“And I will try to fix youuuuuu.” – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “My Brother’s Keeper”

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Oh yeah, Caroline . . . it’s happening, all right!

Oh, my dear sweet Fangbangers!  How I’ve missed you, during this one week interminable hiatus.  And what an episode to come back to!  Let’s see, there was another Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, Mini Gilbert hopped a ride on the Crazy Train, Klaus got all mushy gushy over a teeny tiny bird with a big nose, and . . . wait . . . I know I’m forgetting something.  Hmmm . . . what could it be?

Was it about Nosebleed Bonnie?

Nahh . . . she wasn’t even in this episode.  Good riddens!

How about that dead hybrid from last week?  Did he return as zombie to exact revenge on our Scooby Gang?

Nope . . . not him either.

Oh, I remember now! DAMON AND ELENA HAD SEX . . . WITH EACH OTHER.

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THEY BONED.  THEY WERE NAKED.  SHIRTS WERE RIPPED.  BODICES WERE TORN.

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DAMON ROAD THAT NEWBIE VAMP ALL THE WAY TO POUND TOWN . . .

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I’ve really gotta lay off on the capital letters . . . and the caffeine.

Anywhoo . . . let’s rewind a little bit, so we can see how it all went down.  [By the way, welcome back, Andre! Many thanks for the rockin’ screencaps . . .]

Stefan and Caroline: Gossip Girls

“She dumped me, Bro!  And now I have this strange urge to write bad poetry, and cheesy diary entries, while showing off my muscular physique to no one in particular.”

“Wait . . . don’t you do that every week?”

Everybody needs a good girlfriend.  And I’m not speaking in a romantic context either.  We all need someone we can call, after a bad day, who will listen to us, while we bitch and moan about our mean teachers, our awful bosses, and our inconsiderate significant others . . . someone who will say to us, “Hey Girl!  You are SO right.  That guy of yours is total toolbox.  You can do so much better than him” . . . even if it isn’t exactly . . . like . . . true and stuff.

“That bitch!  I’m going to totally kick her ass.  How dare she dump one bloodthirsty vampire for another one?  I’m going to really give her a piece of my mind . . . once I get back from my hot date with the evilest, most bloodthirsty vampire on the planet.”

Damon used to have that with Alaric . . .

. . . you know, before Alaric went psycho and started trying to murder Damon on a regular basis.  Stefan sort of had that with his boy toy Klaus.

“You can be my bodyguard.  And I can be your long lost pal.  I can call you Betty, and Betty when you call me, you can CALLL MEEEE KLAUUUUSSSS, call me Klaus.”

But, let’s be honest, their relationship was always more homoerotic than it was mutually supportive.  So, as much as I was annoyed by Caroline’s and Stefan’s “Mean Girls” act this week, seeing Stefan bitch and complain about being dumped by Elena to Caroline was probably the most “human” thing I’ve seen the guy do in about three seasons.

Make that the second most Human Thing.  Looking goood, Steffy!

For once, Stefan wasn’t busy being either “good and honorable” or “ravenous and psychotic.”  He was just the girl who didn’t get asked to the prom by the high school quarterback.  So, instead, he stayed home crying to his girlfriends (who also didn’t have dates), while shoving Ben & Jerry’s ice cream down his throat.

Well, except for the fact that given how ripped Saint Stefan is, it’s pretty clear to me that Paul Wesley has never met Ben or Jerry, in his entire life.

But hey . . . it’s a start right?

Speaking of Mean Girls, whoa Caroline!  When exactly did your Season 1 self come back to literally bite you in the ass?  For someone who spent the entire episode bitching about how much Elena had changed, since she went full on vamp, Caroline sure was acting like someone other than the Perky Little Vampire Barbie we had all come to know and love.  Perhaps, Bonnie’s absence left an opening in the show’s obligatory “Judgy Girl / Cockblock Quota.”

Whatever the reason, Caroline was 100% Regina Georging Elena for most of the episode, disregarding her choice of men, her choice of clothes (more on that later), and even her personality.  Honestly, I kept waiting for Elena to show up at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant wearing sweat pants, so that Caroline could banish her from the lunch table.

Oh wait . .  . I forgot, these kids only actually attend school once every two months.  So, lunch tables are not an option . . .  In other romance news . . .

Klaus whispers sweet nothings in Stefan’s ear, causing sexual frustration  in our “hero”

That Klaus sure is one kinky vamp, isn’t he?  Here we have Stefan, in his tight bodice-busting wife beater tee, just brooding, and minding his own business.  Then, out comes Klaus to put his big manly arms around Stefan, place his lips near his neck, and whisper in his ear, all the naughty things he will do to him, if Stefan doesn’t obey the elder vampire’s desires (i.e. make Jeremy a mass murderer so the Etch-a-Sketch on his arm produces more of those pretty pictures Klaus adores so much . . . but no ponies, unfortunately).

Talk about tough love!  A ridiculously small part of me really did believe that these two were going to hump, right there in the woods like the sexy savage beasts they are.  But instead, Klaus leaves Stefan with a massive case of these . . .

Dumped by his girlfriend, denied by his gay lover, can you really blame Stefan for being a little snippy with his brother, back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome?

DAMON:  “You’re bitchy today!  Who crawled up your ass and died?”

STEFAN: “Not Klaus or Elena, that’s for sure.”

DAMON: “Bummer, you should see if Matt Donovan is free . . .”

My how the tables have turned!  This time around it’s Stefan, offering up the half-cocked, impulsive plan that’s going to put everyone’s lives in jeopardy, while Damon is being the more conservative one, opting in favor of protecting Jeremy’s life and his sanity, over the quick fix of using his hunter mark to rescue Elena, no matter how many people get hurt in the process.

“I know, it kind of surprised me too.”

And while for three seasons, Damon has bore the brunt of his Elena-sized rejection with quiet broodiness, and pleasant self-deprecation, Stefan is just one big ole’ sour grape about the whole thing.  “Don’t pretend like this isn’t the best day of your entire life,” Stefan remarks snidely, when Damon expresses sympathy toward his brother over the breakup.

In Stefan’s defense, while Damon might look calm and collected on the outside, upon hearing this news, on the inside, I suspect he’s doing this . . .

 . . . and this . . .

. . . and maybe even a little of this . . .

Meanwhile, back at the pageant . . .

This is your brain on Professor Boo Radley (and these are your muscles on Vampire Hunter Steroids) . . .

“GRRRRR!”

“Rawrrrrrrrr”

Matty LIKE!

Apparently, having a new nifty new tattoo has turned Jeremy into the frat party version of a super hero.  He LIFTS HEAVY KEGS with a single orgasmic grunt.  Matt pretends to be concerned about Jeremy’s “mental health” and stuff.  But you know that deep down he’s impressed, kind of jealous, and a little bit turned on . . .

Meanwhile, even feuding femme fatales, Caroline and Elena, agree that Professor Boo Radley is mega creepy, and always seems to be putting his annoyingly curly head of hair where it isn’t wanted.  Therefore, it’s a kind of a good thing Damon wants to kill him, right?

He even has serial killer eyebrows . . .

Speaking of making a killing . . .

Eeny, Meeny, Miney, MURDER!

Stefan’s scouring the hospital for humans with a very specific set of medical conditions.  At first, I assume that this little hunting trip was brought on by breakup-induced stress eating . . .

But nope. Stefan’s looking for “bad people” to turn, just like Elena was looking for “bad frat brothers” to much on, during her campus excursion with Damon, a few weeks back.  After all, everyone knows that Bad People taste better (much more flavor!).

Stefan finds what he’s looking for in a hospitalized killer who completely lacks remorse for his misdeeds.  You know, kind of like Stefan and the rest of the Scooby Gang, when they killed Poor Hybrid Chris to cure Elena of Night Terrors.  Stefan promptly turns Killer Guy, into a vamp, in hopes that he can later force Jeremy kill him.

“You will MAKE OUT WITH MY ARM, AND YOU WILL LIKE IT, BITCH!  In case you haven’t heard, my girlfriend dumped me, and I haven’t had sex in two weeks.  I’ll take what I can get.”

And hey, if doing that just so happens to transform Jer Bear into a raging lunatic, so be it.  Because . . . let’s all say it together now . . . WE’RE DOING IT TO SAVE ELENA!

Except, here’s a new wrinkle in that plan . . . This time, Elena doesn’t really need saving, you know, being IMMORTAL, and stuff . . .

Because unlike CRAZY!DERANGED! Elena, Caroline doesn’t have a thing for Bad Boys at all . . . does she?

Oh Sweet Caroline!  You aren’t fooling anyone with your “Go away I’m busy,” “Don’t buy me dresses,” act with Klaus.  Everybody knows you want to hit that hybrid booty, and hit it HARD.

“Do you think he’s looking at me?  He’s TOTALLY looking at me.  Play it cool, Caroline.  Maybe he won’t notice that you’re reading your clipboard upside down . . .”

And hey, none of us blame you for looking.  That smirk of Klaus’ could melt the polar ice caps.

But you know what they say.  Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t pick on Elena for lusting after a bad boy, when you are lusting after a worse one.

Wait. . .  that’s now how it goes . . .  Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t . . . be hypocrites?  No, that’s not it either.  Ooh nevermind.

But my poor analogies have purpose!  They actually bring me to two rather interesting, and oddly parallel, scenes in our story: one featuring Lady Elena, and the other starring none other than Caroline Forbes herself . . .

The Tale of the Tell Tale Dress and the Phallic-Looking Bird

“Hey Caroline.  We’re supposed to be helping April pick out a dress.  Stop staring at my boobs.”

April Young is running for Miss Mystic Falls, like Elena and Caroline before her. I suspect we are supposed to like care or something.  But I’m still having difficulty getting invested in April.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I keep waiting for her to get brutally murdered.

Also, I want Matt to be with Rebekah.  There, I said it.  Matt is just such a “nice guy,” and April is such a “nice girl.” And as “nice” as it would be if they were a couple, it would probably  . . . no, definitely  . . . put me to sleep watching them on my screen.

But I’m not here to talk about Matt and April, or even Matt and Rebekah, for that matter.  I’m here to talk about Elena, and her reaction to April’s choice of dress.  At first, she agrees with Caroline, and is all about the blue.  Then Damon swoops in, and suddenly she’s agreeing with him, and she’s all about the red.

“Because Red is the color of Blood.  And if you look like Blood, everyone in this town will want to eat you.  And, in case you haven’t noticed, we all equate eating with sexual attraction around here . . .”

Now, of course Caroline is morally aghast by the whole situation.  Later on, she’ll use it as evidence that Elena is “sired” to Damon.

I don’t know, I just see it as evidence, that Elena doesn’t have many strong opinions about fashion.  I mean, Caroline certainly didn’t accuse Elena of being sired to her, when she agreed to her choice of dress, did she?  Beyond that, I’d just say that Elena was acting like a girl who’s recently discovered she has a crush.  We’ve all been in those first stages of puppy love, before, haven’t we?  Suddenly, everything this person does is friggin adorable, and every word out of their mouth is pure gold.

There’s nothing supernatural about it.  Sometimes a dress is just a dress . . . Now, a hummingbird . . . that’s another story . . .

Remember that time when Klaus told a dying Caroline this beautiful, inspirational, story about the perks of being a vampire, and that same story inspired her to LIVE?

Well, this hummingbird story wasn’t that.  So, wait, let me get this straight.  Big bad Klaus decided he envied humanity, all because some bird with a big schnoz looked at him cockeyed?

Shake that ass, humming bird!  Klaus loves you!

Really?  That’s funny, because, last I checked HUMANS AREN’T BIRDS!

And yet, as Klaus’ date to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, Caroline just ate that stupid hummingbird story up, like it was delicious blood-covered chocolate brownie.  And why?  Because puppy love can make you approve of some very stupid things . . .

“That bird story is the stupidest crap I ever heard.”

“But you’re so yummy.  Wait . . . tell me that amazing story about the bird again.”

Think about THAT the next time you are Judgy McJudgersoning Elena, CareBear . . .

Speaking of puppy love . . .

Elena confesses!  Damon swoons!  Professor Boo Radley cockblocks!

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Yes, yes, yes.  It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, since we saw it in last week’s promos.  Elena calls out to Damon from the top of that romantic spiral staircase.  She meets him at the bottom, and finally confesses to him the words that this vampire has arguably been waiting to hear for about 150 years, from the girl who looks like Nina Dobrev, and whose name is alternately Katherine and Elena.  She has FEELINGS FOR HIM!

She dumped STEFAN for him!

She may even . . . wait for it . . . LOVE HIM!  And just in time for the holidays too . . .

I just loved seeing Damon’s expression, upon hearing this.  I love how he didn’t even really try to play it cool, and casual,  like he usually does.  Damon was overcome with emotion.  He was ecstatic.  He was . . . just like every Delena fan watching at home . . . minus the girly screams, and the screechy choruses of “OH MY GAWWWWWWWWD!”

And then that bastard Boo Radley had to come and frack it all up.  KILL HIM ALREADY, WILL YOU WRITERS!  I don’t care if he’s Silas!

“Look, Damon and Elena are having a Moment.  This looks like a job for COCKBLOCK OF THE WEEK, MWAH-HA HA!”

Damon leaves to have a little conversation with Mr. Creeper Man.  And it’s a pretty typical scene, where the pair shower one another with innuendo, and thinly-veiled threats.  YAWN!  Professor Boo Radley bores me.  More Delena please . . .

In, more exciting, non-Boo Radley, related news . . .

Mini Gilbert pops his vampire killing cherry . . . again.

“Why can’t I just have wet dreams, like normal teenage boys?”

“In my dreams, this was much bigger . . . just like my weiner.”

Poor JerBear . . . he’s having dreams about murdering his sister.  I wonder, maybe if the Scooby Gang kills a hybrid, they can cure him of these night terrors.  Oh wait . . . we only do that for Elena.  When it comes to Mini Gilbert, we do things to make him MORE crazy, not less.  To his credit,  Jeremy definitely seems morally aghast by his own unfulfilled desires.  But then his “bro” Stefan texts him.  And he ditches out on the Miss Mystic Falls pageant to go see him about killing a newbie vamp.

“Remind me to delete this asshole from my contacts list.  He’s always getting me into trouble.“

Stefan was a real jerk, in this scene, wasn’t he?  The way he manipulated Jeremy into making the kill, knowing full well that there was a major possibility that doing it would turn our mild mannered former emo kid into, as Damon cleverly put it, “Connor 2.0?”

Was I the only one who was cheering just a little bit, when Jeremy, not only didn’t show Stefan his pretty new tattoo, but immediately turned on the vampire, and staked his ass?   Come on, admit it, dude had it coming . . .

I find the way the writers dealt with Jeremy’s Vampire Hunter transformation interesting.  It was as if, the minute he killed vampire number 2, the guy became a completely different person . . . like he was a man possessed . . . like he had an alter ego . . . like his former self lacked free will over him . . . like he was Evil!Alaric . . .

And it kind of makes me wonder what kind of guy Connor was, before he became a vampire hunter . . .

While Jeremy’s Presto Chango Personality Transformation made for good television drama, part of me wished for a little more subtlety, and gradual metamorphosis, on the character’s part.  I find this is a frequent complaint I have with the show.  I recall having made similar comments about Stefan’s “ripperness” and Alaric’s “psycho-ness,” not long before.  And here is my general feeling.  When you give a character an “alter ego,” you enable him or her to disclaim complete responsibility for all acts committed while in that state.  And that gives your characters a sort of moral “easy out” clause, that I don’t necessarily think they deserve.

Part of me would much prefer to see Jeremy gradually struggle with his feelings about vampires, and the ways they conflict with the love he has for his family and friends.  But that’s just me . . .

And the winner is . . . zzzzz

Meh . . . I would have gone with the blue dress.

April won.  Jeremy bailed at the last minute, because he was out being “naughty,” just like Stefan was, back in Season 1.  Matt then stepped into Damon’s Season 1’s shoes, by acting as April’s last-minute Knight in Shining Kmart suit.  Plotwise, it did little to advance the main story.  But it was a kind of clever way to send up, one of the most popular episode’s in the show’s first season.

Not to mention, those looks that Damon and Elena were giving one another, as they recalled their days of Unrequited Passion / Mating Dance past?  PRICELESS . . .

Breaking Bones and Taking Numbers

“Hurry up and break your sire bond, already.  I want to watch Honey Boo Boo!”

I like Hayley.  I really do.  I know I’ve bitched about not warming to April.  But I started enjoying Phoebe Tonkin’s part in this series, almost as soon as she appeared.  Maybe it’s because I liked her in The Secret Circle.  Maybe it’s because she’s just a good actress.  Or maybe I like her tension with Tyler and Caroline, and feel like she’s the type of “tough girl” we don’t see enough on this show.  Whatever the reason, I thought the scenes where she boredly “coached” that hybrid chick through breaking her sire bond were pretty darn hilarious.

Not for this chick though, I imagine . . .

And I was disappointed at the end of the episode, when I learned that she was in CAHOOTS (love that cheesy word), with the detestable BOO RADLEY.  And no, the fact that she begged for “Tyler not to get hurt,” did little to endear her in my eyes.  You know what they say, you lie down with creepers, you start giving people the creeps.

So, I hope they redeem this chick soon . . . and not just by making her die a dramatic death, as they tend to do on this show.

Speaking of Boo . . .

Shane, Shane, we know your name “It’s Silas Professor Boo Radley.”

Evil eyebrows at work again . . .

So, now we have a reason to keep Boo Radley alive . . . umm yay?

So, basically his whole connection to this thing is that he can make Bonnie Bennett regain her witchy powers, so that she can help find the “cure” to vampirism .  . . because apparently the Map Tattoo and pretty stake aren’t enough.

Wait a minute . . . is THAT A HUMMINGBIRD ON HIS SHOULDER?

Ugh!  So, in other words, we’ve yoked a character I don’t like to another character I don’t like.  And had that same first yucky character (Boo) taint a character I actually DO like (Hayley).

GO AWAY SHANE!

So, much for that whole “not murdering your sister” thing, huh, Jer Bear?

Things get pretty tense when Elena finds her brother at the Salvatore mansion, all bloody and stuff, from killing That Guy.  Long story short, she vamps out, he stabs her neck .  . . (perhaps as payback for the time when she killed him last week).   Matt comes to save the day, which was nice of him, I guess, since Elena’s saved him quite a few times.

All kidding aside, I thought the scene was pretty nicely done, in the sense that it was TRULY shocking to see Jeremy revert to a character this depraved, almost on the drop of a dime.

At the end of the episode, Jeremy plans to leave town, so he won’t, you know, kill his sister and stuff.  But Savior Matt convinces him to stay, and promises to “watch out for him.”  Personally, I think that’s a terrible idea.  Matt Donovan couldn’t “watch out” for a half-empty beer keg, and he’s supposed to prevent Jeremy from murdering all the undead in Mystic Falls?

It will make for a good story though, I guess . . .

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for (if you are a Delena fan, at least)

So, with Jeremy staying at La Casa Gilbert, Brush-with-Death Elena finds herself without a home.  And though she could probably just check into a hotel, or stay with Bonnie or Caroline, she decides to make an already awkward situation that much more awkward, by moving into the Salvatore House, with the guy she dumped, and the guy she wants to bone, both under the same roof.

It’s like that old 70s show Three’s Company, only with lots of biting, and less Suzanne Somers . . .

But then Stefan decides to move out, thereby giving Elena and Damon about 20 free rooms, not to mention a ton of bathrooms, in which to screw at their leisure.  I LOVE IT!

Damon and Elena sit by the fire, where they’ve had many an intense conversation in the past.  She makes a really good point, when she notes how all her so-called friends have been judging her, telling her she’s not as good of a person, as a vampire, and trying to cure her of the person she’s become.

But it seems like, finally, whereas Elena spent the first few weeks of her vampirism mired in self-loathing, she’s now coming to terms with who she’s become, and is OK with it.  It’s like she said to Stefan in an earlier scene.  “You don’t have to love me like this,” because, at least it’s implied “I love myself.”

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Who would have thought it would take vampirism to convert Elena into a role model for positive teen self esteem?  I think that’s what Damon means, when he tells her that he’s never seen her more alive.  Things get romantic and sticky sweet, when the pair decide to relive their EPIC Mystic Falls dance.  Only whereas last time, the pair weren’t allowed to touch one another, this time, the dance ends with a dip and a passionate kiss.

And then they pretty much bone one another’s brains out . . .

In short, it was F*&KING AMAZING, after 3 years to finally watch these two F*&K.  LONGEST FOREPLAY EVER.  And while certain “other things,” happened during the scene to taint it’s “purity.”  I choose to view it the way the person who made this video did . . .

HALLELUJAH!

Yes, yes, I know, the REAL SEX SCENE was inter cut by a high strung Caroline and smug Stefan chalking Elena’s newfound vampire urges up to a “sire bond,” but I’m trying not to let that get to me.

Blah, blah, blah, interrupting my Delena sex blah . . .

To me, chalking up Elena’s inability to drink blood from a bag to her supernatural connection with Damon, as opposed to her status as a vampire, is simply replacing one far-fetched mythology for another.  It doesn’t change things for me.  Many vampire tales, the TVD book series included, have posited the “blood bond,” as a reason for closeness between vampires and their mates.  And this supernatural anomaly hasn’t managed to foil the genuine closeness of the couple, in those situations.  And I hope the writers won’t cop out, and allow it to do so here.

Aside from which, this so-called sire bond between Damon and Elena, is clearly very different from the one Klaus has with his hybrids, as Hayley explains, earlier in the episode.  Tyler and company yoked to Klaus, not because they wanted to get into his pants (though some of them might have), but because they “appreciated,” his freeing them from the pain of monthly transformation. And yet, they must not have “appreciated” him all that much, because if they did, they wouldn’t be so intent to break the sire bond, in the first place.

“HAHA!  Gotcha writers . . .”

Elena “appreciates” Damon too.  But she does so because he’s been accepting of her new self, when no one else she cares about has.  She appreciates how he loves her, unconditionally, whether she’s human or vampire, pristine or monstrous.  And she also appreciates him because well . . . he’s hot and sexy.  Let’s be honest.

So, if Stefan wants to make himself feel better about the breakup, by chalking it up to a once-in-a-lifetime siring, good for him.

But I for one, hope that Elena and Damon see this through to the end, sire bond, or no sire bond.  And that, if such a bond does exist, that Elena finds a way to break it, so that she can prove to herself that her love for Damon is pure, just as Book Elena and Sookie Stackhouse have done before her . . .

But hey, enough about all this mythology crap, Delena fans.  Let’s just bask in the glory of the fact that our SHIP FINALLY HAD SEX.  HOORAY!  Next time on TVD .   . .

Until then  . . .

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Men of Action, Men of GOOD – A Recap of Gossip Girl’s “All the Pretty Sources”

[ Your recap for Gossip Girl’s “Rhodes to Perdition” is on it’s way!  Check back for it later this evening (E.S.T.)  XOXO!]

