Vampire Diaries. Our life is one big proverbial coin toss.

May 12, 2012 in off-color commentary by offcolortv | 34 comments

Man, it was a really close call between the title I chose and “You know what else is her call? Every bad thing ever.” Hee! Yes, Elena is NOT known for her good decisions.

"Mama mia, mama mia ... mama mia let me go!"

You guys … this episode was really great. And also a little confusing. But mostly just really, really great. So let’s talk about it!

I always have a hard time knowing where to start, but for some reason, it’s even tougher this week, I guess just because there was so much happening. So let’s go back to the beginning … as in … FLASHBACKS! You know, for someone who seems to be way less into the Civil War era flashbacks than everyone else, I have gotten a HUGE kick out of basically any other time period of flashbacks.

So obviously, it was fun seeing Elena being a happy bimbo–although I don’t care HOW peppy you are, who in the hell wakes up smiling to their alarm clock, turns it up, and dances? Give me a fucking BREAK. On a show of vampires, werewolves, vampire-werewolf hybrids, witches, ghost whisperers, magic rings, unicorns, time travel, aliens, ET CETERA, you would think that they would know where the limit is. But show, there is a line drawn in the sand and you CROSSED IT!

And of course, it was educational to see Elena jerking Matt around, and not in the fun way, and a little bittersweet to see Jenna again. I always did love her. And we’ll come back to the Damon stuff, of course. But mainly, I think this was the perfect time to show us Elena’s parents. She’s really been dealing with that this year and it’s come up a few times, and I just think that it was really well-placed.

And let’s just go ahead and discuss the drowning scenes now, while we’re on the subject. They were good, and well done. And Elena’s dad telling Stefan to save her instead was so poignant. And I understood why Stefan saved Matt–because Elena’s free will is always the thing he puts first. But … okay. This is my issue with shows with super powers. It’s like … the powers kind of come and go when convenient. I mean, I’ll agree to overlook it, but first, I have to get it off my chest. Stefan is a super strong, super fast vampire, right? And Grayson Gilbert was still alive. Couldn’t stefan have super quickly, with his super strength, ripped off Grayson’s door so he could swim to shore and then ripped off Elena’s door and saved her? I just … And then when Elena was telling him to save Matt, she had plenty of capacity to tell Stefan what to do, but then he took Matt and Elena just SAT there. I mean, seriously? You can point and make crazy face, but you can’t, oh, I don’t know, UNBUCKLE YOUR FUCKING SEATBELT AND NOT DIE? I get that Elena had to die for all of the story stuff to work, and I’m cool with that. And I’m actually really glad that they saved Matt, because I feel like they finally figured out what to do with him.

BESIDES make him just be Elena’s girl talk buddy. God, how awkward was that? But again, Elena is pretty sure the world revolves around Elena (did I say PRETTY sure? Make that TOTALLY POSITIVE), and Matt is too sweet and/or polite to tell her to fuck off. But seriously, Elena? Fuck off.

Anyway. I loved Matt and Jeremy, and how they were together, and how they just wanted to protect Elena and keep the human perspective alive, but in a non-crazy, non-Evilaric sort of way. And I do feel like the show’s need to maintain a connection to true, non-supernatural humanity is what has kept Matt alive this long. I just wish it hadn’t taken quite so long to fully integrate him.

And speaking of Jeremy, he was really great in this episode too. I loved how he was trying to find the really delicate balance of doing what was best for Elena and what would keep her the safest. Of COURSE he took her to the hospital, which was obviously a smart choice. But he recognized that Damon was right about her being a sitting duck that all the Originals would be after, so he got her the hell out. But not just back to Stefan and Damon–OUT out. Of course, that didn’t work, but … it was a nice thought.

And wow, did Jeremy’s ghost-seeing powers (there’s gotta be a better word for that, right? But it escapes me at the moment) come in handy or WHAT when Alaric showed up to say goodbye? It was really sweet, and you know, I felt like Alaric already really got a great goodbye before turning whole hog evil, but this just really put a beautiful finish on the whole thing. And man, I love Matt Davis. He’s played at least three different characters on this show, each one distinct and outstanding, and I’ll definitely miss having him around. BUT I am very excited about his new show that has been picked up for next season, yay!

Ya know what else? I was sitting around thinking about how we are getting VERY thin on “adults” on this show, but then I realized that we picked up Meredith this season and she’s still around, and I’m really happy about that. I like her, and I think there’s potential for all sorts of fun stuff with that.

Alright, let’s wade into the heavy duty vampire stuff going on, starting with Caroline and Tyler. You guys … I love her so much. She was so sweet with Tyler, and of COURSE she needs a curling iron. You go get her that curling iron, Tyler!

