TVD, TO (sort of) catch up post
So I've narrowed the amount I'm behind on these shows, and did some short reactions as I went along. I am, for the moment at least, down to a week behind (until there's new stuff, which I think there is tonight).
TVD 5x14
My main thought on this is that I’m just not feeling Katherine here. As much as I do appreciate the heightened Kat role, the way she’s going about this isn’t ringing quite right. Katherine’s a master player, able to have plans within plans, but this feels way to...dumb for her. If she’s going to play Elena, she should damn well be playing Elena, and I’m just not buying it.
Plus I don’t really believe that Katherine is quite so whatever on Damon. I know she’s always put Stefan first and would definitely sacrifice Damon if it would be good for Stefan, but I’d expect her to feel *something* for Damon in this situation and she ought to know that forcing Stefan to kill his brother is not going to do any good for anyone.
And while I like Nadia and Matt comparing notes on crappy mothers, and yeah Kat is definitely selfish enough to put her goal of getting Stefan ahead of being there for her daughter, the last scene went way too far on that for me.
Basically, I’m starting to think inhabiting Elena’s body is just as bad for Katherine as it’s been for Elena the last...at least season and a half; losing everything that made them complex characters in favor of being props in romantic “drama.” They are both more than this, but I *really* expected Katherine to be.
TO 1x15
You know, I think I liked that one...a lot really.
But gods damn are the forgetting what happened on TVD. And some of it I can shrug off, like Klaus claiming the white oak stake was his design somehow instead of explaining all the Esther drama. But all the character dynamics do not work. I mean, this is what three years before the 1920s flashbacks we got in 3x03 where Klaus is all “I don’t have any brothers left to talk to” (which was always BS since he hauled Kol and Finn around in caskets) and Rebekah’s all “I’m choosing Stefan over you Nik,” (which has been pretty iffy ever since Marcel was introduced, but I was mostly okay with when it was implied they never got back together after Klaus daggered her).
And Elijah will always choose Klaus? Again, I frakking remember what his entire plot in TVD s2 was about, show; and how he acted in s3. I’ve always headcanoned that Mikael told Elijah the dumping the family in the ocean story (probably even believing it was true, I always figured Klaus put it out there for some reason) but even if they were to make that canon at this point, why would Elijah believe him?
Plus...Klaus, ELIJAH himself accused you of becoming like your father not that long ago in show time, and basically in the exact same way Cami did. Because you kind of are getting to that point. Also, you are every bit as sadistic and cruel as Mikael; again, I remember what you’ve done (to be fair, all three of you have a lot of Mikael in you; but I’m also kind of peeved at TVD for letting Tyler have issues with Klaus when Elena has just as much or more right to have them but never got to express them). On the other hand, it could be showing just how big a thing that was for Elijah to throw in Klaus’s face but for me to give it that kind of credit I’d have to think the writers remember that it happened.
So yeah, I’ve got some issues with this one (and that’s not even getting to the bleh-ness of the Hayley plot or the fact that I have really mixed feelings about Celeste’s end) but in spite of all that I really did like it. And I remain convinced Mikael’s totally coming back at some point, he is *so* to this show what Katherine was to s1 TVD.
TVD 5x15
And on the subject of Katherine, this episode was pretty much all about her, and a much better version than the previous episode. I did feel for Kat and Nadia in their final scenes, which was nice, TVD doesn’t make me feel things very often (beyond burning anger or frustration, or just a burning kind of meh).
I’ve seen people say Kat got dragged off to hell at the end, and maybe the next episode will confirm that, but that’s not quite how it read to me. Largely, I admit, because I just don’t think in those terms, but I’d be way more likely to assume Quetsia or Silas had something to do with it if left to my own assumptions. Some weird Other Side doppelganger collection, but then I’m always down for a doppelganger collection. Plus I don’t believe the show will ever write Katherine completely out, so whatever hijacked her passing on is going to end up sending her back at some point.
Katherine’s final revenge though, that’s pretty rough. I’d be a lot more down with it if I thought for a moment Elena was going to get an actual character arc out of it though. As is I applaud Katherine for going out as her badass self, but hate the writers already for going there.
I’m hesitant to cry foul because I don’t think it’s the first time something like this has happened but...why can you use blood for a locater spell when one party is a vampire? And when that party is both a vampire and possessed I *want* to cry foul, but am still quite doing so. For that matter, wouldn’t Nadia’s quest have been a lot easier if that was possible? Wouldn’t Klaus have left someone in Kat’s family alive so that he could do that centuries ago (or at least Elijah been smart enough for it)?
I do not give a single shit about Damon though. Die already asshole.
TO 1x16
Wow, that really felt like Rebekah’s farewell episode. And while I think that’s a terrible idea for the show, I think it’s great for her character. And really, why hasn’t the show always been this? Just lock the Originals in a room (or a graveyard) together, shake everything up, and let it fall to pieces.
But while I’m mostly glad for Rebekah’s development (if a little unsure about going all or nothing on the family), I have a bad feeling about Elijah’s. Because I want Elijah to be more than this, and it feels like he’s going backwards at the end of the episode, certainly not forward. But it was a great episode for all three of them for most of it.
And we got some mention of Finn and Kol even; though Henrik was apparently left out of the cute little kids flashback, I can let that one go, he was probably a baby at that point.
I may have to pour over this one and do a ton of character analysis because there is an embarrassment of riches in terms of my poor damaged babies, they even acknowledge that they’re super damaged. While the other half (eh lesser half) of the plot was interesting, I don’t have nearly so many thoughts and feelings about it as I do about the Originals. But...not right now.