For the record, I would ABSOLUTELY watch a spinoff of Gossip Girl, consisting entirely of Chuck Bass, staring sexily at the camera, and insulting a Drunken Humpty Humphrey, while the latter mumbles incoherently about nothing in particular . . .

Greetings Upper East Siders!  This week on Gossip Girl, we learned that making major changes in your life, often requires action.  But, sometimes, the most heroic thing to do in a particular situation is nothing at all.  We also learned that, Chuck is more than willing to share his apartment, his flask, his pot, and his hookers with his friends . . .

But he always saves his Monkey for himself . . .

Let’s recap, shall we?

You’ve Been E-vited to the Shower of the Century . . .

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Hooray, it’s Blair’s Wedding Shower!  This is a time for us to celebrate the wonder that is how Blair has somehow managed to stay engaged to Louis-bot, despite the fact that (1) he was obviously created by a mad scientist in a lab, somewhere; (2) no one ever understands one f*&king word he says; and (3)the remaining few mildly redeeming aspects of his personality vanished about four episodes ago.  Party Planner Serena feverishly makes preparations for the Big Event.

Being human and having a personality is overrated, anyway. 

Meanwhile Chuck (who wasn’t invited to the Shower, thanks to a certain HOT AND HEAVY makeout fest with the guest of honor, last week)  . . .

*sigh*

 . . . walks his Monkey . . .

“Oh, dammit!  Not these little b*tches, again.  And what the hell is that one in pink wearing on her head?”

. . . and is forced to field insults from those runty Mini GG’ers that the writers randomly throw into the show about once every season (possibly to appeal to that all-important under-10 demographic).

In all fairness, the one on the right DOES bare a striking resemblance to Blake Lively .  . . 

 I actually found them really funny,  the first two times they appeared.  Now, when Chuck half-heartedly sicks the docile Monkey on them (telling the girl’s the dog’s been forced to attack fake Prada, no less), a part of me hopes the canine goes temporarily insane, and bites their little heads off.

“That’s what you get for insulting my Master!” 

Speaking of insulting, elsewhere on the Upper East Side, Lily and Rufus are laughing hysterically at Donut Dan, who has, once again, been called out by Gossip Girl for being a total loser.

“I told you!  This is why I always insist on wearing a bag over my head, whenever we go out in public with your son.” 

“You are SO not getting a signed copy of my book, MOM!”

He hasn’t been invited to Blair’s party either.  This is because he once wrote a fanfiction starring himself, in which he and Blair made mad passionate Humpty Humphrey love.  And that fanfiction just so happened to make it onto the New York Times Bestseller list, for about two minutes, thereby totally humiliating Blair.  (Smut fanfiction has always been the most popular kind, after all.)

“I ended up calling my book, Inside.  But the working title was actually, Dan Humphrey: Sex God.” 

Oh, did I mention that Louis-bot is back from his episode long hiatus, having been refurbished with a brand new battery pack,  and an even more bizarre-sounding language chip?

“I caammm barink geeefts to show my wuv to yuuuu, Blayerrr.”

“Huh?” 

Case in point: by way of apology, he bought Blair “boo-atles of purrrrfoooom, whiz shee kin smizsch un heez  hiz hid, if she leaks” (a.k.a. bottles of perfume, which she can smash on his head, if she likes.)

Louis promises Blair that his time away has left him a changed man.  (I mean, they have replaced his batteries, after all!)  But then, not one minute later, he’s already bashing on all Blair’s friends, and trying to isolate her from them, claiming that they don’t have her “bist intwest acht haurrrt” (a.k.a. best interests at heart).

“Oh, you mean because they paid off a shrink to try and make my ex-boyfriend go nuts, even if that meant he might hurt me, in the process?  Oh, wait . . . that was YOU!”

As evidence of this, Louis-bot shows Blair a GG blast about her recent Paternity Test debacle, claiming that since HE didn’t write it, one of her friends probably did.

Of course, as anyone who’s ever had to suffer through a Lifetime movie can tell you, this is textbook future wife-beater behavior.   In other words, Blair, RUN  . . . AWAY . . . FAST!

Since Louis-bot has already planted the seeds of doubt in her head, as to her friends’ party planning abilities, Blair becomes damn-near suicidal when her minions accidentally / on-purpose let it slip that Blair’s shower invitation was sent via e-vite . . .

. . . with instructions to wear jeans . .  .

.  . . because Greek food will be served from a nearby grease truck . . .

. . . along with .  . . SHAVED ICE for dessert.

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OH THE HORROR of casual dining.  (I’m not even sure Blair owns a pair of jeans!)  It’s a wonder our bride-to-be didn’t immediately toss herself off the roof of the Hotel Empire.

Of course, it’s a  very good thing she didn’t.  I mean, obviously, we don’t want Blair to kill herself.  (How would we ever get our Chair Happy Ending, if that happened?)  But also, the party ended up being totally awesomesauce, and not at all how the girls meanly led Blair to think it would be . . . (More on that later.)

But, since we are on the subject of Blair.  What the hell kind of outfit was she wearing during the entire first half of the show?  She looked like a cross between Barbara Bush and a human Christmas Tree?

That said, her dress for the bridal shower kind of rocked.  (I think.)  So I’m willing to let this temporary lapse into fashion victim-ism slide . . .

MAX-imum Trouble for Charlie / Ivy / Call Me Serena

The problem with having three different names, is that you never know who you are exactly, until someone calls you by one of them.

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 Just ask Charlie/Ivy/Call Me Serena, who becomes deeply confused (not to mention royally screwed), when ex-boyfriend Max comes a-stalking, and starts blabbing his mouth off to Lily about Charlie, not really being Charlie (or Call Me Serena, for that matter).  As far as Max is concerned, Charlie is Ivy.  And, as far as Ivy is concerned, Max is a DEAD MAN!

“Conveniently, one of my multiple personalities just so happens to be a serial killer named Bubba Chainsaw.” 

Fortunately, for Charlie/Ivy/Call Me Serena, she’s way smarter than she looks.  Girlfriend comes up with an actually-pretty-convincing story for Lily (and Max), about how her riches-hating mama forced her to pick-up a separate identity, just to make sure no one used her for her trust-fund baby status.

“Good one . . . Char . . . Iv . . . whatever the hell your name is!”

Suddenly, Lily’s feeling all guilty, as she hugs her faux-niece, and speechifies about how she should never feel like she has to hide her true identity, and blah-blah-blah.  Lily is officially a moron.  For a few seconds there, I thought I was watching the last few minutes of a Very Special Episode of that old sitcom, Full House.

“Well, this is awkward . . . Why didn’t the trusty doorman tell me they were filming an After School Special in here?”

(“You just be yourself, D.J. Tanner Faux Charlie!  Your REAL friends will like you for who you are . . . or . . . in this case . . . who you pretend to be.”)

Alone in Faux Charlie’s room, Charlie/Ivy/Call Me Serena offers to give Max $50,000 to start his own restaurant in Seattle, as a consolation prize for no longer being able to f*&k her.   Max seems pretty cool with the offer, which doesn’t say much for faux-Charlie’s skills in the sack.

“Hmm . .  . let me think about this . . . lots of cash OR mediocre sex with crazy lying b*tch .  . . CHECK PLEASE!”

But later, Max randomly gets let into the van der Woodsen apartment by the WORST DOORMAN EVER, and starts digging around faux-Charlie’s things.  There, he conveniently finds a playbill for a local show on which “Ivy” and “Carol Rhodes” (faux-Charlie’s so-called mother) worked together in Florida.  Ruh Roh!

Consider all of your personalities officially busted . . . 

Then, an Evil Lightbulb goes off in his brain . . . (insert maniacal laugh here) . . .

Max McPoorPerson decides to stick around the Upper East Side, after all.  In fact, he might even have a shot at having sex with Serena!  (Why not, everyone else does?)  Oh, and why just ask for $50,000 to keep your ex-girlfriend’s dirty little secret, when you can ask for . . . wait for it . . . FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS . . .

The Scandalous E-mails of Manhattan’s Elite

Hey, did you know that this whole ridiculous The Spectator storyline was just an extremely overy complicated plot by Nate’s grandfather to get his son a real job . . . one that didn’t involve him sticking his head up the ass of some 40ish cougar?  Oops.  So, much for that!

“There aren’t any great-grand kids I should know about are there?”

Anywhoo, Nate’s grandpa gives Mamacita Diana an ultimatum: make your lame online tabloid successful, and set Nate up as it’s fearless leader, ASAP or else I’ll tell everyone your CHUCK’S MOM!  Interestingly enough, it’s actually Nate who comes up with the key to making grandpoppy’s plot a resounding success, when Eric VDW’s ex beau Jonathan somehow hacks into Gossip Girl’s e-mail and finds a database containing every piece of information anyone has ever sent to her EVER.

“See .   . . contrary to popular belief, I am actually smart . . . S- M-R-T (That spells smart, by the way.)!” 

Nate tells Serena about this.  And Serena’s all “HELL NO!  I send Gossip Girl mean and nasty e-mails about you people, everyday!  You can’t publish this!  It will make me look like a total asshat!”

Nate agrees.  But then Diana is magically lurking around the office when he has his conversation, and learns everything.  When Nate begs Diana not to publish “All the Pretty Sources” (see what I did there), Diana immediately assumes that Nate is only looking out for himself, because HE has sent so many salacious e-mails to Gossip Girl, over the years.  But when she does a search for his name, she finds . . . wait for it . . . NOTHING .  . . NOT ONE E-MAIL.

Nate Archibald is a GOOD MAN!  HALLELUJAH!  Either that, or, instead of sending e-mails to Gossip Girl using his real, FULL NAME, because that would be STUPID (Seriously, what’s WRONG with these people?   Why the hell would you trust GOSSIP GIRL, of all people, not to reveal you as a source), he’s the only one who was smart enough to send his GG blasts, through the anonymous moniker, CougarLover69@gmail.com.

“Actually, the real reason I never sent any info to Gossip Girl is that I never learned how to type.  My maids always did that for me.”

Inspired by Nate’s angelic tendencies and large weiner a genuinely lovestruck Diana calls Grandpoopy Archibald, hoping to call off the whole thing.  Unfortunately for Diana, Silly Serena was SO SCARED people would find out how much sh*tty stuff she said about her friends to Gossip Girl over the years,  that she LEFT HER WEB BROWSER OPEN when she went to the bathroom, allowing Louis-bot to see EVERYTHING!

“Heylooo, Serrenaaaa.  I haf coome to keeel yer freend-sheep wit Blayerrr.” 

And, of course, because Louis-bot is secretly the greatest computer hacker of ALL TIME, he immediately publicizes the sources list, ALL BY HIMSELF. (They must teach this at finishing school in Monaco!)  In doing this, Louis-bot pretty much singlehandedly RUINS his wife-to-be’s bridal shower (More on that, in a bit.), and pretty much pees on her reputation in the process.  (Nice going, DOOFUS!)

“BAD ROBOT!”

But back to Nate . . . . he walks in on Diana’s and Grandpoopy’s scheming.  Nate’s discovery causes Diana, who now think’s Nate is just dreamy (and, of course, doesn’t want her dirty little Bass-tard secrets to come pouring out – Gossip Girl style) to take the blame for publicizing the sources list.

“Grandpaaaa!  The bad lady had sex with me, and made me have trust issues!”

Nate is FURIOUS that he has been betrayed, as evidenced by his FURROWED BROW OF ANGUISH.

“You are giving me premature wrinkles, Diana.  (I plan to send you a bill for my Botox, in about ten years.  Just so you know.)” 

No more Sex in the Spectator Room, for Diana, that’s for sure!   Grandpoopy then swoops in, like the HERO he is, to buy out Diana’s interest in The Spectator (which, of course, he already owns), and fire the Cougar Vamp, banishing her back to LA, where she belongs.

Grandpoopy then makes the worst business decision IN THE WORLD, by putting his twenty-year old Grandson, who, is actually still in college (though the show often tends to forget this fact), and has NO REAL WORK EXPERIENCE, WHATSOEVER (unless you count schtupping your boss as work) as the head of The Spectator.  Then again, when you have more money than GOD, what’s one bad business decision (or ten) among family . . .

And now, for the storyline you’ve ALL been waiting for . . .

Everything is just Duck-ie! (and Chair-y!)

A mopey Dan show up at his new bestie, Chuck’s apartment on the morning of Blair’s wedding shower-to-be.  Donut Dan’s hope is that Chuck will be able to somehow get Humpty Humphrey’s mind off the fact that he basically sucks at life.  At first, Chuck is not at all interested in the offer, much preferring to spend the day in the significantly more high class company of his adorable dog.  “Would you be willing to get a haircut and change your clothes?”  He asks wryly.

DAN: “Why, what’s wrong with my hair and clothes?” 

CHUCK: *laughs until milk pours out of his nose*

Dan refuses, perhaps believing that his ridiculous hair is what gives him the power to write bad, but, surprisingly lucrative, fanfiction, and bed women who are significantly out of his league, like Serena  but not like Manessa.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” replies Chuck.

But then he sees the newspaper article about Blair and Louis-bot’s upcoming nuptials,  and decides he could really use some good human company . . . But since that’s not available to him at the moment, Donut Dan will have to do . . .

“GRRRRRRR!  Death to all evil cyborgs with weird accents!”

In an adorable bromantic bonding moment, the pair get high and drunk together, while eating fancy catered snacks, and watching, of all things, The Matrix.   (Because watching Clockwork Orange while stoned does strange things to Chuck’s perception.  Who knew Chuck was a cinephile?)

DAN: “Take me, Chuck Bass.  I’m yours!”

CHUCK: “Do you come with a refund policy?” 

As Dan rambles on about how Serena has evilly banished him to outsider status by singlehandedly killing his movie deal, Chuck offers him some tough love.  Basically, he tells his Fro-haired friend that if he wants to stop being an Outsider, he should stop painting himself as one, and start doing something with his life, aside from moping about Serena, and writing bad fanfiction.

To prove his point, Chuck hires two of his favorite hookers to bone Dan (  . . . . in Nate’s bedroom of course), while Chuck, once again, heads out to walk his dog.  Now, THAT’S friendship!

But when Chuck returns, the hookers inform him that drunk Dan abandoned their asses, and is off to crash Blair’s wedding shower, and make a TOTAL ASS of himself, in the process.

*Sigh*  Poor Chuck!  All he wanted to do was get high and admire Keanu Reeves black leather pants and wooden dialogue delivery.  Now, he’s gotta babysit a Drunk Humpty Humphrey AND witness his soul mate’s celebration of her upcoming nuptials to someone who is NOT HIM and not human.

Meanwhile, Blair and Louis-bot  have just arrived at the shower.  And Blair is pleasantly surprised to find that it isn’t a casual Greek food truck e-vite type event at all!  In fact, it’s a TIFFANY-themed party, which pretty much confirms for Blair that her bestie Serena, knows her and loves her more than anyone else (except for maybe, Chuck).  She has her best interests at heart, after all!  (Take that, Louis-bot!)

“How does one say, ‘I told you so,’ in Robot?” 

Serena is wearing a weird pink gift wrap ribbon in her hair.   Also, her dress vaguely resembles a bunch of crumbled up pieces of the comic strip section of the New York Times, which have been hastily taped together around her ass.

But that doesn’t stop her from giving a really sweet and heartfelt speech in Blair’s honor . .  . a speech that reminds us, once and for all, that, at it’s core, this is a show about friendship.  “It is a true honor, just knowing you, B.  You have become the strong confident princess I always knew you would,” says Serena, which, I must admit brought a tear or two to my eye.

As did the dead birds these girls were wearing in their hair . . .

By the way, WHERE THE HELL IS DOROTA?!!!

Oh, but lest we think this is a normal bridal shower, thrown by one best friend for another, Serena does something to remind us that, though it may be Non Judging, the Non Judging Breakfast Club, is, in fact, better than we are, because they are MUCH MUCH RICHER.  At most bridal showers, the party favors are things like lame t-shirts with the bride-to-be’s name on it, or cheap ceramic mugs, with her picture on it.   Not in the Upper East Side.  For B’s Bridal Shower, everybody gets a Tiffany’s box, and one lucky person gets a TIFFANY RING.

The ring winner ends up being Cinderliar herself, Faux Charlie . . . which is probably a good thing, considering she’s going to need to hock that swaggy piece of jewelry to pay off her creepy stalker of an ex-boyfriend.

Meanwhile, everyone at Blair’s party has just gotten wind of the publication of the Gossip Girl source e-mail.  And now they are all mad at the Guest of Honor for all the awful things she sent to Gossip Girl about THEM!

“But I only spread all those nasty rumors about you, because I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!  (Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me either.)” 

A mass exodus ensues.  Then, Blair, being Blair immediately blames SERENA for doing the deed, just to RUIN THE PARTY SHE THREW.  (Really, Blair?  Really?)  She claims that she and Serena were never really friends, after all.

Then, she finds out that her cyborg boyfriend was the one who leaked the sight (to show Blair how evil her friends were, or whatever), and feels like total sh*t for all the awful crap she just said to Serena, after Serena worked her comic-strip covered ass off to throw her the best party ever.  Blair then confronts Louis-bot about what a horrible human being he is, and FINALLY begins to wonder whether she is making the wrong decision by marrying him.

(Blair, a word of advice to you: if it walks like a robot, and talks like a robot, and acts like an assh*le, you probably shouldn’t marry it.)

First she proves to Louis, using the GG site HE posted, that it was HIS sister, and not one of her friends that sent the blast about the paternity test.  Then, she tells him that she needs time to think about the status of their already in the toilet relationship.  “Look, people are leaving, perhaps, you should join them,” Blair insists, and it’s the SECOND most awesome thing she says all episode.

(We’ll get to the first, in just a bit . . .)

In the midst of all this, a drunken Dan crashes the party, while sipping freely from a flask he stole from Chuck’s apartment, bearing the latter’s initials on it’s front.

“Hello GG Extras, would any of you, by chance, be interested in having sex with a drunk,not-particularly-famous, author in an elevator?” 

Chuck initially thinks that Dan is coming to tell off Serena.  So, he’s more than a bit surprised, when the Donut starts blathering on to Blair, wondering why she didn’t invite him to her party, when he wrote such super things about her, and her prowess in the sack, in his fanfiction.

“Yourrrrr soooo boootiful, Blairr!” 

“Why is everyone talking to me in Robot, today!”

Blair looks utterly confused throughout the entire slurred speech.  But, fortunately, for Dan, Chuck pulls him out of the party, before he can make TOO big of an ass of himself, by, say . . . vomiting on Blair’s dress . . .

Things get even more adorable, when Dan slumps down on the stoop of a random brownstone, and Chuck, being the good friend that he is, deigns to sit down next to him there (possibly soiling his designer pants), in a show of brotherly solidarity.  “I told you to get some ass, not to make one of yourself . . . by antagonizing Blair at her own shower,” Chuck explains.  “Clearly, you are in love with her.”

“Moi?” 

Donut Dan initially looks a bit dumbfounded by this accusation (then again, that’s probably just his Drunk Face), but can’t really deny it.  Then Chuck explains to him that, since they both lost the woman of their dreams to the Evil Louis-bot, they are really BOTH outsiders, in this situation.  Chuck then, more or less, carries Dan’s drunk ass back to the Hotel Empire, settles him down on the couch, and puts a blanket over his farmer flannel and weird hair, thereby making the world a safer place for men’s fashion.

Sweet drunky dreams, Donut Dan! 

In all seriousness, it’s a super sweet thing to do . . .

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And, fortunately, for Chuck, someone very special is there to witness it . . .

You see, when Blair came with her tail between her legs to apologize to Serena for the whole Accusing Her of Ruining Her Shower Thing, Serena, who has always been as much Team Chair as the rest of us, made sure to let Blair know that Chuck came to her shower to save it from Dan’s drunken antics.

So, Blair, of course, cannot resist paying the true love of her life a visit.  The look on Chuck’s face, when he turns around and sees her standing in his apartment says it all.

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On one hand, he’s totally and completely enamored with her, and probably wants nothing more than to take her in his arms, rip off her dress, and make sweet, sweet love to her, right on top of Donut Dan’s drunk ass.  On the other hand, Chuck truly believes he’s lost her already.  So, having to face her, and be tempted like this, when he’s trying so hard to be a better man for her, seems like a cruel, cruel twist of fate.  “You shouldn’t have come here,” he says to her sadly.

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“I know,” replies Blair solemnly, as she looks at Chuck with just as much love and adoration in her eyes, as she did that first time he managed to utter those important three words, eight letters to her.

It is like she is really seeing him . . . or, rather, the man he has become, for the first time.

“You’ve really been good this whole time, haven’t you?”  She asks.

AWWWW YEAH!

Then, they eye f*&k, the credits roll, and I melt into a little happy Chair-infused puddle on my couch.  Those Naughty GG writers, always saving the best moments of the show until 8:58 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  But, of course, that’s why we love them . . .

Care to relive the magic?  Here you go!

You’re welcome! 

And hey, if the trailer’s for next week’s installment are any indication, there’s a whole lot more Chairy goodness where that came from.  You can check out the American and Canadian trailers for “Rhodes to Perdition” right here:

Good lord, I swear, Ed Westwick gets hotter, every week . . .

I literally drooled  all over my keyboard watching that American promo (which, surprisingly enough, I actually preferred to the Canadian one, this time around.  Go figure!).

So, what did you think of “All the Pretty Sources.”  Did Drunken Dan make you laugh?  Did Chivalrous Chuck make you melt?  Are you glad that Blair is finally coming to her senses about Louis-bot?  Do you honestly believe that Nate never sent a single piece of intel to Gossip Girl?  Are you sorry to see Diana go?   Do you wish Faux-Charlie, or Max McPoorPerson went with her?

Let me know in the Comments Section.  Until next time, XOXO!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Were you prepared for THIS? – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “Homecoming”

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It looks like someone just found out Charlie’s Angels was canceled . . .

Howdy, Fangbangers!  Well, it looks like we have bit, staked, compelled, danced, and de-hearted our way through another mid-season finale of The Vampire Diaries.  And man, was this episode a doozy!  For me, “Homecoming” struck me very much as the unofficial sequel / bookend to one of my favorite TVD episodes, of all time.  Of course, I’m referring to the epic “Masquerade.”

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Think about it.  Both episodes featured a major black tie optional event at the Lockwood Mansion.  Both episodes featured a plan, concocted by the Scooby Gang to take down a significant enemy, in which most of the main characters played a significant role.

Both episodes contained a number of shocking twists, turns, and fake outs, as the show wound its way toward its epic conclusion.  And both episodes offered up some doppelganger hijinks, which resulted in Elena being absent for a key portion of the action.

