“Oh, how I miss the good old days, when I only had one personality, and when my biggest problem was that my girlfriend’s teenage niece accidentally caught a glimpse of my Chunky Monkey.”
Ever feel used and abused by one of your favorite television shows . . . like the writers treated you like a cheap tissue, blowing their nose on your tummy, and tossing you in the trash?
That’s kind of how “Do Not Go Gentle,” made me feel, this week. Of course, this is not to say it wasn’t a well-written, bold, and game changing episode. It was! And yet, I still somehow ended the hour with a not-so-fresh feeling . . .
Then again, when you think about it, this wasn’t even TVD’s first Fake Death at a School Dance Episode. (Remember what didn’t happen to Bonnie during “The Last Dance?”)
So, perhaps, I’m a bit at fault for coming into the episode so patently unprepared for emotional manipulation. On a lighter note, I now have about four more pictures, of hot boys with single tears streaming down their cheeks, for my ever-growing Soulful Crying Collection! So, HOORAY FOR ATTRACTIVE ANGST!
(As always a Big Bloody thank you to Andre, one of my favorite Fangbangers, for all the awesome screencaps you see here . . . including a few admittedly obscure screencap requests made by THIS lazy recapper . . .)
Faux-bekah Strikes Again
We begin our episode over at La Casa de Richer and Awesomer But Not as Well Furnished. Klaus is hard at work, painting something that, I suspect is supposed to look moody and avant garde, but to me vaguely resembles a big pile of poop . . . literally . . .
This is why you shouldn’t chew on girls who eat beans for dinner . . .
Faux-bekah has just returned from her little pow wow with Psycho-Ric, and wants to “bond” with Klaus. For the record, Barbie Klaus is acting so completely unlike the real Rebekah (She’s all prim, proper and prissy, now . . . Her accent has even changed) that it annoys me a bit that Klaus isn’t at all suspicious.
“I’m showing you mine. So, whip it out, and show me yours. Come on. Don’t be shy. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. I used to change your diapers. Oops . . . I mean, our mom used to change your diapers . . . But I’m not your mom, no sir! Now, bend over and let me spank you on your knee for pooping on that piece of artwork.”
I mean, this is the SISTER he’s known for 1,000s of years (thereby making this at least ten times worse than all those times Katherine fooled Stefan and Damon into thinking she was Elena). And it’s not as though Klaus is a stranger to bodily possession.
Yet, we get no indication that Klaus is the least bit wise to the fact that his sister is now his mother . . . not even the slightest snarky remark, or eyebrow raise. I’m starting to think that crushing on Stefan . . . er . . . I mean Caroline, has negatively impacted Klaus’ IQ.
“There’s something different about you, I just can’t put my finger on it. Oh, wait . . . I know. You cut your hair and your personality.”
Anywhoo, after the “siblings” discard what is supposedly the Very Last Deadly to Originals Stake together, Klaus starts to discuss the idea of skipping town. Unfortunately for him, Faux-bekah isn’t having it. “But I want to go to the dannnnnnnnce,” she pouts, like the perpetual early 40-something pretending to be the perpetual teenager that she actually is. (It’s all so very Freaky Friday.) “And, besides, don’t you want a chance to see Caroline? I know you looooooooove her.”
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Klaus actually finds this ridiculous argument compelling. So compelling, in fact, that he agrees to stick around for Mystic Falls’ annual Bloodbath Prom, based solely on the hope that his Prom Queen Crush will dump the football jock, and acknowledge his Hybrid King existence. Sigh . . .
After pretending to be “Real Alaric” during a phone conversation with Damon, Psycho Ric meets up with his new girlfriend, Faux-Bekah, again, who then quickly returns to her old Esther body, by temporarily staking Rebekah. “WHY?” I yell at my television. Just so she can do more of that witchy chanting stuff? BO-RING. I don’t know . . . I had the opportunity to parade around as a younger, hotter, version of myself for a few days, while awaiting the destruction of an entire species, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Just saying . . .
From a storyline perspective, I was also a bit disappointed at how quickly the form of Faux-Bekah was discarded. For one thing, it make last week’s big twist so much less impactful than it could have been. Also, personally, I was interesting in seeing how well Claire Holt could pull off the dual role for a more extended period of time. Of course, I understand this whole possession storyline to some extent was a been there/ done that rehash of last season’s Alar-klaus fiasco. But still, it would have been nice if Faux-Bekah stuck around a bit longer.
Girlfriend, can’t catch a break . . . EVER.
On a much more shallow note, there’s just something about the way the actress who plays Esther puffs out her lips when she talks that really bugs me.
If this episode was a more Faux-Bekah centric one, we could have easily sidestepped this inconvenience . . .
In other news, Jeremy’s back in town. He’s still wearing the ring, but he’s not a psychopath yet . . . at least as far as we know. He’s also been spending a lot of time with Matt, which is nice.
Since Mini Gilbert has never been particularly sporty, Matt suggests the young stud take up interpretive dance.
Team Human has to stick together, after all. As long as neither of these guys bring up the fact that they both used to bone eachother’s sisters, I think they will be OK.
Speaking of Matt boning Elena, what was the deal with Caroline telling Matt to stay away from Elena? That was kind of pushy! Now, granted, I don’t want Matt and Elena to get together either. But I was annoyed on Matt’s behalf that Caroline was the one telling him not to “go there.” After you break up with someone, you officially waive the rights to have any sort of say in who they date next. That should be like a law . . . or something.
Wow, I think this is the first time I’m taking Matt’s side over Caroline’s!
Perhaps, this has something to do with the fact that Caroline and I are no longer on the same team, shipper wise. And I’m consequently a little mad at her . . . OK, make that A LOT mad.
Shipping Stelena has painful consequences on this blog . . .
“He’s your Epic Love.” *gag, puke, groan*
Last week, we all got to hear Rose’s argument as to why Elena should be with Damon.
This week, we got Caroline’s rebuttal. And it basically boiled down to this:
Caroline, because I am mad at you, you get to be the victim of an unflattering screencap.
(1) Stefan’s and Elena’s love is EPIC. Ummm . . . NO. Actually, THIS is epic . . .
Stefan and Elena are more . . . um . . . sweet, I guess? I don’t want to offend Stelena fans out there. But I do take offense to the use of the word “epic,” predominately as a result of the clip above. Stefan’s great and all. But he’s no Logan Echolls . . . sorry.
(2) It’s Stefan’s turn. *snort, giggle* Yes, last week, Damon’s “turn” involved some super hot dry humping and almost-sex, at a motel that probably actually did rent by the hour. Stefan’s “turn” -involved a half a slow dance, a lot of crying, and some G-rated hugging. Long story short, if this was carnival game, and I was Stefan, I’d ask for my red tickets back. That wasn’t a “turn,” it was a taste test . . .
Anyway, Caroline’s “super argument” convinces Elena to ask Stefan to Bloodbath Prom. He accepts gratefully, thinking, “Hey, maybe I could get some action, under the bleachers, while my ex-girlfriend reminisces about the time I almost ate her there . . .”
Sorry, Stefan . . . this isn’t that kind of episode.
Damon, of course, hasn’t gotten the memo about how lackluster Stefan’s “turn” is going to end up being. So, he broods and pouts a bit, telling Stefan not to accidentally stab Elena with his corsage . . .
You know, because if she bleeds, he might be tempted to eat her again . . . and not in the “good way.”
Woefully without a date to the Bloodbath Prom, Damon decides to stalk the Good Doctor Crazy Nanny Carrie at the hospital, since she’s the only person on this show, aside from Sheriff Forbes, who actually seems to go to work. Damon informs Crouching Tiger, Hidden Psychopath, that Alaric hasn’t been taking his “Be a Good Boy,” medication, which means he’s now a “Very Bad Boy.”
In real life, this probably thrills the Lady Doc, who, let’s face it, always seemed like the kind who liked it rough. Of course, for purposes of this storyline, she has to pretend to be appalled.
“That’s hot . . . um . . . I mean . . . Oh, no. How terrible!”
One Big Silver Phallus to Rule Them All
Not enough phallic imagery in the first twenty minutes of this episode? Worry not! Lady Esther, is about to take her BIG POWERFUL STICK (i.e. the Originals Killing Stake), and thrust over and over again, into Alaric’s ring, until it oozes silver stuff, thereby rendering, it EVEN BIGGER AND MORE POWERFUL.
“I’m going to need a bigger condom . . .”
Woo! I need a cold shower, after watching that . . .
Shameless . . . THAT’S ME!
In all seriousness though, the idea of linking the Immortality Ring to the Stake, to prevent it from burning up instantly upon use, thereby rendering it recyclable, was a pretty brilliant move on Esther’s part . . . not to mention clever plotting, on the part of the show’s writers. . .
Dance Karma’s a B*tch . . .
Elsewhere in Mystic Falls, Stefan picks up Elena for the dance, and the two make some highly meta jokes about how super deadly dances happen to be, in this town. Of course, all this seeming self-awareness would be a lot more meaningful if Stefan and Elena were actually smart enough to take their own advice, and . . . wait for it . . . NOT GO TO THE DANCE WHERE ELENA IS PERPETUALLY IN DANGER, AND HER FRIENDS ALWAYS DIE.
Speaking of meta, resident Alpha Male, Tyler Lockwood rarely gets to exhibit his intelligence on this show (except for that one time, when they randomly decided to put him in Advanced Placement History class). However, this week, for whatever reason, the writers decided to throw Tyler a bone (Cheesy Wolf Joke Alert), and allot to him, what was, in my opinion, the funniest line in this entire, otherwise rather depressing, episode.
It all starts, with Tyler arriving at the 20’s themed dance, all decked out in his gangster finery, and ready to sweep Caroline off her feet with his mad “swing dance” moves. (His snooty mom probably made him take ballroom dance lessons, as a kid, or something.) Caroline, of course, is petrified that Klaus will sniff out (another dog joke) his sire, and make him do something awful, like lick his boots or something.
But Tyler Lockwood is not afraid. Ripping off all your clothes, and turning into a werewolf, over and over again in the woods, will do that for a guy. “What’s he [Klaus] going to do?” Tyler snarks. “Draw you another picture?”
That My Little Pony drawing .. . man, Klaus really was asking for it when he made that.
“I wuv you, Cawoline!”
Back in my high school, that was the kind of thing that got your head shoved in a toilet. In addition to Klaus’ “gift” to Caroline not exactly being the most manly way to show a lady your affection, we often forget that Tyler too is an artist. But, unlike Klaus, he draws DUDE stuff . . . like bloodthirsty werewolves, and naked ladies with big titties. In other words, in the male pissing contest for Caroline’s affections, Tyler sort of wins this round.
It IS a dance. So, we have to get all this cheesy, cuddly, coupley stuff out of the way, before we can starting ripping people’s faces off and killing sh*t. We see Bonnie having a grand old time with her Not-Brother (who kind of still IS her brother) Jamie.
The Lannister family approves!
I’m pretty sure it’s the only time I’ve seen her smile all season. Then Jeremy arrives, and looks jealous for about two seconds. Then, he remembers that his ghost girlfriends were about ten times better in the sack than Bonnie ever was. So, he goes back to play with Matt some more . . .
While Stefan and Elena slow dance, Elena tries to apologize to Stefan for occasionally tongue kissing, and often dry humping, his brother.
Stefan says he doesn’t care. He’s just happy to have a date. Way to set the bar low, Steffie-poo! Then, Damon comes and cockblocks the pair, which doesn’t particularly bother me, because someone is ALWAYS cockblocking Damon and Elena. Remember, as Caroline said, it IS Stefan’s turn . . . and being cockblocked is just one of those things that “turns” with Elena on a non-pay-cable show will inevitably include.
“Sorry to interrupt . . . oh, wait. . . no I’m not.”
Apparently, Damon actually has a REAL reason for interrupting Stelena time, aside from just pure not wanting it to happen. Psycho Alaric has gone rogue, and Damon wants to murder the guy, in order to put his “good self,” out of his misery. This, of course, pisses off Jeremy, because this will be the third father figure he’s lost since the series started. (Fourth, if you are like me, and always considered Useless Aunt Jenna to be more paternal, than maternal.)
Would you like some salt with your vampire?
Outside the dance, Esther gets Elena to come with her, because Elena’s a moron she wants to save Alaric’s life, psycho or no psycho. The rest of the Scooby Gang, run off in pursuit but find they are trapped inside by . . . wait for it . . . a ring of salt. SALT! That’s great! Who knew this year’s Bloodbath Prom theme would end up being Vampire Barbecue? Throw in a little hot sauce, and some grilled veggies, and we can make a mean shish-kabob . . .
“This reminds me of the 80’s, when I used to do a lot of coke.”
Damon’s the Cockblock King this week, he interrupts Jamie’s and Bonnie’s incest perfectly normal . . . make out session . . .
. . . to tell them that the Bonnie’s weird chanting, and nosebleed services are needed to move the salt. Personally, I would have gone with a plain old vacuum, but that’s just me . . .
Now, we are in some weird creepy cemetery. (I bet with their super high death toll, there are as many cemeteries in Mystic Falls as most towns have Starbucks.) It’s here that we learn Esther’s Big Bad Plan. Apparently, in order to kill all the vampires, she wants to . . . wait for it . . . turn Alaric into a vampire. Yes, because a vampire hater, who MAKES LOTS OF VAMPIRES isn’t hypocritical at all.
“Who wants to make some S’Mores?”
Seriously? Is there some rule that no one on this show can stay human, aside from Elena? Isn’t part of the aura of vampires the fact that they are so SPECIAL, and so much cooler than us humans? The problem is, in a town where seemingly about 80% of the population is something supernatural, it’s the humans that are special. Vampires are kind of, been there, bit that, you know?
Here’s another issue I had with this whole Psycho Ric storyline. We now learn that the real reason, Alaric’s become all crazy and Founder’s Council killing, is not because The Ring Made Him Do It, but because Esther, herself starting chatting his ear off every time he died? Huh? So, is that what we are supposed to believe happened to Samantha Gilbert too?
And if Alaric was really nurtured to believe that vampires and all their friends don’t deserve to live, each time he died, was there really ever an alter ego, at all . . . or has Alaric been secretly psychotic all this time? As clever as I thought this whole ring twist was at first, I found Esther’s part in it a bit confusing, and more than a bit frustrating.
Small town boy . . . small town life
Speaking of frustration . . . well, at least of the sexual variety, Klaus gets a verbal and emotional beatdown by Caroline, who, for all her keeping his horse pictures, and secretly mooning over him, in previous episodes, really does seem “just not that into him,” when he manages to pull her aside for one “Last Dance” at the prom.
She does, however, seem at least intrigued by his suggestion that, one day, her “small town life,” will no longer satisfy her immortal vampire urges. Now THAT’S a storyline I’d like to see explored further . . .
Nonetheless, it is Tyler who Caroline reaffirms her love for at the end of the dance. And the Alpha Male even earns some extra points, by offering to sacrifice himself on the Scooby Gang altar, just so Klaus could die. Yeah, Tyler definitely won this round against his Vampire Papa. The question is, can he win the war . . . and, even if he does, will he survive to reap the spoils of his victory?
The rest of the Scooby Gang runs into Klaus, while his now blue-balled self is stalking away from Caroline. Once again, Klaus is forced to join forces with Team Scooby for a common goal.
Failing to realize that Plot Device Bonnie is already trying to break the salt barrier, so the vampires can rescue Elena . . . again, and stop Esther and Nouveau Ric, Klaus starts strangling her new beau-not brother Jamie.
You better not hurt me, or my Cousin Skeeter will kick your ass . . .
It shouldn’t be hilarious .. . but it totally is.
Yes, I’m fully aware that I’m a terrible human being.
Wow, they weren’t kidding. She really IS just a Human Plot Device!
It’s been three seasons, now. It’s time the writers deeper into their bag of tricks for spells their witches can do to save / ruin the day at the end of every episode. For example, I’m really tired of the one where they bleed on a piece of paper, and the blood travels around to “find stuff.” I know, it’s supposed to be all intense and visceral. But it always just looks like bad finger painting to me. It would have been better (or at least funnier) if they had Klaus draw another pony picture, and the horse GALLOPED off the page to Elena’s rescue.
Of course, all the vampires are still busy licking salt, so Token Humans Jeremy and Matt have to go out to the creepy ceremony to save Elena . . . This can’t end well . . .
Back at the cemetery, Esther snatches Elena’s blood and feeds it to Alaric.
Coincidentally, Elena’s O face . . . and Elena’s OH NO face are strikingly similar . . .
She then kills him, helpfully informing Elena that, during Alaric’s transition, he will become “Good Alaric” for one final time. Then, Jeremy and Matt pop up, and try to shoot Esther, which, of course, doesn’t work . . . because she’s an evil witch ghost DUH! But surprise!
Crossbows RULE. Just ask this guy . . .
Good Alaric rises to kill the biatch.
“NO MOTHER’S DAY CARD FOR YOU!”
Hooray . . . for now.
In other good news, now that Queen of the Vampire Haters is dead, Bonnie can move the salt with her mind. The Scooby Gang is FREE! But before they can leave to grab Elena, Klaus and Stefan, must fight like the gay lovers they truly are.
“We never touch anymore . . . except when you’re strangling me, or trying to stake me in the stomach.”
Klaus, once again, bemoans his lost friendship with Stefan . . . and by “friendship” he means all the great hot ripper sex they used to have. Unfortunately, for Klaus, Stefan rejects him too . . . so the sex must not have been as good for Stefan, as it was for Klaus.
“Screw you, Recapper. I’m an Adonis in the sack!”
Wow, duped by Beks, hated by his own mother, and rejected by both Caroline and Stefan . .. this REALLY isn’t Klaus’ episode, is it?
Worst . . . Funeral . . . EVER!
“Shouldn’t someone like say a speech or something?”
“No, no . . . just stare it him. The depressing -want-to-slit-your-wrist-music will do all the work for us.”
It’s maudlin emotional manipulation time, when we learn that Alaric, like Caroline’s dad before him, is not going to complete his vampire transition, so as to save his friends from his own murderous impulses. This is followed by a massively tear jerking moment, in which the entire cast of the vampire diaries, stares longingly at Alaric, and gives the character, and presumably the actor, a fond adieu.
But that’s not all, we also get, single-tear soulful crying moments, first from surrogate son Jeremy, who’s been through this WAY too many times before . . .
. . . and finally, from Alaric himself, as bromantic team Bad Ass buddy Damon, joins Alaric in his self-imposed prison for one final glass of scotch, or bourbon, or whatever the heck is these two’s liquid of choice these days.
In my absolute favorite scene of the entire episode Damon . . . the King of the Single Tear Cry apologizes for killing Alaric . . . twice, while Alaric playfully teases Damon about the cheeseball romance novel dream death he gave Dear Rose, last season. A few, alcoholic jokes are exchanges, before Alaric finally passes out from the sedative Meredith gave him. And a lonely, and bereft Damon exits the “jail” stage left.
And if the episode ended here, I would have been happy . . . very happy. Not because I want Alaric to be dead, of course. But because I think this would have been a fitting and poignant send off, for a much beloved character . . . (who’s going to be starring on another show on the CW soon, anyway) . . .
But nooooo . . . we still have about five minutes left in the episode. And it only takes about five minutes for everything to go to hell in a bloody hand basket . . .
“Hey, remember that time when I ate you in this gym? Good times!”
After a couple sweet scenes, featuring various Mystic Falls’ couples comforting each other, in the wake of the “loss of Alaric” Matt and Jeremy: (“Let’s do shots for the Dead Alcoholic,)”
Bonnie and Not-Brother Jamie: (“I’m so sad about Alaric, even though I’ve shared maybe two scenes with him, since the pilot episode. Dad’s not home. Let’s screw.”)
