100 Reviews: 54
Oct. 9th, 2012 12:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedi_of_urthI may or may not have feeling about this episode. I may or may not even have much in the way of logical thought about it. Let’s see how this goes...
TVD: 3x20: Do Not Go Gentle
You know, oddly enough, I was substantially less pissed off by this episode than I was when it aired. I still don’t like some elements of it, far from it, but over all I didn’t hate it.
Most of my problems are with Stefan/Elena, that’s not surprising at all, but I couldn’t reach the same kind of so bad I can laugh at it level I had with Damon/Elena last episode. Because where D/E is just bad, S/E is confusing as hell. Not emotionally confusing in the ‘I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS’ way (in the way, say, Finn’s death is), just the ‘I don’t really get what this IS’ way.
But since I’m feeling more generous to it this time I think I decided not to be angry at Caroline for encouraging Elena to take Stefan to the dance. Caroline really doesn’t want Elena to be with Damon and she sees Stefan as the best way to prevent that; plus I can buy that she’s quicker to forgive Stefan than I’d want her to be even if just two episodes ago she was on the “I miss well-adjusted Stefan” side. What I AM mad a is her warning Matt off, that she does it at all and especially how she does it Elena is “spoken for”? Really Caroline? Isn’t that up to Elena? If she wants Matt she should get to go after Matt. If you’re worried about Matt getting hurt because you think he’s hoping to get back together with Elena...well I can’t argue that you have reason to suspect he’s still totally into Elena (because I think so too) don’t present it as if you’re telling to back off for the Salvatores’ sake.
While I’m on the subject of Caroline, Klaus/Caroline this episode feels fairly different than it does in the other episodes. Before it was kind of like Elena/Elijah light, two people on opposite sides of the conflict sparking off each other, but without it being built on an actual connection and understanding like E/E is. Here it’s framed more as if Klaus is going to be her temptation to the dark side (in a bit of a chicken and the egg way, she’ll be tempted so she’ll seek out Klaus or she’s drawn to Klaus so she’s also drawn to the dark side), and THAT plot might have some potential because it would actually be ABOUT something. Not that I didn’t enjoy their random interactions before, but giving it a larger story point has appeal. Plus Tyler continues to be a dick here, so I’d rather Care just said “screw y’all, I choose me (and maybe my homegirls).” (Note, I am in favor of all the girls doing that this season.)
While I’m on the subject of awkward love triangles, Bonnie may actually be in the middle of the least awkward love triangle on the show. She and Jeremy still have feelings for each other but they’re not making an issue of it. She likes Jamie, and maybe even more likes that he’s outside all the crap that is this life she’s in, but he accepts that it’s part of her. They all act like reasonable people whose lives don’t actually revolve around the fact that they’re kinda sorta in a love triangle. Now Bonnie/Jamie might be a bit boring, but I kind of think that’s the point; no one’s going to die hard ship it, but if you want Bonnie to be happy you can’t really dislike it either.
While I’m on the subject of ships no one could actually ship, what exactly was the point of Alaric/Meredith? Besides, Meredith seems to have caught Stefan’s nonsensical statement disease by the end of the episode. First she’s all “it’s good you gave Ric the option of how he would die” then she’s all “what do you think Ric really wants even though he said to leave him alone?” Um...Mere telling Damon to use his own judgment about whether Ric really wants what he says he wants kind of goes again the idea of giving him the choice in the first place.
Speaking of missing the point entirely...it’s time to talk about Stefan again. As painfully forced as the S/E stuff is early in the episode the last scene still mostly pisses me off. Stefan, it’s not about you, stop trying to make this bout you. And Elena, stop letting Stefan make it about him. Of course it might help if I actually believed Stefan felt the bad feelings like guilt for all the people he killed (and no, I’m not going to shut up about that) when he’s telling Elena to feel the soul-crushing sadness of losing someone else she cares deeply for. Stefan clearly isn’t overcome by soul-crushing guilt for all he’s done so how can he possibly empathize with Elena right now?
Speaking of Stefan being an awful person. He tells Elena that he ought to apologize to Bonnie for what he did to her and Abby but when given the chance does he? Nope, not Stefan. As long as Elena thinks he’s sorry and she decides he’s forgiven everything is peachy for him; especially if he doesn’t have to ask anyone else to actually do the forgiving (that would imply he ACTUALLY felt guilt for it rather than using the guilt he knows he should feel as a tool to emotionally manipulate other people). Hmm, maybe I do have some anger left for this episode.
Speaking of being pissed off at this episode, I’m still pissed that it was even Stefan that was with Elena at the end in the first place. So you’re writing this episode and you’re choices are a) A heartbreaking moment with Elena and Jeremy as they support each other while dealing with another loss to their family; b) a touching scene with Elena and her two best friends, all of them recently having lost someone they love and starting to reconnect with each other to get through it; c) a continuation of the graveyard theme of everyone pulling together in the wake of the newest tragedy therefore showing that this family may be broken but it can still survive; or d) a forced bit between Elena and one of her awful love interests where said love interest makes it all about his pain as opposed to Elena’s. This being TVD they of course chose D. I’m not sure why I’m even surprised any more, but what was the point of having Bonnie state how important her friends are to her when she couldn’t be bothered to be there for them in the end?
