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9/21/12 4:35 A

So I put off watching the last 2 episodes of season 3 for months. I wanted to write up my thoughts for each episode before writing the next and I never got around to it. Well, I finally just watched them the other night and OMG! I've been missing out on a lot! I'm looking forward to season 4 starting next month!

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7/11/12 8:07 P

Wa-hoo!! Can't wait for the new season to start!!! It'll be such a great semi belated bday present!!! HAH! I always feel so bummed when the seasons end, and I can't wait for them to start back up!!!! :)

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6/14/12 3:47 A

Man, I keep putting off writing out for Do Not Go Gentle and I'm refusing to watch the last 2 episodes until I write it up! I need to get down to it so I can watch them! The positive is the season isn't over for me yet, but I've been told it's some exciting episodes with big developments! Eep!

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5/7/12 1:34 P

OH Goodness, Sheri. You need to get watching if you haven't caught up yet. So much to talk about...

I agree that Ric in the dungeon is extremely sexy. Although, I'm thinking that pretty much everything Matt Davis does is sexy. He completely won me over at the Convention. In a huge way. He booted Ian out of my top spot & Alaric is my top TVD crush. I also really liked the interaction with Alaric and Stefan, I think they both did an excellent job portraying the desperation of the moment while trying to control a difficult situation. That is a funny take on Paul getting to beat up Matt for making out with Torrey, that is pretty funny. Maybe they should have shown Paul the Meredith-Alaric scenes just before they started filming.

I'm not sure about the batting cage...I did notice that they left Kol laying on the ground staked by a baseball bat. This isn't Mystic Falls, people. Surely that is going to make the Colorado news. I did love the Jeremy-Rose scenes. I loved seeing Jeremy's face when she said she was rooting for Damon & Elena. I also loved how he edited Rose's comments.

I liked the Tyler & Caroline scenes. I also like that they pretty much have to face the reality that there could be an all-out war with the Salvatores if they find out that Klaus didn't sire the Salvatore line. How odd will it be for them to find themselves on Klaus' side of that equation?

I thought "The Motel Scene" was very well done. I think it showed a good amount of hesitation and breathlessness (heaving bosom, lol). But when they both gave in to the impulse there was no stopping them. I think the writers weren't too worried about giving Delena fans their moment, because they knew they were going to yank the rug back out from under them. So, they're still left wanting more AND they now know how great it can be when they get it.

The mark on Damon's arm is Ian's tattoo. It is the latin phrase for "here and now". I think Matt Davis has a similar tattoo also, his is a Sanskrit mantra, but the translation is extremely long and I don't remember all of it.

I didn't notice the inconsistencies in the Damon-Elena scene at Mary's house. I tend not to notice stuff like that.

They had me with Esther-Rebekah too, I did catch it just as she stepped into the cave, but not when it actually happened. It was very interesting watching it a second time. I did notice small expressions, movements, etc that made sence once I knew what was happening. Claire Holt owned that scene. She did an excellent job. I always think it must be difficult to be an actor playing a new character who is pretending to be your normal character. It would be too easy just to be your normal character, yet they have to throw in subtle tells so you know something isn't quite right.

Since you posted this a few days ago, I hope you've at least had a chance to watch Do Not Go Gentle...Talk about Sexy but Creepy EvilAlaric...

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5/3/12 5:50 P

I'm way behind! I haven't even watched last week's ep yet, and there's a new one tonight! So here are my thoughts for Heart of Darkness (aka the MOTEL episode!) from 2 weeks ago.

Liked: Poor Ric is locked in a cellar because Evilaric is being a jerk; but somehow seeing Matt Davis locked in a cellar willingly is sexy. Can't explain that. haha And who the heck else could make dropping down dead look as sexy has he did?! That was just not possible, but he did it. Then when he becomes Evilaric you can easily tell the change in character and he plays it so wonderfully without overdoing it. The Caroline/Bekah showdown was classic - even if staged. Damon's arrogance when getting to the motel is so classic and hilarious, yet one of these days Elena needs to slap him for being so jerkish. Once again, Matt totally played his part well. Good to have the token human teenage boy able to fool a thousand year old vampire!

Disliked: Is it me or is Elena doing the hair behind the ear thing a little too frequently lately? Too much a reminder of Bella from Twilight if you ask me. I'm not sure I like Stefan and Klaus talking at the end of the episode. Sure, Stefan is standing up to Klaus and Klaus is backing down, but it seems a little superfluous. We've seen them face each other down enough that by now someone has to make a serious move against the other that ends up meaning something. So Klaus needs to be killed but not die or Stefan needs to be locked up without blood for awhile. I'm a little over the daring each other to be something else then waiting for a failed action to happen.

Questions/Comments: Watch the people in the batting cage area when Damon and Elena meet up with Jeremy. Everyone just seems to be leaving. It doesn't seem to be a closing time, but conveniently everyone disappears. I can assume that Kol has somehow compelled them, but how could he get to all of those people without being seen before we needed to see him? I think it would've made more sense to have the scene take place in a little less conspicuous area, like a storage room or something. Really, people walking next to them will hear vampire and wonder what's up.

I'm ridiculously happy to see Tyler back to be with Caroline! They're so good together! Though can we really think their parents think their undead children aren't having sex? Not like they can procreate! So why aren't they allowed to share the bed at home? Seems stupid to me. It's one thing if they're human and all, but being a vamp and a hybrid they should be allowed to enjoy a bed instead of using a cave. I'm just saying. Course, on top of it, Caroline has to explain the current situation to Tyler. She just conveniently leaves out Klaus' adoration of her until Tyler has to figure it out on his own. Obviously jealousy can be more powerful than love in vampires! But we do need that angst because they can't be perfectly happy for a few days or weeks before the ceiling collapses in again.

Interesting to have Stefan and Ric hanging out together, even in that context. They have this major heart-to-heart while both know it is probably going to end with Stefan torturing Ric. Ric seems pretty beaten down by now, considering he's willing to get the crap beaten out of him to save his vampire buddies that a few years ago he would've tried to kill. Then when Ric is still himself, the irony begins! Matt gets to make out with Torrey, who's married to Paul. So now Paul, as Stefan, gets to beat the crap out of Matt, as Alaric. I know Paul has said that he and Matt are friends and they're all okay with it so there's no harsh blood (and it's all staged anyways), but the irony of it is hilarious to me. In what other line of work would you let a friend make out with your wife then pretend to beat him up and have none of it mean anything in reality? haha

Oh the motel scenes! Of course Damon has to rub it in Stefan's face that he's in a motel with Elena, sidestepping that Jeremy is staying with them. Stefan should know that, but his eyes show he's not thinking clearly just for the simple fact that his brother gets to be so close to the woman they both love. And I do find the hilarity in Rose's comments to Jeremy that he alters when sharing with Damon or Elena. Which makes a good portion of what Rose says for the viewers ears, not for the character's knowledge. Especially at the end when Rose is talking to Jeremy, it's like she's talking to the shippers and lays out the differences in the triangle. We kinda know that. So did they show it to show the silence in the car as they drove back to VA (they flew from VA to CO, drove to KS, then drove to VA? I'm confused here!).