And Stefan and Elena: “Here’s the gym where I made you feel really bad, by turning off my emotions, and trying to eat you. Feeling bad makes you human. Let’s screw.”) . . .
. . . annoying ass Esther returns again . . .
. . . just we thought we were finally rid of that pucker lipped ho. This time, she’s in Bonnie’s dreams.
Mother Effer (Or should I say, “Mother Esther?”)
Poor Bonnie . . . always a plot device . . . never a bride. Off she goes in her Esther-induced trance to almost dead Alaric’s jail to give the leaving Damon, one of her famous migraines . . .
“One of these days, I’m going to invest in a really good helmet.”
. . . and to force feed herself to Alaric. In the final moments of the episode, Alaric awakens as a Robot Vampire version of himself, armed with a big weiner stake, and out for revenge.
BuffyAlaric VAMPIRE the Vampire Slayer
Silly Scooby Gang . . . you should have let Damon break his neck, when you had the chance.
Next week on TVD, more BAAAAAD Alaric beating people up and breaking sh*t . . .
. . . at least, until they kill him again . . . probably for good this time. But since they had the funeral already (and Alaric’s already died about 85,000 times since the pilot episode), this one is probably going to be a bit anti-climactic. Alaric Saltzman has officially become the Boy Who Cried Dead.
Did I mention we already have a webclip?
One things for sure, with only two episodes left in the season, TVD is going to really have to up its game to wow its increasingly tough to please fanbase. We’ve seen it all, these past three seasons: murder, cannibalism, sex, sacrifice, death, destruction, doppelganger hijinks. What can they possibly throw at us now? 🙂 You’re guess is as good as mine . . .
“Now, what date would be so important to Caleb that it would merit an explanation point . . . I wonder . . .”
“OHHHH!”
Greetings, my Pretties! This week on PLL, a lame secret was revealed, computers were remotely hacked, a deal was struck, a crisis was averted, and a single doobie, once again, possessed the power to ruin an entire relationship. (Don’t do drugs, kiddies!) So, fire up your laptops, and smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em, because it’s time to “CTRL A” . . .
Swimming with Sharks
Thanks to shopaholic blackmailer / hacker Mona, Emily Fields is back in the pool. This, of course, is great news for Emily and her swim team, but, perhaps, not such great news for her lady love, Maya, who’s starting to feel a wee bit left out of the fun.
“This is super uncomfortable. I could really go for a joint, right about now . . .”
Elsewhere, Techno Boy Toy Caleb finds himself in some hot water, when the police impound his laptop, on suspicion of it containing stolen school files on it. You know, like the ones Mona accessed from the principal’s office, last week. Golly gee, this wouldn’t have anything to do with the time Caleb fell asleep at school, and, like a moron, left his laptop out in the open, and ripe for the taking, now would it? A smug and unfazed Caleb calmly proclaims his innocence, confident that no hack Police Boy is going to be able to crack the enigma that is his computer.
Girlfriend, Hanna, however, is FRACKING FREAKING OUT. She’s been through this with “A” and the Rosewood PD many times before. And she knows that, as good as Caleb might be with computer hacking, “A” might just be a teeny tiny bit better . . .
Caleb tries to calm Hanna down, while simultaneously turning her on, by using sexy computer lingo like HOTSPOT, INTERFACING, and FIREWALL.
And though titilated by her boyfriend’s Dirty Nerd Talk, Hanna wishes to get down to business . . . and not in a fun way either. Instantly suspecting that “A” has compromised Caleb’s harddrive by hiding incriminating material on it without Caleb’s knowledge, Hanna suggests he remotely hack the laptop, and erase the files in question, before the Useless Rosewood PD can find them.
Caleb agrees, and some intimate discussions regarding Caleb’s computer passwords and logins ensue. Unfortunately, however, Caleb can’t successfully hack his computer, while the police are keeping it offline. Inconvenienced, but not defeated, Caleb decides to explore Hanna’s hotspots, instead . . .
The first rule of Fight Club, is don’t have a heart attack while in Fight Club . . .
Some secrets are better kept as secrets, because the mystery is sexier than the reality. Beard Boy Holden’s secret is definitely one of those secrets. Like Lucas and his “big bad bookie problem,” before him, Holden joins the ranks of characters on PLL who’s plotlines ended up being MAJOR letdowns. That’s right, my Pretties. After all our jokes about Holden having bruises on his stomach, because he’s in Fight club, that’s exactly what he ended up being in. Except, rather than being in an edgy, get-your-teeth-knocked-out-by-Ed-Norton-who-thinks-he’s-Brad-Pitt kind of Fight Club, Holden’s fight club looks a lot like your six-year old nephew’s karate class . . .
“Can we celebrate my victory with a McDonalds Happy Meal?”
Relieved that her fake boyfriend isn’t the Drug Lord she suspected he was, Aria agrees to keep her fake date with him in Philly that night. This way, Holden can attend his snoozeville super important fighting tournament, and Aria can eat French Vegan food with Fitzy, while the two discuss “their future.”
Will everyone’s favorite English Teacher take Byron’s bait, thereby allowing himself to be shipped away to the land of Mardi Gras, and ladies who take their shirts off for plastic 50-cent necklaces?
Only time will tell . . .
Prior to her fake date, Aria’s mom not-so-subtly suggests that Aria should stop dating Beard Boy in Philly, and start boning her family friend closer to home. This way, if the rough sex results in him collapsing from his heart condition, he can be cared for by Dr. Wren a.k.a. the-Only-Doctor-in-Rosewood, as opposed to those not-model-looking doctors in the City of Brotherly Love.
“What? Holden has a heart condition?” Aria asks incredulously.
“Why yes, dear daughter. I figured you would already know that, considering how you are out porking him for hours at a time, three or four times a week,” replies Aria’s mom, more or less.
“Oh yeah, you’re right. I totally knew about Holden’s lethal disease! I was just kidding, Mom. Haha! Boy, I sure, got you!” Aria says.
Meanwhile, Byron has just received a note on his car from “A,” offering him the location of Aria’s REAL date with Fitzy.
Am I the only one starting to get a strong sense of deja-vu, here? Silly “A.” For whatever reason, she never seems quite as creative when she’s messing with Aria, than when she’s messing with the other PLL girls. I wonder why that is . . .
Instead of heading off to meet Fitzy, Aria follows Beard Boy to Fight Club. “So, Holden, what’s this I hear about you joining Fight Club, when you have an exploding timebomb in your chest?” Aria inquires.
“This isn’t just because we all thought you were gay, is it?”
Holden makes a nice speech about living life to its fullest, and about how people don’t always know what’s best for you. This, of course, makes Aria think of her relationship to Fitzy . . . as most things do. But, ultimately, she decides to ditch out on Fitzy, so that she can watch Holden in Fight Club . . . you know, just to make sure he doesn’t . . . like . . . die in stuff (which would TOTALLY ruin this nice Fake Date thing they have going on).
Aria cancels on Fitzy by text, without explanation, which, of course, is super inconsiderate.
But when Fitzy arrives at the site of their date and sees Papa Byron seated at one of the tables, he’s suddenly a lot less pissed, and a lot more relieved not to have walked into that lions den.
After Holden wins at Fight Club, Aria heads to congratulate him. And suddenly Holden is looking a wee bit smitten with our littlest PLL girl. (Ruh-roh, Fitzy! I suggest you start practicing your moves, because there might just be a little Fight Club for Aria’s heart headed in your direction . . .)
Papa Byron phones Aria, and tries to slip her up, by asking to speak to Beard Boy. So, of course, Aria calls his bluff by promptly putting him on the phone, something she would never have been able to do, had she decided to leave Holden to die in Fight Club. Well played, Miss Montgomery!
What am I going to doobie?
There is trouble lurking in paradise between Emily and Maya. First we see Maya randomly hanging out with Facelift Vampire Jason, bringing the total number of major “A” suspects and NAT club members with whom the supposedly “loner” Maya associates to two. To make matters worse, the big green monster of jealousy is clearly eating at Maya, during Emily’s swim team party, where her swim phenom girlfriend is the center of attention, while Maya is left alone holding the doobie.
“I have a confession to make. I ate all your blue swim team cookies. I couldn’t help it. I have a serious case of the munchies.”
That’s right, my Pretties, Maya confesses to Emily that her parents might have found an old “toke-n” of Maya’s affection in her bedroom. Wow, these dirty hippies must REALLY not like pot, because they threaten to send her back to druggie camp AGAIN!
As it turns out, Maya was a bit coy with Emily about how exactly old that doobie was. Emily assumed she meant “months,” but Maya actually meant “minutes.” 😉 Emily’s super pissed at Maya for not being honest with her. And Maya is pissed at Emily for being more popular than she is, and for not wanting to run away to San Francisco with her, where the pair can smoke all the ganja they want.
I don’t know, my Pretties. Something about Maya’s story stinks a bit to me, and it’s not just the pot I’m smelling . . . I’d feel better about it being true, if we actually got to meet Maya’s supposedly crazy parents. Your move, writers.
Oh bastard half-brother, where art thou?
Early on in the episode, the PLL girls get to meet Vivian Darkbloom’s “friend” Jonah, a cell phone geek, who she offered $2,000 to hack into phone records and find out who was sending threatening texts to her “friend” Alison.
The only average looking male in Rosewood . . .
(Of course, if “A” was using prepaid phones paid for with cash . . . as evidence suggests that she is . . . that really wouldn’t help much, now would it, Jonah.) Jonah’s uber pissed at Vivian, because doing this little task for the Rosewood Lolita cost him his job. And then, to make matters worse, she never paid up . . . you know . . . because of the whole “dying” thing.
The rest of the girls want to pay Jonah, and immediately turn to moneybags Spencer for the dough. The problem, of course, is that Spencer hasn’t exactly been on speaking terms with her parents, as a result of the whole “Facelift Vampire Jason is my half-brother” thing. In fact, she’s spent the entire week hiding out at Aria’s house . . .
Spencer has been on speaking terms with Facelift Vampire Jason, though. These two really do have an interesting dynamic with one another. And by “interesting” I mean “slightly incestuous.” Facelift Vampire Jason notes that Ali had $15,000 along with love letters between Spencer’s dad and Ali’s and Jason’s mom, in a box she kept under the floorboards. This was how Jason found out about his paternity. It’s also what led him to believe that Ali might have been blackmailing Spencer’s dad, in exchange for keeping quiet about what she knew.
“So, if you and I hooked up, what do you think would be the likelihood that our children were born with a tail, or three arms?”
Hoping to snag the $2,000 she needs to pay off Jonah for the answer to the question of “Who was calling Alison, and, by extension, probably calling the girls as well,” Spencer heads back home for the first time, in a week. Briefly mesmerized by her dad’s open checkbook in his briefcase, Spencer contemplates a little Grand Theft Checky. But she quickly abandons the idea, when her father nearly walks in on her stealing it.
Spencer finally confronts her father about what she knows. And he, more or less comes clean about everything that happened. He swears, however, that he was never blackmailed by Alison. And Spencer believes him.
“You are SO grounded, Mister!”
The question is, who was blackmailed by Alison? Was it Spencer’s mother, hoping to save the family? Was it the members of the NAT club (sans Jason), because of the tapes she had on all of them? Or was it someone else entirely?
Facelift Vampire Jason still wants to believe it’s Papa Hastings, because that would make it easier to hate him. But toward the end of the episode, Spencer finally opens his eyes to new possibilities . . . and hits him up for that $2,000, of course.
On computer hacking, and sex in tents . . .
Caleb isn’t the only one in hot water with the police. Deputy Douchey finds more ammunition for torturing the PLL girls when a page of Ali’s autopsy winds up missing from EVERYWHERE, and the hospital security cameras turn up a picture of Hanna, Spencer, and Emily clad in candy striper outfits outside the morgue on the day of the theft.
Wait a second . . . shouldn’t it have been Hanna, Spencer and Aria? Wasn’t Emily in the hospital as a patient at the time?
This is either an inconsistency on the writers part, or a fairly big hint that “A” is someone with not nearly as big of a grudge against Aria, as against the other three girls. Could “A” have doctored this photograph? Or am I just overthinking things? What are your thoughts, my Pretties?
Anywhoo, following Hanna’s own encounter with Deputy Douchey (I guess he only called Hanna in, because he thought he might have another chance to screw her om), Caleb telephones her to let her know that he’s in a “Hot Spot” and needs her help. There go those sexy computer terms again!
Apparently, Deputy Douchey and Police Boy have wised up, and are forcing Caleb to cooperate, by making him enter his own password into the computer for them. The bad news about that, is now the cops will have access to whatever incriminating files “A” put on his hard drive (not to mention that “A” related files that are actually there). The good news, however, is that now Caleb’s online a.k.a, in a hotspot.
Hanna calls “Smart Friend” Spencer over to help with the computer hacking festivities. Spencer manages to get remote access to Caleb’s computer. But it’s up to Hanna to input the password. Hanna is explains to Spencer Caleb’s rationale for the letters he uses in his password. Spencer is impressed, and more than a little bit turned on. “That’s almost as complex as my computer password.” ALMOST . . . ha . . . gotta love Spencer!
Hanna runs into a problem, however, when she can’t figure out the last four numbers of Caleb’s code, followed by the exclamation point. And she only has three tries to get it right, or be locked out of Caleb’s computer FOREVER! Spencer ultimately suggests that the numbers probably represent a date that was particularly important to Caleb . . . a date that merits an exclamation point.
Suddenly, Hanna knows exactly what those last four digits are. And they are in!
Hanna immediately finds the incriminating files located in a folder input on Caleb’s harddrive entitled “Hefty,” for “Hefty Hanna.”
“B*tch!” Hanna exclaims, over how “A” has managed to insult her, even in her hacking of Caleb’s computer.
Over at the police station, we see that Deputy Douchey has located the “Hefty” file too. (Remember, he KNEW Hanna, back in the day. ;)) Now, it’s a race to see who can get to them first. Hilarity ensues, when Hanna tries to delete each individual file, and finds that the process is taking too long. “CTRL A” Spencer exclaims.
“That’s what I’m trying to do . . . CONTROL A,” Hanna exclaims frustratedly.
But of course, Spencer’s talking about the keys, not the person . . .
In a moment of televised brilliance, Hanna manages to erase the files moments before Deputy Douchey can open any. They disappear before his beady little eyes, and he’s completely flabbergasted.
By the time Caleb leaves the station with his laptop, a happy Hanna is there to shower him with celebratory PDA. Hanna has earned major points for saving Caleb’s ass. And Caleb has earned major points for immortalizing the day he took Hanna’s virginity in his computer password. Something tells me there’s going to be some major nookie going on in the Marin household tonight . . .
DAMON: “Psst, don’t you think it’s weird that TV Recappers and Imaginary Men are doing a blog series on YOU? I mean, isn’t everything related to this show, on BOTH of those blogs, usually about ME?”
STEFAN: “Yes . . . but things have changed. I’m EVIL now. Girls like evil. Didn’t you get the memo?”
Greetings, Fangbangers! September 15th is just a few short weeks away. Before we know it, Damon, Elena, and the gang will be back on our TV screens, compelling us to watch them . . .
This, of course, begs the question: “How have YOU been preparing for The Vampire Diaries Season 3 return? Perhaps, you’ve tried out a new diet . . .
. . . or spent time cuddled in bed with a loved one?
Maybe, you’ve sat yourself down on the proverbial therapist’s couch, in order to figure out what you’ve got hiding underneath those metaphorical “blankets” . . .
Perhaps, you’ve been trying hard to forget the past, in hopes that you can stop it from haunting you . . .
As for me, and my fabulous blogging pal, Amy, over at Imaginary Men, we’ve been spending the hiatus, revisiting some of The Vampire Diaries’ most pivotal moments . . . and revisting them . . . and revisiting them . . .
During this exercise, one of the things we’ve found particularly intriguing was the evolution of Ripper Stefan. As you know, Ripper Stefan, much like his companions, Naked Damon . . .
. . . and Ponytail Elena . . .
. . . have ALWAYS been a part of TVD canon. But they only show themselves at pivotal moments during the series . . .
In this web series, Amy and I will be reviewing four pivotal scenes in the evolution of Ripper Stefan. The first one, you can read RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. The second one, will be featured on Amy’s Blog (hopefully, this coming Thursday). The third one will be back on this blog, and . . .
. . . well . . . you get the idea . . .
So, let’s get started with the Ripper Redux! After all, when it comes right down to it, cannibalism IS just another form of Brotherly Love . . .
Ripper Redux- Scene 1: “We can do this . . . TOGETHER!”
Episode: “Blood Brothers” – 1 X 20
Stefan Salvatore: A bleeding heart, who makes hearts bleed . . .
(Click the internal link to view)
Setting the Scene:
Having both died with Vampire Katherine’s blood in their systems, Stefan and Damon awaken one fateful morning, in 1864, to find themselves “in transition,” half human / half vampire. Now, they are faced with a choice: Feed on human blood within the next three days, and become a FULL vampire . . . or die of starvation.
In other news, I believe this is the ONLY time in Vampire Diaries history, in which Stefan and Damon can both be found shirtless in the same frame. And, trust me, I’ve looked!
Damon — who can’t imagine a life without the woman he loves (Katherine, at this time, is presumed dead) — seems fairly certain that he will choose death over the alternative. Stefan agrees, but seems a bit less certain of his decision than his brother. But then the younger Salvatore brother greets . . . and eats . . . his murderous vampire-slaying jackass of a dad, in his childhood home. That’s when ALL BREAKS LOOSE . . . in Stefan’s soul.
Potent Quotables:
STEFAN: “I brought her for you. She is a gift.”
DAMON: “What have you done, Stefan?”
STEFAN: (about his father) “He was dying and the blood was too strong . . . I needed it. I had to have it.”
STEFAN: “My body is exploding with power, Damon. I can hear things from far away. I can see through the darkness. I can move like it’s magic. And the guilt? The pain? Damon, I can turn it off like a switch. Katherine was right. It’s a whole ‘nother world out there, Damon.”
DAMON: “Katherine is dead, Stefan. There is no world without her.”
STEFAN: “No. You can turn that off too! You don’t have to feel that, pain anymore!”
DAMON: “I don’t want it.”
STEFAN: “You are weak. You’ll be dead soon. You NEED THIS. You’ll DIE. . . Don’t fight it. We can do this . . . TOGETHER!”
Why it’s essential to RIPPER CANON:
Before we get started, can any of you Pretty Little Liars fans out there confirm for me whether or not the girl who plays “Dinner” in
this scene is, in fact, Troian Bellisario, a.k.a. Spencer Hastings from PLL?
I suspect she’s NOT, because I didn’t notice the credit on her IMDB page (and you would think, of all prior film and television credits, THIS would be one she’d definitely want on there!). And yet, every time Iook at “Dinner,” all I see is “Spencer,” particularly, at the beginning of the scene, when Damon asks, “Who’s THAT?” It’s really quite distracting . . .
“Please don’t eat me, you big sexy vampire, YOU! I’ve got enough problems with “A” out to ruin my life.”
Anyway, on to the scene . . .
The most obvious parallel between THIS scene, and the one between Stefan and Klaus in the finale, comes right out in the first sentence
Stefan utters. Stefan refers to “Dinner” as a “gift” that Damon should be honored to “rip into.” Years later, Klaus uses the same concept of
“gift” to entice Stefan to feed, not just on human BLOOD, but on a REAL HUMAN girl, just like “Dinner.”
It’s probably worth noting, that back in 1864, blood bags weren’t as readily available as they are today. Therefore, I suspect that MOST of the
vampires living in Mystic Falls back then (as well as the vampires in Katherine’s and Klaus’ time) fed almost exclusively on HUMAN blood. They did so, not necessarily because they loved doing it, but because that’s what they needed to do, in order to survive.
