This Girl is on Fire! – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “She’s Come Undone”

Well . . . that’s one way to get guys to think you are hot . . .

Hey there Fangbangers!  This week on TVD, Elena Gilbert felt the burn, figuratively and literally.

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Also this week, literally EVERYONE in Caroline’s life became Silas  .  . .

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So, keep your fire extinguisher handy, Fangbangers, because this one is going to be a scorcher . . .

This is your brain on Damon Salvatore . . .

“I’m actually at school?  What is this?  Some alternate universe where my character is still on Degrassi: The Next Generation?”

We begin our episode on a lovely sunny school day.  The sun in shining.  The birds are singing.  Caroline is bragging about being named valedictorian.  Bonnie is smiling . . . wait . . . Bonnie is smiling?  This HAS to be fake.

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“Dammit!  Why did I have to make Bonnie smile?”

Yes, it appears that Damon has been Inception-ing Elena, in an attempt to convince her to come back to Team Humanity.

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But to no avail . . .

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I love the goofy moment, where we pan back from Elena’s “dream,” to see Damon standing around with his eyes closed . . .

It reminded me why they don’t usually show the “manipulation” part of Dream Manipulation on these shows.  I mean, compulsion from a vampire’s perspective always looks cool.  There’s no doubt about that . . .

But Dream Manipulation from a vampire perspective looks like  . . . well . . . a nap.

It’s kind of like that move Avatar.  If taken from the human perspective, all that running around in the forest, riding on giant dragon-birds, using your blue tails to have sex, and saving the world from that Evil Army Dude, would just look like some guy sleeping in a coffin-like object, while getting powdered donuts fed to him intravenously through a tube . . .

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Anywhoo, since Damon gets a big fat F in the gradebooks for his attempts to Inception Elena back into a “good little girl,” he reverts to something that he KNOWS will earn him an A+ . . . Torture.

That’s right, Fangbangers!  Damon and Torture go together like Damon and Showering . . .

How to Lose Friends and Alienate Vampire Barbies . . .

Peace-loving Caroline, who cured herself of her vampire anger issues, a mere two days after being turned . . .

 . . . doesn’t believe the best way to Elena’s heart is through ripping out her stomach.  She’s convinced good old fashioned talking will do the trick.  And so the perky blonde flounces her way into the Salvatore Correctional Institute for Wayward Vampires, bearing her heart on her sleeve, and a peace offering . . . blood for the starving and dessicated Elena.  Hmmm . . . I wonder if it’s B positive?

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After Elena gorges greedily on the blood, she pointedly asks Caroline why she’s being so nice to Elena, after Elena has pretty much been the sh*ttiest friend ever to her . . .

Caroline admits to Elena that . . . yeah . . . people who try to eat her don’t typically make it to the top of her best friend list . . .

(Actually it kind of seems like most of Caroline’s friends have tried to eat her at one point or another . . .)

But Caroline doesn’t love Elena for the heinous b*tch she’s been these past few episodes.  She loves her for the Special Snowflake she’s been throughout all these other episodes!

(Loving Elena is a prerequisite for being a character on this show!)

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So, of course, Evilena does what she always does when confronted with kindness.  First she insults the Kind Person . . .

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Then she tries to rip off the kind person’s face with her teeth . . .

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So, Caroline does what any rational girl would do in such a situation.  She breaks Elena’s neck . . .

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And so, after a brief dalliance with Peacekeeping, it’s back to TORTURE TIME!

Rendezvous with Mean Girls

Meanwhile, over at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls, Rebekah is drinking her feelings, when she comes upon the only male character left on the show, with whom she hasn’t had sex (yet) . . . Matt.

“Hey hot stuff.  Have you ever seen a 1,000-year old girl naked?”

“Shouldn’t you be hanging out on that New Spinoff with the rest of your ancient relatives?”

“Stop ripping out my heart with your continuous rejection of me!”

Matt casually lets it slip that he’s going to probably be stuck in Mystic Falls, cleaning vomit off bartops, forever.  This is because he’s been too busy running from werewolves and ghosts, and evading inevitable apocalypses to actually do homework, or study for any of his classes.  This gives Rebekah an idea . . .

Over at another diner/ bar type place . . . (one that can’t be in Mystic Falls, since we know there is only one Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls) Bonnie has a secret meeting with Elena’s Doppelganger Katherine Pierce.  It turns out that Katherine still has Silas’ headstone, and Bonnie wants it BAD . . .

For a girl who doesn’t need to eat, Katherine sure spends a lot of time in diners .  . .

It has something to do with Silas, and the veil, and the apocalypse, and blah, blah, blah.  All this mythology talk gives me a headache.

Just bring back my Alaric, Kol, and Jer Bear mmm-kay?

The rest of it, I could care less about, honestly . . .

Back at the Salvatore Correctional Institute for Wayward Vampires . . .

Bad Girls Don’t Get Nice Jewelry

“Do you realize that torturing Elena together is the closest you and I will probably ever get to that threesome we always dreamed about?”

Damon and Stefan have Elena tied to a chair in front of a window.  Also, Damon has stolen Elena’s sunscreen ring.  Now, that’s gotta hurt . . .

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Actually, Damon, I think bad girls steal nice jewelry . . .

Damon and Stefan kind of have the whole good cop / bad cop dynamic a bit messed up here.  Stefan is clearly trying to play good cop.  He keeps Dr. Phil-ing Elena into talking about her “feelings” . . .

 . . . while Damon is throwing out the one liners, like it’s his job (which, lets face it, it pretty much always has been).

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The only problem, of course, is that Stefan is the one who keeps ripping back the curtain to burn Elena  .  . .

“The good news is that all this face burning, is making my teeth look super white!”

 . . . and this pretty much makes him the Worst Good Cop Ever . . .

Stefan and Damon decide to take a break from burning Elena’s boobies off to let her insult them both.  She reminds Stefan she dumped him, and Damon that she was sire bonded to him.  And blah, blah, blah . . .

But just when I’m about to get bored, Elena turns around and does something REALLY interesting . . .

“I am vampire hear me ROARRRRR!”

“I imagined this going a bit differently in my head . . .”

Because the last Sunshine Shock Treatment Elena received enabled her to burn through the ropes on her wrists, she breaks free from her spot on the chair, and actually FULL ON SETS HERSELF ON FIRE!  (Katniss Everdeen a.k.a. The Other Girl on Fire is not impressed . . .)

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Damon jumps into action and “extinguishes Elena,” reminding Damon fans everywhere what a sexy firefighter Damon would make (and what a long hose he probably has) . .  .

Firefighter fantasies notwithstanding, this is not a proud moment for our Sexy Salvatore Duo.  Elena is lying on the floor laughing in their faces.  After all, she’s just proved that, try as they might to be mean and menacing, these two could never truly hurt their Special Snowflake.  So, no matter how many times they put her in the proverbial hot seat, she really has nothing to fear.  Alas, this appears to be another Moonstone in the Soapdish Moment for poor Damon . . .

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It’s time for the brothers to call in The Reserves . . .

Study Buddies and Burgers

“Someone once told me that the way to a man’s heart was through his clogged arteries.”

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“Awesome, now I won’t have to eat my dinner out of the Mystic Grill trash compactor.”

Caroline is crazy jealous and hurt, when Beks crashes her and Matt’s Let’s B*tch About Evil Elena Session to feed him, and help him pass all those classes he’s been failing.  It turns out, Caroline didn’t even know Matt was flunking out!

Caroline has always been portrayed as the fashion conscious social butterfly of the show . . . The Joiner.  But it makes sense that she would be a TOTAL Rachel Berry, when it comes to academics, just like she is in every other aspect of her life . . .

For Caroline, her ex-boyfriend’s failure at school is simply not an option (nor is leaving him alone to study with that vixen, Rebekah).  And so, off Vampire Barbie dashes to grab her arsenal of adorable pink flash cards, fantastic array of multi-colored highlighters, and sugar free energy bars.  “You dated That?”  Beks jokes.  (Watch out, Beks.  Your brother might just end up dating That too . . .)

While Caroline’s away (more on that in a bit), Beks kindly offers to compel Matt some passing grades, and a college scholarship, so that he can FINALLY get out of this godforsaken town.   It’s a sweet offer from the girl who once ran Matt’s car off a road, and almost killed him.  (Oops.)

Umm . . . check the bottom of the lake.

The Original Vampire kind of DOES owe the Bar Boy a favor or twenty.  And while giving Mr. Blue Collar a ticket into the Lower Middle Class wouldn’t entirely erase the whole Attempted Murder Thing from these two’s history together, it sure would be a nice start.  But NOOOOOO, Matt has to be all “honorable” and pass his classes the “old fashioned way” . . . by using his smart phone to teach him Italian.

Sometimes people are too good for their own good.   You know what I mean?

The Doppel-BANGER!

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At first Stefan’s “Genius Plan” to get Katherine to scare Elena’s humanity seems to be going swimmingly well . . .

The two insult one another.  They rough each other up a little bit . . .

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Well, would you look at that?  Nina Dobrev is beating the sh*t out of herself.   How very Fight Club of her!

Of course, you would think that after 170 some odd years, Stefan would have finally learned that Katherine will never EVER do what the Salvatore Brothers want her to do.  And this time is no exception . . . Katherine sets the captive Elena free!

Silly Stefan.  One day, you’ll learn that whenever you play with fire, you inevitably will end up getting burned . . .

Speaking of getting burned . . .

Silas, Silas Everywhere . . .

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It is like something out of fanfiction.  Klaus leaving his Baby Mama Drama in New Orleans to return to his lady love in Mystic Falls.  He begs her to escape her humdrum apocalyptic vampire life to come live with him in the Treme.  He forces her to admit that her hatred of him has morphed into something else entirely.  And, for the first time, she doesn’t exactly deny it . . .

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He invades her personal space, so she’s up against a tree . . .  his breath hot against her ear.  And then, he has to go and ruin it all, by making an offhand comment about feathers . . .

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So, wait.  Now, I’m confused.  Since when did Klaus become Elena?

Just kidding.  It’s that MIND RAPIST, whose real face looks like a cross between Lord Voldemort and the Sith from those Star Wars movies . . .

SILASSSSSSS!

He wants to send a message to Bonnie that she should come out of hiding OR ELSE.  And apparently that “message” involves staking Caroline.

“Why is everybody always temporarily killing me?”

Later that night, Caroline wakes up from her little death nap.

“I just had the most awful nightmare.”

Fortunately, Matt is there to comfort her . . .

I’m sorry.  Did I say “Matt,” I meant SILAS . . .

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Seriously?

Then Klaus pops up again, and he’s Silas too!

“I’m getting too old for this sh*t.”

Worried that Silas will kill her mother, Caroline rushes home.  Then Bonnie appears at the window, out of no where, to tell Caroline that her MOM IS SILAS TOO!

“I haven’t been this villainous, since that time I tried to have my daughter killed, because I found out she was a bloodsucker.”

Feeling trapped, Bonnie eventually walks off with Silas and his Real Ugly face, leaving Caroline to tend to her maybe-dead mother, in the back room.  What a b*tch!

As much as I’ve never been a big fan of the Lizard, I must admit, I got a little teary, when Caroline huddled over her and wished her back to life, a la Simba and Mufasa at the beginning of the Lion King.

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Actually, I Ugly Cried . . .

But then Lizard Forbes came back to life!  And all was right in the world!

Well, almost . . .

Attempt to Return Elena’s Humanity #562 (Spoiler Alert: This one actually works.)

After laying it into Katherine a bit for being just as crappy at helping Elena get back her humanity as everyone else on the show has been . . .

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 . . . Damon comes up with another idea . . .

This one involves Matt . . .

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At first this Plan #562 seems pretty darn similar to the 561 before it.  Matt finds Elena in the woods.  And he tells her she’s his oldest friend, and blah, blah blah . . .

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So, she eats him . . .

He passes out .  . . and wakes up.  So, she tries to eat him again.  But Damon gets there first.  And Damon .  . . KILLS MATT?

What’s this?  Is Elena actually SAD that Matt is dead?

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But wait.  JUST KIDDING!  He’s wearing that Jamaican Me Crazy Immortality Ring!  Hooray!