Damon and Elena in the motel is such a defining moment for the show! It's one we'll all watch over and over again. I love how they have Damon come out through the shadows so we don't instantly see that he's bare-chested. It gives a little punch to the gut then we get chided a bit as he puts on his shirt, leaving it open only slightly. 'No, no, can't have it all the time!' (BTW, what's the mark on the inside of his right arm? I can't figure it out.) Then he catches Elena looking at him and has the tiniest little curl in his lip as if he likes her looking at him but doesn't know for sure what to do with it. Just recently he decided to give up on her, so is he honestly ready to try again? He apparently chose to leave her alone, until she looks at him again. The caution in his movement to lay next to her is as powerful as his compulsion. Add to it the near silence for the majority of the scene just ramps it up. Our ears are turned off so we can focus on what we're seeing. Excellent writing and directing, I think! Then Elena is trying to pull out the good in him, just for him to turn away (giving us an insane shot of his incredible eyes at an angle, adding to the intensity), then basically say 'this is who I am, take it and love me for me or leave it and be done with me'. Then he simply starts to stroke her hand, in a way showing how vulnerable he is making himself at that moment, and the reaction within her is unmistakable (in romance novels it's referred to as a heaving bosom haha). So when she tries to escape into the night, no one can blame him for following her. His touch just seriously affected her, so maybe he can affect her even more. She can try to deny her feelings by pushing him away, but she's there to find out for sure so... FIREWORKS! I love that he puts his hand behind her head as he backs her up to the metal beam. He can overpower her easily, but he also needs to keep that power in check so he doesn't hurt her. Of course, first time watching it I thought maybe it was a dream or something - aren't they supposed to always leave us wanting? So when the commercial ended and we find it isn't a dream, I think I said 'oh heck yes!' haha Damon wouldn't attempt to semi-hide Elena from Jeremy if it was a dream. haha

But then there's the scenes in Mary's house. Damon's being the vampire stud putting his own broken bones back in place while being so careful and concerned about Elena's small cut. Yet somehow when she turns away he suddenly realizes there's something not right about the trip. She points out that he's not as much into moderation has he thinks he is. He might be able to moderate his need for blood, but he's not as good at moderating his love for her and the sheer disappointment he has that he might not get her in the end. He ends up lashing out at her a bit then tries to convince her that he's not going to lash out again. haha I do have a huge issue with the whole scene though: it was filmed with Damon's lines separate from Elena, when Nina wasn't there and probably in a different location. In the wider shots and on Nina's closeups we see the background of the room. Behind Ian there's a dark brown color with a light painting and patterned curtains. But during most (not all) of Ian's closeups there's nothing but complete black behind him and what's supposed to be Nina's hair doesn't look right (looks like a wig on a stand-in to me). Also Ian seems extra intense, moreso than he normally is when Nina's there. I have to think they were having issues getting the scene because of lighting or sound, or maybe Ian just couldn't seem to get the scene down well enough with Nina there. Perhaps Nina had to run off for another shot or fitting or something. But It keeps throwing me off when I watch that scene, because all I see is the complete black behind Ian and an intensity far beyond what he normally seems to do, like he's acting against a stand-in or even just a cardboard cutout instead of against Nina. Maybe they just got the giggles crazy bad over something and Ian couldn't get into the intensity needed for the scene, so Nina was pulled away so he could focus. Who knows. But the scene seems foreign and out of place to me because of it.

I'll admit I didn't catch on to Esther taking over Bekah's body when it happened, or even in the first seconds as she walked into the cave. I caught on just before she called Klaus her son. So I definitely didn't see it coming! But now I'm curious where they're going to go with that! I'll say I'm kinda over Esther but if they get rid of Bekah I will be very disappointed! Claire Holt is quickly becoming a favorite of mine!

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4/23/12 1:26 P

I do love the Damon and Alaric relationship, it is probably the best on the show. I also loved the hiding the stake in the wood pile and calling out the moonstone, I thought that was pretty darn funny.

I do like Tawdry lady friend too. Such great polite-sounding insults, especially when said with an accent.

I loved Caroline's interaction with Ric. He looked crushed and didn't want to face her. I like that she didn't immediately accept it, but did dig deep to find her forgiveness.

I don't think you're disturbing for loving the Damon-Rebekah scenes...maybe that is because I did too. I also loved when you threw Klaus in there trying to school Rebekah on how to best torture Damon. I also liked that Rebekah planted the dream, that was priceless.

I didn't mind losing Finn, he was my least favorite anyways. I loved the shock of taking out the rest of the bloodline. I sure didn't see that coming. I love the twist and the drama it creates.

I did like the Klaus moment (No appreciation for me.) I love that he wants credit for being a villian & giving them someone to hate. I really like Klaus, I hope he sticks around for a while.

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4/22/12 10:48 P

The Murder Of One
Liked: I think it's awesome that Damon and Ric are friends again. They might not be back to where they were exactly, but the fact that Damon (and Stefan) is trying so hard to keep Ric around is awesome. Yes I loved Ric calling out Damon for hiding the stake in a wood pile like he hid the moonstone in the soap dish. Seems like the writers giving us a giggle for catching the audacity of doing something similar to a previous plan fail. "Tawdry lady friend" is along the lines of "our sister is a strumpet" for great OS lines. Many of our favorite characters have killed someone, as pointed out by Elena to Caroline then Caroline to Ric. Does this mean Ric can be redeemed? Hopefully. Stefan and Elena's heart-to-heart is showing signs of emo Stefan returning. Good because we need the anguish and bad because it means Ripper Stefan is gone and Damon/Elena moments will get fewer and further between.

Disliked: The obvious product placements of Klaus' phone are a little annoying, but something we can live with, I guess. Again I hate seeing Bonnie being used and abused by vampires. It was good to see her get a chance for a good cry; she needs it after all she's endured.

Questions/Comments: I wonder how many takes it took for them to film the scene where Finn and Klaus are talking while walking down the street. There's some nearly obvious ADR for missed audio. The shots were pretty great, but the sound isn't quite right.

