TVD 4x11 immediate thoughts
Jan. 25th, 2013 12:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedi_of_urthWell...it sucked less I suppose.
TVD 4x11 reactions
So...from a plot perspective they had Damon ask Elena out to the lake house so she could be there to help with te fighting, but since Damon clearly didn’t know they were going to need that we still have to conclude he’s just being gross.
Basically any scene with Elena is gross now because everything she does has to be seen through the prism of sire bond and that makes everything she does gross by association with that. Look, I love Elena, but Elena died on that bridge and this is just Elena-doll who I have no feelings for aside from gross.
Aside from that though...it didn’t suck so much as it has. Letting the Originals out to play often helps with that kind of thing, and this episode let the Originals out with a vengeance.
First off, Kol/Jeremy is totally a thing and I can’t believe otherwise.
Secondly Rebekah/Stefan actually gets some development that has been lacking ever since the show teased us with the idea back in 3x03.
Thirdly, Elijah is so pissed off at the rest of his family that he’s not speaking to any of them. Which actually fits with my headcanon that he’s so pissed off about events at the end of s3 that the only person he *would* pick up the phone for is Elena and she (being Elena-doll and not actual Elena) hasn’t had the drive to call him (I mean, Damon hates Elijah, so Elena-doll isn’t going to ask him for help). Anyway, the big name drop gives me hope that we might actually see him soonish as that’s often how it works (plus it was about this time last season when he showed up to prop up the middle of season 3 only for it to tank as soon as he left, and this season really needs some propping up).
Klaus...actually Klaus didn’t get much to do surprisingly, but damn it show, I need more Klaus-Elena interaction; I mean *real* Elena-Klaus interaction not Elena-doll who will beg Klaus for things to save Damon. I’m sorry, real Elena would not act like that, real Elena tells Klaus to go to hell if she can’t deal with him, and there was no deal making going on here.
(Hmm, I keep bitching about the treatment of Elena, it’s almost like I’m completely pissed off about that...)
Also thank you Matt for pointing out that this sire-bond thing is totally messing with Elena’s head beyond the obvious ‘he asks, you obey’ factor. Admittedly the writers seem to all have different ideas about how much it is but seriously, Matt’s point seems pretty valid to me. Also, I just love you Matt, always have.
Okay now, as much as I have the potential to like Stefan/Rebekah, Stefan’s attitudes this episode don’t make that much sense and seem to ignore some obvious past plots. Like: um...Elena *has* seen Stefan not in love with her, you know, when Klaus compelled him not to. Plus the show can’t seem to decide where he is on the humanity scale, but also manage to make his location on that solely dependent on his feelings for Elena so it both gross and badly written.
And Jeremy...I don’t have a real good read on what’s going on with Jeremy right now. I don’t know if it’s intentionally written to be vague or the writers don’t know what they’re doing with this (another rash decision to turn one of the normal human characters supernatural results in poorly thought out development, shocker) or if the acting is too weak to get across what they might be going for, but no matter the reason it’s not really working for me right now. His scenes with Elena actually are pretty good, but they don’t feel like...themselves all that much, of course it would help it this relationship had actually gotten more screen time this season.
Bonnie’s storyline...I want to like it I really do and there are parts of it I truly do like, but there’s a definite setup that Shane is controlling her, even if just lightly (blame a recent rewatch of Dollhouse on conditioning words totally jumping out at me). I ALWAYS wanted Bonnie’s story this season to be about seizing her own power and not being used by the Spirits or whatever anymore, and since now we have Elena-doll being controlled by others I NEED this storyline to be Bonnie’s own want/need/quest/struggle with/desire for power and right now it really doesn’t come across that way. Even if they had had Shane manipulating her own desires (like he did when he brought her Grams into it) that would be...not okay, but it wouldn’t make me so ready to jump ship on it as it is when he seems to have some kind of actual power over her.
Hmm, I think that’s everybody. The Originals are great, Bonnie and Stefan’s stories have the potential to work out of fail miserably, Damon is gross, and Elena-doll continues to be not Elena (I want to see her plan to kill Kol as her having some of real Elena still in there, but with the sire bond there’s a large asterisk next to that this is probably all about getting Damon back rather than her own future happiness). And I’m slightly hopeful and probably going to be disappointed that there might be Elijah; this show needs more Elijah (and real Elena).
TVD 4x11 reactions
So...from a plot perspective they had Damon ask Elena out to the lake house so she could be there to help with te fighting, but since Damon clearly didn’t know they were going to need that we still have to conclude he’s just being gross.