TVD 5x14
My main thought on this is that I’m just not feeling Katherine here. As much as I do appreciate the heightened Kat role, the way she’s going about this isn’t ringing quite right. Katherine’s a master player, able to have plans within plans, but this feels way to...dumb for her. If she’s going to play Elena, she should damn well be playing Elena, and I’m just not buying it.
Plus I don’t really believe that Katherine is quite so whatever on Damon. I know she’s always put Stefan first and would definitely sacrifice Damon if it would be good for Stefan, but I’d expect her to feel *something* for Damon in this situation and she ought to know that forcing Stefan to kill his brother is not going to do any good for anyone.
And while I like Nadia and Matt comparing notes on crappy mothers, and yeah Kat is definitely selfish enough to put her goal of getting Stefan ahead of being there for her daughter, the last scene went way too far on that for me.
Basically, I’m starting to think inhabiting Elena’s body is just as bad for Katherine as it’s been for Elena the last...at least season and a half; losing everything that made them complex characters in favor of being props in romantic “drama.” They are both more than this, but I *really* expected Katherine to be.
TO 1x15
You know, I think I liked that one...a lot really.
But gods damn are the forgetting what happened on TVD. And some of it I can shrug off, like Klaus claiming the white oak stake was his design somehow instead of explaining all the Esther drama. But all the character dynamics do not work. I mean, this is what three years before the 1920s flashbacks we got in 3x03 where Klaus is all “I don’t have any brothers left to talk to” (which was always BS since he hauled Kol and Finn around in caskets) and Rebekah’s all “I’m choosing Stefan over you Nik,” (which has been pretty iffy ever since Marcel was introduced, but I was mostly okay with when it was implied they never got back together after Klaus daggered her).
And Elijah will always choose Klaus? Again, I frakking remember what his entire plot in TVD s2 was about, show; and how he acted in s3. I’ve always headcanoned that Mikael told Elijah the dumping the family in the ocean story (probably even believing it was true, I always figured Klaus put it out there for some reason) but even if they were to make that canon at this point, why would Elijah believe him?
Plus...Klaus, ELIJAH himself accused you of becoming like your father not that long ago in show time, and basically in the exact same way Cami did. Because you kind of are getting to that point. Also, you are every bit as sadistic and cruel as Mikael; again, I remember what you’ve done (to be fair, all three of you have a lot of Mikael in you; but I’m also kind of peeved at TVD for letting Tyler have issues with Klaus when Elena has just as much or more right to have them but never got to express them). On the other hand, it could be showing just how big a thing that was for Elijah to throw in Klaus’s face but for me to give it that kind of credit I’d have to think the writers remember that it happened.
So yeah, I’ve got some issues with this one (and that’s not even getting to the bleh-ness of the Hayley plot or the fact that I have really mixed feelings about Celeste’s end) but in spite of all that I really did like it. And I remain convinced Mikael’s totally coming back at some point, he is *so* to this show what Katherine was to s1 TVD.
TVD 5x15
And on the subject of Katherine, this episode was pretty much all about her, and a much better version than the previous episode. I did feel for Kat and Nadia in their final scenes, which was nice, TVD doesn’t make me feel things very often (beyond burning anger or frustration, or just a burning kind of meh).
I’ve seen people say Kat got dragged off to hell at the end, and maybe the next episode will confirm that, but that’s not quite how it read to me. Largely, I admit, because I just don’t think in those terms, but I’d be way more likely to assume Quetsia or Silas had something to do with it if left to my own assumptions. Some weird Other Side doppelganger collection, but then I’m always down for a doppelganger collection. Plus I don’t believe the show will ever write Katherine completely out, so whatever hijacked her passing on is going to end up sending her back at some point.
Katherine’s final revenge though, that’s pretty rough. I’d be a lot more down with it if I thought for a moment Elena was going to get an actual character arc out of it though. As is I applaud Katherine for going out as her badass self, but hate the writers already for going there.
I’m hesitant to cry foul because I don’t think it’s the first time something like this has happened but...why can you use blood for a locater spell when one party is a vampire? And when that party is both a vampire and possessed I *want* to cry foul, but am still quite doing so. For that matter, wouldn’t Nadia’s quest have been a lot easier if that was possible? Wouldn’t Klaus have left someone in Kat’s family alive so that he could do that centuries ago (or at least Elijah been smart enough for it)?
I do not give a single shit about Damon though. Die already asshole.
TO 1x16
Wow, that really felt like Rebekah’s farewell episode. And while I think that’s a terrible idea for the show, I think it’s great for her character. And really, why hasn’t the show always been this? Just lock the Originals in a room (or a graveyard) together, shake everything up, and let it fall to pieces.
But while I’m mostly glad for Rebekah’s development (if a little unsure about going all or nothing on the family), I have a bad feeling about Elijah’s. Because I want Elijah to be more than this, and it feels like he’s going backwards at the end of the episode, certainly not forward. But it was a great episode for all three of them for most of it.
And we got some mention of Finn and Kol even; though Henrik was apparently left out of the cute little kids flashback, I can let that one go, he was probably a baby at that point.
I may have to pour over this one and do a ton of character analysis because there is an embarrassment of riches in terms of my poor damaged babies, they even acknowledge that they’re super damaged. While the other half (eh lesser half) of the plot was interesting, I don’t have nearly so many thoughts and feelings about it as I do about the Originals. But...not right now.