Okay, shifting gears this time; I think the reason I was feeling more generous towards this episode when I started this reviews was that I was still all emotional over Alaric. The scenes where Alaric is himself again are just heartbreaking to me and I like that. One of these days when I get back to reviewing Doctor Who I’ll get to talk about some heartbreak on a show I actually think deserves it, but for now it’s about a show managing to make me feel stuff in spite of itself, which has its own kind of value. Is it emotionally manipulative as hell? Yes, most definitely, but being emotionally manipulative writing isn’t always a crime (emotionally manipulative characters on the other hand STEFAN usually are).
However that brings me to Esther, and well...I do support that this episode allows me to blame Alaric’s mental breakdown on her but it doesn’t entirely make sense of the plot (I’ve fanwanked the 1912 killings to be somehow tied to the cutting down of the white oak tree but it doesn’t completely work). Also writers, why in your minds did Elena go with Esther to begin with? Also Esther, Alaric still has vampire bloodlust (if he was really any different he shouldn’t have continued to feed on Bonnie after he’d turned) so aside from the shortened life expectancy what’s really different about him? Also, how can Esther ensure that dark-Ric’s traits would be the ones that come to prominence when he turned? It would seem to me that Ric had free will to become drinking buddies with the guy who killed his wife while dark-Ric is the created personality therefore should not be his strongest traits.
Basically on rewatch, the stuff dark-Ric says about Ric-in-general don’t work for me. Do I think Alaric has a lot of unresolved issues and anger about the things that have happened? Certainly, who on this show DOESN’T at this point? (again, when the hell is Elena going to be allowed to get angry about how much everyone ha fucked up her life?) But when left to his own choices he chose to crown his issues in booze rather than get angry and want to keep killing things. In fact, shouldn’t Ric’s strongest trait as a vampire be his alcoholism? (can vampires be alcoholics?)
Hmm, I meant for this to go out on a better note with my emotional connection with Ric’s death (the scenes with Elena and Jeremy, and then with Damon) or maybe a general ‘oh yeah I’m pissed off Bonnie got possessed too’ but I seem to have wandered into other territory. Consider this me signing off on those notes.
Nest time:
Well, the next episode is okay...sort of. We’ll see how I feel about it now that I didn’t when it first aired, because I *think* I’ll like it less since it leads to things I hate about the finale.
Suggestion box always open
TVD: 3x20: Do Not Go Gentle
You know, oddly enough, I was substantially less pissed off by this episode than I was when it aired. I still don’t like some elements of it, far from it, but over all I didn’t hate it.
Most of my problems are with Stefan/Elena, that’s not surprising at all, but I couldn’t reach the same kind of so bad I can laugh at it level I had with Damon/Elena last episode. Because where D/E is just bad, S/E is confusing as hell. Not emotionally confusing in the ‘I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS’ way (in the way, say, Finn’s death is), just the ‘I don’t really get what this IS’ way.
But since I’m feeling more generous to it this time I think I decided not to be angry at Caroline for encouraging Elena to take Stefan to the dance. Caroline really doesn’t want Elena to be with Damon and she sees Stefan as the best way to prevent that; plus I can buy that she’s quicker to forgive Stefan than I’d want her to be even if just two episodes ago she was on the “I miss well-adjusted Stefan” side. What I AM mad a is her warning Matt off, that she does it at all and especially how she does it Elena is “spoken for”? Really Caroline? Isn’t that up to Elena? If she wants Matt she should get to go after Matt. If you’re worried about Matt getting hurt because you think he’s hoping to get back together with Elena...well I can’t argue that you have reason to suspect he’s still totally into Elena (because I think so too) don’t present it as if you’re telling to back off for the Salvatores’ sake.
While I’m on the subject of Caroline, Klaus/Caroline this episode feels fairly different than it does in the other episodes. Before it was kind of like Elena/Elijah light, two people on opposite sides of the conflict sparking off each other, but without it being built on an actual connection and understanding like E/E is. Here it’s framed more as if Klaus is going to be her temptation to the dark side (in a bit of a chicken and the egg way, she’ll be tempted so she’ll seek out Klaus or she’s drawn to Klaus so she’s also drawn to the dark side), and THAT plot might have some potential because it would actually be ABOUT something. Not that I didn’t enjoy their random interactions before, but giving it a larger story point has appeal. Plus Tyler continues to be a dick here, so I’d rather Care just said “screw y’all, I choose me (and maybe my homegirls).” (Note, I am in favor of all the girls doing that this season.)