Matt’s ALIIIIIIIVE!  Elena’s humanity is BACK!  I think there’s just something about Matt that always represented a sort of youth and innocence she shared with him, before her parents died.  When Elena was with Matt she was perky, untarnished, and pure.  And that’s ultimately why I think it was his potential death that ended up effecting her enough to trigger her to put her humanity switch back into the “ON” position.

In short, the 562nd time was, in fact, the charm.  Damon Salvatore (and Matt) for all the awards . . .

But, of course, now, Elena is SUPER DUPER SAD about Jer Bear being dead, and about what a piece of sh*t she’s been these past few weeks.  I mean, girlfriend KILLED A WAITRESS!  And worse.  .  . she dyed her hair pink!  Oh the humanity . . . literally.

Stefan instantly reverts back to Dr. Phil mode . . .

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A few weeks back, we all harped a bit on Damon for using the sire bond to get Elena to turn ALL of her emotions off, when he could have just as easily just gotten her to lose ONE emotion . . . like say “sadness.”  This week, Stefan gets into a similar semantic kerfuffle with the extremely LITERAL Elena.

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Silly Stefan!  He thought his advice to Elena would turn her emotions into hearts, teddy bears and roses.  Maybe he even thought it would help him get laid.  Instead, it made Elena dead set on murdering the woman who killed Jer Bear, turned Caroline into a vampire,  brought Klaus to Mystic Falls, and stole the cure . . . her evil twin from the past . . . her doppelganger . . . Katherine Piece . . .

Katherine . . . the very same girl, who just entered into an alliance with Bonnie Bennett for the destruction of Silas, in exchange for her own shot at indestructibility.   Oh hell yes!  I think of all the Elena’s we’ve met this season, I’m going to like Homicidal Maniac Elena best of all . . .

Next week on The Vampire Diaries . . . The Apocalypse . . . and Kol . . . though not necessarily in that order . . .

Until next time, Fangbangers!

[www.juliekushner.com] My New Tumblr (Just getting my feet wet.)  Fangirls Forever

A Good Day to Be an Underdog – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “We all go a little mad sometimes”

So many really great pornos started just like this.  Except, if this was a porno, Damon would be wearing a fireman’s hat or a Superman cape . . . and nothing else . . .

“We all go a little mad sometimes,” Fangbangers.  It’s a movie quote that I thought originated from the 90’s horror classic, Scream.

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But apparently, it’s even older than that . . . like, Psycho OLD . . .

The promos for this week’s episode (and its title) were misleading . . . in a good way.  What many of us thought would be a rather annoying episode about Elena’s Trip to Wacky Town  . . .

. . . actually ended up being less about our female protagonist’s episode-long psychosis, and more about the series‘ underdogs finally getting their time to shine, whether that meant getting the girl, saving the day, or making yet another hybrid’s head into a Pez dispenser, just to add some ink to their arm tattoos   . . .

Then again, whether Damon and Klaus could actually be considered underdogs on this show, is likely a point of contention among fans . . .

Nonetheless, “We all go a little mad sometimes,” was definitely a “game changer: of an episode, more of one, perhaps, than any of the episodes that preceded it, this season.  So, hold on to your heads, your hearts, and your sunscreen rings, because it’s time for another TVD-cap . . .

Why you should always think twice, before stabbing people in the carotid artery . . .

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JEREMY: “If you didn’t want me to make you waffles for breakfast, you could have just said so.”

You know what sucks about hallucinating that every single person you know looks exactly like That Dude You Killed?

“I must just have one of those faces . . .”

Well, aside from the obvious, there’s a really good chance, you’ll end up murdering your baby brother in the kitchen, by jabbing a steak knife into his carotid artery.

Sh*t happens . . .

First of all, you’ve really got to hand it to Elena Gilbert.  I mean, I’ve heard of people who sleep walk, sleep talk, sleep eat, even sleep drive, but Sleep Kill?  Now, that’s impressive . . .

The episode begins with Elena awakening from a bad dream, and heading to the kitchen for a hot drink, only to find Hotty the Ex Vampire Slayer, standing before her all broody and bloody.  For a guy who got knifed in voice box, Dead Connor sure is chatty. He’s yammering on and on to Elena about how he has a brother, and how he died in an unmarked grave, and Boo Hoo Hoo WAHHHH.

Could you really blame Elena for wanting to shut him up again, by poking a fork in his kneck, like a chef testing how well his meat is cooked?  Except, there’s one slight problem.  Connor doesn’t exist anymore.  And Mini Gilbert just so happens to be standing in his place . . .

“If you people don’t stop poking holes in my body, every time you go temporarily insane, or are just in a really bad mood, I’m going to compel myself back to Denver . . .”

That makes a whopping THREE deaths for Jeremy, who had his neck snapped by Damon, in Season 2, and was shot by Sheriff Forbes at the end of that same season.  This new death, at the hands of his own sister, doesn’t quite land Jeremy in Alaric territory . . . I mean, that guy died like 580 times .  . .

. . . and lord knows how many times Rebekah and Elijah have met the sharp end of that White Oak stake.

However, it still gives Mystic Falls’ resident Scrappy Doo a one up on his sister, who, so far, has only croaked twice . . .which, on this show, is like a walk in the park . . .

While Elena waits for her brother’s Ugly Ass Ring of Immortality to kick in, she calls Damon for moral support.  After all, if anyone knows what it feels like to temporarily kill Jeremy Gilbert, it’s Damon.

Also, Saint Stefan’s vampire buzzkill ways, coupled with a few recent fibs on his part, not to mention the surprise resurgence of his obviously sexual relationship with one Klausipoo (Come on, those two aren’t fooling ANYBODY!) have been enough to move the younger Salvatore brother down one notch on Elena’s Emergency Contacts list . . .

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STEFAN: *whistles uncomfortably*

But then Damon calls Stefan to come over . . . I think because the poor blue-eyed vamp has become so used to getting denied nookie on this show that he’s started to cockblock himself . . .

Except Elena doesn’t want to talk to Stefan, she wants to have We Both Killed Jeremy Gilbert Once, But that Doesn’t Necessarily Make Us Bad People Sex with Damon! take a shower, thank you very much!

 

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This would be a great commercial for dishwasher detergent.  “Look NO DISHPAN HANDS!”

Unfortunately, for Elena, once she’s alone again, her hallucinations start kicking back into high gear.  What’s a baby vamp to do?

“Eat my feelings?”

Elsewhere in Mystic Falls . . .

There Ain’t No Party Like a Headless Hybrid Party . . .

Tyler, Hayley, and the rest of their Wacky Woof Pack have apparently spent the night repeatedly toasting to the life of That Random Hybrid that Got Blown Up Last Week, but not to the life of That Random Hybrid Who Got His Head Chopped Off Two Weeks Ago, thus proving that, much like high school, every Wacky Woof Pack has it’s jocks that people actually care about, and its mathletes that they don’t.  Sucks to be you, Headless Hybrid Number 22!

Then, Hayley does this thing where she seductively feeds Tyler booze from her finger.  And I guess it’s supposed to be sexy.  But as anyone who’s actually been up all night partying knows, all-night partiers’ fingers are the last places you want to be licking (well, almost the last places), because you have no idea where they’ve been . . .

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“Contrary to popular belief, my mouth is NOT your sink.”

Caroline comes flouncing in at that moment in a huff to engage in the ex-girlfriend ritual of “returning ex-boyfriend’s belongings in a box.”

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I don’t know . . . taking the time to pack your exes crap in a box, just so you can hand deliver it to him . . . it seems like a lot of work to me.  Personally, I like to throw all my ex-boyfriends’ sh*t in my cat’s litterbox, and let her do the rest of the dirty work.  But that’s just me . . .

“I knew my hat smelled funny.”

It sure makes Klaus happy though, who just so “happens” to walk in at the moment all this is going down.  The Original Hybrid wastes absolutely no time giving Caroline those trademark googly eyes that say, “When you’re done playing FedEx Delivery Girl with Tyler, come play Naughty Nurse with me.”

But it looks like the joke might be on Klaus.  Because, the minute the blonde vamp exits stage right, Hayley and Caroline are patting one another on the back for a ruse well-played, and Tyler and Caroline are tonguing one another, like it’s their job.  (Be careful, Caroline.   Tyler’s tongue just had Hayley’s all-night party finger all over it.  Can you say, Germ Party?)

 

Turns out, the whole scene was just a ruse to throw Klaus off the gangs’ Master Plan to free all the hybrids from their Master’s Sire Bond.  In fact, one hybrid named Chris is already a success story.  Sorry Chris.  We all know what happens to hybrids who get a name that isn’t “Tyler,” don’t we?

Enjoy having a name, and partying with Sexy Finger-Sucking Hayley, while you can.  Because it looks like you just got a first class, one-way ticket to the Hybrid Pez Head Hall of Fame . . .

Adventures in Babysitting Elena Gilbert . . .

After paying his hybrids a visit, Klaus calls his boyfriend Stefan for a quick booty call.  I can’t tell you exactly what he says.  But I suppose it goes something like this:

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“Hey my Ripper Stud!  How’s it hanging?  Has your not-nearly-as-good-in-the-sack-as-me girlfriend started going all loony tunes from killing a vampire hunter yet?  She has?  So, in other words, both my love interests’ significant others are misbehaving, and making me look gooooood.  This must be my lucky day! Pull down your pants.  I’m coming over.”

Klaus explains to Stefan that part of the Curse of the Five is that, when a vampire kills one of them, the dead hunters spirit haunts that vampire until he or she offs herself . . . you know, permanently.  Klaus wants Stefan to lend him Elena to make sure she doesn’t rid the show of it’s main female protagonist.  Stefan is understandably leery of his boyfriend’s promise.  After all, we all know what happened the last time Klaus “borrowed,” Elena . . .

Unfortunately, for Stefan, Elena chooses this exact moment to mistake Damon for Dead!Connor.  And, within minutes, the latter rushes right into Klaus’ waiting arms . . .

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All of the sudden, this show just became one of those “zany” sitcoms, where the main character loses the kid he’s babysitting for, and has to go on all these CRAZY adventures, to find the kid, before The Parents get home . . .

A Christmas Carol – Mystic Falls Edition

Klaus locks Elena in one of those elegant-looking dungeons that all civilized super villains seem to have built into their homes.  It’s there that Crazy!Elena starts morphing into Mystic Falls’ version of Ebenezer Scrooge.  And just in time for the holidays!

We’ve already seen Elena be visited by the Ghost of Vampire Present, a.k.a Hot!Dead Connor. But now it’s time for Elena to get a glimpse into her vampire future, a.k.a Katherine.  I have to say, though I was initially annoyed that the writers took the time to bring back Elena’s Vixen Doppelganger, only to have her be little more than a figment of Schizo!Elena’s warped imagination, I kind of enjoyed watching Nina Dobrev so expertly turn her own alter ego to mush, with some awesomely biting insults.

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It’s hard being That Girl in the show or the movie, with whom all the hot supernatural creatures are madly in love, who always seems to need saving, and who is inadvertently responsible for most, if not all, of the untimely deaths in the series.  Because, as much as female fans might want to be you, a lot of them will also want to shove pointy objects up your ass, or, at the very least, feed you lard, and make your face break out in lots of pimples.  Just ask Bella Swan and Sookie Stackhouse . . .

So, while loving Vampire Diaries means, at least to some extent, loving Elena Gilbert, we all also hate her a little bit too.  And the part of us that hates her, got a real kick out of hearing our complaints about the character emerge directly from the mouth of Katherine Petrova . . .

In which I hope Professor Boo Radley doesn’t end up being this Silas Guy (because then I won’t be able to call him Professor Boo Radley anymore) . . .

Our Scooby Gang always seems to be searching for some “cure,” don’t they?  Just last week, they were hunting for a cure for vampirism, now they are seeking out a Cure for Crazy.  Their Pal Bon-Bon suggests that Professor Boo Radley might be just the guy to give them the answers they are seeking.

Worst Show and Tell EVER!

For the second time this season, we are subjected to another one of Boo Radley’s boring lectures about the occult . . .

.  . . except this one is about a seriously pissed-off dude named Silas, who literally lives under a rock.  It also raises some questions.  Could this Big Bad Silas guy be “the cure” to vampirism everyone is talking about?  Is Professor Boo Radley his alter ego, a la Clark Kent and Super Man?  Does this mean, I’m going to actually have to start listening to Professor Boo Radley, when he talks instead of sleeping, or taking a bathroom break, because his words might actually be important to the show’s mythology?  Man, I hope not . . .