This would seem to soften the blow of what Stefan is asking of his brother, thereby, making it seem slightly more humane, at least in
context. But Stefan’s remorseless detailing to Damon about how he ate their DAD, because he “had to have [his blood],” tends to erase any sympathy we might have otherwise mustered for him in this scene. No matter how AWFUL a person is, I really don’t think anyone deserves to be eaten alive by their own son. Do you?
In Stefan’s defense, this guy kind of SUCKED . . .
Next, we witness Stefan’s “pitch” to Damon about the“Wonders of Vampirism.” And, boy, does he sell it! This monologue was undoubtedly a tough one for Paul Wesley deliver. In the hands of a lesser actor, you could imagine these words coming out sounding too cliché, or Scooby Doo-esque, a parody of themselves.
“Mmmmm, just like Dad used to make taste.”
Yet, Paul delivers the lines like a coke addict, who is jonesing off his very first taste. It’s the right choice for the character. After all, blood IS a drug, for Stefan. It allows him to experience a sort of manic euphoria that he would never allow himself to enjoy in an un-altered state.
In the ultimate role reversal, we see Damon (noticeably weakened from having purposefully allowed himself to live bloodless for a couple of days) looking at his transformed brother with a mixture of fear, concern, pity, and just a twinge of self-righteousness. Of course, in the present day, we have seen Stefan give Damon THIS look many times. But for Damon, this seems to be somewhat of a first.
I’m totally judging you, right now . . .
I mention self-righteousness. And yet, surprisingly enough, I’m not actually referring to Damon judging Stefan for eating his dad, nor for his
unrelenting enjoyment of being a vampire. Rather, Damon judges Stefan for not LOVING Katherine enough to TRULY be willing to die for her. However, the fact that Damon seems to LOVE Katherine more than Stefan does, gives him no joy. As we later learn, a big part of Damon’s turning on Stefan, and threatening him with an “eternity of misery,” stems from his resentment that Katherine chose to feed Stefan her blood, in addition to Damon.
Yet amidst all this drug pushing, violence, jealousy and cannibalism, there is a surprising amount of brotherly love in this scene. And though he may be doing it for his own selfish reasons (most notably, a fear of spending eternity alone), I suspect there is a part of Stefan, even in his darkest incarnation, that genuinely wants what’s best for his brother. And to Stefan, what is best for Damon is LIVING!
“Here I am . . . just chillin.’ Living La Vida Vampire.”
“You are weak . . . You’ll be dead soon. You need this! You’ll die,” pleads Stefan, clutching at his brother’s shirt, in desperation.
Even during Damon’s first feeding, Stefan, in his own twisted way, seems insistent on showing brotherly affection and concern for the
elder Salvatore. Observe how he gently clutching his brother’s shoulder, offering him both physical and emotional support, as he takes his first taste.
“Hey, Stefan! Can you get out of here! Can’t you see I’m trying to get laid?”
These aforementioned “brotherly moments” have echoes throughout the series. The first echo appears in “The Last Day,” when Damon makes the unilateral decision to force feed Elena his blood, in order to prevent the possibility of HER death by Klaus. She sees his actions as selfish. But he sees them, at least at the time, as her only TRUE chance at survival.
The second echo comes during the finale, when Stefan literally sells his soul to the Devil, also so that Damon . . . can LIVE.
“This is Martyr Stefan speaking. How can I personally sacrifice for your happiness today?”
Back in 1864, Stefan enticed his hungry and weak brother to complete his vampire transition, so that the two of them could spend eternity
TOGETHER. But a furious Damon rebuffed his entreaties. And for many years, Stefan walked the Earth without his “other half.” Now, in the present day, Stefan again must walk ALONE without his brother. Only this time, the choice to do so was all HIS . . .
For me “Blood Brothers” will forever be the episode that aired while I was en route to Las Vegas. I was so desperate to see it though, that I asked my friend who I was visiting to DVR it FOR me so I could sneak in a watch between all my various crazy Vegas shenanigans! I just COULD NOT wait 5 whole days to see how “As the Salvatores Turned” came out!
And it did not disappoint. This episode is full of angst, emotional torture, guilt, resentment, pain, and extra broodiness. It not only reveals the absolute core of the Salvatore’s relationship – but it has the added bonus of super hot Paul Wesley’s tank-topped shoulders, AND Paul Wesley pulling out a pretty extraordinary performance as a man who is is so tired and pained by the the choices he’s made that he’s ready to die for his own mistakes.
Early on in the episode, Stefan is brooding in his basement prison at La Casa de Rich and Awesome. He doesn’t seem mad that his brother and
girlfriend conspired to stab him with vervain and lock him up until he detoxes from his bloodlust. Mostly he just seems determined to do what he should have done 140 years before: die.
“After what I’ve done, it has to end. I just want it over”
When Elena relays Stefan’s mood to Damon, he scoffs with a dismissive, he’s just being dramatic….typical Stefan Martyr stuff which means
that not only has Stefan had previous bouts of “Martyr stuff”, but that Damon has been around to witness it and doesn’t take it at all seriously.
But Stefan is taking his martyrdom quite seriously this time – he’s not just upset with himself for falling off the wagon and lunching on Amber the Beauty Queen, he’s upset with himself for EVERY SINGLE DECISION HE’S MADE SINCE BECOMING A VAMPIRE. Just a century plus of guilt being carried on his (sexy, muscular) shoulders! He tells Elena, I’m making the decision I should have made years ago by letting himself starve to death (or later on possibly burn to death.)
This episode is so much about choices: how we make them, how they define us, how, our actions are what set things in motion, but we have to
live with that as Elena tells suicidal Stefan. Stefan did not have a choice to drink from Katherine – he was compelled to – so his LACK of choice – set everything after into motion. He chose (a bit reluctantly IMO compared w/ Damon’s resoluteness not to transition fully) not to become a vampire, but then his instincts when faced with his bleeding-to-death-dad caused him to make his first shameful choice: to drink and become a vampire.
Side note: Of all the terrible things we’ve seen/heard of Damon doing, I have to say watching Stefan accidentally kill, but then FEAST from his own DAD was for me, one of the more disturbing acts on this show. Vampirism by Patricide – that’s pretty intense! It is also the very first “decision” of Stefan’s that will forever haunt him.
I fully echo Julie’s description of High-on-Blood-Stefan giving his best “come to the dark side” pitch to his horrified brother. This whole arc of Bloodaholic Stefan was so perfectly played by Paul. He really IS an addict – it becomes clear that Damon drinks human blood because he likes it – Stefan drinks it because he loves it – it erases everything that hurts him, …the guilt, the pain…I can turn it off!
I got the feeling watching this episode that Stefan was much more “the alpha” between the brothers during their human life.
“Oh Stefan, this is the best Hide and Seek Spot EVER! They will never find us here . . .”
At the start, as he and Damon watch in horror as Katherine is carted away by the pitchfork wielding townsfolk – it is Stefan who comes up w/the plan to cause a distraction and directs Damon to go get Katherine. As they attempt to rescue her, it is Stefan who is issuing Damon orders on getting her untied. And when it is time to transition or die – it is Stefan who comes, “gift” in hand (as it were) to show his brother how it’s done.
“You just put your lips together, and SUCK!”
“Eww.”
The actual turning scene had me on the edge of my seat. For one thing – I’m pretty sure “Dinner” has been compelled by Stefan as she has that glassy-eyed stare and isn’t screaming or struggling. So Stefan has already learned a nifty and dangerous vampire trick. Damon’s horror is visceral – you can see how repulsed he is by this offering and how freaked out he is that his brother has broken their vow and gone ahead with the transition. But a true hallmark of Bloodaholic Stefan is his desperation – he is DESPERATE for Damon to join him, to experience what he’s feeling, to not feel the pain of losing Katherine, to explore the “whole new world” that lays before them – together . . .
And there you have it, Fangbangers. Part 1 of our 4 part series on the Evolution of Ripper Stefan . . .
Be sure to stop by Imaginary Men on Thursday for Part 2 . . . or else Damon will be very upset . . .
. . . and Stefan might cry . . .
And we wouldn’t want THAT, would we?
[**** UPDATE: PART 2 of this Series is NOW available! *****]
It’s been a good year for us Delena fans on TVD, hasn’t it? (And, judging by where things left off, next year promises to be EVEN BETTER! YIPPEE!)
After an admittedly shaky start (Jeremy Neck Snap Incident, anyone?), us stalwart D&E fans fans were eventually rewarded for our patience, with a Season 2 Smorgasbord of Tasty Delena goodness. Within just the first 10 episodes of the Season, we were treated to multiple phallic encounters . . .
. . . passionate exchanges . . .
. . . near kisses . . .
. . . and, of course, one VERY SPECIAL (but equally frustrating) declaration of love . . .
Having experienced the joy of all that, who would have thought that the scenes I just described would ultimately end up being just a precursor to all the FABULOUS Delena Decadence that was to come?
And it is for this reason that, while I had already crafted a list of the Top Ten Delena Moments of Season 1 . . . and followed that up with a SECOND list, featuring the Top Ten Moments of the FIRST half of Season 2 . . . I simply couldn’t resist writing a THIRD article, focusing on the Top Ten Delena Moments of the SECOND half of Season 2. After all, far be it for me to deny my fellow Delena fans, the opportunity to relive the ecstasy of THE FIRST KISS . . .
What follows are my favorite Damon and Elena scenes from the last eleven episodes of TVD’s second Season, starting from “The Descent,” and ending with “As I Lay Dying.” So, without further adieu, let Sweet, Sexy, and Swoon-worthy Nostalgia BEGIN!
10. “Be the Better Man, Damon.”
Episode: “Daddy Issues” – 2 X 13
Setting the Scene:
Team Save Elena (a.k.a. The Scooby Gang) has been making some questionable decisions lately. And it’s been trying Damon’s already-limited patience, BIG TIME. First, Stefan comes up with the “brilliant idea” of inviting Known Vampire Hater Uncle/Father John, and Elena’s Evil Bio Mom Vampire Isobel back to town, so that they could “join the team.” Damon and Elena don’t trust either of these two sorry excuses for parents, as far as they can throw them. However, both recognize that John might have information the two could use to defeat Klaus. “Be the better man,” Elena cautions Damon for the first time that evening, before Damon meets John at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls to exchange a few words.
Damon DOES, somehow, manage to hold his tongue, when speaking to John (just barely). Not long after, however, Elena gets a call from Stefan, informing her that the werewolves (Jules and Wereoaf Brady) are holding Vampire Caroline hostage. As a condition of Caroline’s safe release, the werewolves wish to “strike up a deal.” They will return Caroline, in exchange for resident werewolf, Tyler Lockwood.
Upon hearing this, Damon, (who, up to this point, had been completely kept out of the loop, regarding the whole “Tyler is a werewolf” thing) is FURIOUS about this recent turn of events. And he is not at all shy about sharing these feelings with Elena . .
Potent Quotables:
Damon: (about Tyler) “He’s a werewolf. He needs to die. I’m willing to kill. It’s win/win!”
And later . . .
Damon: “You need to stop doing that . . . assuming I’ll play the good guy, because it’s YOU who’s asking.”
Elena: “Be the Better Man, Damon.”
And still later . . .
Damon: (to Uncle/Father John) “First Dad Duty? Ground your daughter . . . keep her here.”
Elena: “I’m coming with you!”
Why it made the list:
“Daddy Issues” was an important episode in the Delena canon, because it, in effectively introduced us to a completely different character, one who we hadn’t seen up to this point. Ladies and gentleman, meet Ponytail Elena. (She will appear again in “The Last Dance,” home to TWO MORE of our Top Ten Delena Moments. Coincidence? I think not!)
While Hair Down Elena might not be sure, at this point in the game, of her feelings for Damon, Ponytail Elena already has a pretty good idea she wants him BAD! (Remember that look of jealously flashing across Ponytail Elena’s eyes, when Andie hit on Damon for the first time? Or the look of triumph on Ponytail Elena’s face, when Damon initially rejected her?) Not unlike Katherine, Ponytail Elena knows EXACTLY what she needs to do to get her way . . .
It was interesting seeing THIS scene back -to-back with the earlier one in the episode, in which Elena instructs Damon to be “kinder and gentler” in his discussion with Uncle/Father John. In both scenes: (1) Elena pleads with Damon to be “good.” (2) He balks. (3) She asks him to be the “Better Man.” (4) He balks AGAIN, but reluctantly agrees. (5) She demands to follow him whereever he is going.
However, the DIFFERENCE between these two scenes is why this one made the list, and the previous one didn’t. Unlike in the first scene, this time, Ponytail Elena is more brazen with her manipulation of Damon. Observe how the Petrova Doppelganger gently places both of her hands on Damon’s arms affectionately, and looks up at him with her puppy dog eyes, when she asks him not to kill Tyler.
Also different from the first scene, is Damon’s reaction. All Damon has to do is take one look at Elena’s hand positioning, and he knows EXACTLY what she’s trying to do. “You need to stop doing that,” he demands, eyes blazing.
I love how Elena, naively, acts as if she isn’t aware of her manipulation of Damon “Doing what?” She asks innocently.
However, the minute he makes mention of it, Elena guiltily removes her hands from his arms. She’s no dummy, that Ponytail Elena! Damon’s response to Elena “(Assuming I’ll play the Good Guy, because it’s YOU who’s asking”) is the closest we’ve come to seeing Damon admit his feelings for Elena directly to her, ever since he told her he loved her, and compelled her to forget it, during “Rose,” back in episode 8.
And yet, the fact that Elena is behaving this way, to begin with, illustrates that she probably already has a pretty good idea of Damon’s feelings for her. When affection doesn’t work, Elena falls back on her catchphrase, “Be the Better Man, Damon,” she tells him, for the second time that evening. The phrase almost acts as a hypnotic trigger for Damon, working on him instantly. Damon will always obey this command of Elena’s, no matter how much he may hate doing so.
And why not? After all, it’s Damon’s incorrect belief that Stefan is a “Better Man” than he is, that keeps him from more actively pursuing Elena, in the first place! At this point in the series, Damon still believes he doesn’t DESERVE Elena. We see this at the end of the episode when the “Better Man” line makes it’s third appearance. “I’m in love with a woman I can’t have,” Damon tells Andie, during the pseudo-couple’s infamous Bathtub Scene. “I have to stay together (read “in control of my emotions”) to protect her, which means, I can’t be who I AM!”
As the series draws to a close, Damon will gradually come to learn how wrong he is in this assessment. But, for now, the elder Salvatore Brother will just have to rejoice in the mini victory of having let Ponytail Elena know that he has her number.
And, hey, she DID want to “come with him” to rescue Tyler, didn’t she? Only this time, Damon said “NO!”
“Nice try, Sweet Cheeks! It’s called ‘playing hard to get.’ Get used to it!”
So, you might be wondering why I included this scene at the top of my list, especially since it seems to show more of a manipulation of Damon on Elena’s part, than actual affection. Well . . . I don’t think that’s ALL it shows.
In “Daddy Issues,” more than any episode we had seen in Season 2 (at least up to THIS point in the season), Damon and Elena are relating to one another in that same super-close, married couple, type way, we witnessed during KEY Season 1 Delena episodes, like “Bloodlines,” and “Blood Brothers.” And, don’t forget, this is POST Jeremy Neck Snap Incident! So, that’s saying a lot!
Yes, they are bickering . . . and arguing . . . and Elena seems to be getting on Damon’s nerves a bit. But beneath all that, are two people who are on the same page. They understand how eachother think. And they subconsciously take comfort in eachother’s company. Why else would Elena keep following Damon around for the ENTIRE first half of the episode? Where was STEFAN during all that time? HMM?
9. Damon asks for Elena’s forgiveness
Episode: “As I Lay Dying” – 2 X 22
Setting the Scene:
Having been bitten by Teen Wolf Tyler, during his werewolf transformation, Damon believes himself to be doomed to die a painful and ugly death by were-rabies. If Rose’s rapid disease progression is any indication, Damon has a few days to live at most, and just hours, before he begins showing signs of dementia. Despite all this, Damon has made the selfless, but tragic, decision not to inform Elena of his impending death. “The last thing [Elena] needs is another grave to mourn,” Damon tells Stefan, when his younger brother first learns of the fatal bite.
And yet Damon has one dying wish: that Elena forgive him for going against her wishes, and force-feeding her his blood, prior to The Sacrifice. (He did this, so that if Klaus, in fact, killed her, she would at least return as a vampire.)
Thanks to Uncle/Father John sacrificing his soul . . . and his life, for Elena’s, Elena was revived following the Sacrifice, and was able to retain her humanity. And yet, Elena has still not verbally forgiven Damon for his actions. In this scene, Damon arrives at Elena’s house, the morning after John’s and Jenna’s funeral, in hopes of obtaining the absolution he so desperately needs from the woman he loves more than life itself.
Potent Quotables:
Damon: “I want to apologize . . . please . . . Elena feeding you my blood, I was wrong. And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I need it.”
Elena: “And I need some time . . . maybe a lot of time.”
Damon: “Sure . . . of course . . . take all the time you need.”
Why it made the list:
This short simple scene is important, in that it functions as the first step in the journey Damon and Elena take toward mutual forgiveness, acceptance, and possibly much more, during the final episode of the series. The tragedy of this scene, as mentioned above, is that Elena doesn’t know that Damon is dying. Yet, he refuses to tell her.
Damon “needs” Elena’s forgiveness, so that he can die in peace. And yet, he doesn’t want that forgiveness to come from a place of PITY (Take THAT, Pity Kiss THEORISTS!), or guilt. In the epic words Damon himself used last season, in explaining the reason he didn’t compel Elena during the pair’s trip to Georgia, “I wanted it to be real.”
The OLD Damon might have become frustrated with Elena’s stubborness, and refusal to forgive him. (I mean, it’s not like she actually turned into a VAMPIRE, or anything!) Remember how quickly Damon started to pout and complain, when Elena refused to forgive him for the Jeremy Neck Snap Incident, earlier on in the season? But this is a different Damon from the one we knew back then. This Damon truly is “a Better Man.”
Notice how, throughout the scene, even though Damon is obviously going through a TON of personal sh*t, his focus is always on Elena. Watching her linger over Aunt Jenna’s room in the morning, Damon IMMEDIATELY knows the anguish Elena is feeling, upon seeing that bed empty. “It will get easier,” he tells her comfortingly. “Then again, you already knew that.”
And even when Elena refuses to forgive Damon, and he realizes that there is a good chance he will die without receiving that forgiveness, Damon still considers Elena’s feelings to be of the utmost importance. He even manages to smile at her, and say, “Take all the time you need,” when deep down, he knows that his own time is slowly running out . . .
The fact that Damon and Elena started the episode in THIS sad place, however, makes where they end up, by the end of the episode, all the more miraculous . . .
8. Elena rescues Damon . . . from himself!
Episode: “As I Lay Dying” – 2 X 22
Setting the Scene:
Damon’s time is running out. His were-rabies has now set in at full force. He’s feeling weak, is in an incredible amount of pain, and is beginning to have difficulty distinguishing his flashback hallucinations (featuring Katherine) from reality. That’s the BAD news.
The good news is that Damon’s hallucinations have been oddly therapeutic for him. He finally sees that he was personally responsible for his decision to turn vampire, back in 1864. Neither Stefan, nor Katherine forced him to do it. He has to find Elena, and tell her this (as well as FINALLY confess his true feelings for her), before it’s too late.
