[Greetings, Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars Fans! I know I owe you all two recaps today. Unfortunately, I was feeling a bit under the weather last night. However, I hope to get both recaps out to you by early January 18th (all fingers crossed). This means my Glee-cap should arrive by January 19th. Sorry about the delay. And thank you for being patient!]
BONNIE: “Make a wish, Caroline.”
CAROLINE: “I wish to get more action than Elena, this year.”
“Nice, Caroline! I thought we were friends. Do the words, ‘three seasons of virtual celibacy’ mean anything to you?”
Greetings Fangbangers! I’m going to admit that some very strange things happened to me during this episode . . . things I never thought would happen, ever . . . Here they are, in no particular order:
(1) Bonnie, as per usual, was judgmental toward Elena, about something she did last week. And I AGREED WITH BONNIE!
(2) Matt Donovan actually made me smile. (This hasn’t happened, since he got high, back in “The Birthday.” Perhaps, I only like Matt when he’s wasted . . .)
(3) Elena refused a second kiss from Damon, and I was totally OK with it. (BECAUSE, NEXT TIME, SHE’S GOING TO KISS HIM, INSTEAD!)
(4) I found myself incredibly turned on by a (sort of) love scene between Caroline, and someone who wasn’t Tyler . . .
Clearly, the apocalypse is upon us . . .
Also this week, I found myself, at various points during the episode, seriously questioning the respective motivations of Stefan, Klaus, and Tyler.
Are these men behaving out of self-interest, genuine concern for their lady friends, or, in the case of Tyler, a slighty modified version of compulsion? Also, would they all have been better off keeping their hands (and teeth) to themselves?
All in all, it was a very intriguing episode . . . one I very much look forward to “biting into” with you, right now . . .
(By the way, special thanks to Andre, for providing me some seriously amazing screencaps for this episode. I just wish we had a TVD tumblr, so that I can share them all with you.)
Channeling “Frustrations”
“I will not imagine Damon naked. I will not imagine Damon naked . . . I will not . . .”
“Dammit!”
So, Fangbangers, have you ever been really horny stressed out? Do you sometimes find yourself with so much excess desire and sexual energy, you simply must find someone to bone some way to release it? I have. And whenever I feel this way, I tend to GO BONE DAMON SALVATORE, THIS INSTANT, ELENA! do one of two things . . .
(1) workout my frustrations with some good old-fashioned humping physical exertion; or
(2) get naked cool off in a nice, refreshing shower.
When you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense that Elena ended up doing the former, especially, in light of her recent epic porch smooch with Damon.
It’s also no surprise that, Damon did the latter. (After all, let’s face it, it’s been WAY TOO LONG, since we got to see Mr. Smoulderhotter NAKED!)
I’ve never been so envious of a towel, in my entire life.
I mean, Damon’s always been known to be quite the suds-loving dude . . . He takes his personal hygiene VERY seriously . . .
But aside from all that, Damon is in a REALLY good place right now.
And . . . now, I’m jealous of the shower head . . .
After three seasons of angst, and unrequited love, the elder Salvatore Brother has FINALLY unburdened himself to Elena. He’s exposed himself to her, in the rawest, most personal way, and SHE reciprocated!
It was everything he dreamed about. And he’s totally satisfied with how it all turned out.
Elena, on the other hand, is CONFUSED, not to mention SERIOUSLY SEXUALLY FRUSTRATED. It’s as if, through that kiss, Damon transferred years of horny angst, unrequited love, and giddy confusion from his shoulders onto her own . . .
The only way to release that tension will be for Elena to similarly unburden herself. But, until she does that, something tells me she’s going to be thinking about that kiss for a VERY, VERY long time . . .
“Have you talked to Damon, today?” Elena asks Alaric apprehensively, as she thrusts her body into that big sweaty hunk of punching bag. (It’s a surprisingly girly comment, coming from our new warrior princess . . . Suddenly, she’s a preteen again, asking her best friend, if he thinks her crush likes her.)
Alaric clearly suspects something is going on between his surrogate kid, and his bromantic buddy, but, fortunately knows when to leave well enough alone . . .
“She could beat me up, for sure.”
Meanwhile, over at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, Stefan also might suspect that Damon’s gotten some tongue action (among other things), when the latter saunters out of his shower, naked except for a towel, looking surprisingly peppy, not to mention cocky as hell.
But if you were hoping for a brotherly bonding / gossip session over the brother’s mutual Gal Friday, you will end up being sorely disappointed. Stefan, who, by the way, hasn’t been laid in AGES . . .
“Rub it in, why don’t ya?”
. . . is all business. He wants the two of them over at Institution for Dead Witches on the Rag, ASAP, so that the pair can discuss Operation Kill Klaus.
As douchetastic and cold as Stefan has been, of late (He also seems to be wearing a heck of a lot more guyliner, since he went over to the dark side.), it was kind of fun to see the Salvatore Brothers back to their old schemes, and sibling banter. We haven’t seen that from them, in a while . . .
Knock, Knock . . . (a.k.a. Funeral 1)
Knock, knock . . .
Who’s there?
Heartless Hybrid . . .
Heartless Hybrid who . . .
Oh crap!
Despite the fact that there are three other unopened coffins in our midst (one of which contains Elijah and his awesome hair) . . .
. . . everyone only seems interested in that Mystery One . . .
“What are we? Chopped liver?”
We find Bonnie at the Institution, doing her own version of Bibbity Bobbity Boo over it . . .
Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why doesn’t she try to light the coffin on fire, or give it a headache, like she used to do to Damon . . .
(only without the nosebleeds . . . Have we completely forgotten about the nosebleeds, writers?) to no avail.
That’s right, Bonnie. I’m never letting you live this down . . .
Later, Damon tries to bash it in with a crowbar. That’s more like it. I’m just waiting for a Batsh*t Crazy Stefan to come at the thing with an electric chainsaw. Now, THAT would be awesome . . .
But, suddenly, just as Bonnie finishes her silly little rhyme, and Damon and Stefan reach the doorway to the Institution, the coffins disappear (What a clever little security system those witches have set up!) Damon rushes inside to warn Bonnie. Then, he and Stefan tag team and promptly de-heart our first anonymous hybrid victim of the evening.
Man, is it just me, or are these hybrids incredibly lame?
I don’t know, Klaus. Maybe they get that from their mom’s side of the family? But it seems to me like some of the Season 1 vampires, were about ten times more difficult to kill than these supposed Lean, Mean, Killing Machines . . .
Part vampire . . . part werewolf . . . ALL LOSER?
“These hybrids are really bringing the neighborhood down,” snarks Damon, as he tosses the bloody heart on the floor.
No wonder he showers so much . . .
Correction: They WOULD be bringing the neighborhood down, if any of them were actually smart enough to survive longer than five minutes to do it . . .
A Very, Very Un-Birthday to YOU!
“I was originally going to write the letters in my own blood, but thought that might be inappropriate.”
Over at school, Elena and Bonnie are busy decorating undead birthday girl, Caroline’s locker, when Elena announces that she has a confession to make. “I kissed Damon, and it was so hot I nearly orgasmed, right there on my porch. I’m so horny right now I could SCREAM. Jeremy’s leaving Mystic Falls, because I made Damon compel him to do so,” she admits, more or less.
The look on Bonnie’s face, when she hears this, is just FILLED with judgment. Can you imagine what her face is going to look like, when she learns Damon and Elena are boning?
She knows her ex would never willingly leave his family to battle evil, while he scurried off to someplace “safe.” And she also knows how much Jeremy always hated the way everyone, especially his sister, always treated him like a toddler, and never let him play in any Scooby Games. But, as angry as she is, Bonnie doesn’t say anything . . . yet.
Instead, she goes and asks Jeremy about why he’s leaving. And when he provides her with the stock, Stepford Husband, compulsion response with which Damon has provided him, she gives him this smirk that says, “You are acting like a such a brainwashed tool, right now. And you don’t even know it.”
For a second, it seems like Bonnie just might have gotten through to Jeremy. But then he sees a shiny object (Ghost Anna?), and completely forgets that she exists. Sorry, Bonster. You may be right about this one. But your ship has definitely sailed . . .
“I’m sorry. Damon has also compelled me to forget the name of that witch I used to screw.”
Meanwhile, an unusually Mopey Caroline arrives at school to find Tyler waiting for her in the parking lot.
“I could always ‘accidentally’ run him over with my car . . .”
I know girls like Caroline. Under normal circumstances, she’d probably show up to school on her birthday, wearing a tiara, a gold sequined dress, and a big button that says, “F*&k Kiss me, I’m a year older.”
“When I open my eyes, I better see lot of expensive presents in front of me, or else!”
But our girl Caroline has changed, in more ways than one, since last year. And the sight of her erstwhile beau isn’t making things any easier on her.
Speaking of subdued, the events of the past week seem to have finally gotten it through Tyler’s thick (but still adorable) hybrid skull that being “Gay for Klaus” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He apologizes profusely to Caroline for no longer being able to put her first, given how demanding his new lover happens to be. Then, he sweetly slips an adorable silver charm bracelet into her hand, wishes her happy birthday, and exits stage left . . .
As the couple talk, there’s some song playing in the background, in which the lyrics repeat, “It’s over,” over and OVER again. And there’s just something about it that really makes me want to break something.
Many fellow TVD fans have often complained about the LOUDNESS of the show’s background music. But this was the first time it TRULY bothered me . . . like a too-loud laugh track, over a part of a sitcom that wasn’t particularly funny . . .
“Turn the music down, dammit, I’m trying to hear FORWOOD!”
All this angst and pedantic music quickly become too much for Caroline. So, her and her plaid Catholic School Girl Skirt both decide to take a sick day . . .
How very Britney Spears, circa 1998 . . .
When, she arrives back at her house, however, Elena, Matt, and Bonnie are there waiting for her. (Did they all call in sick too?)
How many high school boys do you know who would willingly wear a bubble gum pink dunce cap?
They’ve planned a tequila campfire party in her honor. But Caroline, as we know, isn’t in a celebrating mood. “[My birthday, this year] is just a reminder that I’m dead,” she gripes. “I’m stuck in a filler year,” Vampire Barbie adds about her “forever 17” status.
(I don’t know about 17 being a filler year, per se. At least you can get your driver’s license, over and over again!)
But worry not, Caroline fans. Because Elena Gilbert, Therapist to Vampires, knows exactly the kind of party that Caroline needs . . .
A Very Klefan Breakup (a.k.a Funeral 2)
Speaking of vampires who are desperately in need of both therapy and sex, it seems Klaus has crafted a comfy new coffin for his re-daggered sister, Rebekah (or, perhaps, he saved the old one . . . knowing it wouldn’t be long before he’d get sick of his sister, and need it again).
He tells Punky She-Hybrid to “Show Rebekah to her room,” while lovingly caressing the coffin. And, for a moment, I’m reminded of that movie where Ryan Gosling started having intimate conversations with, and eventually, if I recall, marrying, a life-sized female doll . . .
But before Punky She-Hybrid can give Coffin Number 1, the grand tour of the Original Hybrid Suite, Stefan magically appears . . . (because, apparently, this is a day for Reunions with Ex-Boyfriends).
Klaus’ eyes light up when he sees his Steffypoo. And for a moment, I think the ancient vampire truly believes that the two of them are about to kiss and have sex make up.
But before Klaus and Stefan can continue their weekly weiner-measuring contest, Stefan has some grievances to air about their relationship, “friends don’t strip friends of their free will,” whines Stefan, of Klaus’ Very Bad Boyfriend decision to render him a virtual zombie for three or four episodes.
“Must . . . eat . . . braaaaaiiiiins.”
To Klaus’ credit, he actually apologizes for this. “I know that was extreme, but I can get a bit moody sometimes,” says the guy who has a habit of KILLING his relatives, for fun. “I was hoping [now that all that is over and done], that we could pick up right where we left off,” he coos, the sexual suggestiveness of his statement, fairly clear, as he winks at his boy toy, and blows kisses in his direction.
But Stefan’s not giving in so easily, nor is he swayed, by Klaus’ decision to play the “Brother Card.” In fact, Stefan’s SOOOO not down with the idea of a Klefan reunion that he CHOPS OF PUNKY SHE-HYBRID’S HEAD!
So, remember back when Stefan used to eat people’s heads off, and then glue them back on, because he felt bad about it? Apparently, neither does he . . .
And another one bites the dust . . .
I love how the decapitated body just stood there, for about three seconds, before finally crumbling to the ground.
