The Salvatore boys, Elena, Kat and other (super-) natural disasters
Well, it's a ramble, but it sounds better to call it a meta. Sounds more as if I might be a mature adult who is not at all obsessed with yet another set of fictionals.
My issues (with TVD, because ALL my issues would break LJ);
The Vampire Diaries as a show has been good at shocking the crap out of me with all kinds of twists and turns. You never really know what happens next and that is rare in TV these days.
The best thing about TVD so far has been the Salvatore brothers and their relationship with Katarina Petrova and Elena Gilbert. Entire wars are going on between fans who believe it’s Stefan Elena should be with and fans who think Damon is the only option. Everything in between kind of gets forgotten and apparently you HAVE to pick a side. Yeah. No thank you.
In the books, the writing was more respectful to all three characters, Damon’s feelings for Elena being on equal footing with Stefan’s. Elena caring as much about Damon as she does about his younger brother.
Don’t get me wrong, the writing in the books isn’t perfect at all. But the writing for Damon stands out in a negative way in the show. From one liners to cliché outburst. At first he is just the evil older brother who doesn’t give a shit about anything other than blood and mayhem. Then he started to show signs of having a heart in that gorgeous chest. All good so far. I loved seeing him flinch when John killed Anna and when Sheriff Forbes claimed her daughter was dead to her.
But then… things got cheesy. Damon went from the character with sharp wit to doling out clichés. I will always choose you. You know what happens when I get upset. Those are just the latest gems. It looks like the writers gave up!
The character of Andie being my biggest problem so far. Sidestepping the abuse (the issue is just too complicated and emotional to get into) of Andie by Damon, I don’t understand her function in the story or in the development of Damon.
Jenna introduces them. Jenna doesn’t even like Damon. She doesn’t know about the fangs, but she did see Damon kiss his brother's girlfriend. Is that the kind of person you introduce a good friend to? I wouldn’t. Damon (at this point still trying to figure out Rose’s death) turns Andie down. Elena’s reaction to that? She tells him not to be rude. Elena knows about the fangs, knows about Rose dying and that he hurts. She also knows his history with women. Both Elena and Jenna do things in that scene that make no sense. For Elena especially it seems out of character.
The only thing I can conclude is that Andie is there to remind us that Damon is the bad brother. That he is violent and fucked up and dangerous. That he is not worthy of love. We are also meant to believe that NOBODY knows he is compelling her. Apart from Alaric.
Elena is a character that is better (to me at least) in the show than in the books. Elena kicks mayor ass. When she finds out her new love is a dead guy, she breaks things off. Later on she finds out he is the one who saved her life. She doesn’t ask what he was doing there. She also doesn’t notice that the only time he tells her the truth about his not so white knight side, is when he has to. And she says she wants trust and the truth…Being attacked later by a vampire she stabs at him with a pencil and a broom handle, in stead of just screaming. She stabbed herself in the gut and called Elijah’s bluff.
But, she also does things that are too out of character for me to just let go of. If a guy breaks your brother’s neck, would you be able to forgive him? Ever? No, you would not. Especially if he is your only family member. Your uncle (or bio daddy in this case) tries to kill your boyfriend and his brother, kills your brothers girlfriend and then just moves into your house. Do you let him? No. The second he is out the door you change the locks and toss his crap out of the window and onto the porch.
So, Elena is a loyal person. She struggles with having to lie to everybody about Stefan and takes care of Caroline even though she herself has buckets of drama to deal with. She turns Damon down from day one. Slaps him in the mouth when he tries to kiss her, and pushes him off her when he does it again. She makes it clear to him that Stefan is the person she wants to be with. Even to the point of stating that she would never kiss him.
How did it happen that she forgave him for breaking her little brothers neck? Yes, she used his feelings for her to get the Petrova journal, but then made it clear he had lost her for ever. Time and time again, we’re supposed to believe that Elena is a caring and loyal person. She seems smart (any girl who knows what a lycanthrope is…). And yet she has forgiven Damon for killing her brother… right. And for abusing her good friend Caroline. Okay than.
A lot of things might be explained by the fact that she has had one hell of a year. And that this girl is only 17. But still… there are a lot of holes there.
The writers seem to be on Stefan’s side where relationships are concerned. Elena meeting Stefan first and being loyal to him, she keeps turning Damon down. This makes Damon look like a delusion third wheel. Stefan is written as the good brother, even though as the season progressed we found out that he turned his brother for his own selfish purposes. He trusts the wrong people time after time. First his father, resulting in both his own and his brother’s death. Then John, even after the guy had already tried to kill Damon and himself by setting them on fire. All the issues I have with Stefan though, have been with his person mostly. So far I haven’t been able to see any real writing flaws. Disappointments yes.