Elena needs to find Damon too. She found out about his werewolf bite from Stefan, and feels terrible about the way she treated him earlier that day. (See scene above.) Elena wants to let Damon know that she forgives him for feeding her his blood prior to the Sacrifice. She also knows that Caroline’s AWFUL mother Lizard Forbes wants Damon dead. And Elena wants badly to rescue Dying Damon from that b*tch.
Eventually, Damon and Elena do find one another. But Damon just so happens to be in the throes of one of his most vivid hallucination, when the reunion occurs . . .
Potent Quotables:
Elena: “Damon . . . come on . . . come on . . . We need to get you out of here. We have to hide you.”
Katherine: (in flashback, after puncturing her neck, and allowing blood to drip from it) “If you want it, take it. It is your choice to make.”
And later . . .
Elena: (as Damon bites Katherine / Elena) “Damon, you don’t have to do this.”
Why it made the list:
This scene works on two levels. On one, we have Damon, just hours away from death, finally coming to the realization that he is personally responsible for his decision to become a vampire. On another, we have Elena, who, after two seasons of being rescued repeatedly by Damon, finally has the opportunity to put her own life and safety on the line, to rescue him right back.
On some level, Damon and Elena have been searching for one another, the entire episode. It was Damon’s instinctive knowledge that Elena was looking for him outside, that prompted Damon to send Alaric for blood, knock out Lizard Forbes, and escape his makeshift cage in the basement of La Casa de Rich and Awesome. Likewise, it was Elena’s need to find Damon, and comfort him, during his final moments, that prompted her to break through the glass of the police station with that chair. (I wonder who’s going to end up having to pay for THAT!)
Of course, once Damon finds Elena, he shifts right back into hallucination mode, and can only see Katherine. In the hallucination, Katherine’s words to Damon are direct. She tells him that the decision to become a vampire is his choice to make. And by biting down on Katherine’s neck, and taking her blood, he makes that choice. Yet, in the present day, Damon is biting on Elena’s neck. Her words to him are symbolic too. She tells him, “You don’t have to do this.”
And though she’s referring to BITING HER, Elena’s words also apply to biting KATHERINE back in 1864. Damon didn’t HAVE to do that. He didn’t have to become a vampire. And he WOULDN”T have become one, if he hadn’t made that choice. The anguish on Damon’s face, upon waking from his reverie, and realizing that he has bitten and hurt the woman he loves, is truly heartbreaking.
But what is sweet about the scene is Elena’s reaction. Yes, Elena is in pain. Yes, Damon hurt her. But Elena isn’t angry at Damon for what he did, or worried for her own safety.
Like Damon’s actions at the beginning of the episode, Elena’s actions here are completely selfless. All she cares about is protecting Damon, and getting him to safety. The way Elena holds and comforts Damon in this scene, you can tell just how much she truly cares about him. And this show of affection is only a precursor of what’s to come later on in the episode . . .
7. Elena Comforts Damon after Rose’s Death
Episode: “The Descent” – 2 X 12
Setting the Scene:
Damon earned the ire of Big Bad Wolf Jules, when she began to (correctly) suspect that he had killed her werewolf buddy, Mason Lockwood, a.k.a. Tyler Lockwood’s Hot Uncle.
The elder Salvatore brother moved even further up Wolf Girl’s Poopy List, when he and Alaric cornered her in the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls, and (under the guise of hitting on her) were-rufied her drink with Wolfsbane.
Fast-forward to the next Full Moon. Jules, in werewolf form, barges into La Casa de Rich and Awesome, intent on chopping on some Salvatore skin. (Can you blame her? YUMMY!)
However, instead of sinking her teeth into Damon, Jules’ pointy choppers land smack dab on the backside of Damon’s most recent Screw Buddy, Vampire Rose.
As a result of the bite, Vampire Rose contracts some bizarre form of were rabies. (Then again, isn’t all were rabies, by definition bizarre?). Shortly thereafte, Rose, pretty much, starts going apesh*t. (She looks pretty hideous too.) Rose uses her Sick Time, constructively, by chasing Elena around La Casa de Rich and Awesome, and trying to eat her. (Personally, I prefer to spend MY sick time watching bad daytime television. But, that’s just me . . .)
When that fails, a wacked-out Rose breaks free from La Casa de Rich and Awesome, and starts chowing down on innocent Mystic Falls residents. Damon eventually finds Rose, and brings her back to the house. However, Rabies Rose’s days of eating the Good People of Mystic Falls are numbered. And Damon knows it.
Using his vampiric powers of dream walking, Damon sits Rose down in her lap, like the unruly baby she has become. Being the Generous Mercy Killer he is, Damon creates for Rose a warm fuzzy (read “extremely cheesy”) dream, in which she and he are frolicking through the meadow.
When Rabies Rose is feeling sufficiently blissed out, he stakes her, but not before shedding a few tears, on her behalf.
In THIS sweet and poignant Delena scene, Elena, having learned of Rose’s death, arrives at La Casa de Rich and Awesome to check up on Her Future Lover . . .
Potent Quotables:
Elena: “I came back to make sure you are OK.”
And later . . .
Elena: “Damon I’m your friend.”
Damon: “I’m well aware of that.”
Elena: “And a friend usually knows when their friend is hurting.”
Damon: “What do you want to hear? That I cared about Rose? That I’m upset? Well, I didn’t. And I’m not.”
Elena: “There you go, pretending to turn it off, pretending not to feel. Damon, you’re so close. Don’t give up.”
Damon: “I feel, Elena, OK? And it sucks! What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me. Jules was coming after ME.”
Elena: “You feel guilty.”
Damon: “That would be human of me, Elena, and I’m NOT HUMAN! You’re one to talk about giving up. That’s all you’ve done is give up! Go home! There’s been enough doom, gloom, and personal growth for one night.”
Why it made the list:
You’ll notice that in this scene, unlike the ones that preceded it, I transcribed practically the ENTIRE conversation between Damon and Elena in the “potent quotables” section. That’s because every line of this scene is heavily laden with meaning. In fact, with the exception of the final scenes of “As I Lay Dying,” Damon’s and Elena’s exchange during “The Descent” is probably the most honest exchange they have with one another the entire season.
Just as, in the earlier scene I posted from the finale, where Damon instinctively knows what Elena is going through, when she stares at Jenna’s empty room, Elena, having experienced Rose’s demise along with him, knows exactly how hard it was for Damon to ultimately end her life.
We’ve seen many scenes in which Elena has pushed Damon away, for one reason or another. However, this time, it is Damon trying to do the pushing, and Elena vying for closeness.
Ahem?
But Elena makes a mistake, when she calls Damon “her friend.” Of course, she’s trying to be helpful. However, reminding Damon of their “just friends” status, during this difficult time in Damon’s life, is like rubbing salt in the wound.
(Then again, perhaps, this is a case of thou doth protest too much? Maybe Elena is already starting to feel a closeness to Damon beyond friendship, and needs to reiterate the “just friends” nature of their relationship to convince herself that this is the case? Wishful thinking on my part? Maybe . . . but maybe not. ;))
When Damon denies having any feeling about Rose’s death, however, Elena goes for the “Better Man,” card again. Though she doesn’t use those exact words, by telling Damon that he is “so close” to humanity, that is, in effect, what she is saying. And Elena is right. Rose’s death did cause a sort of emotional breakthrough of sorts in Damon.
But these emotions scare Damon, because, as he admits to Andie, in the following episode, they make him feel out of control. They also cause him to remember how much he misses being human. “That would be human of me, Elena. And I’m NOT human,” he argues. (Talk about a case of “Thou doth protest too much!”)
But even though Damon commands Elena to leave for a third time, during the scene, Elena refuses to go, without giving Damon the comfort she so desperately knows he needs. She hesitates as she turns to leave, looking at him intently for a few beats before pulling him in for a deep Full Body Hug. Elena’s show of affection surprises Damon, and, eventually moves him to tears.
But Damon isn’t the only one who needed to feel closeness in that moment. While Elena may have decided to hug Damon, in a friendly and comforting way, the look she gives him, when she pulls back from the hug, hints that she might have felt something deeper during it, than she initially expected.
For a few moments before she leaves, we see Elena stare pointedly at Damon’s eyes and lips. She does this so intently, that, the first time I watched this scene, I really did think that she might kiss him. But, alas, our first Delena kiss was still quite a few episodes away . . .
6. “I’ve got moves you’ve never seen!”
Episode: “The Last Dance” – 2 X 18
Setting the Scene:
Though he has not yet shown his “true face” to the Scooby Gang, Klaus has not been shy about expressing his desire to “capture” Elena, and use her in his Wacky Sacrifice Ritual. By compelling one of her classmates, Klaus delivers a creepy message to Elena that she should expect to “meet” him at the sixties-themed dance being held at the high school. Rather than avoid the dance (which, to be honest, would have made a heck of a lot more sense), the entire Scooby Gang, Elena included, decides to attend. Their plan is to draw Klaus out, and then kill him . . . somehow.
Needless to say, tensions are high. And no one is more tense than Elena. That is, until . . .
Potent Quotables:
Why it made the list:
Damon: “How you doin?”
Elena: “Umm . . . freaking out a bit. You?”
Damon: “Cool as a cucumber. Come on . . . remember the last Decade Dance. The vampires were all ‘Arrrghhhh’ and you were all ‘Ahhhhh!”
Elena: “Right . . . and . . . we won.”
Damon: “Yes, we did.”
Elena: “You’re good at this.”
Damon: “I’ve got moves, you’ve never seen.”
You know what I actually just noticed about this scene? (And it’s something that I had never picked up on, in the 20 or so times I watched it before hand.) There’s this little moment, before Stefan leaves to go talk to Caroline, that he gives Damon a bit of a head nod, actually ENCOURAGING him to dance with Elena!
Dear old Selfless Stefan . . . you have no idea what you are getting your “girlfriend’ into! Doesn’t Baby Salvatore know that no girl can resist a Dancing Damon?
Least of all . . . Elena . . .
Still, you might be wondering why this scene ranks so high on my list, when the ones preceeding it are so much more “emotionally intense.” But, actually, the fact that this scene WAS SO LIGHTHEARTED AND SIMPLE is precisely why it earned such a high ranking.
The Delena Dance of Season 2, much like the one in Season 1 that preceded it, allowed us a glimpse into what Damon and Elena will be like as an ACTUAL COUPLE. In just a few short seconds of grooving together, Damon and Elena, illustrate all the fun, sex appeal, wit, good humor, and understanding that is going to make Delena such a force to be reckoned with in season 3.
I love the look of shock and arousal that crosses Elena’s face, when Damon first whirls her into his chest. As we’ve seen often with Elena, when she comes in close contact with Damon, she often seems mesmerized, by his mouth in particular.
And, though Damon is trying to play it, “cool as a cucumber” (his words, not mine), we can see that he isn’t exactly immune to Elena’s charms either. There’s a brief second where Damon loses himself in the movement of the dance, and forgets all about Klaus, the Sacrifice, and all his schemes. In that moment, these are just two beautiful people who are insanely hot for one another.
That being said, when Elena openly admits to Damon that she is “freaking out a bit,” Damon immediately becomes refocused on the task at hand: Operation Cheer Up Elena! And Cheer Elena up he does, through a combination of fun, un-self-conscious goofiness . . .
. . . good humor, and logical reasoning. Damon immediately is able to set Elena at ease, and make her smile, in a way, few members of the Scooby Gang are able to do. But in addition to being really funny, Damon’s “The vampires were like Arrrgh, and you were like Ahhh,” was also a wise and reassuring statement. In other words, “We beat the bad guys before, and we will beat them again.”
Of course, once Damon has sufficiently calmed Elena down, and converted her from Brooding Damsel in Distress to Giddy High Schooler Dancing with Hot Boy, Damon ramps up the charm, dipping her, pulling her close to his body and face, and whispering seductively in her ear, “I’ve got moves you’ve never seen.”
“You’re good at this,” Elena admits breathlessly, looking very much like she wants to makeout with him right there on the dance floor.
Well, isn’t that the Understatement of the Year . . .
5. “I can’t lose you.”
Episode: “The Last Day” – 2 X 20
Setting the Scene:
Not willing to accept that Bonnie’s death (through the exhaustion of all her witch powers) is the ONLY way to kill Klaus, Elena defies the wishes of the ENTIRE Scooby Gang, by de-staking Elijah, and bringing him back to life.
Elijah claims to have a plan to save Elena’s life, while still allowing Klaus to proceed with the Sacrifice Ritual. Then, once Klaus is in the throes of a werewolf transformation, and is in a weakened state, ELIJAH will stake KLAUS with the same dagger Elena used to stake HIM in “Crying Wolf.”
The problem is that Elijah’s Big Plan to “save” Elena seems . . .what’s the right word . . . oh yeah . . . LAME! It involves some sort of Romeo and Juliet-esque elixir he cooked up, that would make Elena APPEAR to be dead, throughout the Sacrifice Ritual, when, in fact, she is really alive. Having never used the elixir before, Elijah can’t guarantee that it will work.
The idea of taking such a gamble with Elena’s life sickens Damon. So, he stalks off to his room to sulk. Elena (who LOVES Damon’s bedroom, more than any other room in La Casa de Rich and Awesome, including, apparently, Stefan’s room) immediately follows Damon there, so that the two can screw like bunny rabbits “talk.”
Potent Quotables:
Elena: “You disappeared.”
Damon: “I don’t want to hear anymore.”
Elena: “I need you to understand why I’m doing this.”
Damon: “Why? It clearly doesn’t matter what I think.”
Elena: “I’ll be FINE, Damon. I’ll drink the elixir. Bonnie will kill Klaus, and all of this will finally be over.”
And later . . .
Damon: “You think it will work . . . You WANT it to work . . . Why am I the only one who’s convinced it WON’T. There has to be another way.”
Elena: “There isn’t.”
Damon: “You are going to die, Elena.”
Elena: “And then, I’ll come back to life.”
Damon: “That is not a risk I am willing to take.”
Elena: “But I am . . . it’s my life, Damon. My choice.”
Damon: “I can’t lose you.”
Elena: “You won’t.”
Why it made the list:
I’m just full of controversial picks today, aren’t I? Here’s the scene where Damon FORCE FEEDS Elena his blood, and stakes Stefan, and I’ve got it as number 5 on my Delena list. But, hopefully, after you rewatch the scene, you will see why. You see, I feel like there’s a real parallel between this scene, and the scene that takes place between Damon and Elena at the end of “The Last Dance,” right before Elena decides to stake Klaus. (See #3 below.)
Both scenes, begin with Elena entering Damon’s room. Both scenes involve a discussion between Damon and Elena, regarding the best way to go about saving her life, during the Sacrifice.
In “The Last Dance,” Elena REFUSES to put Bonnie’s life on the line to save her own. Here, Damon refuses to put Elena’s life on the line for Elijah’s harebrained scheme. “There HAS to be another way,” each party says to the other, more or less. Both scenes climax (see what I did there?), during a moment of intense intimacy between the couple. And, just when it seems like the two are finally in agreement with one another, there’s a moment, where you see one of them making the decision to do something they know the other person will HATE.
As I mentioned earlier, Elena LOVES Damon’s room, and adores his bed. And whenever he is upset, she loves to go and find him there, so that she can “reach out and touch him.” There’s an interesting dichotomy in the scene between how close Damon and Elena come to one another, and how far away their ideas as to the best course of action remain. Throughout the scene, though Damon and Elena, both take physical steps toward one another, psychologically, they remain more far apart than ever.
Using her “Be the Better Man” trick, Elena attempts physical contact with Damon, to bring him back from the brink, when he is at his most heated. Damon is angrily and accusatorily pointing a finger at Elena, when Elena affectionately grabs his hand in both her own, bringing it closer to her face, and massaging it, as she speaks.
There’s a moment where Damon looks down at his and Elena’s now clasped hands. He knows EXACTLY what Elena is trying to do. And yet, he loves her so much, that he can’t resist her. His pointed finger relaxes into Elena’s embrace. His body posture softens, as he appeals to Elena’s obvious care and concern for his well being, “I can’t lose you,” he tells her, in all honesty.
“You won’t,” she assures him, eyes widened and dilated.
Elena really believes at this point that she has reached Damon . .. and that he will go along with whatever she says, just like he has so many times in the past. Except, sometime between Elena’s grasping of his hand, and her final promise to him, Damon comes to his decision to force-feed Elena his blood. But even as he is making this decision, a part of him knows he will live to regret it.
“Oh crap! I’m really about to f*ck up now, aren’t I?”
4. Damon revives Elena
Episode: “The Sun Also Rises” – 2 X 21
Setting the Scene:
As far as Klaus is concerned, the Sacrifice Ritual was a success. Aunt Jenna and Jules each gave up their lives as the vampire and werewolf sacrifices, respectively. As the Petrova Doppelganger, Elena also gave her “life” to Klaus, when he bit into her neck, and drained her of a significant portion of her blood.
After snapping the neck of the witch performing the ritual, Damon picks up an unconscious Elena and carries her to Stefan. But Stefan does not wish to take Elena home just yet. He wants to stay and make sure that Bonnie and Elijah defeat Klaus, once and for all.
So, Damon carries Elena back to La Casa de Rich and Awesome in his arms. At this point, her fate is still unknown. Is she dead? Will she come back a vampire, and spend eternity hating Damon for the role he played in her transformation? Or has the Scooby Gang somehow managed to find some way for Elena to return to life as a human? Damon is about to find out . . .
Potent Quotables:
Damon: “Come back as a vampire, and I’ll stake you myself. So, DON’T. Because I can’t stand the idea of you hating me forever.”
Why it made the list:
It’s hard not to see this scene as blatant foreshadowing for a future Damon and Elena union, in the truest sense of the word. I mean, who can ignore the symbolism, of Stefan asking Damon to take Elena home, himself, so that HE can stay and make sure Klaus is dead. (Shades of Stefan’s choice in the season finale, much?)
And then, watching Damon literally carry Elena through the darkness and the fire, to the safety of the home SHE owns, which is also his. Then, of course, Damon CARRIES ELENA ACROSS THE THRESHOLD of the mansion. It doesn’t get much better than that, folks!
The look of love and affection on Damon’s face, as he hovers over Elena’s unconscious body, gently running his hand across her face, and through her hair — unable to take his eyes off her for even one second — is as beautiful, as it is heartbreaking. Who WOULDN’T want a guy to look at them like that? And though the words Damon says to Elena, as he awaits her fate, might seem callous on the surface, they are actually the most romantic words he’s uttered throughout the entire episode.
Contrast these words to Damon’s “I can’t lose you,” in the earlier scene. Damon force fed Elena his blood, because HE couldn’t bear the idea of living without her. That gesture, and the thought process behind it, while romantic, is also somewhat selfish.
Here, Damon’s thoughts are ONLY for Elena. He now knows that SHE would rather die than be a vampire. And even though it would literally KILL Damon to live on Earth for even a moment without Elena, he would be willing to stake her himself, if he knew that was what she truly wanted.
Of course, there’s another aspect to Damon not wanting Elena to become a vampire. He “can’t stand the idea of [her] hating him forever.” This is also a departure from the Damon we’ve grown to know and love for two seasons. In “The Last Dance,” Damon was heard telling Stefan, that he didn’t care whether Elena hated him, as long as he was able to keep her safe.
Now, we see that this isn’t the case at all. Elena’s thoughts and feelings matter to Damon. And from now on, he will fight just as hard to protect them, as he will to protect her life.
The other part of this scene that I loved was the intimate and powerful expression on Elena’s face when she awakens from “death” to find Damon hovering over her. A commenter on my recap of this episode wisely noted that Elena died staring at Stefan, during The Sacrifice, and awakened staring at Damon. There is certainly something poetic about that.