For those of you keeping track at home, out of Klaus’ merry band of hybrids, we now have two, without hearts, and two without heads. Now, we just need some arms, legs, and torsos, up in this joint. And we could have ourselves a mean game of Hangman!
But alas, Klaus decides to burn Punky She-Hybrid’s head, in all it’s stylish Angry Girl Band-loving glory. This to me, seems like a real waste, especially when a “decorative sculpture” like this could really have spruced up Coffin Rebekah’s new bedroom . . .
A Very Klyler Breakup?
But Stefan isn’t the only boy toy of Klaus’ that’s cheesed off at him. Seemingly moments after Stefan the Decapitator has departed, in comes a snarling, feral-looking Tyler. He’s not giving in to this “sire” thing. No sir! He’s his own man, dammit.
So, of course, Klaus has to send Tyler off on another errand: namely, bite Caroline, and give her were-hybrid rabies, like Rose and Damon, before her.
(Hmmm . . . interesting. So, a hybrid bite can kill a vampire, just as easily as a werewolf one can, despite the fact that hybrids are, technically, part vampire. What happens, when they bite themselves?)
Tyler says “Hell to the No” to this errand, which I appreciated very much (Of course, I would have appreciated it much more, if his “Hell to the No” was followed by “Pretty please don’t kill Caroline, because I love her” . . . as opposed to merely, “Why should I do it?” . . . the unspoken . . . and, perhaps, unintentional, implication being that it would be OK, if someone else did it).
“See? I should have run him over with my car!”
Klaus pouts a bit, at his sex slave’s surprising disobedience. But, oddly enough, he ultimately lets Tyler off the hook, for this particular errand, without much fanfare . . . or does he?
In which it becomes shockingly apparent that the entire Founder’s Council is made up of vampires and psycho killers . . .
That night, Team Bad Ass, a.k.a. Alaric and Damon, attend one of those ridiculous faux-Founder’s Day parties at the Lockwood Mansion, so that they can later appear at one of those totally useless Anti-Vampire Council meetings. While they wait, Alaric talks to Damon about how odd it is that Stefan’s gone balls out, evil, while Damon is in hero-mode, and playing house with Elena. (You can always count on Alaric to say what everyone else is thinking . . .)
Speaking of Elena, “something’s up with [her],” Alaric confides in his bromantic buddy.
Damon smirks at this, undoubtedly imagining the way her tongue tastes. But he reveals nothing. Instead, he deflects, “I’m sure, whatever it is it starts with a ‘Stef’ and ends with an ‘an.'” He jokes. (More like starts with a “DAM” and ends with an “IT’S ON!”)
Crazy Nanny Carrie, er, I mean Meredith Fell then annoyingly magically appears to hit on Alaric some more, and remind us that, as a “Founding Fell,” she’s part of this Useless Council too . . .(Hey, you know who else was a Fell? Season 1 Logan . . . the guy Damon and Alaric both killed . . . coincidence?)
Crazy Nanny continues to flirt with Alaric, and make weirdly threatening references to the fact that she still imagines throwing her ex boyfriend from high school off a bridge. Woah, Crazy Nanny Meredith! Considering that you’re a doctor, it’s safe to say you’ve been out of high school for at least ten years. It’s time to let go, psychopath . . .
Later, we see said ex-boyfriend and Meredith fighting about something. The ex gets a bit rough with Meredith, and Prince Alaric comes to her rescue. Instead of being mad at Alaric, the guy in question actually seems to pity him, even going so far as to warn him about the nutjob he’s about to start screwing. (Clearly, this guy has watched One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars.)
Cause of death: The use of too much hair product, at once . . .
We later learn that this guy is the Town Medical Examiner, a.k.a. The Guy Who Lies and Says Residents Were Killed by Wild Dogs, When They Were Actually Sucked Dry by Stefan Salvatore . . .
More interesting than Crazy Nanny Meredith’s fantasies of becoming Stephen King’s Carrie, and Medical Examiner Guy’s shockingly bad hair is the fact that “some British guy,” has apparently donated oodles of cash to Mystic Falls’ Founder’s Council.
Annnnd . . . that’s how the Baddest Vampire of them All, and his Band of Strong, But Stupid, Hybrids all became honorary members of the Now Virtually 0% Human Anti-Vampire Council . . . Would you believe that Klaus got his foot in the proverbial council door, by offering the group PROTECTION from Stefan? Talk about the ultimate switcheroo.
To be honest, I was much less surprised that Carol Lockwood went along with her son’s new boyfriend’s plans, than I was that former vampire despiser, Lizard Forbes has suddenly gone out and bought herself a “Team Klaus” t-shirt.
Is it possible that she is predicting a future romance for her Vampire Barbie daughter, and the Original Hybrid? Stay tuned . . .
LIZ: “Bet you $20 they are boning by sweeps week.”
DAMON: “I’ll take that bet . . .”
Speaking of Crazy!Stefan, he makes a go at killing, yet a third hybrid, upstairs in the Lockwood Mansion. (This one, would have been another beheading . . . not very creative. However, he is ultimately stopped by Peacekeeping!Damon. Go figure! Damon’s passionate plea of “No dead hybrids at the Founder’s Party,” reminds me so much of Chris Rock’s “No sex in the Champagne Room,” that it makes me giggle.
Stefan, however, isn’t amused. So, he storms off to go pee on some more proverbial trees, so as to mark his town territory, and “be the better villain,” so to speak. And by “trees,” I mean “Elena” . . .
Meanwhile . . .
Here Lies Caroline Forbes . . . (a.k.a. Funeral 3)
In the most morbid, but surprisingly appropriate birthday party ever, Elena and the gang take Caroline to Fell’s tomb. There, they decide to give her a FUNERAL . . . you know, because she’s dead . . . and stuff. The idea, of course, is to get her to stop focusing on her OLD life of GETTING OLD, and start focusing on her NEW LIFE (which . . . is really, more or less, the same as her old one, except she occasionally drinks blood, and never ever will have to pay for Botox).
Then, Caroline proceeds to get mildly inebriated on tequila, and uses it as an excuse to drunk text Tyler. (We’ve all been there. ;)) This prompts Elena to make a snide remark, and Bonnie to stick up for Caroline. (AGAIN, I’m agreeing with Bonnie AGAIN! What the heck is wrong with me?) Apparently, liquor has loosened Bonnie’s lips enough for her to Elena what she really things of her decision to steal Jeremy’s free will, and send him away, possibly for good.
“Judging you . . . again.”
Matt gripes comedically, that all this catty girl talk is totally ruining Caroline’s kickass funeral. So, BonBon leaves. Enter Tyler to the tune of the song “Birthday Sex.” (Now, THAT would have been a good soundtrack choice!)
Love Bites and Dating Dealbreakers . . .
Tyler wants to talk to Caroline . . . alone. You see, his conversation with Klaus has taught him that he CAN, in fact say no. . . maybe. Of course, he’s thrilled . . . so thrilled, in fact, that he confesses his love to Caroline. Now, they are kissing. Now, they are humping against a tree. Now, they are . . . BITING EACHOTHER’S NECKS????
Ruh-roh! Apparently, some foreplay is just no longer acceptable, when you are a hybrid hooking up with a Vampire Barbie. Caroline falls to the floor, a mixture of shock, accusation, and pain, on her face.
Gnarliest hickey ever . . . I think Tyler might need braces . . .
To Tyler’s credit, he looks genuinely shocked at what he did. He obeyed Klaus’ wishes after all, even though (I think) he clearly didn’t want to do so. Now, if that ‘s not compulsion, I don’t know what is . . .
I would have liked for Tyler not to run off into the woods like a b*tch to leave Caroline dying in the forest. But run off, he did. In Tyler’s defense, Caroline asked him to leave. And he DID go and get her help, which, I suspect, was also precisely what Klaus wanted him to do . . .
Meanwhile, an adorable wasted Elena and Matt tumble out of the tomb, in search of Caroline. Just as they find her, Stefan knocks Matt unconscious, and steals Elena away, without so much as a “Happy Birthday,” to Dying Caroline. Way to be a gentleman, ASSHAT!
Next thing we know, Stefan is speeding down the highway with a kidnapped, and super pouty, Elena. He wants to drive her down to the bridge where they first met . . . you know, back when her parents drowned, and he rescued her? Ahh . . . memories. In fact, Stefan wants to take reliving those memories all the way to the next level, by DRIVING OVER THE BRIDGE, AND DROWNING WITH ELENA . . .
Damon calls Elena for some phone sex, and is not-at-all pleased that his brother has picked up the phone. He becomes even less pleased, when he learns what exactly Crazy!Stefan plans to do.
In an odd turn of events, Damon suddenly finds himself on the same side as Klaus. He runs to warn his new friend, of what’s happening. “Get rid of your hybrids, or he’s going to kill Elena,” Damon says, more or less.
“Sometimes, I wish YOU were my brother . . . you know . . . aside from the whole, leaving your siblings in coffins for 1,000’s of years . . . thing.”
Initially, Klaus isn’t concerned. He believes that Stefan ultimately loves Elena WAY too much to kill her. So, therefore, he must be bluffing. But when Klaus calls Stefan on the phone, he hears Elena’s anguished screams . . . screams which sound so very real. Then he hears Stefan, do the one thing, that to Elena, is worse than killing her out right, he force feeds her his blood . . . the exact same action for which he attacked Damon, last season.
Now, Klaus seemed fairly certain that Stefan wouldn’t kill Elena. But he’s much less certain he won’t turn her into a vampire, thereby making yet another Petrova Doppelganger useless as a human blood bank / hybrid making machine. This is a HUGE deal. After all, Klaus had to wait 500 years after Katherine turned vamp, for another opportunity to become / make hybrids. Who knows how long he’ll have to wait next time around?
Watching Klaus cry, as he hears Elena’s screams of terror, you could almost imagine that he really does care about her, as more than just a blood bank. And maybe he does. After all, Klaus has romantic history with two girls, who look exactly like Elena. So, it’s not hard to imagine that some of that tenderness has translated over to this new doppelganger, who’s so very important to him, in so many ways.
At the last possible minute, (once Klaus agrees to get his hybrids out of Mystic Falls, of course) Stefan stops the car. Oddly enough, despite having gone through the last few minutes with Elena, this guy seems truly confused, as to why she won’t back into the car with him.
Stefan’s speech to Elena is interesting, because it causes you to question just how much of his “No Emotions” thing, is an act, while, at the same time, illustrates just how insensitive and hard-hearted his experiences with Klaus have made him.
Stefan explains to Elena that she and Damon HAD to believe that he was really going to kill her / and/ or turn her into a vampire, to convince Klaus of the same thing. And if all that was an act, maybe the rest of it was too. After all, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Stefan pretended not to care about Elena, in order to protect her.
On the other hand, as Elena tearfully explains, Stefan traumatized her, beyond belief, by forcing her to relive the moment of her parents death. And the fact that Stefan could make her do this, without giving so much as a thought to the mental and emotional impact it would have on her, shows him to not be the same guy with whom she fell so madly in love, a few years back.
Stefan digs the knife deeper, by telling Elena that defeating Klaus is all he has left, pointedly leaving both Damon and Elena out of that equation. He also tells Elena that they’ve been “over,” since he left Mystic Falls, and that he doesn’t care what she thinks about him, anymore. Of course, his facial expressions, when he says this, say otherwise.
Then, the Poopyhead drives off, leaving Elena in the middle of the road, for Damon to rescue . . . again. That’s right, boys and girls. Stefan Salvatore is on Team Delena. And, as awful a dude as he’s been lately, I certainly can’t fault him for that.
Speaking of Delena . . .
The Kiss Raincheck? 🙂
Throughout the hour, we’ve been waiting for Damon and Elena to address their epic liplock. Now, fittingly enough, they get to do so, in the exact same spot, where the infamous smooch occurred. Let’s rewatch, shall we?
I must admit, on first watch, I was disappointed that Elena rebuffed Damon’s sweet facial caresses, and soulful love eyes, with her, “You can’t kiss me again.”
I thought to myself, “Oh come on, Elena! Stefan practically ROLLED OUT THE RED CARPET for you to give in to your desires with Damon. Surely, you can’t be feeling guilty about it now!”
But Damon’s wistful remark, about it being “right . . . but not right now,” was true in so many ways.
It also reminded me of that little Dawson’s Creek moment, I shared with you last week. You know, the one where Pacey told Joey that he couldn’t keep kissing her, because he’d already made his feelings known. So, if she wanted their relationship to continue, she would have to kiss him?