Oh, you guys. I am not going to be able to avoid this anymore. I actually watched this episode twice, mainly because the Klaus and Tyler thing confused me so much. I’ve kind of made peace with it, like … maybe I’m SUPPOSED to have a lot of questions, but if you guys have any better ideas or thoughts that make more sense or answers to any of the questions, PLEASE leave them in the comments, because I am lost. So anyway. On the rewatch, I was trying to see if I could figure out the moment with Tyler where he became Klaus. I’m not sure. I wonder if he started feeling weird when Bonnie started to put Klaus in him? (Oh, god … THE HOYAY!) I get that Klaus was DEFINITELY the sire of the bloodline of all our peeps, and I get that he’s all up in Tyler now (this show is KILLING ME here) and that’s why everyone is alive, but I have so many other questions/things I’m confused about that I’m gonna need bullets. No, not for my brain! I’m not THAT confused. Just for listing purposes:

So … was this really Bonnie’s best plan? Isn’t there a cloaking spell or some shit?
Klaus’s body … definitely dead, right? (I was, by the way, SO surprised that they did that.) But if he’s not in it at the time, it doesn’t count? That seems … cheap. Or am I being too hard on it?
We’ve seen before where Klaus occupies a body (Alaric’s), and Alaric is still in there, being repressed. Is Tyler still in his body too? And if so, who was in Klaus’s body when he was getting staked and looking around and stuff? It’s not like Rebekah went into Esther’s body when Esther took her over, right?
Why did he need to go into Tyler’s body? Wouldn’t it have made sense to stick him in a different donor body, if the goal was keeping all your friends alive and happy and, you know, unpossessed?
So does this make Klaus killable now, if he’s in Tyler’s body? And since he’s in Tyler’s body, is he technically still an Original? And if not, could he be killed without killing the entire bloodline? Which brings me back to when he was possessing Alaric–while he was in a human body, was he still a vampire, or was he human at that point?

Do you see why I was having a brain cramp? Anyway, so as of now, Caroline either has Klaus in Tyler’s body OR Klaus AND Tyler in Tyler’s body. Girlfriend could do a lot worse.

And finally, Elena and The Salvatores. You know … the whole time she was babbling on about this to Matt (and I’ve already told you how I feel about that), she mostly just seemed selfish and whiny and maybe a little greedy. But at least she seemed to recognize this about herself. And you guys know that at some point last season, I somehow started to prefer Stefan to Damon for Elena, and I loved when he went back and kissed her and man … those two still got it. But the whole episode, I basically couldn’t stop thinking about how if it’s THAT HARD for you to choose one of them, then maybe the answer is really neither of them. Right? I know. It doesn’t work for TV. But if anyone out there is reading this and going through it in their real life, that’s my advice.

Anyway, Elena picked Stefan in the most non-committal, wishy-washy way possible, and told Damon, “Maybe if I had met you first …” Well, turns out she did, but Damon compelled her and … oh DAMON. Why ya always gotta fuck shit up? Basically. But you know, this episode really reinforced things that we’ve seen all year and all series, which is that Stefan will always let Elena make her own choices, and he’ll always be there for her and love her, and it’ll be sweet. Meanwhile, Damon will do ANYTHING to keep her alive, even if it means he can’t be with her, and he can’t be the one she loves. Even if it means she hates him, which of course she’s gotten past now. He takes it on the chin. And as we’ve been over before, neither of those kinds of love is better or worse than the other, they’re just … different. And I think that the curse of the Salvatores is that it’s like … neither one of them is ever really enough for the person they love. They keep finding these bitches who want the safe, secure, tender love and the dangerous, passionate, bad boy love. And unfortunately, whichever half is missing is always going to turn up and compete.

Maybe Bonnie should make herself useful and cram both of those two into one sexy body.

Anyway. So Elena’s a vampire, which I’ve been really excited to see happen. I can’t say it was a huge shock, but I DO think it’s going to make next season really awesome and really turn things on their head, which I kind of think the show is due for. I have some theories about what will happen with her being a vampire, but they’re loosely related to the books and even though this show has almost completely broken away from them, I don’t want to say anything that could be considered spoilery and ruin it for anyone else. I’m really excited for all the possibilities next season. I feel like the end of this season has really gotten awesome again, and I kind of wish the whole season would’ve gone more that way, but I do feel like the payoff was really worth it. And I’m glad that we’re MOSTLY (but not totally) done with the Originals. And speaking of … ELIJAH. That is all.

So you guys, that’s it for this season! What did you think? Theories (NOT SPOILERS) for next season? Favorite moments/lines? Stuff you want to discuss? Let’s talk about it all in the comments, and thanks for reading and all the great conversations this season! Best readers on the internet. :)

Related posts:^?

http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

Klaus & Tyler Stuff:

1) I don’t think it was very clear but Alaric mentions that the sheriff’s office is useful when it isn’t compromised so I think he found the storage locker through old fashioned research, which our intrepid crew clearly wasn’t expecting by trying to have Bonnie do a cloaking spell (which she was trying to do).

