TVD 3x16: Revenge of the Journal
MY SHOW IS BACK. Ngl, it took me an extra few minutes to even start my recording because I may or may not have been jumping up and down in my living room. Never leave me again, show.
So, as always, let's talk. This episode...WHAT. I'm not sure I know how I feel about it. I don't even know if it was a good episode. Did anyone else feel like it was really short? Like, it went QUICKLY. And a lot of things happened, and nothing at all happened, and I'm just confused. But happy? But also confused.
Let's start from the beginning, because that's how I do (anyone want to place bets now on how long this is going to end up? We should start a running over/under word count bet for these things).
Hey, look, a flashback. I spent the first few minutes of it trying to figure out if the Salvatore dude was Daniel Faraday from Lost. He's not, but his facial hair made a pretty good case for it anyway. And he's dead.
Alaric's alive. I am not at all surprised. But he's in jail, and that's actually pretty nifty. I thought Meredith might have him locked away somewhere, but having him be in the proper detainment cell, all on the record and everything, well, that's interesting.
LOL. Damon is basically Alaric's lawyer. I bet he went to law school at some point and has just been itching to try out all his legal terms. And now I want to make some sort of Matt Davis Legally Blonde joke, but let's be honest, I've got nothing. Insert random lawyer joke here.
I remember being all indignant during this scene, thinking it was ludicrous to even entertain the notion that Alaric had stabbed himself, but now that I've seen the whole episode...you know what, well played, show.
Liz threatens to put Damon in the cell too, and I just sort of /:| (that is an emoticon of me raising my eyebrow. I make emoticons now. Just ask Alex.), because, come on, Liz. Like a jail cell could keep Damon in. He's got a bro to rescue. Ain't no mountain high enough.
Matt and Elena are running, and then they're making explicit the metaphors inherent in said running. Thanks, Matt. What would we do without you. Matt Donovan, Leaving the Subtext to the Salvatores since 2012.
I must say, I was pleased that they discussed where Caroline and Bonnie were. In a show that doesn't always address the absence of certain characters, this seemed cleaner and more detail oriented. And you all know how I feel about Abby transitioning. Mainly, good.
And there's Elena, playing exposition fairy. Maybe she and Matt ARE right for each other.
It's absolutely in character, but I do not like Elena taking responsibility for Abby being turned into a vampire. It's not your fault, sweetie. Not at all. And I'm back to wanting to feed Elena pie and make her watch The Princess Bride to distract her from her horrible life.
Matt's "You're gonna make me run more, aren't you?" I actually LOLed. Matt made me laugh! I was proud of him.
GUYS. DAMON. WHAT IS HE. OMG, everything he did this episode was UNREAL. I do not understand how this boy exists. THE SQUIRREL THING. WHAT EVEN WAS THAT. I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS BOY.
Oh, this whole scene with Elena. Damon was in full form. There was much pausing of my recording and cackling. But all that aside, he was gloriously obnoxious and blissfully Damon. I would critique the show for making it all so obvious with the "I'm mean, you hate me, the Earth is back on its axis" comment, but you know what? That's an absolutely Damon thing to say. He likes to talk about the drama he's caused. He's totally one to be a showman about his own manipulation. Just because Damon CAN employ subtext, doesn't mean he wants to. Carry on, glorious brat prince.
Elena gives her little "if you keep pushing people away you're gonna end up alone" comment, and all I could think of was, "Um. YEAH. That's the point, Elena." Get with it, girl.
LOL, THE JOURNALS. This episode should have been entitled "The Revenge of the Journal." So many fucking journals.
Also, Stefan's withdrawal twitches are cute. #inappropriate reaction #not the worst one I had this episode
ASDFGHJKL;//////// DAMON AND HIS FAKE JOURNAL ENTRY. I CAN'T. I LITERALLY CAN'T.
OMG. WONDER TWIN POWERS. ACTUALLY DYING.
Upon rewatch, I'm surprised Damon hasn't snuck into Stefan's room in the night to rearrange (or, let's be honest, just arrange for the very first time) Stefan's book shelves. I know their relationship has been all fraught and such, but there's only so much mess Damon can handle under his roof before he snaps.