As Matt cleverly pointed out, during his random chat with Damon at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls (Damon is still ordering drinks for Alaric, by the way.  How adorable is that?) . . .

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 . . . anyone who knows anything in this town is just assumed creepy, until proven otherwise.  And Professor Boo Radley sure does seem to know a lot about The Five.  Not only was he IN CAHOOTS with Hot!Connor, he also seemed to have been IN CAHOOTS! with that wackadoodle Pastor Young from the premiere episode.  Did I mention it was Professor Boo Radley, who conveniently clued in the rest of the Scooby Gang to the information they needed to secure Jeremy Gilbert’s status as a new vampire hunter?

Something smells fishy about Professor Boo Radley, and it’s not just all that gel he uses in his hair, or that his hippy dippy candlelit office probably reeks of patchouli.  It’s something else . ..  something BAAAAAAD . . .

In which we continue our trend of senselessly murdering hybrids, and Caroline takes her turn as the romantic lead . . .

Armed with the information they received about The Five, the Scooby Gang formulates a new two-pronged Save Elena plan.  First, free her from Klaus clutches, with the help of no-longer-sired-to-Klaus-hybrid Chris.  Then, get Jeremy to kill a vampire, thereby activating himself as a new member of The Five, and simultaneously breaking the hold DeadHOT! Connor has on Nutzo!Elena before she kills herself . . . again.

The first part seems like it should be easy.  After all, with Scooby Gang sympathizer Chris guarding her door, all Stefan really has to do is walk right in and free Elena, right.  Except, like I said, Stefan  is the Worst Babysitter in the World!

So, of course, two minutes after Stefan walks through that dungeon door, Elena is all, “Stefan, when did you turn into a hot bald black man who’s trying to kill me? AHHHHHHHH!”

She runs out.  And he loses her, AGAIN . . .

I know I shouldn’t be laughing at Stefan’s pain, and Elena’s psychoses, but I totally am . . .

Over at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls, Klaus flirts some more with Caroline.  And she uses her feminine wiles to get the Original Hybrid on board with the Scooby Gang’s plan to “activate Jeremy” and “save Elena.”

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Whether your Team Klaroline or Team Forwood, you have to admit, Candice Accola and Joseph Morgan are fun to watch on screen together.  Their chemistry is just so different than the one that exists between Caroline and Tyler, that it makes this new love triangle, which could come off as stale or cliche with lesser actors, something fresh and interesting . . .

That said, I couldn’t have been the only one rolling my eyes, when Klaus told Caroline that if Tyler was still sired to him, the baby hybrid would never hurt the Vampire Barbie.  REALLY?  Says the guy who, just last season, used his sire bond to get Tyler to POISON CAROLINE WITH HIS SALIVA and almost kill her, just so Klaus could come to her rescue?

Here’s some advice, Klaus:  when trying to woo your lady love, play toward your strengths: buying expensive jewelery and dresses, offering up exotic vacations, doing that panty-dropping smirk thing you do, drawing ponies . . .

Save the “Honorable Guy / Hero” stuff for your adversary, Tyler, because it just doesn’t work for you . . .

Shortly thereafter, in a scene that upset me more than I thought it would, Sort-of Anonymous Hybrid Chris runs into Klaus, just moments after helping Team Scooby and paving the way toward his freedom.  The Original Hybrid stabs the poor guy, and then steps aside while Sweet Little Jeremy hacks off the head of yet another hybrid, in order to . . . wait for it . . . SAVE ELENA . . . the only difference is that, unlike the first one he killed, this one was genuinely a nice guy.  Too bad the writers had to go and give him a name . . .

I know a lot of people were disappointed in Tyler for throwing that glass at the wall in anger, upon learning that, not only had he pretty much hand delivered his fellow pack member to certain death, but that Caroline agreed to go on a date with Klaus, in order to ensure that it would happen.  But personally, I think that anger was kind of justified, under the circumstances.  Old Season 1 Tyler probably would have broken a heck of a lot worse than a wine glass, had that happened to him . . .

In which Damon Salvatore saves the day (AND quotes an 80’s movie), all in the same hour!

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Damon uses his expert knowledge of Elena to conclude that her wackadoodle self ran off to Wickory Bridge, i.e. “the place where it all began.”  But before he can find her, we get a fun little scene where The Ghost of Elena’s Vampire Present (Hot!DEAD! Connor), and the Ghost of Elena’s Evil! Vampire Future (Missing! Vampire Katherine) team up with the Ghost of Elena’s Not-So-Vampire Past (Mommy!) team up for a fun little game I like to call “Get Elena to kill herself.”

Now, if Connor Ghost was creepy, and Katherine Ghost was intellectually satisfying, Mommy Ghost was just frigging hilarious, though,  I suspect the last was not entirely intentional.  Come on . . . the blank expression she had on her face . . . the Stepford Wife smile . . . her complete lack of irony, as she told Elena, “Hey, you were an awesome human daughter, but as a vampire, you suck.  You should totally throw yourself off the bridge, honey, and join your underwater parents, whose corpses might still be there.  It’s what a Good Daughter would do . . .

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“Hmmm . . . I wonder what I’m having for dinner tonight.  I’m so tired of fish.”

Dramatic music blares in the background, as Elena stares over the bridge, and THROWS AWAY HER SUNSCREEN RING . . .

Now, that’s just a waste of perfectly good jewelry, not to mention environmentally unsound.  Just think about all the fish with insanely small heads who might choke on that ring . . .

Fortunately, Yummy Damon appears just moments after Jeremy chopped off Poor Chris’ head, thereby breaking the Suicide Spell on Elena FOREVER . . . or, at least, until the show comes up with another Spell That Puts Elena’s Life in Danger . . .

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The two of them exchange A LOOK . . . you know, the one.  It’s a look that says.

DAMON: “Hey sexy.  I’m so glad your still dead, but not, you know . . . DEAD, DEAD.  I’d really like to have sex with you right here on this bridge, where you keep almost dying.”

ELENA: “Hey hot stuff.  I’m so glad you came to see me at the exact same spot where I chose Stefan over you, and was punished for doing so by DYING.  Also, I’d really like to have sex with you right on this bridge, because why not?“

Then, the SUN COMES UP, which would normally be poignant and romantic . . . a metaphor for LIFE AND HOPE, except . . .

Well . . . this is a dead chick we’re talking about who just threw her sunscreen ring in river, so . . . OOPS.

Worry not, it’s Damon to the rescue!  He grabs Elena, and jumps into the water with her like Superman, saving her supernatural jewelry, just like he saved her vervain necklace, back in the day.

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Except, this time, Elena is SUPER APPRECIATIVE .  . . so appreciative that when Damon comes to see her in her bedroom the following morning she . . . wait for it . . .

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. . . fondles his . . . fingers.

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DARN . . . so close, right?  But wait . . . there’s more.

“It’s not you, it’s me . . . and my vampire sex urges for your older brother.”

Elena and Stefan have a heart to heart on the porch, after self-sacrificing brother extraordinaire Damon finally came clean to Elena about the whole “vampire cure” thing.  But for those of us who assumed we’d be subjected to YET another Stelena makeup scene, BOY were we wrong.  In a confession that literally caused my jaw to drop, Elena admitted to Stefan that her feelings for DAMON were growing stronger, and that she was not the same person with whom Stefan fell in love.

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And in a confession that dropped my jaw further, Stefan AGREED.

And then, they BROKE UP!

Holy crap!  For four years, Delena fans have been waiting for Elena to FINALLY recognize and give in to her romantic feelings for Damon.  But we never expected it to happen like this . . . It all just seemed so . . .matter-of-fact?

In a way, it’s the perfect time for the writers to explore the Delena relationship.  Not only does it give a nice nod to how Damon and Elena came together in the book series, it also makes sense.  While Stefan’s adoration of Elena remains largely fixated on the person she was . . . Damon has shown her, time and time, again, this season, that he loves, not only the young woman she was, but also the vampire she’s becoming . . .  His love is without condition or judgment.

It is accepting of Elena’s new-found impulses and flaws.  And while Elena is learning to accept her new self, she needs to be with the kind of man who can accept her too . . .

If I had to express one gripe about the way all this went down, it would be that, in the context of the season, it seemed to come a bit out of left field.  I mean, sure, Delena fans have all spent long hours analyzing scenes that show Elena fighting her unresolved passions for Damon.  But if we are to believe now that Elena feels MORE passionate about Damon, since becoming a vampire, I would have liked to have seen a scene or two, before she made her confession, which illustrated this . . .

Because aside from that one that one scene at the frat party . . .

. . . and a very short scene, in which Elena appeared to be checking out Damon’s shlong, we haven’t really gotten much of that so far this season.

Then again, I strongly suspect that the best is yet to come.  After all, anyone who’s ever had a secret crush knows that it’s when you actually verbalize it to your friends that it becomes the most real.  Suddenly, those feelings are out there in the world, and “playing it cool.” is simply no longer an option.

Just in time for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. . .

Until next time, Fangbangers!

May Sweeps and April Fools – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “Do Not Go Gentle”

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“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 . . .

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Shameless excuse to use Damon shower gif?  CHECK!

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!

Let’s review, shall we?

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(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 . . .

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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 . . .

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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.

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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.

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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 . . .

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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.

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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?”

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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.

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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  . . .

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 . . . 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.

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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?

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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.

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Behold . . . the Eye Candy.

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.”

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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 . . .

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 . . . then from super crier, Elena . . .

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 . . . 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.

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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 . . .

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“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.

Buffy Alaric 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 . . .

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Get OUT of my HEAD! – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “Break on Through”

[Note:  The recap for “Murder of One is on it’s way!  Be sure to check back for it, within the next 24 hours.  It should be available no later than early Saturday morning, March 31.  Thanks for your patience!]

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Hey there, Fangbangers!  This week on TVD, Alaric hopped aboard the Crazy Train.  Both Damon and Rebekah learned the hard way why you should never let a 900-year old vampire touch your . . . head . . . in bed.  Bonnie rejoined the I Have Sh*tty Parents Club, membership: every single character on this show.  Stefan moved one step closer to becoming a “Social Drinker.”  And Elena . . . did a lot of pouting?  So, choke down a nice tall glass of “B Positive,” because it’s time for another TVD-cap . . .

“We are predators, not puppies.”

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Don’t you just hate it, when you are getting an MRI, and the mirror image above your head starts TOTALLY eye-f*cking you . . . but you can’t look away, because the technician running the machine told you not to move?  Alaric can relate . . .

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“Hey sexy, what’s shaking?  Whaddya say, after this we go hit up the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls, have a few drinks together and make some bad decisions.”

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“Well, that depends .  . . are YOU buying?”

While Alaric is busy being hit on by his Psycho Killer alter ego, Elena wonders out loud how Crazy Nanny Carrie / Meredith figured out that Alaric’s predilection for Man Jewelry was turning him evil.  (“Is there like a course for that in med school?”)  Meredith claims she learned this information from an old childhood story, regarding her ancestors.  “Fells are notorious busy bodies,” she jokes lamely . . . which, if you think about it, is exactly what got Vampire Journalist Logan Fell killed . . . and is probably what will ultimately kill Meredith/ Crazy Nanny Carrie.  (You know the famous saying, “Curiosity killed the Fell!”)

The CAT scan comes out normal, thereby proving that Alaric’s “Bad Seed” problem is a purely supernatural one.  It’s time to ditch the Man Jewelry, I guess!  Alaric gives the odious ring to Elena.  (Somewhere off screen, that Smeagol guy from Lord of the Rings, looks on with lust.)

“Don’t worry, Alaric!  Smeagol will take that Man Jewelry off your hands . . .”

Then, Damon magically appears to collect Alaric, and continue his three-season long foreplay with Elena.  Remember last week, when Elena caught the Salvatores chowing down at the “All Blonde Chick Buffet?”  Well, apparently, so does Elena.  And she uses it as the perfect opportunity to get under Damon’s skin . . .

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 . . . nevermind the fact that her guardian and her brother are still on a One-Way trip to Wacky Serial Killer Town.

