ELENA: *I will not think about the last time I saw Damon’s wet willy. I will not think about Damon’s wet willy. I will not think about . . .*
DAMON: “Elena?”
ELENA: “Yeah, Damon.”
DAMON: “You do realize you are speaking out loud, right?”
Woo! Welcome back, Fangbangers! I don’t know about you guys, but I am still riding on the SPECTACULAR HIGH that was watching this episode. I mean, talk about an hour of television that had something to offer everyone! Well, unless you’re a Bonnie fan . . .
You like Team Ripper?
We got some of that!
You’re a fan of Salvatore Brother Bonding?
Yeah . . . we got that too.
Homoerotic Times with Jeremy and Matt?
CHECK!
Team Badass?
BINGO!
Dysfunctional makeshift families, with weird, yet oddly hot sexual tension?
ON IT!
Tyler defending Caroline’s honor, like a BAMF?
DONE!
Cliffhangers?
SURE!
Stelena hopefulness?
Umm . . . yeah . . . I guess.
AMAZING DELENA MOMENTS THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU CRY TEARS OF JOY, AND SEXY ENOUGH TO MAKE YOUR PANTIES FALL OFF?
OH HELL YESSSS!
OK . . . as usual, we have a TON to cover. So, chug down your vervain coffee, pack up all your nifty vampire slayer weapons, and don’t forget your beer, bong, or bathing suit. Because, it’s time to go for a little hike with our favorite Mystic Falls’ supes . . .
(As always, special thanks to Andre for the GLORIOUS screencaps you see here. Also, I must give a shout out to the BRILLIANT insolent gilbert tumblr. Whoever you are, you somehow READ MY MIND, this week, by seeming to capture NEARLY EVERY GIF I wanted! And I love you (in a completely platonic way, of course. I’m saving myself for Damon Salvatore.)
“I’m Really Sorry Your Girlfriend’s Dead, But . . . No, I’m Really Not. Can We Please Talk About Stefan Some More?”
“Hey! Why are taking down your Stefan Stalker Board? I was hoping we could play a rousing game of Pin the Tail on the Murder Victim!”
Ahhh . . . what a difference a day makes. Around this time, a couple of days ago, the CW released this first scene of the episode as a webclip. And as a result, Elena and I were kind of in a fight.
“WTF, Recapper? I thought we were friends?”
I know, I know. Elena was all MOVED, by her BIG EMOTIONAL PHONECALL with Stefan . . .
“Can you hear me now? GOOD!”
And she REALLY, REALLY wanted to tell her man, Damon all about it, so that they could sit in bed together, and analyze the meaning of it all . . .
ELENA: “So, do you really think he likes me? Should I ask him to prom?”
DAMON: “Hmm . . . I don’t know . . . let’s sleep together on it.”
But, really, I mean, the guy’s girlfriend just DIED, like YESTERDAY, in TVD time! Soooo . . . a little sympathy might have been in order here. You know, maybe Damon could have used a big bear hug, like Elena gave him when man-stealer Rose died . . .
Or at the very least, she could have offered up a “Golly gee, I’m sorry for your loss. It really sucks that my significant other KILLED yours.” (In her defense, I don’t think she realizes yet that Stefan was actually the one who killed Andie. Maybe she actually thinks “it’s just a coincidence.”)
At first blush, this first scene looked, more or less, like a carbon copy of the scene that took place toward the middle of “The Birthday,” (which, coincidentally, was also released by the CW as a webclip). In both scenes, Elena barges into Damon’s bedroom, like a nagging girlfriend (He’s right! She really CAN’T stay away!)
. . . and demands that Damon help her save Stefan. Also, in both scenes, Damon INSISTS that there is no longer a “good” Stefan to save. In fact, in this scene, Damon takes HIS argument, one step further, by actually BURNING the remnants of his previous search for his brother.
Cute butt alert!
However, after watching “The Hybrid,” I can now recognize that this scene HAD to kick off the episode, in order to further illuminate the state of mind changes both Elena and Damon underwent throughout the course of the hour . . . Damon, regarding his feelings about whether his brother is actually lost to him forever, and Elena regarding her recognition of her feelings toward Damon.
Needless to say, in light of how the episode ENDED, all is forgiven between Big E and me! 😉
(Of course, I am sure she will sleep much better at night knowing this . . .)
Knock, Knock. (Who’s There?) Girl with the CRAZY Scheme that’s Probably Going to Get Us All Killed . . .
ALARIC: “You just couldn’t get enough of my Chunky Monkey, could you?”
ELENA: “Wow! Is EVERY male character on this show going to show me his weiner this season?” (All fingers crossed.)
Alaric — is home in bed, a bottle of bourbon at his bedside — sleeping off his morning drunk, when he is awakened by a RUDE, and extremely insistent, knock at the door.
“Last night is still a little foggy. But I vaguely remember getting an ‘I Heart Useless Aunt Jenna’ Tattoo on my ass . . .”
Alaric immediately assumes its Damon. I suspect this is because Damon, like Elena, is known for being a particularly loud “knocker.” Of course, the homoeroticism seeker in me, can’t help but wonder whether this is because Damon has started to make morning visits to Alaric’s Chunky Monkey a secret habit of sorts . . . 😉
Anywhoo . . . since Damon has declined to play with her, Elena sincerely hopes that Alaric will be her Plus One in this week’s Save Stefan Games. After all, Alaric has been Damon’s plus one in the Save Stefan Games, since day one. And together the two have drank A LOT of bourbon learned some valuable information about Stefan’s and Klaus’ whereabouts . . . like, for example the fact that they are currently tracking werewolves somewhere in Tennessee . . .
“Well, Elena. I must admit that wasn’t the sort of ‘game’ I had in mind to play with you. But I guess I’m willing to compromise.”
Initially, Alaric doesn’t seem all that enthused, because he generally doesn’t like to do things without his boy, Damon. Part of Alaric, might also not believe that Elena’s actually going to go through with it.
“Well, don’t bother getting dressed, on my account, I have walked in on you having sex with my now-dead aunt on numerous occasions. I’ve seen it all before.”
But then, after Elena leaves Alaric’s place, she meets up with Tyler, who gives her SPECIFIC information about where exactly Tennessee werewolves are likely to SPEND the upcoming Full Moon.
This was a small scene, but one that I hold dear to my heart for a number of reasons. (1) It further illustrates the Elena / Tyler friendship, which I love. (2) It hints toward the fact that on Tyler’s hiatus from the show month away from Mystic Falls, he may very well have been at werewolf camp, considering his seemingly extensive knowledge of where various packs hang out.
And (3) this is the first time we’ve actually heard Tyler express remorse over accidentally almost-killing Damon with his toxic werewolf teeth, an action which ultimately resulted in the development of Team Ripper, in the first place. (Sure, Caroline guilted him into this realization. But it’s certainly a start.)
YAY! Character growth!
So, now Elena RETURNS to Alaric (who’s now by the bar, of course). However, this time, she has with a slightly more specific plan and Stefan Hunting Location. Now, suddenly, Alaric is ALL IN! “I thought you said I could handle things on my own now?” Elena teased.
“I meant like frozen dinners, and SAT’s” Alaric clarified. (Hey Alaric, since we’re on the subject of SAT’S, how about you give me a synonym for the term “negligent.”)
“Let me get back to you on that one . . .”
And so, off head Elena and Papa Alchy-ric on a journey to the Big Ole Tennessee Mountains, where Klaus and Stefan are engaging in a little hiking trip of their own . . .
Hybrid Nation? More Like ZOMBIE Nation . . .
“Hi-ho, Hi-ho! It’s off to hump eachother make an army we go!”
Mass murder and almost-letting-Stefan-succumb-to-a-nasty-case-of-were-rabies-aside, this was definitely the week that we got to see a softer, more paternalistic side of Klaus. I mean, sure, part of the Original Were-Vamp was probably just tired of Stefan’s “suffocating broodiness,” and sought to lighten the mood a bit. But I’d like to think that there was also a part of Klaus that was slightly concerned that carrying an Unconscious Seventh Heaven Guy for miles and miles up the Big Ole Tennessee Mountains was giving the “Rippah” a bad back . . .
Fortunately for Stefan, Team Ripper locates the werewolf pack in relatively short order. Once there, it is Stefan who garners the groups attention first, by tossing Seventh Heaven Guy’s body on the floor in front of them, a gesture that is immediately read as a mixture of “threat” and “peace offering.” “Who are you?” One of the female werewolves, who may or may not be Seventh Heaven Guy’s girlfriend asks.
I love that Klaus’ natural egoism / bratty unloved bastard childness, comes out here, as he poutily demands that the werewolves be asking who HE is, instead. Honestly, when Klaus uttered the iconic line, “The more important question is ‘Who Am I?,” I half expected Kristen Bell’s voice to appear in voice over and say, “That’s a secret I’ll never tell. XOXO. Gossip Girl!”
Grandiose entrances aside, as it turns out, no introductions were needed, since the same girl who inquired as to Stefan’s identity actually already seemed to know exactly who Klaus was. “You’re the only hybrid,” she says nervously.
WOW! I couldn’t help but wonder how this random Tennessee Werewolf knew this. I mean, is there like some Werewolf Tumblr or Twitter page to which these guys all subscribe to get news updates, as to the new supernatural being in town. After all, Klaus has only been “the only hybrid,” for a couple of months. News really must travel fast in Were World.
Tweet me, @BigBadWolf10!
Needless to say, Klaus is positively THRILLED that he has come to a place, much like the bar Cheers, where EVERYBODY knows his name . . . or, if not his name, at least his genus and species.
It’s time for Seventh Heaven Guy to wake up. The problem, of course, is that he’s looking a little worse for wear, what with his pale face, shivering body, and those pesky bloody tears streaming down his face. (Awwww, buck up, baby! You’re a special guest star! This is supposed to be FUN!)
Us TVD fans have become experts in the art of vampire conversion. So, we know that Seventh Heaven Guy must feed on human blood, in order to complete his transition into full-on hybrid, or else he will croak. Fortunately, that female werewolf, who I initially thought was Seventh Heaven Guy’s girlfriend, actually has a human boyfriend, who ends up with the unwelcome job of being BLOOD BANK for the entire soon-to-be-hybridized werewolf pack.
Seventh Heaven Guy — who’s father’s a Man of the Cloth, as many of you know — is initially hesitant to chow down on his human buddy. But Stefan ultimately convinces the preacher’s son to chow down. Otherwise, the Ripper warns, he will EAT THE WHOLE DAMN THING, himself (PIG!)
So, Seventh Heaven Guy gnaws on his friend, thinking he has just done him a solid, by saving him from Ripper Stefan’s Deadly Over-Eating Disorder. Little does he know that the Poor Pesky Human is about to become a One-Man Werewolf Country Buffet, and, therefore, won’t even survive the next commercial break. (It’s a real shame too. Because he was kind of hot.)
Though the werewolves honestly don’t seem all that eager to join Klaus’ Big Bad Hybrid Army (which, so far, seems to have no good reason for existing, other than the fact that Klaus thinks it’s cool), he eventually converts them all. And now there’s an ENTIRE FOREST full of shaky pale new baby werevamps with eyes filled with bloody, leaky tears.
Ahhh . . . but, therein lies the problem. You see, once the new were-vamps have fed on human blood, they are supposed to be BETTER, great even! But these hybrids must have come from the discount store, because they are clearly defective, lumbering around mindlessly, groaning, and more or less, DYING right before Klaus’ and Stefan’s eyes . . .
“Some Master Race,” scoffs Stefan.
But it turns out that at least ONE of the were vamps isn’t quite as defective as he once appeared. He quickly takes Stefan by surprise, by suddenly fiercely tackling the just-vampire, and biting him on the arm, in the exact same place where Tyler bit Damon last year.
Kinda looks like a BIG raspberry!
Having seen his brother suffer from were rabies, Stefan knows this isn’t exactly going to be a picnic. Fortunately, he’s hanging out with an Original Werevamp, the only known carrier of the were-rabies cure, right?
WRONG! After all, Klaus as we know, is the kind of guy who murders his entire family, and carts their coffins everywhere he goes. He’s not exactly warm and cuddly. Quite the contrary, actually. This is one SERIOUSLY SICK BASTARD. And this Sick Bastard refuses his supposed partner-in-crime the were rabies cure, UNLESS Stefan can successfully reclaim Seventh Heaven Guy, who has since ran away to parts unknown.
He might not look it in this picture, but I assure you, Hybrid!Seventh Heaven Guy is FAST!
Stefan pouts a bit, but eventually trudges off to find the Lost Camden Brother . . .
“Don’t Trust Vicki. (No Matter How Good of a Dancer She is . . .)
With his sister in Tennessee playing Save Stefan Games with Alaric, and his girlfriend off at Wicked Witch of the West Camp, Jeremy’s a bit bored. So, he decides to barge in on a half-naked Matt, while the latter is getting ready for work. (A bit convenient, don’t you think?)
Someone’s been working out since last season . . .
And I’m not the only one who’s noticed . . .
Matt teases Jeremy for being “one of those losers who comes to work on his day off to bang shirtless boys in the backroom.” But Jeremy has more important things to worry about than whether his new pothead friend thinks he’s a loser. He wants to play Seance. And he wants Matt to play with him in more ways than one.
Jeremy explains to a dubious Matt, how, during one of his trademark internet searches, he discovered that ghosts are most likely to make contact with the living when faced with members of their family and their personal affects. (This reminds me . . . remember, back in Season 1, when Jeremy was just searching for “vampire porn” on the internet, a la Bella Swan? Good times.)
“Jacob Bella is HOT!”
Though, initially dubious, Matt reconizes that Jeremy knew a part of Vicki that Matt didn’t necessarily know the slutty sexy part, and decides to direct his new pal to some boxes containing Vicki’s belongings. Unfortunately, the act of sorting through these belongings ends up depressing Matt so much, that he ends up kicking Jeremy out of the house, right when he’s managed to make directed contact with Matt’s dead sister.
Matt has undoubtedly begun to think that Jeremy is TOTALLY cracked, until “Vicki” knocks over a picture frame containing a picture of the siblings, right in front of Matt. And, suddenly, he’s a believer.
“IT’S A MIRACLE!”
Cut to later that evening, when Matt comes to Jeremy’s house bearing liquor (hint, hint, wink, wink), and a satchel filled with sex toys Vicki’s belongings. Before Jeremy even has enough time to utter the words, “Let’s play Strip Ouiji Board,” Vicki appears to him.
And this time, she’s a bit more verbose than she has been in the past, possibly because Jeremy has ACTUALLY decided to ASK her what the f*&k she wants.
“I really just want to dance in my underwear to a Depeche Mode cover band again . . .”
Vicki tells Jeremy that she can be returned to the land of the living, but that she needs Jeremy to help her to do that. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you feel about vampire Vicki), the undead-but-now-dead vampire disappears, before Jeremy can get in as much as a word edgewise. *sigh* Typical ex-girlfriend!
Then BOTH Jeremy AND Matt are startled by the sound of the window breaking. They assume it’s Vicki again. But this time it’s Anna. And she looks PISSED (though, admittedly, that might just be what her perma-ghost face happens to look like). “Don’t trust Vicki,” Anna warns her former lover.
Watch that brow, Anna . . . There’s no botox in heaven.
Of course, this begs the question of . . . WHY NOT aside from the fact that she was always kind of a self-absorbed slut, who, in her vampire phase, definitely did try to eat Jeremy for Halloween dinner.?
“So, Basically, I’m a Werewolf. And My Girlfriend’s a Baby Vamp. Does This Mean I’m Grounded?”
“Honey? Have you eaten? Should I get you a dog biscuit, or something?”
Like everyone else in Mystic Falls, Mama Lockwood lately begins every day, with a hard liquor breakfast, laced with vervain, of course. Tyler heads down the stairs in his bright red, “I just had sex with a vampire” t-shirt, and senses that something is amiss in Lockwood Manor. “Rough night?” He asks his mother, nodding his head toward her Drunk Cup.
“Why yes, son, I just shot up your girlfriend with a toy Star Trek gun, and locked her in our cellar. And because I was doing that, I missed my hair appointment. DAMN THAT B*TCH!” I’ve just been a bit tired lately,” she says, or something lame like that.
Then, to add insult to injury, Mama Lockwood has to go and insinuate that Caroline is a PROSTITUTE because she snuck out of the house in the morning, right before being shot without saying goodbye.
To Tyler’s credit, though he’s obviously a bit perturbed by Caroline’s sudden Walk of Shame Escape. (After all, it IS the Full Moon, and that has become a sort of “ritual” date night for them), he still manages to hold on to his poker face, as he insists to his darling dearest mother, that, NO, his girlfriend is NOT a streetwalker . . .just a bloodsucker.
Awww! Now, that’s a glowing compliment, if I ever heard one!
Then, Tyler notes that his Mom’s coffee tastes like sh*t, before heading off to the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls, where he can hopefully meet up with his Not-So-Much-Streetwalker of a Girlfriend. (After all, where else could she possibly go?)
“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up . . . wait . . . sorry. That was my line from last season.”
Once Tyler leaves, Mama Lockwood contacts the Mysterious “Bill” (who’s name continuously makes me think of the Southern vampire on True Blood) to help her with her “vampire situation.” I love how Mama L refers to Caroline’s entrapment in her basement, as if the poor girl is a roach problem, or bed bugs, requiring nothing more than an exterminator, and some light fumigation for treatment. . .
Not surprisingly, when “Bill” arrives at the house, he sort of talks like an exterminator (and or a Johnny Cash impersonator, take your pick), coldly promising Mama Lockwood that he will dispose of her “vampire situation,” quickly, so that she does not have to personally dirty her hand with the blood of a Vampire Barbie . . .
Tyler arrives at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls. And is clearly disappointed to find that his girlfriend has “bailed” on him. Of course, as WE lready know, Caroline is a bit . . . um . . . indisposed, at the moment, and couldn’t make it.
However, Tyler DOES run into Matt, who, surprise of surprises, is surprisingly KIND and HELPFUL. For one thing, he actually offers to help Tyler go through his “monthly” change, if Caroline ends up not making it to their date, (which, given all his recent sexual tension with Jeremy, kind of made me wonder . . .)
Oh, Mattykins! This could be YOU!
He also, informs Tyler — who notes that the coffee at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls tastes just as bad as his mom’s — that the town sometimes spikes the coffee with vervain as a protective measure. Suddenly, a lightbulb goes off in Tyler’s head, and he rushes home to confront his mother, who may or may not have just, kind of sort of TRIED TO KILL HIM!
“You’ve got some ‘splaining to DO!”
Now, I have to say, as someone who is typically bored by parent/child scenes on television, I found the confrontation between Mama Lockwood and Tyler to be intensely fun to watch, and exceptionally well acted on both sides. Never having been one to beat around the bush, Tyler comes right out and asks his mother, why she had the audacity to vervain his coffee. “Let’s skip the part where you pretend you don’t know about vampires,” he scoffs, when his mother starts doing a little tap dance, in response.
“This is my MAD face . . .”
Having assured herself — as a result of his non-reation to the vervain — that her son is NOT a member of the undead, Mama Lockwood can now fire back about Caroline with full confidence. “Let’s skip the part where you pretend she’s not one of them,” Mama retorts. “You can’t be with her. She’s a MONSTER!” Tyler’s mom exclaims.