"1912, or as I like to call it, Last Time Mystic Falls Had A Serial Killer On Its Hands." Not your best, Damon.
So a flashback happens, and there are Founding Families. I'm sure it was interesting, but I lost all my react-y thoughts when THE CROW RETURNS. I gleefully shouted "Baldavino!!!" to my screen (naturally, I picked this up from Alex, who may or may not have picked it up from someone else, but it doesn't matter, because THE CROW, HE'S BACK). But seriously, are we ever going to get an explanation on what the fuck that crow is? Why does he exist? What is he? Where the hell did he go? This is a prime opportunity for crack, and this show rarely wastes one of those. Don't let me down, show.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Damon and his bowler hat! I knew it was coming, but it still took me aback. Just. LOLs were had.
Ughhhhh this Damon. I am somewhat conflicted about this Damon. Because on the one hand, he has his moments. He definitely had some subtle snark going on there. But since when was Damon subtle? (I guess from 1865 to about 1912, but NOT THE POINT). But on the other hand...GOD, DULL. Sometimes he was just SO dull. "May our father rest in peace?" WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? WHO ARE YOU? WHERE IS MY GLORIOUS BRAT PRINCE? And I know, that's the point, we're seeing a time when Damon became our Damon. But it is seriously fucking with my head!canon. Because I believe that Damon has ALWAYS been our Damon, in some way or another. You all know how much I love that in this show, becoming a vampire just enhances your natural personality. I always thought that when Damon became a vampire, all that latent frustration and douchebaggery and cruelty and sass and anger came to the surface, and that without the social constraints of being a human and a Salvatore heir and a known and (semi)respected member of Mystic Falls, he just said 'fuck it' and indulged in his own instincts. So when we got this weird restrained judgmental version of Damon, it just wrought havoc on me and my fragile mind. Did this show just Joss me? Did I just get Jossed?
But then Stefan makes me forget it all, because "I've missed you, brother." AAAAAHHHHH MY BROTHERSHIP. (And, unsurprisingly, this was one of the many moments during which I shouted "MAKE OUT!" to my screen. These things happen.)
And then we're back to Damon with all his swagger and leather and alcoholism, and I breathe a sigh of relief. But I still want these two to make out. Some things will never change.
OMG, this tree plotline. But why.
I WANT TO WRITE LOVE LETTERS TO THAT DAMON/REBEKAH LOOK. WTF WAS THAT. Sort of ridiculously hot and amusing and tragic and wonderful all at once? THESE TWO. FUCK. (that is both an expression of my feelings and a command. I can multitask.)
"What does a medical examiner, Bill Forbes, and Alaric Saltzman have in common?" What DO they have in common, Damon. I refuse to believe this boy wouldn't be a grammar freak like me. KEEP UP, IAN.
Guys. There will be more on this later, obvs. But can I just take a moment to say, this Damon teaching Stefan moderation storyline? EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER WANTED. ACTUALLY. I AM NOT KIDDING. THIS IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER WANTED.
Stefan deflecting was nicely done. And the way Damon just lets it slide, because he knows how his brother works and he needs to push a little and then give the illusion of giving it. He takes it all in stride, because he understands how to handle his brother (he's the only one who does, really). The way these two work is fantastic. The whole arc was beautifully done, really. Just impeccably written. This damn show.
And again, this Alaric scene. Props to this show for actually pulling this one off. Even now I'm watching again being all Team Alaric, but the fact that I was wrong, well, it's pretty cool. It's brave to make this move with a human character, and one of our own at that, and I love the show for it. But more on that later. Chronology, I stick to it.
Alaric's little stumble on the "I must have been home sleeping. I'm sure of it," when he looks anything but sure of it, was lovely. Matt Davis, gold star for you.
