Vampire Diaries 1x13
The temptation to look up spoilers is really hard to resist at this moment. Damn you, cliffhanger!
I really enjoyed this episode. For one, it managed to cover the 1800's with less ridiculousness than Joss ever did, which surprised the hell out of me. Whoever did the clothes and hair, etc, knew what they were doing. (I'm sure those of you who really obsessively know the details could probably find stuff to nitpick, but it looks credible overall.)
This is really the first point for me where I felt the TV series has managed to do something better than the books. Although the origin story is significantly different in time period and events, I feel like the writers have managed to capture the most important element of the backstory - how Damon and Stefan ended up hating each other. It's become more interesting than the book's origin story in being more rounded and thoroughly developed. I feel like it explains both brothers' personalities and motivation more quickly and more clearly than the books. And the decision to have Damon not under Katharine's powers, but Stefan bespelled is a very interesting twist (assuming this is correct and not just a misperception on one or possibly both their parts, after all, how could you really be sure you were or were not bespelled?). I'm not entirely sure that it's a matter of bespelling, or if Katharine simply sheltered Stefan so much more from her true self. Maybe it's both. Even in the books, one gets the impression than Damon spent a little more time with Katharine.
I'm a bit more impressed with everyone's acting, although the actress who plays Elena, when playing Elena is less expressive than most everyone, but I'm starting to think that is how the showrunners want it, and as for Stefan, well, his character in both book and TV is a bit one-dimensional, while Damon is more complex and enigmatic. One is never quite sure just how good or evil he really is, so playing the character gives one a lot more emotions to play out, unlike Stefan who pretty much does emo and love-struck and not much else. This is not to say I don't like both characters! Stefan is unquestionably a truly good guy. But I love Damon more.
I am blown away by the possibility that they might be turning Elena already! It probably won't happen now though, if only because Stefan has most likely not fed Elena any of his blood, Damon has not seriously been made a love interest for Elena (yet), but I'm truly surprised they wanted to bring up this possibility so soon! And there really needs to be some sexy biting of Elena before she gets turned. ;) There is an order to these things! ;D
A few excellent moments -
The look on Damon's face when he tells Elena she had him fooled
Damon casually sitting on Stefan's bed waking them up from post-sex snoozing (I'm so happy that vampires can have real sex in the TV series) and making a threesome comment
The interaction between Pearl and Jonathon
pretty much every scene with Katharine, so she's obviously a selfish, evil manipulator, but you can't fault her taste in wanting to enjoy both brothers to the fullest, shamelessly
Jenna telling Stefan he can't spend the night. Oh honey, the horse is already out of the stable. I just love the realism of an adult figure assuming that teens only have sex at night, you would think more of them would remember their own past.
If you need to be totally unspoiled for the books, you might want to skip this post.