At which point, it FINALLY dawns on Tyler: Holy crap! My mom is a total moron! His mother has ABSOLUTELY know clue about the whole Werewolf Curse thing. (So, tell me something, WHY exactly did she think there was a DUNGEON underneath her house? For slaves? I don’t think so! Someone would have to be either REALLY stupid, or genuinely in denial, not to notice something was amiss here.)
Hey, I resemble that remark.
Conveniently enough, Tyler has chosen to confront his mother about his werewolfism on, International Werewolf Coming Out Day, otherwise known as “The Full Moon.” And so, he takes her down to the dungeon, where he promptly begins to shift in front of her TOTALLY horrified ass.
“See, Mom, this is all your fault, for never taking me to the dentist or the eye doctor, as a child.”
Though we don’t bare witness to the ENTIRE shift, as we have in the past two installments, it seems pretty obvious that Tyler’s body is adjusting to his new form.
And THERE are those awesome nipples again (among other things)! *whistles*
To US, his werewolf transformation appears quicker, more efficient, and less excruciating for our Teen Wolf. (Of course, I’m not sure Tyler’s mom would agree.)
Speaking of Tyler’s mom, she moved up a few notches in my book for (1) immediately accepting her son’s monstruous condition, without question, despite her obvious predisposition to SHOOT supernaturals first, and ask questions later. (It kind of makes me wonder how Mama Lockwood would have reacted if her son HAD been turned into a vampire, by Caroline.); and (2) promising Tyler that she will make sure that nothing happens to Caroline.
I’d say it’s a bit too late for that, wouldn’t you, Sweet Cheeks?
That being said, I’m honestly not 100% sure how observing Tyler’s transformation caused Mama Lockwood to be more sympathetic toward VAMPIRES. Who knows, maybe she figures her son’s Monster Mash life is going to be SO HORRIBLY HAIRY (get it?) that he deserves at least some happiness, in the form of getting laid regularly, even if it is with a bloodsucking blonde baby vamp, who sneaks out of his mansion in the morning . . .
Whatever her actual reasoning might be, Mama Lockwood, true to her word, does promptly call of the dogs (or rather, the DOG), right after she parts ways with her werewolf son. Unfortunately, for Mama L (and, more importantly, CAROLINE!), Bill the Vampire Slayer has a CLEAR CUT “no backsies,”policy when it comes to making house calls . . .
“Sorry, I’ve already put the bill for my services in your mailbox, Rich Neighbor . . .”
I mean . . . who the heck does this guy think he IS, anyway? We are about to find out . . .
Elena Meet Water . . . Water This is Elena.
ELENA: “Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
(A little sloppy on the landing, but a nice-sized splash. Plus, extra points for entering the water in a partial split. THAT had to be painful. All in all, I give it about an 8.2.)
Considering their out werewolf / Ripper Stefan hunting, and are in a SERIOUS time crunch (They have to get back home, before the full moon, before Elena turns into a pumpkin and/or a werewolf eats her like one.), Alaric and Elena sure seem to be having a grand old time on their little Tennessee hiking trip! We catch a few snippets of their conversation, which seems to include some mildly flirtatious banter regarding Alaric’s Boy Scout Skills, Rampant Alcholism, and Massive Travel Size Vampire Slaying Arsenal. (I mean, talk about a jack of all trades! If only drunken vampire slaying was an Olympic Sport, Alaric would be FAMOUS!)
“Will you marry me and have my babies, Alaric? I don’t know many human men anymore . . . “
Coming upon a clearing, Alaric and Elena stop hiking long enough for her to offer Alaric the trusty Ring of Immortality, Uncle / Father John left to her in his not-so-much will. Alaric initially balks at the offering, since it wasn’t really meant for him. So, Elena pipes in, and reminds him (and us) that the ring won’t work on Elena, because she’s a supernatural being herself . . . (Remember? She’s a Petrova Doppelganger, a supernatural creature with magical powers that include, being really, really, ridiculously goodlooking, looking just like Katherine, and DYING in weird vampire rituals.)
I must say, as far as super powers go, this one is pretty lame . . .
Alaric responds that Elena should save the ring for future generations of relentlessly stubborn Baby Gilberts. (AWWW! Now, I can’t stop picturing what Ian’s and Nina’s Damon’s and Elena’s Elena’s and Some Human Who’s a Doppelganger for Damon’s babies will look like. Thanks a lot, Alaric!) While Elena doesn’t necessarily refute the notion that she will one day have Mini Gilberts (She is staunchly against becoming a vampire, after all), she DOES insist that Alaric wear the ring as a “loaner.”
“I’d feel bad if you got killed by something supernatural before Happy Hour,” jokes Elena. (WOAH! Who knew Elena Gilbert had a sense of humor? You go girl!)
Speaking of going, SOMEONE has just pushed Elena into the LAKE!
Yes, I realize I have just used this GIF. And yes, I want to use it again, because it is just THAT HILARIOUS!
HAHA! So, Alaric invited Damon on his little “camping trip,” after all!
“Thanks for the tip, BROTHER,” Damon announces, punching his fellow Team Bad Ass member affectionately on the shoulder. But Damon doesn’t have time to truly experience a Bromantic Reunion with Alaric (who he probably hasn’t seen, since the last night they spent in bed together — JUST KIDDING!), he has an unruly Miss Gilbert to flirt shamelessly with scold. Because that little sassypants is NOT getting out of the water, NO SIREE!
So, of course, Damon has to go into the water WITH HER, so that they can be “wet together,” invade one another’s personal space, and eyesex some more, all while pretending to fight about their respective strategies in the Save Stefan Games . . .
“Hey, can we do the lift, like they do in that Dirty Dancing Movie? Because THAT would be hot!”
On dry land, Alaric watches with amusement, as this soon-to-be-couple continue to bicker and moon over one another, as if they aren’t in GRAVE DANGER. (You know, because TRUE LOVE can make you oblivious to those sorts of things.)
. . . F*&K Me, right here in the water“
Elena insists that they cannot go home yet, as this is the closest she has come to finding Stefan. Damon reluctantly agrees to stay, provided they leave by nightfall, otherwise, Damon will undoubtedly increase his odds of getting bitten by a werewolf again, which will undoubtedly mean that Elena will have to crawl into bed and KISS him again, a prospect that both parties pretend to be annoyed by, but secretly, they both find appealing . . .
(Actually, Damon. I’d VERY MUCH like to re-live that whole Death Bed Kissy Thing. But I prefer to do it in the comfort of my own home, if you don’t mind.)
And so, the twosome climb out of the water, sexually satisfied . . . FOR NOW. They then reunite with now-clear-third-wheel Alaric on their little Stefan hunt. And while they don’t find Stefan . . . yet . . . they DO come across dying zombie, were-vamp Seventh Heaven Guy, who’s all hungry, and trying to eat at Damon’s face. So, of course, us viewers are getting a MAJOR sense of deja vu, and wondering how the HELL our Scooby Gang is going to get themselves out of THIS mess . . .
Now, as much as I often tease my girl, Elena for PERPETUALLY getting her lover boys into trouble, while bringing NOTHING to the table, in terms of actually, I don’t know, KILLING STUFF, she TOTALLY had this one in the bag. When other various weapons proved ineffective on the Hybrid, she immediately pulled a wolfsbane BOMB out of Alaric’s bag, and tossed it to Damon, just seconds before Seventh Heaven Guy’s teeth made contact with his neck.
Considering all that happened in this hour, it’s amazing when you consider how much FUNNY was packed into it. We got yet another laugh, when Elena cleverly doused chains with vervain, and asked Alaric to take them, in order to tie the now unconscious Seventh Heaven Guy to a nearby tree. Damon, of course, being the MACHO MAN that he is, was APPALLED (and probably a little jealous too) at the notion that the HUMAN Alaric could do something that he couldn’t. And so, without thinking, he grabs the chains from Elena, nearly burning his hand in the process . . .
But just when we thought it was safe to laugh at Damon and his smarting hand, Seventh Heaven Guy starts to SHIFT. And now Damon (and the rest of them) are TOTALLY screwed! Elena (who is undoubtedly having Damon Death Bed Flashbacks for the TWENTIETH time this episode — I know I am) is now tugging on Damon’s shirt, begging him to run with her and Alaric.
It just occurred to me, that Elena REALLY likes to say Damon’s name . . . ALOT. Practice for SHOUTING it in bed, perhaps?
Eventually he does . . . run . . . I mean . . .
But WAIT . . . seemingly seconds later ELENA finds HERSELF face-to-face with a now fully formed werewolf. (THE ACTION NEVER ENDS!)
“You’re such a GOOD BOY! Yes, you are! Yes you are! (Coincidentally, this is also how I talk to all my boyfriends.)”
So, Damon, once again, being the Big Manly Type that he is, gives chase to the werewolf, to lead him away from his lady love. He does this, of course, despite knowing that of the three of them (remember, Alaric is wearing that Ugly Ass Ring of Immortality), he has the most to lose. *sigh, swoon, drool*
Elena is starting to feel a little guilty for being the cause of all these near-death experiences. (And, quite honestly, SHE SHOULD!) Nonetheless, Alaric manages to drag her back to the car, while the pair wait for Damon to outrun his wolfy friend and (hopefully) return unscathed . . .
Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?
It’s a dark and creepy night, the moon has fully risen, and Damon is alone and seems lost. Once again, things look bleak . . . or, at least, they would look bleak, if he wasn’t one of the THREE MAIN CHARACTERS of this show. SURPRISE! Seventh Heaven Guy pops out of not-necessarily-nowhere, and, once again tries to eat Damon’s face (which, I suspect, must be really, really tasty . . . perhaps, we’ll have to ask Elena about this, sometime).
But then, STEFAN ARRIVES TO SAVE THE DAY! HUZZAHHH! He rips out Seventh Heaven Guy’s heart like it’s his job.
STEFAN: “My apologies, Seventh Heaven Guy. But NOBODY picks on my Big Brother, and lives to talk about it. Not on MY watch. And besides, you, of all people, should know better, didn’t you get a new sibling every week, on YOUR old show?”
Reverend Camden does not . . .
The Salvatore Brother exchange that followed was FULL of win. In fact, I preferred it greatly to the one we were treated to, back in “The Birthday,” because this one was REAL. There was no more posturing, or sniping at one another. The brothers weren’t trying to scare one another, or prove how bad ass they were. This was just Damon and Stefan, alone in a forest (unless you count the corpse, which I don’t), caring deeply about eachother, and wanting to fix the situation, but not quite knowing how . . .
“What part of don’t follow me, don’t you understand?” Stefan inquires, echoing his words from their last meeting.
I liked how Damon called Stefan out a bit here, for CLAIMING that he wanted Elena to move on, and get over him, so that he could finish what he started with Klaus, but then, totally going AGAINST that notion, by calling Elena, and, thereby giving her hope. Though Stefan denied making this call, the sheepish look on his face, told Damon that this was EXACTLY what he had done.
“I’m never coming back . . . Bring Elena back home. And try to keep her there, this time I can think of a few CREATIVE Damon could do this. Can’t you?,” Stefan retorts, giving Damon an EQUALLY hard time for putting Elena in danger, like he has.
After all, the threesome came VERY close to being spotted by Klaus. And if Klaus finds out that Elena is alive . . . well, more on that later . . .
Of course, what further heightens the intensity of this conversation, is that Stefan truly believes that it will be his last, not because he plans to spend eternity with his new boyfriend Klaus, but because he has a werewolf bite on his arm. And just like Damon, during HIS brotherly exchange, back in “The Sun Also Rises,” Stefan truly believes that Klaus will refuse to save him, and that death is imminent . . .
Originals Have Feelings Too. (Who Knew?)
This must be the day for INTENSE conversations, because Stefan gets to have another one, when he returns back to Klaus’ camp, which is now littered with DEAD hybrids, carrying YET ANOTHER Dead Hybrid. Stefan has his tail between his legs, because he knows that Klaus wanted Seventh Heaven Guy brought back alive. And the Ripper has not fully delivered on his promise.
But Klaus has much bigger fish to fry. His plan to create a were-vamp army is failing and he doesn’t quite know why. In fact, he probably assumes that Seventh Heaven Guy died like the rest of this werewolf pack did, by bleeding out. “I don’t understand. I did everything they told me . . . I killed a werewolf . . . a vampire . . . a Doppelganger . . .”
Sh*t . . .
GULP! Oh dear! Just when we thought it was safe to be Elena Gilbert again. Apparently, Elijah was mistaken in his conjecture that, as long as Elena was TECHNICALLY dead during the Sacrifice Ritual, all would go according to plan. I mean, in some sense it did, since Klaus has become a true hybrid. However, there is SOMETHING about Elena’s being alive that prevents Klaus from successfully turning anybody else.
“I knew THAT! Haha! Jokes on you, Brother!”
This makes Stefan more certain than ever that he cannot return home for as long as Elena lives, out of risk of losing her life again. And it makes Klaus . . . LONELY? Yeah, I was surprised too, especially considering this guy came from a big family, and could have had loads of people to hang with (HELLO! ELIJAH?), as long as he didn’t . . . you know . . . KILL THEM and stuff.
Then again, perhaps that’s the point. Klaus was never accepted by his family, because they were full vampires, and he was sort-of part werewolf, born to a different father than the rest of his kin. And maybe that’s what all this ARMY building is all about, creating a family where he actually fits in. It’s strange, but it’s definitely plausible.
“I failed you. I’m sorry. Do what you have to do,” says Stefan, bracing himself for death.
But then Klaus does something surprising . . . for him . . . anyway. He bites his hand, allows his blood to drip into a bottle of bear, and gives that bottle to Stefan. He has offered him the cure. “It appears you are the only comrade I have left,” mopes Klaus, and for about a nanosecond, I actually feel sorry for this lonely little mass murderer, who really just seems, in this moment, like a guy in search of a playmate.
That being said, WHY DIDN’T THE WRITERS LET STEFAN DRINK FROM KLAUS’ ARM? I mean how much HOTTER and MORE SYMBOLIC would that be? Just sayin . . .
After the anti-climactic beer drinking takes place, a newly cured Stefan walks off into the moonlight with Klaus, headed toward parts unknown . . .
Meanwhile, in the not-so-parking lot . . .
Oh, Alaric, Not YOU Too!
Now, it’s Elena and Alaric’s turn to have a heart-to-heart. She wants to run out and save Damon because she looooooooooves him. But Alaric wants her to remain in the car. “Let the vampires fight it out, out there, I’ll keep the humans safe,” says Alaric, who’s starting to sound an awful lot like his former hero self.
Elena calls him on his sudden change of tune. And Alaric in turn calls HER out, on being a SUCKER for Lost Causes, which, of course, she totally is . . .Good Old Elena . . . the Classic Fixer Upper of Bad Boys, Drunks, Druggies, Murderers and Cannibals the world over . . .
But Elena corrects Alaric, and actually says something rather insightful. She tells him that he is not a Lost Cause. He is simply LOST, much like perpetual orphans Jeremy and Elena. None of them have a family. So, why not make a family of their own? It sounds like a swimming idea to Alaric, who, let’s face it, is probably a little in love with Elena too . . . just like everyone else on this show, and so he decides to keep the Ugly Ass Ring of Immortality as a show of solidarity toward the Gilbert clan . . . and . . . you know . . . to prove that the recent deaths of all his girlfriends may have turned him into an alcoholic, but it hasn’t made him suicidal.
I would love it if Elena and Alaric shared a hug in this moment. But what I got instead was MUCH better. Damon comes barrelling toward the car, wanting immediately to get the HELL out of the mountains, before Elena catches a glimpse of Stefan, or, worse, Klaus catches a glimpse of her! Of course, Elena has just had an INTENSE conversation with Alaric, and she’s in a sappy mood.
“Can you just give me a minute to appreciate that you are not DEAD!” Elena exclaims, touching Damon on his deliciously bite-free shoulders, as Alaric looks on with amusement and sympathy, at his poor lovesick friend, being put through the relationship ringer AGAIN.
But Damon doesn’t give her a moment. He doesn’t even give her the ten seconds he promised, instead he bodily HAULS her ass into the car. “Damon stop being such a caveman,” she grumbles, but we all know that she secretly thinks cavemen are super sexy . . .
Ahhh . . . foreplay . . .
As the threesome drive away, we see Stefan staring moonily at the car, as it’s leaving. Elena seems to sense his presence, but by the time she takes a closer look, he’s already disappeared into the shadows . . .
And now for my FAVORITE scene of the evening. (As if any of you are surprised . . .)
Me . . . Caveman Damon . . . You . . . Elena . . . We . . . Should REALLY Seriously Consider Having Sex in Your Bedroom (Alaric Can Watch.)
So, I’ve often mentioned the INSANE number of times Damon and Elena have had serious exchanges in HIS bedroom. But so far, only TWO key Delena moments have taken place in HERS, and only one of those two does Elena actually remember. (Actually, Damon was also in Elena’s room during Season 1’s “Under Control,” a.k.a. The Teddy Bear Incident, but that was less iconic, and more adorable. So, I will refrain from mentioning it again, for ease of reference)
What was so great about this scene, aside from the OBVIOUS, was the insane number of parallels the writers managed to pack in, referencing BOTH earlier iconic bedroom scenes.
First, Elena enters her bedroom, wearing the trademark “cute PJs” she wore, when Damon popped by her bedroom to first profess his love to her in “Rose.” She sees Damon standing by the window, and wonders out loud, if he is drunk, like the FIRST time he entered her room in “The Return,” a.k.a. The Loathsome to All Delena Fans Jeremy Neck Snap Incident.”
But Damon is NOT drunk this time. He is stone cold sober, and he has a serious message to deliver to Elena. The message is that he was wrong. (GASP!) I don’t recall Damon ever admitting he was wrong. This is clearly a first! It also harkens back to the “Rose” scene, once again, in which Damon tells Elena he doesn’t deserve her, and the music in the background suddenly gets REALLY loud, so that you can hear the singer tell him just how WRONG he is . . .
What was Damon wrong about, this time? You ask . . . well, remember how I mentioned that, the opening scene was important to the LAST scene, in terms of reflecting both Damon’s and Elena’s changed states of mind, after the episode. Well, here we are!
Damon has come to the conclusion, much as Elena had earlier, that his brother ISN’T totally gone to the darkside yet, and CAN be saved. He realized this when Stefan risked everything to save his own brother’s life. It’s actually pretty cute, when Damon refers to his baby bro as a martyr who deserves to have his ass kicked, because it’s SUCH a Big Bro thing to say . . . So, Damon agrees to help Elena SAVE Stefan.
But that’s not all, in a scene, highly reminiscent of “The Return,” in which Damon tried to get Elena to admit that he loved her, AND, oddly enough, Caroline’s and Tyler’s “I care about you, OK! I care about you!” First Kiss Moment, Damon forces Elena to admit that when faced with losing Damon’s life, she gave up the search for Stefan in the woods, earlier than was necessary.
“I didn’t want to see you get hurt. I was worried about you,” Elena admits to a LEANING in Damon, who smiles knowingly before walking away.
Interestingly enough, it’s ELENA, who calls him back . . . much like Caroline did in HER parallel scene. She has more to say. And she’s going to make Damon hear it. “Yes, I worry about you,” she says with obvious emotion and frustration in her voice. “Why do you even have to hear me say it?”