For me, it will never be Stefan. I’m always for the bad boys. But… the writers do gloss over his bad sides. A lot. Is that because they don’t see them as bad? Or do they want the viewers to like Stefan and dislike Damon?
I see Stefan as a person who pushes his emotions down. Not dealing with his feelings about Katherine (even though he kept her picture and didn’t kill her even though he made a big point about it). Thinking things over, to the point were he freezes when action is needed. Damon is the impulsive, all or nothing kind of guy. He does what needs to be done. Including cleaning up after his little brother and getting rid of the pesky werewolf. Stefan leaves no opportunity unused to remind Damon of his mistakes (like saying remember Lexi? and of twisting the knife when it comes to Damon’s feelings for Elena. It might very well be that Damon will be the one to keep her alive in the end.
Does that mean that Damon and Elena should happen as a romantic couple? No. And I don’t think that the shippers should want that at this point either. Elena would have to stop being loyal. Her loyalty is something the show has been hammering on. She would have to put aside everything she has claimed so far. She would have to forget everything Damon has done (although she might have done that already). She would have to be willing to really hurt Stefan. Add to that the fact that she is constantly reminding Damon of the fact that he is not (yet) worthy of her love (as Stefan is). And it doesn’t add up to romance for me. Something mayor would have to change in the relationship between Elena and Stefan for it to be believable and in character. That last part would be the challenge. The show has been centered around Elena and Stefan as this epic dramatic love story. They can't pull off Damon and Elena in any kind of romantic situation at all after that.
As to the 'deserving' storyline, that was has become more and more unbelievable. Damon has proved his loyalty to Elena time and time again. He took a stake for her! I would not be surprised if he does die for her. He is stronger than Stefan and he capable of a lot more to make sure she stays safe. Damon is willing and able to do whatever needs to be done at the expense of everybody and everything else. Even if it means that he (as he put it) gets slapped for it.
All that said, I don’t like it that people get so polarised (if that is the word) when it comes to the characters of Stefan and Damon. Either one is all good, or all bad. Even if that were true (and imo it isn't) these two brothers are so connected by everything that has happened and that BOTH of them have done that one can't really be who he is without the other. Does that make sense? They are woven together.
Who knows what will happen next.
My issues (with TVD, because ALL my issues would break LJ);
The Vampire Diaries as a show has been good at shocking the crap out of me with all kinds of twists and turns. You never really know what happens next and that is rare in TV these days.
The best thing about TVD so far has been the Salvatore brothers and their relationship with Katarina Petrova and Elena Gilbert. Entire wars are going on between fans who believe it’s Stefan Elena should be with and fans who think Damon is the only option. Everything in between kind of gets forgotten and apparently you HAVE to pick a side. Yeah. No thank you.
In the books, the writing was more respectful to all three characters, Damon’s feelings for Elena being on equal footing with Stefan’s. Elena caring as much about Damon as she does about his younger brother.
Don’t get me wrong, the writing in the books isn’t perfect at all. But the writing for Damon stands out in a negative way in the show. From one liners to cliché outburst. At first he is just the evil older brother who doesn’t give a shit about anything other than blood and mayhem. Then he started to show signs of having a heart in that gorgeous chest. All good so far. I loved seeing him flinch when John killed Anna and when Sheriff Forbes claimed her daughter was dead to her.
But then… things got cheesy. Damon went from the character with sharp wit to doling out clichés. I will always choose you. You know what happens when I get upset. Those are just the latest gems. It looks like the writers gave up!
The character of Andie being my biggest problem so far. Sidestepping the abuse (the issue is just too complicated and emotional to get into) of Andie by Damon, I don’t understand her function in the story or in the development of Damon.
Jenna introduces them. Jenna doesn’t even like Damon. She doesn’t know about the fangs, but she did see Damon kiss his brother's girlfriend. Is that the kind of person you introduce a good friend to? I wouldn’t. Damon (at this point still trying to figure out Rose’s death) turns Andie down. Elena’s reaction to that? She tells him not to be rude. Elena knows about the fangs, knows about Rose dying and that he hurts. She also knows his history with women. Both Elena and Jenna do things in that scene that make no sense. For Elena especially it seems out of character.
The only thing I can conclude is that Andie is there to remind us that Damon is the bad brother. That he is violent and fucked up and dangerous. That he is not worthy of love. We are also meant to believe that NOBODY knows he is compelling her. Apart from Alaric.