In essence, I think that is what Damon and Elena are both saying to one another, here. From Elena’s perspective, it wouldn’t be fair for her to accept another one of Damon’s mind-blowing kisses on THIS night, when her heart is so very raw, from where Stefan stamped on it. Despite her obviously strong feelings for Damon, if she let him kiss her right now, it would be more about Stefan than it would be about Damon. And Elena cares enough about Damon to know that he doesn’t deserve that . . .
The next time Damon and Elena kiss, it should be all about THEM, just like it was the first time.
From Damon’s perspective, he, like a certain Pacey Witter, knows that their next kiss must be Elena-initiated. And it needs to come at time, when Elena is finally genuinely OK with what happened between her and Stefan. He loves and respects Elena enough to wait for that moment to come. He’s also confident enough in her love for him, to know that it WILL come eventually . . .
Dreaming of Delena . . .
And, if the longing look Elena gave Damon at the end of this scene, and her words to Matt at the end of the episode are any indication, that moment will probably come sooner, rather than later . . .
The Softer Side of Klaus?
Coming from a Hardcore Delena and Forwood shipper, you might be surprised to know that I found this the most fascinating moment of this episode. It was both surprising, and, at the same time, telegraphed from the very first scene. Most intriguing of all was the fact that Klaus’ motives for doing what he did are still not entirely certain.
On one hand, it certainly seems as though Klaus told Tyler to bite Caroline, knowing, full well that he would initially say no, and then, inadvertently end up doing it, anyway. At first, most of us fans, probably felt that this was done to show the Scooby Gang that Klaus means business, just as the attempted murder of Jeremy did, last week. However, on second glance, it seems more likely that Klaus only got Tyler to bite Caroline, so that he could ultimately save her.
The question is, why did he go through all this trouble to do that, for a girl with whom, up to this point, he has had little to no interaction? Does he truly care about her as much as he seems to, in this clip?
Is it possible that Klaus feels kinship with Caroline, because both have questioned their existence, in the past?
Or maybe because she looks so much like his sister (the other Vampire Barbie), or, perhaps, like someone he once loved? Has he coveted her all along, and merely been using Tyler to get to her?
Or, was all this merely a way, of keeping Tyler in line, by breaking him of the one person, who potentially had the power to keep him from being completely loyal? Also, having someone, like Caroline, who is so intimately linked to Stefan’s inner circle beholden to him, certainly can’t hurt Klaus’ plans for continued Elena usage, and world domination? The coy way, in which Klaus caresses the bracelet Tyler gave her for birthday (He ultimately gives her a much nicer, more expensive piece of jewelry, himself.) could be interpreted either way . . .
But whether you are Team Klaroline, or Team Forwood, you have to admit that these two are pretty darn sexy together . . . And here I thought death bed flirting was only hot , when Delena was doing it. Shows, how much I know . . .
Bye, Bye Jer Bear!
After Caroline gets her bracelet, things wrap up pretty quickly. Jeremy gets shipped off to Denver, without much fanfare. And Bonnie, for all her complaints and hand-wringing, when it actually comes time for him to leave, merely, hugs him goodbye.
Don’t worry, Jeremy. You’ll be back. The ones that don’t die ALWAYS comeback. (Come to think of it, so do the ones that DO die . . .)
Here Lies Elena Gilbert (a.k.a. Funeral 4) . . .
We follow up this tearful Jer Bear moment, with a surprisingly sweet one between Matt and Elena on that fateful Bridge of DEATH. Elena notes sadly that her former self might be disappointed with her current self, a girl in love with VAMPIRES (That’s right, I said “vampires” PLURAL . . .
You know what that means, don’t you, DAMON?
The Matt we USED to know, would have probably agreed with Elena. But New Matt, was much kinder, giving Old Elena a “funeral,” so that she might be able to embrace her new crazy life, one which, though he might not fully understand, he does support, because he . . . wait for it . . . wants her to be happy.
Way to go, Matt! (I can’t believe I just typed those words . . . I must be going crazier than Stefan . . .)
Speaking of crazy . . .
Here Lies Crazy Nanny Carrie’s Victim Preppy Medical Examiner Guy . . . (a.k.a. Funeral 5)
Question: If the only Medical Examiner in town gets whacked, who gets to determine his Cause of Death?
While Alaric proceeds to get Day Drunk with Crazy Nanny Meredith, Lizard Forbes and her once-again pal Damon go traipsing in the forest to locate yet another of Mystic Falls growing list of Dead Unimportant Characters. This time its . . . surprise . . . Preppy Medical Examiner Guy . . . as in, the same one Crazy Nanny Meredith talked about tossing over a bridge, and the same one that Alaric publicly tussled with the night before. He’s got a stake in his chest, the victim of one of those rare things in Mystic Falls: the HUMAN KILL.
He stole Bonnie’s nose bleed. BASTARD!
Do, I suspect a Crazy Nanny Meredith Murder, followed by an Alaric Saltzman frame-up, possibly to avenge the death of an odious weatherman named Logan Fell? You bet I do!
And that was “Our Town,” in a Nutshell. Next week, on TVD: Tyler gets chained up and naked again, Crazy Nanny Meredith shows her true colors, and Bonnie appears to be bleeding from her nasal passages again. Hooray! You can check out the Canadian and American trailers for this episode, entitled “The Ties that Bind,” here:
Until next time, my fellow Fangbangers!
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TV Recappers Anonymous 
Another awesome recap! First, I have to express my biggest concern stemming from this episode: we’re being set up for Matt and Elena getting back together, and I don’t want that to happen! The way they drunkenly cavorted at Caroline’s funeral, then that he was the one she called when she had her existential crisis at the bridge, and finally, the way she seemed to wish she hadn’t gotten involved with vamps — all this is leading up to Melena. I know it won’t last, because she really does belong with Damon. And I knew not to expect another Delena kiss (or more) until at least sweeps week, because that’s not how dramatic action works. But still.
As for Klaroline — I think Klaus had purely selfish motives in getting Caroline bitten by someone she wanted to trust, and then saving her. But when he saw her he felt actual compassion. So, the result is the same — Caroline is now softened towards Klaus — but he also is genuinely feeling something for her. I agree, we can expect to see some action between those two down the road.
I was a little disappointed that Damon wasn’t more upset with his bro for putting Elena through such trauma — and honestly, Stefan might have gone through with killing/turning her. I would have expected Damon to go after Elena once he knew she was with Stefan, not kind of saunter over to Klaus’s pad. However, Elena doesn’t seem to be holding it against Damon (if only she would hold SOMETHING against Damon, if you know what I mean … ). 🙂
Damon’s parting words on the porch, “It’s right, just not right now” were almost as satisfying as the kiss last week. It was a big signal from the show’s writers that the good stuff is coming, and it will be good!
Not happy to see Caroline’s Big Gay Dad coming back next week, though.
Hey LG! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Hmmm . . . Matt and Elena. You know, I had read that Matt would be getting a little action, this season. But I always assumed (hoped) it would be from Bonnie or a third party.
On one hand, I think it’s nice that the Melena friendship is finally being displayed, and explored on the show. After all, though Elena claims she never loved Matt, he definitely seemed to love her, at least at one point. (Prior to the show, they were supposedly this Hot High School Couple.) And yet, throughout the whole series, they’ve shared maybe three scenes together.
On the other hand, I don’t think fans of the show would forgive Elena, if she allowed herself to get romantically involved with Matt, for a number of reasons. For one, Elena has just admitted to being in love with “vampires.” So, I think, if she started smooching with the lone human teen on the show, most fans would assume she was using him. Being in love with two men, is something with which many women can probably relate. Being in love with three is just greedy. 🙂
Also, Elena just put the breaks on things between her and Damon, at least temporarily. She did so, I think, because she didn’t think it would be fair to DAMON for her to romantically pursue him, when she was still having all these complicated feelings toward Stefan. For her then to turn around and start smooching with Matt would be a total slap in the face to Damon, not to mention (assuming he’s still in there somewhere) to Stefan.
And I’m not even going to get started on the complicated issues a Melena relationship would dredge up between Elena and Caroline . . . 😉
Speaking of Caroline, my first instinct was to assume that Klaus’ “romantic rescue” of Caroline, was entirely driven by his plans to defeat Stefan, and “take back” control of Mystic Falls. But, after actually seeing them together, and reading this, my feelings have changed somewhat . . .
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/01/the-vampire-diaries-shocker-joseph-morgan-talks-caroline-and-klaus.html
I think you are absolutely right in your summation of Klaus’ mixed motives. On one hand, he almost definitely planned Caroline’s whole near-death experience, to (1) end Forwood, and further ensure Tyler’s loyalty to him; (2) get Sheriff Forbes on his side (a crucial player in Mystic Falls government; and (3) infiltrate the Scooby Gang from the inside, through Caroline, and, to a lesser extent, Matt. But, on the other hand, Klaus is truly lonely.
Klaus is, at heart, a family man, who desires companionship, and genuinely seems to like befriending, and taking other vampires under his wing (see Stefan Salvatore). I think seeing Caroline so vulnerable, both emotionally and physically, and so in need of something that literally only he could provide, awakened something in him, that has long been dormant. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was love (after all, Klaus still considers that to be a vampire’s greatest weakness), but perhaps, compassion, concern, and, most importantly, desire . . .
As for Damon not being more angry at Stefan . . . yeah, the elder Salvatore Brother’s response to the whole situation was a bit underwhelming. (And I thought it was odd that, while all this was happening, the camera focused only on Klaus’ facial expressions, and not Damon’s.) And yet, in some ways, it makes sense, considering Damon’s own feelings about the importance of keeping Elena safe from Klaus, and ensuring that she won’t spend the rest of her life as “a human blood bag.” After all, Damon too was once willing to traumatize Elena (though, perhaps, not to this extent), in order to get the best of Klaus, and, ultimately, keep her safe. We saw him do it, back in “The Last Dance,” when he allowed her to think that Bonnie had died.
Stefan berated him for it, back then. And Damon responded that Stefan was too soft-hearted to do what he needed to do, in order to keep Elena safe. I think now the two brothers understand one another’s positions a bit better, than they did, back then. Stefan needed to turn off his emotions, to do what it took to ultimately protect his brother and Elena, despite knowing that doing so could mean losing Elena forever. As for Damon, having spent a good portion of the season taking over Stefan’s former job as Elena’s emotional protector, as well as her physical one, he now understands more of Stefan’s previous position. But I think he also still believes that, when it comes to keeping the people he loves alive, sometimes the end is justified by some seemingly evil means.
All that said, I’m 100% in agreement with you that something big is coming for Delena, before the end of the season. And I, for one, can’t wait!
Hi LG and Kjewls (I love your recaps btw, even if the page causes my firefox to crash… annoying, but now I use Chrome just for it )
😉
I just wanted to add something about the fact that Damon almost didn’t react to the whole kidnapping-and-be-a-better-villain-trying-to-make-Elena-entering-a-major-depression-by-taking-her-to-that-bridge thing. Could it be possible that he was already aware of the situation and was just pretending not to (he’s good at that)?
And that could be the reason why they never showed his face, but only Klaus’s?
Plus, Damon is always defending his brother actions recently, because he doesn’t want to use them as an excuse for Delena to happen, he wants to make sure that when it does, it’s gonna be real and not a second choice cuz bro turned crazy-stupid-heartless asshole.
I hope he wasn’t aware of the bridge thing, because if he did, and Elena finds out, she’s gonna be deceived because she thought he would never allow such a thing and keep things from her, and the Delena relationship is gonna wait again, stupid like that, it’s possible on that show.
Other thing..could it be possible too that Meredith Fell isn’t the sister of Logan Fell, but in fact his ex-girlfriend? Maybe HE dumped her on the bridge before turning a vampire.. on this little clip :
Logan Fell talks about is ex girlfriend and how much he wants to be with her and blablabla, I don’t know, but it’s a possibility.
Last thing, Im totally in for Klaroline ! Klaus is so hot, I want to see a torrid scene of him at one point or I’ll lose it hahaha I think his big red lips are asking for it, he can’t be let down, come on! 😀
Thank you for your recaps, Im a total Delena hore, Im so envious of towels and shower heads just like you, I could even take just to be a toothpick to approach those lips .. awwww im gone! 🙂
And please excuse my bad english, my first language is french, Im from Quebec,Canada.