Then Damon pulls her close to him. Tugging on her hair affectionately, and cupping her delicate face in his hands appreciatively. After all, she has given him so much more in those words than he could have hoped for. After all, the question wasn’t really about HIS needing reassurance that Elena cared about him . . . he got that, back in the Season 2 Finale. This was about ELENA finally realizing it for herself.
They look one another, right in the eyes, intensely, their faces just inches apart, feeling eachother’s breath on their faces. And then Damon says, very softly, the most beautiful words imaginable, because they are sweet, heartfelt, self-sacrificing, and SO much in line with this New Reluctant Hero Damon, who is tasked not only with keeping Elena alive, but also with keeping her happy.
“Because, when I drag my brother back from the edge and deliver him back to you. I want you to remember the things you felt when he was gone.”
And then Damon full of class, exits Elena’s room, leaving her alone to her undoubtedly dirty thoughts, and the judgy eyes of a suitcase toting Alaric, who witnessed the entire exchange (The door was open, after all!), while in the process of moving himself back into the Gilbert home.)
“Do you know what you’re doing there?” Alaric inquires, it’s a benign enough question, but the concerned and knowing look on Alaric’s face lets Elena know exactly to what he’s referring.
“I don’t know,” Elena replies honestly, and more than a bit guiltily . . .
You may not know what your going to do with Damon, yet, Elena . . .But rest assured, you will SOON! 😉
Oh, and since I LOVED this scene, so VERY, VERY MUCH, I’ve decided to include it for your viewing pleasure, here. Just click on the internal link, and watch, and rewatch to your hearts content . . .
In completely UNRELATED, and NON-ROMANTIC NEWS, Caroline’s IN SOME SERIOUS DEEP SH*T right now. And that sh*t’s got a name . . .
Who’s Your DADDY? (a.k.a. Parents Just DON’T Understand . . .)
And the award for TVD Character with the WORST PARENTS EVER goes to . . . BABY VAMP FORBES! (Tell her what she’s won, Bob!)
So, of course, as most of you already know, this week’s TVD episode ended on the massive cliffhanger that Vampire Slayer BILL is actually Caroline’s Big Gay Dad.
Look . . . it’s an Evil Elvis Impersonator Caroline’s Dad!
The look she gives the creepy guy from Heroes her seemingly cold, unfeeling father, while CHAINED UP in a dungeon for what seems like the 500th time, in her short life as a baby vamp, is extra special heartbreaking, because you just KNOW that a part of her still believes he’s actually there to SAVE her. Seriously, is it any wonder Girlfriend has TRUST issues?
But the good news, Caroline, is that you’ve WON the AWARD for Sh*ttiest Parents in Mystic Falls. I mean, that has to count for something, right. After all, the Bad Parents Competition is MIGHTY STEEP in this town. Let’s see, we’ve got Damon and Stefan, who’s dad SHOT them, rather then have them live as fangbangers. (But Stefan ate him, so I feel like we’ve gotta cut the guy a little slack.) Then there’s Matt’s Mom, who left Matt and his slutty sister to fend for themselves (Didn’t work out so well for Vicki? Did it?), while she MACKED WITH MATT’S BEST FRIEND up against a WALL at a party!
(By the way, it just occurred to me that Tyler generally seems to prefer vertical sex . . . interesting . . . perhaps it’s a Wolf Thing.)
Tyler’s Dad slapped him around a lot. But oddly enough, the fact that he NEVER ACTUALLY TRIED TO KILL HIM, actually puts him near the top of the parenting list in this effed-up town.
Same goes for Tyler’s Mom, who SHOT AND KIDNAPPED HIS GIRLFRIEND, but again, never tried to kill Tyler. So, YAY for her . . . I guess.
Only ONE of Elena’s bio parents (Isobel) tried to kill HER, by turning her over to Klaus for the Sacrifice, but she was under compulsion at the time so . . . there’s that.
“I can fly higher than a vampire bat, but you are the wind beneath my wings.”
(Let’s not forget the whole Committing Suicide in Front of her Daughter Thing.)
And her bio dad, Uncle/Father John pretty much tried to kill THE ENTIRE TOWN EXCEPT Elena, which, oddly makes him a comparatively “good” parent as well.
Rounding out the list are Jeremy’s definitely DEAD parents, and Bonnie’s invisible parents, who are probably hanging out in Hogwarts somewhere. (Definitely Deatheaters!)
Mr. Voldemort Bennett
This, of course, brings me back to LIZARD FORBES, and Vampire HUNTER BILL, BOTH of whom have now taken measures to MURDER Caroline . . . oh, I’m sorry. I meant “cure” her.
“Hey, Recapper! I’ve been helping the sister of the kid I, more or less, KILLED find her Vampire Boyfriend! So, I’m ‘good’ now. Didn’t you get the memo?”
So, yeah, that’s pretty much where we are now. Stefan and Klaus are still out frolicking. Jeremy and Matt are getting it on chilling with the ghost girls. Alaric has moved his Chunky Monkey back into his dead girlfriend’s bed. Damon and Elena are DEEPLY IN LOOOOOOOOVE continuing to take turns barging into eachother’s bedrooms, for daily, and nightly eye-sex/personal space invastion / Will they? Won’t they? makeout sessions. And Caroline is sitting pretty in Evil Daddy’s dungeon, while he decides whether he’s down with her “alternative lifestyle.” (See what I did there?)
Tune in next week, when Klaus takes Stefan on a fantastic voyage back to Boardwalk Empire . . . er . . . I mean the 1920’s, Poor Caroline gets her ass kicked some more (SAVE HER, TYLER! SAVE HER!), and Damon and Elena prepare to set off on their next rescue mission together. You can check out the promo for the episode, here:
And that’s more or less, all she wrote, for NOW anyway. Now, it’s YOUR turn. Did you LOVE this episode as much as I did? Were you digging all the ho-yay between Stefan and Klaus / Matt and Jeremy? Are you counting down the episodes before the SECOND inevitable Delena makeout sesh? What about Caroline? Has our kickass Vampire Barbie eclipsed Jeremy as the resident TVD punching bag? Please sound off in the comment section below.
Until then, Hasta La Vista, Fangbangers!
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Great episode.
First of all it was cute how Damon pushed her into that mini lake. She looked awesome all wet like that.
Poor Ric he sure is down in the dumps.
Team Ripper really is touching when all the hybrids died he called Stefan his only comrade. Kevin did say that all Klaus ever needed was just a hug.
The whole Jeremy dead vamps debacle it leads to a little theory that Vicki may not be Vicki but maybe someone or something trying to crossover to the physical plane and maybe Anna is trying to stop her or it.
Now for Mama Lockwood I loved that look on her face when Tyler was transformation pure epicness I see her slightly accepting Caroline because her son isn´t human himself and Bill might target him as well.
Now for this Bill character. I hate his guts he could very well be the modern Giuseppe Salvatore because in 1864 Papa Salvatore found out about vampires and there sons and he killed them when they tried to free Katherine. But look what happened to him in the end. Clearly he´s never met an Original which leads to think who will kill him I hope its Ripper Stefan or Elijah who kills this douchebag either them or Caroline.
One more thing. Kevin said that a Witch did in fact create vamps in the TVD verse around 930 A.D. which coincidentally that´s when Eric was turned so I gotta to ask will you retcon your TVD/TB crossover story for that? I know some people do retcon.
So it was a witch again? Really they are out of original ideas if that is true. Well that and the witches are clearly a deus ex machina in this show.
Hey East Coast Captain,
Oh, the Delena water scene was hilarious and sexy, without trying to hard to be. I LOVED it. And you are right, Ian Somerhalder is NOT the only person in the cast who looks great wet. 😉
You know, I’m happy that Matt Davis has really had the chance to showcase his acting ability of late. And Alaric Saltzman, who began as a character I could sort of take or leave, is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters on the show. Matt was SPECTACULAR as AlarKlaus, and now we are getting to see a whole other side of him, as Depressed Ric. He also has great chemistry, not just with Ian (which we already knew), but also with NINA.
(Are we SUPPOSED to think that Alaric has the hots for Elena? Probably not. But it certainly doesn’t hurt . . .)
I was also kind of happy to see Alaric sucking it up, and moving back in with Elena and Jeremy. It makes him more integral to the story. And really, these guys need one another. A friend of mine (Cherie! ;)) fears they might be setting us up to LOSE Alaric. And I really, REALLY, hope not. Because I think there is so much more they can do with him, now that he is developing independent relationships with other characters aside from Damon and the now-dead Useless Aunt Jenna.
“All Klaus ever needed was a hug,” – It really sounded that way, this week! Talk about a serious case of Unloved Sibling Syndrome! We all thought Damon was a piner, for loving Katherine for 145 years. He’s got NOTHING on Klaus, who’s still nursing his childhood issues from at least 1,000 years ago. 😉
Hmmm . . . you are right, it might not be Vicki. Or, maybe it IS Vicki, and she needs to take over another body to come back to life. or something like that. How much more fun would BONNIE be, if she acted all fun, slutty and damaged like Vicki ;). I bet I’d start to enjoy the character more. And I have a feeling Kat Graham could pull it off.
You bring up a good point about Bad Daddy Bill. You would think that the founding families would ALSO know about werewolves, since they seem to have such an intimate history with VAMPIRES. Then again, it’s possible that, since the Lockwood family CONTAINS some werewolves (in fact, during the Civil War, I’d venture to guess that MOST of the men in the family at that time had triggered the curse on themselves.), they were able to continually protect their identities, by blaming any of their kinds kill’s on the vampires.
Personally, I hope Tyler wolfs out on his ass to rescue Caroline. The moon should still be full enough on the following day for him to do that, right? 😉
the episode was FREAKING AWESOME!!!
I really loved elena and damon’s cute banter in the lake, especially when damon gave her that ‘look’ where he’s about to give in to her wishes..and of course when damon mention the ‘kissy deathbed scene’.. LOL 😉
the MOST AMAZING scene was of course damon and elena’s scene in her bedroom!! THEIR CHEMISTRY WAS REALLY EXPLODING OUT OF THE SCREEN!! seriously, can’t damon get any sweeter?? and don’t get me started on the action packed in this episode..it was an exhilirating ride, definitely a blast and so far my most favourite episode yet!!!!
Hey honeytvd! Thanks so much for your awesome comment. Damon was just PERFECTION this week, wasn’t he? You are absolutely right, he TOTALLY gets this look in his eyes, whenever he’s having one of his arguments with Elena, that says, “I’m a Big Bad Vampire, but all I have to do, is look in your eyes, and I’m total puddy in your hands.” 🙂 It’s adorable. Poor Damon . . . as tough, strong, and snarky as he is, this is clearly a guy who’s destined to be whipped for all eternity. And I love him for it.
And I just adored the “kissy deathbed scene” comment. As Tyler cleverly mentioned, you KNOW that kiss had an impact on Damon. And he’s not going to be forgetting about it for a LONG TIME. I’m glad he’s not letting Elena forget about it, either. Not that she ever could . . .
Sigh! Bedroom scenes between Damon and Elena are the BEST aren’t they? I’ve already worn out the replay button on their “Rose” moment. And it’s only a matter of time before I do the same thing with this one. The way Damon cupped Elena’s chin to bring her eyes up to his face. The way he delicately ran his fingers through her hair. The way she looked up into his face, while he was speaking, totally swept up in the moment. It doesn’t get much better than that . . . well . . . the Delena sex will be better. But we may have to wait a little while on that. 😉
The episode was great, especially with the plethora of Delena scenes. I just LOVE how the final Delena scene in 3×02 contrasted with 2×08. (Those TVD writers sure love their parallels, huh?)
In 2×08, Damon compelled Elena to FORGET that he said “I love you” because he didn’t want to burden or pressure her into feeling the same way about him. However, in 3×02, he wanted her to REMEMBER the moments they shared since Stefan’s absence; he wanted her to remember the way she felt throughout all those moments,
However, this scene felt like a heartbreaking goodbye to me as well, because if all goes according to plan, Stefan will return to Mystic Falls, and he and Elena will undoubtedly spent every moment together, thus greatly diminishing Damon’s role in Elena’s life (until he has to repeatedly save her life, that is.
I would write about Tyler, Caroline, Bill, and Stefan/Klaus, but you said everything I wanted to say. Hopefully Tyler helps out his almost girlfriend/the love of his life SOON.
Also, I’m so confused about this timeline, what month is it in Mystic Falls?!
I know school has yet to start, so late July/early August, perhaps?
Hey Amelia! Thanks so much for your insightful comment! 🙂 Ooh, what a great parallel between the “Rose” and “The Hybrid!” You are absolutely right. Not only did the scenes have the same LOOK to them, and put Elena and Damon in the same physical position, with respect to one another, they also played a lot with the concept of memory. And there WAS a sense of sadness in Damon, in this scene. Because part of him DOES feel like, by rescuing his brother, and doing the “heroic,” “honorable” think, he is also delivering the woman who he loves more than anything, right back into Stefan’s arms.
And yet, this Damon is also more CONFIDENT than we’ve seen him in past seasons, at least in terms of his relationship with Elena. Damon now KNOWS that Elena has feelings for him . . . much stronger ones than she’s willing to let herself admit. He feels strongly enough about this, that he can now afford to go about winning Elena’s heart “the right” way. Sure, Elena will probably go right back to dating Stefan, once his “soul has been saved,” and he is no longer the Ripper. But just like Stefan made it more difficult for Elena to move on with her life, by making that phantom phonecall, so too will Elena’s and Damon’s conversation during “The Hybrid,” make it impossible for Elena to ever forget what she and Damon shared while Stefan was away.
And who knows? The girl who once said, “I love Stefan. It will always be Stefan,” might just change her tune, when she actually has him back, and realizes that her feelings for DAMON haven’t gone away. 😉
Great point about the timeline. My pal Andre and I have had MANY conversations together, in which we’ve tried to piece together WHEN in the world these episodes are actually taking place. I’m guessing that the last two episodes are taking place in LATE August. In the premiere both Tyler and Elena made mention of an “entire summer” having gone by. And it does seem, based on future episode descriptions, that the NON VAMPIRE cast members of TVD will be returning to school, within the next couple of episodes. Of course, I could be totally wrong about this. 🙂
I thought this was an awesome episode. I’m feeling kind of bad for Klaus, you guys. As you know, Klaus has totally grown on me. And seeing him all sad and mopey because his hybrid zombies all died out made me feel kind of sad. Julie Plec has said that this season will show why Klaus needs some serious therapy, or at least a hug, and believe me, I wanted to hug my Mr. Sexy British Pants.
The last scene scared the shit out of me. Where Caroline is in that dungeon torture cell thing? It reminded me of Hostel, when that one guy wakes up and gets the back of his ankles cut off. I WAS SO WORRIED FOR CAROLINE!!
Ha ha, HRG hates vampires!
Tyler has won me over. I officially like him now! And I like his mom, too. I’ve never had a real problem with her. I mean, yeah it was wrong, I guess, what she did to Caroline, but she was only trying to protect her son. Understandable! But maybe now that she realizes that her son is a supernatural monster too, she’ll lay off Caroline?
Know who else I felt bad for? Ray Sutton, aka David Gallagher. Man, do Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec HATE that guy? And yikes, being a hybrid looks super painful!
I wish Stefan would drop that mopey act and have fun being a Ripper. Still not very impressed.
I was too mad at Damon’s hair to care about his scenes with Elena. Sorry.
Great recap! 🙂
I don’t think they hate the guy. But he was a newblood and newbloods never survived longer than a few episodes in this show.
Ahhh, Mr. Sexy British Pants. 😉 He DOES need therapy, doesn’t he? Let this be a lesson to all those parents out there. Be kind to your kids, or they may just end up becoming megalomaniacal hybrids trying to create a master race! 🙂 I know that some fans out there, were disappointed to get a peek at Klaus’ humanity this week, because they felt it somehow made him less frightening.
But I’m with you. I tend to like my characters three-dimensional, ESPECIALLY my super villains. There is nothing I hate more than a two-dimensional comic book bad guy, who does bad things, just because the story needs him to do them. And I find Klaus MUCH more interesting and intriguing, now that I know that there’s a REAL reason behind his actions. Plus, Joseph Morgan is just having so much FUN with this role. And that definitely comes across onscreen, in a good way.
Hmm, you know, I assumed that Caroline was still in the Lockwood Werewolf presto-chango dungeon, just in a different, slightly more remote, area than where Tyler changed in front of his mother. But you are right, it’s very possible that Bill the Vampire Slayer has a torture chamber all his own. Yuck, I REALLY don’t want to have to watch Caroline being tortured for another week, by her OWN dad. I really do hope Carol Lockwood and Tyler find her soon.
Yeah, I was never quite as mad at Carol Lockwood, as I was at Lizard Forbes, or any of the other bad parents on this show. She REALLY does seem to love her son. And I DO like that the minute she realized how much Tyler loved Caroline, and that HE was a supernatural creature too, she seemed to back off the whole “kill Caroline” thing. It would be nice to have at least ONE functional parent / child relationship on this show! SERIOUSLY!
Yeah, Seventh Heaven Guy has had a rough couple of episodes, hasn’t he? And he didn’t seem like a bad guy, either. I was kind of hoping that AT LEAST his hybridism would take effect properly, so that he’d get to reap the benefit of all that torture he suffered. But NOPE! He’s dead . . . all his friends are dead. Life sucks. Somewhere out there, Reverend Camden and Ruthie are crying . . .
As for Stefan, I think you will get your wish in next weeks episode. Goodbye Broody, hello BADASS! (Remember back a few paragraphs ago, when I said I liked my supervillains three-dimensional? Well I do . . . But I’m willing to make an exception for Ripper Stefan, if it means getting Delena together faster. 😉 Be as bad as you wanna be, Buddy!
Awww, you don’t like my future vampire husband’s hair. 😦 LOL. To be honest, I prefer it a bit shorter myself. But oddly enough, it hasn’t diminished my Delena excitement one bit. I guess love is blind. 😉
Oh Julie, I really want to love this episode because you loved it so much. However, it was probably one of my least favorite episodes so far. It just seemed so…. fragmented (I’m not good with adjectives)?
I did not buy Elena wanting to go find werewolves with just herself and Alaric. Seriously writers of the episode you want me to buy that Elena thinks she’ll be able to accomplish anything by going out in the woods (full of werewolves) so she’ll find Stefan? So let’s say she did find Stefan. What exactly was she trying to accomplish? First of all, Stefan is always with Klaus. Does Elena really want to expose herself to him so that he’ll know he didn’t successfully kill her? Second, if Stefan had the ability to walk away from Klaus and be with Elena, he’d do it. He doesn’t need to wait for Elena to come get him. OK I’m done with my rant now!
I loved Tyler this entire episode. I normally hate scenes with parents too but this one was executed really well. Tyler was the breakout star of this episode for me.
I got all happy when Elena walked into her bedroom in her pj’s at the end of the episode and found Damon standing there. The build up to these two hooking up has been intense and I cannot wait for it to happen. I hope it isn’t a total let down like the Narnia Shower Sex we got in True Blood.