Additionally, there lies within the meaninful look Elena gives Damon the possibility that she remembers his confession of love for her during the “Rose” episode. After all, were it not for John’s sacrifice, which, as you can see, happens AFTER Elena awakens, not before, Elena, having died with Damon’s blood in her system, would have reawakened a vampire. And VAMPIRES remember all instances of compulsion from their lives, as Caroline taught us, following HER vampiric reawakening . . .
So, does Elena remember Damon’s compulsion of her to forget that she loves him? It’s indeed possible. In fact, that very knowledge is hinted at, during the finale, and in my NUMBER 1 Delena moment of the Second Half of Season 2.
3. “I will always choose you.”
Episode: “The Last Dance” – 2 X 18
Setting the Scene:
Damon may have saved Elena’s life the night of the sixties dance, but he did it by breaking her heart . . . albeit temporarily. When Damon and the rest of the Scooby Gang learned that Klaus was possessing Alaric’s body, they determined, to their chagrin, that they had unwittingly provided him with information on their secret Klaus-Killing Weapon: Bonnie and Her Awesome Witchiness. Now AlarKlaus was after Bonnie. He wanted her out of the picture, to ensure himself a “Stress Free Sacrifice.” And he wasn’t going to let up, until she was dead . . .
So, Bonnie and Damon came up with a devious plan. Bonnie would pretend to exhaust her witchy powers, during a faux attempt at defeating Klaus at the dance. Then she would play dead . . . kind of like a dog. But the scheme had a complication: in order for KLAUS to believe that Bonnie was dead, Elena had to believe it too. And in order for ELENA to believe that Bonnie was dead, Gossip Boy Stefan couldn’t be let in on Bonnie’s and Damon’s plan either.
When Elena found Bonnie’s “dead” body in the school snack room, she was inconsolable. And when Damon arrived back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, seeming not the least bit upset about Bonnie’s so called “loss of life,” an enraged Elena slapped him across the mouth . . . HARD. It wasn’t until after Elena almost took off his BEAUTIFUL face that Damon finally decided to come clean to the woman he would do literally ANYTHING to protect.
Damon admitted that Bonnie wasn’t really dead. She was just hanging out in a tomb with Elena’s brother “resting her eyes.” This made Elena feel like a bit of an idiot. It also gave her a good excuse to enter Damon’s room AGAIN, under the guise of “apologizing” . . .
Potent Quotables:
Elena: “I understand why you did what you did. I mean, Klaus was fooled and . . . Bonnie’s alive.”
Damon: “Here’s to duplicity.”
Elena: “Let’s get one thing straight, Damon. Bonnie will not die for me. I will not let that happen . . . We’ll find another way [to kill Klaus].”
Damon: “I hope so.”
Elena: “Look, I shouldn’t have hit you.”
Damon: “Apology accepted.”
Damon: “Let me be clear about something, if it comes down to you and the witch again, then I will gladly let Bonnie die. I will always choose you.”
Why it made the list:
Earlier, I showed you the scene in which Damon made the decision to force feed Elena his blood to save her from certain death. In my analysis of that scene I told you that it directly paralleled the scene from “The Last Dance,” in which Elena, after having an equally emotional and honest conversation with Damon, made the (as it turns out, not so hot) decision to de-stake Elijah. Like the first scene, this one worked on two levels. On one hand, it was yet another romantic bedroom scene for Damon and Elena, in which the pair let one another understand just how well they understood one another, and how much they cared for eachother. On the other, it was a deceptive scene, because, at the very moment when it seemed like the couple had come to an understanding, one of its members was plotting to do something very stupid.
It was interesting watching Damon’s and Elena’s reactions to one another throughout the scene. For instance, when Elena comes into Damon’s room, he clearly expects her to lecture him on not telling her his plans regarding Bonnie’s fake death. Aim when Elena admits that she understands exactly why he did what he did, Damon is a bit taken aback. But he is also clearly impressed by the object of his affections foresight, and understanding that sometimes the ends DO justify the means.
“Here’s to duplicity,” Damon says. (As in, “YAY, I don’t have to apologize anymore, for doing something that I don’t think was wrong at all, and would do again in a second.”)
Elena again uses her trusted tactic of initiating physical closeness with Damon to make her point about not wanting Bonnie to die. And though Damon does seem to bend a little, to Elena’s wishes (“I hope so,” he offers doubtfully, when Elena assures him that they will find another way to kill Klaus), we know that Damon’s position on the subject remains essentially the same.
Now comes the time for Elena to apologize for the Face Slap Heard Round the World . . . Elena clearly feels terrible about doing that to Damon, and wants him to know this. When just moments ago, Elena was stalwart and strong in ensuring Bonnie’s continued livelihood, suddenly she seems shy, contrite, and a smidge coquettish. As Elena apologizes, she dips her head downward, and self-consciously runs her hand through her hair.
Of course, this works. Damon can never stay mad at Elena for long. And he accepts her apology almost immediately. But then he makes the statement, that, while incredibly romantic, seals both of their fates, “I will always choose you.”
Upon hearing this, we see Elena go through a wide range of emotions in a very short amount of time. There is awe at the grandness of Damon’s remark, flattery, at the extent of his feelings for her, a deep affection for the man willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. It’s a powerful experience for Elena. But then . . . she SIGHS . . .
For me, the above-illustrated facial expression of Elena’s mimics the one Damon made, when he realized that he was going to force feed Elena his blood, and, in doing so, jeopardize his relationship with her. Likewise, Elena realizes that there is no way she will ever be able to convincce Damon to save Bonnie’s life over her own. And so, in this moment, she decides to de-stake Elijah.
Three times, before Elena leaves Damon’s room, we see her hesitate and turn back toward him, wanting to admit what she is about to do. There’s a big part of Elena that knows that de-staking Elijah could end up being a huge mistake. And that part of Elena wants to confess her plans to Damon, so that he can talk her out of them. But, ultimately, Elena’s desire to protect her friends . . . well . . . at least to protect Bonnie . . . wins out. And so, she leaves Damon’s room with a firm sense of purpose.
Examining this scene, side by side with the scene from “The Last Day,” even the casual viewer can see how truly alike Damon and Elena are in their way of thinging, their fierce protectiveness of others, and their courage in the face of all opposition. One thing is for sure, as a couple, these two will be unstoppable!
2. The Cuddle
Episode: “As I Lay Dying” – 2 X 22
Setting the Scene:
Having finally found a were-wolf bitten Damon, just hours away from death, Elena rushes him to the comfort of La Casa de Rich and Awesome. Huddled together in Damon’s bed, Damon and Elena silently vow to make every last minute between them count. Now is not the time for secrets.
No words can be left unsaid. No apologies can be left unspoken. No emotions can be left unburdened. But will these two intimately linked individuals — who have shared so much together, during the short time they have known one another — be able to confess their true feelings for one another, before it is too late?
Potent Quotables:
Elena: “It’s OK, Damon. I’m right here.”
Damon: “Elena, get out of here. I can hurt you.”
Elena: “No, you won’t. I’m here until the very end. I’m NOT leaving you . . . It’s OK . . . It’s OK”
Damon: “It’s NOT OK. All those years, I blamed Stefan. And no one forced me to love her. It was my own choice. I made the wrong choice . . . Tell Stefan I’m sorry, OK?”
Elena: “I will.”
Why it made the list:
As you might have noticed, Damon and Elena have been dancing around true displays of affection for one another, all season. There have been forehead kisses, hugs, hand and shoulder grabs, and even a little grinding on the dance floor. But it took Damon being moments from Death, for Elena to really give herself to him completely.
It is no accident that again, in the final moments of the Season 2 finale, Damon and Elena are huddled together in Damon’s bed. Watch as Elena lovingly holds Damon in her arms, cradling his body close to her with one arm, as she delicately blots the sweat from his brow with another.
Elena saw what Rose went through in her final hours. She recognizes the possibility that Damon, in this sickened state, could be a real danger to her. But Elena cares for Damon so much, that she is willing to put his needs before her own. And despite Damon’s pleas that she go, for her own good, Elena refuses to leave Damon’s side, even for a moment.
For Damon’s part, we can see in his eyes, how much he NEEDS Elena to be near him. And the fact that he asks her to leave, shows just as much selflessness on his part, as Elena’s staying does on hers. Because Damon has a lot to say to Elena. He has come to the realization that he is to blame for his own situation, and he needs Elena to know this before he dies. He also needs Stefan to know this.
Such is their honest relationship with one another that Elena never lies to Damon, and tells him that he’s going to survive this. She doesn’t sugar coat things for him. When Damon asks her to apologize to Stefan, she doesn’t tell him, “You can do it yourself, because you are going to live.” Rather, she just pulls him closer to her, and tells him that she will.
It’s tragic that it took a lethal illness to bring Damon and Elena to this place. Yet, it is somehow fitting. After all, Damon’s and Elena’s relationship has always been one built on intense emotions and extreme situations. And, sometimes it takes the threat of losing something to finally force you to realize that you can’t live without it.
1. THE KISS!
Episode: “As I Lay Dying” – 2 X 22
Setting the Scene:
[See description for #2 above. THIS spectacular scene takes place just one “commercial break” after THAT one. ;)]
Potent Quotables:
Damon: “This is even more pitiful than I thought.”
Elena: “There is still hope.”
Damon: “I’ve made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die.”
Elena: “No, you don’t”
Damon: “I do, Elena. And it’s OK. Because if I would have chosen differently, I wouldn’t have met you. I’m so sorry. I did so many things to hurt you.”
Elena: “It’s OK. I forgive you.”
Damon: “I know you love Stefan. And that it will always be Stefan. But I love you. You should know that.”
Elena: “I do.”
Damon: “You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me.”
Elena: “I like you now. Just the way you are.”
Damon: “Thank you.”
Elena: “You’re welcome.”
Why it made the list:
I don’t think it was a surprise to any of you, that this ended up being my number one scene. I mean, really, could Delena fans have asked for anything more. I mean, I couldn’t have been happier, if Damon and Elena stripped naked and had their way with one another, as the final credits were rolling (which is totally how Season 3 is going to end, by the way).
Season 1 ended with Damon kissing Elena . . . except it ended up NOT being Elena, but Katherine. So, it was extremely fitting that Season 2 would end with a REAL Delena kiss. The kiss itself was beautiful. The way that Elena snuggled up close to Damon, looked lovingly at his face, and leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the lips. While it was happening, Damon awoke from unconsciousness, a real life Sleeping Beauty, with a small but beautific smile on his face. His eyes fluttered, and his mouth opened into a slight “O” shape. He wasn’t expecting this. And then, he THANKED HER, for giving him the greatest gift she could ever give him.
And yet, for many fans, there was just as much of a gift in the words that preceded the kiss, as in the kiss itself. Damon has never been much for apologies. And yet, he is able to apologize twice to Elena in this episode, once at its beginning for the force-feeding, and here, for ALL of his wrong doing throughout the two seasons. So, when Elena FINALLY gives Damon the forgiveness he has been waiting for, it is a total and complete forgiveness. Completely gone are the grudges of seasons past. Elena and Damon are finally, once again, on an even playing field.
And it is because Damon and Elena are in this open and honest place, that Damon can FINALLY admit to Elena that he loves her, and allow her to REMEMBER it, thereby completing the circle started in Rose.
Back then, Damon made Elena forget his love, because he deemed his confession, “The most selfish thing he ever did.” But Damon’s new confession of love is not in the least bit selfish, because he doesn’t expect Elena to love him in return. Heck, he doesn’t even expect to live out the hour! Damon repeats Elena’s words to him from the Season Premiere. “I know you love Stefan . . . it will always be Stefan,” but he says them with no bitterness or ire. He’s made peace with his little brother, and Elena’s love for him. He simply believes that Elena has a right to know that he loves her more than life itself. Because that kind of love is a gift to be cherished, even if it cannot be returned.
Except . . . maybe it can, because Elena’s cycle of always pushing Damon to be the “Better Man” is closed in this scene too. That ends with Elena’s declaration that she likes him now, just the way he is, troubled, headstrong, impulsive, and deeply worthy of someone’s love. The threat of losing Damon has caused Elena to realize just how much she needs him in her life. And though Damon IS in fact a Better Man than the one we met in the pilot, he is still a flawed character.
But it are these flaws that bond Damon and Elena, and will undoubtedly continue to bond them throughout Season 3, as they cope with the guilt of their growing bond with one another, in Stefan’s absence, and struggle to ascertain what they mean to one another. In many ways, “As I Lay Dying,” was an end. An end of the Season, an end of the Sacrifice, and end of a very important period of personal growth for Damon. But in many other ways, it is a turning point.
And when Damon sits up in his bed at the end of the episode, and looks at Elena with new and healthy eyes, some would say his new life is just beginning . . . and so is hers.
So, there you have it, folks: my picks for the Top Ten Moments from the final 11 episodes of Season 2 of TVD. Which ones were YOUR favorites?
P.S. Has the TVD hiatus left you hungry for more SHIPPER-friendly Top Ten Lists? If so, be sure to check out my super talented, and often hilarious, blogger pal Cherie’s analysis of the Top Ten FORWOOD moments from Season 2. Trust me, you won’t regret it! The post is made of awesome. 🙂
“You can get married as many times as you want, but there is only one prom,” says Quinn Febray, during Glee’s epic PROM EPISODE.
“This is how I decided to spend the alimony payments from each of my five ex-husbands. One lame tiara, for each lame man.”
Ahhh . . . the Prom Episode, every teen show has one. And only some of them are actually worth watching. After all, when it comes to prom episodes, there’s a whole lot of CLICHE to go around: the Pre-Prom Pictures, the Ugly Duckling Transformation, the Long, Slow Walk Down the Stairs, while the Admiring Boyfriend Looks On, the Inevitably Fight Over a Girl (or Guy), the Romantic Slow Dance Moment, and, of course, the crowning of the Prom’s King and Queen. And with cliches, comes a WHOLE LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES to be unmemorable . . .
A MAJOR Opportunity for a Cliche is RIGHT HERE! It’s a GOOD THING that these two didn’t win Prom King and Queen. That’s all I’m saying! (Oh, and Finn? 1985 called. It REALLY wants your powder blue cumberbund back . . .)
Fortunately, Glee’s “Prom Queen” managed to deftly sidestep all of the typical Prom Episode Traps that were just waiting to trip it up. The result was a genuinely fun-filled, toe-tapping, heart warming, tear-inducing, hour of television.
My fellow Gleeks, the time has come to zip up those dresses, strap on the corsages, spike the punch, and practice dancing the night away, in those ridiculously uncomfortable high heels. In the iconic words of Sam Evan’s “Who’s ready for some PROM?”
I Love it When Glee Gets All Self-Deprecating and Self-Referential!
“Give me back my BALLS, B*tch!”
The moment I knew that I was going to LOVE this week’s installment of Glee occurred about two minutes into the episode, when Jacob Ben-Israel shoved a microphone in Puck’s face, and asked him a question that was purportedly given to him by “fans at home: “Where does Lauren keep your balls?”
“Fans from Home,” INDEED! I think MANY of us have been asking ourselves this very question, ever since the writers made the BIZARRE decision to couple Puck and Lauren, back during the Valentine’s Day episode. So, it’s comforting to know that at least SOMEONE in the writers’ room is listening. Because, as much as I desperately want to have sex with ADORE my Sexy Puck-meister . . .
. . . even I must admit that he does act a tad “Neutered Puppy”-esque when hanging around a certain Full-Figured Female.
Cute? Definitely! Bad Ass? Not exactly . . .
And did you notice how Puck and Lauren had virtually no scenes together, this week? I smell PROGRESS!
Strike THREE, Zizes! YOU’RE OUT!
That being said, the fact that Puck chose to “up his street cred” this week, by (1) NOT spiking the Prom Punch; and (2) rocking out to a rather annoying song written by a 13-year old, leads me to question whether or not Lauren not only chopped off his manhood when she started dating him, but gave him a LOBOTOMY too . . .
That being said, I still want to attend a party in his pants . . .
In other META-news, when Principal Figgins asks Mr. Schue if his Glee kids could perform at prom (Apparently, Air Supply canceled AGAIN! Stupid Air Supply!) . . .
. . . Sue Sylvester pipes in with a list of all of the WORST SONGS EVER PERFORMED on Glee by the Glee Club. Included on this list, of course, are . . .
“Run, Joey, Run”
(Coincidentally, it is from the video of “Run, Joey, Run” that I obtained my absolute FAVORITE, and, admittedly, very much overrused, Sexy White-Tank Wearing Puck GIF, which you may have noticed above.)
AND . . .
that ridiculous “Hair” / “Crazy in Love” Mashup . . .
Now, THIS was REALLY BAD!
One thing that’s gotta be said for Glee, when the show messes up, at least it’s willing to ADMIT IT . . . most of the time, anyway.
Was it just me, or did Brittany seem unusually smart, this week? Perhaps, when Lauren cut off the frontal lobe of Puck’s brain, she ended up donating it to the web host of Fondue for Two . . .
There was a bit of intrigue, early on in the episode, regarding which Glee kids would take which other Glee kids to prom. (Because, HEAVEN FORBID, any of them take NON-CAST MEMBERS, right?) I mean, we already knew that Finn was going to take Quinn (yawn), Mike was going to take Tina (zzzzzz), Puck was going to take Lauren (BOO!), and Santana and Karofsky were going to be eachother’s closeted dance partners. But it was interesting to see the, usually proud and independent, Mercedes so decidedly bummed about not having a date . . .
MERCEDES: “I can’t understand why no one has asked me to prom yet?”
RACHEL: “Do you think it might have something to do with the fact that you are wearing a HUGE, SCARY OPEN MOUTH on your chest?”
Some have argued that Mercedes sudden interest in having a boyfriend, when she has seemed to show NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER, in the past, seems out of character, and more like a Plot Device, than anything else. However, I kind of feel like Mercedes is someone who hides her insecurities behind a cloak of false bravado. And, as such a person, she would sooner knock something she can’t have, than admit that she truly wants it. That being said, I love that Mercedes’ friendship with Rachel has evolved to the point where the former can be truly honest with the latter, about her hopes and dreams.
Ho’s Before Bro’s!
Speaking of Rachel, we all know she can be SUPER selfish sometimes. So, it was really refreshing to see her take others’ needs into consideration, this week.
Finny LIKE!
She did this by orchestrating a group date between Mercedes, Sam, and herself so that (1) all of them had dates to the prom; and (2) Sam’s financial situation did not keep him from attending. Way to go, Rach!
Trouty Mouth is very pleased!
“I am a TOTAL PIMP!”
Meanwhile, Blaine struggles with his own insecurities about attending prom with Kurt, as a result of a traumatic experience, during Blaine’s public school days, when he was beat up for attending a Sadie Hawkins dance with one of his gay friends . ..
In an Awesome Mutually Mature Boyfriend Moment, Kurt, despite obviously REALLY wanting to attend the prom, tells Blaine that he would be willing to skip the event, if Blaine feels uncomfortable with it. Likewise, Blaine, though clearly not without reservations, loves Kurt so much, that he is willing to face up to his deepest, darkest, fears in order to make Kurt happy. (By the way, I love how, when Kurt asks Blaine to the prom he actually refers to him as “Blaine Warbler.” SO CUTE!)
Secretly hoping that their public acts of kindness will win them points in the Prom King and Queen Race, Team Beard, Santana and Karofsky offer to give Kurt round the clock protection from bullying (well . . . at least during school hours).
This inevitably results in some VERY interesting and intense moments between Kurt and Karofsky, which I plan to discuss more fully in just a bit. But, for now, let’s talk about Artie . . .