While I’m on the subject of awkward love triangles, Bonnie may actually be in the middle of the least awkward love triangle on the show. She and Jeremy still have feelings for each other but they’re not making an issue of it. She likes Jamie, and maybe even more likes that he’s outside all the crap that is this life she’s in, but he accepts that it’s part of her. They all act like reasonable people whose lives don’t actually revolve around the fact that they’re kinda sorta in a love triangle. Now Bonnie/Jamie might be a bit boring, but I kind of think that’s the point; no one’s going to die hard ship it, but if you want Bonnie to be happy you can’t really dislike it either.
While I’m on the subject of ships no one could actually ship, what exactly was the point of Alaric/Meredith? Besides, Meredith seems to have caught Stefan’s nonsensical statement disease by the end of the episode. First she’s all “it’s good you gave Ric the option of how he would die” then she’s all “what do you think Ric really wants even though he said to leave him alone?” Um...Mere telling Damon to use his own judgment about whether Ric really wants what he says he wants kind of goes again the idea of giving him the choice in the first place.
Speaking of missing the point entirely...it’s time to talk about Stefan again. As painfully forced as the S/E stuff is early in the episode the last scene still mostly pisses me off. Stefan, it’s not about you, stop trying to make this bout you. And Elena, stop letting Stefan make it about him. Of course it might help if I actually believed Stefan felt the bad feelings like guilt for all the people he killed (and no, I’m not going to shut up about that) when he’s telling Elena to feel the soul-crushing sadness of losing someone else she cares deeply for. Stefan clearly isn’t overcome by soul-crushing guilt for all he’s done so how can he possibly empathize with Elena right now?
Speaking of Stefan being an awful person. He tells Elena that he ought to apologize to Bonnie for what he did to her and Abby but when given the chance does he? Nope, not Stefan. As long as Elena thinks he’s sorry and she decides he’s forgiven everything is peachy for him; especially if he doesn’t have to ask anyone else to actually do the forgiving (that would imply he ACTUALLY felt guilt for it rather than using the guilt he knows he should feel as a tool to emotionally manipulate other people). Hmm, maybe I do have some anger left for this episode.
Speaking of being pissed off at this episode, I’m still pissed that it was even Stefan that was with Elena at the end in the first place. So you’re writing this episode and you’re choices are a) A heartbreaking moment with Elena and Jeremy as they support each other while dealing with another loss to their family; b) a touching scene with Elena and her two best friends, all of them recently having lost someone they love and starting to reconnect with each other to get through it; c) a continuation of the graveyard theme of everyone pulling together in the wake of the newest tragedy therefore showing that this family may be broken but it can still survive; or d) a forced bit between Elena and one of her awful love interests where said love interest makes it all about his pain as opposed to Elena’s. This being TVD they of course chose D. I’m not sure why I’m even surprised any more, but what was the point of having Bonnie state how important her friends are to her when she couldn’t be bothered to be there for them in the end?
Okay, shifting gears this time; I think the reason I was feeling more generous towards this episode when I started this reviews was that I was still all emotional over Alaric. The scenes where Alaric is himself again are just heartbreaking to me and I like that. One of these days when I get back to reviewing Doctor Who I’ll get to talk about some heartbreak on a show I actually think deserves it, but for now it’s about a show managing to make me feel stuff in spite of itself, which has its own kind of value. Is it emotionally manipulative as hell? Yes, most definitely, but being emotionally manipulative writing isn’t always a crime (emotionally manipulative characters on the other hand STEFAN usually are).
However that brings me to Esther, and well...I do support that this episode allows me to blame Alaric’s mental breakdown on her but it doesn’t entirely make sense of the plot (I’ve fanwanked the 1912 killings to be somehow tied to the cutting down of the white oak tree but it doesn’t completely work). Also writers, why in your minds did Elena go with Esther to begin with? Also Esther, Alaric still has vampire bloodlust (if he was really any different he shouldn’t have continued to feed on Bonnie after he’d turned) so aside from the shortened life expectancy what’s really different about him? Also, how can Esther ensure that dark-Ric’s traits would be the ones that come to prominence when he turned? It would seem to me that Ric had free will to become drinking buddies with the guy who killed his wife while dark-Ric is the created personality therefore should not be his strongest traits.
Basically on rewatch, the stuff dark-Ric says about Ric-in-general don’t work for me. Do I think Alaric has a lot of unresolved issues and anger about the things that have happened? Certainly, who on this show DOESN’T at this point? (again, when the hell is Elena going to be allowed to get angry about how much everyone ha fucked up her life?) But when left to his own choices he chose to crown his issues in booze rather than get angry and want to keep killing things. In fact, shouldn’t Ric’s strongest trait as a vampire be his alcoholism? (can vampires be alcoholics?)
Hmm, I meant for this to go out on a better note with my emotional connection with Ric’s death (the scenes with Elena and Jeremy, and then with Damon) or maybe a general ‘oh yeah I’m pissed off Bonnie got possessed too’ but I seem to have wandered into other territory. Consider this me signing off on those notes.
Nest time:
Well, the next episode is okay...sort of. We’ll see how I feel about it now that I didn’t when it first aired, because I *think* I’ll like it less since it leads to things I hate about the finale.
Suggestion box always open