2) Klaus’ body…definitely NOT dead. Julie all but confirmed this in an interview with EW. She noted that we didn’t see Klaus’ entire body on fire so while he is a little “crispy”, his body is still good and that there is a 99.9% chance we will see Klaus back in his own body again. 2b) I don’t think this part of the question has been answered yet by the show but the going theory seems to be that the white oak stake didn’t work the same on Klaus because he’s a hybrid. Which sort of makes sense. Like Klaus had to run from Mikael & his stake because Klaus was still just a vampire at the time. But then once he became a hybrid, Esther’s whole plan was to turn them into humans with the link so that they’d all be easy/easier to kill. It’s really murky mythology but it seems like fan theories are going with the werewolf part threw it off.

3) Yes Tyler is still alive. Julie confirmed that too. But it wasn’t very clear where he is (we don’t know) but he is alive. Klaus was in his body when he opened his eyes. Mikael did that too and actually now that I’m thinking about it so did Pearl and the other tomb vamps. I think it’s been so long since the desiccation
stuff that the show could’ve used a teensy bit of exposition to
explain that the vampires are still alive, just immobilized. It’s
basically an alternate version of the dagger, but without ruining nice dresses and suits.

4) The choice of Tyler is tricky. Since the Klyler conversation with Bonnie established that Klaus knew what she was doing, I’m betting he picked Tyler for a variety of reasons. It keeps him close to the group, it keeps him close to Caroline, and it allows him to retain the powers of a hybrid, albeit not an Original hybrid. I’m also still wondering if Tyler was in on the switch. I could actually see Tyler agreeing to it if it kept Caroline alive (since a truly dead Klaus kills everyone else. And if I may deviate, that is one of the best tricks I’ve seen in years for a show to use to guarantee that a truly awesome villain will never really die & can always come back.) But yeah I think Tyler was in on it.

5) If they go off the same mythology that was used back when Klaus switched with Alaric, then yes, he should be killable. Though Tyler’s body is a hybrid, meaning only beheading or heart snatch and Klaus running the brains should mean that won’t be so hard to do. But I don’t know if the show will stick to that. I do remember that Klaus could still compel other vampires while in Alaric’s body so I think its unfortunately kind of fuzzy as to what he can and can’t do. Klaus did mention that Alaric’s body was weak back when he possessed it (because if you remember, Maddox did a spell to protect him) so I’d say that’s another reason Klaus insisted on being in a hybrid body. And I’d say you’re probably right that Klaus could be killed in Tyler’s body without killing the entire bloodline. Though That’s probably another reason why Klaus picked Tyler. Elena, Matt, Jeremy & Caroline will fight to keep Tyler’s body alive, even with Klaus in it. & we all know the Salvatores do what she wants. Plus judging by Elijah & Rebekah’s reactions to Klaus “death”, I’d say they’ll be looking out for Tyler too once they find out. So not perfect but one of the better choices Klaus could make.

Does that help at all or make it worse?

Oh and as to the Originals, I do know that Claire Holt will be back next season and it sounds like (from interviews) that Joseph Morgan will be within a few episodes. I don’t know how long they’ll be around though. And it definitely does sound like
the Originals won’t be the big focus. I think that’s kind of why this last half of S3 has been a lot of figuring out how to justify keeping the Originals around but also making them less of a threat so that they’re a bit more integrated. Julie’s interviews
are sounding like the Originals won’t be the problem at all compared to next season.

Which personally, I’m okay with. I love all the Originals but I would much prefer to see them woven into the story (such as Matt & Rebekah-I’m weak, I ship it) or Stefan & Klaus renewing
their friendship (sex life) over them being the major focus because it totally took away from the core characters. Anyway, this is an obscenely long comment & that’s a whole other issue. Suffice to say, from interviews it appears that the Originals will be sticking around, just more integrated as citizens of Mystic Falls, not as the big bads. And of course Elijah will be around sporadically, as shooting works around his new show.
http://www.twitter.com/ReelStina Lemonade

So I already tweeted this, but figured I may as well add this here too.

I hadn’t even considered that Tyler could’ve been in on the switcheroo until I read Melissa’s theory. And after rewatching the episode, I believe she is right. :)

It mainly comes down to Tyler’s first scene with Caroline in which they talk about running away together. Here’s some observations I made that support Melissa’s theory:

Tyler convinces Caroline to run away with him by saying “Let me protect you.” When Caroline agrees, she says she wants to tell Bonnie about their plan. Tyler then says that HE will talk to Bonnie. Cut to Bonnie’s scene with Damon & Klaus. (It seems Bonnie got to the storage facility on her own, so I assume she must have talked to Tyler on her ride over).

Tyler gets to protect Caroline by keeping Klaus alive, & keeps himself alive in the process, even if it means handing the reins (or brains, haha) to Klaus temporarily.

Letting Tyler choose to give himself up (and possibly be the one to come up with the idea in the 1st place), in order to protect everyone is pretty brilliant from a narrative standpoint.

He’s worked so hard to maintain his sense of agency that it’s great (yet ironic) that choosing to allow someone else (& especially Klaus of all people) to control him is actually the ultimate way he finds his own agency.