Hey vip3re! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I’m sorry to hear about my site causing your internet to crash. I get that from readers a lot. *blushes* One suggestion that might help is, when you go to the main page of the site, instead of waiting for everything to load, try immediately clicking on the title of the recap you want to read. This will dramatically minimize the number of images your computer has to download, because it will only be loading one recap, as opposed to the 5 or 6 on the main page.
I hope that helps it bit! 🙂
You bring up some good support for the idea that Damon knew what Stefan was planning to do regarding the whole car fiasco. It would explain how calm Damon seemed about the whole thing, and why they never showed his face throughout the ordeal. And, as you said, it wouldn’t be the first time, Damon’s feigned ignorance about something, in order to go along with a “master plan.”
That said, I really hope this isn’t the case. Because Elena certainly doesn’t need another reason to be mad at Damon. 🙂 I also think it would have been super mean-spirited of Damon to call Elena during that time, and pretend to be upset about what was happening, if he was already aware of what was going down. It would be one thing to fake out Klaus, but another to actively fake out Elena.
So, while, I guess a good case could be made for either side, I’m going to choose to believe Damon didn’t know, beforehand. That said, I really like your suggestion that Damon is sticking up for Crazy!Stefan, out of guilt regarding his feelings for Elena, more than anything else. 🙂
I also like your argument about Meredith and Logan having been lovers, as opposed to siblings, and how you tied that back to the earlier scene. If that’s the case, I really do hope Meredith is lying about her last name being “Fell.” Because, if not, that would be incest . . . ick! 🙂 (Not that I wouldn’t put it past TVD to go there . . . ;))
Thanks again for your kind words, and for talking TVD with me. This was fun! Oh, and for the record, I think your English is flawless! 🙂
Great episode.
I like Batshit crazy Stefan, his character has soared. Funny scene between him and Damon after he got out of the shower they make a really good team.
Elena hmm…I can´t feel her as some badass chick who has grown a spine, she´s the damsel in distress everyone will lay down their lives for her its her role aside from the love interest of the two lead vampires. But she may surprise me.
Kinda sad for Caroline, she will never grow old although I am not liking this whole new Klaus angle he will use her against her friends.
Other topic, I´ve noticed in some films and shows not necesarily TVD but vampires are an allegory for rich, nobility and snobby while werewolves are the blue collar, working class, revolutionaries. In TB there not the most powerful supernatural but there the most powerful politically shaping events to their favor.
Hey there, East Coast Captain! It was fun seeing the Salvatore Brothers snarking at one another again, while scheming, and tag teaming against some mutual enemies. As for Crazy!Stefan, one of the coolest things about the change in the character, for me anyway, has been Paul Wesley’s renewed excitement over the role. He’s just so passionate about the character in interviews, which is something we haven’t seen from him in a while. Personally, I think Paul Wesley always secretly wanted to play Damon. Now, he’s kind of getting his chance to do just that.
Check out this excellent Paul Wesley interview from Entertainment Weekly, if you haven’t already. I think it’s a great read . . .
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/11/vampire-diaries-paul-wesley-stefan/
As for Elena, I agree with you that, up to this point, she really has been more of a “damsel in distress” than a warrior princess. But I predict that this is about to change, at least to some extent. After all, there has to be a reason the writers keep focusing on her working out, isn’t there? (This is probably about the fifth episode, during which a signficant portion of camera time was spent focused on Elena doing something athletic, other than sex. :)) I think (hope) that we are about to see Warrior Princess Elena take matters into her own hands very, very soon . . .
I don’t know about feeling so bad for Caroline. I’ve always felt growing old, and becoming an “adult” was overrated, personally. Imagine all the things you could do with your life, if you had no responsibilities (money is just a compulsion call way), and never had to worry about your body, or your biological clock betraying you. I would go to college, over and over again, majoring in something different, each time. I would try on different careers. I would travel the world, write countless books, pick up various hobbies, fall in love multiple times. Klaus was right. The opportunities really are endless . . .
That said, you bring up a good point about Klaus potentially using Caroline to infiltrate the Scooby Gang. If you recall, Katherine did the same thing, back in Season 2. Here’s hoping Caroline is a bit stronger willed, this time around . . . Who knows, maybe she could really give Klaus a run for his money?
Oh, and I adore your concept of vampires being a metaphor for the aristocracy, and werewolves being a metaphor for the working class. I never thought of it that way. But, it does make sense, in the concept of True Blood, and other vampire / werewolf shows I’ve seen. Then again, in TVD, the Lockwood family is far from blue collar. But that might be the one exception to the rule. 😉
Focusing on one solo thought that I had from this episode.
I don’t think that Stefan could or would have gone through with it.
He -may- have driven that car over the bridge if Klaus didn’t budge, but I severely doubt that he would truly have allowed Elena to turn or to die. He saved her the first time she nearly drowned post-accident on that bridge and I truly believe that he would have saved her this time too.
He would have been in the car with her when it went over the bridge, He would have been able to get her out before she was able to drown – thus preventing the start of her transformation. (He could also potentially have yanked her from the car pre-the car going over the bridge.)
Klaus wouldn’t know, either way.
I feel that he does still love Elena, If only in the deepest parts of him.
I do think that Klaus was right, That kind of love never dies.
He knows for a fact that he didn’t truly lose Elena the moment he left town because she spent her entire summer searching for him. Even finding him at one point and trying to convince him to come back home only for Stefan to tell her that he didn’t want to be with her.
I think he might be trying to convince himself that he lost her and trying to justify a lot of his actions toward her by trying to (As Elena concluded) get her to hate him. I think if she hated him, It would be easier for him to live with the things that he’s done but if someone as good as Elena is still harbors hope for him, faith, belief, even love? I think that the things that he’s done would ultimately destroy him even further than Klaus supposedly did.
I think that her love for him despite all that he has forced her to endure because of his actions, makes things harder for him to deal with.
Hey Brittany-Marie! I loved reading your take on the car scene from Stefan’s perspective. Honestly, I don’t think Stefan would have let Elena turn, either. (Though he did admit to, at least partially, wanting her to, back in “The Last Day.”) Aside for the obvious reasons for not turning Elena, I think it would have been a terrible decision, on the Klaus front. Taking Klaus to the limit, regarding Elena, exposed his weakness. But actually taking her out of the equation as Klaus’ “blood bag,” would send Klaus off the deep end, for sure.
As it stands now, Klaus’ dependence on Elena to create more hybrids, requires him to more or less, play nice with the people in Mystic Falls. Since he needs to keep Elena alive, Klaus also needs to keep alive the people that protect Elena, namely, her Scooby Gang. (Because, as we’ve seen, the hybrids aren’t exactly equipped to protect Elena.) But without Elena keeping him on his toes, Klaus would probably just massacre the entire town, out of a basic need for revenge. And then, no one would win.
As I mentioned in my reply to LG, Stefan is someone who’s emotions and humanity used to get in the way of him being “the better villain.” This was why Stefan couldn’t know about Damon’s and Bonnie’s plan to fake Bonnie’s death, back in “The Last Dance.” It was also why, he let Elena go, at the end of “The Last Day,” when Klaus came to take her, as opposed to fighting back. With Damon, manipulation is inherent in his personality, so he can be villainous, without turning off his emotions entirely. He’s always been an “ends justify the means, kind of guy.” Stefan doesn’t have that luxury.
Therefore, in order to do what Stefan feels he needs to do to protect his brother, his former lover, an the rest of the Scooby Gang, he has to break his bond with Elena, and turn off that which might be construed by Klaus as HIS weakness. All that emotion and humanity is still in there (as we saw, in his reaction to Elena’s speech), he’s just choosing to keep it under lock and key for now.
But Damon suggested that Stefan’s emotional switch is “fried.” So, the question remains, when all this Klaus stuff is said and done, will Stefan be able to turn back on his emotional switch, even if it means having to cope with everything he did, and all the people he hurt in the interim? And, by the time he does that, will it already be too late for him and Elena? 😉
The Caroline and Klaus scene was so beautiful and unexpected. It was so gorgeously written that it definitely overshadowed the randomness of it all. I know some people on tumblr had shipped them, you know like a crack ship? But dang, I never thought that anything would ACTUALLY come out of it. Never underestimate TVD writers, you guys! That being said, I loved their scene. I loved it!! I may or may not ship them now! Don’t judge me, that’s the fangirl in me talking! Logically, we have no idea if anything will come out of it (though judging by the new 3×14 episode pics, I might totally be wrong!) and we DEFINITELY know that if Klaus is interested in Caroline, then whatever he wants from her must be diabolical or something. But he seemed so sincere with her. Ugh, I love Klaus. May he never die!
Tyler is terrible. I’m sorry. I feel kind of bad for him because he literally has no self-control/free will. But nobody hurts Caroline! He just became totally repulsive to me. And I don’t get why Klaus showed up to save Caroline and he didn’t. Is Klaus’ blood the only cure to a werewolf bite? The rest of his hybrids can’t cure a werewolf bite? Just goes to show how very useless they all are. I love Klaus, but why does he want to surround himself with moronic hybrids who are totally easy to kill? I think he should take his chances with the rest of the Originals instead.
Bonnie looked very pretty in last night’s episode. I’m glad she called Elena out on her shit. I mean, I get why Elena did and I really do think that Elena loves her little brother, but I don’t think she should have had him compelled. Jeremy had the right idea when he said that they should all leave town. I think Elena should have left with him. Things would be a WHOLE lot easier!
I adore Matt.
Hey Lauren! I too was genuinely touched (and a little turned on) by the Klaus and Caroline scene, in spite of my self. And, after reading that interview with Joseph Morgan, and knowing that Klaus’ motives aren’t ENTIRELY evil (only about 85% evil) I’m even more excited about the exploration of this relationship. Surely, it’s going to end VERY badly. But I imagine it will be a fun and sexy ride, nonetheless.
I’m also really glad SOMEONE finally admitted that there are other cool things about being a vampire than simply being eternally hot, getting to date 17-year olds, despite being over 150, and having the remarkable ability to kill people, without experiencing any consequences for doing so. Klaus and Elijah have always been a bit classier, than your average vampire, haven’t they? And if anyone is going to give Caroline a little lesson in culture, and the finer things in vampire life, it’s one of them.
As for Tyler, you know I’m still a fan. And that makes me especially sad about the direction in which they are taking him. Since, if any of the critics and gossip columnists are to be believed, it seems as though the writers are paving the way for him to make the ULTIMATE sacrifice to save himself and Caroline from Klaus’ control. And this, most likely, will mean he won’t make it out of this season alive, hybrid, or otherwise. I also agree with Matt that Tyler would never voluntarily hurt Caroline. And that the whole biting thing, was more the result of mind control, than anything else . . .
Like you, I was disappointed that Tyler ran away, and to some extent, left his girlfriend to die. I mean, there was no guarantee that Klaus would actually save Caroline, especially considering the fact that he had asked Tyler to bite her in the first place. That said, I do think that, as an Original hybrid, only Klaus’ blood can remedy a vampire’s werewolf or hybrid bite. So, Tyler couldn’t really have done anything to help Caroline, aside from merely staying with her, until help arrived, and maybe trying to keep her comfortable. (He had his cell phone, right? Couldn’t he have just CALLED Klaus?)
Speaking of Tyler and Klaus, didn’t Tyler think it was a little strange that Klaus had once asked Tyler to bite Caroline, but was now suddenly so interested in saving her? I mean, if that was me, I would know I was being used, and be REALLY PISSED OFF! But, like I said, I guess we can chalk all this up to mind control, along with the fact that, while he may have mostly good intentions, Tyler has never exactly been a Rhodes Scholar. (Though, he was in AP history . . . ;))
I’m glad others agree with me that Elena was wrong in taking Jeremy’s free will away from him, in terms of where and how he wanted to spend the remainder of his teenage years. I mean, I know this won’t come to pass, but what if something awful ended up happening to Elena . . . or even Bonnie . . . how would Jeremy ever live with himself, knowing that he just up and left town, when they were both in such grave danger?
It did feel weird taking Bonnie’s side though, I must admit . . .
I don’t yet adore Matt. 🙂 But if he keeps getting hilariously wasted, being kind to Elena, and taking care of Caroline (as a friend, of course) I might revise my opinion on him, a bit. 😉
Awesome recap as per usual: D
Wow, was this episode great or what? AS much as I loved the (EPIC) 3×10, I think 3×11 was way more satisfying in many levels…
I like Forwood, I don’t know if I would be classified as a forwood shipper (since I guess I wouldn’t mind steroline or…. klaroline :D) but, anyway, I liked this episode for them.(and again, I think it is because I’m not a hardcore shipper)
When Tyler asked Klaus if he could find someone else, it was before Klaus revealed that he’d have to bite Caroline. And I think that Tyler suggested that because he knows is inevitable, Klaus will hurt people around Stefan, no matter what. And I think that the fact he doesn’t wanna be the one who does that shoes that he’s not as sired as he should. The other hybrids never question Klaus, period. And Tyler is just one of those hybrids now, the ones that are just supposed to obey.