Oh my... Damon tied up and under the control of a powerful woman... Is it disturbing that I really love it? Though it could've been even better if he was hung upside-down as Klaus suggested, but Ian would've HATED it! Even a few minutes on screen could've meant hours of dangling. haha Of course playing with Damon and us (even if I realized it was fake from the start) by having Elena rescue him in his mind and feed him her blood to heal him was incredible. It gives the D/E shippers something they want without taking away from the S/E shippers. I just loved that we got to see it happen as a product of Bekah toying with Damon. hehe Though I will say I did squirm every time Damon tried to pull out of the traps. "Nik, he's my play thing not yours." I adore Bekah. But the squishing of Damon's skin tearing was just a little much for me! Ew!

I don't love the idea of Finn having to be killed for the story to progress, but I understand it. Sucks for Caspar though! They had to take out at least one OS for Team Salvatore to not look the fools, plus they couldn't kill them all to be able to extend the story to where killing an OS kills the entire bloodline. It ramps up the necessity of being careful even more. Of course Bekah's 'You killed my brother?' seems a little ridiculous yet makes perfect sense; even if they all hated Finn for being willing to take them all out, he's still their brother, and OS respect is as important as their rivalries. Even if Klaus mainly cares about how to save himself, he still couldn't be who he is without his accomplices.

Klaus saying "Do you really have no appreciation for me?" seems odd. If he's been mostly playing the bad guy for everyone else to hate, then why would he do it so expertly? We've seen several different version of Klaus lately: adoring Caroline and feeling hurt by her, nearly brought to his knees by his mother then choosing to go after her, he stored his siblings "in boxes" (as Finn said) and doesn't care as much about their well-being as he does him own yet he does care enough to not want them to die on him. He's become ambiguous, the guy you love to hate to hate to love, and we're never quite sure what his exact intentions are in any moment. He loves his family but if they don't love him they way he wants them to love him (respecting him by fearing him) then he's willing to throw them away to create his new family of sired hybrids.

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4/22/12 1:54 A

I haven't had the chance to write up The Murder Of One yet, nor have I watched this last week's episode yet. Hoping to do both tomorrow!

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4/9/12 7:39 A

I do agree that the writers pulled out a genius way to keep around a few of the Originals without team Salvatore being complete failures...Bravo to them, I love it!!

1912

I did love the scene with Matt & Elena talking. It was a great way to tell us what's going on in Elena's head & also show a connection with Matt & Elena, especially with Klaus' comment a few episodes ago about Matt being safer for Elena. I think they did it well and it didn't seem forced like exposition often does. I didn't like the scene with Meredith calling Elena out either. I already don't like Meredith and, even though she may be right she didn't have to phrase it to Elena like that. Yes, Elena does see only the good in people to a fault, but there is no need to throw it at her like that.

I did really like the setup with the Damon manipulation of Stefan & Elena witnessing it. Although it wasn't intentional on Damon's part, I think she needs to face what Stefan is just as much as Stefan does.

I agree, I don't want to let go of Matt Davis either. Plus, Elena's already lost 5 parental figures in the past year and a half, does she really need to lose another one?? Even if this one is an alcoholic possible psycho killer that needs more parenting than she does.


Break on Through
I did love Caroline in this episode. I always love Caroline, but in this episode she had a chance to shine. She's always so positive and cheerful, yet will tell it like it is if necessary. I thought it was funny that the police record was something of a shock, yet he's an alcoholic vampire hunter (semi-retired) I'd be shocked if he hadn't gotten a few bar fights. I did notice, though that Meredith claimed to Elena Isobel had a restraining order on him, but they didn't address it when she was talking to Alaric. So, did she make that up when she said it to Elena? I also loved Alaric the creepy psycho killer. He does creepy well. I'll bet he was happy to get to stretch his actor's legs a little bit.

I'm not quite as put off by the mirror. They can have non-metallic mirrors in MRIs, I think it's more so the patient can see what's going on around him/her, not for your psycho killer alter ego to make faces at you, though. That is true about needing the herbs, though. I didn't think of that. I was a little disappointed that psycho Alaric was gone already. But with the herbs being part of the spell, they do have the option to bring him back whenever convenient. I kind of like that they left that loophole in there for psycho Alaric to come back. And yes, I disliked Abbby leaving very much. I loved Caroline's speech to her, but no dice. Boo on Abby!!

I love that Damon tends to run around the house naked or mostly naked whenever he can. I'm sure it's written in there completely for our benefit and I am thankful. :)

I did like the scene where Elena comes back home to find Ric and Stefan incapacitates Ric, finds Meredith and is able to control himself long enough to heal her and get out. I thought it showed a good picture of where he is in the internal struggle. He's getting better, but not quite there yet. Maybe Damon's moderation lessons are working???

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4/4/12 1:50 A

Elijah really is so different than the others, as is Finn. I think Elijah really didn't care about Kol/Bekah were bickering - he was so focused on his own issues. Then again they all get so focused on whatever they're dealing with they don't care about much beyond that. I'd still be convinced that Elijah didn't drink the doppleganger-laced wine except it's not important after what's happened in later episodes. Unless... things can still be changed! Still, his remorse is so important for his character, so I hope we see him redeem himself somehow.

Things have changed with Meredith and Alaric since this episode, but I still don't particularly like her. I'm convinced there's something else going on! She's a Fell after all!

The Klaus/Caroline/Tyler triangle is far from over, I'm sure of it. As you've said before, if Klaus becomes friendly and an ally like Damon and Katherine then no one will be all that afraid of villains anymore. So I think once Caroline totally rejects Klaus (maybe she can attack and try to kill him or something) he can become villainy again and just go crazy trying to destroy the town and everyone in it. As you said it's hard to keep the OS without Team Salvatore being failures, but future episodes show an issue with all of that. So I guess the writers are going to put us back on the edge of our seats as the season winds down!

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4/1/12 8:22 A

Oh goodness, I'm so far behind. I'll at least respond to All My Children now, and sneak 1912 in a little later today.

All My Children - I loved the open with Damon and Rebekah in bed...although that might have had something to do with him opening the door naked... I also loved Rebakah's entrance back home, and the Rebekah/Kol inter play - including the use of "strumpet" I think that is just a great word. I also loved how Elijah was completely unfazed, he had no judgement for Rebekah, maybe because he was so engrossed in his worries, maybe because he was gentlemanly enough not to show any judgement to her, or maybe because he truly didn't judge. In any case, I thought Elijah was a lovely contrast to Kol & Klaus.

Sadly, I think TVD does have a problem only using their witches for convenience. "We need to do something impossible...Let's have a witch do it." I know it is a vampire show, not a witch show, but I'd like to see them used for more than plot convenience.