Otherwise, the poor guy really has lost everything to Klaus (girlfriend, artistic abilities, his own body!), and his story is just that much more tragic.
http://www.twitter.com/ReelStina Lemonade

I definitely enjoyed this episode, and it just made me want season 4 to get here even faster.

It’s funny, before this episode aired, we were all speculating how this finale would compare to the previous ones. Would it have a shocking twist like season 1′s finale, or go the more emotional route like season 2? Now I think it’s fair to say: It’s a mixture of both! We got the tearjerking elements of season 2, while also getting the identity-switcheroo hijinks like season 1.

While we may have expected some of the events to happen (mainly Elena’s death, the possibility that Klaus would return at some point, and Elena making some kind of choice), the exciting part came from seeing HOW these things would play out. This is similar to the s2 finale, since I knew Damon would survive somehow, it was just a question of how it would come to be.

I figured Bonnie did something to keep Klaus alive, but the Tyler part of the equation still surprised me. Though in hindsight I’m realizing the clues were all there. He not only told Caroline about the “beautiful future” in store for her during that cellar scene, but the music from Klaus & Caroline’s “On your birthday?!” scene was playing in the background!

Tyler(/Klaus) & Caroline’s cellar scene is even more pivotal in hindsight, and even more interesting on a rewatch. It reminds me of the brilliant s1 ending with the Elena/Katherine twist. Not only are the scenes similar because of the cases of mistaken identity, but because of how layered the scenes actually are.

On first watch, it’s easy to believe you are watching Tyler & Elena, and it’s understandable why Caroline & Damon wouldn’t even think to question it. But when you rewatch, you can actually pick up the subtle changes in Trevino & Dobrev’s performances. They are not playing Tyler & Elena, or even Klaus & Katherine, but Klaus-pretending-to-be-Tyler & Katherine-pretending-to-be-Elena. It’s so complicated, and yet they each pulled it off so brilliantly. This cast continues to blow my mind with their talent. (I think every single one of them has had to play multiple characters, or at least multiple versions of the same character at this point. It’s crazy!)

And I completely agree with you SB on ghost!Ric’s scene with Jeremy. It took me by complete surprise (Me: *gasp* Oh yeah, Jeremy can see ghosts!), and I just thought it was absolutely perfect. It is also the scene that made me tear up during this episode.

He did get a goodbye episode already, but we (like Jeremy) still needed that bit of a closure and reassurance that the Ric we know and love is still out there. Plus he got one last moment with Damon. That was a perfect exit for Alaric, while still leaving the door open for possible ghostly visits. And I loved that it was Ric’s presence that clued both Damon & Jeremy in to the fact that Elena died.

I’ve written two novels on this page already, so I’ll stop here (for now anyway!), but thank you SB for your always fantastic recaps! :D
Em

You hit the nail on the head about the vampire powers being selective. I find it very hard to believe that things would have actually have gone down that way had they not needed Elena to die for the storyline. He could’ve saved both of them in the amount of time that he spent arguing with her underwater.

I was surprised by the switcheroo and Elena having vampire blood in her system, I knew she wasn’t going to be dead for good, but even humans can do CPR (like Bonnie bringing Matt back to life).

I’m glad that Elena made a choice between the brothers finally and I think that it really made sense, but I don’t appreciate the writer’s thinking that we are dumb. Let me explain: Elena didn’t literally mean “If I met you first.” She meant “If I had fallen for you first.” Also, why in the world was Damon being so sensitive and tender? Do they think that we don’t remember the first season? Damon has become tender towards her, but he wasn’t like that at all in the beginning. He did a very good job “acting” like he didn’t know a doppelganger existed in the beginning. I just don’t like when things are thrown in for convenience and lack all continuity. Rant over.

The underwater scenes were beautiful. The flashbacks were well integrated. Tyler as Klaus was fantastic. I rewatched it and he just did a great job. I’m not quite sure why Klaus wanted us to believe that Tyler died. Wouldn’t he have more fun being Tyler and running away with Caroline? I guess he had to make us think that Klaus was really dead for some reason.

Did anyone else notice when Bonnie said, “I did it for my friends, I didn’t do it for you.” Do the writers not know that that line is the pet peeve of TVD watchers everywhere?!

I, once again, CANNOT wait for the next season. I will try my best to remain unspoiled. It’s more fun that way. I’m excited for the Originals to not be the big villains.

I just had a thought: Will we ever know whose bloodline Elena is a part of since it was a random vial of blood? It’s like having a sperm donor. I bet it was Damon since we know for a fact that Meredith took his blood at least once. Interesting…
http://twitter.com/MollytheGhost Molly Kasperek

Okay, I finally watched an episode of TVD in a timely manner and get to comment on an awesome recap! This episode gave me all of the emotions. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and then I cried some more. And yet I really just have two comments.

1) I was so emotional when Alaric appeared to Jeremy as ghost!Ric. I knew he was dead but seeing him as himself and not Evilaric was a nice change and a great end for his character. It took me a second or two to realize he was actually ghost/dead and then I lost it. But I have to admit I laughed when Jeremy said “You’re a ghost!”. Duh, Jeremy. You’d think as a medium you’d be a little more used to it.