Elena is a character that is better (to me at least) in the show than in the books. Elena kicks mayor ass. When she finds out her new love is a dead guy, she breaks things off. Later on she finds out he is the one who saved her life. She doesn’t ask what he was doing there. She also doesn’t notice that the only time he tells her the truth about his not so white knight side, is when he has to. And she says she wants trust and the truth…Being attacked later by a vampire she stabs at him with a pencil and a broom handle, in stead of just screaming. She stabbed herself in the gut and called Elijah’s bluff.
But, she also does things that are too out of character for me to just let go of. If a guy breaks your brother’s neck, would you be able to forgive him? Ever? No, you would not. Especially if he is your only family member. Your uncle (or bio daddy in this case) tries to kill your boyfriend and his brother, kills your brothers girlfriend and then just moves into your house. Do you let him? No. The second he is out the door you change the locks and toss his crap out of the window and onto the porch.
So, Elena is a loyal person. She struggles with having to lie to everybody about Stefan and takes care of Caroline even though she herself has buckets of drama to deal with. She turns Damon down from day one. Slaps him in the mouth when he tries to kiss her, and pushes him off her when he does it again. She makes it clear to him that Stefan is the person she wants to be with. Even to the point of stating that she would never kiss him.
How did it happen that she forgave him for breaking her little brothers neck? Yes, she used his feelings for her to get the Petrova journal, but then made it clear he had lost her for ever. Time and time again, we’re supposed to believe that Elena is a caring and loyal person. She seems smart (any girl who knows what a lycanthrope is…). And yet she has forgiven Damon for killing her brother… right. And for abusing her good friend Caroline. Okay than.
A lot of things might be explained by the fact that she has had one hell of a year. And that this girl is only 17. But still… there are a lot of holes there.
The writers seem to be on Stefan’s side where relationships are concerned. Elena meeting Stefan first and being loyal to him, she keeps turning Damon down. This makes Damon look like a delusion third wheel. Stefan is written as the good brother, even though as the season progressed we found out that he turned his brother for his own selfish purposes. He trusts the wrong people time after time. First his father, resulting in both his own and his brother’s death. Then John, even after the guy had already tried to kill Damon and himself by setting them on fire. All the issues I have with Stefan though, have been with his person mostly. So far I haven’t been able to see any real writing flaws. Disappointments yes.
For me, it will never be Stefan. I’m always for the bad boys. But… the writers do gloss over his bad sides. A lot. Is that because they don’t see them as bad? Or do they want the viewers to like Stefan and dislike Damon?
I see Stefan as a person who pushes his emotions down. Not dealing with his feelings about Katherine (even though he kept her picture and didn’t kill her even though he made a big point about it). Thinking things over, to the point were he freezes when action is needed. Damon is the impulsive, all or nothing kind of guy. He does what needs to be done. Including cleaning up after his little brother and getting rid of the pesky werewolf. Stefan leaves no opportunity unused to remind Damon of his mistakes (like saying remember Lexi? and of twisting the knife when it comes to Damon’s feelings for Elena. It might very well be that Damon will be the one to keep her alive in the end.
Does that mean that Damon and Elena should happen as a romantic couple? No. And I don’t think that the shippers should want that at this point either. Elena would have to stop being loyal. Her loyalty is something the show has been hammering on. She would have to put aside everything she has claimed so far. She would have to forget everything Damon has done (although she might have done that already). She would have to be willing to really hurt Stefan. Add to that the fact that she is constantly reminding Damon of the fact that he is not (yet) worthy of her love (as Stefan is). And it doesn’t add up to romance for me. Something mayor would have to change in the relationship between Elena and Stefan for it to be believable and in character. That last part would be the challenge. The show has been centered around Elena and Stefan as this epic dramatic love story. They can't pull off Damon and Elena in any kind of romantic situation at all after that.
As to the 'deserving' storyline, that was has become more and more unbelievable. Damon has proved his loyalty to Elena time and time again. He took a stake for her! I would not be surprised if he does die for her. He is stronger than Stefan and he capable of a lot more to make sure she stays safe. Damon is willing and able to do whatever needs to be done at the expense of everybody and everything else. Even if it means that he (as he put it) gets slapped for it.
All that said, I don’t like it that people get so polarised (if that is the word) when it comes to the characters of Stefan and Damon. Either one is all good, or all bad. Even if that were true (and imo it isn't) these two brothers are so connected by everything that has happened and that BOTH of them have done that one can't really be who he is without the other. Does that make sense? They are woven together.
Who knows what will happen next.