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Of course, there was one very important difference between “Masquerade” and “Homecoming.”  In “Masquerade,” the Scooby Gang’s ultimate goal was to KILL Katherine (or at least entomb her for a few million years).  But in “Homecoming,” Katherine ended up being, arguably the most important secret weapon the Scooby Gang had against their REAL enemy . . . Klaus.

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So, slip into your favorite dress or suit, and choke back a few bags of blood.  Because it’s time to attend “Homecoming” . . .

(Andre, as always . . . the screencaps were amazing!  Thank you!)

The Body

“White Oak Daggers .  . . all the BEST Originals are wearing them.”

We begin this episode, with Stefan calling his boyfriend, Klaus, from La Casa de Rich and Awesome, to inform him that his Daddy’s dead, and to ask him what he wants to do with the body.

“I’ve been missing our nightly phone sex chats, Klaus.  You haven’t forsaken me for that Teeny Bopper Wolf, Tyler, have you?

The fact that this episode both begins and ends with a phone call involving the care and maintenance of Original corpses is just one of the many brilliant touches to this multi-faceted little gem of an episode.   Another interesting irony of this scene?  Stefan’s words actually end up being TRUE, by the episode’s end.

But, since we are just at the beginning, let’s try not to get too much ahead of ourselves here . . .

As it turns out, Stefan’s phone call to Klaus is actually the SECOND STEP, in the longest, most drawn out, Scooby Gang plan to murder its Big Bad . . . EVER.    We flash back a bit, at this point, to just about twenty or so minutes earlier, during which our stalwart crew engages in one of its trademark Pow Wows of Sexiness and Plot Explanation.  (We haven’t had one of THESE in a while.)

During this exchange, we learn that, Stefan is the only person who could successfully lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls, with the promise of Mikael’s death.  However, since Stefan has been compelled to obey, and be more or less honest with the Original Hybrid, Mikael must ACTUALLY be dead, in order for him to make this phone call.

So, Mikael graciously allows Elena to stake him, since, as a human, she is the only one who can do so with White Oak Ash Temporary Murder Weapon, without meeting her maker, herself.  Elena quickly does the deed, without much fuss.

“Oooh, yeah.  A little to the left.  That feels good.”

Then, Stefan makes his phone call, during which a very depressed, and clearly conflicted Rebekah, confirms the existence of her father’s corpse to Klaus.

“Well, of course it’s him!  How many thousand year-old vampires named Mikael do YOU know?”

Did I mention that Mikael’s “Big Bad Klaus Killing Weapon,” is nothing but another, slightly more phallic stylish, looking dagger?  Yeah . . . that disappointed me too.  I was hoping for some gruesome, gory, step-by-step dismemberment process, or something equally sexy or complex.  Not a an ornately hand-crafted wooden weiner  .  . .  So, much for Originals being “hard to kill.”

“Did someone say, ‘hard?’ 😉

Oh, and the worst part?  ANYONE (including your grandma), can hold and wield this dagger.  So, it doesn’t even possess any cool, non-Original vampire-murdering properties, like its slightly smaller predecessor.  LAME!

Just a small quibble . . .  I’ll return to Positivity Town, now.  Thank you, very much . . .

The Bonding

In a show of false bravado, Rebekah paints her toenails, as she waits for her Bad Dad to wake up, so that he can head off to kill her Big Bad Bro.

“You know, I haven’t had a good pedicure, since 1921.  THANKS Klaus!”

You know, I have to say, out of all the characters on the show, Rebekah wins the dubious award this week, for Character Whose Life Sucks the Most.  I mean, imagine helping your dad — who you’ve been taught to hate, your entire life — to kill your brother, because that brother killed your mother, and, to some extent, your ENTIRE FAMILY.  I mean, it’s not exactly the type of situation they make Hallmark cards for . . .

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“What the f*&k are Hallmark cards?”

“Nothing you say matters to me,” says Rebekah, as her father returns to the living, though both vampires in the room, know this to be a lie.

No matter how awful our family members might be (and Rebekah’s are clearly the most awful of all), we are always subconsciously seeking their approval . . .

Mikael then asks where his precious peni$ dagger is hiding.  And Rebekah responds that Elena has it, the unspoken implication of that statement being, “I want to make sure you don’t try to impregnate kill me with it, you A$$HAT!”

“Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.”

Mikael, ever the warm and loving soul he is, promises Rebekah that he wouldn’t use that dagger to kill Rebekah . . . only her mother-killing brother.  “And [Klaus] will die for what he did,” explains Rebekah calmly. “But you did this to us, when you turned us into vampires.  YOU destroyed our family, not him.”

“So, THERE!”

These were pretty strong words coming from Rebekah . . .  words that make me wonder how many thousands of years she must have spent in therapy to come to this very conclusion. 🙂  And while, Rebekah’s accusations clearly impact her father, I can’t help but wonder whether Rebekah too easily brushes aside her brother’s evil acts, as the mere result of his being an Original .  . .

Because yes, we are ALL a product of our families.  And Mikael’s behavior toward Klaus definitely scarred him for life, as we saw in last week’s “Ordinary People.”  Of course, Klaus would NOT have had all this power, to do all these bad things, had it not been for the spell that turned him into a vampire in the first place.  On the other hand, there are plenty of vampires who have bad dads, but don’t behave like Klaus . . . Caroline, being the most notable one.

“Take THAT, fellow Bad Dad Vamps!”

But to some extent, Klaus’ own siblings, Rebekah and Elijah prove this point as well.  Because while both are generally pretty scary indiviuals, neither of them is Klaus . . .

“Yeah, I know.  I’m bad ass.”

This super intriguing scene, is followed by a super dull one, during which Bonnie mopes a bit about the fact that her ex-boyfriend would rather bang dead chicks than her.

“I know it might be fun to take time out of your busy Klaus-killing, Damon flirting schedule to talk about our feeeeelings.”

However, lest you think this TVD moment was nothing more than a two-minute waste of your precious pre-hiatus air time, I’d like to propose that this scene was actually MILDLY important, in that it hinted at the episode’s theme.

When Elena encourages Bonnie to open up and discuss her feelings about her Tragic Break-up with Jer Bear, Bonnie refuses, due to the fact that Elena is Jeremy’s brother, and will love him unconditionally, no matter what.

“Awww . . .”

“So, what,” you might be thinking.  “Jeremy wasn’t even IN this episode!  What do his Ghost F*&ker tendencies have to do with “Homecoming.”  Ahhh . . . true.  But the key word in Bonnie’s statement isn’t “Jeremy,” it’s “brother.”

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Do you see where I’m going with this?  Meanwhile, back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome . . .

The Contingency Plan

Honestly, this picture has nothing to do with this section of the recap at all.  Consider this my way of expressing my own personal dissatisfaction at the lack of Damon shirtlessness, of late . . .

Damon and Elena are having sex making out making wolfsbane grenades, while Elena cautions Damon about the fact that more than half of the members of their Kill Klaus Team are untrustworthy vampire douchebags.  Fortunately, Damon is well aware of this fact, which is why he has a Super Top Secret Kill Klaus Contingency Plan.  HOORAY!

But before Damon can reveal, anymore, Ripper Stefan stops by to borrow a tie.  Apparently,  all Stefan’s regular ties are lame.  I love how becoming a Ripper has seemed to awaken Stefan’s latent fashion sense gene.  (Have you notice, his hair has improved, since he went “bad?”)  Now, since Stefan believes himself to be Season , Damon, he also apparently, wants to raid Damon’s Season 1 wardrobe  . . .

“Might you be so kind as to lend me a pair of boxer briefs?”

And yet, I’ve actually never seen Damon OR Stefan wear any sort of tie that wasn’t black . . . So much for pushing the fashion envelope!  Now, Klaus on the other hand, there’s a guy, who probably has some crazy ass ties . . .

“I once wore this tie, made entirely out of champagne glasses.”

Anywhoo, Elena seems to be in a pretty sassy, Katherine-esque mood, of late (an aspect of this episode, which will prove to come in very handy later).  So, she helpfully suggests that Stefan stay home from the dance, since he seems incapable of properly dressing his new evil self.

“I’m sorry, Stefan.  Damon no longer has any ties.  We’ve ruined all of them during our hard core screwing, fighting and biting sessions . . .”

Stefan jabs right back at his ex-girlfriend, reminding her that he has been compelled to protect her . . . and that her track record, both for BIG PLANS, and school dances . . . well . . . it pretty much sucks.

(Technically, this is true.  All three dances that Elena attended with Stefan, ended with her almost getting killed.  There was, however, one dance that ended decidedly better . . .)

In fact, Stefan “worries,” that without his company, Elena might find herself murdered by the homecoming queen.  Touche, Stefan .  . . touche!

“What’s that supposed to mean?  You think I’m not hot enough to win homecoming queen?”

Quick to stick up for his soon-to-be girlfriend, Damon helpfully reminds Stefan that, since he’s Klaus’ bitch, HE’S the one more likely to inadvertently screw up the Gang’s plans, with his compulsive (and compelled) honesty, when it comes to responding to Klaus’ questions and requests.

But Stefan retorts that only ONE person in the room has illustrated a habit for letting HER humanity get in the way of their plans . . .

“Ooh, what do we have here . . . Stefan Salvatore’s number? DELETE!”

Ahh . . . humanity.  If brotherhood is the theme of this episode, “humanity” is it’s buzzword, both in it’s literal, and its more metaphoric sense . . .

All Hail Evil Blood Sluts

Over at the school, two NON humans, Caroline and Tyler are glittering-up the gym together.  (Unfortunately, this is not a euphemism for sex.)

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Tyler suggests they ditch the glitter and go eat some people who genuinely enjoy being chewed on by vampires.   (Hmmm . . . hickeys from Damon and Tyler?  YES PLEASE!)

“Or I could just spray glitter all over your boobs.  Take your pick.”

Prissy Caroline is APPALLED by ths concept — overtly sexual as it may be — and chastizes Tyler for hanging out with, and being adversely influenced by, as Caroline calls her, That Evil Blood Slut Rebekah.

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“OH HELL TO THE NO!”

Tyler promptly moves himself even further into the dog house, by telling Caroline how That Evil Blood Slut Rebekah is going to the Homecoming Dance with Matt, as per his suggestion.  Caroline, apparently, thinks Matt is just too sweet and innocent to dance with an Evil Blood Slut.  (Really, Caroline?  Because he wasn’t so “sweet and innocent,” when he conspired with your mother to KILL YOU!)

Don’t think we forgot!

“Is this some weird family component of the sire thing?”  Caroline asks, frustratedly.

And I’ve gotta say, I simply adored Tyler’s response.  “I’ve got glitter all over my hands .  . . If I’m sired to anyone, it’s you.”

I guess that’s what they call it, nowadays . . . siring. 😉

(So, basically, becoming a Ripper has made Stefan a better dresser.  And becoming Klaus’ b*tch has made Tyler funnier.  In conclusion, EVIL IS AWESOME!)

Speaking of That Evil Blood Slut / Barbie Klaus, she’s over at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, wearing her token red dress, we got a peak at last week . . . a dress that looks oddly similar to the one Caroline ends up wearing . .  . both to this dance, and to the “Masquerade.”

“I look WAY better in this than that chick I ate, who was wearing it last.”

Elena approaches Rebekah from behind, and attempts to bond with the super depressed Lady Vamp.  When Rebekah admits that this is her first Homecoming Dance, since she and Klaus have always been too busy running from Mikael to do anything resembling a real high school experience, Elena gallantly thanks her for helping the Scooby Gang KILL KLAUS.

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Then Elena offers Rebekah her old Original Witch necklace,  as a token of her affection and friendship, before LITERALLY STABBING HER IN THE BACK with that trusty white oak ash dagger!

“I’m sorry, I can’t leave anything to chance either,” says Elena, as Rebekah falls to the floor . . . just slightly more undead than usual.

“Does this stake in my back make my ass look big?”

OUCH!  Even Damon thought that was cold, as he wrapped the dead chick up in a blanket or rug, or something.  Talk about Katherine-esque!

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Nevertheless, Stefan’s words have caused Elena to worry about whether her humanity WILL screw up the Kill Klaus plan.  Knowing Elena’s track record of SH*TTY PLANS gone awry, Damon can’t actually disagree with her.  But he can promise her that, she won’t screw THIS plan up, since, from this point on she will no longer have any part in it.

“Do you trust me?” Damon asks.

“Yes,” Elena replies, unequivocally . . . which, if you know these two at all, you know is a pretty HUGE step in the progression of their relationship, both as friends and, MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, for me, anyway, as lovers .  . .

“Then, you have nothing to worry about,” Damon replies.

Eeeek, did you REALLY have to say that, Damon?  Now, you’ve pretty much ensured that both you AND Elena will have something very significant to worry about, by the episode’s end  . . .

The Flood

One thing ALL the seniors at Mystic Falls High are going to have to worry about, is natural disasters.  After a flood magically appears probably because Klaus made it so at the school, the students find themselves without a suitable locale for their dance that night.  But, no biggies, Tyler can hold it at his house. . . .  You know, because that’s what filthy rich people DO, when the going gets tough .  . . they invite an entire student body into their living room.

That said, “Tyler’s” generous gesture reminded me a little bit of Logan Echoll’s “Alterna-Prom” bid, on Veronica Mars.

If you watched the show, you know exactly to what I’m referring.  If not, you can  just skip this comment, entirely . . .

Meanwhile, back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, Matt too finds himself in need of a contingency plan . .  . considering that his “Original” Date, is a bit “DEAD” at the moment.  (Man!  That sucks, Rebekah.  Here’s hoping you stick around long enough to go to NEXT year’s Homecoming . . . though, I doubt it.)  Have no fear, Matt.  “ELENA” can be your date.

“Aww man!  Now I have to take ANOTHER hot girl to the dance.  My life sucks!  I so wish I was back at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls.”

Initially, I was annoyed by this development, since I REALLY wanted Elena and Damon to go to the dance as dates.  And yet, considering that “ELENA” was actually Ka . . . well, more on this later . . .

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The Wake

“I’m picturing all of you naked right now.  It helps that I’m not wearing any pants.”

Wow, “Tyler” throws a rockin, Homecoming Dance. .  .  complete with My Morning Jacket, providing the music for the evening, and more people in attendance than could possibly attend Mystic Falls High, EVER . . . especially considering the death rate at that school.  This, of course, makes Caroline FURIOUS.  She can’t date a guy who’s a better party planner than she is?  What would SHE contribute to the relationship?

“Aside from the obvious, of course.”

Of course, as Tyler admits, he didn’t actually plan this party .  . .  Klaus did.  And it’s not a Homecoming Dance, it’s more like a WAKE .  . . for Mikael . . . an event for which Klaus has been preparing for a thousand years.   (Hmm . . . interesting . . . is this your clever way of telling us that the members of the band, My Morning Jacket, are vampires? ;))

Odd though it was, Klaus’ wake for Mikael sure beat the one Matt through for Vicki, which more or less consisted of this . . .

Meanwhile, “Elena” and Matt arrive at the dance.  And Matt wonders out loud whether their attending together is “weird.”  “Elena” then tells Matt to “act normal,” and “not tell anyone” . . . a rather obvious indication that doppelganger hijinks have just ensued, for those who are paying attention . . . (Wow, lately Matt has been more involved in the Kill Klaus games than Caroline.  What exactly is this show coming to?)

The Cannibal

Klaus and Stefan make their first encounter, since the whole “Emotions Flip Switch” thing.  Klaus promises Stefan that, by way of saying thanks for delivering Mikael to him, Klaus will grant him freedom from his own compulsion, upon Mikael’s death.

(Awww!  How generous of Klaus!  Personally, I would have settled for a Wii Entertainment System, and one of those fun little “Just Dance” games.)  Then, Klaus and Stefan make out . . . Just kidding!

Back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, Damon and Mikael are shooting the breeze, and discussing Mikael’s all vampire diet.  Apparently, Mikael’s decision to hunt “the predator,” instead of the prey, stems, in a weird way, from his guilt for creating the vampire population to begin with.  Talk about eating your feelings!

This conversation is interrupted upon Stefan’s entrance, and instruction that Mikael’s “body” must be delivered to Klaus.  Damon responds that Stefan is no longer a part of the plan.  And then Mikael EATS HIM

“Nom, Nom, Nom . . . tastes like Ripper.”

. . . well, really he just gnaws on his neck, a little bit.

I love how horrified Damon looked by the prospect of someone SNACKING ON HIS BROTHER, particularly given how many women and men, his brother has similarly snacked on.

“My brother is going to have one hell of an ugly hickey . . .”

Damon suggests to Mikael that a neck breaking would have been a more humane way to temporarily take him out of commission.  I don’t know, I think the Vampire Hickey Method was great . . . It sure beats all those boring stakings, we’ve witnessed, of late . . .

“You wouldn’t feel that way, if I shoved this up your ass.”

The Betrayal

Back at the party, Klaus and Tyler are doing the whole “Hybrid / Sire” bonding thing, when Klaus lets Tyler in on a little secret . . . he has Baby Hybrid brothers, now!  And they are all at the party, waiting patiently to kill Tyler’s friends and lover.  Now, THAT’s sibling rivalry, for you.  But Klaus is not a total douchebag (just about 99.9999% of one).

“Don’t worry, Tylerpoo.  You will always be my favorite.”

Klaus then (1) compels Tyler’s mother to go to church, and PRAY for the Scooby Gang; and (2) he gives Tyler the opportunity to warn his friends about what’s about to go down, likely figuring that, by the time they try to do something about it, it will be too late, anyway  .  . .

Tyler then brings Caroline to one of his twenty or so BEDROOMS to have wild, hot, and dirty sex, YAY to talk about what “Caroline’s friends” are planning to do to Klaus.  Caroline claims she doesn’t know.  Actually, for once, she’s not lying.  But, she tells Tyler, that, even if she DID know, she wouldn’t tell him, because, as Klaus’ sire he’s Team Evil, now, and, therefore, can’t be trusted.  Tyler responds to this by .  . . VERVAINING HER IN THE NECK!

“Would this be a bad time to ask, if I could borrow fifty bucks?  No?  Gee, thanks!”

Talk about COLD.  Apparently, this is a very bad day for Vampire Barbies.  It’s an OK day for Human Ken dolls, though.  Tyler finds Matt and commandeers his help to do what he, as Klaus’ bitch, literally no longer can: (1) bring Caroline to safety; and (2) warn the rest of the Scooby Gang that the Big Bad Hybrid, has brought some Big Bad Reinforcements, along to the party with him.

“Listen, Matt.  I’m going to do something very nice for you.  I am going to allow you to fondle my unconscious girlfriend.  I mean, that’s what friends are for, right?”

The Battle Royale

Here’s another important scene for you, that seems fairly useless, on first watch.  Klaus sees “Elena,” and stops by to metaphorically whip out his member to her, and remind her what a SUPER EVIL SUPER VILLAIN, he is.  When Klaus notes that “Elena,” seems nervous, she replies, “No, I just don’t like you.”

“BAZINGA!”

Oooh . . . SASSY!  Klaus then warns Faux-lena that, whatever plan the Scooby Gang has cooked up against him, it’s going to fail, miserably, because . . . well . . . because clearly, while Klaus has been away on Hybrid business, he’s also been watching Seasons 1 and 2 of The Vampire Diaries on DVD.  There’s actually a bit more to this conversation.  But we don’t get to hear it yet, because we are busy watching Damon de-heart some newbie hybrid security guard.

“I hope you enjoyed your two seconds of screen time, Klaus’ extra!”

Our hero then enters the Lockwood house to find Klaus’ bitch, Tyler, on his way out . . .Wall  Slams and Bite Fights Galore ensue.  It’s kind of sexy, actually.

“Hey, Ty . . . mind if I throw a breath mint in their, before we finish fighting?  That’s pretty rank.”

Then Bonnie has to ruin tthe Glorious Tamon Moment with her Witchy Migraine making fingers, which she uses to make Tyler pass out.

“Wow, I guess he’s REALLY not a fan of My Morning Jacket . . .”

And another one down . . . another one down .  . . another one bites the dust.

“I’m practicing my Thriller Dance.  What do you think?”

They really are just dropping like flies, this week, aren’t they?  I had to laugh when Damon bitched at Bonnie for Witch Migraining Damon, in addition to Tyler.

“Dammit!  I have a Bonnie in my ear!”

Silly Damon!  Haven’t you learned by now, Bonnie’s going to take every single possible opportunity to torture you, at every chance she gets?

This is also the part of the story, where we learn that DAMON is the one holding the pretty, pretty Originals-killing peni$ dagger, since HE is the only vampire still standing with “permission” to enter the Lockwood mansion . . .

The Showdown

The moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrives, when Klaus finds himself face-to-face with Mikael . . . having instructed his hybrids to bring the rest of the party outside, in preparation for this epic confrontation.  Of course, said confrontation would seem a whole lot more epic, if Mikael could actually cross the threshhold into the Lockwood Mansion.

“Might I be invited in for a bite to eat? I’ve brought this delicious doppelganger tart for you to try.”

Now, the Big Bad Pair are just standing a few feet away from one another, having a pissing contest.  Mikael goads Klaus a bit, reminding him what a coward he is, and explaining to him that, while those trusty hybrids were sired by Klaus, they could still be compelled to rip him to shreds, by Original Mikael . . .

Gay for Klaus . . . but ZOMBIES for Mikael.

Oh, and it seems Mikael has an ace up his sleeve . . . Elena . . . at knifepoint.  Hello, Blood Bag!  This pissing contest just got REAL . . .

You know, I talk a lot on this website about Ugly Cry Faces, but you know who has a GORGEOUS Cry Face, Joseph Morgan  . . . in fact, in the GORGEOUS Cry Face department, Joseph gives Ian a REAL run for his money!

HAWWWWT!

Klaus really gets those waterworks flowing, when Mikael starts telling him how nobody really cares about him, and that he can only earn loyalty by controlling it.

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Well, that’s only partly true, Mikael, I happen to know a lot of TVD fans, who care about Klaus, a whole bunch.

Klaus doesn’t really believe that Mikael would kill Elena, since she’s the lead female character on The Vampire Diaries his “ace in the hole.”  And decides to call his bluff.  Mikael then, tells Klaus that his impulses are what keep him from being great.  And so . . . MIKAEL KILLS ELENA  . . . on impulse, of course (which, I would have been a lot more shocked by, if there was actually a chance in hell that she would actually die).

“O Face Alert!”

But it looks like the joke is really on Mikael, because, moments later, as Damon pops up inside the house, with his peni$ dagger, Elena comes back from the dead . . . Oh, wait . . . that’s KATHERINE!  And she’s holding those wolfsbane grenades we saw Damon and Elena making at the beginning of the episode.  “Ba-boom,” she says, gleefully, as she blasts those Baby Vamp Teen Wolves.

“SUCKAS!”

“Baby you’re a fiiiiiiirework.  Come on show them whaaat you’re worth . . . without limbs.”