2) Now that Elena’s a vampire, all her previous compulsion will wear off, right?! So does that mean that she’ll wake up and remember meeting Damon first? I really want to see that happen. I mean, I don’t necessarily want the love triangle to continue, but that’s definitely a conversation/revelation I’d like to see play out.

Okay, that’s it. I’m going to spend the summer ruminating about all of the feelings this show gives me and probably rewatching all of the episodes, ever. In the meantime, thanks for the great recap SB!
http://twitter.com/Nicole_OCTV Nicole

I was completely yelling at my tv too when Elena just sat in the car after Stefan pulled Matt out, like SWIM, DUMMY! But the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that she knew she had vampire blood in her and that she’d come back. I think she did it on purpose to kill Evilaric. If she didn’t, that scene in the car just makes no sense. Meredith told Damon that she didn’t have the heart to tell Jeremy the truth about the seriousness of Elena’s injury, but I feel like she would have definitely told Elena what was up. What would be the point in hiding it? The question is…whose blood was it? If it was Damon’s, then it adds a whole nother level of intrigue to the triangle (but ugh, I kind of hate the triangle) because we all know that vamps have a special bond with their sires, so…

I don’t realllly get the significance of Damon’s initial meeting with Elena before the first Wickery Bridge crash. I mean, okay – she met him first technically. But Stefan still saved her life, so isn’t that a bigger deal? What’s she going to do when she remembers? Say, ‘oh that’s right – I DID meet you first. KISS ME’. That makes no sense.

I’m still very confused about the Klaus/Tyler/Bonnie sitch, but whatever it is, I love it. And I was DYING when Bonnie gave yet another ‘I didn’t do it for YOU’ speech. I totally thought of you, SB.

Lastly, I’m really glad that Elena’s a vamp now. It was time – like you said SB, the show needed a big shake-up, and this is perfect. Here’s hoping that fangs make Elena more fun because that girl is melodramatic as FUCK.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

Ya know, I just have to say that if they would’ve given us just a split second of Elena trying to get the seatbelt off or the door open and it be stuck, that would’ve been perfect. It shows that she tried but there was no hope. I mean we all knew she wasn’t going to make it but just that tiny bit would make a world of difference.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

Yep Elena will remember meeting Damon first. (Don’t get me started on that). I think the more fun will be her remembering his confessions of love in “Rose” and compelling her to forget. It was one of those nice, selfless moments that Elena doesn’t get to see very often. I like the idea of her remembering that.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

Ugh that Bonnie line. The only reason I didn’t throw things at my TV was because she actually said who she did it for this time.

Julie said we find out in S4 whose bloodline Elena is. I’m betting on Damon too though I’m also kind of hoping Elijah dropped off a donation.

Oh and Klaus had to make everyone believe that Tyler died so that they would believe that Klaus died. Because the other vamps would assume he lied about siring their bloodline but there was no getting around that he sired Tyler. And since Bonnie was still calm, I would imagine that Klaus didn’t know about Elena. He would’ve kept up the ruse until Alaric could be killed. But to make the others fall for it, they had to assume Tyler died with Klaus.
Abigail_W

SB, your recap made me laugh about an episode that I found upsetting (but really good) and haunting, so thank you :) Is it just me or are drowning images really upsetting? And Nina’s underwater acting was really powerful.
I think most of the episode felt a little bit disjointed, save for the last minute and a half, that’s when they really pulled their shit together, and broke our hearts. There were just too many phone calls. I counted around seven phone calls, which seemed excessive.
And OMG, how much did Stefan and Damon suck at their respective tasks? Each of them had one thing to do, and they were each equally inept. Damon let Alaric kill the shit of Klaus. Stefan clearly didn’t know how to swim, think, and rescue at the same time, even though he was confronted with a nearly identical scenario less than two years ago. Granted, Elena was being super selfless and uncooperative, but I was like “Bitch you’re going to die, let Stefan save you! Oh no.” It was so sad. But you’re right, this show needed her to turn. Elena was seriously nothing more than a confused bloodbag in S3. Now she’s going to be really powerful and confused, which is going to be fun. Whose blood do you think she’s been sired with? I’m going with Damon’s. He’s probably sired 97% of Virginia’s vampires.
What I don’t get is why their trying to tell us that Damon meeting Elena first makes that big of a difference in the present. He could have been the vampire to come into Elena’s life when she needed a passionate, violent, dangerous creature to make her feel alive and that the world would last forever. But he passed on it because he wanted Katherine. It doesn’t change that Elena fell for Stefan while Damon pursued Katherine for an entire season. I suppose when she transitions she’ll remember how she felt when she met Damon? I don’t know.
I’m excited to see Elena as a vampire. I hope she enjoys it and lightens up a bit. Stefan’s going to take her into the forest and eat rabbits. Damon’s going to teach her how to lie in the middle of the street at night and eat people. I hope Elena isn’t a messy eater. And I wonder what her daylight jewelry is going to be. I’m guessing it won’t be a ring. I’m thinking necklace.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Melanie-Elka/100001941865685 Melanie Elka

i totally aggree with you about the super powers and also how about super speed
Em