When Jeremy started seeing his two ex girlfriends, I thought the two wanted the same thing from him. So when Vicki said she wanted to come back, I thought Anna wanted to come back too. The fact that Anna told Jeremy not to trust Vicki was super weird and awesome! I did not foresee that storyline going in that direction. I’m excited to see how it’s going to play out. Kayla Ewell is an AMAZING actress and she did a great job portraying Vicki on the show. However, I do not want Vicki to come back at all. I’d rather have Anna come back. I liked Jeremy + Anna much better than Jeremy + Bonnie (sorry BonBon!)
My theory on why Bonnie is missing for several episodes at a time (same thing happened last season): Katerina Graham has a music career in the works so maybe it’s in her contract that she can work her music schedule into filming schedule? By the way have you heard her single Sassy Girl? I love it!
My fav scene of the episode: When Bill walked into the chamber and a tormented Caroline looked up and said “Daddy?” I just about died of shock! I hope the writers remember that Caroline’s father is gay and they work that element into the episode. Can’t wait for next Thursday!
Hey MarBar! You raise an excellent point about Elena. For someone who despises the idea of becoming a vampire, she really does seem to have a death wish, doesn’t she? I mean, this girl is just QUEEN of the Bad Ideas! I don’t know exactly what Elena thought she would do, when she found Stefan. And she obviously KNEW she was risking her life to go on this little journey, because she gave Alaric her ring. I mean, people talk about Alaric being suicidal. But he’s got nothing on Elena! She tries to get people to kill her every week!
One thing I can say in Elena’s defense, is that, up until we learned this week, that Elena’s being alive MIGHT be the reason Klaus’ plan to create a hybrid race isn’t working, I didn’t see a real reason for Klaus to care whether Elena was still alive or not. After all, he got what he wanted out of her. He’s a hybrid now. And as villainous as Klaus is, he’s NOT a Ripper like Stefan. All his kills, so far, seem to be part of his Master Plan.
But now, of course, Elena is in MAJOR DANGER. Because if Klaus ever puts two and two together (which, eventually, he will) and realizes that the Scooby Gang tricked him, and THAT’S why he can’t create the Master Race, after 500 years of waiting to do so, he’s going to be out for BLOODY REVENGE in a huge way. In fact, he might just decide to turn Elena into a vampire, so he could torture her for all eternity, like he does with Katherine.
Oooh, after two seasons of build-up the Delena hookup is just going to be EPIC! And you are right, if Damon and Elena EVER end up have hallucinatory Narnia sex, instead of, I don’t know, something SEXY, I’m pretty sure I will break my TV! The fact that the Forwood sex scene was as deliciously juicy as it was gives me hope, though . . .
Speaking of sex scenes, Jeremy’s with Anna back in Season 1 remains one of the hottest moments on TVD. And their Handgasm Moment was a close second. When it comes to Jeremy’s love life, I will ALWAYS be Team Anna. And I do hope that we get some more interaction between the two of them, this season, than her staring moonily at him, and saying, “Don’t trust Vicki,” over and over again.
That said, the concept of two DUELING ghosts is super intriguing. It makes me wonder what sort of sinister thing Vicki is planning, and how Anna found out about it, if the two aren’t “friends” in the after life. I’m also wondering when the inevitable Ghost Cat Fight between Anna and Vicki will occur. Something tells me the male fans of this show, are just going to adore that . . . 😉
I agree with you that Bonnie has probably been out of the picture, so that Kat Graham can work on her music career. It also makes sense from a plot perspective, because, with Bonnie out of the picture, Jeremy has a better chance to explore his Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Since he is keeping them a secret from her, if she was around all the time, he probably wouldn’t be able to communicate with them, like I expect he will soon. Oh, and I’ll definitely have to check out Kat Graham’s single. Thanks so much for the scoop!
And yes, Tyler was AMAZING this week, both in his helping of Elena, his standing up to his mother, and his staunch defense of Caroline. Tyler is quickly becoming one of the strongest characters on a show that’s FILLED with strong, smart characters. And Michael Trevino is just portraying him brilliantly. I honestly can’t imagine anyone else in this role. Trevino IS Tyler Lockwood. He brings a unique mixture of masculinity and vulnerability to the role, that most actors simply wouldn’t be able to pull off. I’m glad he’s getting a bigger role in the show this season, and look forward to seeing his relationship with Caroline develop.
I can’t wait until next week, either MarBar! Delena sexual tension galore, 1920’s flashbacks, a Forwood rescue mission, the return of full-on Evil Stefan. What more could a fangirl want (aside from Delena sex, of course)? 😉
Oh, and I almost forgot, I REALLY hope they remember to make Caroline’s father gay too! (I would LOVE to meet his lover on the show. That would be great.) It’s funny, because back when they first mentioned that Caroline’s dad was gay, I immediately imagined him as being this sweet, loving guy, not unlike Blair’s dad in Gossip Girl. And I also figured that Caroline probably got her love of shopping and high quality clothing from HIM, since she certainly didn’t get it from her Mom. 😉
It just goes to show you how stereotypes can work in someone’s FAVOR, just as much as they can work against them. 😉
Hi! I’m not done reading this post yet but I just wanted to correct you on the scene where Matt and Jeremy were looking through Vicki’s stuff. The photo wasn’t knocked down. Matt laid it down and when he turned back to it after Jeremy left it was standing up.
Back to reading!
Hey there, Katoributa. You might be right about that one. I could have sworn I saw the picture fall, But it makes a lot more sense (not to mention is a lot more eerie) that Vicki would stand it up. After all, the former situation could have been blamed on the wind . . . the LATTER is definitely Ghost Work. Thanks for setting me straight! 😉
Seriously the more I watch Damon throwing Elena in the lake the funnier it gets. That is a HILARIOUS scene. hahahahhaha
Love this eisode. I actually think this is the BEST episode so far for me since TVD started. Go figure.
Elena just going ahead, thinking she knows best and doing her plan.
Alaric going with her bUT secretly letting Damon know. I agree with what Alraic said . Did she really think any sane person would go in to a dangerous situation without backup?
Well I guess Elena does because she always does it.
Great that Damon threw her into the lake to “cool” off. STILL funny. Also when Alaric,Damon and Elena was walking up the hill and Damon said to Elena ” I can help you if you want” and he made a throwing movement. Elena said ” Knowing my luck you would drop me”. Damon smirked and Alaric said ” Are you guys like 12?” hahahahhahahaha.
I seriously LOVE the dynamic of Alaric, Damon and Elena on missions together.
The lake scene with Damon/Elena arguing and fighting was sexy. Damon looked HOT.Elena sounded like a little girl when she said ” I said I
promised”.
The Stefan/Klaus scenes was more interesting this epi. Klaus getting mad because his plan did not work, Stefan trying to look like he didn’t know Elena was alive and that’s why his plan may not be working.
Jeremy/Matt scenes was okay to me. Not really interested YET in that storyline. Caro/Tyler, fam issues was more interesting.
All in all the episode was AWESOME.OHHH forgot. The ending DE scene was beautiful. I loved how Damon insisted on Elena admitting her feelings. Truthfully Elena is soo tightlipped about admitting any feelings for Damon , even an innocent one like worry, that he has to force it out of her. I think she still wants to hide behind her “epic love” of Stefan and not acknowledge that things may be changing in regards to her feelings for Damon. But worry can be for a friend too. I don’t know. Strange.
Hey Tricus! Elena flying into the water WAS hilarious wasn’t it? 😉 I wonder how many times they filmed that. I just love the way she scissors out her legs as she goes down. I have a feeling I’m going to be recycling that GIF A LOT this season. It’s just THAT GOOD! 😉
And it’s equally funny, that Damon brought it up AGAIN, during their hike. Part of what makes the Delena dynamic so awesome to watch, is that it’s not just sexy, it’s also funny and adorable, the way they bicker and snipe at one another like little kids on a playground, who have crushes on one another, but aren’t quite sure how to behave about it. Elena is typically so serious and moody. Damon has a way of bringing out the petulant, yet cutesy, preteen in Elena, which I think is an amusing aspect of their relationship.
I also love how Alaric seems so naturally attuned to the Delena dynamic. He is clearly both amused by their obvious attraction to one another, and concerned for his friend, since he undoubtedly foresees imminent heartbreak at the end of this story. That moment between Alaric and Elena at the end of the episode, where he subtly reminded Elena that she is playing with Damon heart, was beautiful, and well played by both actors.
You bring up an excellent point about Elena’s decision to retreat from the mountains, in order to save Damon’s life. You are right. It WOULD be something that a friend would do for a friend. So, why is it so hard for Elena to admit to such an innocent impulse?
But that’s just it. Elena would have no trouble admitting that she worried about her brother, or Alaric, or Caroline, or even Tyler. Yet, Elena has trouble admitting that she cares for Damon, even as a friend. I think that this is because, deep down, Elena is starting to recognize that she has MORE than platonic feelings for Damon. So, it is much easier for her to pretend that she doesn’t care about him at all.
DAMON recognizes this. And he is not about to let Elena get away with it. That’s what that last scene was all about, I think. If Damon thought that Elena cared about his safety, just as a friend, he wouldn’t have confronted her like that. But Damon is not about to let Elena deny her feelings for him to herself, or to him, any longer . . . especially not when he is about to risk BOTH of their lives to reunite her with Stefan. I love that Damon has made this decision, and refuses to pine in silence, like he did for the past two seasons. There’s just something so strong and romantic about that. 🙂
I too look forward to delving deeper into the Stefan / Klaus relationship, especially now that we’ve started to see more of Klaus’ vulnerability. Plus, now Stefan has even MORE reason to dive further into Team Ripper to PROTECT Elena, given how Elena’s being alive is what’s most likely preventing Klaus from carrying out his Master Plan. I think both aspects of the Klefan will be addressed in next week’s flashback-heavy episode. And though, in the past, the flashback episodes of TVD, have never been favorites of mine, in the past. I have high hopes for this one, in particular, for the reasons I’ve stated here. (Plus, Stefan looks pretty sexy with 1920’s hair.)
I haven’t checked the TWOP forums yet, but while reading this recap, I suddenly remembered something Bill said to Mrs. Lockwood. He said, “I’ve been dealing with this for over 150 years.” Who the hell IS he?!
Please correct me if I’m misremembering, because now this is going to drive me crazy!
I think your memory is misleading in this case. I checked and his words were “My family is commited to this fight for nearly a 150 years.” So it is either that he is the original link to the Forbes instead of Caroline’s mother or that he is from another hunter family.
I thought he said that she married into their family so does that mean that Caroline and Tyler are loosely related? I was wicked confused about that and I really hope that I’m wrong!
Hey Kristina. I could be wrong, but I actually think that Bill’s comment to Carol, was just about her marrying into the Lockwood family. I think the thing about the Founding Families on the show is that they are the only ones who know about the vampires in Mystic Falls. And they’ve also been raised to fear and hate them. Since Carol married into the Lockwood’s, when she married the mayor, she probably knew nothing about vampires until she was in her 20’s, and was allowed a seat on the council, due to her husband was.
I don’t think Bill is a Lockwood, fortunately. So, Caroline and Tyler are most definitely NOT related. I’m thinking that Bill is either a Forbes or a Fell, which is why he was practically born, knowing about, and hating, vampires.
What’s interesting though, is that from the way, Bill and Sheriff Forbes tell it, you would think that they were RAISED to think vampires were evil. That makes me wonder why Elena, Jeremy, Tyler and Caroline, all of whom were raised into Founding Families, were not taught about vampires at all. Rather, each learned about vampires, through direct interaction with them. I wonder how different each of these characters would be, if they were raised to hate vampires, the like Sheriff Forbes, Bill, and Uncle/Father John were raised.
Hey Nina, having rewatched the scene you mentioned, I do think that Bill’s comment was meant to imply that he was a member of one the founding families (all of whom were raised to despise vampires, and have collectively lived in Mystic Falls for over 150 years), as opposed to HIM actually being alive for 150 years. I could be wrong though.
This does, however, bring up an interesting issue, as Andre suggested in his reply. I had always assumed that Caroline’s MOM was part of the founding families, and that Forbes was her maiden name. This would explain her position on the council. But if BILL is the Forbes in the family, it brings up all sorts of interesting issues. For one, why would Caroline’s mother not revert back to her maiden name, after separating from Caroline’s father? And second, if Lizard WASN’T a founding family member, why would she be allowed into the inner circle that knows about vampires? And why would she hate them so much that she’d be willing to kill her own daughter for being one?
Perhaps, Bill is a member of one of the OTHER founding families. Since he’s not a Lockwood, a Gilbert, or a Forbes, that would make him a Fell, I guess. 🙂
But why call himself Forbes than? I mean considered his age, that would be a very unusual decision for a white American man.
Hi Julie! IMO this was so much better than last week’s premiere! 😀
I liked the twists in Tyler’s story: Tyler’s mom not knowing about the werewolf thing shows that the Lockwoods surely played that particular secret close to their vest. Then again, Mason was gone longer than he was ever in MF, and I’m rather sure that Tyler’s dad never triggered the curse… But she does seem quite accepting of it, and also more accepting of Caroline, now that she’s found out her son too is a ‘monster’ that might very well end up on the council’s hitlist.
Caroline’s dad: didn’t see that one coming… Of course he has to be the link to the founding families: as Caroline is also a Forbes, it stands to reason that her dad would be as well, no? So sheriff Forbes has probably been let in on the secret, just like Carol (unless any of them are also founding family members, but we don’t know their maiden names).
Stefan/Klaus: well, being Elena is certainly a hazardous occupation in MF; makes me wonder how long it’ll take before Klaus starts to put 2 and 2 together… I get you, Julie, on the waste of a wristsucking homoerotic moment between them, but I think the bottle signifies that Klaus ‘respects’ Stefan more than those wolfies: he makes the effort to pour his blood into a bottle… Also, think of the similarities with Damon’s dognip-cure, that was also poured to him in a bottle. I do wonder whether Damon and Stefan (and Katherine) might not be immune to werewolf nips now (like if one had a certain flu and develops a resistance), having been bitten and cured? Or would that be gone once Klaus’ blood leaves their system after a while? Otherwise it would be a totally cool extra superpower 😀
Finally, Delena: you kind of wrote it all here… Loved Damon throwing Elena in the water and then just wading in after her 🙂 and yes! the eye-sex in the water (vampires taking a dunking = hot: remember Eric high on Claudine?) and of course the ending of the ep: so promising that Elena at least admits that she doesn’t know where that’s going… 😀 Love Alaric calling her on that! He’s totally watching out for his buddy Damon there 😉
I had a lot of laughs with this recap: great work, great gifs, Julie!
Hey serendipity! I totally agree! While I definitely enjoyed “The Birthday,” “The Hybrid,” actually had more of a “premiere” feel to it, in terms of all of the pivotal character interactions that took place here, and all of the “game-changer” type things that happened during the hour. My friend Andre and I were actually discussing whether the two episodes could have feasibly been switched, without continuity issues. I think we ultimately decided that (by making a few tweaks to the script) they probably could have, with the exception of FORWOOD’S storyline. And far be it for me to postpone hot Forwood sex! So I guess, in that sense the producers made the right decision by putting “The Birthday” first.
We’ve also all been trying to piece together how that pesky Founding Family Tree works. I think your explanation is probably the best. Lizard Forbes has another maiden name (Maybe SHE’S a Fell?), but was brought into the Council fold, either when she first married Bill, or when she became a Sheriff. Carol Lockwood also was brought into the fold, upon marrying the Mayor, and, therefore doesn’t have the same natural distaste for supernaturals that those directly descended from Founding Families do. Just as Sheriff Forbes’ interaction with the Scooby Gang FINALLY clued her in to the fact that “vampires are people too,” I’d like to think that Carol’s realization that she’s spent half of her life married to a potential werewolf, and has probably interacted with PLENTY of very “nice” werewolves, ever since she married the mayor, including her own son, will enable her to develop a tolerance for Supernaturals, that will make her ultimately an ally to Tyler and Caroline. Because, we all know, Caroline needs an ally now!
I grudgingly admit that you do have a point about Klaus’ allowing Stefan to drink his blood from a bottle, as opposed to from his arm, like the other hybrids, made for a nice congenial moment of mutal respect between the two. (Of course, Stefan still has to act like Klaus’ b*tch most of the time, by killing his conquests, and chasing after disobedient hybrids. But it’s certainly progress!) So, yeah, I can understand why Klaus didn’t have Stefan drink from his wrist or his neck, as sexy as that would have been to watch. But hey, Klaus could have differentiated Stefan from those other failed hybrids in another way . . . he could have bit his lip. 😉 Get it? Yeah, I’m naughty . . . and proud of it. 😉
Ooh, and I love your idea about were rabies being kind of like chicken pox. Once you get it and are cured, you never have to get it again! Because LORD KNOWS we don’t want to have to watch another Were-Rabies Centric episode. So, it would help a lot, if three of the most vulnerable to were-rabies characters couldn’t get the “disease” again. That WOULD be a cool superpower. Way better than Elena’s Doppelganger, “I can die for Klaus’ sins” superpower, and Lafayette from TB’s, “I open my mouth, and disgruntled ghosts fly in” super power! 😉
You are right about vampires and water . . . being wet makes EVERYTHING better . . . Eric and Damon are both evidence of that. And who knows, maybe Damon and Elena will give us the shower sex we were denied by Seric. Keeping it kosher for prime time television would probably be difficult, but not impossible. 😉
And, like you, I did think Alaric’s calling out Elena on playing with Damon’s heart, was pretty darn cool. Someone has to do it! Personally, I’d love to see a scene where Damon and Alaric gossip about Elena over beers, like we got to see in your fanfic! That would be awesome. Speaking of your fanfiction, did you notice the similarity between Damon’s and Stefan’s conversation about Stefan’s phantom phone call, on the show and YOUR depiction of Damon’s and Stefan’s conversation about Stefan’s phantom LETTER in your fanfic? MAN, you really SHOULD write for this show!
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6941538/1/Shadowdancing
Oh, and I’m SO sorry I missed your reply to our Brother-to-Brother post! I swear, I’ve been sleep deprived these past two weeks, I’m lucky if I can just keep my head on straight. I’ll definitely have to go find it, so I can read. 🙂
First you made another mistake in your recap: Elena has no sister; I guess you meant her “now-dead aunt”. Albeit the actress playing her could be a sister considered her age.
Well, I can definitely say that the episode was way more satisfying than the last one and I fully agree that it would have made a much better first episode for this season. Not only was their barely any Forewood, it had much better acting and gave Roerig something to actually do. This episode gave me a lot more to think about considering background and of course to criticize the writers. Nice to see at least Alaric’s arsenal back, even if he still was kinda useless. And your joke regarding Elena and the ring has a ring (no pun intended) of truth to it if you ask me.
I liked that Klaus now can’t just go and make his army but I don’t get too attached to it, this show is too crazy to do that. I wouldn’t be so sure about Elena being alive preventing the whole hybrid plan, for now this could simply be the main plot line until episode 14 to keep her in danger and then the stuff will go another way again
However I am still convinced that the show sugar-coats vampires, werewolves and witches. It basically blames prejudice and ignorance and totally ignores the darker aspects of these beings. In the case of werewolves this might be justified, however considered how they actually become what they are it would be naïve to think that all of them triggered the curse by accident; at least a fair number of them must be actual killers.