Maybe Rebekah read the cell phone user manual with vampire speed. lol

I think Esther thought she was the target and it didn't occur to her that they'd go after her witched. Although, I do agree that was pretty stupid. Elijah figured it out, Damon figured it out, she should have seen it coming.

I do like Elijah's part in the episode and I also like that he was remorseful. I think he'd still do it again, but you could still see it affected him.

I don't really like Meredith at all, she really seems to be a character of convenience too. I don't really care about her, I wouldn't care if Damon had her for a snack. Now, I do care about Alaric and don't want him to suffer another loss. But since she did shoot him and all, it would seem that their relationship is probably over at this point.

I loved the Caroline distraction for Klaus, it was just perfect. Maybe because I love Caroline and I love Klaus and I also love all of their scenes together. I'm not saying I want them to get together, but I love watching him try to chase her and her having the strength to knock away his advances. It is so funny to watch the Big Bad Villain be reduced to a schoolboy with a crush.

When Kol was stabbed, I figured Elijah probably did go down, and they just didn't show it. But I could be wrong. Now, Klaus didn't go down, but a dagger wouldn't have taken him down. So, does the linking spell mean if one is dagger-dead, then they're all dagger-dead which would include Klaus but Klaus just took longer because he's a hybrid, giving him time to save them all. Or, does it mean that if one is daggered, then they're all daggered, however a dagger would affect them, and in this case for Klaus - no effect. I don't know, but either way the plan failed...back to the drawing board.

I wouldn't be surprised if Rebekah sets all of Mystic Falls on fire just to get rid of that darn white oak. I do agree, I don't want them to take the originals away. I don't know how they're going to orchestrate that without the Salvatores, etc. being complete failures, (well...technically I have an idea, but didn't when watching this episode.) but I hope we can keep at least some of the originals around...starting with Klaus...which is a shame since he is the main target.

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3/30/12 12:04 P

Break On Through
Liked: Damon surely isn't sugar coating anything for Elena. Damon seems to want to push the walls between them so high they'll never get over them again, though we know it's not for ever (can't break up an important triangle in a teen angst drama!). I LOVE the play on words from Caroline B+ "be positive"; very cute and very Caroline! Ric and Meredith talking over his police records shows us that he probably shouldn't have been a guardian to Elena and Jeremy, even for that short time. Yet it seems his violent streak has some purpose, since most of the guys he beat up were because they somewhat deserved it. Nice for us to finally have an idea why the Salvatore family has such a huge house in their family and so much money! Ric is playing the split personality pretty well in this episode. You can tell when he's Ric and when he's psychokiller. I was glad to see Jeremy again! Hopefully he'll be back soon because Elena does need her brother around.

Disliked: Yes, I'm a bit nitpicky, but the scene of Alaric getting an MRI was ridiculous. Mirrors have metal in them (it's glass over a piece of shiny metal) so they can't be in an MRI machine. If it's supposed to be a CT machine, you can't block the top of the machine with a mirror! I understand what they were TRYING to do, but they failed in execution. I'm a little leery about Bonnie's spell and using herbs as a medication to keep Ric well. You know at some point they will run out, he'll forget to take it, etc, so that they can bring the psycho killer back out. I'm also a little annoyed that Abby is leaving Bonnie again. Bonnie has it so hard; she deserves to have her mother around.

Questions/Comments: I like the triangle of feuding Bekah and Sage with Damon in the middle. Even if it doesn't last long, having Bekah and Sage being catty with each other as Damon looks on, then having them party together, then Damon and Bekah sleeping together before leaving to shower with Sage is saying a lot about who Damon and Bekah are. We're still getting to know Sage, but after she turns on Damon and works with Bekah one must wonder what role she's going to have as the battle with the OS builds back up! Sage seems to just want Finn back and to stick it to Klaus and Bekah, but none of the vampires are that straightforward - they always have something else that's going on that we don't see at first. I have to say I tend to think guys trying to dance sexy looks ridiculous. Damon isn't an exception, but points to Ian for going for it and getting into it! He totally sells the enjoyment Damon is having knowing he's in the presence of two sexy women that he's getting to seduce and play with. hehe At least Damon has no qualms about seducing two women to get what he wants, and enjoying every minute of it. That means we get to see him half naked with Bekah then jump right into the shower with Sage. Then he wanders the house in a towel while Sage is in his bathrobe. Thank you writers for putting Damon in a towel and leaving him like that for so long! hehe Too bad for Damon that Sage told Rebekah about the bridge, but luckily for Damon he thinks well on his feet and was able to play off his rage while keeping his next plan under wraps!

I'm loving the role Caroline is playing. She's helping Abby with her transition, helping Jamie with understanding what his new relationship with Abby will be, and helping Bonnie to accept her new role will be as the witch daughter of an ex-witch-now-vampire mother she never knew. Caroline has seriously grown up and matured since first season, and it's awesome. Of course Caroline had her issues when she was brand new, but as we see with Abby, it seems to be 'normal' to attack a few people you care about. Caroline could've watched her like a hawk and tried to prevent it, but then how would Abby have really learned how bad it is to attack someone you care about? At least Caroline was right there and ready to fix up Jamie afterwards.

Stefan seems to be more of a supporting role in this episode. He has a blood binge, he talks with Elena a bit and helps her in Ric's apartment, but his biggest moment is having to hold himself back from attacking Meredith. Sure, this shows his current inner turmoil and it is awesome finally seeing Paul and Torrey together in a scene, plus what more can he currently do in the plans in motion right now, but if feels like he should have been doing something else. I'm not sure what he can be doing to help anyone right in his frame of mind, but he's very stuck right now and could use a nudge forward. Maybe having Stefan handle seeing Meredith and not draining her dry is a step in the right direction, but it's going to take a lot more than one moment of strength to get him anywhere with Elena after all he's done.

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3/22/12 8:10 P

1912
Liked: Flashback episodes can sometimes be slow for the main storyline but are necessary to explain more about the characters. This episode was a little slow but explained so much that it seemed to leap frog itself. It took the show from focusing on the Originals to focusing back on the townspeople and the core group around Elena. I LOVE the OS, OW, and OP stories, but it is nice to be heading back to the show's core... at least for now. It's nice to see Damon trying to help his buddy, even if he doesn't do much good. Liz standing up to Damon shows how much he's a part of the town now. He's not so dangerous anymore, even if he's more snarky than ever. The scene where Matt and Elena are talking after they see Stefan on the street is so telling. While Elena will probably always be torn between the Salvatores as well as between her being the doppleganger and the human life around her, Matt is such a steady force holding up everyone around him, while rarely asking anything in return. There's got to be a Team Matt because he's someone you can push away a hundred times and he'll still be there picking you up when you fall. Awe.