Amen to hating the love triangle. A small part of me was wishing that she would dump both and choose Matt. Even though that would be a total cop-out and make very little sense.
I feel like we’ve been hit on the head over and over with the fact that they are different, but both a good match for her, blah, blah, blah.
She FINALLY made a decision, Show! Let’s move on from here and not let the “if I had met you first” thing cause this triangle to drag on.
JeniCherryCola

Why did Meredith tell Jeremy that it was just a little knock on the head? Everyone underestimates him. I’m glad we still have them both as humans for next season, along with Matt, the most patient ex ever. So many people don’t respect Elena’s opinions, but I’m ok with them driving her out of town.
Elijah didnt do much but its always nice to see him. Either that suit wasn’t tailored right or he lost weight.
Loved Damon being the voice of reason on the phone, even if he was ignored. Another sign of his arrogance- his thinking that the Salvatores are the brain-trust of Mystic Falls. It was weird to have an episode like this, and have him so far away from the others. I agree that he was way out of character during that unnecessary retcon. He just believed her like that? I thoughthe would have tried to bite her or something. So she met him first, so what? She could have chosen herself and it would still be dramatic when she’s stuck with both brothers teaching her how to un-live. And what was with his “You what?!” at the end? Wasn’t he chastising Jeremy for not using vampire blood just a while before?
It would it have been funny if, after Jeremy said “He bought it”, he noticed that he didnt hang up the phone right, and Alaric heard. Bad-ass Bonnie, doing something the others won’t approve of. Yay for agency! Can MT pull this off? Alaric-Klaus was awesome. Whatever happened to the funny moments he had back then? JM as Klaus didnt continue that.
Were they seriously arguing underwater? Oxygen, people! Thanks for noticing that vampire powers don’t seem to work underwater- they could have both been easily saved, I agree that internal showlogic went out the window so that it could happen the way the writers wanted it to happen.
Even when I have issues with an episode, TVD never stops being great, overall. It was all very emotional but not shocking at all, and JP answered many of my questions in that interview. She almost said too much. Maybe with heightened emotions, Elena will finally have that big breakdown that’s been coming for so long. I’m hoping that in the next season, things are less uneven, the good guys do really good things, and the bad guys do really horrible things. Consistency and big surprises that are actually surprises.
And yeah, a necklace would be cook, especially if Katharine got bitchy about it.
Mary Ellen

I liked the finale despite some of the issues I had with it. The Tyler/Klaus stuff confused the hell out of me. Bonnie was left alone with Klaus for five minutes and was able to do the switcheroo with no problems? Bonnie’s magic usually goes horribly wrong or has unintended consequences. And I don’t know if I’m sold on Klaus wearing a Tyler suit just yet. I love Joseph Morgan and his portrayal of Klaus but what is the point if they bring him back after two or three episodes? Vampire Diaries kills people. They usually kill characters we love. Bringing a character back right away cheapens their death for me in some ways. I loved it when they brought back Anna and Hot Uncle Mason but I was not the biggest fan of Alaric’s transformation to Elivaric in the crypt. I don’t want it to be that way with Klaus. My Original feelings are super complicated. Thank heavens Elijah lives on. I’m so glad they found a way to include Matt in this season. I know they’ve made him a sounding board for other characters but Jeremy really needed it. It seemed like Matt was the only one checking up on Baby Gilbert at the beginning of the season. Matt has also had a couple of good moments with Caroline, but mostly has been used for Elena to sort out her feelings about life and two brothers. Your bit about each Salvatore not being enough for the girl they are with is kind of brilliant. Each brother has great potential and maybe vampire Elena will see that. Thanks for a great recap. I’m looking forward to the possibilities of season four.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

I don’t know how the show will handle Bonnie obviously but I like to think that Bonnie was able to do the switcheroo because she stopped caring about protecting everyone so damn much. Like I know she said she did this for her friends but unlike every other time, she didn’t tell them. She just did it. Maybe she will end up telling them about Klaus/Tyler but at least for now she just did what she wanted. So I’m kind of hoping the selfishness actually helped in the magic. Like it gave her focus instead of distracting her.
Sasha

