The Vampire Diaries is really good at making episodes where seemingly not much happens feel like there’s a lot that happens. I mean, they’ve been doing them for plenty of seasons now, so they’ve certainly gotten much more efficient at them. Once the credits roll at the end of the episode, you realize they’ve basically just been delaying the events until the next plot twist. But now that the show is in its fifth season, shoehorning faux twists and cliffhangers is beginning to feel a bit like déja vu and veering into the point of a yawn.
Look, we know that Elena isn’t going to kill Damon. So cutting to a commercial right after she threatens to murder him is more or less a waste of time. Sure, there could have been points for shock that Elena had been compelled by Silas, you know, if we hadn’t just spent the previous season with Elena removed of her agency. Or Matt removed of his in this episode. Agency-less characters can, as we’ve discussed, be fun in small doses. But on a show that compels random extras on a weekly basis and then has season-long arcs where the characters make few decisions themselves? Well, that’s almost a too perfect literal manifestation of shell of their former selves, isn’t it?
I appreciate Elena and Caroline’s continuous yearning for a normal life and normal experiences, but I also felt that was very beginning-of-season-four. I like that they tried to take the college setting and try to apply it to its main characters. It’s supposed to be a time where you meet new people, date new people, discover more. And something like Caroline falling for the obvious part of “who” in the whodunnit murder mystery this season would be a great exploration if she didn’t do that ad nauseam with Klaus. Then again, we might actually go a bit further with this relationship. And the same can be said for Elena and Damon. Damon seems like the perfect college boyfriend for Elena, the kind of guy that will make her open to experiences she’s never had before. Then again, what hasn’t she experienced? Last year was the Dark Elena period. I was hoping that Bonnie’s dad dying would mean she would try to get even. Of course, she’s dead, and I have no idea where that story is headed. But I hope it shakes up soon.
I hate that it appears like I’m being scathing, but I fail to be shocked at anything anymore. When Silas broke Matt’s neck, my sister (frequently name-dropped in these recaps) gasped and then said, “Oh, my god! They killed him.” My response: “Why do you keep thinking they’ll kill people off this show?” I was genuinely more shocked that she was shocked. Everything is either hilarious (I can’t stop laughing whenever Bonnie plainly states that she’s dead or keeps trying to get Jeremy to play along with her non-existential crisis) or it’s very been there, done that.
Damon doesn’t care about Bonnie? Yup. Bonnie’s friends don’t care about Bonnie? Yes. Caroline confused about her never-ending-long-distance-relationship with Tyler? Yeah. No one telling Elena anything? Got it. Elena’s plans including that she somehow stab herself? Been there. Someone not dying? Check. (Though, it was cool how they showed what happened when someone does die while wearing the ring.) Creepy professor? Shane, where are you? An entire town is compelled? Hello Katherine in that small town in season four! And as much as I’m excited for Ripper Stefan to make his return, I can’t stop but feel like that’s a retread, too. (Also, I still don’t get how shutting off his humanity helped him out of that safe.) At this point, the only things that feel fresh besides Caroline and Elena being in a new setting is Elena digging a bit into her father’s past and Katherine’s journey to being human.
Katherine said that the way she survived was that she always kept running and never looked back. Maybe The Vampire Diaries has taken one too many peeks behind its shoulder — and then decided to turn around and revisit what it saw.
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"Also, I still don’t get how shutting off his humanity helped him out of that safe." I don't think he escaped...I guess he was let out by the new witch and maybe Silas, since in the safe was the body of her companion (the one killed by her).
That would be interesting, if that's the case. The first episode, however, kept saying that he could get out if he just switched off his humanity. He kept fighting it, but it looks like he gave in this episode.
Confused. Was Stefan planning on using that flimsy safe on Silas? I know he was "dead" but...and why would Silas imprison Stefan in something a little humanity switch could free him from? And why is Jeremy faster and stronger than Silas? I know Hunters are hella strong to compete with Vampires, but Elena, the new weakest vamp sure had an easy time killing hers. Twist of neck, tada! And about the Originals...Why would Klaus, an Original, who was so elusive to be practically myth before, give two shits about being in charge of a single city? WTF cares if someone came up and took your spot in a city you left? You can travel the world and be all vampire about it. Jazz is cool and everything but...I think I will like the Originals more that TVD, but just wondering why Klaus is no longer concerned with Silas. As far as I know he doesn't know Katherine took the cure. And if he did, didn't he want to like, kill her? Too many seasons, too many holes. How can I bitch so much, yet still look forward to my guilty pleasure each week?
Can we discuss how funny DE is as relationship that whole DE scene where Elena was going to murder him she equating their relationship to sex (Because it is) and like Damon couldn't snap out of his compulsion for his love for Elena, she couldn't do it for him either, she had to think of Stefan and their final scene looked alittle too much or if they were trying to prove something. Yet we are suppose to buy these two people are in love with one another? Silas is a boss and a great troll. And I would only say Matt gives a damn about Bonnie cause he told her the truth compare to Jeremy who keeps going along with the delusions and hasn't even done anything proactive. We all know Elena would have made it about her if she was in that scene.
I totally agree with you that TVD lost its ability to surprise the audience. In the last few years they overused the insane twists and shocking moments so much that nothing seems new anymore.
There was one storyline though that somehow worked for me: Katherine, Matt and Jeremy on the run from Silas. For one it was funny to see how Katherine has to deal with human life (punching people hurts your hands! getting a cold sucks!), and then I liked her interactions with Matt and Jeremy, probably the only human beings so decent that even she has to show some humanity.
And it was fun when Jeremy kicked Silas' butt.
"Once the credits roll at the end of the episode, you realize they’ve
basically just been delaying the events until the next plot twist"
ANNND you just described the major problem with this show that was not really there during its first seasons(mainly because there was a character journey there back then).
So far the show always has:
1. Version of Steffie troubles
2. mcguffin
3. fake-out villain who turns good
4. villain group.
5. villain who then goes to being fakeout villain in next part.
Emo Steff - Necklace - Damon - Council - John
Bloodaholic Steff - watch - John - Anna's Group - Katherine
Bloodaholic Steff - Elena - Katherine - Witch Family - Elijah
Bloodaholic Steff - Moonstone - Elijah - Werewolves - Klaus
Ripper Steff - Necklace - Klaus - Original Family - Silas
Then the show takes those plots and fills in-between with random repetitive shit that NO ONE reacts to and you have a TVD season
.
Its even mostly true for S1 too, although S1 stands out due to fact that ALL the characters were also on some sort of interesting character journey back then and there WERE some consequences.
Once TVD threw out ANY sense of choices-and-consequences, the show went to shit.
Repetitive plot would be okay if at least SOMETHING changed, but when no one on the show gives a shit about ANYTHING(and I mean literally a friggin alligator could come out of nowhere and eat half of some character's body and no one would bat an eyelash at that, not to mention the poor victim would be okay within an episode).its hard to give a shit about anyone on the show.
Add a completely boring mary sue female lead and you have a repetitive boring mess.
Hmm, I'm confused, I thought switching off his humanity, or whatever, would make it easier for him to suffer underwater and not actually free him. Something about not feeling the pain as much or something? I could be wrong because I wasn't paying full attention though