Things start happening pretty fast, then.  Damon BEGINS to stake Klaus, actually getting as far, as to have the knife in his chest (Honestly, I’m not sure, how he didn’t die instantly from that.  Peni$ Dagger officially sucks.)  But then STEFAN tackles Damon to the ground.   OUCH!

This causes the Peni$ Dagger to fall to the ground, and Klaus to get it.  Klaus then rushes out of the house, and stabs Mikael, causing him to burst into flames .  . .  (Well, that’s one way to clean up a dead body.)

It looks like one of those commercials for Tums antacids. 

Wow, nice knowing ya, Mikael, you were . . . not nearly as bad ass, as I hoped you would be.

You do have an excellent tan for a vampire, though . . .

Then, Klaus, who oddly enough, like his brother Elijah, seems to be a man of his word, at least, to some extent, generously frees Stefan from his compulsion, giving him the opportunity to face what he has done, should he ever decide to turn back on his emotions.

“I’ll never forget you, Klaus . . . (unless you compel me to do so, which, under the circumstances, I probably wouldn’t  mind that much).”

But . . . will he?  More on that in just a bit . . .

The Break-up

Caroline awakens in some random Bedroom.

“I’m so glad that pesky vervaining didn’t mess up my hair or makeup.  I may win prom queen yet . . .”

Soon after, Tyler pops in, braced for a lecture.

“Well, this is awkward.”

As expected, Caroline is quick to scold Tyler for vervaining his girlfriend to keep her out of danger, as opposed to . . . oh . . . I don’t know, telling her to go home and watch Dancing with the Stars, or something.  But Tyler didn’t do that, because he KNOWS Caroline, and KNOWS that she would never be able to willingly leave the house, knowing that her friends are in danger.  In other words, Tyler stabbed his girlfriend FOR HER OWN GOOD.  (How very Damon from “The Last Dance,” of him.)

Caroline then admits that she is having issues with the fact that Tyler seems so very cool with being gay for Klaus.  So, Tyler, does his best to explain to Caroline why this is so.  And, for the record, I think he makes a pretty good argument . . . a selfish argument, sure.  But a good one.

You see, for Tyler, the coolest thing about being a hybrid, is that he can change into a werewolf at will,  or, not at all, if that’s what he chooses.  This means,  he never has to endure the painful transformation we witnessed him and Caroline experiencing together, last season.

So, what if Tyler is destined to spend the rest of eternity as Klaus’ b*tch?  At least that won’t result in him having to crack all his bones every month, while dirty, naked, and smoking hot, looking?  It’s a pretty fair trade, as far as Tyler is concerned . . .

“I’ll drink to that.”

Tyler hopes that Caroline will forgive him his Klaus’ b*tchness, just as she forgave his killing that random slutty chick, back in the “Masquerade,” when their relationship truly began, his monthly werewolf-ness, that whole, “left her locked in the cage a few minutes too long,” thing, the “shooting” Stefan thing, and the almost killing Damon thing.  But, nope, apparently, GAY FOR KLAUS is the straw that breaks the Hybrid’s back.

All it takes from Tyler, is one look at Caroline’s face, and he knows the two are dunzo . . .

“One goodbye f*&K?”

“Think about it, and get back to me later . . .”

Honestly, I’m a bit surprised at Caroline, who is usually SO much less judgmental.  After all, Katherine didn’t NEED compulsion OR a sire relationship, back in early Season 2, when she forced the Vampire Barbie to spy on her own best friends, Elena and Stefan, and bring news back to her.  You would think that she, of all people, could understand the notion of being forced to do the bidding of those who are significantly more powerful than you . . .

In addition, to being a Forwood fan, who just LOOOOOVES watching these two crazy kids get naked on a regular basis, I’m upset by the Forwood breakup, because I suspect it will be what throws Tyler off the rails into full-fledged villainy, just when we were starting to examine the complex layers of his character.  Being Klaus’ b*tch is one thing . . . but being the Robin to Klaus’ Batman, is quite the other . . .

“No me gusta!”

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The Comfort (and the Cockblock)

“Is it hot in here, or is it just us?”

We get our Delena scene a little early this week, in that it’s the second to the last scene, as opposed to the usual last one.  And, while I was hoping for something a bit more substantial (like a kiss, or a love declaration) given this is a pre-hiatus episode, I’m still fairly content with what we got.

We find poor Damon by the fire, brooding, angry, and incredibly distraught over the fact that Klaus is still alive.  After all, despite having seemingly thought of EVERYTHING, and corrected all the mistakes of Plans Past, Damon and his gang still lost.  More adorable soulful crying ensues.

Fortunately, for Damon, Elena knows him well enough to know exactly what he needs, cupping his face, and comforting him, in a way that is sweet, romantic, and above all, surprisingly optimistic, given all that’s happened.  The biggest development in the Delena relationship this week, is the creation of this “we” Elena refers to.  Elena used to use Damon’s name every chance that she got, typically as a means for lecturing him, or setting his own motives and desires apart from her own.

But now, Elena views her and Damon as a unit, a team . . . a couple(?)  “WE will survive this,” Elena assures Damon, as she strokes his cheeks.

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“He’s never coming back, you know.  We’ve lost him, for good,” Damon says bitterly about his brother.

“Then we’ll let him go,” replies Elena.

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My,  my, my, have the tables turned!  Back during “The Birthday,” Damon was telling Elena that Stefan wasn’t going to come back to himself in her lifetime.  He was instructing her to let go.

Then, gradually, as the season progressed, Elena gave Damon hope that his brother would eventually return to himself.   But now, it’s Elena who seems willing to be free of Stefan, while Damon is still mourning his brother’s loss .  . .

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It seems odd that all of this is going down, just moments after Stefan’s been given freedom from Klaus’ compulsion.  But, hey, I’m a Delena fan.  Who am I to complain about a thing like that?

Speaking of me being a Delena fan . . . WE WERE COCKBLOCKED AGAIN!  AGAIN, TVD WRITERS!  Why do you hate us, so?  Damon’s and Elena’s faces were inches apart.  They were clearly about to kiss, when, RING RING RING, it’s friggin Katherine!

“Should I throw my phone in the fire, too?”

(And I never thought I’d say that about Katherine.)  Now, she’s two for two on her cockblock attempts.

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What Katherine says to Damon on the phone is fairly insignificant.  What IS significant about the scene, though, is who is in the car with him . . .

The REAL Deal

“You know, a few weeks back, you’re brother banged me in this car.  And, if you want to feel closer to him, that might be a good way to do it.  Just sayin’.”

“He still doesn’t know where it all went wrong,” says Katherine, frustratedly.

“He doesn’t need to know,” replies Stefan.

“I’m a little carsick.  Would you mind opening the window, so I don’t puke blood all over your face?”

When then flashback a bit, to learn that, during their meeting, Klaus told “Elena,” that, if Klaus died, the hybrids would be compelled to kill Damon.”  Katherine then went to La Casa de Rich and Awesome to wake him up, and tell him what was about to go down.  She instructed Stefan to turn back on his emotions and FEEL something for his brother, who Katherine loved, just as much as she loved Stefan.  (I KNEW IT!)

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And so, Stefan is able to fight compulsion, once again, in order to do the unthinkable . . . allow Klaus to kill Mikael and win, in order to save his brother’s life.

“If he comes back to himself . . . it won’t be because he loves me, it will be because he loves you.”

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How tragic it is that it was this action that caused Damon to see his brother as irredeemable?

I find it interesting that Katherine views “humanity” as a vampires’ greatest weakness . . .

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. . .  while, Klaus believes that weakness to be “love.”

Personally, I think a vampire’s greatest weakness is sh*tty planning abilities . . .

Katherine instructs Stefan to turn his emotions back on fully (now, apparently, they are only on half mast), because she likes the “old him” better.  But Stefan isn’t quite ready to do that, and I can’t say I mind.  After all, like I said, Ripper Stefan is funnier than regular Stefan.  He also has better hair and is a better dresser.  In fact, I’ve been waiting for Stefan to be a VOLUNTARY Ripper for nine episodes.  And now, it looks like we will finally get just that.

Speaking of Stefan, now it’s HIS turn to have a contingency plan . . .

The Aftermath

“Whaaaaaaaaazzzzupppp!”

Just like in the beginning of the episode, Stefan calls Klaus again, this time to “thank him,” for his freedom.  Klaus is smug, and tells Stefan he’s very welcome, with a big goofy grin on his face. Then he opens his little coffin storage container, and finds it EMPTY!

“You know, I’ve been wearing this black getup for about three episodes, now.  Do you think Damon has any shirts he can lend me?”

(Now, I’m just wondering how Stefan managed to move all those coffins, and when, between being staked and eaten, all those times, he’s had time to do so!)

“We . . . are . . . family.  I got all my sisters with me . . . except one.”

“I’m still waiting for my homecoming date.  Do you think he stood me up?”

Anywhoo . . . remember how I said Ripper Stefan has better one liners than his more angelic counterpart?  Well, his last two lines pre-hiatus, might be his best ever.  “As someone who has been one step ahead of everyone for 1000 years, were you prepared for THIS?” Stefan asks with a smirk, as Klaus hangs up the phone.

GAME ON!

As for the promo for TVD’s post-hiatus episode, ‘The New Deal,” I’ve only been able to find the shortened U.S. promo for it, so far.  And, honestly, it feels like a bit of a cop out, considering that about 10 of those precious 20 seconds are spent on the DATE, and scenes from THIS episode.  Nonetheless, here you go . . .

I’m sure they’ll give us something more substantial soon.  But, for now, since it seems we have quite a few TVD-less weeks ahead of us, let’s discuss the first half of the Season a bit, in the comment section, OK?  What are your thoughts, on Mikael’s less-than-monumental demise?

“Goodbye, Cruel World . . . again . . . for good . . . maybe.”

On Forwood’s tragic breakup?

“Why couldn’t I just have said yes to the Goodbye F*&K?  Dammit!”

On Delena becoming a “we?”

On Katherine becoming Stefan’s conscience?

Oh, and how long exactly do you think it’s going to take Stefan to open those precious little coffin lids, most notably Elijah’s?

Because, it looks from the promo, like he takes his sweet time doing it, while our friends in Mystic Falls remain sitting ducks for Klaus?  I don’t know.  If it were me, I’d be de-daggering those family members so fast, my head would spin . . .

But, hey, who are we to judge, right?

Until next time, Fangbangers . . .

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Family Day at Vampire Rehab – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “Ordinary People”

“Don’t cry, my Darling NiKlaus!  In another few thousand years, your hair will be much less Rats Nest-y.” 

Hey there, Fangbangers!  So, I’m going let you guys in on a little secret.  (Shhhh . . . don’t tell anybody.)

OK.  Here goes .  . . historically speaking, I’ve never really been a big fan of “Flashback Episodes of TVD” . . .

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I like pretty costumes, elaborate hairdos, and inflated production values as much as the next girl . . .

KLAUS: “The 1490’s look good on you, Dear Katherine.” 

KATHERINE: “I wish I could say the same to you, Klaus . . .”

ELIJAH: “You do realize he could eat you for saying that, don’t you?”

I just tend to prefer my TVD gang to hang out in the 21st century .  . . WHERE THEY BELONG.

That all changed this week, with “Ordinary People”  . . .  an episode, which I feel was, by far, one of the best flashback episodes in TVD history.  (Tied only with the absolutely epic “Blood Brothers,” of Season 1.)

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I mean, sure, it had all the trappings of your classic TVD flashback episode . . .  the costumes, the hair, the extensive use of voiceover, a slew of main characters, who were suspiciously absent throughout the hour (I’m looking at you, Caroline, Tyler, Jeremy, Katherine, and Matt.).

“Sorry, I missed the episode.  I was sleeping off my hangover . . . and a long, hot, night of awesome Forwood sex.” 

But it also offers – among other things – answers to MANY long-standing questions about the Original Family, the Original Witch, and the Original Vampire Hunter Mikael . . .

 . . . some massive levels of Salvatore Brother Bonding . . .

 . . . well sort of . . .

 . . . Damon Sexy Dancing at a bar that is most definitely NOT the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls . .  .

 . . . and, perhaps, my personal favorite, not one, but TWO, adorably erotic Delena scenes, one of which takes place, of all places, IN A BED . . .

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Sounds pretty awesome, right?

So, what are we waiting for?  Let’s explore some “Ordinary People!”

(Once again, special thanks to Andre for the lovely screencaps you see here . . .)

The Lockwood Original Diaries – Pictionary Style

Get it?  It’s Dances with Wolves!  Let’s add Awesome Artist to the list of Fabulously F*&kable Damon Salvatore traits . .  .

This episode begins, rather fittingly, right where the last one left off: in the Lockwood dungeon . . . a set piece that arguably has become almost as popular as the Only Bar  / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls.  Alaric has brought Elena along to show her All the Pretty Pictures that Mason Lockwood helped them discover on the wall of the cave.  Damon comes along for the ride as well, to startle the always-jumpy Elena, and make cute snarky comments throughout the investigation.

You’re too hot to be scary.  Sorry, Damon!

After all, he hasn’t technically been “invited in” to this establishment, now has he?

Stupid vampire rules! 

The first thing the Scooby Crew ascertains from the cave drawings is that werewolves have been around Mystic Falls long before Stefan and Damon unwittingly encountered them, back in 1864.

I like Damon’s drawing better.  Cave Person FAIL! 

Now, whether these werewolves are ancestors to the current clan of Lockwood’s hasn’t yet been established.   But, for what it’s worth, I THINK they were Lockwoods (I’ve, personally, always thought Klaus’ biological dad was a Lockwood), and Damon seems to agree with me . . .

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“Lockwood Diaries – Pictionary Edition . . .”

Actually, as the threesome eventually find out, the history detailed on the wall of the cave is not the history of werewolves at all.  Rather, it is .  . . wait for it . . . the Original Vampire Family’s history.  We know this because, as we see in our first of many flashbacks from this episode, Rebekah has helpfully carved her family members names (some of them, at least) into the wall of the cave, to preserve for posterity . . .

So, this . . .

 . . . is basically the Viking version of THIS . . .

The names are written in a type of Viking Script.  Believe it or not, this seemingly random fact immediately answers two important questions that many of us have long-wondered about the Original Family: (1) How old are they?  The answer to THAT question is roughly the same age as the Vikings, who, as Rebekah would tell us later, colonized America in secret, long before history books would suggest.  This, as many of you savvy viewers caught, explains the odd little Viking reference she made in Alaric’s history class, back during “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

“What’s the Viking word for ‘foreshadowing’?” 

 It also explains, (2) why a big bad vampire like Klaus would seem so oddly fixated on a small, seemingly inconsequential town like Mystic Falls.  Namely, HE GREW UP THERE!

Homesick . . . broody . . . and in need of a hug.  (Tyler!  Get over here and hug me, B*tch!)

Oh, and here’s the first kicker (which most of us had ALSO already figured out) Original Vampire / Kat Eater Mikael is .  . . wait for it . . . THE ORIGINAL FAMILY DAD!

I wanna be like Mike . . . actually, no I really don’t. 

But wait a minute . . . you might be saying .  . . why would a FATHER be trying to hunt down and murder his own kids?

(It wouldn’t be the first time!) 

Well, I’m getting to that .  . .

Happy music plays in the background,  as Alaric excitedly takes pictures of all the cave etching, so that he can study them for hours on end.  Seriously, this is a history buff’s wet dream . . .  You GO, Chunky Monkey!

“Are you mocking me?” 

Alaric Saltzman Gets His Study on, while Damon and Elena  . . .

Poor Alaric!  Who knew, back when we first met him, that he was just two dead girlfriends away from becoming Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

As Alaric painstakingly analyzes the less surprising drawings from the cave wall  . . . “vampire” . . . “werewolf” . . . “sun” . . . “moon,” I find my attention continually being drawn toward the hot and sweaty activity going on directly behind his head.  It looks as though Damon and Elena have decided to continue the Vampire Slayer training that the pair happily started during “Smells Like Teen Spirit” . . .

Once again, Damon has cleverly used this “training” exercise, as an excuse to hold Elena close and fondle her.  (YAY!)

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Mommy LIKE . . . A LOT!

We see this when he, once again, grabs at her from behind, and makes a joking move to bite her neck, illustrating that, in this particular faux battle, the vampire has won.

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Since we all know how much TVD LOVES its parallels and foreshadowing, many clever viewers have already predicted that Elena will be forced to use these vampire fighting skills, FOR REAL, some time before the end of the season.

We’ve already seen her use what she learned in her first fighting lessons with Damon and Alaric to temporarily incapacitate Ripper Stefan.  And I’m thinking that there is more to the emphasis on these fighting scenes than JUST to show Delena foreplay . . .

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. . . not that there’s anything wrong with Delena foreplay, of course. 😉

Later, when Alaric hits a snag in his studies, Elena decides to hit up Barbie Klaus / New Head Cheerleader Rebekah for some inside information . . .

A Tale of Two Exes . . .

“The Boy is MINE!” 

At school, Elena shows Rebekah a picture of one of the cave etchings, and asks for answers.

“Actually, this is just a naked picture of Stefan I found on his Facebook page.  Look what you’ve been missing all these years.”

At first, Rebekah is dismissive.   But when Elena threatens to awaken Vampire Hunter Mikael, otherwise known as Daddy Dearest, she gets PISSED, and shuts down completely.  As Barbie Klaus stalks away, we are treated to a second flashback, this one features Klaus, and the ever elusive,  sexy-haired, Elijah . . .

 . . . when it comes to haircare.  (But when it comes to jousting?  Maybe . . .)

 . . . engaged in swordplay.  Then, Mikael pops in to verbally, emotionally, and physically abuse Klaus, as the rest of the family stands silently by.

Mikael (who looks oddly hot, with his long crimped hairdo) takes the phrase “Bad Dad,” to a whole new level, when he takes the sword from Elijah, and begins jabbing it at Klaus, until the latter eventually falls to the ground.  “Some days, it’s a miracle, you are still alive, Boy,” Mikael says harshly, as he holds the sword to his petrified “son’s” neck.

“Is this because I forgot to charge your iPhone, after I used it?” 

Some might say, this is nothing more than an example of Tough Love.  After all, Mikael is a Viking.  He knows how difficult battle can be.  And he’s only trying to keep his family safe, right?  And yet, the way that Mikael seems to take joy in berating and abusing Klaus, so much more than his other children, suggests that there’s a bit more to it than that . . .

Meanwhile, in the present day . . .

“I’m naked right now.” 

“I bet you are.”

Later, after school, Elena is gabbing on the phone with future boyfriend Damon, when Rebekah texts her to pop on over to La Casa de Rich and Awesome for some Girl Bonding Time . . .

Rebekah’s texting now?  Wow, she sure learned a lot about modern cell phone technology during those five minutes she played with an iPhone during “The Reckoning.” 

Elena immediately thinks that Rebekah has changed her mind about giving her the details of her past.  And she MAY very well have.  But first, she wants Elena to help her pick  out a dress for the upcoming Homecoming Dance.  Ahh, now we know that Rebekah is definitely Klaus’ sister.  These two definitely seem to have an almost compulsive need for social acceptance.

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I actually think it’s pretty adorable – in a fairly psychotic way — that Rebekah feels the need to compel what is probably her entire cheerleading squad, sans Caroline, to model prospective dresses for her, when she could just as easily have tried them on herself.

It’s America’s Next Top Model . . . Future Vampire Food Edition!

It kind of reminded me of Cher from Clueless, who brilliantly created that application for her computer that modeled her entire wardrobe FOR HER.

You know, now that I think about it, Rebekah actually vaguely resembles Alicia Silverstone in Clueless  . . . weird. 

Of course, Rebekah is no dummy.  And beneath her supposedly fun and carefree request that Elena help Rebekah pick a “model,” whose dress she will wear for the Big Event, is the subtle threat that, if Elena doesn’t behave, Rebekah could turn her into a mindless zombie, just like she did with these girls, and, then, eventually EAT HER.

Hmm . . . Rebekah seems to prefer eating girls.  Do you think they taste better?

Message sent and received, Elena helps Rebekah pick out a dress (the red one).  Then, Rebekah sends the girls away, compelling them to forget everything they just experienced.  Except, she never instructs the girl in red to remove her dress.  Perhaps, the two girls aren’t the same size?

With the mindless zombies gone, Rebekah then traipses up to Stefan’s room to start delving into Stefan’s underwear drawer, and reading his infamous diaries.  (How very Damon Salvatore of her!)

“You know, I don’t get you two as a couple,” Rebekah begins conversationally, upon seeing a framed promotional still of Stefan and Elena from Season 1.   That’s OK, Rebekah.  Lots of Delena fans don’t get it either. 😉

Haha!  I like these girl talk sessions.  I can’t wait until Rebekah and Elena start gossiping about Damon.

But, alas, it is not to be.  Of course, Buzzkill Elena . . .

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 . . .  just wants to talk Viking History, which sucks, because I really wanted to learn what kind of naughty souvenirs Stefan kept in his closets from his Ripper Days.  (Ripper Stefan seems like he’d be rather kinky, right?)

Anywhoo, with one final warning (and possibly another foreshadowing) that she will only allow Elena to learn what SHE (Rebekah) wants her to learn, Rebekah begins to launch into the story of her past, which I will share with you, in just a bit . . .

Brotherly Drunkenness

“Has anyone ever told you, your eyes are mesmerizing?”

After hanging up with his future girlfriend, Elena, Damon decides to pay a visit to the still locked up, and rather clammy-looking Ripper Stefan.

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When Damon admits to not quite buying Elena’s and Lexi’s Brilliant Ripper Detox plan, Ripper Stefan responds, in what very well be the most insightful remark we’ve ever heard from the character.  “Oh, and we should all listen to Elena, because her plans always work out so well.”

THANK YOU, STEFAN!  I’m glad SOMEBODY finally realized that Elena tends to have the WORST IDEAS EVER, when it comes to defeating the Big Bads . . .

But, hey, look on the bright side, Elena.  At least YOU never hid the moonstone in your soapdish . . .

Never . . . gets . . . old . . . 

Damon too begins to become concerned that Elena’s Magical Mystical Plan is not working, when he suggests that Rebekah might kill Elena, and Stefan seems completely unmoved by this prospect.  “Wow, you really have given up,” says Damon sadly.  “Screw this Lexi plan.  We could both use a drink,” he concludes, easily removing Stefan’s chains.

“I’ll drink to that.” 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my Drunk Damon as much as the next girl.  But, if you recall, Lexi’s Magical Detox Stare from last week, you know that what Damon is doing, is effectively undoing the equivalent of an ENTIRE YEAR of sobriety for Stefan, and all for a single night out on the town.  Bloodaholics Anonymous would, most definitely,  not approve . . .

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Have I mentioned that Damon Salvatore just so happens to be the PERFECT wingman?  While sticking to liquor himself, Damon not only lines up beautiful girls for Stefan to drink throughout the night, he also compels them to forget what happened, once Stefan’s finished.  He even gives them parting gifts of ugly red neck scarves, to wear, as payment for their services.  Not a bad deal, I’d say . . .