I NEED A MINUTE. To talk about how fucking IN LOVE I am with this Damon/Stefan/Rebekah team up. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF, I LOVE IT SO HARD. With the darts and the snarking and the potential for a threesome that would satisfy all my Damon/Rebekah feelings and my not-so-secret Stefan/Rebekah longings all at once (plus the obvious of the Damon/Stefan), there is literally nothing not to love about this (well, actually, there's one thing, I'll get to that in a sec.)
Damon and Stefan had a half-brother? Interesting. Wonder what he looked like. (these are important things)
UNF DAMON/REBEKAH SEX TALK. I am having a very visceral reaction to them. It is distracting.
But ok, here's my problem. Stefan gets out from between them to they can engage in their foreplay more directly, and yes, they are the best together. I love me some Damon/Rebekah, this is clear. But seriously. Where the fuck did Stefan/Rebekah go. I WANT THEM BACK. At least Rebekah mentions it a little later, and that's a hell of a lot more than we've gotten since, like, 3x04, but I just don't understand. WHY are we ignoring this relationship? IT IS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. For so, so many reasons. And it is criminally underexplored. I could write novels on why I'm so invested in the Stefan/Rebekah relationship. So why are they not a thing? WHY?
But I also want to write a novel about how Damon picks up women who loved Stefan first. Stefan leaves them and then promptly ignores them (it's the Stefan Breakup Strategy), and then Damon swoops in for some rebound sex and unexpected emotional connection. There are things to be said about this. MANY THINGS.
Moving on, we get a flashback with Sage. Was anyone else surprised by how little Sage was actually in this episode? Whatever.
Guys, the LOOK on Damon's face at Sage's "$100 to any man who can beat me." This boy loves his women strong and abusive. NOVELS, people. I could write them.
I find myself genuinely curious as to why Sage chose Damon as her protege. Because I seriously dug that look she gave him, too. And I get it, boy is pretty, flashback hair and bowler hat notwithstanding. But she sensed something about him, and I just want more. I have all these thoughts about how Damon is fucked up because people have always, always chosen Stefan (and I think the Lexi thing is such a prime example, because she chooses to help Stefan, and she just let's Damon go, not because he doesn't need her help too, but because he's Damon, and he's not Stefan). But here's a woman who is choosing Damon. And not because Stefan isn't around. He's right here, clearly in need of some lessons himself. But she looks at both Salvatores, and she chooses Damon. Who does that? Ok, Sage. You win. I want more of you.
But back to the brothers. LOL at Stefan wanting to teach Damon. It's cute, really, in a sort of sad way. Damon agrees with me. But the whole "You do not get to lecture me on how to live my life. Not anymore." intrigues me. Did we just reference HUMAN drama? Needs more. Bring me tales of their complicated human relationship. I JUST WANT ALL THE SALVATORE DRAMA, OK?
Damon rebuffs Sage, and I find it weirdly hot. I don't even know. Everything Damon did in this episode was weirdly hot. What is it with this man. Why am I like this. Also, LOL at the old school dollar bill. These two thoughts are not at all related. Moving on.
Elena confronts Meredith, and you know, now that I'm thinking about it, Elena really does have a problem blindly glossing over all the flaws of (some of) the people in her life. She does tend to trust implicitly and somewhat foolishly. Elena equates caring about someone with trusting them, which is beautiful, but folly. And I'm genuinely impressed with this show for introducing that and recognizing that. Because this very easily could have been Elena standing up for Alaric against all logic because her instincts tell her he's good, and then his name is cleared and she is heralded for her faith. But no, she's wrong. Alaric IS guilty. And while I don't fault Elena for standing up for him despite the facts, it's still sort of wonderful that this show realizes that loving someone doesn't make them good (not that Alaric isn't good, but as always with this glorious show, it's just more complicated than good and bad). Elena's trust and compassion and love and faith and all the things that make her our heroine have let her down in this instance, and she will need to face up to the consequences of letting her feelings dictate her judgment. Nicely done, show.
Elena and Matt do a little breaking and entering. It exists. Nice of Meredith to keep all her suspicious secret files so clearly labeled.
Damon is super good at darts. That is all.