Is there a reverse CPS for parents and guardians? Like Parental and Related Entities Protective Services? Because watching The Departed reminded me of how many parents/guardians have died connected to Jeremy and Elena. We’ve got the horrific accident over Wickery Bridge that took out two parents, Isobel who died by turning into a vampire and then death by fiery suicide, Jenna by a violent sacrificial ritual, John by a spell, and now Alaric by becoming the vampire to end all vampires. Even his eternity ring couldn’t keep him alive for long among the Gilbert cousin-siblings. In fact, his ring only sped up his demise toward the end. His goodbye to Jeremy was just so sad, but also kind of chill, like he was telling Jeremy and the viewers that it was no big deal, and that he would catch us later. Oh Alaric, you are going to be missed. I always thought it would be Damon to turn him or kill him, or both, but in devastating fashion it was Damon who held him in his arms as he dried up and turned grey. I hope Alaric sticks around to watch over Damon, too. I’d like to think the bromarital union would carry over to the other side.
With the self-destructive, touch-and-go kind of thing Damon has going on, he might just join Alaric on the other side in S4.
I think the point of showing Damon met Elena 6 minutes before she met Stefan was showing how Damon screws himself over. If he just pulled his shit together for one second, instead of chasing after Katherine for well over a century, he could have had Elena. Instead, he sent her onto the path of falling for Stefan. I don’t think she’ll ever unfall for Stefan because after seeing the worst parts of Stefan, she still loves him. So the only way it’s ever going to be Damon, is if she falls even harder for Damon. And I think she will, because she’ll want different things as a vampire. How awkward is it going to be when Jeremy has to invite Elena into their house? I’m already missing human Elena. She could touch vervain-stained rope, be compelled to forget selfless declarations of love and tender moments of understanding by Damon, feed Stefan her blood to make him stronger, enter any house without being invited in, turn a house into a fortress by signing a deed, she could make terrifying hybrids with her doppleganger blood. She seemed to always do the right things. I have a feeling Elena is now going to start making some mistakes. Not because it’s coming from a bad place, because I think Elena will always have good intentions, but because she’ll see that doing what’s right on a vampire-scale is complicated.
offcolortv

Placeholder comment, y’all! I’m totally coming back tomorrow to comment for real, just didn’t want anyone feeling neglected!
offcolortv

Melissa! You’re always so good at helping with this stuff.

1. I guess I KNEW that, but I hadn’t really THOUGHT about it much. But it is funny that actual research is NEVER the go-to on this show. Makes me miss Buffy (and especially Willow). Someone’s superpower on this show needs to be research. Is it too late to make Matt NOT the dumb jock?

2. I get all that, but I’m going to need them to lay it out in the show. I try not to read too many interviews (you guys all know I’m a spoilerphobe), and I don’t think telling us stuff in an interview cuts it. Thankfully, this show is usually especially conscientious about doing that.

3. Yeah, I wasn’t surprised that Klaus opened his eyes for Damon and Bonnie (well, I was creeped out surprised, but I knew what was going on), but didn’t he open his eyes right before Evilaric stabbed him? That was what threw me off–who was in there?

4. In hindsight (and after reading a lot of these comments), I agree–Tyler had to be in on it.

Totally helpful! :)
offcolortv

For real, I love everything about this comment. I feel like a lot of fandom hates Tyler, but I pretty much love him, and you so GET it. He’s a good, complex, flawed character, but I think he’s ultimately overall an improved person, much like Caroline–in a lot of ways, they’ve had very similar experiences.
offcolortv

And thank you for your awesome comments! You always bring so much insight to the conversations and I’m always excited to read what you have to say! Awww, I’m going to miss this over the summer.
offcolortv

You know, until I read the comments, I didn’t really think much of the bad retcon on Damon. He WAS being a total diva and a major asshole in S1, so yeah … even if he had a tender moment, thinking it was Katherine, it still seems out of character.

Ugh, Bonnie. Well, glad they worked in her ONE FUCKING LINE that she repeats over and over. Couldn’t live without that! (Except we totally could and would prefer to.)

I had the same thought about it being Damon’s blood.
offcolortv

True, the Tyler plan was smart in a very multi-faceted way.
offcolortv

1. Just goes to show–Jeremy may not be Elena’s brother exactly, but they are DEFINITELY related.

2. I guess, but I agree with Em–I think it had more to do with FALLING for Stefan first, rather than meet him. But I AM interested in seeing her remember all the other things she was compelled to forget, including that adorable pajama love confession.

Thanks for commenting, Molly, and let us know if anything else occurs to you during your obsessive summer rewatch!
offcolortv

Of COURSE we were yelling at the TV at the same part, because we are TV soulmates. I like your theory, and I would like for it to be true, but … I don’t know, mostly because I don’t think Elena is that smart.

Man. You’re a lot smarter than me … I feel like I should’ve thought so much harder about all of this, but sometimes you’re writing a blog post and you get to the end and it’s 3 a.m. and you have to work in the morning and it’s all you can do to make complete sentences. But you’re right … it is totally nonsensical.

And I am SO excited that you thought of me, even though it was Bonnie related. SWF!

Maybe since Elena is in love with two guys, and becoming a vampire intensifies who you are, she’ll turn into a super vampire SLUT! God, I would watch the shit out of that show.
offcolortv

I don’t THINK that the “if I had met you first” thing is exactly the direction they’re going, but of course we won’t know until the fall. (Torture.)
offcolortv

Agreed on the drowning scenes AND Nina Dobrev. Drowning is definitely my #1 choice of how I do NOT want to die.