Basically any scene with Elena is gross now because everything she does has to be seen through the prism of sire bond and that makes everything she does gross by association with that. Look, I love Elena, but Elena died on that bridge and this is just Elena-doll who I have no feelings for aside from gross.
Aside from that though...it didn’t suck so much as it has. Letting the Originals out to play often helps with that kind of thing, and this episode let the Originals out with a vengeance.
First off, Kol/Jeremy is totally a thing and I can’t believe otherwise.
Secondly Rebekah/Stefan actually gets some development that has been lacking ever since the show teased us with the idea back in 3x03.
Thirdly, Elijah is so pissed off at the rest of his family that he’s not speaking to any of them. Which actually fits with my headcanon that he’s so pissed off about events at the end of s3 that the only person he *would* pick up the phone for is Elena and she (being Elena-doll and not actual Elena) hasn’t had the drive to call him (I mean, Damon hates Elijah, so Elena-doll isn’t going to ask him for help). Anyway, the big name drop gives me hope that we might actually see him soonish as that’s often how it works (plus it was about this time last season when he showed up to prop up the middle of season 3 only for it to tank as soon as he left, and this season really needs some propping up).
Klaus...actually Klaus didn’t get much to do surprisingly, but damn it show, I need more Klaus-Elena interaction; I mean *real* Elena-Klaus interaction not Elena-doll who will beg Klaus for things to save Damon. I’m sorry, real Elena would not act like that, real Elena tells Klaus to go to hell if she can’t deal with him, and there was no deal making going on here.
(Hmm, I keep bitching about the treatment of Elena, it’s almost like I’m completely pissed off about that...)
Also thank you Matt for pointing out that this sire-bond thing is totally messing with Elena’s head beyond the obvious ‘he asks, you obey’ factor. Admittedly the writers seem to all have different ideas about how much it is but seriously, Matt’s point seems pretty valid to me. Also, I just love you Matt, always have.
Okay now, as much as I have the potential to like Stefan/Rebekah, Stefan’s attitudes this episode don’t make that much sense and seem to ignore some obvious past plots. Like: um...Elena *has* seen Stefan not in love with her, you know, when Klaus compelled him not to. Plus the show can’t seem to decide where he is on the humanity scale, but also manage to make his location on that solely dependent on his feelings for Elena so it both gross and badly written.
And Jeremy...I don’t have a real good read on what’s going on with Jeremy right now. I don’t know if it’s intentionally written to be vague or the writers don’t know what they’re doing with this (another rash decision to turn one of the normal human characters supernatural results in poorly thought out development, shocker) or if the acting is too weak to get across what they might be going for, but no matter the reason it’s not really working for me right now. His scenes with Elena actually are pretty good, but they don’t feel like...themselves all that much, of course it would help it this relationship had actually gotten more screen time this season.
Bonnie’s storyline...I want to like it I really do and there are parts of it I truly do like, but there’s a definite setup that Shane is controlling her, even if just lightly (blame a recent rewatch of Dollhouse on conditioning words totally jumping out at me). I ALWAYS wanted Bonnie’s story this season to be about seizing her own power and not being used by the Spirits or whatever anymore, and since now we have Elena-doll being controlled by others I NEED this storyline to be Bonnie’s own want/need/quest/struggle with/desire for power and right now it really doesn’t come across that way. Even if they had had Shane manipulating her own desires (like he did when he brought her Grams into it) that would be...not okay, but it wouldn’t make me so ready to jump ship on it as it is when he seems to have some kind of actual power over her.
Hmm, I think that’s everybody. The Originals are great, Bonnie and Stefan’s stories have the potential to work out of fail miserably, Damon is gross, and Elena-doll continues to be not Elena (I want to see her plan to kill Kol as her having some of real Elena still in there, but with the sire bond there’s a large asterisk next to that this is probably all about getting Damon back rather than her own future happiness). And I’m slightly hopeful and probably going to be disappointed that there might be Elijah; this show needs more Elijah (and real Elena).
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 11:50 pm (UTC)Indeed. Aren't they fabulous? Loved Kol calling Damon "darling".
Which actually fits with my headcanon that he’s so pissed off about events at the end of s3 that the only person he *would* pick up the phone for is Elena and she (being Elena-doll and not actual Elena) hasn’t had the drive to call him
Haha... yeah. That's kind of depressing.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 05:30 am (UTC)While the idea of Elijah just being off moping somewhere isn't great at least it's AN explanation for why he hasn't been around (and it only finally occurred to me a little while ago to use the sire-bond to justify Elena's lack of communication but I think it works). Maybe I should write fic about him finally checking his voice mail to find out just how much of a mess they're in without him.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-27 06:58 pm (UTC)You should, all those missed calls piling up...