“Tell me something, Callie.  Do you COME here often?” 😉  

In a stroke of pure genius, Damon even challenges Stefan to a game of Quarters, during which he sticks to a bottle of bourbon, and his brother drinks the bartender!  It’s cute . . . in a twisted, sort of sadistic way . . .  In the midst of all this, Damon even finds time for a little bar-top dancing, Coyote Ugly style . . .

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(Unfortunately, the song playing in the background is not “Enjoy the Silence.”)

Fun, brotherly bonding aside, I must say, I do have one slight quibble with the notion that Damon can just force Stefan to gorge himself on blood, without the fear of anyone . . . oh . . . I don’t know . . . DYING!  By way of example, take a look at this little pictoral representation of the TVD episode, “The Birthday.”

BEFORE:

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AFTER:

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I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t that the entire point of Klaus getting Stefan high on blood, so that, “once he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop?” (How many times have we heard THAT line, this season?)  Now, granted, Stefan’s been “sober for almost a year now,” but a gorge fest like this would seemingly be enough to send any vampire over the edge.  So, why is Stefan “I’m Freaking Hungry” Salvatore suddenly so calm about all of this . . .

Does turning off one’s emotions, also turn off his hunger?  I would think not, or else Klaus probably wouldn’t have done it.  It just seems a bit inconsistent, if you ask me.

Oh well . . . I guess the ever-changing characterization of Ripper Stefan is just one of those aspects of the show, on which its writers and I will perpetually disagree . . . But hey, enough negativity, let’s bring on the Brotherly Love!

Here’s the interesting thing.  Though Damon is clearly frustrated by the fact that his brother has gone Ripper, there’s a part of him, that has wanted to go drinking and dancing, with his usually judgmental brother for decades.  And, now, he is finally getting the chance to do so!  If only Stefan was able to un-douche himself long enough to enjoy it with him!

“I love you, MAN!” 

So, Damon tries a new tactic . . . namely, insulting Stefan’s masculinity.  He rightly tells Stefan, that, chains or no chains, he can never truly be free, if he continues to be Klaus’ b*tch.

And the only way Stefan can break himself of  that is to help KILL Klaus.  Now, the point of this little bar outing becomes clear.  Damon wanted to give Stefan a taste of freedom, to show him exactly what he was missing, while under Klaus’ thrall.

Admittedly, this was a pretty darn impressive plan, especially coming from the Moonstone Soapdish Guy.  Bravo Damon!

“But Klaus, can’t be killed,” whines Stefan, clearly taking buzzkill lessons from his ex.

“Maybe I can help with that,” answers a voice from behind the two brothers.  “The Salvatore Boys, I presume?”

Oh, look!  It’s Vampire Hunter Mikael.

Ruh Roh!

But where’s KAT?  Did YOU eat ALL of her, you PIG?  Did you?   Did YOU?

Meanwhile, back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, Rebekah has launched, head-first, into her family history  . . .

Meet the Originals . . .

Right off the bat, we learn, much as we suspected that the necklace Stefan gave to Elena, back in Season 1, actually belonged to the Original Witch, and that the symbol on the front of the necklace, actually MEANS “witch.”  (How clever?)

I actually think this necklace gets more screentime than Matt . . .

So, here’s the deal about the Original Family.  They apparently emigrated from Europe, after one of their children died from the plague, hearing rumors of a MYSTICAL, magical place where everyone lived longer, and was healthy.  Hoping to spare their children, and themselves, some untimely deaths, the Original Family moved to Mystic Falls, which, at the time, was overrun by werewolves.

The humans and the werewolves lived peacefully, for a time.  But then, one day, Klaus and young Henry snuck out to watch the werewolf transformations, and Henry got eaten, in the process.

R.I.P. Little Henry Original.  We barely knew YE! 

OUCH!  What a way to go!  Now, the Original Family had to accept the fact that, wherever they were, death was inescapable .  . . or WAS it . . .

You see, the Original Family had a witch friend, who knew of a curse, or spell, that could make individuals immortal.  Mikael and the Original Mother, Esther, ask this witch (I think her name is Ayana, or something), to cast this spell on all of them.  However, Ayana refuses to do this, claiming that it will . . . wait for it . . . upset the balance of nature.  (Yet another annoying catch phrase, TVD fans have had to endure for three years, now. ;))

“I have no function in this story, whatsoever . . .”

This means, that Mama ESTHER has to perform the spell.

It’s a pretty cute couple, right?  No wonder all their kids are so hot! 

Oh . . . wait . . . I didn’t tell you, yet, did I?  You see, Esther, i.e. Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah’s mother, is also THE ORIGINAL WITCH!

Since, as far as we know, it is impossible to be BOTH a witch and a vampire (Sorry Bonnie!), Esther was unable to become immortal herself.   (So, instead, she became some ghost thingy, who likes to hang out with Vampire Vicki in the after life.  Go figure!)

As the Original kiddies were never let in on this Grand Plan, to say it was traumatizing for them to be STABBED FATALLY in the stomach by their own fathers, and then forced to drink from one of their neighbors, is probably the understatement of the century.

“Anyone got some stain stick I could borrow?” 

Now, the Originals were vampires, burned by the sunlight, weakened by vervain, and harshly shunned from the werewolf homes, where they once felt so welcome.  They also learned that they could be killed by the same White Oak Tree used in the spell to give them immortality.  So, they burned it . . . (though, clearly, a few stakes covered in the ash from that tree, remain.)

 . . . can prevent Forest Fires, Original Family.  (Smokey the Bear is TOTALLY judging you, right now.)

Also, their chief personality traits were heightened.  Rebekah became more stubborn.  Elijah became more . . . honorable.  (“Yes, I know, that sounds terrible,” she said sarcastically.)  Father Mikael (who, I guess stabbed HIMSELF to make the transition) became more prideful.  And Klaus became more intolerant of rejection.

Now, that’s a face only an Original Witch could love . . . 

So, what’s YOUR most dominant trait? 😉

But something else happened to Klaus . . . something that would doom this family for all eternity.  He started showing werewolf traits, thereby illustrating to Mikael that he wasn’t HIS son, but rather, some random Lockwood werewolf dude who Esther screwed . . . a dude, who, unfortunately we have yet to meet.  Knowing that the existence of werewolf/vampire hybrids in the world would . . . you guessed it . . . UPSET THE BALANCE OF NATURE, Esther puts a curse on her own sun to make his werewolf traits dormant, and then, promptly turns her back on her own son, to appease the increasingly tempestuous Mikael.

This is where the events of the story become a little hazy.  According to Rebekah, despite Esther’s moves to protect her family from Bastard Kid Klaus, her infidelity prompts Mikael to rip out Esther’s heart, while Klaus watches.  (Wow, no wonder Klaus is so effed up . . .)

Hey!  You stole my heart! 

After this happens, the rest of the Original Family, including Papa Mikael, scatters, while Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah remain behind to bury their mother.  Upon doing this, the three now-orphaned children all hold hands, Ring Around the Rosie-style, and promise to stick together as one, always and forever . . . at least, until the inevitable time when Klaus gets into a fight with one of his siblings, and decides to dagger them for decades.

(Note: We know that Rebekah met the dagger, at least once, back when she chose Stefan over Klaus in the 1920’s.   But judging from her statement, that Klaus was “disappointed by her,” many times, we can also assume that Rebekah had met the pointy end of the dagger prior to the events of “Klaus,” in 1492, as well.  Naughty girl!)

Finished with her story, Rebekah threatens Elena with DEATH, if she ever goes after Klaus.  Fair enough, right?  But wait . . . now it’s Elena’s turn to share some news.  Upon reviewing those cave drawings again, Elena comes upon a set of pictures signifying the death of the Original Witch.

And, according to THOSE pictures, it was KLAUS who killed his mother, as punishment for banishing his hybrid side, NOT Michael.

Elena shares this information with Rebekah, in hopes to secure her help in murdering Klaus.  “He took Stefan’s life.  We have to make it stop,” she pleads.  But, of course, Rebekah is infuriated and extremely distraught by the news, which — though she continues to deny it — on some level, she seems to know its true.

Claire Holt REALLY flexes her acting chops in a major way, in the scene where she lashes out at Elena, in a mixture of fury, and inconsolate sadness.  She pushes the Doppelganger up against the doorframe, as she continues to scream “Shut up . . . don’t talk anymore . . . nothing.”

Now, that’s some seriously close talking! 

At first, I thought Rebekah might have compelled Elena’s voice away, which I suspect she could have, given that she no longer has her vervain necklace (Bonnie recently gave it to Alaric, so that he could study it.)  But the fact that she didn’t makes the whole scene more heartbreaking in a way,  Because it shows that Rebekah is more hurt, than she is angry, having been lied to for centuries by her own flesh and blood, the only person on whom she thought she could truly count.

It’s just so . . . tragic. 

“She’s just a girl, who lost her Mom too young, and loves recklessly and blindly, even if it consumes her,” Elena says of Rebekah, later on in the episode, when she’s discussing her day with Damon (more on that spectacular scene, later).

Though, on the surface Elena and Rebekah might seem very different . . . one is human . . . the other is an Original Vampire . . . one is blonde . . . the other is brunette . . . one is brash . . . the other is more reserved . . . etc., I think the two women definitely found a common ground this week, and learned that they are much more a like than they could have ever imagined.  I’m actually sort of looking forward to seeing this relationship grow and develop in the future.  And yet, a part of me is worried for Rebekah’s life, now that she has proven herself to be such a vulnerable and relatable character.

Here’s hoping you at least live long enough to attend the Mystic Falls Prom, Beks! 

On this show, Vulnerable and Relatable tends to be a death sentence, if you aren’t one of the Big Three cast members.  I hope I’m wrong about this . . .

Meanwhile, back at the bar that is NOT the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls . . .

Getting to the “Heart” of the Matter . . .

Everyone seems to have their own tactics regarding “Curing Stefan,” and though he doesn’t know the younger Salvatore Brother particularly well, Mikael might have the best one yet.  Sensing that Stefan might be the key to ascertaining Klaus’ whereabouts, he asks him out right, where the guy is.  In response, Stefan calmly notes that he has been compelled NOT to tell him.

So, Mikael ups the stakes by reaching into Damon’s chest, and literally wrapping his hand around his heart,  threatening to pull it out, if Stefan doesn’t talk . . .

Poor Damon!  Of all the near-death experiences he has had since the beginning of this series, this one is probably the most gruesome, not to mention dangerous.  Stefan initially reacts frighteningly little to the notion that his own brother is about to get his heart ripped out of his chest, causing viewers to wonder just how effectively Klaus HAD succeeded in turning Stefan’s emotions off.  But then, at the last second, he gaves, offering to deliver Klaus to Mikael, thereby saving Damon’s life . . . again.  (PHEW!)

“See, I’m not so bad.” 

Outside the bar, a Happy to Be Alive Damon ribs Stefan for his hidden “brotherly feelings,” and thanks him for saving his life.  “Be careful, Brother.  Your humanity is showing,” remarks Stefan, echoing a very popular promotional poster for the show that was released back in Season 2.

Though Stefan claims to only have saved his brother to secure his OWN freedom, and not because he particularly cares whether the latter lives or dies,  I’m not sure I buy that.  I mean, Stefan WAS seemingly able to fight off SOME of Klaus’ compulsion, in that he directly disobeyed his Master’s order, by agreeing to help Mikael.  So, it stands to reason that, in the context of that fighting, some of Stefan’s love for his brother leaked through his now-hardened heart.

Of course, that doesn’t stop Damon from kicking the sh*t out of his own brother, right there on the street.  Because . . . I mean . . . what’s a brotherly bonding session, without a little brotherly, ass kicking, right?  Man for a supposedly all-powerful, high on blood vampire, Stefan sure does get whacked around a lot, doesn’t he?

“Time for my nap!”

And now for the moment you have all been waiting for . . . if you are an Elena fan, at least . . .

A Bedtime Story

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First, before I do anything, I just have to share this nifty-little Delena-themed chart I found online.  It’s SO PERFECT and spot-on, it’s not even funny . . .

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Now, I’m going to link you to the Bedroom Scene in it’s entirety, because, no matter what I say about it, I suspect I won’t truly be able to give it justice.  Here you go!

So, yeah . .  . as you saw, or didn’t see, Elena arrives home from DAMON’S house, to find Damon cuddling up in HER bed, with HER teddy bear . . .

Though mildly turned on, horny, sexually aroused annoyed by this uninvited intrusion, Elena doesn’t kick Damon out of her bed, as we’ve seen her do in the past.  Instead, she crawls under the covers WITH him

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Well . . . actually, he’s still ON TOP of the covers.  But it’s a start.

(Sidenote:  For those of you out there who are Dawson’s Creek / Pacey / Joey fans, how much did this entire scene remind you of the parallel bedroom scene from “Stolen Kisses.)

“You know you are truly in love with someone when you can spend the entire night just watching them sleep.”   OK.  I just had to put that out there.  Dorky fangirl moment, over . . .)

This is truly a testament to how comfortable Elena feels with Damon . . . that she can unself-consciously get into bed with him, and talk about the events of the day, without experiencing any sort of apprehension or fear that he will take advantage of the situation.

Another sign that the Delena relationship is hop, skipping and jumping, toward romantic bliss is the fact that the usually uber judgmental Elena, doesn’t yell at or lecture Damon for releasing Stefan (She knew he had done it, because he had called her, while it was happening.), as he (and we) fully expect her to do.

When you think about it, this is really the first time we’ve seen Elena GENUINELY trust Damon’s judgment.  After three seasons, she’s finally figured out that Damon’s century and a half of experience with his brother, outranks Elena’s year and a half.  It’s a big step for Elena, who’s always been somewhat of a control freak, particularly where the people she loves are concerned.

And since we are on the subject of big steps,  I simply adore the way Elena turns out the light, while Damon is still in the room . . . an inherent invitation for him to spend the night, which is re-emphasized with her final words to him of, “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

Yeah . .  . right . . . “talk.” 

Then Elena turns her body toward Damon, and moves her head inches away from his on the pillow (KISS DAMMIT!  KISS! KISS!  COME ON!  SO CLOSE! You are killing me, here!), to say to him, the sweetest thing she has ever said to him, since, “I like you just the way you are,” back in “As I Lay Dying.”

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And here it is: “I think you’re going to be the one to save him from himself.  It won’t be because he loves me.  It will be because he loves you.”  (All together now . . . AWWWWW!)

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Aside from the fact that I think Elena is absolutely RIGHT about this (After all, at it’s core, The Vampire Diaries is a show about the unbreakable bonds of family and brotherhood, just as much as it’s a story about a girl and her love for two vampires.), it was something Damon really needed to hear.  Having always felt like he was doomed to be the brother in need of rescue, Damon has to feel truly heartened by the notion that the woman he loves believe that HE and only HE can save his brother’s humanity.

Oh, and then Damon watches Elena sleep again, which is just . . . you know  . . . AMAZING . . .

And that was “Ordinary People,” in a nutshell.  So, what did you think of the episode?  Were you satisfied by the answers you received about the Original Family?  Were you frustrated by the fact that the only other Original “child” you met, was the kid that got eaten by werewolves?  Do you think Elena is right about Damon being the key link to Stefan’s missing humanity?  And finally, how excited were you to FINALLY get an end-of-the episode Delena scene that WASN’T cockblocked by Alaric, Stefan, Katherine, etc. . .

Oh, and did I mention that next week is the mid-season finale, which means that after “Homecoming,” airs, there will be NO TVD EPISODES until January 12th?

Hiatuses are awful, aren’t they?  Here’s hoping that next week’s episode is action-packed enough to tide us over, during those interminable TVD-less weeks.  You can check out the extended American promo for “Homecoming” here:

And . . . here’s the Canadian one. (Though, admittedly, the sound quality isn’t the best.  So, turn up your speakers.)

Well, that’s all I’ve got, folks.  At least, for now .  . . But be sure to tune in next week, or someone from this show might eat you, and not in the “good way,” either.  Adios, Fangbangers!

[www.juliekushner.com] [Fangirls Forever]

Get Your Snowballs Out of My SHOWER! – A Recap of True Blood’s “Spellbound”

You know what I like best about Shower Sex?  IT ACTUALLY OCCURS IN A SHOWER . . . not on the film set for the Chronicles of Narnia!

Sigh!  Oh, True Blood!  How you tease me with your wanton promises of Sexy Seric Shower Sex!  How you made me wait patiently, week in, and week out, for some hot, soapy, bubbly, lathery lovely loving, only to give me something that was .  . . well . . . NONE OF THOSE THINGS.

On a brighter note, I have a brief message I would like to pass along to Eric Northman’s Tushy, on behalf of all Fangbangers . . .

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WE SALUTE YOU!

Let’s recap, shall we?

(By the way, special thanks to Skarsgardfans.com for the fabulous screencaps you see here.)

Vampire Jessica is Having a Very Bad Day . . . Mostly

“Oh Jason!  You’ve saved my life!  Please, let me reward you with a quick Floor F*&k in Daddy’s lobby.”

When we last saw Vampire Jessica, that Mean Ole Witchipoo was spelling her into wanting to meet the sun . . .

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This week, it was JASON STACKHOUSE TO THE RESCUE!

“Really wishing I had a cape, and some tights, right about now .  . . “

Like a TOTAL BOSS, he tackles Jessica to the ground (Kinky!), and slams the door to Bill’s big fancy mansion WITH HIS FOOT, so Jessica can’t get out.   While, still under the influence of the spell, Jessica flips Jason on his back (More kinky!), and starts attacking him .  . .

Hey!  She kind of looks like she’s playing air guitar, in this picture!

But then the spell inexplicably stops, and Jessica’s thinking, “WOAH!  Weirdest Sex Dream EVER almost as bad as Sookie’s and Eric’s Winter Wondersex!”

She looks down at her hero (who she is oh-so-conveniently straddling at the moment).  Adorable Jason is looking up at Jessica with these big lovey dovey puppy dog eyes, despite the fact that she pretty muh looks like sh*t, right now AND was, just a few minutes ago, trying to EAT HIS FACE OFF!

“I love you . .  . you Crazy Sunburned B*tch!”

And she’s so overcome with passion for him, not to mention, she can feel his massive hard-on poking through her jeans that she plants a big sloppy wet one right on his mouth . . .  After it happens, she pulls away, in shock over what she has done.

“Oh gosh . . . I must have the worst morning breath.  I’m so ashamed!”

But Jessica needn’t be upset.  After all, this is Jason we are talking about!  Former manwhore Jason.  And he loooooooooooooves Jessica.  In fact, he’s so horny for the girl, right now, that he sits up, and pulls her in for another kiss . .  .a REAL ONE, this time!  There won’t be any chalking up of this kiss to “The Excitement of the Moment,” no sir!

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Things are getting REALLY GOOD!  So, of course, you can count on King Cockblock to screw them up.  “SOOOOOOKEHHHHHH JESSSSICAAAAAAA!” He whines .  . . like a b*tch.

“No one gets lucky on my watch . . . NO ONE!  Not even JASON STACKHOUSE, the guy who was gang-banged by werepanthers!”

Jason carries Jessica down the steps to King Cockblock’s hidey hole.  And it’s pretty darn adorable though Floor Sex would have been much more adorable.  Don’t you think?.  Beeeelll thanks Jason for having to save Jessica’s life, because her own maker was too big of a weenie to put the right amount of silver on her.  He then tells Jason that Jessica is going to need to stay in bed, and under silver, for the rest of the day, just in case Witchipoo decides to star in Evil Vampire Spell 2: Electric Boogaloo.  Jessica agrees, because now that she has a solid sex partner, she REAAAAAALLLLLY wants to live!

Jason puts the RIGHT amount of silver on Jessica, while he tries to come up with “happy thoughts” for her to think about, so that she won’t focus on the pain.  “Hot summer days . . . barbecues . . .” He begins.

Though Jessica is too in love with Jason’s face to notice how unintentionally inappropriate he’s being, Jason eventually recognizes his mistake, and changes his “happy thoughts” to things that Vampire Jessica might actually like such as Jason’s ENORMOUS COCK: the moon, never being cold, and Tru Blood . . .   (Awww, Jason!  No vampire actually LIKES Tru Blood.  You should know that by now!)

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The pair looks like they are going to make out right there on that coffin bed.  So, of course, you can count on cockblock Bill to chime in again, and interrupt.  He reminds Jason to not rat out Jessica for eating one of his guards.

Don’t worry, Jess!  Bucky’s not dead.  He’s just taking a nap . . . in his own blood.

Jason says, more or less, “Cool, no problem.  I won’t tell on Jess for eating ‘Bucky,’ if you won’t tell on me for shooting the Extra you had stationed outside.”

Jason and King Cockblock have themselves a deal.  They’d probably even shake on it, if Bill wasn’t chained to his bed with silver .  . . oh well!

The next time we see Jessica it’s “nighttime.”  She arrives home to an unwashed Hoyt, and tells him it’s over between them . . .

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He does NOT take it well . . . We watch him cry and blubber,  beg Jessica to take him back, and offer to drink her blood everyday.  Then THIS happens . . .

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OH MY GOD!  You just killed Hoyt, you bastar . . . I mean . . . b*tch!

Then Jessica runs outside with a big honking smile on her bloody face, and finds Jason waiting in his car, ready to give her the best de-virginization of her life.  And the fact that she doesn’t seem upset AT ALL about just murdering her first love, makes me think, “WOW!  Jessica Hamby is one SICK PUPPY!”

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It’s still pretty hot though . . .

Then Jessica wakes up in her little silver coffin bed.  And we realize it was nothing but a bad dream.  DARN! PHEW!  What a relief!

But then nighttime comes AGAIN.  And AGAIN, Jessica goes to the house she shares with Hoyt, to dump his adorable naive butt.  And AGAIN he doesn’t take it well . . . But this time, it’s a little bit . . . different.

“I KNOW you killed me in your dream!  You . . .  DREAM MURDERER!” 

In Jessica’s dream, Hoyt was a pathetic sniveling mess, when she dumped him.  In real life, he is hurt . . . defensive . . . and, as a result, very MEAN.  He hits Jessica in all her sore spots:  her perpetual virginity, her lack of . . . life, and her former religious roots.

“OH NO, YOU DI-N’T!” 

Though Jessica claims that she is dumping Hoyt, because she doesn’t believe vampires are meant to be monogamous, Hoyt is no dummy.  He knows Jessica has been distant for some time, and suspects that another man is the reason.  And it is . .  . partly.

But there’s another part of Jessica, who just wants to embrace her vampire identity.  And she feels she can’t do that while playing house with Hoyt.  This is why, in her dream, Jason said things to her like, “I love when your face is all covered with blood.  I want you to f*ck me and bite me at the same time.”  Dream Jason loves the vampire side of Jessica, in a way that Real Life Hoyt doesn’t, necessarily.