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Apparently, Elena doesn’t think Damon is the best “Role Model,” when it comes to healthy neck eating habits.  All these different women!  Poor Steffie will get indigestion!  Instead, Elena suggests the “All Elena’s Arm” starvation diet . . . you know, because that worked SO WELL, last time . . .

Damon decides to lay down the law with Elena . . .

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“Hey!  What’s wrong with puppies aside from the fact that Stefan used to eat them?”

Deep down, both Damon and Elena know that, when it comes to Stefan, neither total abstinence, nor little nips of Doppelganger flesh, are long-term solutions to Stefan’s century long problem.  He needs yummy bags of Soccer Mom . . . and the occasional cute college co-ed!  He needs to go back to his vampire roots.  And most importantly, Stefan needs to learn a little self-control . . . which might have the unintended consequence of making him better in bed .  . . not as good as Damon, of course.  But better . . .

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Oh, I don’t know Elena . . . Damon has spent three seasons, doing this . . .

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  . . . and this . . .

 . . . and this . . .

 .  . . without jumping YOUR bones . . .

I think it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about “self control.”

Speaking of self-control . . .

“B Positive!”

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Over at the Bennett Farm, Caroline is taking on the role of Nu-Stefan, in an attempt to make Abby a slightly less crappy vampire than she is a mother to Bonnie.  Truth be told, there probably isn’t enough “B positive” in the world, to make Mama Bennett smile . . . especially now that she can’t flirt with and fondle the local plant life, anymore . .  .

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“Oh, Pink Flower, your stamen is SOOOO big, it TOTALLY turns me on!”

(This reminds me .  . . I forgot to water my cactus, this year.)

Meanwhile, over at the Wickory Bridge, Damon gets to reunite with not one, but TWO of his 900 +-year old sex partners.

 (I guess he has a thing for older women . . . and, of course, much, much younger ones . . .)

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Hot for Teacher . . .

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 I guess Mystic Falls has finally decided to fix that ole’ bridge everybody is always falling off, and drowning.  (Good for them!)  Damon offers to take Alaric and his new girlfriend, Dr. Secret Psycho, there for some fresh air.  You know, because there’s nothing like spending time on a Man-Made Death Trap to make a Supernaturally-Made Death Trap feel less alone in the world.

“I feel so personally connected to this bridge.  I bet it’s killed a lot of Founder’s Council Members over the years too.  Good work, brother!” 

Mama Lockwood, who has no idea she’s talking to a serial killer of FOUNDER’S COUNCIL members takes this opportunity to bug Alaric about his forgetting to bring by some old sign, in honor of the re-opening of the bridge.  (Believe it or not, this detail will actually be important later.)

“I’m sorry, Mama Lockwood, I’ve been kind of busy carving all your friends up like the big fat Thanksgiving turkeys they are it just slipped my mind.” replies Alaric politely.

Shortly thereafter, Alaric and Crazy Nanny Carrie exit stage left, allowing Damon some alone time with His Women.

“Ladies, ladies.  There is no need to fight.  My manhood is big enough for both of you . . . and Elena.” 

After doing a little flirtatious sleuthing, Damon quickly surmises the reason for both of his lady friends’ sudden reappearances on the bridge.  Rebekah has been looking into some random tree, though Damon is not quite sure why.  As for Sage, she’s apparently been pining for that Death Wish-Having, Mama’s Boy Finn for the 900-years, since he turned her, and was hoping he’d stop by.  (Well, at least now we know why she and Damon get along so well!  And here, I thought it was just about the amazing sex.)

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Always eager to spread bad news, Rebekah bounds over to tell Sage that Finn has left town, and that his heart only belongs to one woman, his wackjob mother . . .

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Primed for a little lady fighting, Sage offers to help Damon figure out what exactly it is that Rebekah is hiding from him.  All he has to do is turn on the charm, a little bit, and get her to pop by La Casa de Rich and Awesome for some Sexy Times.  Sage knows full well, that no woman in her right mind would ever refuse an invitation to Damon’s Bed of Champions . . .

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 . . . least of all the vulnerable, and perpetually sex-starved, Rebekah . . . who, like everyone on this show (except for maybe Psycho Alaric) really just wants to be LOVED, right?

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As Sage had predicted, Rebekah doesn’t need much convincing.  And soon enough, our fabulous vampire threesome have made plans for an X-rated Date with Destiny . . .

Meanwhile, back in Broody Town . . .

Well, THAT’S a pretty creative use of a knitting needle . . .

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Elena has conveniently invited herself into La Casa de Rich and Awesome because she heard about Damon and the threesome.  Supposedly, she’s come to check out a book from Salvatore Library on her batsh*t crazy ancestor, Samantha.  She finds Stefan in the living room, drinking blood of course.  (This guy is clearly an emotional binge eater . . . How does he never get bloated?  I mean, I know he’s dead and all, but you have to wonder sometimes, where it all goes.)

Damn you, and your super fast vampire metabolism.  DAMN YOU!

Knowing how much his girlfriend hates to read (I mean, let’s face it, girlfriend hasn’t set foot in a classroom in about six months.), Stefan chivalrously offers to give Elena the Cliff Notes version of that Big Bad Book she’s cradling in her arms.  Long story, short: her ancestor chopped her head open with a knitting needle, and bled to death in the loony bin.  (OK, who the heck gave the INSANE SERIAL KILLER a knitting needle?  Someone needs to put a dollar in the Moron Jar, stat.)

Ever the Bastion of Positivity, Stefan concludes his story, by giving it a “feel good” moral: “P.S. Alaric’s probably going to end up attempting to crochet an afghan with his brain too.  And there’s basically nothing you can do about it.  Thanks for playing!  Better luck next time.”

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Yeah, she didn’t really hit him.  I am just saying that, if she did, he totally would have deserved it . . .

“Two is company, three is a party.”

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(In my next life, I would like to be The Guy Who Covers Ian Somerhalder’s Weiner with Bits of Fabric to Appease the Censors.  That guy always seems to be one sneeze away from a Wardrobe Malfunction.)

When Damon arrives home from his Double Date at Death Bridge, Stefan is FUMING MAD . . .

*insert snarling and growling noises here*

“How dare you tell Elena I’m a vampire who drinks human blood  . . . oh wait . . . she already knew that . . . I mean, how dare you . . . um . . . talk to Elena without my permission.  YEAH!  That’s it!  Not cool, brother,” gripes Stefan.

Under normal circumstances, Damon would LOVE to continue another round of the Saga of Stefan and Elena, but he has brains to manipulate, and ladies to screw.  And he’s not about to let his little brother cockblock his CWTV-approved Porn Star Moment.

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So, instead, Damon simply offers Stefan a few, Vampire Pride Maxims, for inspiration (“We’re here.  We’re bloodsuckers.  Get used to it!”), and heads off to the bathroom to shower himself in Axe Body Spray . . .

Sage arrives at the party first.  Her housewarming gift is a piano player, who bares a suspicious resemblance to Finn.  (I guess Sage has a “type.”)

“Mommy and I used to play the piano together all the time.  But she always insisted on sitting on my lap, when we did it.  I never understood why . . .”

There’s a rule on this show, that states that all piano players must get mauled by vampires.  And this one is no exception.  Sage wastes no time at all chomping on her Finn Doppelganger, while Damon looks on, eager for the REAL party to get started.  And then, it does . .  .

Like Sage, Rebekah also has not come to the party empty-handed.  She brings over her personal catnip . . . booze, stolen from some Queen . . . somewhere.

Have I mentioned yet today, how much I love the rampant alcoholism on this show?

OK, enough of this lame piano music.  Let’s crank up The Kills on that iPod and DANCE!  (Because we all know how much Damon loves to dance!)

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Ahhhh . . . memories!

Never one to want anyone to feel left out of the party, Damon struts over to Rebekah, and her two left feet, who is busy nursing her bottle of booze and looking forlorn.  The pair share a little piano player snack, and then it’s time for Damon to REALLY turn on the Salvatore charm . . .

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Normally, I would take this opportunity to chastise Boozy Rebekah for being so easily manipulated by Damon’s transparent and superficial attempts at seduction.  But when Damon whispered, “I want you,” in Rebekah’s ear, I looked down at the floor, and found my panties around my ankles . . . and HE WASN’T EVEN TALKING TO ME!

The man is a genius . . .

So, of course they have to cut out the BEST scene, and skip to the post-coital bedroom cuddle . . .

Fortunately, the magic of gif-making allows us to improvise what likely happened between these two, while the cameras were otherwise occupied . . .

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Then, Sage crawls into bed with Damon and the sleeping Beks, and I’m thinking, “It’s PARTY TIME!”

But then, Sage just fondles Rebekah’s forehead for about two seconds, and walks away . . .

OK, here is where I call “B.S.”  Since when do vampires have Forehead Fondling Mind-Reading powers?  Oh, that’s right . . . they don’t.  Otherwise, Klaus wouldn’t have spent the entire summer ignorant to the fact that Elena wasn’t dead, and Stefan wasn’t really his best friend / minion / willing sex slave . . .

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Nope . . . forehead fondling as a form of communication sounds a lot more like something a WITCH would do.  In fact, it looked a heck of a lot like what Bonnie was doing with that plant, toward the beginning of the episode.  (It’s also very similar to what she did to Luka, back in Season 2).  And yet, we’ve just been told that witches lose their powers, immediately upon being turned into vampires.  So, even if Sage WAS a witch in her former life, there’s a good chance she would have lost her ability to forehead fondle, the minute she sucked on Finn’s bloody teets.

For now, I’m willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt.  But if Sage has some magical powers that even the oldest, most powerful vampires in the world don’t possess, I’m hoping to get some sort of explanation as to why that is the case.  Just saying . . .

Ooooh, but wait!  We aren’t done with sexy times yet.  It’s time for the post-sex shower.  And we all know how much Damon loves getting all wet and soapy . . .

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This time though, it appears our shower is built for TWO.  (All that forehead fondling, must have gotten Sage’s fingers sweaty.)

P.S. Sage apparently has other magical powers, in addition to random dancing, piano player eating, tag team showering, and mind reading.  Now, she’s fondling Damon’s forehead, and GIVING him Rebekah’s memories.  OK, now I’m starting to get scared.  If her head starts spinning around, and green stuff comes spewing out of her mouth, I’m calling the exorcist . . .

Damon, of course, seems completely unperturbed by this odd turn of events.  In fact, he’s kind of thrilled . . .  After all, now he knows there’s still a tree out there that could Klaus et al.

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Damon doesn’t even bother getting dressed, before he makes another trip to the trusty Salvatore library.  (Wearing clothes is SOOO 19th century.)  Please let the towel fall down . . . please let the towel fall down . . . 

Sure enough, he figures out what many of us TVD fans have long suspected . . . . the Wickory Bridge is made almost entirely of White Oak.  In other words, Death Trap Bridge doesn’t just kill Founder’s Council Members like Alaric, it also kills ORIGINALS!  Time to burn the evidence!

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 Sage reappears, during all this, and makes Damon promise not to use the knowledge she gave him to kill her long lost lame lover, Finn.  Damon agrees, crossing his fingers behind his back . . . since he knows, thanks to the spell binding all the Originals together . . . once he stakes Klaus . . .

“Mmm . . . Surrogate Son tastes yummy!”

Something tells me New Guy Jamie is going to fit right in on the cast of The Vampire Diaries  . . . at least, until they inevitably whack him, probably about three or four episodes from now

Coincidentally, I also think she will fit in as Bonnie’s new love incest. It’s not incest.  They promise us it’s not incest, even though they sort-of/kind of have the same crappy mom.  After all, we all know how much Bonnie adores those former child stars, who went on to develop biceps . . .

(New Guy Jamie is the Non-Puppet one, just in case you were confused . . .)

The last time we saw Jamie, he was busy being compelled, and trying to bust a cap in Stefan’s ass . . . now he’s chopping wood (because that’s not at all a metaphor for anything sexual, now, is it?)  Caroline stalks outside to yell at Jamie for not being nicer to his new vampire mother.  She forces him to come inside and be civil.  Let the eye f*&king with Bonnie ensue.  Then, Mama Bennett proceeds to EAT HIS NECK.  Yeah, that’s what you get for listening to Caroline, Jamie.  Eventually, you’ll learn . . .