Rebekah and her defense of lady murderers everywhere was A+, but while I hate to say it, it was out of character for Damon to say a woman couldn't stab three grown men. Damon has many, many flaws, but underestimating a woman's power is not one of them. We all know how much he gets off on women who can beat him up (physically and emotionally). This comment was just very un-Damon-like to me (also, didn't Meredith take him down a few episodes ago? Probably not something he'd discount). Damon Salvatore is a surprise feminist.
The Damon/Rebekah eyesex is out of control. I APPROVE.
OMG, Damon and Rebekah and their dramatic reading of Stefan's journal. Sometimes this show gives me everything I ever wanted. HOW SO PERFECT, YOU TWO.
Damon is such a writer. "My quality of form is purely subjective." This tingles my English major kinks in more than a few ways. STOP IT, DAMON. I am already helpless to you.
"I do not need a woman for pleasure. I am spoken for." My actual reaction: "Aww, you pathetic thing." Cute, and sad, and I love it.
So Sage gives Damon a little lesson on seduction. I am very into it. And all this Damon/Rebekah flailing aside, I am a D/E shipper at heart, and I couldn't help but apply it all to my horrible OTP. Because, come on. The women who button themselves up, but can't tear their eyes away. Do I even need to say it?
Then there's this:
Sage: They'll put up a good fight. But the game is in winning them over, making them beg for it.
Damon: What if they don't?
Sage: You're a vampire. You take it.
I find this FASCINATING. Firstly, it's so very Damon to ask that. Because as much as I don't love the idea that Damon wasn't Damon for the first 50 years of his vampire existence, it makes so much sense that he would avoid women under the guise of saving himself for Katherine, but actually because he was too terrified of rejection. His relationship with Katherine was so absurdly abusive and based on the tenet that Damon wasn't enough for her, so Damon goes into the next century waiting for Katherine, not only because he loves her beyond reason, but also because he most likely believes she's the only women who will ever have him. She probably made sure he would believe that. So the concept that he could entrance someone, make someone beg him, doesn't make any sense to Damon. Who would want him? Who could?
And then there's what Sage replies. Maybe I'm wrong and this whole thing has nothing to do with Damon and Elena at all. But if it does? Where does this lead us? Damon's tried winning her over, tried the seduction, first for the fun of it and then for, well, other reasons. She hasn't given in. And he's still a vampire. Does he take it? What does that mean? Am I reading way too much into this? TALK TO ME ABOUT MY OTP.
So Damon tries it out, this new life of seduction and pleasure and sexual self-worth. And god, it WOULD be a Gilbert. I actually loved this. Naturally. That kind of connection is something that can be ignored if you so wish it, or can be reveled in, if you're me. I reveled. Subtle, elegant work, TVD.
How old is Sage? Very old, apparently. And she was obsessed with Finn? Questionable taste. But LOL at Damon's reaction. I love how much he judges people on their romantic choices. It is never not funny. Creepy suicidal guy indeed.
GUYS, why is it so hot when the Salvatores rough each other up a little bit? Why am I like this? IT IS SO HOT THOUGH.
Lovelovelove Damon demanding that Stefan admit he's desperate for a fix. I have written essays about how much I love it that Damon forces Stefan to be honest with himself. There's no need to write another one. But god, I love it so.
Matt and Elena find another journal. What did I tell you, people? Revenge of the Journal.
How fake did Meredith's footsteps sound? It sounded like I do whenever I'm pretending to have walked off somewhere when I'm actually hiding behind a corner eavesdropping. Not that I do that. (But I do.)
Matt and Elena hide in the closet and have a *moment.* Is this supposed to be sexual tension? LOL.
Ok, not gonna lie, Meredith actually scared me there. I jumped. I am an easy target, I guess? Congratulations, CW. You got me there.
Liz tells off our ineffectual crime duo. Again, it happens. I would like to care more about Matt/Elena scenes. But then they happen, and I just don't. Alas.