“Maybe God really does hate fangers.  And so do I!”  Hoyt exclaims, as he rescinds poor Jessica’s invitation to his house, and proceeds to throw furniture around to assert his manhood.

It’s pretty heartbreaking, actually . . .

But if Jess thinks she’s going to get comfort from Mr, Sexypants, himself, Jason Stackhouse, she’s got another thing coming!  Because Jason is nothing, if not loyal.  And he’s also a firm adherent to the Bro Code.  So, when he hears that Jessica dumped his best friend, though he’s clearly affected by the pain she’s in, he’s petrified of the notion that she might have done it for HIM.

“Time out!  Cut to commercial break!” 

It just goes to show how much Jason has grown up, over the past few seasons, that he is able to restrain himself from jumping on Jess, out of allegiance to Hoyt, despite the fact that it’s OBVIOUSLY what he wants to do.  (Remember Season 2, when Jason boned that crazy preacher guy’s wife?  Good times!)  Jessica on the other hand, is still young, inexperienced, and impulsive.  In short, she is the female version of who Jason used to be . . .

That being said, it was still SUPER sad, when Jason rescinded Jessica’s invitation to HIS house too.  I mean, how much heartache is a girl expected to endure in a single hour?

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Man, he looks good in that tight tank top!  Just so you know, Jason.  I’m NOT dating Hoyt.  So, you can totally have sex with me.

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That’s right, Jess.  And he probably would have done a whole lot more to you, if King Cockblock didn’t intervene.  Who knew King Cockblock was on Team Hoyt?

After Jessica “leaves,” Jason starts incessantly doing pushups, which, oddly enough, I’m starting to think is his way of jerking off . . . weird.

But don’t worry Team Jassica fans!  I suspect this little love triangle is FAR from over!  Alan Ball would NEVER let so much sexual chemistry go to waste except when it comes to the SHOWER SCENE!  WHY, OH WHY did you screw up the shower scene?

Meanwhile, back in Sookieville . . .

Neck Biting: Good! / Snow Hallucinations: BAAAAAAAAD!

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but would you mind terribly taking off that ugly flannel you’re wearing.  It’s distracting me from my wonderful Neck Bite Orgasm.” 

Back at Amnesia Eric’s Hidey Hole, Sookie rips off the Viking Vamp’s silver chains, only to find that he is not healing, as fast as he should be.  It turns out that Amnesia Eric has been WAY too busy having woodland creature sex to think about feeding.  In fact, the last thing he ate, was THIS . . .

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So, Sookie offers up herself as breakfast, holding on to silver for dear life, as the Viking Vampire gives her the Biggest Hickey Ever!  When he’s done SUCKING, he bites his own hand, and offers it to Sookie to drink, so that they can “become one” or whatever . . .

“I do hope you washed that first!  I mean, lord knows where it’s been . . . Oh wait, I know EXACTLY where it’s been.” 

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

Rub-a-dub-Dub!  It’s time for the SHOWER SCENE!

YEAH! 

Everything is going great, until Sookie turns on the showerhead, and SNOWBALLS come out . . .

Honey, this would be a really good time to call your plumber! 

After that, things went downhill fast . . . with Amnesia Eric and Sookie sharing V / Fairy blood induced Narnia hallucinations .  . .

“Is that a snowball in my ass, or are you just happy to see me?” 

Then, Bibbity, Bobbity Boo, all those snowballs magically turn into a fur bed.  And I suddenly know what Cinderella would look like as a porno flick . . .

Do you REALLY want to help, Fairy Godmother?  Than PUT THEM BACK IN THE SHOWER, WHERE THEY BELONG!

While the sex fiends are coming down from their mutual high in a decidedly NON-snowball covered bed, Amnesia Eric asks Sookie to run away with her.

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But Sookie tells him that they can’t run away, because it is their duty to help BEEEEEEEEL fight Witchipoo.  After all, Viking Vamp is a “warrior” and stuff . . . and  . . .

WAIT!  NO!  You two have NO obligation to fight for Beeel, at all!  Stay HOME, for Heaven sakes!  Have more Narnia Sex!  Anything but THIS!  In fact, what happens at the end of the episode to Amnesia Eric is YOUR fault Sookeh for making him “fight like a man” . . . or should I say . . . a vamp!  See?  This is what happens when you avoid the shower!

Just so you know, Sookie.  You and I are in a fight, right now. 

So, Sookie and Amnesia Eric visit King Cockblock, dressed like an old frumpy farming couple from East Deliverance, U.S.A. . . .

What not to wear when going on a witch hunt . . .

The pair tell Beel that they want to fight on his behalf, because Beel is Eric’s liege, and Sookie’s um . . . Bill.  King Cockblock doesn’t think Sookie can be of any help . . . her being . . . you know . . . a girl, and all.  But Sookie reminds him that she has The Glow Fingers.  And, suddenly, all is right in the world . . . until the end of the episode, of course . .  . when it isn’t.

Speaking of people who’d like to f*&k Sookie . . .

Leader of the Pack . . . But Still Whipped . . .

“Hi Greasipoo, meet my girlfriend, Sookie . . . er . . . I mean Trailer Trash Debbie.” 

 For someone who “isn’t into the whole pack thing,” Alcide sure seems to be fitting in quite well.   First, he helps break up a fight, among warring pack members.  Then, he showers Greasipoo with compliments about his decision to keep the pack out of the supernatural in-fighting between the vampires and the witches.  Greasipoo tells Alcide that he has “a little Alpha in him” and Trailer Trash Debbie agrees . . .

I’d like him to put a little Alpha in me! 

Greasipoo informs the Studly Alcide that he can move up in the pack, if he plays his cards right.  But Alcide doesn’t seem all that interested in such political crap.  Cue Trailer Trash Debbie, and her broken record complaints that Alcide spends too much time with Sookie, and that she is probably better in bed than I am is a TOTAL SLUT bad influence, since she sleeps with all those vampires.  Alcide, reluctantly, promises to stay away from Sookie.  And, to his credit, he keeps that promise for an ENTIRE TWENTY MINUTES!

Sorry Debbie!  You’re just not fairy enough for Alcide.

Meanwhile, over in that it’s becoming really annoying Not-so-Evil Baby Storyline . . .

What Big Freaky Ass Eyes You Have, Ghost Mom!

Awww!  Evil Baby and Evil Baby Doll have matching outfits.  How cute!

So, we finally know what’s up with this weird baby storyline.  Apparently, the ghost haunting Evil Baby Mikey is not Rene’s at all.  Rather, he belongs to THIS CHICK . . .

Creepiest EYES EVER!

Apparently, as we learn from flashbacks, Creepy Ghost Mom had sex with some married white dude, back in the day, and gave birth to a child, that he . . . I think . . . killed, so his wife wouldn’t know he was cheating.  The white dude lived in what is now Hoyt’s house.  And Creepy Ghost Mom had brought Ugly Doll originally as a gift for her dead kid.

 

Don’t hate me because I haunt innocent people, and have really bad taste in toys.  Hate me, because I have scary eyes. 

Somehow, Creepy Ghost Mom believes that Evil Baby Mikey is the reincarnated version of her lost child, because he just so happens to enjoy playing with the Ugly Doll.  So, Creepy Ghost Mom does what any mother would do in a situation like this:  She POSSESSES LAFAYETTE’S BODY!

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That night, while everyone is sleeping at the Bellefleur mansion, Possessed Lala saunters right into the house, like he owns the place, tip toes upstairs, and snatches Evil Baby.  What she/he plans to do with it now, is anybody guess.  However I suspect it involves torturing the poor kid with those annoying ass songs Creepy Ghost Mom always sings . . .

“Get me out of this sh*t storyline, Hooker!”

In other boring news . . .

Cat Barbie Still Doesn’t Like Sam (and neither does Greasipoo) .  . .

“I dated a Cat Barbie once, back when I shapeshifted into a Ken Doll.  She was very pretty, but kind of wooden in the sack, if you catch my drift.” 

Here we go again, folks!  Once again, Sam is at Luna’s house, with his proverbial tail between his legs.  It was good that he came in person, because I don’t think they make an e-card yet for: “I’m sorry my Skinwalker Teenage Brother pretended to be me, and had unsatisfying sex with you.”  Sam tries very hard to get back into Luna’s panties, by telling her, that he thinks that what Tommy did to Luna was worse than what he did to his parents.  (Really Sam?  Because, last I checked, Bad Sex couldn’t KILL YOU!)

“So, what’s a little white lie, if it helps get you laid?” 

Sam wins decidedly more points, by playing Barbies with the kid, while Luna cooks dinner.  But then Greasipoo interrupts dinner.  And he’s SUPER PISSED about Sam’s unexpected presence.  Surprise, surprise!  The “jealous boyfriend” / father of her kid Luna was referring to, is actually Marcus Greasioo, a.k.a Shreveport Werewolf Packmaster.

“I’ve even got an evil villain beard!” 

Sam tries to make peace with Greasipoo, but the dude is clearly not having it.  “You just pissed on the wrong boots, my friend,” he says threateningly.

I don’t know.  I don’t think Greasipoo isn’t giving Samipoo enough credit.  It’s not easy to piss on someone else’s boots.  For starters, it requires excellent aim . . .

Speaking of people who piss on your boots . . .

Tommy Boy Strikes Again!

So, this is how it’s going to be, huh?  Each week a new actor gets to pretend to be Tommy, Tommy assumes a new identity.  Comic Hijinks ensue?

This week, Tommy impersonates his once-surrogate Mommy, Maxine (He stole her clothing and makeup from her house the night before), in order to get his hands on the oil money to which he had learned she was entitled, a few weeks back.  Unfortunately, for him, the payoff ends up being not nearly as much as he expected.  But the day is not a total loss!  After all, Tommy Boy still gets the chance to wear awful makeup, do his hair really weird, and order the food Sam hides for himself in the back of the bar “because he is selfish.”  Just another day in the life of a Skinwalker/ Transvestite!

Lookin’ good, Tommy/Maxine! 

I actually think that Tommy Merlotte, would make for a pretty hot chick, don’t you?

In completely unrelated news, that curler-wearing vampire from last week is dead . . . er . . . deader.  (R.I.P.)  So, of course, V-addicted Andy almost licks her off the floor.

Come on, Andy!  Have a little class!  At least use a fork! 

And finally, the storyline you’ve all been waiting for . . .

“Sit, Viking Vamp.  Good dog!  Now beg for shower sex.”

Poor Eric Northman!  Why must they continue to emasculate you on this show?  Penis size envy, perhaps?  For a while there, things were  looking really good for you.  You were ripping throats out, and taking names.  I thought you were finally coming back to yourself.  Then, THIS happened, and well . . . yuck!

It all starts when King Cockblock compelled a reporter (Selah Pumphrey .  . . readers of the book series should remember the name) to allow him to monopolize the airwaves to give out a Pro Vampire PR message, in light of Curler-Wearing Vampire’s death . . .

Witchipoo honestly cracks me up, with her frantic inability to turn off the television to get Vampire Bill’s annoying face off her screen.  (I feel your pain, Witchipoo!)  This was a clever touch on the writers’ part, as it’s easy to forget that “Antonia” hasn’t been around for a LONG time, and has probably never seen a television in her entire life.

Tara is hanging out with Witchipoo.  For about two seconds, she pretends she didn’t know that the purpose of their little witchy spell that morning was to KILL ALL THE VAMPIRES, and feigns outrage over how AWFUL that is.  Then, Tara gets bored of pretending to be a decent human being, and goes right back to being her sniveling, whining, selfish, murderous self . . .

“Hey, Witchipoo!  You’ve got the wrong idea about me.  I never said I wanted the vampire to all die!  I just don’t want them to be on this Earth anymore.  You know, so you should like ship them all to Uranus, or something. . . ” 

Witchipoo is SEETHING over the fact that her little spell only killed that Curler-Wearing vampire!  But she manages to maintain her cool, when a slick and slimy King Cockblock calls her on the phone to arrange a meeting.

“So, Witchipoo, what are you wearing!”

Witchipoo is hesitant to meet with King Cockblock, at first.  But then he blows so much smoke up her ass that she nearly floats out of the room.  And so the pair agree to meet alone at the cemetery at midnight.  Of course, when the meeting time arrives, neither party is exactly alone.

“Expecto Patronum!” 

“Ditto!”

I love when Sookie and Tara look at one another from across the cemetery, and realize they are on opposite sides of this battle.  It’s a total “Et Tu B*tchay?” moment!  King Cockblock promises Witchipoo that the vampires will leave her alone, if she takes her evil spells off of Eric and Pam.  But since Eric and Pam were some of the many vampires who actually HARMED Witchipoo . . . or rather, “Marnie,” she’s not having it.

But then, Witchipoo starts chanting again.  And Eric does THIS . . .

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 . . . which is a decidedly NON-Amnesia Eric thing to do.  So, maybe she despelled him, after all . . . for now.

Eric’s throat grabber is like the starter gun that begins the race.  And all of the sudden, vampires are kicking witches ASSES, left and right.  Sookie even eliminates a few coven losers with her magic fairy fingers.  (You GLOW, girl!)

“Damn!  I could really use a manicure!  My nailbeds are shot to hell!” 

Then, the moment we’ve all been waiting for arrives.  Pam corners Tara, and prepares to break her neck .  . .  ONCE AND FOR ALL!

 “Go Pam!  It’s your birthday!  Gonna murder Tara, like it’s your birthday!  Gonna rip her throat out, like it’s your birthday.”

But then, who should come and screw it all up? But KING COCKBLOCK, who COMMANDS Pam to spare TARA!

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I CONCUR, PAM!  King Cockblock ruins EVERYTHING!

Then someone SHOOTS SOOKIE!

And if you think she actually dies, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn for five cents . . .  

Suddenly, all the men in Sookie’s life stop short in their tracks, because . . . you know . . . EVERYBODY LOVE SOOKEEHHHH!

Witchipoo uses this crucial, “Not without my Soookeeeeh” moment, to try on some new colored contacts . . .

. . . and put YET ANOTHER spell on Eric Northman.  This one seems to make him her (sex?) slave.  (Well, hey, at least SOMEONE’S going to get shower sex!)

Meanwhile, it’s actually ALCIDE, who rescues Sookie from her once-a-season near death experience . . .  lifting her up and out of the frey, in those big burly arms of his .  . .

“Man, this is the biggest doggie treat I have ever seen!” 

Of course, where there is an Alcide, there is a Trailer Trash Debbie stalking nearby.  And she is NOT a happy camper.  So, much for that “stay away from Sookie” promise.  Right Alcide?

“Apparently, while in her wolf form, Trailer Trash Debbie is capable of curling her hair, and putting on makeup.  Talk about Stupid Pet Tricks.”

So, just to review:  the episode ends with Formerly Amnesia / Now Sex Slave Eric, getting a head rub from Witchipoo;  Sookie being carried off the premises by the Big Bad Wolf; Trailer Trash Debbie rethinking her 80’s hair; and Tara still alive . . .

In short, NO ONE is happy . . . and life sucks.  Did I mention they forgot to include the Shower Sex?

Oh well . . .  better luck next week, Sookehhhh.  If you live that long . . .

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Tata for now, Fangbangers!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Hiding in Plain Sight – A Recap of Pretty Little Liars’ “Save the Date”

“Hello?   Is anybody home?  Could somebody please turn on the lights?  I can’t see anything in here!  Now I know how Blind Jenna feels!” 

Welcome back, my Pretties!  How are you guys doing?  Have you been experiencing any aches and pains, lately?  Because, if you are, I have some GREAT cream for you to try!

I don’t know about you guys, but I think “A” reached a NEW low this week, at least, in terms of torturing our fabulous foursome.  (Whether “A” is, in fact, responsible for Ali and/or Creepy Pedo Ian’s death is another story entirely!)  Up until this point, I had always felt that the award for “Most Evil A Moment” belonged to “That Time When He or She RAN HANNA OVER WITH A CAR!”

As HORRIBLE as that was (and it was pretty awful), I would argue that what “A” did to Emily this week was WAY worse!  After all, I actually don’t think “A” smushed Hanna’s bottom half with the intent to KILL her.  (This is why the injuries she suffered, actually ended up being fairly minor.)  Rather, He/She/It merely wanted to scare the girls into silence by presenting a significant physical threat to one of them.

This week, however, by doping Emily’s pain meds with Human Growth Hormone (a.k.a. steroids) “A” was not only messing with Emily’s future as a professional athlete, “A” was messing with her LIFE.  Fortunately, Emily ended up only suffering an ulcer.  However, with the amount of cream she was using, and the vast amount of potential side effects, the result could have been WAY WORSE!

The stress of this show is going to drive me to drink, I swear! 

For shame, “A!”  For shame!

Oh, by the way . . . did I mention . . . WREN’S BACK!  WREN’S BACK!  WREN’S BACK!

Or should I say . . . DOCTOR HOT BUTT BRIT!

So, zip up that Candy Striper’s Uniform, and watch out for the “corpse” walking around with a blanket on its head, because it’s time for another Pretty Little Recap!

“She can’t hear us.  She’s BLIND!”

The first few minutes of this episode find our PLL girls huddled together in Spencer’s car, mere minutes after Spencer’s eerie encounter with that nefarious Police Boy Garrett.

As usual, the girls are doing their weekly recap for us, and waiting for Emily, who’s doing something with the alarm system in her house.  (Not that alarm systems help any, when Klepto Mike is creeping around.)

Oops!  Sorry Aria! 

Apparently, Aria gets offended, when you badmouth her bratty thief of a twerpy little brother.  Just ask Hanna!  Give her a break, Aria!  It’s not Hanna’s fault that your brother is so unlikeable, and has such an abnormally large head . . .

Just kidding!  But not really . . .

Conveniently, Police Boy Garrett pops up out of nowhere, just seconds after Emily arrives, and makes a beeline toward Jenna’s house.  What’s he DOING THERE?  F*&king a Blind Girl!  What else would he be doing?  Hmmm . . . I wonder.  Within seconds, the girls are on his tail, just steps behind him.  Hanna has big clunky shoes that make her sound like a stallion in heat, when she walks.  Spencer wants her to be quiet.  But Hanna reminds her that Blind Jenna won’t hear them, because she’s blind.

Yes, Spencer!  Your friends really ARE that stupid. 

When the girls arrive on the porch they are shocked to find Jenna at the window LOOKING RIGHT AT THEM!

But WAIT!  Blind Jenna ISN”T actually looking at the PLL’s because she’s blind.  She has no idea they are even there!  Rather, she is looking for Police Boy Garrett . . .

*insert porn music here*

 . . . and stripping for him .  . . and sucking his face . . . RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER OPEN BEDROOM WINDOW!

Riiiiiight, because THAT’S exactly where I would choose to tongue wrestle with a guy I DIDN’T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO KNOW I WAS SECRETLY DATING . . . right out in the open . . . where anyone who happened to walk by could see me.  Because that’s SMART!

You know, now that I think about it, isn’t RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW, where Blind Jenna made out with Abs Toby too?

Owwww!  My eyes!  *gag, vomit, puuuuke*

Do you think it’s like an Exhibitionist Thing, or something?  Is she simply looking for an opportunity to model her ugly ass, old lady sexy lingerie?  Maybe, since she can’t see, she no longer knows where the windows are in her own house?

All I know is, for week’s us PLL fans have all known that Blind Jenna enjoys bumping uglies with Police Boy Garrett.  Now, our fabulous foursome knows too!

Paging Dr. Hot Butt Brit!

Oh, Wren!  You and your sly use of foliage, as a thinly-veiled excuse to visit Spencer when she’s home alone . . . in hopes that you will eventually be able to wind your way back into her, still underaged, but “very mature” panties.  Feel free to bring random plants to my doorstep, anyday!

Spencer is chilling in her crib, alone, making the Spencer Face, just for the fun of it, when she hears a knock at the door.  Oh my!  Who on Earth could it be?  Is it Abs Toby?

Nope .  . .

Creepy Pedo Zombie Ian, back from the Dead?

Uh, uh . . .

Crazy Nanny Carrie Stefan Salvatore’s wife That Evil Wench, Melissa?

Guess again . . . IT’S WREN!

Wren stops by Spencer’s because he IS STILL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WITH SPENCER, YEAHHHH! wants to give that awful excuse for a human being Melissa some flowers.  But Melissa isn’t home YAYAYAYAYAYAY! so, aw shuck, I guess he will just have to flirt with Spencer in that beautiful British accent of his.

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Wren has some good news!  He just got a residency at Rosewood Community Hospital.  And you know what that means?  Lots of sex in the on-call room for Spencer and Wren!  Spencer, who, by the way, has NO GAME WHATSOEVER, would rather pepper Wren with questions about the Rosewood Community Hospital morgue, and whether or not she can use the records in there to find out how Alison died.  Blah, Blah, Blah!  I want more flirting, DAMMIT!

I would very much like to make out with you right now, but my stupid mouth won’t stop saying boring things about my Dead Friend . . . 

Not to be deterred, Wren asks Spencer for coffee, because he is KNACKERED.

Tee hee hee!  I love how he says the word “knackered.” 

 At which point, Spencer politely informs him that she is dating Abs Toby, and is only allowed to drink coffee with HIM, thank you very much!  In response, Wren offers an alternative: tea.  Because, apparently, in the U.K., getting coffee together means “serious relationship,” whereas getting “tea” just means sex.  Who knew?

Apparently, THIS GUY did . . .

Emily Gets Creamed . . .

Poor Emily!  While all the other PLL girls’ “troubles” this week, were of a romantic nature, Ms. Fields was stuck with “absentee parents,” an “absentee girlfriend”  (Seriously?  You would think Samara would AT LEAST make a cameo appearance at the hospital, considering the AWFUL shape her girlfriend was in.  LOVE INTEREST FAIL!) . . . not to mention a literal “pain in the neck,” one that traveled down to her stomach, and proceeded to rip her insides to shreds.  Geez!  Someone up there is pissed off at this girl.  (Perhaps, Heaven is filled with Maya fans?)

As a continuation of last week, a harried Emily continues to push herself physically and emotionally to the limit, in preparation for her Big Swim Meet, which the elusive Danby recruiter is supposed to attend.  I assume Emily figures that, if she can get a scholarship to Danby, for real, she will never have to tell her parents that the last one (the one that “A” sent on her behalf) was fake . . .

We find Emily in Hanna’s house first thing in the morning, doing sit-ups on the Marin floor.  (Watch out Emily, the MARIN’S probably had sex down there, last night?)  Like last week, we notice that Emily is in a lot of pain.  She keeps tugging on her arm and shoulders, and rubbing this pain cream, all over her body, like it’s her job.

(By the way, have you ever smelled that stuff?  It’s nasty . . . like what your dead great-grandfather would smell like, if, before he died, he lathered himself up with cheap cologne.  I don’t know how Hanna can stand being around her, the way she keeps lathering herself up with that stinkiness.)