Of course that he ended up obeying anyway (urgh) but again it was clear that it was something out of his control. It was clear that he loves Caroline and he wants to be a free person so he can stay with her…but he’s not free, he’s not even a person anymore.
I was disappointed that he ran too but idk, Klaus was the only one who could actually save her so… I really don’t know how I feel about that scene. Caroline was so freaking angry and disappointed, I don’t know what he could have done instead of running to Klaus.
So that leaves us the other scene.
WOW… ever since the beginning of 2012 I noticed A LOT of Klaroline shippers showing up out of nowhere! At first I thought how did they come up with that on the first place? LOL They barely have interacted! Then, idk, there were some good manips on tumblr and I thought “wanna know what? I would be kinda fun and interesting… but no way on earth that it will happen on the show. Not right now at least.”
So I watched 3×11…. and LOL SERIOUSLY??????? People on tumblr must be bursting right now. I know I freaked out.
That scene was so, so rich (I really don’t have a word for it).
I don’t know what Klaus was planning (and you made some interesting points right there… I’ll have to think about it). I think that we saw another side of him, the side that recognized whatever it was that Caroline was feeling.
I think that maybe he hurt her so he could get closer to Liz but that didn’t mean he was happy about it, especially when he saw Caroline.
And that’s the weird and amazing part about the scene, after all. He’s Klaus. He isn’t supposed to care about who gets in his way. But he did, somehow. And that’s the mystery, maybe.
Caroline didn’t want to be a vampire, just like he didn’t either. They both won’t get old, and I bet that was a hard realization for him too, back when he was a new vampire; a human that started to realize he was dead. But he had to cope, he often still has to. He has to ask himself why he still wanna live. That was the new, awesome, side of him we saw. The side every vampire has- Damon and Stefan included. And I loved how human he sounded, explaining to her how she can see the world out there if she just decided to live. That’s what all of us would want to do, if we had the time.
And, as you said, she probably reminded him of Rebekah, who was supposed to be the one who’d always chose him, support him, no matter what. And I guess he misses that and he really wants it and he knows it’s his own fault Rebekah wouldn’t be by his side. At the same time, the kind of support he wants it’s way more than Rebekah can give, I’m guessing. Because they are siblings, and even though that bond last forever, Rebekah needs to have her own life; she could have had it with Stefan (and that was why she chose him back then).
I’m not saying that he wants to be with Caroline (again, not now! But I won’t doubt tvd anymore LOL). I’m saying that she may have seen a possibility there. A possibility he can’t have because, well, he’s Klaus, the ultimate villain.
But that, in fact, he can. Because one thing I absolutely love about TVD is how it actually doesn’t have true villains: Damon, Katherine, Elijah, Rebekah they all, somehow, turned out to be “good people”. And the ultimate villain is always the situation itself.
There’s more to say about the scene but I’ll ramble here forever so I’ll just move on LOL
I LOVED Matt during this episode too. He was simply amazing. I also like seeing glances of his old relationship with Elena, because it’s nice to know how things were before. I like seeing how he’s just accepting the fact that his friend’s lives are crazy now though he doesn’t admit that his own life is crazy too.
That Elena funeral was so beautiful. I really liked it. It was perfect how he didn’t tell her how better their lives were before; he just explained she is not as bad as she believes she is. But she also needs to move on, she needs to say goodbye to that girl and I’m glad he helped her. (Because, honestly, he’s the closest to past!Elena that present!Elena can ever get).
I, of course, almost didn’t enjoy the scene because I had to take a breath one Elena said “vampireS” lol I was so surprised I thought Matt would say something! I still can’t get over it. Of course she could be generalizing it. But even so, why would she? If she was so deeply in love with Stefan only there was no reason to say it as if she made a habit out of falling in love with Vampires… Stefan would be an exception because he’s “Stefan” (*yawn*). She wouldn’t say it that way because when she met and fell for Stefan she wasn’t far from the old Elena, she had no idea Stefan was a vampire so she wasn’t even that guilty. But now (maybe) she knows exactly what she’s doing. If she’s falling for a vampire, she knows who he is, what he’s done, everything.
Ahhh…my poor hardcore delena shipper heart LOL
And, of course, there was another porch scene. I can barely begin to explain how satisfying it was. As much as the kiss was, even more depending of what’s coming next.
I liked how Damon was proud of Stefan. It is weird but it is a sign that even though Damon’s good, he’s not like the old Stefan, he’s still Damon. And I like it because I can like it (crazy stuff I know LOL). Meaning, I could like it for the same reason Elena couldn’t be mad at him. I know some people ARE indeed mad once Stefan almost turned Elena and killed her on that bridge that also killed her parents and there Damon was saying the plan was a success. But Elena was clearly not disappointed at him because she knows (and WE know) that if Stefan had indeed done all those stuff, Damon would have killed Stefan, half of Mystic falls, Klaus and himself LOL We all know that Damon wouldn’t be okay AT ALL, he wouldn’t be proud, he wouldn’t be happy. He’d be pissed; seriously and dangerously pissed. We know that the only reason he was saying all that was because Elena’s safe and the plan worked, everything is okay (sort of).
And I’ll forever quote Damon’s perfect line: “No, it’s right, just not right now”. I just love him LOL I seriously LOVE this guy XD
It was obvious that Elena like the kiss on 3×11. When she said “You can’t kiss me again”, there was a clear sadness in her voice and expression. Because she knows they have something (they always had) and it keeps getting stronger and deeper but she can’t give in to it because she believes -she has always believed, ever since season 1- that it isn’t right at all; He’s Damon and he has a past, they have a past. He’s Stefan’s brother and Stefan is still there (the good Stefan), and she’s supposed to love only him.
And that’s why I love him because he simply said: “no, it is right.”
Those four simple words just meant so much to me … and they meant a lot to Elena too. Her expression was priceless, it was as if she was finally understanding, finally allowing herself to hear that part of her that said the same thing.
If they have something so wonderful why isn’t it right? She tried to fight it, ignore it. So did he, but it just won’t go away, because it is a fact; And they always end up getting closer, saving each other, being together because it is simply right. (And the fact that Damon said it makes me hope that the writers know it: D)
But, as Damon said, it isn’t right NOW. They have so much drama going on, Elena and Stefan aren’t over yet (I hope they will be over because, honestly, I can’t agree with Klaus LOL “That kind of love” isn’t their love to me, sorry, writers. As much as Elena and Stefan are adorable, in my honest opinion, they fell in love just like any ordinary teenage couple… Yes, they love each other deeply. But so do Elena and Matt… [Okay, I’ll try to turn off my anti-stelena mode LOL]).
In the end, what the whole scene said was: they are right and they will get together when the time is perfect (AND IT WILL BE WONDERFUL, EPIC,AWESOME …SO TRUE AND FULL OF LOVE THAT ALL THE OTHER COUPLES WILL FEEL ASHAMED lol :P)
And with that, I end my super long comment 😀
Hey Camila! Thanks so much for your awesome comment. I love your somewhat kinder, gentler take on Tyler. Like you, I think he’s at least as much a victim in all of this as Stefan was, when he first found himself under Klaus’ control. (Perhaps, even more so, because, while Stefan willingly turned himself over to Klaus to save his brother and Elena, Tyler had no say in what happened to him. And I think now, knowing what he knows, if he had a choice, he’d probably choose differently.)
I’m still a bit confused by the whole “siring” thing. What exactly was going through Tyler’s head when he kissed Caroline, and, ultimately bit her? I’d like to think, that, at least up into the point where Tyler bit her, his motives were completely pure. He was giddy at the prospect of having refused Klaus for the first time. He thought he had finally regained control in his life, and it was all thanks to his love for Caroline. Because, it would have to take love to refuse your sire, right?
I also don’t think, mentally, Tyler’s brain was thinking, “kill her,” when he bit Caroline. I thought the bite seemed more carnal, and instinctive, than anything else . . . an aggressively-placed hickey. I suspect that when Tyler got aroused, and his defenses were down, Klaus’ voice in his head, “bite her . . . bite her . . . bite her,” took over his brain, and he was helpless to resist it. It’s as fascinating as it is frightening, really . . . like long-distance compulsion, masquerading as free will.
As for Klaus and Caroline, it’s funny, I never really considered these two either, up until this point. I’m trying to even think of whether they’ve ever shared a scene together before this. And yet, after the episiode, I went to fanfiction.net, and selected the characters. Lo and behold, there were pages and pages of Klaus and Caroline stories, many of which pre-dated the episode. So, perhaps, these people were seeing something we weren’t.
You know, ever since it was hinted, back in “Klaus,” that Klaus had been in love with the Original Petrova, but had been betrayed, and refused to love again, I’d been hoping to see the romantic side of Klaus. Perhaps, now we will finally get the chance. Speaking of the Original Petrova, I think Klaus’ “courtship” of Caroline (if we can call it that) will dredge up those memories in Klaus. So, hopefully, we will be able to see what he was like, back then . . . at least, in flashback . . .
It was interesting that Matt didn’t ask Elena about her use of the plural noun, “vampires” prior to her funeral. But I think that’s consistent with Matt’s character. He’s starting to accept that his friends lives are different than his, in many ways. But I think he also suspects that the less information he knows about these things, the better.
He’s also never really been the type to pry. I think that’s part of how he stayed in the dark, as long as he did. Having come from such a rough background, and having Vicki for a sister, Matt knows the benefit of keeping certain secrets hidden. And, as a result, there’s always been a sort of willful ignorance about the character, I think.
But just because Matt isn’t going to pry into Elena’s relationship with Damon, doesn’t mean that other members of her social circle won’t force her to fess up to her feelings. 😉
Something tells me, that even if Damon isn’t in the car, during that road trip, his name is going to come up A LOT . . . Sly Damon, always making sure that, even though he’s apart from Elena, he’s always on her mind. 😉
And I agree with you, all this angst, sexual tension, and interminable waiting, is only serving to ensure that, when Damon and Elena finally do get together, their passion will ignite television screens across the world on fire! 🙂
Ehhh on this episode.
I truly got a HEADACHE when I watched this episode. No lie. I don’t know if it was because I was trying to figure out all the action going on or I just did not like the way some of the characters was acting.
But then I thought, in other episodes there was a LOT of action and I didn’t get a headache. So maybe some of the characters actions was the problem. Or maybe I was thinking too much. I just need to chill and go with the flow huh? LOL
1) I loved Damon being all happy in his shower just reminiscing on the kiss. Elena all frustrated and acting girly for once.
2) I like Stefan and Damon working together at the witch house.
3) I actually didn’t mind Bonnie telling Elena some home truths..Even though I get where she is coming from,she can’t go aroung compelling her brother willy nilly like that.
4) The birthday/funeral of Caro was sweet. All the friends together.
5) Tyler finally realizing he doesn’t have any choice in this siring thing if Klaus wants him to do stuff.
I enjoyed Klaus/Caro scene. It was sweet and romantic. I thought it was creepy but i think he has a plan up his sleeve. Don’t know what it is yet but I don’t think he feels any real romantic notions to Caro.
Stefan/Elena in the car scene was supposed to be very emotional, fast paced, action packed and on the edge of your seat exciting. I did not get all of that.
Yes it was action packed BUT I didn’t feel or get the deep wrenching emotions that was supposed to be on Elena side. Everyone was talking about it in spoliers and interviews before it aired
Stefan played his “I don’t feel anything” because my switch is turned off BUT I can still see some emotion there when Elena yelled at him.
Yeah Elena was upset but I can usually believe or feel her DEEP hurt feelings in scenes but I just got the feeling that she was more upset about the “scare” she received than because it was her “love” Stefan doing it. I don’t know, that was just me.
Substitute anyone else in there for Stefan (Alaric, Matt, Tyler) and it would have been the same emotional feel. I would have thought she would be more upset that it was Stefan, her love and the guy who saved her on the bridge before, than she was about the action.
Oh well.
Tyler/Caro: I thought it was interesting that Tyler said he loved Caro BUT she didn’t say it back. Have she even said she loved him in other episodes? I just don’t know.