BUT THEN THIS MOST PERFECT OF SCENES APPEARS. Words cannot express how much I loved this scene (well, most of it). Remember when I said this storyline was everything I ever wanted? This scene. Is actually all I've ever wanted. I am not exaggerating. It was EXACTLY what I wanted. I'm repeating myself, but let's just call it emphasis. FLAWLESS SCENE IS FLAWLESS.
Let's discuss the scene in excruciating detail now. Though it'll probably be less discussion and more flail. What can you do.
"He's determined to live his life pursuing one extreme or the other." IT'S LIKE THE SHOW IS READING MY MIND. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
Next up, more subtle excellence! We have Damon, using a random girl for feeding purposes. Which we just saw him do, circa 1912. And without any discussion or exposition, we see the effect Sage had on him. Because look at him, a master of charm and seduction and manipulation. THIS is Damon. And this is the result of everything Sage taught him. It's easy to overlook, because this is how we've always known Damon, but now to see what he once was and the natural ease of what he is now, it's just a fantastic character arc. It's just lovely.
Then there's Stefan. Who rushes over to save this girl from his brother, only to need Damon to save him. These brothers and the things they do to and for each other. I will never get over it.
"You're not going to survive this cold turkey thing. You never do." DAMON KNOWS STEFAN. FUCK. I CAN'T. But seriously, this is the best. Damon is the only one who really gets Stefan. Everyone else would let him quit human blood full force, because that's what they know works, and that seems like the right thing to do. But it's a temporary fix, and Damon is in this for the long haul. He's not doing what's best for right now. He's doing what's best for Stefan, for good, for eternity, for Stefan's own sake. Just. FLAWLESS.
But lest we go too far in heroicizing Damon, we have his terms. Drink some human blood, or he'll let Rebekah kill her. It's just so Damon, I can't even cope. He's not a hero. He's still horrible. He has no problem letting this girl die. This whole exercise isn't about saving human lives. It's about saving Stefan, because that's what matters to him. Damon is all about selective heroism. He's not the good guy. But he's exactly what Stefan needs.
Drink her, and save her life. DAMON, TO ME YOU ARE PERFECT. This is the best of all scenes. When he whispers "Save her?" HOW DOES THIS SCENE EXIST? THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW PERFECT THIS SCENE IS.
Hey, look, a callback to "snatch, eat, erase!" This scene can't be real. It is too perfect.
Stefan: Why are you doing this? You know what blood does to me.
Damon: Cause you let it control you. You always have. I'm just here to help you learn how to fight it.
WHAT DO I DO. I CAN'T DEAL. I NEED MORE SYNONYMS FOR PERFECT. HELP.
Oh, Ian's face. The way he looks when Stefan's about to give in, determined and calculating and relieved, because it's working. Everything Damon ever does is a gamble, but the things he does to Stefan have stakes, and you can see there's this one moment when he's so grateful his plan is working. Fuck these two, basically.
And then he looks PROUD and JFC IT'S SO HOT. What even.
"You wanna fight hunger, or you wanna fight me?" HOLY HELL WHY IS THIS SO HOT. WHAT AM I EVEN. WHAT IS THIS.
Ok, and now comes the less fun part. The part when I have something to say about this scene that ISN'T incoherent flailing. Elena walks in on this beautiful mess. And it doesn't ruin it all for me, but it does mar things a bit. Damon's reaction is pretty much my own. Basically, "Oh, fuck. Awesome, she's here to ruin everything." The lesson had been going SO well. And then we have Elena, judging and horrified, and it fucks with everything. And I get it, I do, that's where the conflict comes in. And I don't blame Elena for being horrified. It is horrifying. She shouldn't have to accept this part of Stefan. But Stefan has to accept this part of Stefan. Ultimately I think the Stefan/Elena relationship of seasons 1 and 2 was unhealthy because they let themselves ignore their flaws. And that was beautiful in a way, but it was also highly destructive, mostly for Stefan. Elena let him play human, not only because it was what Stefan wanted but also because it was easier for Elena. If she can pretend Stefan isn't a vampire, she doesn't have to navigate all the moral pitfalls of what being in love with a vampire entails. All of that makes perfect sense. But it's also the reason I ship Stefan/Damon above Stefan/Elena (well, one of the many reasons). Because Elena will give Stefan what he wants. But Damon gives Stefan what he needs. Stefan is a vampire, whether he likes it or not. He NEEDS to learn how to be one and still be himself. He will never be able to do that with Elena looking at him like that. So Elena crashing this party is pretty much the worst thing that could have happened to him at this precise moment.