Dear, sweet, Artie! You broke my heart many times over this week, from your Fashion Disaster Prom Wardrobe (Elvis Hair? Orange Suit? Ruffled Shirt? NO! NO and HELL NO!), to your defeated (and, let’s face it, slightly pathetic) acceptance of torture at the hands of Sue Sylvester. But nothing you did this week, broke my heart like your failed serenade of Brittany.
“I know you are mad at me now, but I was wondering if you would possibly be interested in having a threesome with Santana and me? Best of both worlds, right?”
Sure, you called her stupid, which was probably the ONE thing you could have said to Brittany that would get her to dump you. And, yes, you kind of added insult to injury, by singing, of all songs, Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” to her, which is, after all, a song about a NEWBORN BABY . . .
The lyrics, “Less than ONE MINUTE OLD,” should have probably clued you in to that one . . .
But still, to be shot down, in front of an ENTIRE HOME ECONOMICS class, because your ex tells you that she would rather go to her prom ALONE, and have hot sex with Santana dance with lots of random guys, instead of YOU . . . now that’s GOTTA HURT! Artie, if I wasn’t sure it would give me a painful electrical shock (I’ve actually tried this before . . . “smart” . . . I know), I probably would have hugged you right through the television screen . . .
Everybody Loves Rachel . . . for a change (well, except, maybe, for Quinn)
“Yes! They are fighting over ME! Rachel Berry! Everybody loves ME! I’m awesome. Oh, boys! Stop fighting! This is terrible! Someone is going to get hurt . . . and I can’t afford to break my nose, again.”
Rachel Berry may already have TWO dates to the prom. But she’s about to get at least one more (and, if Eye F*&king counts as “dating,” possibly TWO more). We see Rachel practicing her solo number for the prom, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Then, seemingly out of nowhere (Seriously, is there NO security at this school?) Jesse St. James magically appears in the auditorium, transforming her already highly emotive solo into an extremely sexually-tense duet . . .
You can check out the pair’s full performance here . . .
Whatever you may have felt about the so-called “St. Berry pairing” back in Season 1, and it’s unfortunate, not to mention, completely out-of-the-blue, ending . . .
Sunny side down?
. . . the sexual chemistry between Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele is undeniable (which is odd, considering that Groff is so clearly GAY). And never is the pair more on fire, than when they are mutually breaking into song. If you recall, this is precisely how the couple’s relationship first began . . .
JESSE: “I’ve always wanted to have sex with a woman on top of a piano. It’s very Pretty Woman.”
RACHEL: “But we are in a library . . . and there are old people in the background, watching us.”
JESSE: “Doesn’t that turn you on?”
RACHEL: “Not really.”
JESSE: “Work with me here. I’m trying to get you laid.”
Though, admittedly, I prefer the original Adele version of “Rolling in the Deep” to what “Rachel and Jesse” performed here, both the acting and directing of this scene are positively flawless. I love the way the singers’ facial expressions alternate from almost angry, to wistful, to attracted, to indifferent, to competitive, and, finally, to joyous at various points throughout the number. I also appreciate the way Rachel and Jesse circle one another around the piano, as they sing, engaging in what seems to be a strange, and undoubtedly sexual, mating dance between predator and prey . . . lover and scorned . . . where the participants are each simultaneously playing both roles.
JESSE: “There is something different about you. Did you get a nose job?”
RACHEL: “No, Jesse! I decided against doing that. Geez! Don’t you watch Glee?”
As it turns out, Jesse, who was supposedly a senior in high school, during the show’s first season, has (conveniently) dropped out of college, and now (also conveniently) wishes to start his own business as a consultant to Glee Clubs and show choirs. His reason for breaking into McKinley High? Well, it seems to be two-fold:
(1) He wishes to apologize to Rachel for the whole “egg-head” business. Apparently, selling his girlfriend out for a fourth consecutive championship win of a HIGH SCHOOL competition seems short-sighted to him, in hindsight (Gee, ya think?); and
(2) He knew Rachel’s prom was coming up, and wanted to take her. (You know . . . because college guys always keep track of rival high school’s social calendars, while they are away.)
Was this a contrived way for the writers to bring back this character? Absolutely. And yet, I’m actually really excited about Jesse’s return, not only because I enjoy his interactions with Rachel (She tends to be WAY less whiny and annoying, when she’s with him.), but because I’m positively THRILLED about what his return is going to do to Finn . . .
Watch out Finn-y! Your emotions are showing!
Speaking of Finn, he sure seemed to be All Aboard the Rachel Train, this week, didn’t he? The minute Finn learned that Rachel was considering taking Jesse to prom, he suddenly seemed SUPER CONCERNED about Rachel “getting her heart broken again.”
(After all, the only person allowed to break Rachel’s heart is FINN, right?)
Rachel rightly tells Finn to go f*&k himself, that, as someone who’s currently dating Quinn, he has NO RIGHT to weigh in on Rachel’s romantic rendezvous. Rachel (Bless her heart, girlfriend was pure PERFECTION this episode!) then proceeds to make Finn even SORRIER about dating the wrong girl, by expertly offering him advice on how to purchase the perfect corsage for his ACTUAL girlfriend but probably not for long Quinn. (“A Gardenia . . . with a green ribbon around it . . . to match her eyes,” Rachel suggests).
Oh, Finn! You poor smitten, little boy! You are SO SCREWED!
Tension rises between Finn and Jesse, when the two encounter one another at Breadsticks (which, apparently, is the only restaurant in Lima, Ohio) later in the episiode. Finn, in a not-so-subtle allusion to the “Little Game of Egg Toss” Jesse played with Rachel’s head, last season, asks the college dropout, if he ordered “eggs” for dinner.
In return, Jesse makes a few snide remarks about Finn’s bad dancing skills . . .
Ahem . . .
. . . even going as far as to offer HIMSELF to QUINN as a dance partner, when she gets tired of Finn-y Boy stepping on her feet.
Jesse – 1, Finn – 0
At the prom, when Rachel sings her solo number to Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts” (What happened to “Rolling in the Deep”?) Finn, who just so happens to be dancing with Quinn at the time, keeps leering at Rachel, as if he wants to swallow her whole . . .
. . . Finny Boy conveniently misinterprets Rachel’s nearly orgasmic reaction as displeasure and TOTALLY SNAPS, attacking Jesse like a wild drooling rabid dog, who hasn’t eaten in weeks. This, of course, gets BOTH Jesse and Finn promptly tossed out of the prom. Quinn is upset by this, because she BELIEVES it will prevent her from winning prom queen. But, in all honesty, she actually doesn’t win, because nobody really likes her . . .
Take that, Lucy Caboosey!
The smallest little violin in the world begins playing, as Quinn rushes off sobbing to the bathroom (“I’m not going to be prom queen, BOO HOO HOO! My life is over. I’m transferring schools . . . AGAIN,” she wails.)
And Rachel, ever the glutton for punishment, actually rushes in to comfort this b*tch. (Seriously, Rachel was like SUPERHUMANLY ANGELIC this week. This means that, next week, the writers will probably make her Evil Incarnate.) So, what does Rachel get for trying to be a decent human being to Quinn in her so-called hour of need? Well, she gets THIS . . .
But, like I said, Rachel COULD DO NO WRONG this week. And even after Quinn gives her “free blush” on one side of her face, Rachel sticks around to find out why Quinn is “so upset.”
Well, for starters, Quinn is upset because she currently wants Finn. Tomorrow, she might want Puck. And the day after, she might want Sam. But today, it’s Finn. And the day Quinn wants someone, she’ll be DAMNED if he’s interested in someone else!
What I found interesting about Quinn’s “little speech,” was that she seemed LESS upset about the fact that Finn seems currently more attracted to Rachel, than to her, and MORE upset about the fact that OTHER people noticed that, and, (she thinks) didn’t select them as Prom King and Queen because of it. Way to keep your priorities straight, girl!
“Oh, don’t cry Quinn . . . it gives you wrinkles.”
The other thing Quinn claims to be worried about, is something the writers ALWAYS have her character worry about, every time they want to make her “sympathetic” to the audience. Quinn complains to Rachel that life is SO MUCH HARDER for her, than it is for Rachel, because, unlike Rachel Quinn is just so pretty. And as a result of her ridiculous attractiveness (and lack of other redeeming qualities), post-high school life for Quinn might actually end up being pretty darn disappointing.
I hate to say it, but Quinn’s probably right about her future . . .
Nonetheless, Rachel lies through her teeth, assuring Quinn that she’s more than just a pretty face. She’s a better person than me, that Rachel. That’s for DAMN sure!
You know who else is a MUCH better person than I am? EVERYBODY Kurt Hummel.
One of the coolest things about Kurt Hummel, I think, is that he’s not just content to be an out-and-proud teen. Rather, Kurt sees it as his personal mission to educate teens and adults on having tolerance for various alternative lifestyles. And though that Bizarre Kilt Thing Kurt wanted to wear to prom, SERIOUSLY freaked out his dad, Finn and Blaine, not to mention rivaled only ARTIE’S tuxedo, as the WORST PROM OUTFIT ever . . .
. . . I still respected the courage it took for Kurt to wear it. Speaking of respect, I think Karofsky gained a whole lot of it for Kurt, when the latter found it in his heart, not just to forgive the former for bullying him, but also to take pity on the pain he was experiencing as a closeted gay youth . . .
Kurt’s kindness, and his recognition of Karofsky’s inner turmoil, causes the normally stoic jock to break down into uncharacteristic tears. Moved by Karofsky’s display of emotion, Kurt encourages him to stop hiding his true self, and come out of the closet “not tomorrow, but when you can.”
Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worst at prom, when Puck and Sam sing Rebecca Black’s Friday, which, though better than the original version, still makes me want to clean out my ears with bleach . . .
SAM: “We are SO going to get our asses kicked for doing this song, aren’t we?”
Well, I guess that’s not such a bad thing, in and of itself. But then, in a cruel twist, the McKinley High School kids insensitively nominate KURT as Prom Queen, causing both him AND Santana, to run out of the auditorium in tears.
Blaine sweetly comforts Kurt outside by the lockers, offering him the same comforting safety net, Kurt had offered him back when he worried about attending the prom in the first place. “We don’t have to stay here, you know. We can leave and never look back.” But Kurt isn’t ready to accept defeat just yet. Instead, he decides to (1) return to the auditorium and get coronated; (2) dance to Mercedes’ and Santana’s rendition of “Dancing Queen;” and (3) in doing so, impliedly, tell all the homophobes in his student body to go F*&k Themselves . . .
(By the way, PRINCIPAL FIGGINS, the kids at your school play a practical joke on a gay male student, by electing him prom queen, and YOU allow him to be coronated to the tune of DANCING QUEEN, of all songs! FOR SHAME!)
That being said, since it WAS Mercedes and Santana singing, don’t you think they could have . . . I don’t know . . . sang a DIFFERENT SONG? Like “Macho Man,” perhaps? 😉
For a moment, it looks as though Karofsky might muster up the courage to actually dance with Kurt. But, seeing his classmates’ reaction to Kurt’s bold acceptance of the crown, frightens Karofsky to his core. And, at the last second, Karofsky runs from the auditorium, once again, in tears. Fortunately, Blaine is standing right behind Kurt at the time, and is more than willing to “have this dance” with him.
(Speaking of Blaine, his rocking out to the most awkwardly titled song ever, the “I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance,” was pretty awesome, right? Now, don’t get me wrong,, it’s not that I particularly love the song. But boyfriend SURE CAN DANCE! Plus, I found the number refreshingly non-Warbler-esque, which was great . . . for me, anyway!)
I mentioned Santana, earlier. She shared a very sweet scene with Brittany outside the auditorium, in which she tearfully wondered why everyone hated her, just because SHE hated THEM. 🙂 An unusually-wise-this-week Brittany argued that the rest of the school didn’t vote for Santana because they would rather play a mean joke on Kurt because they can somehow tell that she’s not being true to herself. (Now, that’s a nice idea and all. But, then, how did KAROFSKY win?)
Argument fallacies aside, my heart warmed a bit, when Brittany told Santana that if she “embraced the awesomeness of who she is, she would have won.” Now, honestly, I’m not sure I believe that . . . but it was a sweet thing to say, nonethless.
And when Brittany politely told Santana to stop whining, pull her head out of her ass, and be supportive to Kurt in his time of need, well, that was EVEN sweeter . . .
Wearer of the Worst Prom Outfit Ever . . . meet the Worst Plotline Ever.
As I sort of mentioned earlier, there was also this sort of bizarre storyline, in which Puck convinced Artie to spike the punch at the dance . . . and then Sue Sylvester CAUGHT Artie doing it . . . so she randomly tortured him with dental tools . . . until she found out that he DIDN’T actually spike the punch?
Yeah . . . rest assured, that plotline was about as random, and annoying to watch, as it probably was to read. So,I’m not going to spend any more time on it than what you see here. . . except to say that, perhaps, the whole point of the storyline was simply to once-again punish Artie for wearing that Ugly Ass Suit . . .
Don’t worry Artie! Everyone makes mistakes! Next week will be better for you, I promise. (Because, we all know it can’t get much worse!)
So, that was basically “Prom Queen” in a nutshell. Next week’s Glee installment, entitled “Funeral,” promises to be a much darker episode. . . not to mention, a deadlier one. You can check out the promo for THAT episode HERE . . .
Now, it’s time to start speculating, my fellow Gleeks, if you haven’t started already. Which cast member do you think has already sung his (or her) final Swan Song? Tune in next week to find out . . .
SERENA: “Happy Character Assassination Day, Chuck!”
CHUCK: “Oh, wow! Today is Character Assassination Day. I totally forgot. Thanks for reminding me. How are you going to spend it, Serena?”
SERENA: “I’m going to pretend to be Blair’s friend to her face, while TOTALLY humiliating her, and ruining her shot at royalty, behind her back . . . all because she had the audacity to share a fake kiss with this guy I dumped . . . even though her and that guy claim they are only friends, and Blair is dating someone COMPLETELY DIFFERENT now!”
CHUCK: “Wow. That’s good! I hate you already.”
SERENA: “I know, right? How are YOU going to celebrate?”
CHUCK: “I’m considering getting wasted, pushing Blair into a wall, and punching my hand through a glass window, so glass gets in her cheek, thereby, emotionally and physically scarring her for life!”
SERENA: “Dammit Chuck, you are so much better at this than I am!”
*Sigh* Oh, Chuck Bass! I had such high hopes for you, in the beginning of the episode . . . you with your sexy perpetual 5 o’clock shadow, you’re gravelly “I just ate a pack of cigarettes” voice, and your 3-Day Diet of Bourbon, Self-Pity and Tears!
All you had to do was stay in bed a few more days, and WAIT! Wait for Blair to take pity on your self-destructive soul, and come barging into your apartment, with her tough love, and a heavy duty bottle of disinfectant to get rid of the alcoholic stink. All you had to do was shed a few tears, and milk the Vulnerability Card for a few exta moments, and THIS could have been you again . . .
. . . and THAT would have inevitably led to THIS . . .
But NOOOOOO! The writers You had to go and F*&K UP SO ROYALLY that your fandom is now literally in tatters. Emotional and physical abuse is simply not something even the staunchest Chair Fan can condone.
It’s funny, as a The Vampire Diaries fan, in my recap for THAT show last week, I wondered briefly whether a Delena fan (Damon and Elena) had pissed in the writers’ Cheerios, to cause them take a particularly harsh narrative turn with the male character in that prospective couple. Well, I’m now wondering whether a Chair fan BLEW UP THOSE CHEERIOS WITH AN M-80 to deserve THIS turn of events . . .
“Don’t . . . mess . . . with . . . my . . . Cheerios.”
But . . . ummmm . . . other than that it was a great episode! (See? Trying to stay positive here . . .) On to the recap!
“I’ve Got a Royal Boyfriend, and you DON’T. (Nah-nah, nah-nah, nah-nah)”
BLAIR: “Louis, don’t you think we are taking this whole Relationship Thing a bit too fast? I mean, I really hardly know you. And you haven’t even been signed as a series regular yet.”
LOUIS: (in adorable, but almost incomprehensible, French accent) “Of course, not Claire! I love you, more than life itself. And when you know in your heart you love someone that much, why take things slow?”
BLAIR: “Um . . . my name is BLAIR.”
LOUIS: “Really? Oops.”
After a night spent making out under the romantic lights of papparazzi flashbulbs, Blair and Louis continue their public courtship, by spending their afternoons and evenings doing things that make Blair look more “princess-esque” (like hanging out in sports bars, and acting, as Blair says, “pious”) . . .
“Take that, Kate Middleton!”
They then spend their mornings in bed, being nauseatingly sweet to one another. (Seriously, if I have to hear Blair say, “LOUIIIIIIIIIEEEEE” one more time this season, I think I’m going to throw my stilettos at the television screen!)
Good job, Louis! Kiss her and shut her up!
Roommate Serena grins and bears this. But you can tell from the evil glint in her eye, that she wishes to chop Blair up into tiny bite-sized pieces, for having the GALL to steal her precious spotlight away, for even a single episode.
“I’ll get you My Pretty . . . and your little Guest Star Love Interest TOO! Mwah-ha-ha!”
Later we learn just how far Serena is willing to go to get revenge on Blair, when the EEEEEVVVVILLLL Princess Sophie barges in on one of Louis’ and Blair’s tete-a-tetes to announce that Louis is . . . ALREADY ENGAGED!
“LOUIS! You stop having fun, this INSTANT! Don’t you know royal people are genetically predisposed to never have a good time! Look at me! The last time I smiled I was two-months old. And that was only because I had gas.”
After her outburst, Princess Bitchy calls Serena on the phone to thank her for the tip. FOR SHAME, SERENA!
“So . . . now that I’ve helped you out with your son. Do you think you could set me up with Prince Harry? Now THERE’S a royal who LIKES TO PARTY!”
Princess Sophie Reads Gossip Girl?
Later Louis visits Blair’s house to apologize about the whole “Being Engaged” thing. As it turns out, Princess Sophie wasn’t being entirely honest. You see, Louis isn’t engaged YET, but he has to be engaged BY TOMORROW.
OK . . . so remember how, in Cinderella, the Prince threw a Royal Ball, and invited all the “eligible ladies” in the land, so that he could pick which princess to marry?
Well, apparently, wherever Prince Louis is from (I think they said Monaco?) that ritual is actually not Total Bullsh*t. It REALLY HAPPENS! Go figure!
But Louis doesn’t want any of these Ugly Stepsister So-Called Princesses! He wants Blair! Now, all Blair has to do is convince her Evil Stepmother Princess Sophie to let her attend the Royal Ball. Once THAT happens, Blair is as good as engaged, herself!
There’s just one problem . . .
As it turns out the Wicked Witch of the West (Wait . . . wrong story) one Not Particularly Ugly Stepsister has yet ANOTHER trick up her sleeve to sabotage Blair’s Big Day. By the time Blair arrives for her interview with Princess Sophie, the latter already has at her disposal a full printed dossier on Poor Miss Waldorf, care of Gossip Girl and some Biatch Named Serena . . .
“Oh, HELL TO THE NO!”
In a surprisingly amusing scene, Princess Sophie proceeds to detail ALL of Blair Waldorf’s best hits from FOUR Seasons Gossip Girl. Some of the highlights include: dating a Lord who was having an affair with his own STEPMOTHER (Not really Blair’s fault.) . . .
EWWWWWW!
. . . having a pregnancy scare (COME ON! Who hasn’t had one of THOSE?), being traded for a hotel (also not exactly her fault) . . .
But as Eric van der Woodsen says to Serena, “Only Blair Waldorf can do Blair Waldorf.” So, of course, Blair deftly turns the situation on its head, arguing to Princess Sophie that her lifetime of public humiliation is actually a GOOD THING!
Huh?