“How was I supposed to know that Jamie had ‘B Positive, blood!“

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Fortunately, Jamie doesn’t . . . you know . . . die, or anything.  But that doesn’t stop Mama Bennett from sneaking out, while the kiddies aren’t home, despite Caroline’s protestations.  I’m really sorry that your Mom totally sucks, Bonnie.  (In more ways than one.) But hey, look on the bright side, considering how rarely you get your own story line, it will probably be at least three seasons, before we find out your father is just as bad . . .

In other news, Bonnie has decided to forgive Elena, and perform the spell that will magically cure Alaric of his Crazy.  (Man, if this were real it would put pharmaceutical companies, insane asylums and therapists out of business.  Witches are BAD for the economy.  . .)  She tells Elena to get something from Alaric’s house that he had before he started wearing his Jamaican Me Crazy Ring.

“Does the bottle of scotch, I had permanently attached to my lips count?”

Back at the Gilbert house, after receiving the password to all of Alaric’s bank accounts  (It’s “vampire slayer,” just in case you’re interested in performing a little identity theft, after reading this recap), Elena offers to head back to Alaric’s apartment to pick up the jewelry item.  Meredith all-too-eagerly agrees offers to stay alone with Alaric, while the latter looks.  (Girlfriend must be really hard-up for sex, if she’s willing to risk being bludgeoned to death for it.)  Ruh-roh!

“Do you feel remorse?  Because you should!’

“Geez, Elena.  You’re a pig.  When’s the last time you cleaned your bathroom counters, Season 1?”

Over at Alaric’s apartment, Elena finds Stefan . . . lurking (because that’s not weird . . . at all).  He agrees to help her search for Alaric’s wedding ring.  While the two are in the apartment, Elena and Stefan find all these creepy pictures of Alaric’s victims (even a picture of himself . . . not sure how he managed that.)

“Automatic timer on his camera?”

There’s also a big packet of information on the Founder’s Council, which Alaric was apparently preparing to send to . . . wait for it . . . Jeremy?!!!

On top of the packet is a letter to Jeremy, instructing him on precisely how to “cleanse the Founder’s council,” using the ring that will “make him strong.”

I have to say, I was skeptical at first, but I really like the way the writers are handling this serial killer story line.  Initially, when I first learned that it was “the ring” making Alaric crazy, I thought that they would use this as a way of completely freeing Alaric of liability for his own actions.

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But what’s interesting about Alaric’s psychosis is that he doesn’t seem “psychotic” in the way Samantha Gilbert was described.  Nope. This is a sociopath, pure and simple . . . a guy with a clear motive . . . one that “sane” Alaric wouldn’t necessarily disagree with: to rid the Founder’s Council of it’s inherent hypocrisy, when it comes to protecting the townspeople from vampires (though their methods of coping with it, might be different).  Bad!Alaric’s moves, up to this point, from attacking himself, to provide himself with an alibi . . . to studying up on the Founder’s Council . . . to exploiting the fact that the ring is likely having the same effect on Jeremy’s mental state, over in Vermont, have been kind of creepily brilliant.

The other thing we learn from this little excursion is that Samantha Gilbert also killed folks in the mental institution, long after she stopped wearing the ring.  Having come to the realization that Alaric is still very much a danger to Crazy Nanny Carrie, Stefan and Elena rush back to the Gilbert house . . . though it may be too late . . .

Back at the Gilbert house, Alaric awakens from his little nappy, with a bad case of the Crazy Eyes . . .

“Here’s looking at you, Crazy Nanny Carrie.”

As we learned this week, even on his “good, non-possessed days,” Alaric was no stranger to violence.  In fact, one of his favorite past times was beating up on asshats for fun.  So, you could imagine how terrifying he is now that he “has the ring to make him psycho strong.”

At first, Bad!Alaric plays it cool . . . making casual conversation with Sitting Duck Meredith, as he plays with her blood syringes.  But things start to get creepy, when he not-so-casually asks Meredith if she feels remorse about her seemingly hypocritical stance on vampires.  (i.e. Good for Doctor Business . . . Bad for the Town.)  His words remind me a bit of when Alaric bullied himself onto the Founder’s Council, by arguing that everyone else in the group was in love with or related to a supernatural creature.  (Man, how long has this sh*t been going on?)

With all pretenses of sanity dropped, Alaric can now chase Meredith, like the psycho self he’s been . . . at least for the last fifteen minutes.  As for Meredith, she can make the classic Damsel in Distress Horror movie mistake of running upstairs, when she could just as easily have ran out the door screaming, “HELP, MY RING POSSESSED BOYFRIEND IS TRYING TO KILL ME, BECAUSE I ONLY PRETEND TO HATE VAMPIRES.  IS THERE A WITCH IN THE HOUSE?”

In Meredith’s defense, she’s impressively handy with a scissor . . .

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By the time Stefan and Elena return to the Gilbert house (That was kind of slow!  What?  Stefan can’t fly?  Vampire FAIL!), Alaric is already calmly and creepily grinning at them by the door.  “Meredith is currently dying on your toilet, Elena.  Sweet DREAMS! got an emergency call, and had to go back to the hospital,” he fibs.

Elena gets Bad!Alaric out of the house, by claiming she wasn’t able to find his ring.  Once he’s gone, Stefan turns to Elena, his eyes wide with anticipation, his nostrils flared like a pig poised a mud bath.  He has a little favor to ask of his ex girlfriend.

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If Elena thinks she’s being propositioned for Ex Sex, she’s sorely mistaken.  Stefan literally smells blood.  And it isn’t long before the pair find it’s source . . . it’s Meredith . . . in the bathroom . . . with the steak knife.  Cue Stefan’s vamp face . . .

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“My wife looks so hot, when she’s all mutilated and dying like that . . . oops.  Did I just break character?”

Annnnd, here comes our Super Hero moment of the week . . .

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Final score: Vampire Cravings – 0, Stefan Salvatore – 1

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Well, hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day . . .

Now, you may be wondering what happened to Alaric.  Well, after a nice bonding moment between Elena and Bonnie . . .

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 . . . the latter did a little spell, and served the Chunky Monkey some of her magical, “Don’t be a sociopath, anymore” salad.  Then Damon knocked the guy out, and took him to some remote loft, where he could . .  . you know . . . not kill people, and stuff . . .

Speaking of Dormant Serial Killers, Elena called Jeremy, who I am now officially worried about . . . or, rather, I’m worried for the good people of Vermont, who he has taken to calling his “friends.”  (Why do I have this feeling that Jeremy’s “friends” are a bunch of decapitated rotting corpses, he hides in his closet, and plays chess with when he’s bored.)

Of course, Elena doesn’t do anything practical . . . like tell Jeremy to take off the ring . . . or to be on the lookout for a care package of “Don’t be a sociopath anymore” herbs.  Instead, she just pouts and stares off into space . . .  Way to be a hero, Elena . . .

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 According to Jeremy, Alaric hasn’t tried to contact him once, since he left for Vermont.  Do we believe him?

“Game back on, brother!”

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Never trust a woman who’s always fondling your forehead.  Damon finds out Sage betrayed him, when he sees Rebekah burning down the Wickory Bridge.  It turns out Rebekah’s head wasn’t the only one Sage shrunk, during last night’s sex sandwich escapades.  Sage absolutely refuses to believe Damon’s claims of Finn’s suicidal nature.  She honestly thinks that, once united, the two will live happily ever after . . . along with his mother . . . who will probably sleep in bed with them for all eternity.

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Sage may think she’s saved her lover boy’s life, by betraying Damon, and teaming up with the scheming Rebekah.  But she hasn’t.  It turns out there’s one piece of Wickory Bridge White Oak the twosome failed to burn . . . (Remember what I said about the sign being important?)

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I hope you’ve been training, Scooby Gang, because Hunting Season has just begun .  . .

Next week on TVD, Bondage Damon makes his triumphant return to our televisions sets.  Also, THIS HAPPENS . . .

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Can I get a HELL YEAH?!

Check out the trailers . . . if you dare . . .

Until next time, Fangbangers!

[www.juliekushner.com][FangirlsForever]

Death Becomes Him – A Recap of The Vampire Diaries’ “1912”

 DAMON: “Just once, I’d like to be in a flashback, where you don’t end up with blood all over your face, and I don’t act like I’ve got a stick up my ass.”

STEFAN: “Better luck, next week.”

Welcome back, Fangbangers!  This week, all of our Mystic Fall-ians (at least the ones that were actually IN the episode, since about three-quarters of the cast weren’t) were forced to confront death in a very personal way.  For the throw-away flashback guest stars, this meant actually dying (SUCKS FOR THEM!).

“I feel your pain.” 

For Stefan, this meant, once again, coming to terms with the fact that he’s . . . (surprise!) . . . a vampire.  (After over 100 years of bloodsucking, I think it’s safe to say that Stefan’s a bit of a “late bloomer” in the self-actualization department.)

For Damon, this meant solving a serial killer case, by reenacting scenes from the first half of pretty much every Law and Order episode that’s aired, EVER.

For Elena, this meant coming to terms with the fact that immortality might be precisely what drew her to Stefan Salvatore in the first place.

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For Rebekah, this meant realizing that the term “immortality,” with respect to Original Vampire living might not be without its exceptions.

And yet, no one embodies the title of my recap more than Alchy-ric Saltzman . . .

Let’s review, shall we?

[As always, special thanks to my ingenious blogging pal Andre, for all the glorious screencaps you see here.]

Hangover: Alaric Saltzman Edition

Don’t wanna die?  Here’s a tip:  Don’t be the never-before-seen on screen, human character, played by a completely unknown actor, in the first scene of a Vampire Diaries flashback . .  . ZACK SALVATORE!

“Aww, crap.  She’s talking about ME, isn’t she?  Why can’t she be talking about YOU?”

It’s late at night, sometime in 1912.  A Founder’s Council meeting has just adjourned.  Death Wish Dummy, Zach Salvatore declines a carriage ride home, preferring instead to walk, despite the fact that a Founder’s Council Serial Killer is on the loose.  Horror movie fans will tell you that this is the equivalent of the stoner high school kid at the party in the woods, who tells his friends “I’ll be right back,” before stumbling toward a bush to relieve himself.  (He then disappears completely from the film, until act three, when his weiner and disembodied head are randomly found in the slutty naked girl’s bathtub.)

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SURPRISE!  Two seconds later Zach Salvatore is stabbed in the gut, and left to die, right in the center of town square.  It looks like someone won’t be around for the sequel . . .

“Do I at least get my SAG card?” 

Back in the present day, Alaric Saltzman awakens in a jail cell with no memory at all, of how he got there.  Unfortunately, Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, and co. are over in Antarctica filming Hangover 12.5: How are we NOT in rehab yet? and cannot accompany him on the madcap adventures necessary to solve this mystery  . . .

“At least I didn’t get a weird face tattoo, or have my front teeth knocked out!”

Lizard Forbes, who arrested Alaric the night before (Unfortunately, she has been the only cop in town, ever since her daughter ate the other one, back in Season 2.) is keeping his incarceration on the down low.  Because Alaric may well be a sociopathic serial killer, but he is also a great friend, whose ass looks spectacular in tight jeans.

“They don’t call me Chunky Monkey for nothing.  Just ask Useless Aunt Jenna or Vampire Isobel . . . oh wait . . . nevermind.”

Besides,  what’s a few dead bodies, among friends right?   I mean, honestly, who really liked Bill Forbes, anyway?  Lizard certainly didn’t, and she was married to the guy!

“Hey!  I redeemed myself in the end, by dying with dignity, and telling my daughter that I would never ever want to end up a monster like her . . . oh . . . nevermind.”

Shortly therafter, Damon arrives to bail his drinking buddy / boyfriend out of the pokey.  After all, if Alaric is going to meet his maker, it should be because Damon accidentally killed him for the eightieth time, and not because of something silly . . . like the Death Penalty.

“You owe me one, buddy.  I get to kill you at least two more times now.”

That Crazy Nanny Carrie Meredith Fell.  She’s a strange duck.  Her actions in this episode baffled me.  I think I liked her better when she was just a pure psychotic b*tch  . . .