Also the bracelet he gave Caro- Didn’t John give Elena a bracelet like that before? Remember in the kitchen? Or am I imagining things.
I am very suspicious of Meredith, of course. Alaric is not a good judge of character of women. They pull the wool over his eyes a lot. Even that guy who was arguing with Meredith was really warning him and being nice to him, like you said. Oh well.
Meredith will probably go after Damon for sticking his nose in things. Damon will tell Alaric his suspicions and Alaric will get mad at Damon because he will not believe him. Bet you THAT is how it will go down. Then Alaric will get the shock of his life BIG time when she reveals her true colors to him.
The porch scene and Elena saying “vampires” on the bridge. Yeah I was kind of dissapointed in the porch scene but not that there wasn’t a kiss. There could have been a hug. It was just the blahness of “just another day” DE scene that had me kind of dissapointed.
I liked Damon “It’s right, just not right now” but the scene just felt like another “spinning our wheels in place until Stefan comes back” that the writers put in place. Truly the triangle has not started yet. I thought it would have started after the kiss. We STILL don’t hear what Elena feels about Damon and Stefan is still off doing his stuff. They only give us hints and wordplay for what she feels for Damon.
So overall I thought the episode was BLAH. Just okay.
P.S I was also surprised that Damon wasn’t upset at Stefan plan with Elena. I guess as long as Elena turned out “fine” and their plan worked Damon is okay with it after the fact.
If the plan didn’t work then that would be another story.
Plus I guess Elena isn’t mad at Damon for being in cahoots with Stefan and his wacky plan. She should know now, maybe, that Damon and Stefan are doing this together or does she?
Like Damon said he really doesn’t know how far Stefan will GO with his plan. He may go solo, like he did with Elena, so Damon has to be careful how “proud” he is of his baby bro.
I really don’t think Elena knows Stefan and Damon are in this plan together. I think she just knows that Damon “knows” about this Elena snatching plan because he called when Stefan had grabbed her and she filled him in after the fact. Remember Stefan ONCE again in this epi asked Damon if he told Elena about the plan.Who knows.
Hey Tricus! I can definitely sympathize with your headache. When you love a show and characters as much as we love TVD and our Scooby Gang, you are going to have certain hopes and expectations for both. And those expectations and hopes are inevitably going to be disappointed, on occasion. It’s happened to me many times during the course of this show. 😉
And I think you made a lot of excellent points about how certain characters did some out-of-character things, this week. Sometimes, I think characters’ unusual actions, like real people’s actions, are done for impulsive reasons. Other times, it might just be the result of different writers. I imagine it must be really hard for all of the writers on this show to maintain a uniform voice for their characters, when they all have such distinct styles and preferences. Just a thought . .
Great catch, on the bracelet Tyler gave Caroline being similar to the one Uncle/Father John gave Elena in “Daddy Issues.” I totally missed that connection, and I’m super glad you brought it to my attention. If I recall correctly, that first bracelet initially belonged to Elena’s non-bio mom. I wonder if the writers made that connection, intentionally, and if so, why. So, far, I haven’t been able to find a picture of the original bracelet. However, if I do, I will definitely post it here.
As for Damon, I choose to think he didn’t know what Stefan was going to do to Elena, until after it actually happened. At the beginning of the car scene, if I recall, Damon calls Elena, and seems genuinely disturbed to find out where she is, even though he is not on speaker phone, nor is Klaus with him. In terms of the secret he discussed with his brother at the beginning of the episode, I suspect he was referring to the fact that he and Bonnie knew where the coffins were, and had conspired in keeping them, along with Stefan. (That said, given the webclip for next week’s episode, Elena must find out about the coffins, soon enough, since she is helping Bonnie track down her mother, in order to open them.)
Personally, I think Stefan didn’t tell Damon about what he was planning to do on the bridge, for the same reason Damon never told Stefan about faking Bonnie’s death, in “The Last Dance.” I think he assumed that Damon, having now had the experience of caring for Elena’s emotional as well as physical well being, would no longer be able to keep that information from Elena (who they had both promised to “keep out” of their war with Klaus). I also think it helped to make Damon’s plea to Klaus seem more realistic (though, of course, Damon, being the master manipulator he is, probably could have pulled that part off, either way).
For those same reasons, I think Damon didn’t judge Stefan for doing what he did. After all, though he’s lately been somewhat of a kinder, gentler version of himself, Damon is still Damon, and he adores winning a round against a nemesis. At this point, I don’t think Damon would have, personally, been willing to risk Elena’s life in this way, just to make a point to Klaus. But now that it’s been done, and nobody was physically hurt, he’s willing to accept what happened without questioning much.
As for Elena, while the scene itself, might not have been as emotional as it could have been, from her perspective, I don’t think she’s forgiven Stefan for what he did. I do think, to some extent, that this was a dealbreaker for Elena. At this point, Elena truly believes that Stefan doesn’t love or care about her anymore, and that he’s never again going to be the man with whom she fell in love.
And, I’d like to think that her statement to Damon on the porch THIS TIME, was much less about loyalty to Stefan, than it was about loyalty to Damon. If she kissed Damon on the night of her breakdown with Stefan, it would be for the wrong reasons. The next time Damon and Elena kiss it should be all about the two of them, and no one else, just as it was the first time. 🙂 Maybe that’s naive of me to say, but I genuinely believe that . . .
I was so excited to read you recap, I read part of it at work. -_- I think the post-hiatus has started off to a bang. I loved last week’s ep, and this might be one of my favorites – but, boy, was it painful. Jeremy leaving, Tyler’s tragedy, Caroline’s downer of a birthday, Klaus’s bizarre depression and affection, one of Stefan’s lowest points, Alaric and Damon’s relative happiness, and Elena’s horrible day gave me an emotional roller coaster ride.
I’m obviously no Damon apologist. He has done many terrible things, one of which involved murdering Elena’s brother in front of her after she turned him down. Sure Jeremy survived, and maybe Damon meant to turn him into a vamp. Elena’s still never going to forget that moment. But you know what? I still don’t think he’d do what Stefan did: make her relive the (first) time she almost died and the death of her parents. Worse, he was the one who knew so well how much this affected Elena, and he used that against her. It made me think a little of the Andie Starr incident. Both times Stefan kind of had a reason for what he did, as awful as they were. Yet he took it a step further and unnecessarily terrorized Andie. This time: he didn’t have to threaten Elena with a car crash over the bridge of death! I just think in some ways Stefan is a lot more calculating than Damon, which makes him creepier.
Anyway. The Klaus/Caroline scene made me wish I didn’t have the internet because people (some of whom read the books) were shipping them like mad. I thought they were nuts, and then I saw the scene and thought, “OMFG.” (Same thing for when fans brought up hybrids. I thought it was the stupidest idea ever. Then it happened in the show and it blew my mind with awesomeness.) On the one hand, Caroline is smart. On the other hand, Caroline’s vampire darkness has never really taken hold of her, other than her first day of vampirism. So has she really gotten past that?
Tyler/Caroline, I can’t even discuss. I had to try not to cry through their scenes. This episode was just so bizarre and yet beautiful. I’m still reeling.
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Hey Noelle! Bizarre yet beautiful, what a perfect way to describe this episode! (It only makes me that much more excited to read your recap. :))
I adore your take on Damon and Stefan, and the limits to which they will go to accomplish certain goals. I especially respect your take on all this, since I know you have always been a fairly staunch Stelena-ite. I agree with you that Damon wouldn’t have done what Stefan did, especially knowing what Elena experienced on that bridge, the first time around.
For one thing, as I mentioned in some of the earlier comments, I think Damon has changed a lot, ever since he’s had the responsibility of being Elena’s sole vampire caretaker. For one thing, he has become much more sensitive to her emotions, and, especially, her pain. I also think that Damon has never been one for psychological warfare. His ways of defeating the enemy have more to do with bold actions, and body counts, than mental carnage.
Plus, he knows, first hand, the toll all the trauma of this past year has taken on Elena. And I think, when he said, he wanted to keep her out of it (as he managed to do in “Homecoming”), he really meant it. Damon prefers to take people’s psychological pain away, as opposed to inflicting it. This is why he’s compelled Jeremy twice, and offered to compel Elena, on more than one occasion.
Stefan, on the other hand, seems to have become the king of psychological warfare. It was the key motive behind the way he murdered Andie, right in front of Damon, the venom with which he has rebuffed Elena on multiple occasions now, his hiding of the coffins, and, most recently this fiasco, with the car. Now, while I think the main point of this particular “trick” was to psychologically torture KLAUS, and prove to him, just how far he was willing to go, you make an excellent point about this plot possibly being purposed toward ending things for good, with Elena as well.
At first, I was under the assumption that Stefan was so far gone, that it hadn’t even occurred to him, that this particular bridge was significant to Elena. But after reading your comment, I thought to myself, “He could have driven her into a wall, or a house, or a tree. He could have driven her anywhere where death was imminent, in order to prove his point to Klaus. Elena would have screamed just as loud, regardless . . . most of us, would.
Yet, he chose that bridge, seeming to know full well that Elena would be affected that much more deeply by it. And I think the reason why he did it is reflected in his final words to her, before driving off. Namely, he believes that their relationship ended, once he gave himself over to Klaus, and human blood lust. He can’t be with her, knowing all the terrible things he did this summer, all the things he knows are in him to do again. And right now, I think he truly wants her to move on, because he thinks someone else can make her happier than he can. Now, whether he thinks that person is his own brother, remains to be seen. (I know I think Damon can make her happier. ;))
I guess I don’t read enough of the message boards. Because I feel like I’m the only person who didn’t know about all these Klaroline shippers. It kind of makes me feel “uncool” as a TVD fan, that I don’t have a crack ship. I’m just another run-of-the mill Delena fan. Hmmm . . . maybe I should make one up. How about Rebekah and Alaric? 🙂
Hi Julie! Sorry for not getting to your recap last week! Well, I read it, but didn’t find the time to comment; so sorry 😦
Now for this week! Another great episode! They’ve gone all out since the hiatus, and I love it!
They still work great together, those Salvatore siblings. It felt a little like the Elena rescue in ‘Rose’, the way Damon told Bonnie to be quiet while Stefan distracted soon-to-be-heartless hybrid 😉 so Damon could… de-heart him. Also, Damon holding the heart, great reference to the promotional poster…
Caroline’s birthday… I get where she’s coming from, not wanting to celebrate, but hey, she made Elena celebrate hers in spite of herself too. So I thought it appropriate that Elena returned the favor… And yes, apparently a hybrid-in-human-form bite can kill a vampire just as effectively as a werewolf one. Stefan too did get bitten by a non-changed hybrid. Does the same go for a non-hybrid-werewolf-in human-form? Caroline’s lucky that Tyler didn’t bite her before… I guess love bites are also out then 😉
I did like the tender moment between Caroline and Klaus, even if I do know that Klaus always has ulterior motives (like getting the sheriff on his side for saving her daughter). And he upstaged his underling Tyler’s gift nicely, with the bracelet 😉 Looking forward to seeing where this goes, though it would mean that Caroline too would get divided loyalties, just what she accused Tyler of. And Klaus’s bite will be just as dangerous to her, if not more so, seeing he’s the original hybrid. Do you think you can cure his bite with his own blood? They should start bottling it and keeping it on hand at all times, with all those hybrids running around…
Meredith Fell… I was wondering what her relation to the late Jenna’s late ex-boyfriend Logan was? Sister, cousin? And Logan the vampire was killed by Alaric… meaning that if Ric and her hit it off, that’s one skeleton in their cupboard already… makes for an intriguing relationship, don’t ya think? And who killed Meredith’s loser ex-boyfriend? Did she do it herself? She talked about it earlier, and she did need a drink, after ‘losing’ a patient… I was even thinking Alaric, but I hope he wouldn’t go around casually killing off guys because cute doctors are pissed at them… You seem to think she knows who killed Logan, making this a set-up for Ric…
Meredith does seem to be part of the council. Does Damon still head the thing? Isn’t it curious that he (or even Ric) doesn’t know her then? Or is she another one of those council members that just pops up out of the blue, like father/uncle John? But she works at the local hospital… so I guess she was around all along, just never got mentioned?
The Stelena kidnap attempt… Stefan wants to further damage the bridge they are just hosting a fundraiser for at the Lockwood mansion… How appropriate! And what a coincidence (or maybe there’s just the one bridge in MF?) that it also happens to be the bridge where Elena’s parents died, and she nearly did so too, but was saved by Stefan, then in hero mode? And also coincidentally, where she really died and became a vampire in the books? Wickery Bridge… the dramatic high point of Mystic Falls. They should just demolish the thing instead of restoring it! It’s clearly situated on a convergence of bad ley lines!