After all, with Gossip Girl systematically pulling all the skeletons out of Blair’s closet, since she was fourteen, at least the Royal Family knows the Queen B has nothing else to hide, right? Or DOES SHE?
Nevertheless, Blair’s eloquent argument impresses Princess Sophie enough to earn her an invitation to the Prince’s Ball. As her date to the event, Blair chooses to invite so-called Bestie Serena, even though the latter, as we know, has been pretty much pooping on Blair’s Joy, throughout the entire episode.
On the surface, Blair’s decision to invite Serena to the Ball seems like the Stupidest Idea Ever. On the other hand, you know what they say, “Keep your friends close, and your frenemies closer . . .”
BLAIR: “Is there a knife in my dress?”
SERENA: “Not in the front. Turn around. Let me see the back.”
Speaking of Blonde Sociopaths . . .
Charlie Defeats Vanessa, Fans Cheer (But then become extremely frightened . . )
Did I not call it, about Charlie being a TOTAL WACKADOO? I believe I did! And yet, as much as I don’t like Charlie, I have to give the character at least SOME credit for efficiently disposing of a character I hate EVEN MORE! Of course, I am talking about the sniveling, conniving, yet still surprisingly dull, MANESSA!
Rufus Humphrey, an aging has-been rocker from the early 90’s, knows a thing or two about Creepy Groupies . . . the kind that cut out tufts of your hair, while you are sleeping, and use them to make a DOLL / Sex Toy . . .
“What can I say? Ladies love Rufus H!”
All Rufus has to do is take ONE look at the Overly Eager-to-Please Charlie, and he just knows his son is in for some SERIOUS TROUBLE!
Humpty Humphrey sat on a wall. Humpty Humphrey had a great fall. (Because Charlie pushed him.)
Dan (being Dan) COMPLETELY IGNORES his father’s warnings, and continues dragging Charlie around to all his classes, like his personal pet. But when Charlie, after spending an HOUR gushing over how FASCINATING Dan’s life is (OK, now we KNOW she’s nuts!), plants a big wet kiss on him, it finally occurs to Humphrey that he’s got a potential Fatal Attraction on his hands . . .
Charlie . . . in about 20 years.
But before Dan can have the “We can never be more than friends, because I think you are a psychotic raving lunatic,” talk with Charlie, someone ELSE intercepts her first . . .
Apparently, Manessa is leaving the show NYC to go “study abroad for a semester.” (WAIT . . . does that mean she’s ACTUALLY GONE?)
But before she goes, she wants to “make sure Dan is safe.” (OK . . . seriously, Vanessa? The only person Dan needs protection from is YOU and, maybe, Georgina Sparks . . . and, of course, Charlie.) So, Vanessa finds Charlie at the bookstore, reading what can only be described as a Stalkers’ Handbook . . .
. . . and offers to help her win Dan’s heart, so that Serena and Blair can’t.
When Dan does have “the talk” with Charlie, she plays it cool, claiming that she knows Dan’s still hung up on the other regular cast members of the show, and, therefore, “only likes him as a friend.” (Famous last words, right?)
“Friends can still f*&k, right?”
Dopey Dan is dimwitted enough to buy this, and invites Charlie to some “low-key” dinner party thing, that Rufus is throwing for a band that he hopes to work for as a producer. OH . . . did I mention that Rufus, Perpetual House Boy / Ass Wiper of Lily is actually trying to get a JOB!
Honestly, that is the most shocking thing that happened in this episode.
Charlie offers to bake homemade pizzas for the dinner. But when it comes time for the event, she has decked out the Humphrey’s Brooklyn Apartment like P Diddy’s White Party, and it’s SO NOT ROCKER CHIC APPROPRIATE for Rufus’ early 20-something rockers / potential employers . . .
“I was just going to order in McDonalds.”
Rufus politely excuses himself to take the band elsewhere. Then Charlie starts boo hooing about how Vanessa told her to cater in the event, and was clearly trying to sabotage her, because she knew Charlie not-so secretly had a THANG for Dan. Ever the sucker for a wounded puppy, Dan offers to tote Charlie along on her first Upper East Side Showdown. But “brave” Charlie wants to do this one ALONE.
“I’m going to go eat Vanessa’s insides now, and wear her ribcage as a hat. But I’ll be back later, so we can play Jenga.”
As it turns out, VANESSA actually gave Charlie GOOD ADVICE (Who’d have thought?) as to how to impress Rufus’ prospective clients. But Charlie (who clearly watches Gossip Girl) knew how easy it was to make people DESPISE Vanessa, and decided to use that information to make Dan feel sorry for her. And we ALL KNOW that Dan only screws those people he feels sorry for . . .
Case in point . . .
Well, played Lunatic Charlie! You’ve successfully disposed of Manessa, and are now well on your way to becoming Juliet 2.0 . . . Bravo!
Now, all you need is a Boring Brother in Jail, who has the hots for Serena . . .
Oh, by the way, Rufus got the JOB . . .
. . . (not that anyone really cares).
Speaking of stories nobody really cares about . . .
Raina the Complain-a
“Why aren’t you interested in MY storyline, dammit? BE INTERESTED (or, I assure you, the writers will draw it out for an ENTIRE SEASON, as punishment).”
So, Raina is still searching for intel on her Mama. And Nate, out of loyalty to Chuck, is still subtly trying to convince her to stop her search. Raina reads Nate’s attitude as being “not supportive,” and begins withholding sex from Nate as a result. And we all know how much Nate LOVES sex . . . (Hint: He loves it almost as much as he loves the movie The Sound of Music.)
So, Nate’s been pressuring a perpetually Drunk Chuck to come clean to Raina about what his dad may, or may not, have done. But Chuck doesn’t want to talk to Raina. He’d much prefer to have sex with Blair drown his sorrows in booze, and contemplate giving up showering and shaving for Lent . . .
“If you wrung out my liver, there would probably be enough booze in their to serve an entire Irish Pub on St. Patty’s Day.”
Things go from bad to worse, when the P.I. Chuck hired to look into Raina’s mom’s death “miraculously” discovers a letter in Bart’s papers from the elder Mrs. Thorpe that says, “You know how much you mean to me, but I can’t do this anymore.”
Chuck, and everyone else on the show, immediately assumes that this letter somehow implicates Bart in Avery’s death, since it seems to indicate that they had an affair. But, honestly, that’s just BULLSH*T! That vague letter could have meant about 80 different things. It could mean that Raina’s mom committed suicide. It could mean that RUSSELL THORPE learned of the affair, and arranged to have his wife killed. It could mean that Bart and Avery plotted to burn down the hotel for the insurance money, but Avery was having second thoughts, and was too late in trying to stop the fire.
I mean, COME ON, CHUCK BASS! Of all people, I’d expect YOU to be a bit more creative here . . .
BLAIR would never jump to conclusions like this. . .
Anywhoo . . . Nate has this Big Ole Confrontation with Chuck, about how he has to tell Raina the truth, and blah, blah, blah. Then he proceeds to add insult to injury, by telling Chuck ALL ABOUT Blair’s upcoming attendance at the Prince’s Ball. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when Chuck tells Nate that “no one understands what [he and Blair] have, Nate replies that what they have is “not normal,” and that Blair is “better off with the French GUY!”
“You just bought yourself a one-way ticket to an ass-kicking, BOY!”
Nate then runs and tells Raina everything told Chuck told him, which causes Raina to basically go APESH*T on Nate’s ass . . .
“Is this because you’re on your period?”
Like a petulant four-year old in need of a nap, Raina stamps her foot a few times, and issues Nate an ultimatum: “ME or CHUCK!”
So, Nate leaves . . . (Wouldn’t you?)
Meanwhile, Chuck puts on a new suit, shaves, and hops into a limo, an Engagement Ring in hand. He is headed to the Prince’s Ball, determined to win back his Queen B . . .
Of course, this would be a WHOLE lot more promising and romantic for us Chair fans, if Chuck wasn’t so OBVIOUSLY in Drunk and Destructive Bass Mode . . .
You Peed on My Fairytale!
“Psst . . . Dorota, you don’t have to feed me my lines like this. That’s what the teleprompter is for.”
After running through some Information about Royal People Flashcards with Dorota, and receiving a very expensive (but oddly Tinkerbell-esque) ballgown from Louis . . .
. . . Blair heads to the ball with a Traitorous Serena, by her side . . .
“Try not to trip on the trail of banana peels I keep dropping in front of your feet, M-Kay?”
At least, initially, Blair is the Belle of the Ball, wowing the crowd with her beauty, social graces, and ridiculous amounts of Flashcard-Memorized Royal Knowledge . . .
“How’s your great-great-great-great Grandfather, King Charles III doing . . . Still dead? So, sorry to hear about that.”
Watching Blair happily traverse the crowd, and hearing Louis gush over how wonderful she is, Serena begins to feel a bit guilty about being such a Heinous Poopyhead to her so-called friend the entire episode. And it is for this reason, that when Drunk Chuck crashes the party, Serena tries in vain to stop him. But Chuck will NOT be stopped. He approaches Princess Sophie first, hitting on her, shamelessly, and announcing himself as “Chuck Bass . . . the love of [Blair’s] life.”
Chuck then takes things one step further, noting that Marie Antoinette was always Blair’s favorite role to play, but that HE was always the one eating her cake . . .
Oh, yeah! They went there!
Chuck then drunkenly confronts Blair, and makes a TOTAL scene in front of all the royals, knocking over a tray of food in his wake. Security ends up having to drag him out of the party. A tearful Blair makes a heartfelt apology to the Royals (“I’m so ashamed and sorry, my friends and I caused any trouble”) before dashing out of the party herself.
Princess Sophie is NOT amused, “End it now,” she stage whispers in Louis’ ear . . .
“It’s strange but I suddenly find myself very in the mood for pie.”
A Decent Proposal
“Where’s my glass slipper, dammit? Engagement rings are SO this century!”
Back at the apartment, Blair confides her humiliation over recent events to Serena, who makes the Total Bad Friend move (kind of like she’s been doing all episode), by basically telling Blair that what happened was no big deal, because she’s going to end up with Chuck, anyway.
Well, look who finally decided to become a Chair Fan . . .
Blair then FINALLY confronts Serena about her many attempts to sabotage Blair’s chance at royalty. The Wounded Queen B claims that this is the first time in a long time that she is truly happy with her life. She notes that Louis makes her feel things she had only felt before with Chuck.
Little does Blair know that SOMEONE is listening in on her conversation . . .
Later, Louis confronts Blair and tells her that he wants her to experience joy in her life. He never thought he would be able to marry for love. And now he can marry a total and complete stranger! Louis knows all that Blair gave up to be with him. And he is willing to give up the crown to be with her. (Really? Because I wouldn’t.)
So, he gets on his knee and proposes. But, before Blair can give Louis his answer, she has someone she needs to see . . .
“Sorry, I ruined your shot at being a princess,” slurs Chuck, when Blair comes to visit him at his apartment. “I need you like I’ve never needed you before,” he pleads. “The only thing that’s ever been real is me and you. That’s why you came back to me.”
Blair hugs Chuck affectionately, and uses this moment to tell him about the proposal. It’s as if a part of her wants Chuck to convince her to say no. But Chuck is too drunk, and depressed, to reason properly. And every word he utters to her is strictly possessive in its implications. Nowhere in Chuck’s monologue does he reference BLAIR’S feelings, what SHE wants, or even what he loves about HER. “You’re mine,” he say decisively.
“I wanted to be,” Blair admits sadly.
“You’ll never be with anyone else but me. The only thing that is real to me is you.”
There’s a need and insistence in Chuck’s words that is heart-wrenching in its desperation, moving in its intensity, and yet, somewhat disappointing, in its abject selfishness. Fans of Chuck Bass know that he DOES care about Blair, that he HAS sacrificed for her, that he WOULD do anything for her. But that’s not what’s coming across in this scene. All we see in Chuck is FEAR: the fear of losing the one thing in his life that makes sense, when everything else seems to be falling apart.
And that’s what causes Chuck to lash out, pushing Blair against a wall. And when she struggles out of his grasp, he punches a windowpane, injuring his own hand, and causing glass and debris to fly everywhere. Tragically, Blair does not make it out of this unscathed . . .
As a scarred Blair rushes from the apartment, crying and clutching her face, Nate looks on in disgust, which makes me wonder how long exactly he’s been standing there, like a dope, doing nothing.
(WHYDIDN’T YOU AT LEAST TRY TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, NATE? WHAT’ THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?)
“Hi, is this Losers’ Anonymous? My name is Nate.”
Immediately, after watching Chuck RETROACTIVELY RUIN ONE OF THE BEST ROMANCES ON TELEVISION (Though, it must be said, Ed Westwick’s acting was both HORRIFYING and CAPTIVATING in that scene, as was Leighton Meester’s.), Nate calls Raina to tell her that she is his Consolation Prize. “I choose you,” he tells her answering machine. (How romantic!)
But Raina is already on the phone with someone else . . . JACK BASS.
Here we go again . . .
In the final moments of the episode, we see Blair literally close the door on Serena’s friendship (Serves that b*tch right!). She then calls her mother to give her the good(?) news. Blair has decided to accept Louis’ proposal. She is engaged to be married . . . to a Real Prince . . .
For me, “The Princesses and the Frog” was a True Contradiction. I don’t think I’ve ever been as impressed (by amazing acting, and a gripping storyline), and yet, at the same time, as thoroughly disappointed (by the seemingly deliberate SHIP and character assassination) by an episode, in my entire life. But enough about me. I want to know about YOU!
Is Louis starting to grow on you, like he is on Dorota? How long before Charlie starts burning bunnies, and coming at Dan with a butcher’s knife? Are you as THRILLED to see Vanessa go, as I am? And, perhaps, most importantly, has the CHAIR ship sailed for you? Or do you still believe this fairytale can have a happy ending?
Pop Quiz Fangbanger: How many humans are in this picture? (Hint: It’s a trick question.)
USELESS AUNT JENNA: “OK, that was NOT COOL! The only thing I wanted injected in me tonight, was ALARIC’S CHUNKY MONKEY!
Personally, I think humanity is overrated. I mean, think about it . . . You get married. You pop out a few pups. You grow old and wrinkly. You die. What’s the fun in THAT?
Apparently, the writers of The Vampire Diaries agree with me. Because they have taken Mystic Falls’ Team Human, and systematically smashed it to smithereens, over the course of two seasons . . .
Be afraid, Normal Boy! Be VERY AFRAID!
But, you see, that’s what I LOVE about this show! The Vampire Diaries doesn’t give a Flying F*&k about the rules or conventions of typical television dramas (like the one that says you can only kill off one or two major characters, a season . . . or the one that says HUMANS are “important.”). And that’s how TVD keeps viewers returning every single week: by repeatedly defying their expectations, and challenging what they think they know about the characters on their television screen. Of course, having THESE to show off on a weekly basis doesn’t hurt either . . .
Hold on to your panties, Fangbangers! And prepare to have your minds blown. Because we are about to recap what may go down in television history as “The Last Day” of TVD, as we once knew it . . .
Blah, blah, blah Sacrifice, blah (HEY! Is that Shirtless Damon on my screen?)
I’m sorry, Elijah, were you saying something? Because I was . . . distracted.
The episode begins with a Pow Wow of Sexiness and Plot Explanation in La Casa de Rich and Awesome. Elijah is downstairs explaining the logistics of the Sacrifice to Stefan and Elena, while Damon is upstairs . . . in bed . . . NAKED . . . and GULPING. Clearly, someone in the writer’s room doesn’t want us listening to Elijah (Klaus, is that YOU?). Whoever this person is, his devious plan has worked! Because two minutes later, I wake up from my trance, to find Damon all DRESSED . . .
Now, right then and there, we should have known things were going to go VERY wrong for Damon, this week. If you recall, the LAST time Damon was shirtless on TVD was the Controversial Moonstone in Soap Dish Incident . . .
And we all know how THAT turned out! So, in conclusion, Shirtless Damon = Good for US; Extremely Bad for HIM!
Then again, maybe it’s bad for me too. Because now I’ve got to figure out what Elijah said to Elena, while I was fondling Damon’s chest, in my dreams . . .
Looking back, I THINK that Elijah was talking about the “ingredients” of the Sacrifice Ritual that could be used to break Klaus’ “You Can’t Be a Were-Vamp, Too Bad, So Sad for YOU” Curse. Coincidentally (or, perhaps, not so, coincidentally), those ingredients just so happen to be the SAME INGREDIENTS Klaus listed in his FAKE Aztec Sun and Moon Curse, namely: a Full Moon, the Moonstone, a vampire, a werewolf, and the BLOOD of a Doppelganger, which Klaus must DRINK in order to complete the ritual.
ELIJAH: “Would you like me to repeat that again, now that Damon has his shirt back on, and has stopped seductively gulping?’
STEFAN and ELENA: “Yes, please!”
So, then Damon magically appears. And he asks Elijah the STELLAR question of WHY they have to wait until the Full Moon to kill Klaus, when they could just use Bonnie to do it RIGHT NOW! “Because Bonnie would DIE!” Elena replies.
“We’ll write her a great eulogy,” replies Damon.
You know, I’d actually be OK with that plan . . . after all, Stefan and Elena are great writers. That’s why they both keep DIARIES!
Now, I’m as big of an Eliah Fan, as the next gal. But even I have to admit, for all his cool magical powers and de-hearting abilities, the Original’s ACTUAL plan to save Elena from certain death was disappointingly lame. Come ON! A Fake Death Elixir? What is this Romeo and Juliet? Didn’t we just do the whole “Fake Death” thing with Bonnie? Do we really think that THE All-Powerful Klaus is dumb enough to fall for the same trick twice?
ELIJAH: “Would it help if I told you the elixir tastes like chocolate milk?”
To make matters worse, since the last Petrova Doppelganger . . . ummmm . . . VAMPED out on Klaus (foreshadowing much?), Elijah never actually got the chance to try out his little drink recipe. So, it’s not a sure thing. Nor does Elijah seem entirely sure that Bonnie won’t die ANYWAY, while she is using her powers to murder the momentarily vulnerable were-transforming Klaus. In short, Elijah’s Big Plan, seems like a Big Ole Load of Crap to Me . . .
Are you sure about that, buddy? Because it’s starting to sound like we CAN . . .
Conveniently enough, when Damon suggests that Elena wear the Ring of Immortality (something we actually KNOW works) to help stave off permanent death, during the ritual, Elijah shuts that idea down as well. “The ring only works on humans. The Doppelganger is a supernatural occurrence.”
A-HA! So, Elena is NOT entirely human! She’s a FAIRY, like Sookie on True Blood. That’s why all the boys want to bone her. The plot thickens . . .
Outside La Casa de Rich and Awesome, Damon chugs down his Power Breakfast of Bourbon and Tears . . .
While Damon tries his very best to get wasted before 10 a.m., Stefan lectures him about the importance of trusting in Elena (even though her plan to save her own life, now seems MORE RIDICULOUS THAN EVER)!
STEFAN: “Yeah, I don’t think the plan’s going to work either. But by pretending I do, my chances of getting laid tonight, by the Girl of Our Mutual Dreams increases tenfold . . .”
DAMON: “Well, in that case . . .”
This Brotherly Bonding Session is interrupted by a screaming Useless Aunt Jenna, who is currently threatening Alaric with his own CROSSBOW! (I’m liking this chick more, by the minute. That probably means she’s going to die soon . . .)
Alaric quickly proves he’s no longer AlarKlaus, by beginning to share with the Scooby Gang some kinky sex story about how Jeremy walked in on him and Jenna playing Hide the Salami in the Gilbert Home . . .
So, BOTH Gilbert kids caught Alaric and Jenna en flagrante! Clearly, these two are Closet Exhibitionists.