Emily’s chilling at her locker, when who should pop by for a visit, but HER DAD . . . as in, the one who’s fighting for our country in Texas?!

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country . . . at your daughter’s swim meet.” 

Yeah, apparently the army has Daddy-o on a Super Secret Mission that allows for a stopover in Rosewood.  How convenient?  Dad tells Emily that, since he’s in town anyway, why not stick around and watch her Big Important Swim Meet?

To make matters even more frightening interesting, Emily’s dad keeps talking about MEETING the recruiter . . . you know the one who DIDN’T really give Emily a scholarship to his school.  So petrified excited is Emily about her father’s appearance that she CLUTCHES HER STOMACH AND FALLS ON THE FLOOR, WRITHING IN PAIN!

Uh . . . Emily, you’re supposed to save your swimming for the POOL. 

 Emily gets carted off to the hospital, where she’s looking pretty darn sickly.  (Kudos to the makeup department for this.)

As it turns out, Emily suffered an ulcer, which, as Hanna explains to us about 80 times during the hour, is, basically, a “hole in your stomach” that “only old people get.”  Way to be tactful, Hanna!

*sings*  “There’s a hole in your stomach, Dear Emily, Dear Emily . . . There’s a hole in your stomach, Dear Emily, a HOLE!” 

Given all that has happened in the past couple of weeks, Emily reluctantly decides, once and for all, to tell her parents the truth about the fake scholarship letter from Danby . . . a decision, she knows will ultimately result in a coach class ticket back to Texas.  This, of course, draws sad faces all around from her pals.  EMILY!  You can’t go to Texas!  There are Republicans there! 🙂

But the PLL girls aren’t the ONLY ones interested in paying a visit to the bedridden Emily.  Guess who else stops by?

Hmmm . . . is it Maya, back from De-Gaying camp?

Nope.

Is it Little Orphan Bitchy?

Uh uh . . .

How about Possible Fatal Attraction Samara?

Still no.   *cough Bad Girlfriend cough*

IT’S WREN AGAIN! YAYYYYYYY!

Unfortunately, Wren has some bad news for Emily.  Apparently, her blood tests showed high levels of HGH in her system, a.k.a Human Growth Hormone, a.k.a. STEROIDS, a.k.a. Emily sure has a lot of explaining to do!

Of course, if Emily WAS taking “performance enhancers,” we, the viewers, would have known about it, wouldn’t we?  I mean this is, ABC Family, after all.  We would have gotten a whole After School Special sort of lecture on the dangers of drugs (most likely followed by a cheesy PSA, and the telephone number for a STEROIDS SUCK hotline, of some sort).  We didn’t get that here, which means Emily is most likely innocent of all “doping”  . . .

But wait . . . if Emily didn’t take the drugs herself, how did they get in her system?

More on that later.  For now, Emily’s going to have to deal with the fact that NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO BELIEVE that she, a promising young athlete with a scholarship on the line, just so happened to ACCIDENTALLY take drugs to ENHANCE HER PERFORMANCE in the days leading up to a Big Important Swim Meet.  Do you see where I am going with this?

As if Hanna’s descriptions of her innards, worries over NEVER BEING ABLE TO SWIM AGAIN, and fears that her PARENTS WILL KILL HER WHEN THEY FIND OUT SHE’S A ROID RAGING ADDICT, aren’t enough to kill Emily’s appetite, get a load of what they call hospital food in this dump!

Get it .  . “cream”!  Hard de har har . . .

 That’s right, my Pretties!  Remember that scene, at the end of last week’s episode in which the infamous Gloved Hand filled a syringe with a substance known as BD7?

Well, now we know what it was, and what she ended up doing with it.  It kind of makes you think twice about where you put your body lotion . . . if you catch my drift.

I have to say, this is yet another situation where “A’s” motive for doing what she did to Emily is completely unclear to me.  If Emily never ended up in the hospital, it could be argued that the drugs in her system would never have been discovered.  In fact, there’s a good chance, Emily would have performed so well at the meet, that the Danby coach ended up giving her that scholarship anyway.  So, was “A,” in her own sick way, trying to HELP Emily?  Or did she KNOW that Emily would end up in the hospital from all the cream she was using (a bit unrealistic, don’t you think), and was seeking to ruin her swimming career, and possibly, kill her?  The verdict is still out on this one folks . . .

Once again, “A” reiterates her desire to get out of Rosewood, and hang out with George W. Bush in Texas.  “A is bringing us all down, one by one . . . Aria is probably next,” Emily complains.

“Can we ALL go to Texas?”  Aria inquires nervously.  (I hate to break it to you LITTLE A, but Emily kind of has a point.  When it comes to “A’s” torture methods, she’s been kind of slacking on you!)

But Spencer is not giving up without a fight!  She wants to finish this thing, and send “A” packing for good.  (Sure, you say that now Spencer, but what about when “A” gives you a nasty case of irritable bowel syndrome . . .)

Oh, look . . . I’ve made them both mad .  . . 

Now, for those of you gullible people who were ACTUALLY worried about Emily skipping town, A.K.A. leaving the show, you can breathe easy.  Cue the 8:53 quick fix problem solution, in the form of Dad saying that Emily doesn’t need no STINKIN’ scholarship.  The Fields will find a way to work, with swimming or without.  Except, it’s looking more and more, like it’s going to be “without” . . . just sayin’ . . .

Aria Gets BORED . . . (and Mike Gets . . . meh . . . I don’t really care about Mike.)

Those of you who have spent the last few weeks crying in your cornflakes over the notion that we may never again be able to watch Aria make pottery again, after her unfortunate run-in with Blind Jenna, a few weeks back (You know who you are! ;)) can rest easy now.  This episode finds Artsy Aria at Random Fake College Hollis, applying blue glaze paint to a SUPER large bowl.

(What a coincidence?  This is the color Fitzy’s balls are about to be in about five minutes!  Talk about “FORESHADOWING!”)

Speaking of Professor Fitzy, he pops by the studio, clearly hoping for a Quickie.  He’s so turned on right now, it’s a wonder he managed to keep his clothes on during the trip over.  But Aria seems a bit .  . . distracted.  “Can we, do this later?” She asks.  (Oooh . .  . that is NOT good, Fitzy!  Not good AT ALL!)

So, Fitzy, not one to be easily discouraged, pulls out a copy of his trusty “Seduction for Dummies” book, and starts tossing out pickup lines from it, like they are going out of style.

The only problem, of course, is that the version of “Seduction for Dummies” Fitzy is using is apparently from 1995.  How else would you explain his dropping a Ghost reference in there?  Doesn’t he realize that movie came out a at least a good FOUR YEARS before Aria was even BORN?  Way to date yourself, Buddy . . .

Fortunately, for Fitzy (or, perhaps, unfortunately) depending on how you look at it, Aria has somehow seen this movie (Maybe she watched from the womb?).  The problem, of course, is that Aria doesn’t find the notion of a MURDERED BOYFRIEND possessing Whoopie Goldberg, in order to seek vengeance on his killers, all that romantic . . . (Gee, I wonder why?)

In Fitzy’s defense of course, I’ve caught the Infamous Pottery Making Scene from the movie on cable a few times, and it IS pretty hot . . . if you go for “that sort of thing” . . .

If the dated Ghost reference was Strike One, Strike Two is when Fitzy swoons over a piece of pottery he THINKS is Aria’s handiwork, but it actually ends up being . . . wait for it . . . Blind Jenna’s . . .

“Oops!  Umm . . . yours is nice too, sweetie .  . . really!” 

Remember, back last season, when Fitzy randomly became OBSESSED with Blind Jenna’s writing, and how “sublimely talented she was?”  Yeah, he’s doing it again . . . and Aria doesn’t like it any more THIS time, than she did back then .  . .

Also, I’m sorry, but that piece of pottery Jenna made  . . . with all the little bullet-hole things in it . . . not only is TOTALLY non-functional (Can you imagine trying to put liquid in that thing?), it is also UGLY with a capital “U”!  I thought you had better taste than that Fitzy?  Seriously!

Of course, had Fitzy let the matter drop, right there, he probably would have saved himself a strike.  BUT THEN .  . . he has to start nagging Aria again about why she isn’t friends with Jenna.  Really, Fitzy?  Does the term brother-f*&ker mean anything to you?  An already aggravated Aria (and, lets face it, she’s had a stick up her but throughout this entire scene), grouchily tells Fitzy that Jenna dropped the class, after learning that Aria was enrolled.  So, no, they won’t be braiding eachother’s hair or having sex with eachother’s brothers painting eachother’s toenails, anytime soon.

“This is the part where I stab you in the face, and blood spews all over my ugly holey ceramic cup.”

Fitzy earns his final strike by letting the green monster rear it’s ugly head.  He asks about what happened with Klepto Mike the night of the dinner party.  And Aria is clearly hesitant to reveal her little brother for the lowlife he is.  When Aria admits to being ashamed of the fact that her brother is the Town Sticky Fingers, Fitzy sweetly reminds her that she doesn’t have to be embarrassed about anything around him.

“Throw me a bone here, will ya?  I’m TRYIN’!” 

But when Aria lets it slip that Klepto Mike was caught stealing at Facelift Jason’s house, warning bells go off in the Professor’s little brain.  “So, THAT’s what you two were talking about at the party, Fitzy says, beginning to piece things together.  “Should I be worried about this Jason Guy?”  Fitzy inquires, finally mustering up the courage to ask the question that’s clearly been on his mind ever since he saw those two with their heads pressed together on that Fateful Night.

“Hell, yes, you should!  Don’t you know that EVERY SINGLE MALE CHARACTER that gets introduced on this show, eventually ends up as a love interest for ONE of the girls?   Remember what happened with Bushy Eyebrows Noel?  Where have you been, Fitzy?  WHAT?  NO!”  Aria sputters defensively, though the thoughtful look on Aria’s face, after Fitzy leaves (He asked her to stop by his place for sex, and she promptly shot him down) said something VERY different.

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Aria blows off Fitzy, once again, when the latter arrives at the hospital, to check on her, while she is visiting Emily.  During the increasingly cold and awkward conversation, Aria conveniently gets a call from Facelift Jason (Doesn’t she always, during moments like this?)  and lies through her teeth about who’s calling her.

Uh oh!  If I were you, I’d keep Wacky Jackie’s number on speed dial, Fitzy.  Because it looks like you may very well have been at least temporarily replaced  . . .

In other news, Klepto Mike indicated to his mother that he MIGHT be stealing from everyone in town, because BOO HOO WOO, she moved out of the house for two days, and then moved back . . . And WAHHHHHH, it’s SO HARD coming from an upper-middle class attractive family that loves you, and sdlkfjsd;lkjjjjj . . . Sorry!  That was my head hitting the keyboard.  I just fell asleep, while typing this . . .

“So .  . . Mike . . . is your head naturally that large, or did you steal one of those new Brain Inflation Devices from one of the houses you robbed.”

Hanna’s Dad Gets Dumped .  . . (But HEY!  At least, he still has his fiance!)

After the Drunken Staircase Hump Heard ‘Round the Marin Household, Ma and Pa Marin, apparently, screwed eachothers’ mid-life crisis having brains out made a “night” of it.

Because, the next morning, Papa Marin — complete with rumbled suit, bloodshot eyes, hangover face, and bedhead — makes the long Walk of Shame down the steps.

And though he clearly tries to avoid doing so at all costs Nice DAD!  Real NICE!, he is forced to make small talk over breakfast with his daughter.

Emily and Hanna are sporting matching, “We know you just had sex” faces . . .

. . . while a definitely worse for wear Papa Marin simply tries to keep from puking in his Cheerios.  Then, as if things couldn’t get more awkward, who should come down the steps but Little Miss Screws A lot, herself, Mama Marin . . .

After the adults make some mumbled excuse as to why the entire house was vibrating last night, Mama notes wryly that Papa is up a bit early this morning, considering how obviously sh*tfaced drunk he was the night before.  Papa leers seductively at Mama, and tells him that it must have been his desire to avoid running into his daughter his “human body clock .”  “Somethings you just can’t turn off,” says Papa, casting a lewd sex stare in Mama’s direction.    Now, please excuse me, while I go vomit . . .

OK . .  . I’m back.

You’ve Got Mail, Hanna Marin!  And guess what it is?  It’s a Save the Date card for your DAD’S wedding to a woman who is not your Mom!  AWK-WARD!

I hate to say it, but that’s a GORGEOUS invitation.  The “Other Woman” has great taste (in invitations . . . not in men . . . because she chose Hanna’s dad . . . And he’s a total douche.) 

That afternoon, Mr. Relentless Sexpot STILL has the gall to put the moves on Mom, right in the middle of her talking to him about EMILY’S ULCER!  (ASSHAT!)  Mama Marin wins major cool points from fellow members of her sex,  by telling Tommy Boy that she deserves a man who knows what he wants, and that was NEVER PAPA MARIN.  She then kicks the Loser Who Still Somehow Spawned an Awesome Child, like Hanna to the curb . . . GOOD RIDDENS to BAD DAD’S, I SAY!

But Hanna was kind of bummed out about it, when she found out.  (His sperm did help create her, after all.)  Fortunately, Caleb was there to give her a little TLC, when she needed it most . . .

Speaking of resident “BAD BOY” Caleb . . .

Caleb Gets Stalked (and Hanna Gets SOME) . . .

I have to say, I was skeptical of this storyline when it first began.  At first, it sort of seemed like a continuation of last week’s “Help, I’m in Love with a Criminal” melodrama.   And yet, by the end the story took a turn that I have to admit was quite original, and intriguing.

It started lame though . . . with Hanna, once again spying Caleb outside of the school doing “something shady.”

“So, here are those haircare tips you asked me for.  Just wash, rinse, and repeat.  And you should be just fine.”

But the plot thickens, when Hanna finds and oldish dude stalking Caleb, while staring at his police report . . .

“He really does have spectacular hair . . . so much BODY and SHINE!’ 

Who is this guy, anyway?  Is he part of Caleb’s old GANG?  Is he a police officer who specializes in hair theft the illegal pimping out of phones?  Hanna isn’t sure.   But she knows she doesn’t want to see her boy toy in trouble.   So, she tries to subtly warn him not to do . . . whatever the heck it is he actually does in public, where the whole school and Stalker Guy can see him.

Unfortunately for Hanna, Caleb just assumes his girlfriend is being a Big Ole Judgmental  Nag.  So, he snaps, explaining how he’d rather pimp out phones than pimp out his body to Aunt Jenna flip burgers at the local Mickey D’s.  He then stomps off, leaving Hanna looking sad, and more than a bit worried about her boyfriend’s future as the “picker upper soap in a prison shower . . .”

At the hospital, while visiting Emily, Spencer somehow manages to get Hanna to spill the beans about what’s going on between her and Caleb.  Hanna admits that she hasn’t told him about the “cop” following him, because she is afraid that, if he finds out, he will run, and she will “lose him again.”  HELLO?  SELFISH MUCH?  Spencer sets Hanna straight, informing him that the minute Caleb gets picked up by the Po Po, is forced to don an orange jumpsuit, and shower with a bunch of other dudes, with names like Bubba and Sweet Tits, she’s pretty much lost him, anyway . . .

“Gee, thanks, Debbie Downer!  Since when did you start watching reruns of Oz.” 

In what might have been the Biggest Overreation of a PLL Character Ever, Hanna randomly decides to dress up like a character from Mad Men (or Blind Jenna, whichever you prefer), kidnap Caleb, and whisk him off to one of Spencer’s parents MANY abandoned homes, which seem to just pop up around Rosewood like the Chicken Pox (Wealthy much?)

At the Abandoned House, Hanna confronts Caleb with the news that he is being stalked / followed.   And he promises her that, no matter what happens, he’s not going to go on the lam, and skip town again . . .

Hanna further makes him promise that if he DOES decide to leave, he take Hanna along, since she is so great at HOT TENT SEX

. . . camping.

They decide to make out on the couch, as the camera focuses on a fire similar to the one where Papa Hastings burnt Ali’s murder weapon to a crisp.  How romantic!

Sweet, huh?  But the REAL twist to this story comes at the end, when Hanna confronts Caleb’s stalker, and tells him to leave her boyfriend alone.  As we learn later, the “stalker” is not a cop at all, rather, he’s a Private Investigator for SOMEONE who wants to reach out to Caleb again (most likely a biological parent).

(It just goes to show you that no good deed goes unpunished, right Hanna?)

All kidding aside, I’m very eager to see where this storyline will take us . . .

Spencer Gets a Clue (and a Corpse?)

At school, Police Boy Garrett intercepts Spencer, wondering why she ran off on him, like she did, the night she received Aria’s text.

Seeing Police Boy not-so-subtly try to figure out what Spencer knows makes me understand why he “gets along so well” with Blind Jenna.  I mean, this guy is a SERIOUSLY socially awkward creeper . . . from his insanely bad jokes . . . to his serial killer smile . . . to his constant invasion of personal space.  You can’t really blame Spencer for treating him like a leper, and not wanting to be near him, especially considering where that mouth has BEEN.

You know . . . they say that when you sleep with someone, you are actually sleeping with EVERY SINGLE PERSON that person slept with.  I wonder if the same theory applies to kissing.  Because, if so, Spencer has theoretically kissed both Blind Jenna AND Garrett . .  . think about it.

In a parked police car, somewhere in Rosewood, Blind Jenna and PoliceBoy Garrett are engaged in a conversation they SHOULD have had, the night before, back when they were sucking face in front of an audience.  Both parties seem worried that Spencer might know something about who actually killed Ali.  They seem particularly perturbed by Spencer’s inquiry as to whether a WOMAN did it.  They wonder if Spencer knows about the “Jason” thing, but assume that she does not.

The tenor of the conversation sort of makes it seem like Jenna killed Ali, Garrett helped her to cover it up, and Jason, was there somewhere, to wasted to be a reliable witness.  Of course, the fact that this SEEMS like the most obvious answer to the mystery, probably means that it’s not the answer at all.

*sigh* “Everything with Garrett is SO complicated!  I should  really go back to just f*&king my brother.” 

After Spencer checks in on Emily and her Massive Stomach Hole, she attempts to sneak down to the morgue, and commit a felony, by rifling through Dead Ali’s autopsy report.

The problem, of course, is that Dr. Hot Brit intercepts her for a Greys Anatomy Elevator Moment . . .

“Oh, Spencer . . . sex in the elevator with a REAL doctor is HOT STUFF!  Just sayin’!  Don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it!  Your boyfriend will never have to know which reminds me, WHERE IS ABS TOBY?  Isn’t he Emily’s friend too?  Shouldn’t he be there?  What gives, TOB?“

Having had a chance to look at Emily’s admittance charts, Wren assumes that Spencer is headed to see Emily, when, in fact, she has already seen her.  In fact, when Spencer tries to sneak down to the morgue, it is WREN that reroutes her back to the third floor.   NAUGHTY WREN!  You spoiled Spencer’s plan.  You deserve a SPANKING!  Please . . . allow ME. . . 😉

Not willing to be foiled again, Spencer gets the “brilliant” idea that she and Aria should steal candy striper uniforms from the laundry room (Ew!  I hope they were clean!) . . .

. . . so that they could sneak into the morgue.  Riiiiight, because candy stripers ALWAYS work in the morgue.  After all, if anyone needs candy and young hot girls in short skirts joy, it’s THE DEAD!

We learn quite a few things from Spencer’s and Aria’s little morgue field trip:

(1) Rosewood Hospital hasn’t experienced any technological advances since the movie Ghost came out.  We know this because Ali’s autopsy is just “hanging out” in a folder, as oppposed to . . . I don’t know . . . on a computer . . . with a security system . . . or even in a friggin lock box, I mean GEEZ!

(2) Apparently, not that many people have died in Rosewood since 2007, because ALL OF THOSE people’s autopsies fit in that TEENY TINY CABINET.

(3) Ali was hit on the back of the head by an object that may or may not have been a hockey stick.

(4) She also died with dirt in her mouth, which may or may not mean that she enjoyed eating dirt was BURIED ALIVE!

The problem, of course, is that all that information was found on the first FOUR pages of the autopsy.  Because Page 5 is .  . . MISSING!

The final scene of the episode is arguably the BEST final scene in PLL history.  It features some creepy janitor guy eating a cookie .  . . and . .  . THIS . . .

Mwah-hahaha!

That’s right, my Pretties!  Apparently Creepy Pedo Ian isn’t the ONLY zombie on this show . . .

And, there you have it.  That was “Save the Date” in a nutshell.  Though I can’t say it was my favorite episode, the hospital setting gave it a dark, eerie feel, that was a nice change of pace from the typical “perky bedroom and kitchen” sets we typically see on this show.  Additionally, I must say I was rather impressed with Shay Mitchell’s acting this week.  This was arguably Emily’s most complex storyline to date, and she handled it brilliantly.

Oh, and there was WREN . . . lots and lots of WREN!  Keep bringing on the Dr. Hot Butt Brit PLL writers. 😉  Mommy like . . . A LOT!

Based on the Much Music trailer, next week’s episode promises, among other things, a steamy bedroom makeout sesh between Aria and Facelift Jason (Dream Sequence?),weird body part photography, and plenty of Spencer Face to go around.  You can check it out, in its entirety here:

Until then, try to stay out of the morgue, My Pretties!  And, for heaven sakes, keep an eye on your CREAM! 🙂

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

No More Mister Nice Wolf – A Recap of Teen Wolf’s “Panic Attack”

This is not your mother’s Teen Wolf . . .

It doesn’t play nice.  It isn’t a fan of Happy Endings.  And it won’t offer it’s girlfriend a chaste kiss on the cheek at the end of the first date, just because she isn’t “that kind of girl” . . .

Nope.  This is the kind of Teen Wolf  that shoots teddy bears in the heart with semi-automatic weapons  . . . who will steal the girl of your dreams, right out from under your nose.  This is the Teen Wolf who fights dirty . . . who’s mom will cut you in half, over a plate of cookies . . . who will throw you into the fire, because you tried to steal his bottle Jack Daniels . . .

Oh, Scott!  I remember when our biggest complaint about you was that you were kind of whiny, and your love scenes with Allison were boring / made  us a little nauseous.  Those were the Good Old Days . . .

Though “Panic Attack” wasn’t necessarily this show’s scariest episode (That award would probably go to the episode where all that crap came out of Jackson’s mouth, and poor Derek was gutted like a fish), and certainly wasn’t its goriest (HELLO!  The episode(s) where they showed Derek’s HALF-sister! EWWW!), I’d like to go on the record, and say it was definitely the show’s darkest installment.

So, hide your teddy bears, kiddies — because our hero is about to get the Worst Case of Wolf PMS . . .  EVER!

(Special thanks go out again to my Super Talented Werewolf Expert, and Screencap-Creating Pal, Andre, for most of the still images you see here.)