However this dichotomy could in no way be applied to the other two. They would know what they are doing and simply stating that most of them are good and just misunderstood doesn’t match with reality if you ask me. Fears don’t come out of nowhere and considered the, supposedly, intense emotions of the vampires and the lure of power each witch probably feels would almost assure that some of them turn into monsters.
For me Delena is “been there, done that and bought the T-shirt”, therefore I won’t say much about them. And you are so right, you cannot trust Elena Gilbert. Of course Elena gets her way again. Seriously the next thing we need is a masked serial killer.
We need somebody to really tell Elena no. And it was very naïve of her to think that Alaric would not call Damon. I mean hello, this is the guy who was investigating behind her back for weeks now.
I doubt Klaus has much of a paternal side. I think his comment was rather a mock gesture. Or he was just bored. And Klaus and not accepted by his family … maybe, but Elijah’s actions considered him speak a different language.
However Klaus doesn’t simply have what it takes to be a Drag Queen; he clearly is a full blown diva.
I mean, how would you call someone who gets a hissy fit because he didn’t got what he wanted? And what is so important about it anyway? Isn’t he supposedly “the most feared of the Originals”? So why the hurry and since we’re at it, just because he might succeed to create hybrids doesn’t mean that they won’t rise up against him, not to mention if the current scene was his typical modus operandi I wonder whether he has thought it through since he would always need werewolves to create new hybrids.
If you ask me the scene with Tyler and Elena was rather another example that the writers might not know what they are doing when it comes to the TVD verse. First off all, true, Tyler was away for a month, however whether that is enough to learn that much is questionable, so we might have another example of the writers not paying attention to the timeline.
And that remorse stuff is still weird for me. Seriously if I were Caroline I wouldn’t really bother with it, not after what Damon has done. But seemingly such stuff doesn’t count on this show, but in reality people don’t simply forgive that easily. Of course she could be repressing but considered the pacing of the show we might never know.
And since we’re at it: I think Andie just died the previous day (not days as you said at the start of your recap) and Elena only got it from the news. Elena says at the start of the episode that Stefan had called her the previous night. In addition when someone ingests vampire blood and dies that person awakes after a few hours so episode 2 happens right after episode 1. Nonetheless those other were-vamp misfits awoke much faster if you ask me.
And isn’t it weird that none of the werewolves seemed to have been in his/her thirties or older? Not really a good job in my eyes. Not to mention that they are supposedly near extinction and now they just pop up like that? And this “enjoying it” talk of Tyler seems again like some sort of shallow explanation. First, what is there to enjoy? The transformation is painful and clearly still takes time and so far there is no hint that they can remember what happened during the wolf-phase. Of course these hardly could be of that kind since they had a human with them, one they are obviously attached to. That there was a human was a bit strange anyway, shouldn’t he be in danger the next full moon? And I think he was the only one in the pack who was actually above his twenties.
In addition the werewolves are so fast that they could cover miles in minutes if not seconds, they could easily find humans or vampires so such a free reign would only keep them from mass murder and going lost if enough other life is nearby to keep them in one area, so deserts would be pretty useless unless the writers think that werewolves attack really everything alive even rats and small birds. Not to mention that based on Jules’ behavior in season 2 this would mean mass-slaughter of big game and even in such a remote area that would not go unnoticed due to dead bodies lying around and big gatherings of carrion birds. They would have to move every time to not attract too much attention and considered there speed they not only need enough wildlife but the area must be remote enough to make relatively sure they couldn’t reach settled areas in one night and there aren’t many of them left, not when you can run that fast and not in the USA. Of course someone who knows what to look for could easily find them, and possibly not even then, considered the huge amount of carrion feeders such carnage would attract. So in this episode this remote location would only make sense to chain up and be away from prying eyes and ears. Again these writers lack depth when it comes to stuff like that.
Not to mention, why should a hybrid not be restricted by the full moon? Where did that come from and it still doesn’t look like they could change at will, and who would do it anyway considered the pain? And why de fuck did that wolf just stand in front of Elena instead of attacking Damon outright? Is it the mysterious hybrid status again? If yes why did he attack Damon when he was back in human form? Maybe that will ever be explained but I doubt it.
Then there is the stuff with the wolfsbane, looks like the hybrid-status didn’t get rid of that. Or was it because they were imperfect hybrids? Wouldn’t surprise me at all, if that will be the explanation.
Ok I could think of a reason why the moon doesn’t hold a hybrid, but that would require a scenario where the werewolves once really weren’t restricted by the moon but later where via some spell or so. This spell would say that they have to as long as they live and by dying and rise again as a vampire they would technically no longer be alive.
By the way, did Klaus pick them all up or why is it that seemingly none of them managed to flee? I mean the whole blood-feeding and killing stuff takes time so at least some should have managed it.
And yeah it is strange that some of the werevamps had to be killed while others simply bled out. Is that an individual trait based on stamina or what is the reason? And considered that Ray was rabid; interesting that he could put his clothes back on wasn’t it? And the incentive the wolf needed to attack Damon was some whistling? Doesn’t make any sense; not when considered that in human form the guy attacked Damon outright.
And you mixed something up again: Ray run off before the others got fed by Klaus, anyway the guy held on much longer than the others. I think this is the same inconsistency as the one between Damon and Rose when they were bitten by werewolves, just this time it is more obvious because it happens in one episode.
And no he didn’t bite Stefan at the same place Damon was bitten; Damon had the bite a tad more closer to the elbow joint. But since we are at the point of werewolf bites: if the witches knew that Klaus’ blood was the cure this must have been before his curse was lifted. As to yet we don’t know whether the other Originals have the same ability but considered Elijah’s words we must assume that they have. So Klaus blood would have had the same properties back then, but since the curse is at least mostly triggered, shouldn’t his blood be different now in some way, so why should it still have the same ability? Of course it has some other abilities, like sounding like water or lemonade when being poured into a bottle. 😀
The werewolves probably use internet, why shouldn’t they? And actually the girl said “You’re the hybrid”, which is pretty weird in my eyes as well since, how the fuck does she know about this? Because let’s say she does, werewolves most either have contact with witches or vampires and the latter case makes this whole enemy thing really look stupid. Not to mention that Klaus must have had word gotten out, despite the fact that only two months ago he was considered a legend even for most vampires. This makes it weird that he only has Stefan with him and only searches for werewolves himself. If word gotten out shouldn’t he have underlings searching and if he fears that they get what he is up to, shouldn’t no one know, who and what he is? Considered this only comrade speech by Klaus it is especially strange that this werewolf-chick knew who he was.
You know, I didn’t notice at the time but that picture of Jeremy actually does look like he’s kinda horny for Matt and currently draws in a breath because of it. And Matt is genetically similar to his sister, so why not. 😀
As for Matt working out, I think his has better abs since season 1. But I am sure you noticed. 😉
And lucky for Jeremy this is TVD-verse where the stuff on the internet actually brings reliable and age old information about the supernatural. Really when you search for werewolf folklore on the net you still mostly get stuff that is clearly inspired by movie-werewolves.
Furthermore you mixed something up again. The picture didn’t get knocked over; it was suddenly erect after Matt had laid it on the box picture down.
And I guess many of your readers would have loved it if these two had played “Let’s play Strip Ouiji Board.” Albeit I admit I have no idea how that would have worked. Would they have taken off the piece of cloth the board tells them?
And I guess you would rather eat Jacob than Edward, hm? 🙂
It was nice to see a character actually still mourning for the loss of a loved one; the others are far too stoical now. It was obvious how Matt was affected by this whole ghost stuff. In addition this episode showed that Caroline obviously did not tell Matt everything like at least some Forwooders claim.
Hard to tell whether Vicky really referred to the “land of the living”, however I guess your take on her statement is probably right. If not I guess it wouldn’t be far from what the writers had in mind.
That Anna is seemingly antagonistic to Vicky is a bit surprising especially considered their simultaneous appearance at the end of season 2. Maybe Vicky will come back with a vengeance as stated by the actress, not that I get why, except for immature teenage behavior.
Ok, now to Tyler and his mom. First Mrs. Lockwood said that she had a rough week and stress. Furthermore she didn’t insinuate that Caroline is a prostitute, she said that Caroline shouldn’t sneak out like one because it speaks of questionable behavior, that is a difference in my eyes. And considered Tyler’s last girlfriend, is it really so hard to believe that he has another girl with questionable ethics around? Not to mention that at this moment Caroline was a monster in her eyes.
I doubt that it was intended that way since so far the show shows no signs of the writers thinking that deep but Tyler’s heightened sense of smell could be the reason he is able to taste the vervain. As far as I know our tongue is only able to differentiate 4 kinds of taste and the rest are actually due to our sense of smell, so heightened sense of smell might lead to heightened sense of taste. I colleague of mine has some experience and according to her the vervain would need to be very diluted to not be detected by humans since it has a very strong smell and taste. But I guess the most likely explanation would be that they needed a way for Tyler to know what is going on and therefore introduced it. Think about it, now when it’s too late they have vervain in the coffee. Well it would have been a good idea months ago if you ask me, not to mention if it was supposedly there all the time (as some might claim) the vampires would have had to be drawn out much earlier since many people drink coffee. Again makes me question whether the writers really know what they are doing in that regard.
I am sure you would love it if Matt would lure Tyler into a three-way with Jeremy. Who do you think would pitch and catch in such a scenario? 😉
Anyway I like to think that your words regarding Matt are due to your sense of humor. I think that Matt at the same time tries to repair his relationship with Tyler and not show what he thinks. His face clearly spoke of some sort of being pissed, possibly at Tyler. No wonder in my eyes, since Tyler doesn’t even seem to notice Matt’s face. Not surprisingly for me since Tyler is still pretty self-absorbed and emotionally immature.
I can see more why Tyler and Caroline gravitate at each other (no love, I still regard that as totally unrealistic), they are both equally dumb. Seriously, you don’t have sex with friends and feel so awkward afterwards. And as for Tyler “defending” Caroline, well he was kinda obliged to after he was too chicken to do that for Vicky, so no, in my eyes no sign of “love” in addition his old man is out of the picture now so maybe that had something to do with it. And if it is a sign of love, that would only proof how egoistic he still is, that he doesn’t even feel the need to state it clear about Vicky as well, because that was most likely who Mrs. Lockwood was referring to in my eyes.
Not to mention that Caroline is founding family stock so probably her status is generally considered higher in Mystic Falls.
Of course this might all just be another example of the writers and producers concentrating on the main three and therefore lacking with the other characters, possibly leading to inconsistencies again.
Since I am at it, it just occurred to me again that this whole Vervain and Wolfsbane scenario is kinda inconsistent within itself. Think of it and go back to what was shown us so far. Vervain was applied to skin and eyes (the torture of Stefan) and Wolfsbane to the skin, both in dried and diluted form. In both cases it not only burnt the skin, it practically emitted smoke. However when ingested in diluted form whether orally or subcutaneously it weakens or paralyzes them. So shouldn’t they actually burn on the inside when the stuff is in their body?
As for another inconsistency I just noticed:
In the first episode of the current season Damon refers to the state of the two dead RAGs as the reason why Stefan is called “the Ripper”, you know that he rips them apart. However that is inconsistent with what was said in season 2 by both Klaus and Lexi. Both of them referred to Stefan as “a ripper” not “the Ripper”. The first is a category of vampire while the second one is a title specifically for Stefan as though he is the only one, or the first one. But regarding Lexi referring to him as such back in the 19th century this cannot be. Her statement that Stefan is “a ripper” clearly shows that this category was known by her before meeting Stefan.
As for Mrs. Lockwood not knowing about the cellar, which is not below the house but far away in the woods, that explanation from season 2 actually makes sense. It is no secret that in the past many slave-owners only kept their slaves in working shape and nothing more, in addition when you consider what is supposedly the average state of education the everyday American citizen has (no offense) it is realistic that she never asked about this part of the woods simply because “no one wants to talk about the old days.” Let’s face it how many of us did not grow up with distorted images about the wild west, Second World war, etc and believed it without question?
Man I knew you would like the nipple picture. 😉
And I guess you would love it if Trevino, or any of the guys in the show would have a “Jacob contract”, right? 😀
To get serious again, I guess the transformation speed, which is not shown here, changes according to the writers’ whims just like the heightened emotions, the speed of a werewolf bite reaction, the behavior of the wolf-form, vampire strength, etc. 😦
So I wouldn’t put too much weight in it. I mean, it was weird that Tyler was completely dry and clean this time wasn’t it? Remember how he looked the last time and especially after the first time? So it is basically the writers’ whims at work here and nothing more in my opinion.
As for her reaction, well maybe there is something to it that she “married into it”. She wasn’t brought up in the belief. It seems that so far the only person brought up into the culture of vampire slaying might really be John Gilbert and he was only rarely featured. So maybe this introduction of Caroline’s father would proof beneficial for us in the regard that we get to know more background.
Won’t say anything about bad parents here. Let’s wait until next episode.
When I saw the Bill guy for the first time one of my first thoughts was that this might be Caroline’s dad, well that and that he looks like a slightly fatter version of the horn-rimmed glasses guy from Heroes. But now I checked his pictures again and I can’t help it; is that the same actor? Well you answered that question for me.
However I dismissed the dad theory later on after his 150 years of vampire slaying family history later on because I assumed that the Forbes line was continued due to Caroline’s mother. Of course it could still be possible that the guy is from another line and took Liz’s name. However if not, this is a bid sad for me because I liked it that at least in one case the line was continued via a woman and not a guy. Kinda makes you wonder why that is.
Anyway Carol Lockwood’s statement about Caroline as a baby also made me think about how close all the people were and whether their children’s friendships were pure coincidence. Albeit it didn’t have seemed to work out with Jeremy and Tyler, well, probably due to Vicky and Tyler’s douchiness (which miraculously disappeared *rolleyes*, well I am not giving up hope to see it again, after all dumb and self-absorbed Tyler appeared in this episode).
Also makes it a bit sad for Matt since he really would have been the only one of the still living people on the show that would have a realistic chance to get out of it all.
Ahh, what you don’t know, Andre, is that I secretly insert errors into my recaps, to see if readers can find them. Just kidding, I don’t do that. I’ve already changed the Useless Aunt Jenna write-o you mentioned. So, thank you for the heads up. I can’t even call it a typo, because it’s a completely different WORD. 🙂 But heck, after 48 hours with virtually no sleep, I’m lucky I can write a complete, grammatically correct sentence, let alone 8,000 words! So, I try not to be too hard on my own inevitable slip-ups. 🙂
You are right about Elena and Alaric. If this was “real life,” Elena would probably marry Alaric in her twenties, which, if my calculations are correct, will be about when Alaric is beginning his mid-life crisis. 🙂 That, of course, assumes she manages to remain alive and human into her twenties, which is debatable . . . and that ALARIC gets to live to see 40, which is also debatable.
I too am intrigued by the fact that, because Elena didn’t actually die, once she was reawakened, Klaus lost his ability to turn others into successful hybrids. After all, she WAS dead at the time Klaus completed the Sacrifice, which would explain why HE was able to complete the ritual. But now she’s ALIVE, and the witches’ curse suddenly has meaning again. (Who knew ancient curses could be so literal, right?) But I agree with you, that the writers will somehow come up with a loophole for this, if they want to continue to keep Klaus around, as a viable threat to the Scooby Gang for at least the rest of this season, if not, beyond.
LOL at your “been there, done that, bought the t-shirt comment” with respect to Delena. Touche, at your using the words from my e-mail against me. 🙂 That definitely made me giggle.
Please allow me to defend my SHIP a bit. 🙂 It’s not that love/ hate relationships like Delena haven’t been done before. They definitely have!
I like Damon and Elena as a couple, because I think they are hot together, plain and simple. I’m massively attracted to Ian Somerhalder. And I love the character of Damon Salvatore. I love him, even though, yes, in many ways, he fits the profile of the typical “bad boy, who has the ability to be turned to mush by the right woman.” (Cliches work for a reason, after all.)
I also think that Ian and Nina have great chemistry together as Damon and Elena. Whether this can solely be attributed to their REAL LIFE attraction and budding relationship bleeding onto the screen, of course, remains to be seen. But for now, I like their storyline, not because it’s necessarily unique, but, rather, because I find their back-and-forth, and verbal foreplay, enjoyable and sexy.
By the way, do you have a SHIP on this show? I’ve always wondered what TV couple “floats your boat?” If you don’t have one on TVD, I’d love to hear your take on other TV couples, and which ones really get you going . . . 😉
Here’s the thing about Klaus. Yes, his little outburst in “The Hybrid,” initially seemed a bit histrionic and immature for a 1,000 plus year old vampire. But revisiting it, I think it makes sense. I mean, this is someone who’s waited 1,000 years, not just to be feared, but to be worshipped. And in all his time on Earth, as powerful as he became, he’s never really earned anyone’s respect.
You are right. In some ways, Elijah seemed to behave as Klaus’ lapdog, in those flashbacks. But I think that might have been more out of brotherly regard, and Elijah’s own, naturally pensive nature, than genuine fear. There’s an element of the Golden Boy versus the Black Sheep of the family in Elijah’s and Klaus’ interactions with one another. Beneath their exchanges I always noticed some resentment and jealousy on Klaus part, and just a smidge of pity on Elijah’s. And I think their childhood is where that stems from.
So, about the timeline for this episode, I was actually intentionally vague in that part of my recap. (If you notice, my first mention of Andie, stated that she died “yesterday.”) Here’s why I think it’s actually unclear what the time gap between the first episode and the second is in TVD-verse.
From CAROLINE AND TYLER’S interactions alone, one would think that this episode occurs the next morning. After all, the only person wondering where Caroline is, is Tyler. And I don’t think that would be the case, if she was gone longer. Tyler’s exchange with his mother also had a “morning after” feel, as did Matt’s and Jeremy’s exchange with one another.
The ONLY exchange that called the timeline into question was Damon’s and Elena’s at the beginning of the episode. For one thing, the news report of Andie’s death, didn’t have the feeling of “Breaking News.” Rather, it reminded me a lot of ANDIE’S reporting of the people Rose had killed, back in Episode 13 . . . If a local news reporter dies, like Andie did, in the office, the FIRST news reports, upon discovering the body, would be frantic and filled with gaps, in terms of how she died and why. This news report, already seems to have established that she fell from the rafters or committed suicide, something that would have taken a couple of days to figure out.
The other source of confusion was Elena’s comment that Damon hadn’t returned her phone calls. It implied that she had been calling him, without a response for, at least a couple of days. I mean, if this was the morning after the party, Damon’s lack of response to Elena’s calls wouldn’t have seemed like such a big deal. I mean, most people DO sleep in after a night of drinking. And I’m sure Damon is no exception.
Since we are on the subject of timeline nitpicks :), I recognize that Seventh Heaven Guy died AFTER the other new hybrids. The reason I mention his death BEFOREHAND, has more to do with the style of my recaps, than a lack of understanding of the timeline on my part. As lengthy as these recaps, are, trust me, they would be MUCH longer, if I attacked them, scene-by-scene, as opposed to the way I DO cover them, which is storyline-by-storyline.
Because, I considered Seventh Heaven Guy’s attack of Damon, and subsequent death. to be more relevant to the Damon / Elena / Alaric storyline than to the Klaus / Stefan one, I included it in that part of my recap, as opposed to in the later part, where I discussed the other Hybrids.