Once the crew is convinced that Alaric is not going to (1) compel any of them to stab themselves in the leg; or (2) start dedicating cheesy old love songs to them, the weapons are lowered, and Alaric is allowed to deliver his message. “The Sacrifice Ritual is to take place tonight,” he says, ominously.
With that pesky errand out of the way, Alaric is allowed to have a seat in the living room of La Casa de Rich and Awesome. There, he can put his feet up, and reminisce with his old pals about the Good Old Days of AlarKlaus. (Like that time when he threatened his girlfriend with a butcher knife . . . FUN!) Elena quickly tires of these old war stories, and wanders up to Damon’s bedroom, where, you might have noticed, she has been spending quite a bit of time lately . . . *clears throat*
Love is Never Having to Say “I Made You Drink My Arm.”
There’s nothing like a little FORCE FEEDING to ruin an otherwise Perfectly Good Romantic Moment Between Two Extremely Attractive, and Sexually Active, Individuals! What’s the deal, TVD writers? Did a Delena Fan pee in your Cheerios? Why can’t we ever catch a break, huh?
I’m going to let you watch the scene in its entirety first. And then we can talk about it . . .
What’s interesting about this scene is how much it parallels the one from “The Last Dance.” In both cases, we have Elena approaching Damon in his bedroom, in hopes of coming to an understanding with him about certain decisions that have been made relating to the Sacrifice.
On one level (at least, until the force feeding happens) it’s a sweet, and straight forward scene, in which Elena tries to assure Damon that she will NOT die in the Sacrifice, and that she will, in fact, return to him. In return, Damon tries to convey to Elena how risky this undertaking is, how much he fears for her safety, and how much he can’t bear the thought of her no longer being in his world. “I can’t lose you,” he admits to her.
Notice how Damon and Elena move continuously closer to one another as they speak. The scene is deceptive in that way, in that it APPEARS as though the pair are coming to understand where eachother are coming from, and finally finding common ground.
Interestingly enough, just like in that OTHER scene, communications between the pair break down, at what, on the surface, seems like the most intimate moment between them. In “The Last Dance” when Damon said, “I’ll always choose you,” Elena was clearly moved by the extent of his affection for her.
Likewise, here, when Elena holds and massages Damon’s hands, looking deeply into his eyes, as she says, “It’s my life, my choice,” Damon seems literally swept off his feet, by the clear evidence that Elena truly cares for him. Damon keeps staring from Elena’s hands, back to her eyes, as if he can’t believe she is showing him so much love and trust. Elena smiles, thinking that she has finally got through to him.
But she hasn’t. And it is at THIS MOMENT that you can SEE Damon planning out exactly what his next move is going to be. And it involves, of all things, the HANDS, or rather, the arms . . .
When Elena turns to leave, Damon hesitates, for a moment, just as Elena did in the final moments of “The Last Dance,” when she turned back to face Damon one final time, before she headed to the cellar to de-stake Elijah. But, ultimately, just like Elena did then, Damon pushes all doubts about what he’s going to do out of his mind. He corners Elena at the door. And THIS happens . . .
“Now be a good little girl, and drink your blood. Open WIDE . . . here comes the Choo Choo Train!”
Then Stefan comes in. And the two brothers start beating the sh*t out of eachother AGAIN . . . at least, until Damon STAKES Stefan. And if you thought the romantic mood was ruined before, it’s SO Dead and Buried NOW!
“You are SUCH a cock block, Stefan Salvatore!”
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t actually think that becoming a vampire (at least, in terms of how the show portrays the existence) is this Big Awful Thing that Elena believes it is. (More on THAT later.) But DAMON does.
Remember, this is the Damon who cried in The Descent (more foreshadowing) about how much he missed his humanity. This is also the Damon who held a grudge against Stefan for a CENTURY for manipulating him into turning into a vampire, all those years ago, when DAMON wanted die, after seemingly losing Katherine FOREVER.
Is anyone else as extremely turned on by this as I am?
In fact, nothing if not self aware, DAMON, himself, realizes the inconsistency of his actions, when he says to Elena, almost comically, “Go ahead, wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me, you’ll get over it.”
But it’s clear that, by the time Alaric and Jenna come to break up the fight (Boy, Jenna really got a Crash Course in Vampirism in the past two episodes, didn’t she?), Damon has already realized the error of his ways. And this is why he spends the rest of the episode trying to right his wrongs, by attempting to foil Klaus’ Sacrifice Ritual, in order to buy Elena another month, so that the next time, she can go about defeating Klaus in her extremely dumb way.
“You know, she will never forgive you,” Elijah tells Damon (Perhaps, talking from personal experience?). “And for a vampire, NEVER is an extremely long time.”
Unfortunately, grudges and the inability to let go are things DAMON understands all too well . . .
As Stefan drinks from a blood bag, and learns a very important lesson about how you shouldn’t “run with lamp posts,” Alaric and the No Longer All that Useless Aunt Jenna share a sweet moment outside Damon’s bedroom — one which only seems to further fortell Jenna’s DOOM. “I’m glad you’re OK,” U.A.J. whispers, before she pulls Alaric in for a kiss . . .
Nothing like being possessed by an Evil Vampire to make your girlfriend conveniently forget that you never told her you were MARRIED . . .
Meanwhile, at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls . . .
Lizard Forbes Strikes Again (Can someone please KILL HER already?)
To Do List: (1) Seduce daughter’s soon-to-be-ex boyfriend. (2) Plot daughter’s murder with soon-to-be-ex boyfriend. (3) Eat puppies and kittens for lunch. (4) Kick babies in the head for fun. (5) Perform various acts of devil worship at the Local Church.
Caroline visits Matt Donovass Benedict Arnold at work. She’s happy and perky, and doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary in their MASSIVE SHAM of a relationship. They make out, and I throw up in my mouth a little bit.
CAROLINE: “You smell like my mom. The two of you must use the same cologne and aftershave.”
MATT: “Not usually, but she let me borrow hers this morning after our shower.”
CAROLINE: “What?”
MATT: “Oh nothing . . .”
Caroline excuses herself, to go run a few errands. So, Matt immediately rushes over to the next table to gossip with Lizard, and plot his girlfriend’s demise . . .
In Matt’s (slight) defense, he does seem to have eased up a bit on the GALLONS of Lizard Kool Aid he’s been drinking over the course of the past few episodes. “Caroline seems pretty much to be EXACTLY the same person she’s always been, since he met her. So, why are we so intent on killing her again?” Matt wonders.
“Open your legs and spread em . . . Oh, and pull down your pants too . . . It’s standard police procedure.”
“Because I’m an evil harpy, with no redeeming personality traits.” Lizard replies. Apparently, having been raised to despise all vampires, and having been fooled so completely by Damon, Lizard would rather kill her own daughter, than believe that a vampire could actually be a kind and decent being. And here’s what I have to say about that . . .
Seeing that she no longer has his full support, Lizard kicks Matt out of the Kill Caroline Club. Seemingly having seen the error of his ways, Matt calls Caroline (we assume) to warn her about her murderous mom. But given his actions later, we can’t help but wonder whether he ACTUALLY called to lure her into some sort of trap . . .
“So, I was thinking maybe you and I could go out hunting on our next date. Well, actually, I’d hunt, and you’d be the target. It worked for Dick Cheney!”
Also hanging out at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls . . .
Team Bad Ass (Reunited and it feels SO GOOD!)
ALARIC: “So, I was thinking that tonight (like every night) we’d celebrate me getting my body back, by getting completely wasted and trying to recreate our own version of the movie The Hangover.”
DAMON: “Fine . . . but I get to be Bradley Cooper’s character.”
ALARIC: *pouts* “But I wanted to be HIM!”
Since the acts of (1) ensuring the Love of his Life an eternity of Miserable Bloodsucker-dom; and (2) almost murdering his brother with his favorite lamp TOTALLY killed his morning buzz, Damon decides to head back to the bar and commence with some SERIOUS catch up boozing. Alchy Alaric, of course, is more than happy to join in the festivities. “I screwed up,” Damon mopes.
“Yeah, you did,” replies Alaric. (I LOVE THESE TWO!)
But alas, this bromantic buddy moment is interrupted by an unwelcome guest . . . “Why so glum?” Inquires someone VERY BRITISH.
After thanking the Drunken History Teacher for the “loner” of his body, Klaus turns his attention to Damon, who, taking a page out of Mr. “I Don’t Believe in Confrontation” Stefan’s book, politely asks Klaus if he could . . . you know . . . maybe wait a month, before killing Elena, and beginning his Quest for World Domination. But Klaus, having already waited 500 YEARS for the opportunity to perform this ritual, isn’t in a particularly patient mood. “The Sacrifice is tonight . . . don’t screw it up,” Klaus warns, before exiting Stage Left.
“You’re going to screw it up, aren’t you?” Alaric asks, with mild amusement.
“You’ll help, right?” Damon asks, already knowing what the answer will be.
And with that, Team Bad Ass stumbles out of the bar on a mission that will undoubtedly be EPIC . . .
These two REALLY need their own theme song. Any suggestions?
Speaking of walking (and walking . . . and walking . . .)
Shrink Stefan and his “Miraculous” Waterfall Therapy
STEFAN: “So, Elena. Tell me about your parents untimely death, and how it made you FEEL . . . Oh, wait . . . never mind . . . I was there.”
I’m seriously starting to wonder if, during part of his 160 plus years on Earth, Stefan went to medical school and opened his own psychiatric practice. Because, seriously, this guy is more into talking about “feelings” than any other non-shrink male I’ve ever seen! And when Stefan begins to recognize that Elena might by holding back her feelings about very likely becoming a vampire in the immediate future, he spends the rest of the episode trying to get her to “OPEN UP” to him.
(So . . . basically, this week, we have one brother Kicking Ass and Taking Names, and the other one Getting Teary Eyed over Pretty Waterfalls. Not judging . . . just sayin’.)
“Look Elena . . . a DOUBLE RAINBOW! It’s SO BEAUTIFUL!”
Stefan brings Elena to an admittedly picturesque waterfall, and suggests they climb to the top of it. “Today is all about YOU,” he tells her (which would be a whole lot nicer of a sentiment, if Elena didn’t seem so completely AGAINST the idea of an extended hike).
ELENA: “Can’t we just stay home and watch episodes of True Blood on DVD or something?”
I’ll admit I giggled a bit, when Elena inquired as to why Stefan wasn’t going to use his Super Power Vampire Jumpy Thing to get her to the top of the mountain.
*Edward Cullen scoffs judgmentally at the notion of allowing one’s human girlfriend to (gasp) ACTUALLY USE HER FEET*
Despite Elena’s continual complaints, Stefan and Elena eventually hike up to the top of a mountain, while Stefan gently, but persistently, prods Elena to bare her soul to him. (Now, if this was DAMON and Elena at the top of the mountain, I’m guessing that SOUL baring would probably not be of the utmost concern. Methinks those two would be spending Elena’s Final Day as a Human screwing like bunny rabbits on that mountain top!)
But FEELINGS is what Stefan wants. So feelings is what Stefan is going to get . . .
Though the pair is generally pretty open (almost to a fault) regarding other aspects of their relationship, the notion of Eternity Together was a topic regularly skirted by this couple. Much of this, I suspect, had to do with the fact that Elena was never really “into” the whole idea of “living forever.” And Stefan, who instinctively knew this, felt that having that information out in the open would put a serious damper on their sex lives.
ELENA: “I wonder if the two of us will still be this good in bed, when we are both old and . . . oops, never mind.”
But after HOURS of relentless prodding on Stefan’s part, Elena FINALLY breaks down and monologues about how she looked forward to a life of making choices. She wanted to have babies, and get married, and grow old (OK, who the HECK actually wants to grow old? Seriously, Elena! Babies? maybe. OLD? Definitely NOT!) “I don’t want to be a vampire. I never wanted to be one,” Elena sobs.
“I know you didn’t,” replies Stefan sadly, as he pulls her in for an embrace.
Now, maybe this is just because I’m shallow, and deathly afraid of aging, but, aside from NEVER being able to have kids (But you could ADOPT, Elena!), I don’t really see what’s so awful about being a vampire . . . particularly when (like Elena) you are surrounded by OTHER vampires who can teach you how to do it, without losing your humanity, in the process. Would I want to live forever? Probably not. But, hey, you could always WALK OUT INTO THE SUN whenever you get really tired of being undead! So, what’s the big deal?
Perhaps, the REAL problem is that Elena isn’t so sure she wants to spend eternity with STEFAN, hmm?
In all seriousness, I understand that Damon (who knew firsthand, what it was like to LOSE ones humanity, and actually miss it) ideally, should have given Elena the CHOICE of whether she wanted to turn into vampire. On the other hand, from Damon’s perspective, this is a 17-year old girl who’s basically deciding to COMMIT SUICIDE! Here Elena is talking about all the “choices” she’s not going to get to make, once she becomes a vampire. But, would she REALLY get to make any of the choices ANYWAY, if Klaus killed her?
When you think of it that way, the issue really isn’t so black-and-white. Certainly, Elena’s statement that Damon doesn’t know what LOVE is, because he’s not willing to let her KILL HERSELF, before she’s of legal voting age, seems a bit misguided . . .
In significantly LESS Maudlin Couple News . . .
Throw Mama from the Stairs (and the Eagerly Awaited return of Forwood)!
TYLER’S MOM: “Yes, Scary (soon-to-be dead) witch dude, I will gladly fall down a flight of stairs to make Forwood Happen. Because, unlike some OTHER moms on this show, I actually VALUE my kid’s happiness, and would prefer him not to DIE.”
When we last saw Tyler’s mom, Elijah had conveniently taken her off vervain, so that he could . . . borrow her Dead Husband’s Suits? This week, Klaus’ Witch Buddy Maddox, seemingly compels her (though, honestly, I didn’t know witches could do that) to call Tyler, and tell him that she was in an accident, just moments before he magically pushes her down the steps. Now, we can assume that Maddox did this to further Klaus’ plan to “acquire” Tyler as a werewolf in his sacrifice ritual. But could Elijah’s de-vervaining of Mrs. Lockwood have been part of the Master Plan as well? Only time will tell . . .
(On a brighter note, at least, we know Elijah’s on Team Forwood!)
So, Tyler returns to Mystic Falls . . .
. . . to visit his mother at the hospital . . .
Outside the hospital, Tyler runs into Caroline, who is ALSO en route to pay her respects to his Mom . . .
It should, perhaps, be noted here that Jules has NO SOUL, and was COMPLETELY against the idea of Tyler visiting his OWN MOTHER at the hospital, so close to the time of their transformation. But even Jules knows True Love when she sees it, and is willing to give Tyler and Caroline some alone time to have SUPER HOT MAKEUP SEX “catch up.”
Let the INSANE CHEMISTY, LONGING LOOKS, and NEARLY UNBEARABLE SEXUAL TENSION ENSUE . . .
No wonder, Tyler needed this SEXUAL RELEASE, later on in the episode . . .
Clearly, both Tyler and Caroline have grown in their month apart from one another. For his part, Tyler seems to have mellowed significantly, since his last Caroline encounter. This is not the headstrong, impulsive, alpha male of Lockwood yore. This is a guy who thinks, before he speaks.
You can tell immediately that Tyler is thrilled to see Caroline, and that he is still just as in love with her, as he was the day he left Mystic Falls. But he knows how bad things were between the two of them when he left, and doesn’t want to push their relationship into uncomfortable territory. So, Tyler holds back . . . and hesitates, saying little with his mouth, but VOLUMES with his ever-expressive eyes.
Caroline TOO has changed since Tyler left. But HER change, was largely a change in heart toward Tyler. She realized how much she missed his friendship. She was clearly hurt, when he left without saying goodbye. And Caroline, for sure, is not going to let Tyler skip town, without getting some answers . . .
“You’re leaving again? Your explanation must have got lost in the mail . . . along with my goodbye letter,” challenges Caroline.
Tyler ponders the face of the woman he loves, wanting to say more . . . and then the Cock Block TWINS, Maddox and Greta, give them both Witchy Migraines and cart them away. (Presumably, Jules was nearby, when this occurred . . . But, since none of the fans really give a rats ass about her, nobody seemed to notice this, until MUCH later.)
Don’t worry Tyler! One of those two Bitchy Witches won’t live to see next week’s promos . . .
Tyler and Caroline Experiment with S&M . . . AGAIN
“I can see why this appeals to you, Tyler, but I’ve always been more of a Missionary Position kind of gal.”
“What are your thoughts on Doggy Style?”
The last time Tyler and Caroline played with chains, only Tyler was involved in the BONDAGE aspect of the foreplay . . .
But when the pair wake up from their Matching Witch Headaches, they are BOTH all chained up with no where to go . . .
Caroline immediately figures out that she and Tyler have been the Lucky Chosen Contestants in the Klaus Sacrifice Game Show. Unfortunately, since poor Tyler has been absent awhile, he hasn’t had time to DVR the last few episodes of TVD. So, Caroline quickly fills him in on who Klaus is, and on how the Sun and Moon Curse is a Big Ole ‘Fake.
“Well, that kind of sucks. Its a good thing I always carry my trusty flask, for situations like this . . .”
Since it doesn’t seem like they are going to be GOING ANYWHERE any time soon, Caroline, taking a page out of her Vamp Daddy Shrink Stefan’s book, decides now is as good a time as any to get Tyler to open up about the whole Abandonment Thing. “Why didn’t you say goodbye when you left? Why did you leave me?” Caroline asks, illustrating a vulnerability that warms Teen Wolf’s Heart.
“I know you hated me. I thought you deserved better than having someone like me in your life,” Tyler replies sadly.
“I was hurt. You turned your back on me when I needed you. But I could never hate you, Tyler, because I luuuuuuuuuuve youuuuu.”
“I really wish these chains were longer, so I can go over to your wall, and have End of the World Tomb Sex with YOU.”
“WORD!”
Seriously, I knew we were going to get some solid Forwood moments in this episode, but I was NOT expecting all this. These type of in-depth eloquent conversations are the stuff FANFICTIONS are made of (REALLY GOOD FANFICTIONS!). It’s just too bad about this whole pesky TOMB thing . . .
Fortunately, help is on the way . . .
Kat Gets BURNED (in more ways than one) . . .
KATHERINE: “So, how many times would you say you’ve had me up against a wall, since the start of this season? Like, once an episode?”
So, apparently, all Damon needed Alaric’s “help” with was getting invited back into Alaric’s house. (That’s odd. I thought Katherine let him in last time?) If you recall, Damon saved Katherine’s ASS last week, by giving her vervain, so Klaus couldn’t compel her anymore. Now, he’s back, and wanting to COLLECT on the favor. Specifically, Damon wants to know where Klaus is hiding Tyler and Caroline.
“In your pants?”
Though Katherine, being KATHERINE, is initially unreceptive to Damon’s pleas for help, the threat of a Vampire Elena stealing Stefan’s heart for ALL ETERNITY causes her to change her tune, rather quickly. “They are in the tomb,” she admits.
Moments after Damon leaves, Klaus returns, and begins to suspect that Katherine is on vervain, and, therefore, non-compel-able. So, he plays a little game with her to “test” his hypothesis. And we all know how much FUN Klaus’ games can be . . .
So, while the Salvatore Brothers and Caroline use their Sunscreen Rings to prevent from “burning,” Katherine apparently prefers an elegant gold bracelet. Klaus makes her take it off, so she can “go get tan.”
You see, that’s the problem with having to PRETEND TO BE COMPELLED when you’re not. It only makes it that much more painful to do all the Crazy Crap you don’t want to do Finally convinced that Katherine is not on vervain, Klaus asks Katherine for a special favor, of the non-sexual variety. (She’s been getting that a lot, lately . . .)