Disliked: Meredith called out the show when talking to Elena: "You took pity on a borderline alcoholic vampire hunter and you never even thought to look any deeper." and "You date vampires, Elena. It shouldn't come as a shock to learn that your guardian is a murderer." It's telling us we're kinda stupid for believing all of this, yet the show is what it is, so if we are to love the show for it being a girl dating a vampire then we should love it for all the misfit characters and out-there stories. While it's sometimes necessary to jump the shark now and again it's needed to keep a show going and give it a fresh storyline, no matter how ridiculous it is. Stefan has such a ridiculous number of journals and Damon knows right where they are; I have to wonder if he ever goes in there and reads them just to piss Stefan off. haha Though I do find it annoying that while we know Stefan is supposed to always be writing, we rarely show it anymore. Though the only times we've seen the crow is when Damon first shows up in Mystic Falls after an absence (Pilot and 1912). Such is a tv show I guess.

Questions/Comments: I can never say enough about Ian's acting abilities. In a single episode he's the snarky, annoyed, yet loyal Damon we love and also a betrayed, pained, and damaged Damon who turns into budding manipulative Damon who isn't yet ready for the task of Stefan's humanity keeper. Even if all you saw was his face you'd know more about the character than many actors could portray with full body shots. He needs to win some awards!

I somewhat like and somewhat dislike how they laid the path to Ric being the founder's council killer. It seems somewhat convoluted yet it follows what the show is - a web of instances and relationships that leads to something new all the time. Yet in the process they took the chance to introduce a new vampire character - Sage, without explaining much about her. Seems she will be around for a few episodes at least, so who is she, really? hmm She was into Finn so she's been around a long time, but what happened to her 900 years ago when Finn was daggered? If Finn is all about hating being a vampire, how did he get involved with Sage who obviously enjoys being a vampire?

Yes, Meredith is from a founding family and has a hidden closet space, how on earth did she get Samantha Gilbert's journal, but no others? I can imagine that Samantha had it while she was locked up in the insane asylum, but her effects should have been returned to the family upon her death. Though, it seems the Salvatores were in forestry then later boarding (hotels), the Forbes are the sheriffs, the Lockwoods are the mayors, and the Gilberts are the crazies (and vampire hunters?). So I assume the Fells are the doctors and have kept Samantha's journal in their family to watch for these founder's council murders to happen again.

What can one say about Damon helping Stefan by manipulating him? Bekah is clearly manipulating them both for what she wants, but Damon knows how destructive Stefan can be. There's got to be better ways to help him - like Lexi did. Though while Elena said it would be Damon who'd bring Stefan back from Ripper status, it seems Elena will be the one to make him choose what's really in his heart. While he decides if he wants to be EmoStefan or RipperStefan or ModerationStefan, she has to decide if she's willing to live with who he chooses to be. Though it's also interesting that the manipulating Damon is the one who can control himself, while Stefan who wants to be the humanity vampire is the one who can't control himself. Like many siblings, they're opposite in so many ways. Without each other they're nothing but together they can activate their twin powers. hahaha

So what is the possibility that Meredith can figure out what's going on with Ric and can help him? Matt Davis might have been cast in a new CW pilot, but I'm not ready for him to leave TVD! Not at all! They spent time in this episode reminding us that while he's Elena's real mother's ex-husband and her guardian he's more like her big brother and she takes care of him as much as he does her. Thus they need to keep him for awhile! He's the slightly older but still sexy older brother type!

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3/18/12 12:31 A

Glad to have another person join the conversation! Share your thoughts, ideas, and theories with us. It normally takes me a few days to post my thoughts because I watch each episode a minimum of 3 times. It is amazing how many things sneak by because in the moment it seems minimal but later turns out to be an important clue.

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3/16/12 12:58 P

Hi Becki!

I thought last night's episode was great. Things just got a whole lot more complicated. The preview for next week looks pretty exciting too.

--Misty

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3/16/12 10:36 A

How was last night's episode? I will download it from Amazon this afternoon, or watch it on the CW's website. I hate not having cable!!

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3/14/12 3:41 A

haha Well I had to be sure I had it down before the new episode! So excited!

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3/13/12 12:06 P

I see you've been busy. I'll have to drag myself to the computer tonight or tomorrow and respond. :)

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3/11/12 7:32 P

All My Children:
Liked: I might be a little off, but I think it was kinda funny/ironic to have Damon and Rebekah in bed together right at the beginning of the episode. It is a dramatic show of how hurt he is, especially when he is crabby with Elena after she comes over. Then when Stefan agrees with Damon that Elena shouldn't step in I see how much alike Damon and Stefan are now after all the change-ups that have happened since first season. Who doesn't LOVE a good OS rivalry! Klaus is so different when surrounded by his siblings, and I LOVE the Bekah/Kol word battle. haha Elena is a smart cookie for realizing where she was and getting to the vampire safe-haven. Even smarter for realizing that Bekah wouldn't kill her. Though Bekah is pretty smart coming up with the gasoline/fire motivational trick. haha Poor Damon. Poor Stefan. Poor both of them. But what would the Petrova Dopplegangers do without vampire brothers to be in a love triangle with? We need the brothers to be full of angst to have our fill of drama.

Disliked: Did the writers only have Bonnie and Abby help because they're the convenient witches, or will they have a bigger role to play in all of this later? I'm hoping their role will be more than to have a witch become a vampire. Of course, it appears that Esther is mostly using them to draw more power, but I'm hoping she will pay for that. Ayana was ticked at Esther for taking what she'd learned and using it to create vampires, so is it possible that by using her bloodline that Ayana gets her revenge - I really want Bonnie to get some wins here! Though the looks between Finn and Esther make me think there's more to this sacrifice than we know - in an EWW way! What it is about teenagers being able to be so vindictive and incredible with technology? I still don't know how Bekah could have mastered cell phones so easily, but apparently she has. She was last awake in the 1920's, but our parents who watched the technology being developed can't figure it out! Another problem I have with Esther's plan is that she created the pentagram and can protect Finn and herself in it (until they disappear), but she sends Bonnie and Abby away to be found by Damon and Stefan? Seems fishy/unrealistic to me.

Questions/Comments: I like the part Elijah plays in this episode. It shows how far a person (or vampire) will go for their family's and their needs. He's so moral, yet in his anger and outrage he is willing to hurt Elena (the doppleganger of his beloveds Tatia and Katherine) and use his family to keep them (mostly himself) alive. He breaks his own rules of what is right and wrong in order to get what he wants. "Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves." Interesting to have him honestly realize it.