In terms of Seventh Heaven Guy surviving LONGER as a hybrid than the others, I also gave this a little thought. At first, I, like you, found it to be a bit of an inconsistency. I mean, what made him so special, that he got to be the ONLY successful hybrid of the bunch? Then I realized, that even though Seventh Heaven Guy was KILLED and drank Klaus’ blood long before the other hybrids, he actually only BECAME a vampire, a few minutes before the rest of them did. After all, a vampire’s transition isn’t really considered complete until the baby vamp drinks human, blood, right? And Seventh Heaven Guy only drank human blood, after he arrived at the camp.
I guess we are supposed to assume that had Stefan NOT de-hearted Seventh Heaven Guy to save Damon, he probably would have bled out anyway, within twenty minutes or so . . .
Great point about the AGE of the werewolves though. Maybe they only showed us a portion of them, but most of them DID seem to be in their teens and twenties (30 at most.) You would think that a werewolf pack, like that would include AT LEAST one 40 or 50 something, if not someone older. Since we DO have yet to meet, a middle-aged or elderly werewolf, I can’t help but wonder whether there is something in the werewolves’ genetic makeup, once they are turned, that prevents them from lasting above a certain age. I’ve read a couple of werewolf stories, where early mortality is an issue.
And good point about the human in the pack, seeming convenient, since being around a bunch of werewolves at the time of their transformation would undoubtedly put him in danger. Maybe he planned on leaving, once they started to change. I guess we will never know. What’s interesting about the werewolves on TVD, is that they are actually a bigger threat to VAMPIRES, than they are to humans, since for humans a werewolf bite, while painful, is not necessarily fatal. It doesn’t even put them at risk for becoming werewolves themselves, since this storyline seems to be sticking to a purely genetic bent, when it comes to who is and isn’t a werewolf.
Of course, we have yet to see the werewolves bite any humans on this show, so, perhaps, I am mistaken.
As for Matt, yeah, someone else corrected me on the “erectness” of picture featuring him and Vicki. Good catch. Kind of a minor thing, in terms of plot though, right? And I’m shocked you didn’t pick up on Jeremy looking aroused by Shirtless Matt, when you first watched the episode. I thought for SURE that was why you selected that particular screencap. 😉 In fact, I remember opening that particular image, and laughing out loud, thinking, “Wow, Andre is really FEEDING me the Ho-Yay this week, to make sure, I don’t miss it like last time, isn’t he?”) 😉
WARNING, to those of you readers, who don’t like SLASH FICTION, skip this part of my comment please:
Hmmm, a Tyler, Jeremy, Matt threesome. Wow, THAT would be a GREAT fanfiction. How would it go? I think it would start with just Jeremy and Tyler. Jeremy would be the first to make a move, since he seems more comfortable with his sexuality than the other two. Because Jeremy would be the initial aggressor, I suspect he would probably be on top, at first, until Tyler got comfortable enough to overpower him. (I used to think Tyler’s alpha male issues would prevent him from ever being a bottom, but the Forwood sex scene proved me wrong.)
Matt would probably walk in on them, and watch for a while, shocked and aroused, until Jeremy motioned him to join in. I actually think, based on his sex scenes with Caroline, that Matt is fairly a receptive, and giving, if shy and clumsy lover. Jeremy and Tyler would probably have to do most of the work, with him, at first. Fortunately, he seems like a fast learner, and would eventually play his part well.
SLASH CONCLUDED. 🙂
As for Tyler and Caroline, I actually think it makes sense that there would be the inevitable awkwardness following the transition between friend and lover, especially, before you’ve had the talk.
I mean, Caroline doesn’t know where she STANDS with Tyler yet. Tyler seems pretty sure of what he wants, but Caroline is pretty new to discovering her own romantic feelings towards Tyler. Before she was shot by Mama Lockwood, she was inevitably thinking, “What happens when he wakes up? What will he say? What will I say? Will we talk about it, or just act like it was a drunken horny fling? Are we lovers now, or are we still just friends? Do, I help him with his transformation, as I had planned to do? Or will that be awkward now that we know one another in the carnal sense?”
By leaving Caroline was just postponing the inevitable. Was it a cowardly thing to do? Perhaps. But I think it’s a normal and natural initial response for someone who’s not necessarily used to casual sex. So, I cut her some slack for it.
As for Tyler’s mom. You are right, she didn’t actually say, “your girlfriend is a prostitute.” But using the term in reference to Caroline, was definitely an intentional comparison on her part . . . one that wasn’t lost on Tyler, and one that he was quick to correct.
Carol Lockwood, once she realized that her son wasn’t a vampire, wanted to protect her son. And it would be easier for her to do that by belittling Caroline, and planting the seed in Tyler’s head that he was better than her, than telling him the REAL reason, why she couldn’t see him. As for Vicki, I don’t think Carol ever knew about the two of them together. (To be honest, I don’t remember if that was ever addressed, back in Season 1). If she did, I’m sure she would not approve, which is why Tyler hid Vicki from his family. But Carol’s disapproval of Caroline, regardless of what she said, was more out of concern for Tyler’s safety, than a judgment on Caroline’s virtue, or lack thereof.
I do think you are right about Tyler though. I think that his werewolf tastebuds, were what enable him to taste the vervain, both in his mom’s coffee, and the coffee at the only bar / social establishment in Mystic Falls. After all, Tyler had probably been eating and drinking at the Mystic Grill his whole life, and been vervained many times. But this may have been his first post-werewolf coffee at the Grill, which is why he noticed the difference. You are right, in that it was a plot device. But I actually think it was a pretty clever one.
This was fun. Thanks again for your screencapping and commentary brilliance. It’s always a pleasure. One final question for you: Who’s your favorite TVD character? I’m going to guess either Jeremy or Matt. Am I right? 😉
Oh man, two comments to respond too. Puh; that is some work. But I managed it before and I will do it again, even after putting the next Teen Wolf and TVD smut on the net.
And yes Julie you are totally right, it is debatable whether Bella… ups Elena of course :D, will make it into her twenties. Of course it is questionable whether we will ever see her in her twenties considered the pacing of the show, again. Think about how much later can the next episode be in the timeline?
I hadn’t actually thought of a loophole when speaking about the fact that Klaus can’t make hybrids, I was just referring to the possibility that after half of the season it will be like “no that is not it” again. In both last seasons they did it that way that after episode 14 the plot got changed. I think that it was maybe introduced to have Elena in danger again. *rolleyes*
Not that this would be necessary since she pretty much runs into it by herself.
Well since I am neither attracted to Doberow nor Sommerhalder at least one of your arguments doesn’t work in the first place for me. And Clichés often don’t work for me, maybe if there is smut involved but usually not more. At least I think.
And I find their back-and-forth neither enjoyable nor sexy. It is just predictable for me and there is no tension or suspense for me there. Sorry, but I think that is something we will disagree on for at least a while. It is just this old one-girl-two-guys is so common in my eyes, I stopped caring about or enjoying it. Maybe if I could get a break from something like that for a while, but the way it is now I probably will only enjoy it if it is done in an Original way and so far the show failed in that regard. It is the same with Forwood, this whole vamp-were-love thing has become such a cliché in such a short time I can sometimes barely stand it anymore, especially if the whole enmity is done so poorly as in this show.
As for your question regarding ships:
On this show I don’t really have one. Maybe that is what keeps me interested in other possibilities, to be honest I wouldn’t mind at all if Caroline dies next episode, albeit I am pretty sure that she won’t, because it would open new possibilities. Albeit considered the way the writers let the characters handle death of others on this show, this would be rather pointless anyway.
And no, I have no ship right now in any series. Well I don’t watch many anyway these days. I prefer literature.
Ok, I learned a new word; I didn’t even know that “histrionic” existed. 😀
But I wonder why would Klaus want to be worshipped? And if he didn’t get anyone’s respect after more than 1000 years and he didn’t get why, he basically is an idiot. So let’s just lay back and laugh about his diva like and bratty actions.
Maybe there is something to what you say about Elijah albeit it would make him an even bigger idiot in my eyes if he cannot see what and who is brother is. I think in that regard TVD overstresses the importance of a family concept that is actually very dangerous. It seems to base it on blood-relations without actually putting any conditions at it that really count. Going by that concept your siblings could be the worst monsters on the show and you would still have to stick with them but that is actually very selfish in my eyes since such a concept ultimately leads to a narrow view that simply disregards the consequences. To give an example, think about what could have been prevented if Elijah would have been smart enough to realize that his brother would betray him? How many deaths could have been prevented?
But speaking of them, I forgot to mention that it is weird that Klaus managed to “kill” his siblings despite the fact that there is supposedly only one dagger that can kill an Original.
Ok, there is of course also the lacking explanation why the Originals are so much stronger and harder to kill than regular vampires. Maybe it is the old “archetype” argument again, just like the ridiculous concept of balance in nature.
Anyway, maybe it will be funny if Klaus is in fact a millennia old childish brat. Wouldn’t be the first time would it?
I think the news report is only confusing due to the writer’s lack of successfully thinking about background info. It was probably only a reaction to stop any question on why Andie’s death wasn’t in the news. As for Elena calling Damon several times doesn’t mean that she has called him for days, considered what is going on she wouldn’t react like normally when you call somebody for days without worrying. Considered her other actions, Stefan’s “call” has set her up enough to be very impatient at the moment so it would be natural that she would call Damon several times over a short period of time.
So let’s just assume it is several days. If that is the case all the other points you and me mentioned would be hugely inconsistent with reality and what was presented in the show so far and I am not yet there to attribute such level of incompetence or carelessness to the writers.
So all in all we have basically three scenes pointing towards the morning after theory and only one against it. In my eyes this says that only one night was between episode 1 and 2, unless the writers have broken their in-show rules blatantly this time. And let’s face it, who would really still want to see such a show?
Ok, I will keep in mind what you said regarding timeline and storyline, but beware, this might mean that I will be able to point out other things I would have otherwise missed or forgotten. 😉
The Ray Guy might have drank blood at the camp but he did it nonetheless much earlier than the other werevamps therefore he still should have died before them. And I wouldn’t consider him successful considered that he showed exactly the same symptoms as the others. The whole scenario seemed to be rather concentrating on drama instead of reality similar like the “lethal” bite of the werewolves which might kill a vampire but would not be an actual advantage in a fight because it takes too much time to work.
Maybe you are right about his death and the reason behind it. Or not.
Maybe we should kidnap the writers and cross-examine them to find out, what do you think?
As for the werewolves’ age. Considered the intense traumatic experience of the transformation it would be possible that instead of dying in their sleep they usually die during transformation once they pass a certain age. They “simply” have a heart attack. However they would need to at least be past 40 to have such a thing. Considered their healing abilities it would be totally unrealistic that their hearts would be so damaged to make a heart attack realistic while they are in their thirties.
And you are right, such a pack would need to have a greater coverage of different ages, therefore I called it “not a good job”.
I have to disagree with you on the subject of danger of werewolves. While a single bite itself is more lethal to a vampire than to a human, an encounter all in all is more dangerous to a human. A vampire of sufficient age could still just run away, at least he/she should be able according to this older-and-stronger topic. Even a new vampire might be able to escape by simple climbing, which a werewolf would be unable to in wolf-form, they are wolves and not grey foxes, Hallstromdogs or Lundehunds, so they are definitely not good climbers. In human form a werewolf is no match for a healthy vampire. A human has none of the options and would be ripped to pieces.
As for Matt and Jeremy, well I guess it was because he just busted in and I probably was distracted by that body, cut me some slack, just because I am immune to Damon’s body doesn’t mean I am immune to all male bodies. 😀
I will do my best to catch it next time.
And as fate has it, I have something that is quite AU and AH but nonetheless I think you might like it, of course, don’t forget to check out the prequel to the little story:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6804625/28/Every_walk_begins_with_the_first_step
(just in case you haven’t noticed it already)
Maybe I will make something out of your idea though.
Actually I was referring to Caroline’s and Tyler’s habit of referring to themselves as friends. Sure friends have sex but they don’t act that way about it.
Anyway as unrealistic as the whole thing is it is obvious that they are not friends so they must be quite dumb or very much in denial and let’s face it neither of them had shown much capacity of intelligence in this particular sector.
I think Carol Lockwood definitely knew about her son and Vicky. Remember how she referred to Vicky as trash? And some other signs surely didn’t escape her notice.
The things is, you are right about Mrs. Lockwood’s intention, however I would wish that in this show at least once there would it be that this would actually be the better route considering the big picture. Look at the whole Elena situation, no matter which brother she chooses, there is still the fact that she doesn’t want to be a vampire, but except for one time, this was never addressed. This has several implications for her live, not to mention the whole age topic. That is one of the reasons that I hope they won’t all of a sudden say that werewolves are immortal, that would be a poor escape.
I think I said it over at Spidey’s place, if I were a writer I would make the enmity between the weres and the vamps much deeper. Of course I would introduce way more of background or even a companion guide. Now in that scenario, being near Caroline would only make the wolf inside Tyler stronger, letting it bleed into him and making him become a monster in both forms. In such a scenario the wolf would be much smarter, he would plan, scheme and even influence Tyler’s very soul and therefore his feelings. I guess that would be enough stuff for a big identity crisis.
To be honest, given the supposed rarity of the werewolves makes me wonder why that hatred is so widespread.
And for the reasons mentioned I don’t think that the coffee stuff was a clever plot device. Ok on its own maybe, but it had “shallow” or “made up as we go” written all over it in my mind. Like I said, it was totally inconceivable why it would be introduced this late (the vervained coffee I mean). And if they had used that before, shouldn’t there have been signs of that much earlier, e.g. that random kill of Damon could have had vervain in her system or some over of the vamp-victims in town.
As for the favorite character. I guess it might be Jeremy yeah, but to be honest there is not that much of a competition in my eyes so far. Maybe that will change later on. Maybe not.
So far I try to keep as cool about it as possible, I doubt that I will always manage it but I will try.
Hmm, Andre, so much I disagree with in your comment, as always seems to be the case with you and me. So, let’s get our debate on!
Let’s look at the things we agree with first though.
The Jacob contract is cool.
Tyler’s seeming guilt about biting Damon and resulting in Stefan’s deal with Klaus is unusual at face value, unless you take it from the meta point of view that the writers are keen not to square the Tyler character off against the Salvatores, which usually results in a character ending up very dead. I can only fanwank that Caroline filled Tyler in on Mason’s agenda with Katherine and how Katherine had killed and turned her (thereby helping him understand why they killed Mason the way they did), because otherwise Tyler’s lack of animosity towards Damon, Mason’s killer, and the fact that we haven’t seen him address Caroline’s complicity in this whole scenario beyond the first scene in Daddy Issues (which did not resolve his feelings) is a real sticking point to me.
When it comes to Forwood, the tick in my ear, the gristle in my teeth, the thorn in my side (Spike voice) is that there was unsatisfactory resolution to the Caroline betrayal storyline IMO.
Tyler was largely denied his point of view in this situation, but it is not unique to this storyline. I think the single greatest weakness of the Vampire Diaries writers is that they will gloss over situations that deserve more analysis, or shy away from thoroughly exploring viewpoints that are unpopular. As a Tyler fan above and beyond all, even Forwood (and we all know that I adore Forwood), it annoys me to this day that we haven’t seen on screen closure to the Daddy Issues arc where the true depth of Caroline’s betrayal, well-intentioned as it may have been, is examined. She may not have killed Mason with her bare hands, but she was still complicit in the scenario. Tyler hesitated when her life was at stake, and if she had been harmed, his indirect actions would have been just as powerful as any direct ones Jules had taken. There has been a double standard in fandom on this issue where people were saying Tyler was “dead to them” due to this action, whereas Caroline was not called in such a harsh way for her wrongdoings in the whole situation.
Now that the smoke has cleared I really want the writers to deal with this in a real way from Tyler’s POV. I also want Tyler to face another scenario where, rather than freezing this time, he is able to think quicker on his feet in a supernatural life/death situation and make amends for his earlier inaction. The T/C shippy stuff feels earned in every way for me but in this respect. I think it would be really interesting conflict for Forwood if their love was enough for them to forgive each other, but if some trust issues arise later down the track as a result of how they both acted in this arc. The writers built up such a complex mix of well-intentioned lies and secrecy between Tyler and Caroline in the Daddy Issues arc that I wanted to explore the fallout of it more than a lot of other Forwood shippers would. Overcoming difficulties like this, where there is no right or wrong party, is what makes a couple epic for me.
In fact, the main things that bothered me about the writing in the Daddy Issues arc is that the writers conveniently overlooked Tyler’s perceptive and questioning nature to contrive plot points, though I guess that can explained away by so much happening so fast his normal approach to situations completely crumbled, and fan reaction. I tried to understand Caroline AND Tyler’s points of views, just as I tried to understand Elena and Damon’s points of view with the whole Jeremy neck snapping thing. I usually take the stance that pretty much everyone on this show will do something that by real life standards would be unforgiveable, so I focus more on the intentions behind actions, of the qualifying actors that lead up to certain actions.
If we are talking in terms of objective morals, I should like Matt better than Damon, for example, because Matt hasn’t deliberately taken an innocent life. Matt’s poor treatment of Caroline is a comparatively lesser crime than hesitating to help a friend or hurting the brother of the girl you love. Yet I understood why Tyler and Damon acted this way. Tyler was fresh from the discovery of betrayals he felt very keenly because he had just fully started trusting a girl only to have his world turn inside out in this respect, and had never been in a life/death situation beforehand. Damon had just found out that the second girl he had loved with the intensity only Damon can had claimed it would “always be Stefan”, plus he received confirmation that day that the girl he had loved several lifetimes over had never felt the same way for him that he did her.
Yes, Tyler and Damon have caused harm, but it feels hot blooded and in the heat of the moment, with situational factors to take into account. Maybe that is moral relativism, but that is how I usually approach my supernatural shows.
In comparison, Matt continued to conspire with Sheriff Forbes long after the hot blooded moment had passed of the initial shock of discovering Caroline was a vampire. He has always treated Caroline like a placeholder to Elena, and if he really felt he couldn’t return her affections properly, then he should have just let Caroline go so that she could be happier with someone else. Him saying, “I don’t want to look at you and see what I’m seeing” to Caroline, which meant he could see that she wasn’t just an unfeeling monster, but someone who had emotions that could be played upon, like her love for him, felt more disgusting to me than anything Tyler and Damon have ever done.
There is no excusing actions on this show, for me, only trying to understand intentions. Because really, most of the behaviours of the characters can’t be excused in real world terms. That’s what makes the show so interesting for me: the writing can make me more likely to sympathise with a vicious, violent creature over a normal human guy who really just has an acute case of douchery. This show is not about heroes and a clearly defined sense of the good guys and bad guys. There are different communities with different agendas, and we just happen to view certain characters as our antiheroes, like the Salvatores, because the writing has developed things from their point of view. There are no easy answers on this show, and I am quite happy to admit that I will sympathise with character objectively based on how their intentions are written.
You know, inconsistency in emotions in character arcs and retconning of character dynamics (like the writers desperately trying to make it appear that Matt/Caroline was a mutual break up with Matt having the right to be upset, rather than him dumping her) bothers me more than timeline inconsistencies. I’m not happy that the writers disregard things like timelines, on their own admittance, but that pales in comparison to my desire for everything to feel cohesive in terms of emotional responses to situations. Maybe I focus more on the metaphysical than the literal like time, but I would prefer the writers to focus on tying up emotional loose ends as effectively as possible more so than having the timing be perfect.