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We learn from Lizard that Meredith healed Alaric with vampire blood after she shot him in cold blood, in her apartment, at the end of last week’s episode.  According to Meredith, Alaric has been offing members of the Founder’s Council with his crazy stash of weapons that EVERYONE on the council knows he has . . . thereby making him the dumbest serial killer ever.  Then again, he also stabbed the crap out of himself, which makes him Tyler Durden from Fight Club.

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Alaric is furious with these accusations, and claims that the real serial killer, Meredith, has framed him.  Damon wholeheartedly agrees, if only because the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls will be oh-so-lonely tonight, without him.

Lizard retorts that, unlike Meredith, Alaric has no solid alibi for any of the murders.  Right now, it officially sucks to be Alaric Saltzman . . . but, perhaps, not quite as much as it sucks to be THIS GUY . . .

Elena’s out for a mopey run with Matt.  We know she’s really depressed because she’s wearing the ugliest, bulkiest, most unflattering, grey sweatshirt in the history of grey sweatshirts.  Elena’s workout clothes used to be so universally adorable, that I coveted every single one.  What the heck happened?  Did someone in the costume department go through a really bad breakup, this week?

She looks like a koala bear with human legs . . .

Matt, apparently, can’t keep up with Elena, despite the fact that he is a two-sport varsity athlete, who occasionally has to run away from werewolves.  They take a break from running to talk about Bonnie, and explain why she won’t be appearing in the episode this week.  (No such discussions are had about Tyler or Klaus.)  Apparently, her mother has decided to complete the Vampire Transition, instead of, you know, dying, and stuff.  Baby Vamp Caroline, who also wasn’t in the episode, this week, is going to help out this this.  (Considering how much Bonnie’s nose bleeds, Abby is going to need all the help she can get, to refrain from biting off her daughter’s schnoz.)

Mid afternoon snack 

Elena mentions that she feels partially responsible for what happened to Bonnie’s mom.  She should . . .

This angsty moment is interrupted by Lizard calling Elena to tell her to come pick up her possible-serial killer-pseudo dad.  Elena jogs right down to the courthouse / police station without passing Go, collection $200, or taking off that damn grey sweatshirt.  The entire judging panel of Project Runway does a collective face palm, in response.

“This concerns me.” 

At the courthouse/jail thingy,  Elena encounters Damon, and gives him her best perma-b*tch face look.  Damon responds by doing his Eye Thing.  (That’ll teach her a lesson!)  Though vaguely mad at Damon for the whole “making Mama Bennett undead” thing, Elena is apparently not too angry with her sometimes lover to ask him for a favor.

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Of course, Elena would very much like Damon to “help Alaric” in his hour of need . . . but only if said “help” doesn’t involve eating people, manipulating them, or breaking laws.  Elena is a TOTAL buzzkill.  I blame her ugly sweatshirt . . .

“I’m mean.  You hate me.  The earth is back on its axis,” Damon snarks, his expression a mixture of exasperation and mild amusement, with just a hint of unadulterated lust thrown in for good measure.

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“You know, if you keep pushing people away, you are going to end up alone,” retorts the girl, who compelled her brother to abandon her, betrayed the one Original who actually trusted her, inadvertently alienated her friends, and ALWAYS PUSHES DAMON AWAY.

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Elena then stalks off . . . alone.

Confessions of a Chipmunk Muncher

Let’s now add to the long list of reasons Damon Salvatore would be an AM-AZING lover the fact that he plays piano, shall we?

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(It means he has long dexterous fingers that are strong yet gentle, and quick yet highly adept at . . . accuracy. ;))  While Damon is composing his next concerto, Stefan is busy . . . you guessed it . . . writing in his diary again.

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 It’s BAAAACCCK!  (Oh, pilot episode . . . how we’ve missed your cheesiness . . .)  Fortunately, now, instead of Stefan, himself, the voice of “Stefan’s diary,” will be played by Damon Salvatore . . .

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 Though Damon loves his brotherly snark fests as much as the next guy, he tends not to interrupt Stefan’s “Diary Time,” unless he needs something.  And this time is no different.  “I want to enact our Wonder Twin Powers,” says Damon excitedly to the brother, who is most certainly not his twin.  Twins or not, I like the way Damon is thinking.  It’s been wayyyy too long since Stefan last played Scooby Doo to Damon’s Shaggy.  And what better excuse is there than the re-emergence of a Mystic Falls serial killer, on the 100-year anniversary of its last reign of terror, for the brothers to band together and engage in some serious super sleuthing?

Damon tosses Stefan his Diary for 1912, which, we can assume is conveniently lodged between the Diary for 1911 and the Diary for 1913.  (I’m sorry, but the idea that Ripper Stefan was carting around an ENTIRE library full of diaries, while he was ravaging Monterrey  like the bloodthirsty animal we are led to believe he had become, is about as ridiculous as . . . well . . . an Original Vampire carting around coffins for ONE THOUSAND YEARS.  This show is quickly becoming a vampire edition of the TV show, Hoarders.)

Apparently, back in 1912, Damon inadvertently reunited with his brother Stefan, after a fifty year hiatus, when the two returned to Mystic Falls to pay their respect to the definitely and permanently dead, Zack Salvatore.  In another nod to the pilot, Damon’s presence is actually preceded by that darn crow he used to occasionally metamorphis into, back in the day.

“I’m not going to lie.  I totally slept with the producer to get him to put me back in the script.” 

(Fortunately, he never became “wind” or a “puff of smoke” in this episode.)  Though a newly Lexi-fied, bunny-munching, on the wagon, Stefan is eager to put the past in the past, and resume his relationship with his brother,  a very chilly, grudge holding Damon is not quite ready to make amends . . .

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(It is important to note that Damon is also wearing a ridiculous hat.)

And yet, even back then, Stefan knew that the key to Damon’s heart was his liver.  And so, when the younger Salvatore invites the older one out for a drink, he is as patently unable to resist then, as he would be now . . .

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Damon Salvatore . . . making alcoholism seem attractive, since 1864 . . .

(Also during this scene, we are briefly introduced to two female Founder’s Council members from back in the day, Marianne Forbes and Samantha Gilbert.  Suffice it to say that ONE of these two never-before-seen women will end up being slightly more important to the episode’s mythology than the terminally unfortunate Zack Salvatore . . .)

“It doesn’t help that we are, more or less, completely indistinguishable from one another.”

A vampire walks into a bar . . .

Back in the present day, it’s Damon who invites Stefan out for a drink (since his bromantic buddy is currently being fitted for an unflattering orange jumpsuit, and a soap on the rope necklace for the inevitable “communal showers”).  It must be Vampires Drink for Free Night at the Only Bar / Social Establishment in Mystic Falls, because Rebekah is there too.  She’s been busy buttering up Carol Lockwood for information about the infamous Original Vampire-killing White Oak Tree, which may, or may not, still be standing somewhere in Mystic Falls.

“I’m very interested in learning about your wood.” 

From Carol, Rebekah conveniently learns that it was the Salvatore family that was mainly responsible for all the wood cutting, molding, and erecting that went on in Mystic Falls, during the past century.  (See what I did there?)  So, of course, when Damon and Stefan arrive in the bar,  Rebekah engages Damon in an eye-f*&king session that would surely cause retinal pregnancy, if vampires in this series were actually capable of giving birth.

Over at the bar, Damon admits to Stefan that he’s hoping to be his “vampire sponsor / life coach,” patiently guiding him through the world of “Eating Humans in Moderation,” i.e. allowing them to live to tell the tale . . . if they hadn’t just been compelled to forget it.  Damon’s argument that Stefan’s All or Nothing / Cold Turkey approach to de-ripper-ifying himself is a REALLY BAD one, that always, inevitably, ends in failure, is an impressively sound one.  And yet Stefan has read enough Alcoholic Anonymous books in his day to be skeptical about his brother’s untraditional approach to addiction . . .

The picture of sobriety.

Nosy Nelly, Rebekah, pops in, just in time for the conversation to wind its way back to 1912, which is great for her, because Rebekah REALLY wants to talk about the Salvatore wood . . . err .  . . I mean the White Oak Tree.

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Unfortunately for Rebekah, the Salvatore brothers aren’t in the mood to compare the size of their wood.  Instead, they’d like to talk about some old vixen vampire named Sage, who, like Rebekah, has sampled Damon’s wood, at least once.

Rebekah knows Sage, and thinks she’s a skank,  because she apparently used to have a little “thing” for Rebekah’s brother Finn.  I just think this means she has bad taste.  Now, I’m not saying that Finn isn’t attractive.  All I’m saying, is that, if I had to select one Original Brother to take to bed with me I’d take them ALL, the ABSOLUTE last one I’d choose would be the self-loathing, suicidal one with Serious Mommy Issues . . .   Then again, Sage DID seduce Damon, so her taste can’t be TOO bad, right?

Back in 1912, Sage was a semi-professional boxer, who used to use her vampire strength and compulsion to beat the crap out of men, and humiliate them in front of all their friends.  (Sounds like a real keeper!)  Sage takes an instant interest in Damon, criticizing him for the joyless way he gnaws on human flesh, and reminding him that women can be used for pleasure, as well as food.

“Welcome to Vampire Whoring, 101.” 

To be honest, this part of the episode was a bit of a let-down for me.  After all, the promo for this episode seemed to promise viewers a glimpse into how Damon went from being the sort-of innocent, Katherine-spurned,  uptight vamp we saw in the “Blood Brothers” and “Dinner Party” flashbacks to the lusty lothario we came to know in Season 1.  During the hiatus, I was genuinely looking forward to some Casanova-esque seduction scenes, in which Sage patiently instructed Damon in the art of compulsion-induced arousal and “sexy neck biting.”

What we got instead was  . . . absolutely nothing.

Damon’s seduction and consumption of the aforementioned Samantha Gilbert occurred off screen, and the remainder of the flashback was Stefan’s to steal.  And while the episode did shed a bit more light on Stefan’s past, I ended the hour with little more insight into Damon’s 20th century motivations and machinations than I had prior to its airing.  It kind of pissed me off.   I’m not going to lie . . .

Back in the Present Day, a very flirtatious Rebekah graciously offers Damon her services, both with respect to Stefan’s “treatment,” and to the “serial killer investigation.”  We are led to believe she’s doing this, in hopes of getting more information about that darn tree.  However, I, for one, think that Rebekah, much like her brother is just lonely . . . horny . . . and desperate for companionship, particularly with those of the opposite sex.

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Though I’m a Delena fan, through and through, I must say that I enjoyed the “friends with benefits” comraderie of Rebekah and Damon in this episode.  While I believe these two are WAYYY too much alike to ever get seriously romantically involved with one another (not to mention the whole “Klaus” thing), I did like the easygoing, mildly insulting banter they had going on with one another.  I also got a real kick out of how effortlessly they repeatedly managed to gang up on and mercilessly tease Stefan,  whether it was by jointly reading his ridiculously self-righteous diary, or later, by force feeding him a drunk college coed . . .

Rebekah also provides the much-needed female perspective on this male-dominated flashback.

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For example, Damon’s and Stefan’s assertion that a female couldn’t possibly be the serial killer were both incredibly chauvenist, and as it turned out, patently WRONG.  Rebekah picked up on this right away.   And the minute she said it, I was certain that the 1912 serial killer HAD to be female.

Rebekah also astutely noted that BOTH Damon and Stefan were rather broody, judgy, self-righteous, and dare-I-say, a bit dull, back in those early post-Katherine days.  It was a tough truth that I think both brothers desperately needed to hear . . .

Ultimately, I think it was Rebekah’s spot-on assessments of the brother’s situation, back in 1912, that convinced Damon to allow Rebekah to help him “cure” Stefan 100 years later.  So, when Stefan storms out of the bar, after experiencing symptoms of blood withdrawal,  Damon and Rebekah gamely follow him into an alleyway.

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Once there, they come upon an unlucky blonde early 20-something.  “You are about to have a very BAD night,” Damon says to the college coed, his eyes heavy with compulsion power.  He then takes a big chunk out of the poor girl’s neck, right in front of a twitchy,  eye-bulgy Stefan.  With the scent of blood still fresh in the air, Damon passes the nearly unconscious girl over to Rebekah, informing Stefan that the Original Vampire will KILL the girl, unless Stefan takes a bite out of her first.