Ric's role in this episode is so muddled. He's friendlier to Damon when he blows him off for Meredith and helps with the big plan, but they're still not the buddies we wish they could be. He was a victim of an attack, but his attack doesn't help solve anything. Of course, Meredith's role is even more curious. What is really up with her? If we think she COULD be the killer, then she's obviously feeding him incorrect information about the scans, but then again she could've poisoned him in a way that by the time someone else thinks to test him it's too late to find anything. If we think she's innocent, then how is it that she really can't find anything? Of course, the episode ends with her shooting off a round at Ric. I'm seriously wanting to know how that's going to go! There can't be any way that they can take Rick away, so I'm assuming Meredith is testing out her vampire blood theories. Could she have fed him some in a drink, then tried to kill him in hopes that he'd feed on Elena, only for Elena to bring him back as a human? Ooh the possiblities!

Apparently Nate became fast friends with Joseph, and I think you can tell it when they're at the bar. They play their scenes together nicely and both have the ability to look playfully dangerous... and dangerously sexy. hahaha Too bad Caroline has to play distraction for Klaus and risk his fury, but I have a feeling that she didn't mind too much considering in the first season she was always so desperate for attention. Her character has grown a LOT, but we know that the old human feelings get magnified.

So when Kol is stabbed, Bekah and Finn go down for sure. Klaus only feels twinges and we never see Elijah, so thinking back to Dangerous Liasons could I have been right that Elijah didn't drink and Klaus either didn't drink much or he spit it out? I REALLY want to see how the whole linked thing is really going to work. Is it possible that Elijah knew more than we thought he did about Esther's intentions, so he didn't drink in hopes he'd be spared? None of the others had quite come to when Elijah showed up, which makes me think he figured out what was happening and was watching nearby. Though we do find out there is another white oak with which the originals can be killed. Thus, I assume Klaus and Bekah will go on a mission to find it and destroy it, while the rest of the family wallows in shame. I'm sure they'll all be back in a few episodes or at least by the end of the season for some reason or another. At least I seriously hope so! They can't give us all of the OS just to take most of them away again! That would suck! haha

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3/4/12 1:26 A

Bringing Out the Dead:
Matt is such a great character. He's so far away from so much, which makes him feel like he's not a part of much, but that's why he's so great. Whenever things get incredibly difficult in the girls' lives, they can go to him to be grounded in human reality. Then again, that's also why Matt will never be close friends with Damon, Stefan, or any of the lot. He's there to be with the girls, his friends, not them. The fact that he's dealing with such dramatic HUMAN problems (Stefan and Damon lost their parents when they were about Matt's age, but it was a whole different time and they figured out how to make their way.) makes him the opposite end of the spectrum. Sometimes you really want him to just escape Mystic Falls and get on with his human life, but you also want him there for the girls.

Possibly why I dislike Bill's death also has to do with the idea that they could've used him for more, so why kill him off? That's why I'm seeing it as a plot point (they're now looking for a council killer) instead of a natural loss of a character. I definitely would've hated having him as a vampire (he's a little old for the 'sexy vampire' look and doesn't have the muscle tone and gorgeous blue eyes that Mikael/Sebastian Roche has), but I think scaring him off with a 'close call' might have made more sense. Except for the fact that bringing him back several times to 'answer a problem' would've gotten old too. So maybe this is how it had to be. Your idea of him dying in her room sucks too, though we could always believe that Caroline carried her dad out of her room (I think he collapsed in there but we never saw him laying dead).

Who knows why Ric ended up upstairs. I think the writers could've done that scene better all around. Get rid of the cheap slasher flashlight blood and handprints and do something realistic. Put him on the couch in the living room and when they walk in they see his arm draped over the back and he's barely breathing. They were walking around the house anyways. Who knows why they chose to do it that way though.

Damon is just the best character all around. He can play pretty much any end of the emotional scale and can pull off sexy or scary, and both at the same time. I'm sure a LOT of that is due to Ian, but at least the writers are realizing his acting chops and giving him the chance to really do the character justice. We never really know what to expect from him. Your comment about him flirting with the men really made me laugh as I do see him as being able to get anyone's drawers in a twist. haha

You know my thoughts on the OP - if they don't make Nina into the OP for at least a couple flashbacks by the middle of next season I will be shocked. Nina is incredible and I'm so enamored by the thought of the OP.

Klaus appears to be mainly finding people who have already triggered the curse (like when he found the group in the woods who like changing in the open so they can run around) to turn them. He was a vamp before a wolf, but then again he was an original. Perhaps they can't wolf out if they're already a vamp because they didn't get the spell. Considering wolves live full lives, get older and die (based on context outside of our view) perhaps they can have kids when they're wolves. But if they trigger before getting married they choose not to because of the implications on the family, but if they're already married then they 'deal' with it. Just a thought. I have a feeling the writers won't touch this since we're already this far into the wolf/hybrid storyline.

Dangerous Liasons:
Of course we both love the ball. How could we not? And Tatia, the OS rivalry, and so much else! Klaus + Caroline + Tyler returning = FIREWORKS! I hope they can play that thought out like crazy, because if Tyler comes back without the sire bond the he and Klaus will really have one heck of a war on their hands! Eep!

I like the idea of decapitating Finn to see if he comes back. That would be funny! Perhaps they're dead as long as the body and head are kept apart from each other, but once they're put back together they heal again. haha It's like when Klaus said he would have his hybrids rip Mikael apart limb from limb and Mikael says he can't be killed like that and Klaus said it would be one hell of a party game. Clearly they're hinting that there are ways to put limbs and head back on a body, but I'm not sure the writers want to go there. I love the character of Kol and the bit of comic relief he brings to the original household, so I don't want him gone any time soon! Finn seems to be more a short-term character, with absolute minimum development. (I feel a little sorry for Caspar playing him!)

Your thoughts on the triangle and Elena's growth are spot on, I think. While the idea of Stefan redeeming himself is admirable, it would be too 'easy' to give Elena back to him after all he's done. Yet if she chooses to be with Damon now, then what does that say about her after she caught his sleepover with Rebekah? Maybe neither will have her for a few episodes (or the rest of the season) and they can find a way to bring Tatia into the picture so the brothers can really see what Elijah and Klaus were talking about. After that, then they have to start making some decisions. Of course, just because they make a decision doesn't mean Elena will like it, thus setting fire the to the triangle and allowing it to crumble to ash and rise again like a phoenix. Interesting thought, I think.

Hopefully I'll get around to typing out my thoughts on All My Children soon. So much going on here, and so little brain with which to do it all with!

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2/27/12 9:42 P

I'm on a real computer two days in a row...watch out!!