I don’t think Caroline really particularly cares for Damon, so much as the fact that his being bitten meant her mentor Stefan is now Klaus’ “comrade”. She has been shown to be chilly towards him in every scene since “you suck”, and willing to stand up against him with things like refusing to leave Tyler behind in the tomb in The Last Day. The way I view it is that Caroline feels about Caroline the way Tyler did about Jules: they didn’t necessarily like or forgive them for what they did, but they are a member of their own kind who can show them the ropes of what being a supe means.
I’m not so surprised the werewolves were young. It would be a curse going through pain every month, and I could see the transformation processes aging werewolves more quickly than the average human (could be an interesting inversion on the immortality of vampires), and some werewolves might contemplate suicide over a lifetime of dealing with their curse.
I have to disagree with you that the werewolves have no sense of self in their wolf state, particularly when they are a seasoned wolf.
Jules “marked” Damon and went after him in her wolf state (biting Rose in the process), which suggests to me a certain degree of human self-awareness or instincts even in the beast state. Plus, Tyler told Mason “no” in Bad Moon Rising when Mason was wolfed out, which stopped Mason in his wolfy tracks.
If I was a werewolf transitioning, I would enjoy not having to always chain myself up in uncomfortable chains, and I think that on some primal level the werewolves enjoy the sensation of being able to roam free. Perhaps they simply enjoy the notion of being able to retreat to a less populated area and not be at risk of killing someone. Loads of people who chain themselves up do so in rooms located closer to the population and therefore might fear they will break free closer to the population.
It is a bit stupid of the werewolves though. It would only take a group of unknowing campers to be up in the woods for mass massacre. The show has been a little inconsistent about whether werewolves care about attacking humans or not. We did have Jules dismembering those campers that one time, but generally speaking werewolves have seemed prone to attacking vampires. Perhaps unlike normal wolves, werewolves are hardwired to really only caring about harming their biological vampire foes morse so than humans – maybe only certain types of people are predisposed to harming humans when in wolf form. In fact, I wish the Jules camper thing hadn’t happened, because show canon has otherwise been consistent on this point. For example, when Tyler caged up his mom, notice he didn’t snap at the bars the way he did when Caroline was behind them. If she hadn’t been caged up, he probably would have hurt her, but he didn’t seem as proactively interested in harming her as werewolves have been shown to be with vampires. The fact that the werewolf ran after Damon after the “here doggy, doggy” reinforces that notion.
It would make for an interesting concept that The Council, composed of humans, might enlist the help of werewolves if they knew that unleashing werewolves in town and only vampires were at risk of being harmed. Same might go for game. We haven’t seen any evidence of mass animal slaughter AFAIR due to werewolves.
Plus, some werewolves seemed to enjoy being who they were, and indeed even spoke highly of a werewolf code of conduct and loyalty. There is pain associated with every transformation, but the first is by far the worst. The process speeds up, so maybe it becomes bearable after a while. Besides, some people are pain junkies. Ever hear the phrase no pain, no gain? Some werewolves proud of their identity might be happy to go through the pain if it will unleash their inner supe.
Some are so proud that they might not completely care if they could hurt innocent humans if running wild and free. They might take precautions to stay away from humans as much as possible, but ultimately be willing to run free even if there is a chance they could hurt someone. I think werewolf morality is an interesting thing to explore.
I am willing to cut the writers complete slack on the hybrid storyline, because while the hybrid is a mix of werewolf and vampire, ultimately it is an entirely different species, and I don’t really care if it deviates from normal werewolf and vampire rules. I am just keen that whatever mythology specific to hybrids is developed remains consistent.
Maybe the werewolf stood in front of Elena because it could smell vampires in the area, and its natural instincts were trying to work out if she was its favourite enemy to chase after or not. Once it cottoned on that Damon was the vampire, it chased after him.
It didn’t surprise me seeing the guy attack Damon in human form. We have seen werewolves attack vampires time and again on this show in human form, even when not rabid hybrids who to me seemed to have lost all sense of anything but their most primal instincts after having devolved into some weird zombie creature.
Did Ray put his own clothes back on after becoming rabid? I can’t recall. Maybe when descending into the rabidness he had moments of lucidity?
The chick knowing Klaus was the hybrid doesn’t surprise me. The werewolves clearly are an interconnected species who typically hang out in packs as opposed to in isolation like many vampires. So, for me, it makes perfect sense that news would travel fast with them.
Klaus’ blood may or may not have changed due to the sacrifice process (plus, it has been established the sacrifice didn’t entirely work, what with the hybrids not working out as planned), but it is still possible that the properties of his blood that make him a walking cure to werewolf bites remains intact.
I could buy Jeremy being bisexual, because there was always tonnes of sexual tension with Tyler that I wasn’t sure was always just about Vicki. Matt has never shown any inclinations towards that sexual orientation, so the writers would have to work a bit harder for me to buy that. I’m personally hoping for Anna to possess Matt so that she can kiss Jeremy to see at least a little action between these two men.
Matt’s body does nothing for me, because like most ultra blonde men (Klaus and Jensen Ackles being no exception) with Ken Doll features, he is almost asexual to me and has no appeal whatsoever. Jeremy, on the other hand, is Illegal Not to Lust Over.
I call shenanigans on Matt’s grief over Vicki. This is the writers milking his manpain, pure and simple, to get us to feel sorry for him so that the people who hate him over his treatment of Caroline warm to him again. We never saw a flicker of grief in season two from him over Vicki, which suggests to me that the writers reprising his grief is purely plot-driven and due to the re-emergence of the Vicki ghost. Plus, he was kind of a douche at times to his sister when she was alive, and made his annoyance of her All About Him. Vicki disappears and he tells Elena he can’t count on her, just like her mother, as opposed to wondering frantically if maybe it is something other than a drug bender. When Tyler and Jeremy were at the height of their rivalry over her, Matt asks her “What are you doing Vicki?!” as though she is responsible for these boys acting like idiots, when she had made it clear to Jeremy that she was into Tyler now and just wanted to be friends. He had his sweet moments with her, but you know what? If he really cared that damn much about her, he would no longer be friends with Elena, considering Elena is dating/friends with the guys who were responsible for turning/killing her sister. Considering he spent all summer being a jackass to Caroline and ignoring her, yet seemed to be perfectly fine with Elena at the birthday party, I can only conclude that Elena, not his sister, has a more important place in his heart than the sister we are meant to be weeping over his sudden abject sense of loss over.
To me, the more interesting thing in that scene was Jeremy still feeling disgruntled about being robbed of his final memory of Vicki.
“In addition this episode showed that Caroline obviously did not tell Matt everything like at least some Forwooders claim.”
Here is my take. Caroline said to Matt after she had fed him her blood to stop him bleeding out when Jonas glassed him in the neck that “I’m going to tell you everything, and it’s going to be okay”. Plus, she sat down with Matt before he got her to fake compel him and it was implied that she had told him everything she knew. So, I think we got some clear writing signposts that Caroline had told him everything, or we had a fair reason for believing so. Subsequent inconsistency of writing doesn’t make us Forwooders people out to destroy the world with rumor-mongering, for Pete’s sake.
For that matter, what exactly were the things Caroline neglected to tell Matt that you are referring to? I missed that being outlined in your comment, and would be curious to know what you are referring to. Might it be possible that CAROLINE doesn’t know everything, and therefore couldn’t tell Matt everything, or that she discovered certain things after they stopped interacting on an intimate level?
Mrs Lockwood’s statement, IMO, was not really about Caroline, as it being her go to insult for any girl who dates Tyler. She is the supernatural version of a mother who considers no girl good enough for her son, and who is afraid of losing her close relationship with her son, until she realises he cares enough about the girl that she has to let him go and accept the girl for what she is, because that girl is a part of him now. I think it was a very Buffyesque storyline between Tyler and his mom this week.
Carol called Vicki “trash” but she has known Caroline for years and calling her a “prostitute” is technically wrong (prostitutes accept money for sex, they are not people who sneak out for sex) and to me her way of trying to keep Tyler from getting too attached to the girl. Considering that Caroline and Carol have shared scenes that established history and familiarity with each other, plus Caroline’s high profile status in the community as an event organiser and Miss Mystic Falls etc, yeah, I do find it hard to believe she would automatically really believe that Caroline has questionable ethics.
As a girl, I also loathe the double standard that sneaking out after sex speaks of questionable morals, and automatically makes us a slut, whereas guys doing the same are viewed as players and receive high fives from earning another notch on their belt. Sneaking out after sex speaks of a girl confused about the implications of taking a friendship to the next level, which speaking from personal experience is a terrifying thing to do, because you want to move forward but are afraid of losing what you already have if you end up breaking up. It also speaks of a girl who has a curfew, as a teenager, and knows that her mother might wonder why she has been out all night, as crappy as her mother may be.
Even if Caroline had used Tyler for sex, I don’t think that would make her a slut. We have to get past these double standards. Sex is not always about intimacy (though in this case it was IMO), feelings are not always involved, and there is a growing Friends With Benefits culture. So, shaming women for behaviour that is the norm for guys is deeply hypocritical and narrow minded.
I think Caroline being a monster is separate from the ethics of Caroline sneaking out. The only ethical quandary Carol should have been upset about with Caroline sleeping with her son as a vampire is whether or not she thought Caroline might be compelling him.
Beside, Tyler was a dick to Vicki, and if anyone had questionable morals in that whole situation, it was him. Vicki wanted him to get to know her better and see if they could have something more. So, I call BS on saying she had questionable morals due to her being a sexually active woman. Tyler took drugs just like Vicki, so it’s not like she was leading him down the wrong path in that respect too.
I wonder how the tastebuds on a werewolf’s tongues works. Remember, Tyler is not human, but a werewolf, and the wolf is inside him all of the time. Also, it is a supernatural show – as long as mythology remains consistent, I don’t care if everything in the show is linked to real world biology. Otherwise, we couldn’t have hot vamp sex because there is no blood flow below the belt.
I actually like Matt when he is away from women other than Elena. He was actually written well in this episode. Sadly, you could replace Zach Roerig with a plank of wood and I would probably barely know the difference. He is the weakest actor on the cast by far, and IMO his looks do not compensate for his woodenness. To clarify: I don’t hate Matt altogether, but the way he treats Caroline, because I think it is all too easy for supposed Good Guys to get away with poor treatment of women by virtue of their Good Guy persona in real life, and their relationship is an on screen replication of that for me.
“I think that Matt at the same time tries to repair his relationship with Tyler and not show what he thinks. His face clearly spoke of some sort of being pissed, possibly at Tyler. No wonder in my eyes, since Tyler doesn’t even seem to notice Matt’s face. Not surprisingly for me since Tyler is still pretty self-absorbed and emotionally immature.”
We must be watching a different show. I saw Tyler be genuinely touched by Matt’s offer, and turn it down with a grateful note in his voice, not like he was some asshole who wouldn’t want Matt’s help. The moment was awkward. Matt made the offer, but it was made with the tone of voice of someone who knew this is something you should offer to do for an old friend, but you were hoping they would refuse because being around the supernatural made him awakward. So, I applaud Matt for extending the offer, but I also applaud Tyler for turning him down, for reading Matt and knowing he didn’t really want to be there for the transformation (not because Matt didn’t care, I stress, but because it would plunge him into a world he didn’t want to be part of. Tyler accepted the offer as the olive branch of renewed friendship it represented, but I think Tyler was exceptionally mature for recognising that Matt really did not want to be there, and not making him feel bad in way about it.
Also, Matt has no right to be pissed off at Tyler, plain and simple. Matt dumped Caroline, and he has no right to feel upset about the consequences. He said to Caroline he didn’t want to be part of the supernatural world, so if that means his supe friends occasionally exclude him, he is getting exactly what he wanted: to be left alone. Remind me what in the world Matt could possibly be mad about.
What evidence do you have that Tyler is self-absorbed and immature as a character right now?
Take the “prostitute” scene with his mother, for instance. Rather than bite his mother’s head of instantly about her use of a deliberately provocative word about Caroline, he takes a moment to pause and reflect that, he was in the wrong in the sense he snuck a girl into the house, and apologises for that, and therefore shows respect to her position of authority in the house. He caps the conversation off though with the simple sentiment that Caroline is not a prostitute, calmly also making the distinction that while him having Caroline there without Carol’s permission was wrong, Carol was wrong to also use that term in association with Caroloine, therefore defending Caroline’s honour in a way that shows respect to both women.
He was clearly considering his mother’s feelings, and not just his own or that of his lady love, just as he considered how Matt was feeling when Matt offered to help.
Tyler has expressed smarts and perceptiveness time and again (catching many of Caroline’s slips about her lies in season two, like wanting to know how she knew a werewolf’s bite is fatal if she is the only vamp and therefore her access to knowledge is limited), aside from maybe in the Daddy Issues arc, which I believe was contrived at worst or spoke about his normal perceptiveness being clouded by everything changing so fast around him and making it hard for him to process the information in a clear headed manner at best.
If you are going to make a loaded statement about a character being self-absorbed and dumb, you should actually back it up with examples that illustrate your point. I know you disagree with many of my points of view about Matt, but I always substantiate my points, and I think you should do the same with Tyler and Caroline.
If any character was dumb this episode, it would be Elena, not being willing to wait until the full moon to be over to go on her mission. That’s why her being thrown into the river was so fascinating, because I love Elena, but boy was she reckless this episode.
I don’t want to speak for Julie, but my words for Matt, whether good or bad, might be expressed in humorous ways, but it usually is an extension of my actual opinion of him. My opinion is that, when it comes to Caroline, he is a douche. Around other characters, he is bearable, but his manpain is milked for all it is worth.
“Seriously, you don’t have sex with friends and feel so awkward afterwards.”
Andre, I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who WOULDN’T feel a little awkward having sex with a friend. I mean, I would find it easier to sleep with a stranger than with an old acquaintance or close male friend in some ways, because you are completely changing the normal terms of your relationship. There is the possibility you might screw up the friendship altogether if things don’t work out, plus if you are a control freak like Caroline, the impulsive nature of her hook up with Tyler (even if it was bringing sexual tension of several months to a head), it would be surprising if you WEREN’T feeling a little awkward.
I think if you discount the possibility of Tyler and Caroline’s love, you would have to discount every love on this show other than those established as existing prior to the pilot, like Damon for Katherine, or Jeremy for Vicki. Most love on this show has developed in a short space of time, given the timeline. I think that love is not something always determined by time. It can develop due to intensity of situations that forces you to consider what is really important, and what the true self of a person is. Life/death situations definitely fall into this category for me. If you can believe Stefan/Elena was love at first sight (at least, for Elena, considering Stefan had watched her from afar before their first meeting), then I think you shouldn’t discount Tyler/Caroline.
I agree Tyler deserves no points for defending Caroline – it is the bare minimum of respect he should show women. His treatment of Vicki was appalling, and I don’t think people are giving him points for Caroline so much as recognising it for the character growth it represents. Considering his close relationship with his mom, I think standing up to her about a girl is meaningful in its own way. There is never an obligation to defend anyone – it is an organic desire borne of your realisation that it is the right thing to do for someone you care about. People might think more highly of you if you defend your friends or lovers, but there is never an obligation for you to do so. Stefan and Damon are brothers who love each other, but they don’t necessarily defend each other all the time.
I think you are wrong calling Tyler egoistic for defending Caroline and not Vicki. We hear him say after finding out Vicki is dead that the thing he regrets is never being able to make it right. Tyler is a Show Don’t Tell character in many ways, and his overall positive treatment towards ALL women, which has gotten progressively better, ever since that scene, indicates to me the implicit message that he knows that what he said about Vicki and did to her was wrong, and he wishes he could make amends. He can’t teleport back in time and tell his mother not to call Vicki trash, but he CAN change his behaviour towards women in the future. He is not perfect in that respect (Thing Two, anyone?), but overall I would say that towards the end of season two he has started treating women with a much greater degree of respect. Actually, notice that CAROLINE calls Sophie “slutty Sophie”, not him. Tyler should have said Sophie is not a slut, but I think it buys into the weird double standard of this show that some women are deemed sluts whereas others aren’t depending on which women are the Good Girls versus the Bad Girls, a gender issue I occasionally have problems with.
I have more of an issue with Matt’s passive-aggressive douchery towards Caroline, and his way of usurping her self-esteem with his constant backhanded compliments and clear positioning of her below Elena in his heart even while dating (he should never have dated Caroline IMO). Matt is clearly egoistic enough that he believed Caroline was beneath him and Elena worthy of him, which was consistently reflected in his undying loyalty for Elena and wishy washy approach to his relationship with Caroline.
If anything, Tyler is far from egoistic when it comes to Vicki, because he clearly knows that his treatment of her was wrong. Matt, on the other hand, has never expressed any regret for being a jackass to Caroline (until she asked him in the birthday episode what the hell was wrong for him), because he is so egoistic he wouldn’t consider things like, “Hmm, maybe reminiscing about the good old days with Elena on a double date might hurt my girlfriend’s feeling”. So, if there is any egoist, it is Matt.
I think Tyler is in love with Caroline, because her help during the transformation is unparalleled to the kind of support he had received from anyone else. I think Caroline has strong feelings for him, but they may not be love yet. It is part of what makes their relationship interesting, because there are gender role reversals like the girl sneaking out after sex.
Also, Tyler’s douchiness has not miraculously disappeared. There were hints of it throughout season two, in the way he reacted to Thing Two, for example. The fact that becoming a werewolf, falling in love, feeling the shame of the cowardice of his inaction, and coming to terms with what being a supernatural being resulted in character growth is not implausible me to me at all – in fact, if his douchiness had not changed even a little bit, the writers would be demonstrating a lack of understanding about the concept of CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, which IMO has been earned through the various experiences that have shaped his arc.
Experiences can change people. Tyler has changed due to life-altering experiences. I don’t understand why him not being locked in the cycle of the same flaws over and over is such a difficult thing to come to terms with.
Can you explain to me any appeal Matt/Caroline might have for you as a couple? I can understand being a fan of Matt when NOT around Caroline, but I’ve never quite understood how anyone could see that pairing as healthy. I’ve seen it argued that Matt’s poor treatment of her is explained away by his hard life (which, honestly, is not an excuse for me), but I have never actually read an explanation as to why Matt is actually good FOR Caroline when it comes to being in a relationship with her.
Thanks Spidey, although I bet Julie would also like the Jacob contract. 😉
What the heck, we all would probably.
Your explanation is probably right when you look at it from the metapoint of view; however I am deeply against unrealistic character changes just to serve some metaplot. In my eyes it speaks for bad writing skills if you are unable to work with what you yourself created.
And I think if something is a torn in your side regarding Forwood it must be bad writing. It really was unsatisfactory. Seriously even if they state how much time has passed the writers don’t seem to care. You don’t mentally recover from torture after just one month.
But I am still interested to know about the arguments that Tyler was “dead” to some people. Is there any chance to find that somewhere on the net?
Sadly I doubt that it will be dealt with the way you want. This season is supposedly in the hands of the Originals and the main three will get the main part of time anyway. I think the chances are slim.