I know Damon would never play with Elena’s life… And still, I couldn’t help but wonder even as it happened whether the whole thing wasn’t planned by those wily Salvatore siblings (though it would be the first of their plans to actually work)? Stefan did ask Damon at the beginning of the episode whether he didn’t tell Elena about the revival of their team Salvatore…. But in the end Damon just wants to know whether she’s okay, but he’s not really mad at Stefan; in fact, he’s proud that Stefan turned out to be the better villain… Stefan’s exact words to him in the Lockwood mansion… so I’m thinking it was a setup. Damon would have been a lot more angry at Stefan if it hadn’t been. Elena of course couldn’t know about it… because otherwise her reactions wouldn’t have been believable to Klaus… And remember that Damon is willing to do EVERYTHING to save her. Besides, he didn’t tell her the whole of the homecoming plan either, just to keep her safe. Stefan on the other hand told Damon before that it was now Damon’s job to protect her, not his. I think he’s truly given up on her the moment he left MF with Klaus, even if she held on to him for much longer. He knew Damon’d be there to protect her and love her. I’m guessing that he knows how Elena feels about his brother better than she herself does, and that he’s always known that, which just adds another reason to keep saving Damon’s life, because Elena can’t lose another loved one. This of course doesn’t make Stefan a true villain; rather, it makes him the true hero in the end… ultimately self-sacrificing. Everything Stefan has done since going along with Klaus has had a reason, and has ultimately been in the interest of Damon and of Delena as a couple: getting Klaus out of MF, never telling him Elena was still alive, not even in Chicago; saving Klaus to save Damon; steal the coffins even if he could just have skipped town if he truly didn’t care anymore… and that’s why Damon will always feel guilty for moving in on his ‘brother’s girl’. The final move will have to come from Elena, even if Damon now suspects that it will in fact come, after she kissed him back last week. I don’t know what all of this will ultimately mean, but if this is true, it leaves Stelena endgame wide open of course…
Still, I’m loving it at the moment! Till next week!
Hey serendipity! Great parallel on the Salvatore Brother’s tag team moment at the beginning of the episode, and the moment when they rescued Rose and Elena from Elijah in “Rose.” I also love that you caught the homage to the promotional poster evidenced by Damon handling the bloody heart. I can’t believe I didn’t catch that . . . (and I was even the one who made the screencap).
The similarity between the two images is simply too uncanny to be merely coincidence. Don’t you think?
As someone who absolutely hates celebrating her own birthday, I could certainly commiserate with how Caroline was feeling, this week, just as I commiserated with Elena, on her birthday. (Do you think we will get to see Bonnie’s birthday as well? What about Damon’s? I’d really like to know when Damon’s birthday is! I hope Elena kisses him on it.) But it is nice how Caroline and Elena both support one another, and force eachother out of their respective funks. It’s easy to focus on all the romantic relationships, and bromances of this show. But there are some really great shemances (Is that a word?) too. 🙂
Regarding the whole hybrid bite killing a vampire thing, I think that comes from the werewolf side of the hybrid, more than from the hybrid itself. If a hybrid is supposedly more powerful than both vampires and werewolves, then it makes sense that it contains the most dangerous aspect of both. Through both Rose and Damon, both of whom were bitten by non-hybrid werewolves, we saw the effects that a werewolf bite will have on a non-hybrid vampire.
I remember it having always been an issue between Tyler and Caroline, that they could never bite eachother during foreplay, and that she had to stay as far away from him as possible, during his monthly changes. But I had always assumed that once Tyler turned into a vampire as well, his bites would no longer be a danger to Caroline. So much for that!
And, yes, I think Klaus’ bites would have the same effect on Caroline. But with him, she would have the benefit of having the cure right on hand. So, for these two, rough foreplay IS an option. 🙂
Ooh, another good catch on the Council fundraiser being to benefit the bridge. This is probably where Stefan got the idea. I also recall Meredith saying that she wanted to throw her now dead-ex off of there. You are right. That place has some bad karma, indeed.
Speaking of Meredith, I suspect she got on the council, because that Professor Fell, who was on the council before her, was killed by the tomb vamps in “Ghost World.” I suspect that, with the exception of Alaric (and maybe Damon?), most council members “inherit” their seats. Though we saw Meredith working at the hospital, it seems like she’s just arrived in town for a specific purpose. The Medical Examiner seemed to know about her purpose, and didn’t think it was such a good idea. Then he ended up dead.
I kind of like the idea of avenging Logan Fell’s death being that purpose. You know how TVD loves their past-season parallels, and no one seems to stay dead in this town, without someone returning to avenge them. (See exammple: Mason Lockwood). Speaking of parallels, wouldn’t it be interesting if Meredith ended up being Logan’s somewhat estranged sister. She’s about the right age for it. In addition to parallels, we know how much TVD loves their sibling issues . . . perhaps, even more so than their Daddy issues.
I predict the weapon they find in the medical examiner will end up coming from Alaric’s weapon stash . . . something that only the rest of the Scooby Gang, and the members of the council know that he has. As a member of the council, Meredith would know about the weapons, and be able to use them on the Medical Examiner to prevent him from warning anyone in the town of her reasons for returning.
Then again, that might be too obvious. Perhaps, it will turn out that Alaric is a sleepwalking murderer, and that becoming a sleepwalking murderer is a side effect of wearing the Ring of Immortality too long. 🙂 (Watch out Jeremy!) I’m kidding, of course. But at least that would be unexpected. Then again, I think Alaric has an alibi for this murder, because (depending on the time of death), he might have been driving Jeremy to the airport at the time . . .
Hmmm . . . I guess we will find out next week.
I actually believe that Damon was kept in the dark about what was going to happen on the bridge. (When Damon first calls Elena, he is both alone, and not on speaker phone. But the expression on his face seems genuinely anguished, regarding what’s about to happen). But I agree with you, that, given what Damon said to Stefan in “The Last Dance,” he ultimately believes that the ends justified the means, in this instance.
All that said, I love your theory about Stefan becoming a little matchmaker between Damon and Elena, so that Elena would have someone to protect and care for her, while Stefan was out . . . “ripping,” or whatever . . .
If that’s the case, of course, I support Stefan’s actions, in this regard, wholeheartedly. But I think you are right. Eventually the time will come when Stefan comes back to himself and/or Elena figures out why he did what he did. My theory though is that, by then Elena will have already given her heart to Damon. And while she might even return to Stefan temporarily, out of some loyalty to him (another Dawson’s Creek parallel), eventually Stefan will realize that Damon is the one she truly loves, and will give her up again for the greater good. 🙂
That’s my theory, and I’m sticking too it. Thanks so much for talking TVD with me. This was awesome. And, of course, I’m looking forward to reading your next epic fanfiction. 🙂
I just watched the ep (I know, I’m late) and I rushed immediately here to read your recap and the comments. I wanna have a long comment too on my say but I think everything’s been discussed. And it’s 4AM and I’m way too sleepy to be coherent, heh. Anyway, great recap as always and I agree with you with everything! I am so excited for the next episode with what’s gonna happen with Caroline and Klaus (I’m an intense Forwood shipper but this pairing shocked me and I was giggling with giddiness at the unexpectedness and how the scene just clicked and crackled with fire and chemistry) but I’m sure they’re not gonna deal with that yet. Oh well. Thanks for the recap and the thoughts! You are the best ever! 😀
Hey whoopeeyoo! Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recap. As a fellow Forwood shipper, I felt the exact same way you did about Caroline and Klaus. I didn’t want to find that scene between them sexy, but I did. And it made me feel like a HUGE traitor to my Ship for doing so. (What are you doing to me, writers?) 🙂
Regarding whether the Klaroline relationship will be addressed right away, I’m not sure about this coming week’s episode. However, it is VERY safe to say there will be some important Klaroline scenes in Episode 314.
Have you seen these yet?
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20560952,00.html#21105157
Happy viewing! 🙂
KJewls, thanks for posting those gorgeous pictures from 314! Are we sure that’s Elena and not Katherine?
Hey LG! Good point. Nina is sporting Katherine’s signature curls, and smoky eye makeup. On the other hand, most of the sources I’ve been reading seem to suggest that’s Elena, and that Katherine remains MIA, at least for a few more episodes. Of course, they could very well be wrong! 🙂
Hi Julie!
I strangely don’t have much to say about the episode. While I thought it was a good episode I also feel underwhelmed (?!?).
I felt really terrible for Tyler, because when he’s playing the nice guy, not the season 1 a**hole then I really like his character, and showing his vunerability by telling Caroline that he loves her. It was devastating to see that even when he is actively trying to fight the influence of Klaus that he cannot escape the siring effect. I hope that Team Scooby can get rid of Klaus to finally free Tyler. I don’t like the Klaus and Caroline pairing, but it was interesting to hear Klaus admit that he has had period where he wanted to end his life. Adds yet another layer to an already complicated character.
Stefan was undoubtably harsh towards Elena and it was really cruel to frighten her by making her relive her parents accident. I feel oddly disappointed with the Elena and Stefan confrontation, because while she did bring up how horrible it was that he frightened her, the focus of the conversation quickly became about their relationship and how she didn’t want to give up on him, which for me is the wrong thing that Elena should be focusing on in that moment. Also the conversation ended with zero closure or gains towards closure between Elena and Stefan which is why Elena rightfully cannot even entertain the notion of being with Damon right now. And while I loved Damon’s quiet confidence and insistance that they are right just not right now (and Elena’s lack of argument against that point), Damon defending Stefan felt forced and a little out of character.
Finally, looking at the pictures for 3.14 on the EW site which you linked to above, makes me very concerned about what is going to happen with Delena. Elena looks angry with Damon in one of the pictures and the caption says Damon and Elena….but for how long? Pretty ominous 😦
Joey
Hey Joey! Hmm, I can understand your frustration with this episode. It certainly contained some tough moments for both Delena fans, and, especially, Forwood fans. (And you and I are both!)
That said, let’s see if I can’t brighten your spirits a bit, with some alternative interpretations of the scenes you mentioned. 🙂 Regarding Stefan and Elena, I agree that it was kind of frustrating that Elena reverted right back to “relationship talk,” just minutes after being so presumably traumatized by Stefan’s little scheme. On the other hand, I think Elena was actually responding to something pretty telling that Stefan said. Stefan told Elena that if he couldn’t defeat Klaus, he had nothing lefft. This causes Elena to see that Stefan is so focused on getting revenge against Klaus, that he’s not thinking about her at all.
Now, whether Stefan is actually more interested in revenge against Klaus, for revenge’s sake, than for Elena’s and Damon’s sake is open to debate. I suspect a Stelena fan would say, “absolutely not.” Nevertheless, at this point Stefan definitely sees his relationship with Elena as being over. He’s given up on her, not necessarily because he doesn’t love her anymore, but because he’s not willing to deal with the emotional baggage that comes with being Elena’s boyfriend. It will involve him coping with all the awful things he did with Klaus, this summer. It will involve him quitting human blood, cold turkey. And, most importantly, it will involve him feeling a ton of pain and guilt.
So, I think, as far as Stefan’s concerned, his final line to Elena before stranding her on the road, “I don’t care what you think of me, anymore” was closure. And I think Elena knows that. But I also think she cares too much about Damon and his feelings, to jump headfirst into a relationship with Damon, the exact same day she “broke up” with Stefan. Because, no matter how much she LOVES Damon (which she admitted she did, this week), that would make him a “Rebound Guy.” And Damon doesn’t deserve that.
As for Damon sticking up for Stefan, I think he considers Stefan’s actions somewhat similar to what he and Bonnie did during “The Last Dance.” That too was an experience that traumatized Elena. And yet, as far as Damon was concerned, the end justified the means, because it, ultimately, kept her safe. Damon doesn’t want Elena to be Klaus’ blood bag, her entire life. And I think he will do whatever it takes to protect her.
Now, does that mean I think Damon, himself, would have chosen to do what Stefan did to Elena? Absolutely not. Damon’s love for Elena, and the time he spent with her this summer has changed him. He sees her as an equal now. He confides in her, and tells her his plans, no matter how devious. And he does whatever he can to minimize her unhappiness and pain.
But I think Damon sees in Stefan’s logic the way HE felt, during “The Last Dance.” Namely, to keep Elena safe, sometimes requires causing her pain. And he can’t blame his little brother (much) for feeling that way now, even if he no longer necessarily agrees.