Unable to control his urges any longer, Stefan goes all growly and fang faced, as he hungrily and noisily slurps blondie’s neck like a kid in a Campbell’s soup commercial.  When things start looking pretty grim for the girl, Damon calls upon Stefan to stop, but the urge is too strong, and he keeps on sucking.  Finally, Damon is able to wrench his brother’s piggy-eater face from the guest stars neck.  He then feeds her some blood to heal her, and send her on her way.

“I swear, this isn’t what it looks like.  I’ve just never been good at putting on lipstick.” 

Unfortunately for the Salvatore Brothers, Elena and Matt magically appear to catch them in the act.   Cue the judgmental glares from Elena,  as Damon smirks awkwardly, and Stefan just stares at his ex-girlfriend wide-eyed, as globules of college coed drip from his mouth and chin.  (Next time, Damon . . . bring a napkin.)  Elena, once again, stalks off in a huff.  This prompts an embarrassed Stefan to do the same.   I foresee a lot of angsty diary writing in both of their futures . . .

The Born-Again Ripper

In my favorite Salvatore Brother Bonding scene of the episode, Damon comes home to comfort his little brother, and congratulate him on a job not-so-well-done, but not entirely sh*tty either.   “You did really well out there.  Pretty soon, you will be the King of Moderation,” Damon insists brightly.

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When the subject turns to Elena, Stefan insists that he “doesn’t really care what she thinks.”  But Damon isn’t hearing it.  “Oh no . . . no more No Humanity Stefan,” he lectures.

As much as this whole “two brothers in love with the same girl” thing is getting a little old, I do appreciate how both brothers actually encourage one another’s feelings for Elena, because they recognize that their love for her is a symbol of their humanity.

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When Stefan angrily insists to Damon that he “doesn’t need his help,” we are whisked back to 1912, once again.  Just like in the present day, Damon finds a not necessarily willing female blood donor for Stefan, and entices him to drink her in an alleyway.  The only difference is that, this time, Damon doesn’t stop Stefan.  Instead, he lets his younger brother literally RIP the girl’s head off, then creepily try to glue it back together, just as we saw him do back in the early episodes of Season 3.

Again, a devastated Stefan insists that he “doesn’t need [Damon’s] help” before rushing off into the woods to become the famed Ripper Klaus talked about, earlier this season.  And Damon, out of a mixture of fear, anger, and maybe a little guilt, just lets him go.  Over in the present day, Damon promises Stefan that he will never let this happen again.  He vows to stand by his brother through every step of his “recovery,” for as long as it takes.  Stefan is touched and tearful, as he wonders out loud, why his brother is so insistent on doing all this for him.   “Because right now, you’re all I’ve got,” Damon responds solemnly.

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All together now, “AWWWWWWW.”

In which Elena admits that Damon “gets under her skin” (and we start thinking dirty thoughts)

While Stefan and Damon are in the process of gradually repairing their relationship, one partially-chewed college coed at a time, Elena is busy doing a little Scooby Doo detective work of her own.  She angrily confronts Meredith, regarding why the latter would have the gall to frame her guardian for murder, when the Chunky Monkey is obviously so very good in bed.  Meredith then proceeds to start spouting out information about Alaric’s past, like the super stalker she clearly is.

“So, Damon told you he loved you, and you said THAT?!  What the heck is WRONG WITH YOU?”

According to Crazy Nanny Carrie, back in college, when he wasn’t studying up on vampires, good ole Alaric used to enjoy beating the crap out of people, including, quite possibly his own girlfriend / Elena’s mother, Isobel, who, apparently, at one point, had filed a restraining order against him.

This information gives Elena pause.  But she’s not quite ready to believe these awful things about the man who used to bone both his sister, and his bio mom, and is now literally the only family she has left in Mystic Falls.  “Elena, you date vampires.  It shouldn’t come as a shock to you that your guardian is a murderer,” Meredith retorts, before leaving Elena open-mouthed in the parking lot.

(You have to admit, the b*tch kind of has a point . . .)

Later, Matt randomly helps Elena break into Meredith’s apartment, while she’s at work.  (You know, because all poor, blue collar, kids MUST be thieves.)  Within minutes, Elena is conveniently able to locate the trap door in Meredith’s closet. (Every Founding Family member has one!)  Behind the trap door is a box that contains detailed files on all the Founding Family members, who were victims of the serial killer, including Alaric himself.  In Alaric’s file, Matt locates a note from the coroner’s office, which actually seems to provide Alaric with an alibi for the original coroner’s death . . . since it may well have occurred earlier than the initial reports supposed.

But before any more research can be done, Meredith arrives home from work and catches Matt and Elena IN THE CLOSET (insert dramatic music here).

Lizard Forbes is furious, but not furious enough to actually do her job, and charge the teens with any crime (It’s not like either of them have anything resembling parents to bail them out of jail!)  Before letting the pair go, Lizard Forbes notes that Meredith herself turned in the letter.  So, Alaric will be set free from Mystic Falls ONLY active jail cell, once said letter is authenticated.  Hooray for Alaric, he will live to eat Chunky Monkey again . . . or will he?

Elena and Matt have had a rough day, one that began with a rough run, included a potential arrest, and ended with them witnessing Stefan’s piggy eating habits.  So,  of course this makes them both feel like they’ve earned a stiff drink of hard liquor some tea (lame!).  As the two chug the non-alcoholic liquid the discussion turns to why Elena loves her Salvatore brothers.   It is during this discussion that Elena realizes that she was drawn to Stefan, at least initially, because he was immortal,  and so many of the people she loved had already died.

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It’s kind of a sad reason to begin a relationship, don’t you think?

The conversation then turns to Damon, and why Elena seems just as inextricably drawn to him as to Stefan.  In what were, not surprisingly, my favorite lines in the ENTIRE episode, Elena had THIS to say . . .

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 Now, you know me.  I’ve never exactly been a “Matt Fan.”  And yet, I must admit, I fell in love with him a little bit, when he said this . . .

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 What an awesome and insightful statement!  For one thing, I love how Matt automatically made the connection between Damon’s “getting under [Elena’s] skin,” and her “falling in love with Damon.”  It’s something that’s been so incredibly obvious to all of Elena’s friends for so long.  But Elena, who’s been in denial of her true feelings, for multiple seasons now, needed to hear it.  So, I’m glad that Matt was willing to say it to her.

And while Matt is quite obviously referring to Elena’s strong feelings for Damon, judging by the watery look in his eyes, he’s also referring to himself.  What’s interesting is that it’s not entirely certain, in that sense, whether he’s referring to his feelings for Caroline, or his feelings for Elena.  It’s possible that he means a little bit of both.

Beyond the obvious reasons why I wouldn’t “ship” Matt and Elena *cough she should be with Damon cough,* my concern with the coupling actually has a lot to do with Matt’s well being.  Elena has already dated Matt, and admitted that, while she clearly cares for him, she never really felt passionate about their relationship.  If Elena was to date Matt again, I feel like she would be doing it simply because he wasn’t a vampire, just like, two years prior, she started dating Stefan, because he was one.  Because I don’t believe that Elena will ever genuinely feel for Matt as strongly as he feels for her, or as strongly as she feels for the Salvatores, I don’t think it would be fair of her to enter into a relationship with him.

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Nobody deserves to be third choice in their Happily Ever After . . .

Oh, did I mention that Matt’s Cloak of “Human Invisibility” enabled him to snag Elena’s ancestor, Samantha’s journal from Meredith’s files?

Well, now I did!

One Ring to Rule ALL the NUTBARS . . .

For an episode that was surprisingly slow moving, things happened pretty fast in the last five minutes or so.  Alaric is released from jail.  We then see Elena reading Samantha Gilbert’s increasingly erratic diary (apparently, John Gilbert wasn’t the only member of Elena’s family, who ended up going loony tunes), at the same time that Damon and Stefan are recalling how the Mystic Falls serial killer ultimately ended up being none other than Samantha herself.

“See?  I told you I’d be mildly important.” 

Then, Meredith pops over to tell an angry Alaric that his “drunken blackouts” may be a sign that he’s a psycho serial killer, who’s slowly being turned into a wackjob by his recently-on-the-fritz immortality ring.  Elena rushes downstairs to confirm this, since she now realizes that both Samantha and John Gilbert, who wore similar rings, suffered the same fate.  So, Alaric is the Mystic Falls Serial Killer, after all . . . Meh, I kind of expected as much.   I’m SHOCKED.

More interesting than the Killer Ring, I think, is what exactly motivated Meredith to forge a coroner letter, in order free Alaric, when she now-KNOWS he’s mentally unstable, and might KILL HER?  I still think that b*tch is hiding something . . .

Another interesting aspect of this is Jeremy.  He’s wearing the Jaimaican Me Crazy Ring too!  Now, ordinarily, I’d say Jeremy is in no immediate danger of becoming a wackadoodle, since he hasn’t been wearing the ring nearly as long as Alaric has, nor has he “died” quite as many times.  And yet, I can definitely see the writers fudging with this fact, if they need a quick excuse to bring Jeremy back on the show.  (For example, the writers might assert that Alaric’s aggressiveness during his college years was also the result of his wearing the ring, thereby making Jeremy’s endangerment much more immediate.)

One more tidbit to consider.  Is it possible that the two rings are DIFFERENT from one another,  or that each ring wearer is effected differently by them?  For example,  Uncle/Father John was presumably about Alaric’s age.   And the two men were wearing the darn thing, for about the same amount of time.  And while Uncle/Father John was certainly a douche most of the time, I wouldn’t necessarily consider him a psychopath . . . nor would I consider the original John Gilbert to be one. Judging by flashbacks of the character, he seemed more quirky mad scientist than homicidal maniac . . .

Just some food for thought . . .

If the promos are any indication, next week’s episode looks pretty promising.  For one thing, we get the return of Crazy Alaric, who we haven’t seen since he was Alarklaus.  (Question: Why is it, in horror movies, that the psycho killer always seems to be screaming things like “OPEN THIS DOOR,” when he’s coming at you with a hatchet?  He might as well be saying, “Why on Earth, are you running away from me?  Don’t you want to be raped and decapitated?”)

Also, next week, Damon [Spoiler Alert?] somehow mind rapes Rebekah (at least I’m pretty sure that’s what he does, based on the promos), takes a shower, and gets lucky with two lady vamps at once.  In the words of Damon, himself, “Now that’s what I call a party.”

You can check out extended promos for the episodes, here:

Until next time, Fangbangers!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Happiness is a Warm Chair – Looking Back at the Top Ten Chuck and Blair Moments from Season 5, Part 1

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Greetings, Upper East Siders!  So far, this season of Gossip Girl has been quite the bittersweet one for us Chair fans.  On the sweet side, we have Chuck and Blair displaying just as much love, adoration, and passion for one another, as they always have.  Each time they were together on screen was more electric than the one before.

Even when Chuck and Blair were apart from one another, it was clear that they were never far from one another’s minds.  Donut Dan Humphrey, perhaps, said it best, when he said of the pair, “You two have some strange force field effect on eachother.  Physicists should study it.”

All of the amazing things Chuck did this season . . . from adopting Monkey, to becoming active in local charities,  to sacrificing his own happiness for Blair’s . . . Donut Dan’s . . . and even that cyborg asshat, Louis-bot’s . . . he did them out of love for, and in honor of, one very special Queen B.

As for Blair, her continued doubts about her relationship with Louis, and whether the so-called fairytale ending she had finally earned was all it was cracked up to be, all seemed to lead her back to Chuck Bass.    It was his face, she sought out, at the end of nearly every episode.  It was his voice she needed to hear on the phone.  It was his hand, she wanted to caress her face, when all hope seemed lost . . .

What’s amazing about seeing Chuck and Blair together in Season 5, is how much they both have grown, both as individuals, and as a couple, since Gossip Girl premiered, back in 2007.  Both have had their hearts broken, more times than they can count.  Their experiences have made them somewhat less impulsive than they used to be, and less willing to give their hearts to others, out of fear that their love won’t be returned.

But these same experiences have also made them kinder, gentler, more selfless people.  Chuck and Blair started the series as headstrong, manipulative, somewhat selfish individuals.  Now, they are adults, who are ready to enter into a mature, honest, and intimate relationship with one another, and maybe even start a family together.

It sounds pretty perfect, right?  But, alas, all was not well in Chair-land this season.  First of all, we were saddled with that marble-mouthed, personality-free cyborg, Louis-bot . . . the only character capable of uniting Chair and Dair fans in mutual hatred.