Dangerous Liaisons -

I love, love, loved the ball. It was everything I hoped it would be. So very beautiful. The waltz was also so perfectly staged to show the interactions between the characters.

I also like the sibling rivalry among the originals. It makes them seem much less untouchable and more real. They're only human...or not...

I WANT TO MEET TATIA TOO!!!! I like your insight on the scene with the mirror, nice foreshadowing.

I agree that it would have been nice to see Liz & Alaric all dressed up for the ball. Jeremy and Tyler too for that matter.

I had noticed that they wore their rings on opposite hands before, but I did not notice them on the scene with Elena, good catch. How convenient that they can both lock arms with the same girl and still display their matching rings. It's like they were destined to fall in love with the same woman...twice.

I loved everything about Caroline and Klaus in this episode. I love Klaus being all vuneralbe (I fancy you...swoon...) and I love Caroline being all independent and strong. It is the perfect chase to watch in my opinion. I also love how Klaus is trying to win her over with grand gifts and promises and it is the little things that come out when he isn't trying so hard that really get her attention.

I think the Finn working with Esther thing is more a necessity of plot than anything else. They needed someone to be willing to die to take the rest out. Although, I keep wondering, can't you just cut off Klaus' head or rip out his heart like any other werewolf or vampire? Or does that not work on an original either? I want to see a decapitated original come back to life. But not Klaus, or Elijah or Rebekah, they're all to cute to decapitate. Practice on Finn, he wants to die anyways.

I'm pretty certain that now that Damon is on his way to giving up on Elena and Stefan is on the path back to redemption Elena is going to decide that she wants Damon instead of Stefan. They've got to keep it a drama-filled triangle somehow. I think you hit the nail on the head about Damon being desperate to protect Elena. I think Stefan loves Elena very respectfully while Damon loves her very desperately. Because Stefan loves Elena he won't let himself lose control around her, while Because Damon loves Elena he can't be in control when it comes to her. I love the contrast between the two and it brings out two very different sides of Elena too. That's also why her pairing with Damon works so well this season. Elena has grown much stronger. Season one Elena didn't have what it takes to reel Damon in, but now Elena has the strength to keep Damon tethered to reality. I do think the triangle they have going is brilliantly balanced.

And for the last scene...Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe that was on network TV. 8)

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2/26/12 9:30 P

OK - I finally drug myself to a real computer. :)

Bringing out the dead - I love the fighting too. I think they staged that brilliantly. I also agree that Ric & Elena do act much more like siblings. That probably has a lot to do with Elena having to grow up so fast and Ric...well not really growing up much at all. Yes, Stefan was pretty scary, grumpy, angry at Bonnie and Abby & the world. I loved the did you ask Damon if he did it line to Elena. I think that in the situation Elena was right for suspecting Stefan and not Damon and they even showed how she came to that conclusion, but it still hurt when Stefan said that. I did really like Matt in this episode, he really came through for both of the girls, but especially Elena. It is pretty sad, though when you have a character whose mom is out running around with guys instead of raising him, his dad is MIA, his sister was vamped and staked, he has to work full time to pay the bills while going to high school and he's telling you that your life is rough. That's a harsh reality to face.

I also didn't like the whole bringing the stake to the Gilbert house to talk to Elena and Alaric about it. I see where they had info that they needed to drop, but it would have went over a little better worded differently and maybe taking place in her office. I was OK with Bill Forbes' death. I felt like they were making the statement that transitioning is a choice (with the alternative being dying) and I thought that it was proper way to say it. I think they had set Bill up to be the person that could resist the feeding and transitioning. I didn't like that he died in Caroline's room, though. I think the couch would have been a little less creepy, I don't like that Caroline has to remember her dad dying in her room every time she tries to go to sleep. I think the creepy blood throughout the house scene was a bit much too. And, why the heck did Alaric go upstairs after being stabbed? Did he leave his phone up there??

I do think they're mending the Alaric / Damon fence. I like that even though things go lightning quick in this show, they still manage to show progression in the relationships.

The Damon / Elijah scene was just plain hot. I think Damon flirts with the men on this show just as much if not more than he flirts with the women. And I do also love the parallels between the Salvatore brothers and the Mikaelson brothers. I was very excited about the teeny taste of Tatia backstory. I knew that Elijah and Klaus were attracted to Katerina and enamored a bit by Elena and I figured that the Original Petrova had something to do with that. I was so happy to hear a little of her story. I also love that there was no mention of Tatia actually dying, just that Esther "took her". So, she could still be out there, somehow. (Nina better get ready.)

Good point about the hybrids. Hmmm... Klaus better think a little more about that. I also wonder if he is making people trigger the curse intentionally. He didn't trigger his until after he was a vampire, so he could just vamp people with the werewolf gene and then have them drain someone, triggering the werewolf curse too.

Elena having to kill Alaric was just rough. I think it truly shows how far Elena has grown. Season one Elena couldn't have done that.

I loved the ending & Esther's entrance too. Although, it just opened up a whole new threat to Elena. Who knew that Klaus would really be the least threatening of the originals. He made an excellent point to Damon and Stefan at the dinner party. Klaus really is Elena's best protection. At this point are they really out to kill him for their safety, or is it for revenge??

I have to go tuck my girl into bed, so I'll have to tackle my thoughts on your post about Dangerous Liaisons later, but hopefully soon!!

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2/21/12 1:10 P

Dangerous Liaisons (I'm ridiculously far behind, but here I go...)
Liked: The irony of Rebekah making Elena hit her just to attack her is kind of funny considering Elijah then comes in and wrecks her chance at revenge. The whole idea of the ball is like a little girl dream come true - beautiful people inviting you to a beautiful ball with other beautiful people all dancing beautifully. *sigh* The sibling rivalry between the OS is great - so much testosterone but Rebekah can hold her own! Then Kol and Rebekah being the two young troublemakers is so adorable (and deadly). If you look closely, in the scene where Stefan takes out Damon, when Elena pauses while walking out of the room there is a mirror on the right that exactly reflects her face. I'm so hoping that's a visual cue saying there's more to come in terms of the doppleganger story. I want to meet Tatia! I like that Matt is so charming that not only have Elena and Caroline loved him, but he's now won over Rebekah! She's probably never had someone treat her that sweetly (to wrap his coat around her) since she was human and her father treated her with enough kindness to make sure she drank blood before Klaus while in transition. Is she seeing a little bit of who her father was (before they were vampires) in Matt?

Disliked: Why is the Mayor at the ball, but not the Sheriff? And why is she so sickly thin? The Elena and Esther sit down explanation scene is exactly what it is - the writers explaining what they couldn't put in scenes. Really there wasn't a lot that I disliked about the episode. Though I wish they could've gotten Alaric in a tux - he'd be rocking it pretty nicely I think!