To be fair, perhaps this is the exact point the show is planning on making with this whole ordeal. This show has proven itself to me enough for me to reserve judgment until the end of the season. I just need for the ultimate conclusion to be that Damon is right, not Elena. Elena's reactions and opinions come from a purely human viewpoint, and that's so much of what we love about her. But Stefan is not human. And isn't that the crux of the issue?
Meanwhile, back to it all. Elena looks disgusted, and I can't fault her for it. Dare I hope that this is a moment in which Elena realizes the darkness in Stefan? After the complete failure that was the Ripper Stefan storyline, could this be the instance that clues Elena in to what and who Stefan really is? #dare to dream
Dude, that moment when blood actually trickles from Stefan's mouth as he turns away? My actual reaction: "Gross. Awesome."
Look, a Matt and Elena scene that I find interesting! Though it does remind me again why I should never read articles about this show. I saw this scene mentioned in a few articles, talking about how Elena will candidly speak her feelings about the Salvatore brothers to Matt and how it will give us a rare and unexpected insight into her feelings for them. But this scene was...not at all surprising? She felt safe with Stefan, and Damon got under her skin and she can't shake him off. Um. I know. Not that it isn't nice to hear all my interpretations validated in canon, but still. MY FLIST DOES EVERYTHING FIRST. This scene was not exactly about revelations to me. But whatever. Still enjoyed it.
And then there's this. Re: Stefan, Elena's "Like I knew that he would never...die." OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH. THIS. Gorgeous. I can't even with you, show. How do you exist.
But come on, Matt. "Like your parents did." WHAT IS IT WITH YOU? You are the Anti-Subtext. Why does he do these things.
"Damon just sort of snuck up on me. He got under my skin and no matter what I do I just - I can't shake him." FUCK YEAH, MY OTP. LOL, this is so not a romantic description. My OTP is the best/worst.
Oh, Matt. You sad thing, you. He makes his little comment (OMG MATT WAS THAT ALMOST SUBTLE?), and then Elena looks at him, sort of like "Ohhhh whoops." Poor Matty. He is so not the love of her life. I don't remember which one of my flisties said this, and it wasn't even about TVD (I think it was about Tim and Lyla from FNL), but one of you brilliant people once said something to the effect that she was probably the love of his life, but he wasn't the love of hers. And I think that's a stunning observation (whichever one of you said that, take credit! You're brilliant!). And so beautifully tragic. This may be what we have here. Elena very well might be the love of Matt's life (she's often the love of someone's life). But I genuinely do not believe Matt is the love of her life. If they revisit this relationship, it needs to be under these terms. Which would mean that any rekindling of this romance would be incredibly selfish on Elena's part. But you know what? I like it when Elena's selfish. So go ahead.
LOL, Matt got Elena something. It was free, because he stole it. This is the only kind of present Matt can afford. #poor jokes are in bad taste unless they're about Matt Donovan, in which case, carry on
REVENGE OF THE JOURNAL. Just saying.
"Sometimes it pays to be the only normal one in a town of vampires. Practically invisible." Aww, so pathetic. And have you been taking subtlety lessons from the Salvatores, Matt?
Elena sort of took forever to get the subtext of Matt's sad little line, though. Get with it, Elena. Maybe Anti-Subtext Donovan is the right guy for her after all (but not really).
OH NO HERE COMES ALARIC. Listen, show, if you want us to ship Matt/Elena you need to stop having Elena, Alaric, and their inappropriate chemistry in scenes together. I was legit uncomfortable when the camera panned down to watch Alaric's arms go around her. TOO SEXUAL. STOP IT, CW.