As for the pictures from 314, I took the caption to mean that something bad would happen at the dance, not necessarily that Delena’s relationship would go sour. In other pictures in the series, we also see Stefan and Caroline looking similarly upset. I’m thinking that Klaus is going to make a move at the dance, that, once again, puts the Scooby Gang in danger.
Now, I’m not saying that danger is a good thing. But it’s certainly better than Delena bitterness, right? 🙂
Thanks Julie,
I feel much better after reading your response. 🙂 You are always the voice of optimism and reason 🙂
Ok, now your recap. Believe it or not but I actually agreed with Damon once this episode. Seriously a hundred dead witches and they need Bonnie to figure out a way to open the coffin?
When I saw Bonnie “chanting” it looked like praying to me. Not to mention that her “witch-talk” still sounds like something from the Mediterranean to me. I wonder whether she actually knows what she is saying. And you are correct; the writers seem to forget about the nosebleeds completely but hey since when is it knew that they forget what they once wrote? Remember first season when Lexi stated that she dated some medic guy who provided the blood for her? Well a few episodes later (or was it the next one?) there suddenly was this vampire guy who was Lexi’s boyfriend. Now is he supposed to be the medic or was Lexi cheating on him? I mean, if he was the medic are we supposed to assume that he always worked the nightshift or indoors without windows?
I think your Delena-stream let you overlook the fact that in the Stefan-Elena scene it was clearly stated that Stefan acts the way he does to a huge deal to make Elena hate him. This was at least a plausible explanation, considered the show a very good and deep one actually, since it would be backed up by Stefan’s own behavior and stand towards his vampirism and blood-addiction. It was shown several times that he despises this part of himself, as well as fears it. A part of him always thought that he was a monster and now he simply wants to nail it into Elena that he is. Albeit if the writers let her see that now only further proves that they need some lessons in basic human psychology, because any sane girl would have kicked Stefan to the curb already.
I guess Caroline would never get her wish to have more action than Elena, but she maybe Klaus will be her new sugar daddy after all dating her wolf-boy doesn’t seem to be working well for her. Her situation kind of reminds me of Red Riding Hood.
And if you were turned on by the Klaus and Caroline interaction, does that mean that you are going to be team Carolaus (I think that sounds better than Klaroline)? 😉
That Klaus didn’t face Rebekah only proves for me what a coward he basically is. So far him killing his mother seems to be blamed on his werewolf side, at least by Elena, but what I will write in later comments will deal with the overall werewolf theme.
Who is the second girl who looks like Elena? So far we had no confirmation of the Petrova rumors. Which would suck major ass if you ask me. Then again the witch and vampire creation rumor turned out to be true.
Anyway, when seeing that scene I was rather asking myself what the writers are up to with the portrayal of Klaus? Do they want us to be more sympathetic with him? Possible if you ask me. I mean people accepted all what Damon did without question. Not they I will ever understand why. Or is it just the old romanticizing of predators, or killers to be precise? That could be a possibility also and not unrealistic as the many people who fall in love with convicts proof.
Anyway LG was right in stating that Caroline is (or might) now be softened towards Klaus.
Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if Klaus is now “better” and we are supposed to forget what he has done over the centuries as seems to be so typical in vampire shows and movies these days.
You could be on to something with likening Klaus with Rebekah too. Both blond, both stylish, both cheerleaders, both fooling around with Tyler… Not completely without merit.
You know, now that you brought this “gay for Klaus” stuff up. I guess the writers will probably blame Tyler’s behavior and the liking of his situation on him being sired, albeit that would totally be Tyler under normal circumstances. But maybe it’s not worth to dwell on it, since it will only serve the three big lamers as usual. Oh, wait they are not lame at all, they are epic. I mean it’s totally normal for someone to take three seasons to finally kiss somebody.
I think a huge part in Klaus saving Caroline would be that it would be used as another example where Klaus beat Damon-Stefan-Elena again (sorry but you cannot call it the Scooby Gang in my eyes since the motivators are only these three), despite all the stupidities the writers have let him do so acts of genius are not really in line with Klaus. But hey its TVD where crazy writers have eight seasons, constant character changes and spend more than two seasons hinting at something everybody would have seen coming and dragging it out so long that it in the end becomes boring as hell.
I liked Caroline’s speech about her being stuck since it clearly proves that she is not that super woman many fans portrayed her to be, which I always found weird. Although this is a small dose of realism only, this is at least something. But the overall theme of the show, you know “everything for Elena”, gave it all what happened in the episode with Caroline a bitter aftertaste for me. The bridge scene was for me (don’t worry these two won’t be a couple, not even TVD writers would do something so cliché) just the confirmation that everything on the show only serves Elena in the end. Man this sucks. Maybe it wouldn’t suck so much if…. No, I have no idea how it would suck less.
Maybe, just maybe, the death of the examiner will give us something interesting for the next five episodes or so (hey when did a twist ever lasted much longer on this show?).
And you are not the only one who agreed with Bonnie, it was about time that someone spoke turkey with Elena. I mean the failures resulting from her actions obviously don’t work and so maybe someone has to throw it in her face. Especially her constant jabbering about Jeremy’s safety and that he is so young is annoying. Seriously we viewers have long recognized that he is not a helpless little boy, even without training and coaching by a vampire and a vampire hunter he managed to be more badass than her (Jeremy shortly showed suspicion when he asked Bonnie what she meant with her Elena comment). Of course since the writers never seem to realize who is really smart on the show that was simply not used. Or maybe he was written out to not have to deal with this inconsistency. As for McQueen leaving: we just have to watch the next two episodes. If McQueen’s name stays in the entry, we can be sure he will be back. It was the same with Trevino in the last season after all.
The way Tyler had finally bitten Caroline was odd in my eyes. I mean before he couldn’t wait for pleasing Klaus and suddenly he “fights” him and obeys him subconsciously? That is not really in line with his previous portrayal. That he ran away however, was totally fitting for the coward he is. And I think you had a bad case of wishful thinking. Tyler didn’t get Caroline any help. I rewatched the whole ordeal and after he abandons her we see Matt and Elena, then Matt gets thrown against a wall, then the Stefan-Elena-Damon-Klaus drama and then the scene where Matt carries Caroline into her house. So sorry, but not even a mentioning of Tyler getting her help.
I wasn’t surprised by Carol Lockwood’s behavior though. Totally in line with her character and the overall theme of the show.
And your question made me smile. Think of it, would each time a hybrid bites his own tongue be a certain death-sentence for him?
You know these hybrids have remained werewolf in one aspect:
They were introduced as these big scary monsters but now they are dropping dead like flies. So yes they are lame, looks like their new hybrid status could not get rid of that werewolf weakness. And where were all those hybrids when Stefan sneaked into Casa-de-la-old-and-whiney aka Klaus’ mansion? And isn’t it astounding how many big mansions this little town in Virginia has?
Actually East Coast Captain is totally right in linking vampires to the aristocracy and werewolves to the blue collar. This is not just so in TB but also several films, not the last Underworld and Twilight. In folklore and fiction werewolves were in general linked to the underclasses and the “savage” (basically the non-whites). While vampires made the leap from being undead monsters that serve as an explanation for fatal diseases to unliving aristocratic, sexy and alluring, dangerous killers the werewolves never really managed that. However werewolves are not really revolutionaries.
The whole topic has actually strong racial and social undertones and I am not sure whether TVD isn’t free of it. Actually I think that, while not as obvious as Twilight (I can’t say that much about TB) or Underworld there are hints to it.
Originally I had suspicions because of the predominantly white cast and statists of the show but that is pretty much in line with Virginia’s demographics. Nonetheless, I think there might be some things, but I will not talk about it in this post due to the reasons mentioned.
Anyway, I think the Lockwoods are only a seemingly exceptions to the rule since their wealth is due to their members that have not triggered the curse and therefore were not truly werewolves. Although Katherine linked the capture of the Tomb vampires directly to the werewolves, this connection is unjustified since only George Lockwood was a werewolf at the time and he was rather Katherine’s toy and not truly involved in the pogrom against the vampires, that was his father.
Hey Andre! So, you agreed with Damon for the first time, and I agreed with Bonnie, and approved of Matt, for the first time. This was a strange episode, indeed. 🙂
Oh, and you are right. It did look like Bonnie was praying over the coffins. Then again, perhaps she just closes her eyes, and clasps her hands like that to try to keep her nose from bleeding. (Because it looks way cooler doing that, than chanting while holding your nose.) She also gets this really deep voice when she does spells. It’s spooky, but unintentionally hilarious, at the same time.
Hmmm . . . I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say it was “clearly stated” that Stefan was behaving this way to get Elena to hate him. It’s certainly a possibility . . . and was something that Elena suggested to Stefan, during their argument. (Of course, if Stefan admitted that this was why he was doing it, it would probably defeat the purpose.) What made Paul Wesley’s performance interesting in this scene was that, while most of us would assume that Stefan would instantly realize the impact what he was doing would have on Elena, for a few moments Stefan seemed almost surprised (and a little hurt) that Elena reacted the way he did. His “oh come on, you knew I wasn’t really going to make you into a vampire” response, struck me as, not just callous, but ignorant, as well. And then, when Elena really turned on the water works, and waxing poetic about their relationship, Stefan went on the defensive a bit . . . covering up his obvious sadness with pure anger: “I don’t care what you think of me, anymore.”
At least, that’s how I interpreted his actions. But I guess only Paul Wesley, himself, and the show’s writers know for sure . . .
As for Caroline, I actually think it’s entirely possible that she gets more action than Elena this season, if not, necessarily more screentime. After all, Caroline and Tyler had quite a few steamy scenes already, pre-hybrid storyline. And if she so much as shares a kiss with Klaus, that will give her two suitors to Elena’s one (since Stefan seems to be taking a break from pursuit, of late). Speaking of Karoline (Carolaus?), I was intrigued by how surprisingly purely Joseph Morgan seems to interpret his character’s behavior, in this regard. It looks like Mr. “Love is a vampire’s greatest weakness,” might be eating his words pretty soon . . .
http://www.tvline.com/2012/01/vampire-diaries-joseph-morgan-season-3-episode-12/#more-289714
In other cast views on character development, I also enjoyed this interview with Michael Trevino, which seemed to suggest that the writers might be taking a more complex and endearing route with the character, than I had initially feared . . .
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/18/the-vampire-diaries-michael-trevino-teases-tylers-struggle-with-klaus-and-his-questionable-future-with-caroline/
I was very intrigued by your raising contention with my Scooby Gang analogy. Truthfully, since I’ve actually caught maybe one episode of the Scooby show itself (Admittedly, it’s probably a bit before our time :)), I was thinking more along the lines of the phrase, as it’s used in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There, even though Buffy was clearly the lead character, her friends were always involved somehow in her various demon takedown schemes. Based on the little I know about the Scooby Gang, the same formula applied there as well, with Shaggy and Scooby having the clear lead roles, and the rest of the gang, bringing up the rear, as a sort of supporting / ensemble cast. (Man, I wish someone would do a blog post about this . . . aside from me, of course. ;))
As for the biting scene, I think it is sort of in line with siring, as we know it. Though Tyler led himself to believe that he was CHOOSING to follow Klaus, and that no compulsion was involved, this was a case of pretty clear cut compulsion, by way of reverse psychology, and subconscious seeking of approval. This was most definitely not something Tyler wanted to do. That said, he did run to get help. When Klaus arrives on Caroline’s doorstep, he explicitly says “Tyler came to me right after it happened. He was quite distressed . . . poor thing.”
Could Klaus have been lying? Perhaps. But, if he was lying, and knew exactly the minute when Tyler bit Caroline, than that would make the case for siring being akin to compulsion even clearer . . . Either way, I suspect this question will be explored deeper in the coming weeks . . .
Oh, and I was looking forward to your analysis of gender stereotypes on TVD that you hinted at in your earlier e-mail. Hopefully, this week’s TVD installment will inspire you to include it in the next comment segment. 🙂
Well I am sure that I will incoude at least some of my analyses into the next comments. Especially regarding the triangle and Tyler’s status as a werewolf. After all that still basically defines him despite all the hybrid stuff. In that regard he is an exception from the other hybrids that are basically defined by their vampire side.
I didn’t read what you linked because I simply don’t trust the writers in that regard. Mason was stated to be a big deal, Vicky’s and Anna’s ghosts were, Klaus was etc. And I think we both know that they weren’t. So, not really much to say anymore about this episode.