Dr. Jack Will Make You DIE, TONIGHT!

Interestingly enough, this entire opening scene could have doubled as One Long Ass Jack Daniels commercial . . . well, except for the DOUBLE HOMICIDE PART . . .

Last night, on True Blood, fans of the show were treated to the fabulousness that is Drunk Eric Northman.  This week on Teen Wolf, MTV continued the “Inebriation is AWESOME” trend, by rewarding us with an adorably Drunk Stiles.

I love that Stiles has chosen to don a “Drinking T-Shirt” for this momentous occasion.  Extra points for you, if you can tell me what his shirt says . . .

Here’s a closer look . . . I’ve seriously been driving myself nuts trying to figure this out.

Two nights have passed since our Scooby Gang had their little run-in with the Alpha.  This means it has also been two nights, since Allison kicked Scott to the curb for . . . ummm . . . lying and stuff.  If we’ve learned anything about Scott, in these past few episodes, we’ve learned that he‘s insanely self absorbed has a tendency to get a bit mopey, when things don’t go his way.  So, you just KNOW that Poor Stiles has had to listen to the Ballad of Scott’s Life Sucks Because Allison is Gone, pretty much on repeat, for the past 48 hours . . .

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“Nevermind the fact that you recently told me that you sometimes have the urge to MURDER ME.  Please, let’s talk more about YOU and your lame girlfriend problem . . .”

So, Stiles, being the completely undeserved awesome pal that he is, decides to do for Scott what all best buds do for pals, who just got kicked to the curb by their so-called soulmates.  He takes him out to some shady parking lot, to get him sh*t-faced, of course!

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But, alas, Scott’s newfound wolfishness has had the unintended side effect of making him the OPPOSITE of a cheap date.   And so it happens that Scott ends up stone cold sober, and still riding the WAHHHHHHH-mbulance of Dumpee-dom, while Stiles entertains us all with the joys of listening to him slur about how much he LOOOOOOOOOOVES a certain five-foot-three red-head named Lydia . . .

Ahhhhh, memories!

(See Scott?  It’s too bad you couldn’t have gotten yourself turned into a vampire, instead.  Vampires never have ANY trouble getting wasted, when a woman mistreats them . . .)

Case in point . . .

Scott’s and Stiles’ little gab fest is unceremoniously interrupted, when two random dudes try to steal their booze. 

Oh, honey!  Didn’t you get the memo?  NO ONE over the age of 15 should wear their hats like that . . .

BAD MOVE!  Now Scott is ANGRY!  And you won’t like him when he’s ANGRY . . .

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“Give me the bottle of Jack,” growls Scott, in a voice that’s WAY sexier than his usual whining voice!

He also gets those trademark yellow eyes, I love so much.  The two random dudes are obviously turned on by him too, because they promptly hand back the liquor, and start scampering away like little b*tches.  Then Scott does something shocking:  HE BREAKS A STILL-HALF-FULL BOTTLE OF JACK DANIELS, ON PURPOSE!

Talk about a senseless waste of booze!  I mean, come on, Scott!  Don’t you realize that there are starving children in East Poorsitania (Yes, I made that up.  I didn’t want to risk offending anyone.) who don’t have ANY Jack Daniels to drink, when their girlfriends dump them.  Seriously . . . ungrateful much?

But that’s not all!  Soon after Scott and Stiles leave, the Alpha hunts down the Two Random Dudes and THROWS BOTH THEIR BODIES INTO A VAT OF FIRE . . . and all over a bottle of Jack. 

Clearly, THIS Guy is a graduate of the Stiles’ School of Acting Like a Bat . . .

Could you imagine if it was something more expensive (like,  for example, Johnnie Walker Blue).  What would the Alpha have done then?  Tied them up, and made them watch The Notebook eight times?

Parents Just Don’t Understand . . .

Pssst, Scott!  Wanna get out of taking that test?  Try the Running Your Thermometer Under Hot Water Trick.  So, what if she’s a nurse . . . Your Mom will never know the difference.

Parents on teen shows are usually so effed up and dysfunctional, that it’s refreshing to see Scott’s Mom and Stiles’ Dad both (so far) seem so kind, well-adjusted, and, let’s face it, normal.

Mommy tries to make Scott feel better about losing Allison, by recounting for him all the times that she’s met the business end of the dumping stick.  But, as you know, DENIAL is often the first stage of the grieving process.  And Scott is experiencing it BIG TIME, when he claims that he and Allison are just “on a break.”  And that he’s going to “get her back.”

We then get our first obligatory Shirtless Scott Shot of the episode, when he strips and heads toward the shower, offering us a near-identical image to the one we got of him doing this exact same thing in the Pilot episode . . .

At least we know he has good hygiene!

Another important thing to note about this scene (aside from the size of Scott’s pects), is the fact that the radio announcer on Scott’s alarm noted that local police are still on the lookout for Serial Killer Derek Hale. 

So much for telling a Harmless Little White Lie, because you didn’t know how else to explain that your friends were being STALKED BY A WEREWOLF, Scott!  *cough douchebag cough*

Terrified that his “sweet innocent” daughter will end up getting Little Red Riding Hooded, on the way to school, Papa Argent insists on driving Allison to Beacon Hills High, while Auntie Kate the Werewolf Slayer tries to keep the peace, while riding shotgun.  (On the message boards, many of you noted a weird sexual tension between Auntie Kate and Papa Argent.  Really?  What show do you think this is, Game of Thrones?) 

With Allison safely out of earshot, Papa A gives Auntie K the perfect opportunity to say “I told you so,” when he apologizes to her for underestimating the POWER OF THE ALPHA . . .

(Is it just me or does Papa A REALLY look like a pirate in this screencap?  “Arrrgh!  Walk the plank, Katey!  I want me GOLD!”)

Fortunately for Mr. Argent, Kate the Werewolf Slayer is WAY TOO hungry for “I told you so’s.”  She’d rather make a food run, instead.

OK . . . I take back what I said, these two are definitely doing the DEED .  . .

Hmmm . . . if Kate REALLY wants to make a McDonald’s run, it looks like she’s going to have to get out and PUSH THE CAR THERE . . .

In the SECOND sweetest, parent-child scene to come out of this episode (The first is yet to come), a very concerned Stiles warns his Dad to be careful when searching for the Alpha Derek.  Now, maybe it’s because he got hurt by the “mountain lion” a few episodes back.   But I have to say, all this emphasis on Stiles’ dad’s safety over the past few episodes has me REALLY WORRIED about his mortality on the show .  . .

Please don’t make Stiles an orphan, Papa S!  Or we will never get to see the inevitable storyline where you hook up with Scott’s Mom, and make funny, sarcastic babies, with really nice abs . . .

Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3 .  . .

Lydia made a snide comment about Allison’s outfit in this scene, but has anyone checked out what Lydia is wearing?  Ummm ewwww!

At school, Needy Allison needs reassurance from Lydia that she did the “right thing” by dumping Scott.  Lydia plays her part, and agrees, “He locked us in a classroom, and left us for dead!”  She exclaims emphatically.  (Well, actually, he locked you in a classroom and then TRIED TO KILL YOU.  But, hey, there’s no need to be nitpicky about such small details.)  Interestingly enough, Lydia’s assessment of what happened on “School Night” will come into play later on in the episode.  So, try to keep it in mind . . .

In class, a rather Obsessed-Looking Scott tries to talk to Allison, but the Creepy Emo-Looking  Teacher Who Everybody Thinks is the Alpha (more on that later) makes him sit down, before he can do that.

What happens next is arguably the most telling aspect of the episode, in terms of how Scott’s connection with the Alpha works.  First, Scott begins to experience sensitivity to light and sound, something many of us (myself included) initially thought would happen to him ALL TIME, as a result of him being a werewolf.  However, in actuality, it only seems to occur during SPECIFIC times.

Then come the NEW TEST QUESTIONS . . .

Now, the simplest explanation for these hallucinations would be that the proximity to the Full Moon, coupled with recent events, have caused Scott’s psyche to play little tricks on him.  And yet, the hallucinations themselves seem SO SPECIFICALLY designed to upset Scott, and trigger his werewolf response, that we, as viewers, can’t help but wonder whether the Alpha is creating them.  This raises the interesting question, particularly in light of later events, of how close the psychic connection is between the Alpha and Scott? 

How much control does the Alpha have over the things Scott sees and the way he behaves?  (Later on in the episode, we will see another example of Scott’s hallucinations that may or may not be Alpha-induced.)  Of course, if we assume that it is the Alpha who is causing Scott to hallucinate in this way, than the most obvious culprit is the Emo-Looking Teacher . . .

“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little Stiles too!”

After all, he has the most access to Scott and the test, at this particular moment in time.  (Did I mention he’s really creepy?)  Then again, it could just as easily be any student in that classroom.  However, if the psychic connection between an Alpha an has pack has no limit in terms of distance, it could really be ANYBODY in Beacon Hills . .  .

You can run, but you can’t hide, Dog Boy!

When Scott rushes out of the class in Full-On Freak Out Mode, Emo-Looking Teacher doesn’t seem to surprised or upset.  He does, however, seem a bit perturbed when Stiles rushes out after him . . .

Adventures in Homoeroticism, Part 263 (We Make Bathtime LOTS OF FUN!)

“Umm . . . Stiles .  . . I think I dropped the soap. (hint, hint)”

I love that Stiles knew IMMEDIATELY that Scott would head to the showers, at the first sign of a panic attack.   (I’m telling you, this Dude just LOVES getting naked and clean!)  “I can’t breathe, KISS ME, YOU FOOL!”  Scott exclaims, as he strikes yet another ridiculously sexually suggestive pose for his friend (and for the female viewers) . . .

Introducing Mr. July . . .

“Well, I’m still not sure whether Danny finds me attractive, but I’m starting to think that YOU do!”

Luckily for Scott, Stiles just happens to have Scott’s old inhaler handy . . . you know . . . the one he hasn’t used since the Pilot episode?  (Ummm . . . I love you, Stiles.  But that’s a little strange . . . even for you.)

After Scott is done blowing, Stiles explains to him that he didn’t actually NEED the inhaler.  Rather, Scott was having a panic attack, and THINKING that he needed the inhaler helped him snap himself out of it . . .

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(Two weeks ago, Stiles taught Scott what “sarcasm” was.  This week, he taught him “irony.”  Next week, I predict he will finally teach Scott how to read . . .)

In all seriousness though, Stiles is like, seriously, the Best Friend on the Planet who Scott doesn’t even begin to deserve.  And for this reason, when he started talking about how he suffered from panic attacks, after his Mom passed away, I must admit I got a little teary . .

OK . . . make that A LOT teary .  . .

Once Scott has calmed down some, Stiles explains to him that he’s not the first guy in the world to get dumped by a girl.   “It’s called heartbreak.  There are like TWO BILLION SONGS written about it,” he offers, quite rationally.

Scott responds, in a bit of a non-sequitur, that Stiles should lock him up the night of the Full Moon, because . . .

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Meanwhile, over at the Walmart of Guns . . .

Newsflash:  Allison’s Mom is Just as Batsh*t Crazy as the Rest of Her Family . . .

Andre helpfully pointed out to me that the hunter dude on the left is also one of the detectives, who was apparently at the school investigating the “Serial Killer Situation.”  How very convenient!

The Argent Hunters are having a little Pre-Full Moon pow wow.  Papa Argent notes that all the wolves, including the Alpha, are at their most vulnerable / nutty, during the Full Moon.  Therefore, this will be the best time to catch them.  Meanwhile Auntie Kate, who never met a weapon or a man she didn’t want to fondle, notes that, while the Alpha might be out during this precarious time, Sexy Derek wouldn’t be stupid enough to make such a rookie wolf mistake . . .

Was anyone else hoping her gun would accidentally go off, during this scene?  Because THAT would be hilarious.

Then Mama Argent, who, if you recall said BARELY A WORD, during her premiere episode, back when Scott came to the Argent’s house for dinner for the first time, creepily pops in, and randomly instructs her family to chop Derek in half, before offering the crew some homemade cookies laced with cyanide.

Break my Derek, and I’ll break your face, B*TCH!  (By the way, doesn’t this woman kind of look like a slightly older version of the main alien chick from that recently-canceled show, V?  Just sayin’)

Wanna Bite Me?

Back at school, Allison and Jackson are busy eating food off eachother’s faces, when Jackson echoes Lydia’s entirely self-serving comment that, YES, Allison did the TOTALLY RIGHT THING dumping Scott.  Jackson then shows Allison what a mature and evolved dude he is, by sucking his thumb . . .

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Allison unintentionally kills the mood a bit, by asking Jackson if she wants a bite of his food.  Of course, she intends the comment to be flirtatious HUSSY!.  However, Jackson, who is undoubtedly always subconsciously thinking about the NEVER EVER HEALING Derek Love Tap on the back of his neck, mishears her, and think she is asking him about his “bite.” 

Upon hearing the inquiry, the color drains from Jackson’s face, and he subconsciously starts rubbing his neck.  Actually, considering that what’s on Jackson’s neck is pretty obviously a SCRATCH, and not a bite, his reaction here is a bit strange.  (Then again, there is some evidence later on in the episode to suggests that Jackson might have initially had NO CLUE what Derek did to him.  So, maybe he thought it was a “bite” after all.)

Upon hearing Jackson and Allison flirting with his conveniently appearing and disappearing Super Wolf Senses, Scott, who is sitting in the locker area at the time, reacts by doing this . . .

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Well, SOMEONE is going to have a massive headache, tomorrow morning . . .

First Line and First SLIME!

Stiles gets the surprise is his life, when do the outbreak of some random illness amongst the lacrosse team, he gets selected (though they misspell his name, causing him to proudly refer to himself as “Biles”) to play First Line in the upcoming game . . .

You ever notice how Stiles is always puffing his cheeks out like this?  He must be REALLY good at blowing. 😉

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Oh, Come ON, Scott!  At least pretend to be excited for your friend, Ya DOUCHE!

Scott gets some good news too.  The Coach has suddenly decided to make him a Co-Captain, along with Jackson.  This announcement results in Jackson wetting his diaper, and crying for his Mommy . . .

Though Jackson and his cronies begin plotting to bring Scottie boy down, so that he will lose his new Position of Power, Nice Guy Danny sticks up Scott, reminding Jackson that he is a “good player.”

Hey Danny!  I don’t know you that well, but I already like you.  By the way, do you think Stiles is attractive?  Inquiring minds want to know . . .

Back on the bench, Mr. I Only Think About Myself Scott grumbles that he “smells jealousy.”  This prompts Stiles to wonder whether he can smell “other things” as well (Like farts?), like SEXUAL DESIRE!  (Actually, Stiles, I think MOST humans can smell that . . .)  Stiles then asks Scott to ask Lydia if she “likes him,” because, apparently, they are in fourth grade . . .  Nevertheless, Scott agrees to do this for his pal.  And Stiles is obviously appreciative of the gesture . . .

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So, remember how, when Allison asked Lydia if she thought she did the right thing, by dumping Scott, Lydia replied that Scott was basically a selfish bastard who left them all for dead?  Suddenly, when confronted with Scott in person, Lydia has distinctly changed her tune.  Now she’s all “you tried to protect us,”  and “Allison should be grateful.”

Something happens to Scott, at that moment.  He gets this EXTREMELY SEXY intense and mean look in his eyes, and he asks Lydia, if she is grateful for him.  She responds by cleaning his teeth with her tongue . . .

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Hey Scott?  Ever hear of the phrase, “BROS BEFORE HOS!”  Learn it . . . live it . . . BE IT!

To make matters even worse, when Scott returns to practice, he tell Stiles that Lydia is actually interested in him.  At which point Stiles turns around and punches Scott in the face.  Ooops, sorry.  That was what I WANTED TO DO to Scott at this point . . . Stiles believed his friend, and looked depressingly excited over the whole thing . . .

Lipstick on Your Face (Told a Tale on YOU!)

Just when it looks like we are in for another long boring lacrosse scene, things actually start to get interesting.  Two of Jackson’s cronies make good on their promise to get rid of him as Co-Captain, by deliberately knocking him down.  Scott then responds in kind, by knocking THEM down.  But then, he inexplicably does THIS . . . TO DANNY, the only guy on the Team, aside from Stiles, who was actually willing to give him the benefit of the doubt . . .

“I think I’m dying!  Before I go, please tell Stiles I think he’s attractive!  I can’t leave this Earth, without him knowing!”

Way to lose friends, and alienate people, Scott ASSHAT!

Oddly enough, the Coach looks eerily pleased by this whole course of events . . .

Was that an Alpha growl I heard come out of your mouth, Coach Cupcake?

Amidst all this, Lydia rushes onto the field with SEX HAIR, and blow job kissy face.  Her unusually disheveled appearance does not go unnoticed by Jackson . . . or Stiles for that matter . . .

Uh OH, Scott!  It looks like your lacrosse stick isn’t the ONLY long pointed object getting you in trouble, lately . . .

No Teddy Bears Were Harmed in the Making of This Scene . . .

Thankfully, Mr. Bear was wearing a bullet-proof vest, the ENTIRE TIME!

Most Cool Hip Aunts take their teenage nieces shopping to bond with them.  Auntie Kate opts instead for target practice on Winnie the Pooh! 😦

Wipe that smile off your face, MURDERER!

Not surprisingly, the anguish of shooting Mr. Bear causes Allison to break into tears.  (It’s OK, Allison.  I cried when you shot Mr. Bear too!)  Of course, Auntie Kate malevolently uses this tender moment to grill Allison on Scott and his relationship with Derek, since Allison unwittingly brought the latter’s name up, when discussing her Girl Pain . . .

“I know this is probably a bad time.  But do you think you could find out from Scott, if Derek thinks I’m attractive?  Because I would really like to lick him . . .”

Meanwhile, back at Asshat Scott’s house . . .

Lay Down with Scott, Wake up with Fleas (and probably crabs)

Sitting in the same chair, where Scott once found the Sexy Derek lying in wait for him . . .

Woah . . . they look really similar in these two shots!  I wonder if this was intentional . . .

 . . . Evil Scott contemplates EATING THE WORLD  . . .

Meanwhile, Stiles (who made a key to Scott’s house, which is either really sweet, or really stalkerish, I can’t decide which) is downstairs, chatting with Scott’s Mom (who is conveniently on her way to work) about all the “Lunatics” (get it, LUNA . . . as in MOON?) who lurk in the shadows on Full Moon nights . . .

“Oh, LUNATICS . . . like your son!”

Stiles quickly heads upstairs, and instructs Scott to chain himself to the radiator, in response to the impending Full Moon.  Mr. Resourceful even came with his OWN chains, for this very purpose.  But when Scott refuses, Stiles takes the initiative, and DOES IT FOR HIM!

“That was for MAKING OUT WITH LYDIA!” Stiles remarks, as he stomps out of the room.

HELL YEAH, STILES!  YOU TEACH THAT BASTARD NOT TO MESS WITH HIS BESTIE!

Stiles isn’t done torturing Scott yet.  He later returns with a DOGGY BOWL that has his friend’s name written on it in Magic Marker.  It’s actually pretty hilarious . . .

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But when Stiles leaves, and Scott starts boo hooing and whining to be let go, you can see that it effects our Sweet Boy Wonder . . .

Poor Guy!  (You should really consider neutering your dog.  Think of all the problems it could solve!)

Unfortunately, for Stiles, all it takes is for him to run downstairs for a minute.  And by the time he returns, a VERY WOLFED OUT SCOTT IS GONE!

Oops!  (He should have put one of those shock collars on him to keep him on the property!)

Meanwhile . . .

Blah, Blah, Jackson and Allison, Blah . . . Hey, DEREK’S BACK!  YEAH!

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YEAH BABY!  YEAH!

So, Allison and Jackson meet in a sporting goods store.  They flirt.  They decide to go back to the car together to TALK about what happened to them and zzzzzzzzzzz.  Apparently, neither of them believe Scott’s story that Derek was the one stalking them at the school.  Rather, they both seem to think their assailant was a man /beast amalgamation . . .

“That kind of looks like an ex-girlfriend of mine . . .”

Allison and Jackson begin talking intently with one another.  And though they are clearly both doing “the lean,” this doesn’t seem to be a Pre-Makeout talk, if you catch my drift . . .

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And yet, Wolf Scott, in, what some might assume to be YET ANOTHER Alpha-induced hallucination sees these two going at it like . . . well like HE AND LYDIA were going at it, earlier in the day!  *cough douchebag cough*  So, he wolfs out, and jumps on top of the car.  But just when he’s about to pound through its roof, and kill Jackson . . .

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Derek Hale emerges from the darkness and SAVES THE DAY!  YIPPEE!

Back in the human form, Captain Obvious Scott admits to The Guy He Made into a Number One Murder Suspect that he cannot date Allison because he is too dangerous of a mother f*&ker to have a girlfriend.  Derek agrees, and reveals some VERY INTERESTING information.  As it turns out, there’s a CURE to werewolfism-by-bite, and it’s SUPRRISE: KILLING THE WOLF THAT BIT YOU!

OK, Derek . . . now, I love you more than life itself, but talk about BURYING THE LEAD.  For WEEKS, you have wanted Scott to help you kill the Alpha.  And for WEEKS, he’s basically ignored you.  Don’t you think THIS would have been persuasive information you could have used to get him to join your Kill Alpha Team from DAY ONE?

I’m sorry, Derek!  But it had to be said.  Please don’t let our little disagreement influence your decision to, one day, have hot animal sex with me. 

Later, Jackson finds one of Scott’s wolfy claws in his lacrosse glove, and FINALLY starts to piece together what Derek did to him, and what Scott is . . .

It’s about damn time!

Elsewhere, Kate begins to wonder whether Derek has a YOUNGER SMALLER Beta IT’S SCOTT!   IT’S SCOTT! wolf running around with him . . .

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You didn’t honestly think I’d end this recap without at least ONE shirtless Derek picture, did you?

Oh, and I almost forgot, Stiles saw someone getting pulled out in a stretcher, after the whole Scott incident, and thought his dad had been KILLED!

But, it was SOMEONE ELSE’S DAD!  Papa Stiles is just FINE!

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(OK . . . I wrote that in a really mean way.  But, seriously, this was the most touching father / son moment EVER!)

And that was “Panic Attack” in a nutshell.  So . . . what did you think?  Are you a fan of Evil Scott?  (I AM . . . at least in terms of Posey’s darker, more layered portrayal of him.  I think he does a suprisingly nice job of it, especially considering I was dubious about his acting skills, up to this point.) 

Are you on the Jackson / Allison ship?  The Scott  / Lydia one?  Are you loving Stiles more and more every week, like I am?  Do you wish Derek rescued Allison and Jackson, while shirtless?  Oh . . . and who do you think is the Alpha?

I think I’ve left you enough questions to ponder between now and next Monday night, don’t you?  See you next time, Werebangers!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]