Maybe this episode felt short because we had about 15 minutes of end scenes, with a commercial break in the middle. Seriously, we're 3/4 of the way in and we already have a depressing song playing and some Salvatores staring into the fireplace. Stop messing with my head, show.
Look at Damon with his motivational comments! He's such a life coach. Well, unlife coach. He needs a business card. (Stefan can have a business card that reads Stefan Salvatore: The King of Moderation. Can you tell I've reached that point in the recap when any intelligence I may have had has yielded to lolz?)
Damon: Elena will understand.
Stefan: It doesn't really matter what Elena thinks.
Damon: *finger pointing of pure win* Uh uh, none of that. No more No Humanity Stefan.
I JUST. HOW CAN THIS BE REAL.
Oh, Stefan. Trying so hard to distance yourself. Give it up, boy. We all know that you are incapable of living without Damon. Attempting to push him away is futile and vaguely amusing. I do find it interesting that Stefan brings up the Elena kiss again. Because I never really got the sense that Damon did feel guilty about it. Not really. So is this Stefan trying to make him feel guilty? Is it Stefan trying to maintain the illusion of an Elena wedge between them?
And Damon continues to be perfect for not letting Stefan make this about Elena. WHAT'S THIS? A SALVATORE ARC THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ELENA? Sometimes I can have nice things.
This flashback...all these flashbacks are fucking with my head so much. Damon, willing to bury the past and just be brothers? WHAT? Slash I helplessly flail at brother love. But WHAT.
OH, MY BOYS. This one is complicated. I loved the genuine horror on Damon's face when he realized what his brother could be. Because, god, all those years of blaming his brother for turning him into a monster, only to see that Stefan's the monster. And there's this moment of utter dismay and shock that this is what Stefan is. But then the older brother instinct kicks in, and MY HEART. All Damon wants to do is help Stefan. When Stefan is the good brother to his bad brother, he can promise an eternity of misery and hate him forever. But the second Stefan is struggling, Damon just wants to fix it. And you know Damon blames himself for not forcing the issue then. He let Stefan go, and that's just another point on the long list of why he's the inferior brother. Because how could he let his brother suffer like that? Damon and Elena are tragically similar in that way - if they had even the slightest chance of stopping something, their failure to do so makes it all their fault. Talk about extremes, Damon.
I am a bit conflicted about this scene, though. We spend this episode beautifully exploring how much Stefan needs to take charge of himself and learn how to control his vampire side, and then this flashback effectively makes the Ripper Stefan who went on that decade-long rampage Damon's fault. Damon broke the seal. And that gives me glorious brother conflict, but are we supposed to blame Damon for Stefan's relapse into ripperdom? Because all I want is for Stefan to be accountable to himself, and we were very much on that path, but then this flashback confused me. Is this Stefan deflecting blame, as he does? Or are we really meant to take his censure of Damon at face value? And then we come back to our boys and Stefan tries to absolve Damon a bit, but Damon won't have it. Again, that's all in character. Damon would blame himself for this. But does the show? I don't know why I spend so much time fretting about what the show and the writers intend. I just do.
But I do love that Damon is so sure that he could have helped Stefan. Because if there's anything Damon is confident about, it's his understanding of his brother. Damon knows Stefan. No one, not even Stefan, realizes how much. But Damon knows Stefan, and he can help him, and I will love these two forever.
BUT MY BROTHERS. See, this is a romantic speech. "I will be there to pull you back, every second, every day, til you don't need me." BE STILL MY BROTHERSHIPPING HEART. But sweetheart, Stefan will never not need you. DYING.
"Cause right now, you're all I got." Three things. 1) Owowowowow sad and wonderful. 2) GRAMMAR, Damon. All I've got. What is with you tonight? 3) As much as I love this, all I could think of was, isn't this how it's always been, though? Stefan and Damon have ALWAYS been all the other has. It's especially true for Damon. That's the way of it. Again, not a revelation. (Though, ironically, this is probably the first and only time when it isn't actually true. THIS SHOW, man.)
