing it to help Elena or her other friends. But these people are some of the most ungrateful people I have ever met. Even Ric. Bonnie is forced to leave her mom to give him herbs and he doesn't even take that shit??? Like seriously man, she lost her mother b/c she was trying to help your sorry ass and you don't even take the fucking herbs?
And then witch lady forces Bonnie to sacrifice herself AGAIN just so she'll be incapacitated for another episode or two. Seriously? SMH.
My god honest prediction is that Bonnie probably killed Jaime on her way to resurrect Alaric. And we'll be lucky if she's in any of the final two episodes. If they help her recover it certainly won't be for her health--just so she can use her magic to get rid of the big bad.
Sorry about the recaps!
You know, I've thought about the whole unsired thing regarding Tyler's maybe-death, but I think the show's ignoring that and just going with the bloodline. Will Tyler really die if he's technically a hybrid? Or will he just become a werewolf again? IDK anything!
The triangle will now be one episode on, another off, for respective sides.
I think that was a major reason for this season — to make the triangle that was actually something you thought there was any gravitas for. Previously, it just seemed like that whole legitimate relationship vs never going to happen, but now it doesn't feel that way.
Wow, you just made me think of the Bonnie scenes entirely differently. I am saddened for her character again.
About the herbs, I got the idea that they weren't working a couple of episodes ago…but now I'm not sure.