LOL to “Damon let Alaric kill the shit out of Klaus.” Hee!

I agree, I think she has Damon’s blood in her. Now what other Damon fluids can she get in her? Because let’s face it, now that his bottom bitch is dead, he’s gonna have extra.

Oh, they’re all messy eaters. To my dismay.
offcolortv

Outstanding point about Damon yelling at Meredith for using vampire blood and Jeremy for not using it!

I think Michael Trevino CAN pull this off. I’m a big fan of him. I think he’s a really good actor who does subtle really well. I’m excited for this.

And yeah … great good guys and heinous bad guys and huge surprises sounds awesome right about now.
offcolortv

HAHAHA about Bonnie’s magic. So true.

I totally agree about killing people and bringing them back immediately, but then, everyone knows that. The show is neutering itself in a way when it does that.

And thanks for appreciating my Salvatore observations. Man, I love those two–they’re always my favorite story (unless Caroline is).
offcolortv

Hmmm … interesting thought about giving her focus …
offcolortv

There is really only one thing to do now … make Bonnie the official Gilbert guardian!

Oh, I totally think the bromarital union is forever. That shit TOTALLY transcends death.
Sasha

LOL, OMG, I’m going to miss your recaps so much over the summer. Don’t ever stop, SB. If I could I would give your recaps an eternity ring forged from the powers of a thousand dead witches.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

Eeep, didn’t realize you’d answered back. So…
1) Um yes someone needs to be the research person. Maybe that offhand comment of Alaric’s will remind them that this internet thing could be useful. Just no one tell Giles.

2) Yeah I do think they need to lay it out a bit more in the show. I wouldn’t have mentioned the interview except Julie seemed sort of surprised in several interviews that people were so confused and since we have like 5 months before answers, I figured it would be more helpful to answer now. If I understand right, I think one of the hints we got was in the fact that we don’t see Klaus all the way on fire. There’s that little spot of flame around his heart and then Alaric closes the lid. Which you’d think Alaric would know that fire needs oxygen. I’ve been thinking about this a little more and my guess is that Alaric took the stake out will be part of the problem. Because of course the daggers don’t work unless they stay in and the only time we’ve seen a white oak stake used was with Mikael and it stayed in. I think maybe Evilaric forgot that part and that will be why it didn’t take completely.
That and I think the other big clue in the episode for us that Klaus’ body was fine is that every body swap spell we’ve seen leaves both bodies intact. Though I do agree that the show needs to work that (and a few other mythology issues) out when it returns in October.

And since others have been agreeing that Tyler was probably in on the spell, I really hope its true because I can’t wait to see how the dynamic of the triangle that’s actually interesting works out after that decision. Because it’s not just that Tyler made a selfless decision to help save his friends by being in on the spell. Its that he didn’t tell Caroline that of all people, KLAUS would be in his body. I mean Tyler knows that Klaus is going to take advantage and to not tell Caroline is a pretty big deal. I just think this could be a development that would finally get be invested back in Tyler as a character. Which I would LOVE because I absolutely adore Trevino and think he’s easily one of the most talented members of the cast.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

I know I’m one of those who hates Tyler (though I’m fickle with my hatred, whereas I just straight up despise Bonnie) but the last couple episodes definitely mellowed me out towards him. I feel like the show kind of lost sight of what they wanted to do with him and took Tyler a little too far back into douchebag territory without really allowing us to understand the sire bond. He veered into Bonnie-plot-device territory and that frustrated me. (And I think Caroline could do better though it is really hard to resist how happy Candice makes Caroline look around Tyler.) So I guess I’m saying that a Tyler who is in on the spell is a Tyler that fascinates me. A Tyler who’s just at the mercy of other people’s choices again is one that frustrates me. And I hate being frustrated over Tyler because unlike a lot of the cast members on this show, Trevino deserves killer storylines.
http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa

Oh I KNOW Trevino can pull it off. Y’all gotta go back and rewatch those moments in the tomb with Caroline. When Klyler is telling Caroline goodbye & she kisses him, Trevino plays it like Klaus is just kissing her back to get her to leave, kind of being respectful (because Klaus is totally selfish enough to only want to kiss Caroline in his own body) but obviously playing the part. & then they move into a hug & Trevino gives this little flicker in his eyes as though Klaus is realizing he could just leave, run away with Caroline and forget all his master plans. Then he recovers and does the contortion thing to fake dying. And in that moment, Trevino does this other absolutely genius little move where he stops fake contorting and his eyes glance sideways to verify that Caroline’s falling for it. It is so subtle and SO SO GOOD. Also these gif sets show he has the mannerisms down too.
http://onlymystories.tumblr.com/post/23303199133/teamlockwood-klaus#notes
http://onlymystories.tumblr.com/post/22995000604/i-told-yall-trevino-was-nailing-josephs#notes

OffColorTV

Vampire Diaries. Our life is one big proverbial coin toss.

Search

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Recent Comments

Shows