He ate up precious Chair screen time with his inexplicable verbiage, lame schemes, and ridiculous 8:54 apologies for whatever odious thing he did to Blair that week.

Due to his presence, and the existence of his evil spawn inside Blair’s belly, Chuck and Blair were frustratingly tentative, throughout most of the season, about sharing their true feelings for one another.

And when Chuck and Blair finally did receive their much awaited, and deserved happy reunion, it was ripped away by a nearly fatal car crash.  Thus proving that these two long-time lovers are just as starcrossed, as they always have been.

I guess some things never change . . .

But the holidays are not a time for regrets, complaints, or petty accusations.   They are time for spreading happiness, limo sex and for giving and receiving love and bar-mitzvah sex.

And in that spirit, I proudly present to you, my dear Chair fans, my picks of the Top Ten Chuck and Blair Moments from Season 5, so far  . . .

10. “I wanted to move on, to give you the happy life that you deserve.”

Episode: “Rhodes to Perdition” – 5 x 9

Setting the Scene:

Blair’s realization that Chuck has returned the engagement ring he once bought for her, causes our Queen B to have some shocking and disheartening revelations about herself, and her relationship with Chuck . . .

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Potent Quotables:

CHUCK: “Dr. Kirby thought you were upset I returned the ring.”

BLAIR: “He has too many PhD’s.  They cancel each other out and make him a moron.”

CHUCK: “I returned it because you asked me to let you go . . . I wanted to move on to give you the happy life you deserve.”

BLAIR: “All this time, I’ve blamed you for pulling me into the dark.  But I was wrong.  It was me who brought out your dark side.  And now that I’m with Louis, I’ve done the same to him.  I’m sorry.”

Why it made the list:

It is quite fitting that Blair begins this scene tasting cakes, as pastries have always played a major role in Chuck’s and Blair’s sex life . . .

Blair claims that she can’t enjoy her cakes because Louis-bot has lost his sweetness. How do you lose something you never had?  However, I can’t help but wonder whether it is her fear that she has lost Chuck’s love for good that is messing with her appetite.  After all, he always did like to eat her pies!

It’s interesting how Blair initially tries to deflect the seriousness of the conversation through casual banter, and witty insults.  Conversation avoidance is typically Chuck’s forte.  But, in this instance, it is Chuck who demands a serious conversation between Blair and him.  He knows that Blair was hurt by his confession that he returned her ring, and feels more than a bit guilty about causing her pain.  But I also think a part of him is a teensy bit hopeful.  Deep down, Chuck likely recognizes that the reason Blair got so upset over the fact that Chuck returned the ring is that she is not over him.

I’m awed by Chuck’s maturity throughout this scene, and how honest he is with Blair about his feelings.  Chuck has no desire to manipulate Blair’s feelings for him, as he has done in the past.  He only wants her to be happy, even if that secretly makes him miserable.  Chuck knows that no matter how many rings he leaves on the doorstep of Harry Winston to get stolen by homeless people he will always love Blair, more than life itself.

But, at this point, Chuck believes that Blair can only be happy with Louis.  And so, he says what he needs to say, to ensure that happiness.  It’s the type of blatant self-sacrifice we will see from Chuck, again and again this season . . .

But Blair misconstrues Chuck’s words terribly, interpreting them in a way Chuck never imagined that she would.  She begins to blame herself for Chuck’s and Louis-bot’s foibles.  And the anguish on her face, is mirrored by Chuck, the moment he realizes he has unwittingly caused her to feel this way.  It’s a sad scene . . . one that represents just how star-crossed Chuck and Blair truly are.  But it also illustrates their unbreakable bond, and how invested these two individuals are in eachother’s feelings and emotions.

9. Those pesky match-making squirrels . . .

Episode: “Memoirs of an Invisible Dan” – 5 x 4

Setting the Scene:

Reunited for the first time, since Blair announced that she was pregnant with Louis-bot’s spawn, Chuck and Blair undoubtedly worry that things might be awkward between them.  So, Chuck’s best friend, Monkey, plots with a few Chair-shipping squirrels to help break the ice . . .

Video:

Potent Quotables:

Source 

BLAIR: “Since when do you bite your tongue?”

CHUCK: “I’m learning.”

BLAIR: “Isn’t Humphrey becoming quite the drama queen?”

CHUCK: “Isn’t that usually your role?”

BLAIR: “I prefer drama princess now.”

CHUCK:  “How are you, by the way?”

BLAIR:  “I’m OK.  Thanks for asking.”

CHUCK: “I’m sorry .  .  . squirrels.  Should we?”

Why it made the list:

With all the heartache and angsty moments these two have endured over the years,  it’s nice, every once in a while,  to see a light-hearted, dare I say, cute moment between them.  I remember watching the pregnancy reveal in 5 X 3, and wondering how Chuck and Blair would react to one another, when they saw eachother again.  Would they be cold?  Awkward?  Distant?

It was refreshing to see Chuck and Blair be so completely at ease with one another, despite the obvious subtext between them.  And I applauded the pair for being able to make, what could have been a terribly uncomfortable moment, oddly normal, filled as it was with easy jokes, friendly familiarity, witty familiarity, and, of course, mild flirting.  Already, Blair is starting to notice that Chuck has matured, in his staunch refusal to reveal Dan’s secret.  She’s clearly impressed with him  . . .

And yet, once again, as in the prior scene, it’s Chuck that brings the conversation to a deeper level.  He places an affectionate hand on Blair’s arm, as he asks her how she’s doing, with a look in his eyes that is a mixture of concerned and loving.  The pregnant and subconsciously maternal Blair, gently moves her hands toward her stomach,  before she replies, a subtle implication that she knows exactly to what he’s referring.

When Blair thanks Chuck for asking, on the surface, it’s a banal response, one that anyone would make, if someone asked them how they were doing.  But the look Blair gives Chuck when she says it, shows that she is expressing gratitude, not just for Chuck’s words, but that he has the courage to resume their relationship, and continue to support her, even though she is carrying another man’s child.  We’ll see that gratitude expressed again, in a more significant way, later on in the season.

Source 

Everyone’s favorite guest star, Monkey, has been a secret Chair fan, ever since he comforted Chuck,  after his fateful encounter with Blair at the end of episode 3.  So, it is no surprise that the canine Bass is a little schemer, just like his owner.  It’s certainly no accident that he went after those squirrels, in such a way that Chuck would have to pull Blair close to him, in order to hold on to the leash, and keep his pregnant lover from falling on the concrete.

Thanks to Monkey, Chuck literally sweeps Blair off her feet, in such a way that the two are both smiling, blushing, and eye-goggling eachother, long after Monkey has been set back on the straight and narrow.  Chuck Bass is always so cool, calm, and collected.  This is why some of my favorite Chair scenes arise when Chuck seems to lose his composure.  The shy, and goofy way a red-faced Chuck mumbled a shy apology over the squirrels, warmed my heart,  because it shows just how smitten he still is with Blair, even after all these years.

Blair may have wanted Chuck to murder those butterflies in his stomach,  back in Season 1.  But here we are, four seasons later.  And they are clearly alive and well . . .

8. Blair and Chuck attend couple’s therapy

Episode: “Rhodes to Perdition” – 5 x 9

Setting the Scene:

In complete denial of the obvious-to-everyone-else-but-her fact that the reason her relationship with Louis-bot is failing so miserably, is that she is head-over-heels in love with Chuck, Blair tags along on one of Chuck’s therapy sessions.   While there, she hopes to unlock the mystery of why Chuck is so awesome, and Louis-bot is so awful . . .

Video:

Potent Quotables:

BLAIR: “I was a teenage bulimic and my father came out when I was fifteen.  This isn’t my first analysis.”

SHRINK: “Are you saying that you want your fiancé to be more like Chuck?”

BLAIR: “No!  More like the man Chuck’s become.  Like Louis used to be when Chuck was like Louis is now.”

SHRINK: “If you don’t mind me saying so, you seem confused.”

And later .  . .

CHUCK: “But I did let go of you, Blair . . . if you don’t believe me, call on Harry Winston.  The night of The Spectator launch, I left the engagement ring I bought you on the doorstep and walked away.”

Why it made the list:

At first, this scene seems as though it’s going to be played mainly for laughs.  Chuck, clearly aware of how patently ridiculous it is that his non-girlfriend has decided to attend therapy with him, teases and taunts Blair, by using most of his therapy time to wax poetic about Monkey’s self-pleasuring tendencies.  (Any hope of Monkey getting a love interest, next season, Josh Schwartz?)  And yet something tells me Chuck’s real therapy sessions are much more juicy, and decidedly Blair-centric.

From Chuck’s perspective, it’s interesting that he refrains for as long as possible from telling Blair about returning her ring, presumably because he knows it will hurt her feelings.  And yet, when he is finally goaded into revealing this pertinent information, he seems both surprised and cowed, by how much his confession affected her.  It’s almost as if, a part of Chuck believed that Blair wouldn’t care at all about the ring, because he doesn’t yet consider himself worthy of her love.

As for Blair, she never expected that Chuck’s transformation had anything to do with letting go of her.  And the mistaken realization that Chuck might truly be over her, devastates her in a way that she never expected.  Leighton Meester is spectacular in this scene.  Her body stiffens in shock, as her eyes well up with tears.  It’s almost as if she’s experienced the death of a loved one.  But what she’s really experiencing is what she believes to be the death of love.

Blair tries to act casual about this discovery, when she excuses herself.   But the way her voice cracks, as she escapes the room, says everything about what’s going on in her head and heart.  She’s not fooling anybody, least of all, herself . . .

7. “Do you think you could love another man’s child?”

Episode: “Riding in Town Cars with Boys” – 5 x 10

Setting the Scene:

Hiding away in Brooklyn, so that those nosy paparazzi won’t realize that her pregnant fingers are now too fat for her wedding ring, Blair struggles over why she can’t commit to her robot fiance.  Seeking closure or perhaps an opportunity to escape this sham of a marriage, Blair calls the one man, who can help her get in touch with her true emotions: Chuck Bass . . .

Video:

Potent Quotables:

BLAIR: “I need your advice.  It seems as you’ve found your way, I’ve lost mine.”

CHUCK: “I didn’t think Blair Waldorf could get lost.”

BLAIR: “Neither did I, but I’m so lost I wound up in Brooklyn.”

CHUCK: “There are worse places.  This isn’t something Humphrey can help you with?”

BLAIR:  “No . . . only you .  . . Do you think you could love another man’s child?”

CHUCK: “Why are you asking me this?”

BLAIR: “I’m paralyzed.  I can’t move.   I can’t breathe.  You have to help me.”

CHUCK: “I can’t make this decision for you, Blair.  You’re the one who has to live with it.”

BLAIR: “But, what’s the right choice, Chuck?”

CHUCK: “I can’t imagine it would be a mistake to marry the father of your child.  Right?”

Why it made the list:

What’s interesting about this scene, is that it takes place entirely over the telephone.  So much of Chuck’s and Blair’s relationship is conveyed through their body language, and facial expressions.  When they are face-to-face with one another, knowing what is truly in eachother’s hearts comes easily to Chuck and Blair.  It is second nature to them.

But while on the phone, Chuck and Blair cannot look in eachother’s eyes when they speak.  They can’t touch one another.  They can’t see how eachother or standing, or read the tears in eachother’s eyes, or the devastation in eachother’s posture.  And this causes them to have a miscommunication of tragically epic proportions.

However, as viewers, we get to see Chuck and Blair, as they engage in this conversation.  And this gives us the unique opportunity to read the subtext of their words, which they, themselves, cannot see.  For example, Blair’s voice, when she asks Chuck for help, and jokes about being in Brooklyn, is deceptively subtle, and lighthearted, though we know, from the way she is seated on the couch, that it is taking all her will, not to break down.

Chuck responds in an equally light-hearted fashion.  But the sad look in his eyes, when he speaks  shows fans how hard it is for him to carry on a casual conversation with someone he loves more than life itself, and yet knows he cannot have. When Blair asks Chuck if he could love another man’s child, we see how nervous she is . . . and how tentative.  This is incredibly hard for her.  We know what she wants Chuck’s answer to be, even if she’s not ready to admit that to herself.