Elena and Alaric continue to be inappropriate together. "If not for you, for who?" FOR WHOM, Elena. You should probably go back to school (it's time for your monthly appearance anyway). And Alaric, you're technically a teacher. You should know better. #grammar nazi is out in full force tonight
God, this scene with the fire and the 'taking care of each other' and the long looks - HOW IS THIS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN. Is no one editing these episodes and noticing this? Problematic.
Quick question for those of you who've seen all of season 1 (I KNOW WHAT AM I EVEN). Did Jonathan Gilbert actually go crazy? Is there some connection here I should know about?
OH. MY. GOD. DAMON AT A PIANO. DAMON. AT A PIANO. LITERALLY ALL OF MY FANTASIES HAVE NOW BEEN FULFILLED. HOW IS THIS EVEN HAPPENING. DAMON. PIANO. FUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKK.
This episode has simultaneously undone and confirmed everything I believe about Damon. Apparently he was kind of drab for half a century. BUT he's both a writer (I insist) and a piano player. Called that part, at least. Also, still dying. PIANO.
Completely random thought: what do you think they're giving Ian instead of whiskey in all these scenes? They couldn't possibly be giving him real whiskey because he would be smashed every day at work, but whatever it is that he's drinking, here's hoping it's tasty, because he drinks a LOT of it. Why do I think of these things.
So this twist at the end...basically, WHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. That's pretty much the sum total of my thoughts. (But not really. You know me. I always have more to say.)
It's interesting, I'll give them that. Oddly enough, I'm not shocked by it, but that might be because I'm still trying to sort it all out in my head. I did not see this coming even a little bit. So that's very well done. And I'll say again, it's brave. To have Alaric, one of our only humans and a guy we're all clearly invested in, be the murderer - it's BOLD. Bless this show. And it's cleverly done, because it's constructed in such a way that it isn't out of character. Our Alaric isn't a serial killer. But there are parts of Alaric we don't know, that he can't control. And isn't that one of the central themes of the show? We can still love him, but this is not something we can ignore. It's not like there's a spell on him forcing him to kill people. No, it's a part of him. We can't 'other' this, not really. And who knows if the insanity will wear off once he stops wearing the ring, but there's no getting around the fact that HE did this. Under extraordinary circumstances or not, no one forced Alaric to kill people. That was him, at least a part of him. This show is daring and wonderful and I love it.
So Alaric is the murderer, and that's pretty nifty. But what I'm fascinated by more than anything is these rings. What is their deal? Do they make people crazy just by being worn by them? Or do they make you crazy according to how often you're killed? Can you wear one of these rings, never be killed, and just live out your life normally? And if not, how the hell was Samantha Gilbert killed enough to go mental, because presumably once isn't enough?
And most importantly, JEREMY. Jeremy Cleaver Gilbert. Somebody PLEASE call him and tell him to take that fucking ring off immediately. But now the question becomes: is it already too late? Jeremy's been wearing this thing for at least 6 months. How long does it take to settle into your system? When you stop wearing it, do you recover? What about our other Jonathan Gilbert? Did he suffer from the crazy too? WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?
Ok, fine, show. I am intrigued. I am engaged in this plotline. And, as always, I am consistently impressed with this show's ability to create arcs and plot twists that LEAD somewhere. It's all well and good to be shocking. But to have a shocking plot twist that can sprout so many new storylines? That's a skill that's unfortunately rare in most TV, and yet blissfully abundant on this show. Basically, our show is the best. What else is new.
OK THAT'S THAT. I still don't really know what to think about this episode. I enjoyed it. But it did sort of seem like a lot of things in one, and none of them finished. The flashbacks weren't as pervasive in the episode. Sage was brief (though obviously she's coming back, which, surprisingly, I'm all for). I'm not quite sure what happened. I was too busy brothershipping, I think. But that happens.
So, good episode, I guess? I don't even know. I do love this show, though. Fuck you, hiatus, we survived you. We always survive.
And for you betting men out there (hush, Damon, don't lie), this recap clocks in at about 6,400 words (god, I am the worst). Anybody have that in the office pool?