Currently I hope that at least the whole ghost storyline will stand for itself. The characters need to grow up by themselves without having to deal with Elena all the time IMO.
And I said it once and say it again. Matt didn’t treat her poorly. You just want to see her better than she really is. It is not good to simply accept everything about a person and you said yourself why you despise/d Matt and it had nothing to do with his character.
You look for a bad guy and that is everything there is. In my eyes you rant about the characters of Matt and sheriff Forbes because they stand/stood in the way of Forwood.
And moral relativism would only apply if the characters really are from a different background like a being from another planet for example were their laws actually serve their society, but not in the case of this show. The characters all come from a human background and none of them is truly inhuman in any way, so it is wrong in my eyes to apply different standards for them simply because they are supernatural all of a sudden. Neither their morals are inhuman, which is another reason not to excuse their actions. A character simply killing left and right because he is upset is wrong for pretty much every species on our planet and that is not moral relativism it is simply a necessity for societies to function and survival of the individual as well as the species. It is not even in the interest of vampires and werewolves to do that.
So yes, Tyler is immature and egoistic and Damon is a psychotic killer that kills when it suits him and nothing he has done so far excuses or redeems him of that in my eyes. The writers are crazy in that regard, they treat him special because he is one of the main characters and that is all there is. By real world terms Elena would have a case of mental disorder similar Stockholm syndrome (like some fans have speculated).
And I think you paint the show as more complex than it actually is, look at the examples I gave in my upper comments and you see at reasons why the show is not complex in my regard, because if it were the flaws of this and that explanation would not be so obvious.
While some werewolves might commit suicide, their healing powers would compensate for much of the side effects of the transformation (so yeah for Tyler still to be sore for hours after his first transformation should not be possible considered his fast healing).
And your examples regarding the awareness state of the werewolves in wolf-form don’t add up in Jules’ case. No idea what the writers had in mind with the “marking” but if that had any meaning she would have let go of Jules and attacked Damon. In addition after last episode I think that this topic is again something the writers change when it suits their whims. Or do you have any good explanation why that wolf just stood in front of Elena (the one you mentioned would only make sense if the wolf snarled in all kinds of directions instead of just standing in front of Elena)? In human form he attacked Damon outright when he recognized him as a vampire, but then he didn’t move at all and Damon and it is as though the rabid behavior had all of a sudden disappeared. So I still point out that this is weird, but I don’t really seek for an explanation anymore.
What you said about the whole not chaining up thing made me actually question the whole concept of the TVD werewolves, because so far it really seems full of inconsistency and made up as we go, more so than the vampires. But I do not yet regard them as a deus ex machine like the witches. Man I really hope it wasn’t a witch that created the vampires, that would be so lame, with a capital LAME.
I hope I will do a better job with the werewolf guide I make for a fellow fanfiction author.
And I think you forget that for any werewolf to know that Klaus is a hybrid, word must have gotten out but like I said it would ridicule the whole enemy concept and even for witches to know that Klaus must have spilled the news, but then it is weird that only Stefan accompanies him, not to mention that only months before Klaus was regarded as a legend among vampires and now even werewolves know him? You don’t think that very weird?
And you would not be satisfied with a “little” man action if I know you right. 😉
You would at least want this:
I don’t consider Matt Ken Doll and even if, occasionally I like those men as well if they have their edges and physically Matt has.
And again you want Matt to be the bad guy and make Caroline look good, pure and simple. You fell into the Forwood trap in every way in my eyes.
Vicky was very much responsible for what happened back then, she could have stopped it but she kept both boys warm for her. In addition you seem to confuse honesty with douchiness. Vicky was unreliable, no doubt about that.
And Caroline didn’t tell Matt that Jeremy got compelled. But I will be honest with you, savagely honest. I am sure you will find another reason to make Caroline look good again, no matter what.
Too make it short, no matter what comes, I think you will always paint Caroline and Tyler it good lights no matter what and make others the bad guys if they don’t go with showing these two in a good light.
You are ensnared by Forwood and I gotta be honest, your comment is kinda scary.
or better this is what you might be satisfied with:
I LOVE THE EATING OUT SERIES! So bad, it’s good! All three are sort of the same movie, with a few different characters thrown into the mix. But that doesn’t make it any less of a guilty pleasure.
I rewatch the phone sex scene from the first one ALL THE TIME on YouTube . . . The “modeling / photography” scene toward the end of the second one is great too.
You know what I liked about this episode? It made no sense, and yet it was awesome. Why do they have to save Stefan on a full moon and not the day after? How did they deduce where the wolves would be based only on Tyler’s and Alaric’s general knowledge? Were our heroes planning to retrieve Stefan and then just hope that Klaus didn’t kill everyone in Mystic Falls? How does Klaus not know about Elena (or does he)? Why didn’t the werewolves make a break for it? Why was there one human in the midst of wolves? Did he have a speedy form of transportation?
Whatever the answers, none of these questions actually inhibited my enjoyment of The Hybrid. It was incredibly poignant, and there was bonding, bonding, and more bonding: Elena/Damon, Elena/Alaric, Elena/Tyler, Damon/Stefan, Damon/Alaric, Tyler/Carol, Tyler/Matt, Matt/Jeremy, Stefan/Klaus, and Caroline/NOT HER DAD. Am I missing anyone?
I found the Damon/Elena moments a little forced because I find their emotional connection more powerful than their chemistry. Chemistry, like beauty, is subjective; one person may be considered a beauty by many, but there are always a few who don’t agree. But my feelings about Stefan and Klaus are probably similar in regards to sexual tension – they’ll never become an official couple, they will never have a healthy relationship, and I feel like crying for poor Stefan – but damn are they hot together. And I’m not one to ship non-canon couples. (I don’t know why. I guess if I enjoy a show, I usually go along with whatever they throw at me.) Then again, in my mind Klaus/Stefan are canon. Where was I?
Anyway, delightful recap per usual. I’ll leave by quoting my friend’s digression on Klaus’s need to replace Elijah with Stefan. Regarding Stefan, she said, “I mean, maybe if he had the hair…..naw, that’s impossible, Elijah’s hair is a singular event, no one else can have that hair!” Are Stefan and Klaus Team Ripper, by the way? Alaric and Damon are Team Badass, Damon and Elijah were/are Team… what was it? BAMF? OK, maybe I ship them just a little bit. Maybe I’m going back on what I just said about not shipping non-canon couples. Why am I making this whole post about homoeroticism? Sigh.
I nearly teared upon so many scenes. Damon and Stefan’s meeting, Elena speaking the truth to Elena, and especially a frightened, lonely Stefan watching his friends leave killed me. And that doesn’t even include Tyler’s coming out party and Matt’s anguish about his dead sister. Satisfying episode.
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You bring up some excellent (and hilarious) points here. You’re mention of the bonding between Caroline and NOT HER DAD, in particular, had me laughing so loud, I nearly spit out my soda. 😉
Good old Elena! Far be it for her to let pesky things like “logic” and “common sense” prevent her from putting herself and all her friends into danger, for the ETERNAL LOVE of Stefan Salvatore. The only reason I could think of for why she didn’t wait until the Full Moon was over, before pursuing Stefan (even though that would certainly be the smart thing to do), is that she thought that after the Full Moon Stefan would LEAVE the mountains. If that happened, then she would probably have to wait on another lead from Sheriff Forbes to find him again. And the poor girl has been celibate for MONTHS! 🙂
Also, is it possible that hybrid transformation requires a Full Moon to work? Klaus’ transformation definitely did. Of course, I’m just guessing here, and trying to give the writers the benefit of the doubt. But you are right. It was definitely a pretty dumb move on Elena’s part.
I also laughed at your inquiry as to whether Token Human had a getaway car that he could use, once the inevitable transformation of the thirty-some odd werewolves where he was hanging out took place. It’s too bad he didn’t live longer. Elena could have probably given him a lift home. 🙂
As far as WHO he was, and why he was there, I sort of assumed, based on the way they related to one another, that Token Human dated the dark-haired girl who said she’d rather die than be a vampire (and ended up DYING, anyway). Man, she must have totally had that guy whipped big time, to get him to hang out with all those werewolves every month. 😉
I’m also with you on the excellent acting and emotional connections we got to witness in this episode. So, often we are relegated to seeing the same pairs of individuals interact with one another on this show. So, it was nice to see pairings we don’t often get to see, like Tyler and Elena, Elena and Alaric, Matt and Jeremy, and even Tyler and his mother.
As for Klaus and Stefan, I think they are canon too! I mean, sure, we are probably never going to see Klaus and Stefan have sex with eachother (though a threesome with a hot female victim does not seem out of the question), or even kiss. (Stelena fans would undoubtedly riot in the streets if this ever happened, for one thing.)
And yet, I think the massive amounts of ho-yay between those two (and, to a lesser extent, Matt and Jeremy) are ABSOLUTELY intentional on the part of the writers. After all, TVD has a HUGE gay fanbase. And these silent nods they get each episode, go a long way in making them VERY happy with the show. In a few of her interviews, Julie Plec has seemed to admit as much.
As for non-canon couples, I tend not to SHIP them either. And yet, there are so many pairings on TVD, that it’s really hard to find a couple that could actually be considered non-canon. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Bonnie with Damon. That one has always been a head scratcher for me. I mean, I recognize that the two characters shared a nice connection in the books. But book Bonnie is SO different than TV Bonnie that she is almost an entirely different character.
If anything, TV Bonnie seems more similar to the smart, but bristly Meredith from the TVD series, who Book Damon always referred to as “scary.”
You know me, I’m a Delena fan, so I ADORE love / hate relationships. But the Bonnie / Damon pairing always seemed more like hate / hate to me. Or, more recently, hate / grudging acceptance.
Hmm . . . interesting point about chemistry being subjective. I never really thought of it that way. My first instinct would be to say that chemistry between two people is more OBJECTIVE, in that two individuals will either feel a romantic connection with one another, or they won’t. However, there are so many instances where chemistry is ONE sided, or a person ASSUMES chemistry with someone, simply because he or she is attracted to that person, that you might have a point there.
As for Damon and Elena, I DO think that the writers intend for there to be chemistry between these two characters. I also think that the ACTORS portray that chemistry effectively on screen . . . because whenever they stand close to one another, they LOOK like they want to rip eachother’s clothing off.
I feel like from the start of the series, (both in the books, and on television), it was pretty much assumed that both brothers would fall in love with Elena, and her with them. So, I suspect that, at this point in the story, Elena IS starting to recognize her feelings for Damon. And eventually the two will become romantically entangled.
A good Love Triangle Story presumes that the center of the love triangle will have feelings for, and have a genuine “turn” at, the other two sides of the triangle, before she makes her choice. And TVD is probably no exception.
That being said, I think the fact that so many of us have such varying opinions on the different characters and relationships on this show, is part of what makes it so great. I’ve never experienced a show where EVERY CHARACTER, whether minor or major seems to have such staunch supporters and detractors. And it goes beyond just being either a Stelena fan or a Delena fan. There are Forwood fans, Caratt fans, Stefarine / Kefan fans, Klefan fans, Delijah fans, Elenjah fans Kamon fans, Bamon fans, and Staroline fans. All the fans have such STRONG opinions about which characters they love, and which they hate.
Heck, that random extra “Dana” who keeps interrupting all of Matt’s and Caroline’s interactions even seems to have her own fanbase! I mean, how cool (and random) is that? 🙂
Great recap, as usual! Really makes me feel TOTES inadequate as a recapper! Comment about Vampire Hunger Bill. Um, he MUST be bi, or at least the “butch” of the couple…I remember Caroline rubbing it in Lizzard’s face SEVERAL times that he left her for his new “partner”, Stephen. And now we know he’s into S&M, too! Since we got a glimpse of Stef in a tux for the 20’s episode, and we’ve seen yours and my hero humanly in a tux recently, I vote for an ALL-MALE-ALL-TUX episode of TVD, just for the gals! Who’s in? They can take ’em off like Chippendales, am I right? p.s. thanks for the Woobie pic and the requisite banister dancing….always get me with those!
LOVING the tux idea, mak! Here’s how I think they could pull it off. We’re getting a Halloween episode this season, right? So, what if Stefan and Damon dress up for Halloween as . . . wait for it . . . Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder at the Emmys! 😉 (Well . . . technically, Paul didn’t attend the Emmy’s. But it could still work!!)
Oh, and BTW, how much do I want to meet Big Bad Vampire Slayer Bill’s boyfriend, now? 🙂 I have this theory he’s dating Vampire Beeel (never believed that character was straight) from True Blood. Yeah, I can smell a hypocrite, a mile away! Let’s see if I’m right! 😉
Hi Kjewls!
I simply adored this episode, and your review of it. I’ve been lurking for quite a while, never really having time to comment during the reviews of True Blood (and the mess that is Sookie and a stupid love triangle that SHOULDN’T even be a love triangle. Urgh!) but now that things are calming down again, I’m happy to be catching up on your TVD posts.
Cute moments in the episode:
1. Damon’s expression when Rabid-Ray calls him out on being a vampire. It’s the same cocky look he gave the werewolves during last year’s fight, and just so awesome (I think I might pay attention to Damon too much if I am starting to remember all his facial expressions)
2. Damon and Stefan chat. Their brotherly love comes out in each interaction, and I just love it.
3. Best moment of the episode: AFTER the bedroom scene when Alaric notices how affected and rattled Elena is by Damon. Her answer to Alaric’s “You sure you know what you’re doing?” of “No, I don’t” just perfectly ended off that scene because it is one thing for Elena to admit to herself that Damon is starting to get to her and that she worries about him, it is a whole other story if she’s starting to show cracks in her facade to other people.
Gasp out loud moments:
1. Caroline’s “Daddy?” which brings to mind her reveal last season to her mom. My heart breaks for her as I can’t see how Caroline’s going to come out of this situation without developing serious trust and family issues. Plus it is so frustrating that every time someone finds out about Caroline, they never want to know the background of how she became a vampire (i.e. against her will). All these people grew up with her, knew her during her childhood etc… Surely that counts for something?
2. Klaus’ talk of doing what he was told, and of building an army makes me think that there is someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes. Consequently Klaus may not be the actual big bad and we will still get to meet them.
3. The Vicky and Anna ghosts freak me out every time. I’m inclined to believe Anna given how dishonest Vicky was when she was alive/undead and how much I loved Jeremy and Anna but something tells me it’s never as simple as that!
I amhappy that we Delena shippers still have your reviews. There has been a weird change in perception as so many TV reviewers felt during the previous season that it was only a matter of time that Damon and Elena would get together. Now so many of the sites and blogs I read have done a 180 and are completely against it, thinking that it will never happen. It also doesn’t help that we have Ian giving quotes that Delena will never happen. I can’t even fathom such a waste of chemistry and potential on this show if it never happens.
Hey Kangababy!
Thanks so much for your super sweet, and, always brilliant commentary. I’m so psyched to talk TVD with you this year.
Ahhhh, Damon does make the most adorable facial expressions, doesn’t he? For someone who talks so much about “turning off his feelings,” he really is the most emotive character on the show. 🙂 And I love the Rabid Ray nickname you suggested. In fact, I love it so much, I’m kind of disappointed the character is dead, because, now, I no longer have an excuse to “borrow” it from you.
You raise a great point about how third-party perception of a relationship can have a big impact on the relationship itself. Remember how Jeremy looked at Tyler and Caroline in the premiere, with this knowing sort-of, “Wow, something is REALLY happening between these two,” look? That was the vibe I got from Alaric throughout most of this episode, as he observed Delena in action. This was a short exchange, between the two characters, but it illustrated so much:
(1) Alaric’s recognition of Damon’s and Elena’s building attraction
(2) Alaric’s desire to protect Damon from getting his heart broken
(3) Elena’s worry over breaking Damon’s heart, or, worse (for her, anyway) betraying Stefan.
I actually think Alaric will prove to be an excellent ally to Team Delena in the future. 🙂
I really do hate how all these Mystic Falls parents continue to believe that when someone turns into a vampire, they are no longer the same person they once were. That is so obviously not true. And Caroline is probably the best example of this. (In fact, becoming a vampire has made her a BETTER person, if anything.)
I was so furious last season with Caroline and Matt for taking SO LONG to come around to the idea that Caroline was STILL Caroline, despite having interacted with her regularly for weeks! For that reason (and because I HATE the idea of watching Caroline get tortured AGAIN), I think this Douchebag Daddy storyline we are going to experience next week, is going to be extremely frustrating for me. But I trust the writers to do right by the story . . . So, we’ll see.
Ahhh, Delena and it’s ever changing fandom. I’ve noticed a slight shift in the TVD fan climate as well. Perhaps, some fans just subconsciously like to route for the underdog in love triangles. For two seasons it was Damon. Now it’s Stefan. Stefan also gets to be the bad boy this season. So, he has that going for him as well, since us vampire lovers are inherently attracted to bad boys.
As for Ian and Nina expressing ambivalence toward Delena in their interviews, I actually think this comes from their dating one another, more than anything else. Subconsciously, this real life couple might be a bit concerned that people will ASSUME that they want their characters to get together, just because they are dating. Or, they might worry that people will tend associate Damon and Elena the characters with Ian and Nina the actors, and, therefore, not recognize the acting ability that goes into making the FICTIONAL couple work, apart from the real couple. So, in interviews they over compensate a bit in the opposite direction.
They actually might not even realize they are doing this. But I noticed the change around the time the two of them started dating (sometime last year). So, make of that what you will. 🙂
On the other hand, I read that article with the headline, “Somerhalder thinks Delena are not meant to be,” and found the headline to be intentionally misleading. All Ian actually said was that DAMON, at this point in the story, believes that Elena will never choose him over Stefan. And that’s part of why he said what he said in the Hybrid, so that she would never forget her feelings for him, even after she has moved on.
And I guess I can live with that assessment of DAMON’S mindset . . . for now. 😉 But in all honesty, Delena HAS to happen at some point in the series, for the simple fact that this is a love triangle story. And what’s a love triangle without the second couple? Just a dull straight line . . . 😉
Thanks again for talking TVD with me! I’m sure we will chat again soon.
I just had a thought! I know I’m a week late but I’m posting anyway!
Jeremy has been having visions of the two important women in his life who died while they were vampires. Why hasn’t Useless Aunt Jenna showed up? She was a vampire when she died and she’s was Jeremy’s Aunt/Guardian. Why only the girlfriends?
LOL, good point, MarBar! I actually think this whole Ghost Thing would be a great opportunity to bring back popular cast members who have been killed off too soon. MASON would be a great example of this. I would love to see a scene where MASON talks to Tyler through Jeremy, in order to give him werewolf and girl advice. 😉
As for Useless Aunt Jenna . . . well . . . maybe she’s too useless to figure out how to cross over and talk to Jeremy. 🙂 It wouldn’t be the first time! 😉
Actually, my guess is that the reason we aren’t seeing ALL the ghosts on this show cross over is that VICKI is specifically trying to come back to life, through some half-baked nefarious plan she’s got in that undead-dead brain of hers. So, Vicki has specifically decided to contact Jeremy, by doing something that ghosts aren’t usually supposed to do. Then Anna found out about what Vicki was doing, became worried for Jeremy’s safety, and decided to do the SAME thing, in order to warn him.
Of course, I’ve been wrong before. 🙂