Questions/Comments: Have you noticed that Stefan and Damon wear their daylight rings on opposite hands? So when they each give Elena an arm, their rings clearly show opposite of each other. Just an interesting visual reminder of how different the brothers are. Same as if you look at the different guys at the ball: Elijah, Kol, and Finn are wearing similar tuxes, Stefan and Matt are wearing almost similar tuxes, but then Damon (black bowtie & vest) and Klaus' (white bowtie & vest) tuxes are totally unique - it visually sets them apart from absolutely everyone else.

I love how Caroline sees the dress from Klaus and wants to ignore it, only to realize that compared to it everything else in her closet sucks. haha Makes you wonder how long Klaus has been watching Caroline to figure out what she would love AND what he would love to see her in. It's funny how in the horse scene when Caroline says she doesn't believe Klaus 'fancies' her, he thinks it's because she sees flaws in herself, not for the obvious flaws in himself. Then she says she still sees herself with Tyler and Klaus thinks that because Tyler is away Caroline is free for the taking. Following that he talks about how horses are loyal and people are not. Clearly his wolf side overpowers his human/vampire side - wolves travel in packs and are loyal. Yet Klaus clearly believes he's always the alpha, so everyone must be loyal to him, while he can do whatever he wants. Though we all know people like this, I'm sure. The revelation of Klaus' artistic side is interesting, as it shows he really has emotion, even if it is buried very deep. He does open up his heart by making such grand offers to Caroline, but her attachment to Tyler shuts Klaus back down. It makes you feel bad for Klaus, yet wonder what that hurt will do in him - like drum up more rage.

This whole Finn working with Esther thing is weird. Sure, he was daggered for 900 years, but I'd think he'd be more about revenge than being a suicidal martyr. Is he playing Esther or his siblings? Why is Elijah so suspicious? He's the one that's supposed to be moral, so is he assuming everyone else wouldn't be, or is there something else there? But if you pay attention to when everyone drinks the champagne, you clearly see Rebekah and Finn drink, but Kol, Klaus, and Elijah all have their hand in the way or the camera angle masks their mouths so you don't know for absolute certainty whether they drank it or not. Still, I'm slowly warming up to the actress playing Esther (I thought she was terrible in the flashback scenes we saw awhile ago) even if I'm not warming up to the character as much.

Hey writers, way to throw a wrench back into Damon and Elena! Awe! The strength of this triangle is like the strength of the force in Star Wars. haha Damon is so desperate to protect Elena that he's willing to piss her off royally by attempting to take away her right to make her own choices. He always believes he knows best. So when he blurts out that he loves her and she says "maybe that's the problem", you see his very expressive eyes say 'What? Oh crap did I really just say that out loud? Dang that hurts! Now what do I do?' and there's this whole line of thoughts running through his head of what he's just done and IF he can fix it. And his choice for how to deal with that is to be self destructive. Then when Elena feels that she's just pushed Damon past his tolerance level, she goes back to Stefan to find if he could ever again care about her the way he used to or as much as Damon did just hours earlier. She has been loved so desperately that these two guys and half the town fight for her, now she's feeling alone. Oh what to do, what to do?

As for the last scenes, poor Matt is back to getting the short end of the deal and Damon comes in with his snarky comments and innuendo. Raw passion and lust ensues. *sigh*

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2/8/12 2:58 P

Bringing Out the Dead
Liked: Why is it so fun to see vampires fighting in fast forward? haha It's a little weird to see Ric and Elena acting like siblings instead of the guardian/child relationship they were supposed to have after Jenna died and he moved in to take care of them. But even with the massive age difference (he was married to her real mom after all) they often seem like older brother and much younger sister. It keeps Ric seeming young, fresh, and sexy instead of middle aged and handsome. When Stefan puts the Bennetts in the cave you see him as angry and exacting, and Bonnie's face shows that she's clearly questioning him now - whereas in the past she trusted him greatly. Abby doesn't know him, so she rebels against him, but Bonnie just watches wearily. Yet when he emerges and Elena questions him, the dimmer switch turns back and he is hurt that she's suspecting him - Paul is killing this whole Crazy Messed Up Stefan thing. We get naked/half naked Damon before, now we get half naked Stefan. Needless to say, what woman wouldn't want to play breakfast in bed for either of those two? As long as you're like Andie and they just nibble, right? haha While I dislike the manner of Bill Forbes' death (see below) I like the Caroline/Elena heart to heart with Matt showing up. We get to see Caroline as a heartbroken teenage girl again, desperately needing her friends' support. Again, Matt is the comforting human guy that is holding together the pieces of the supernatural girls hurt by the supernatural guys. He grounds them back into the emotional reality of how wrong everything is.

Disliked: Liz Forbes said about the stake "forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set" yet also said "I haven't told anyone yet" - in a town that small how does she have a forensics team that wouldn't be blabbing to everyone that it was Elena's prints? It would be more believable to say she ran it for prints and didn't tell anyone. I don't like Bill Forbes' death. It seems more like killing off a character to hurt those we adore to push them to grow. Might be great for the show, but why do it this way? Obviously someone is trying to turn townsfolk - no coincidence it was Bill and Alaric - and it's a means to a plot point, plus we don't want Bill as a vampire, but I just don't like it. I'm not keen on the 'horror movie lights out and blood in the flashlight beam' scene that led to finding Ric half dead. It seems out of place and ridiculous. They could've walked around the house for a few minutes and then found a blood trail to him. In a house that's dark and quiet your hearing heightens so they would've heard Ric groaning upstairs.

Questions/Comments: With vampire hearing Damon would have heard Ric breathing on the other end of the phone call while on speaker, yet he prods at him by pointing to Meredith as the killer. Ric calls him a dick for the comment, then Elena sticks up for Meredith and everyone starts throwing out other possible suspects. So did Damon prod Ric hoping for a retaliation versus silence? Often times Ric has tried to ignore Damon because of the anger, so does this mean we might be getting the buddies back together soon? Hopefully! I'm still trying to figure out Meredith. Clearly the conversation between Ric and Elena about Meredith being a suspect, then having Liz clear Meredith makes you start running suspects in your head. Though I don't think we have enough information to know yet. I'm sure Meredith is involved in something sinister, but what and how?

The Damon/Elijah duo is interesting. At the wide shot in the field you see the huge similarities: Both dark haired, both wearing mostly black, both with stern faces, yet lit dramatically with the bright sun. It links the two right at the beginning of the episode for the further parallels that come later from revealing about Tatia. As we said, the thought of being dinner at the dinner party is incredible. Being surrounded by four powerful and powerfully sexy men would get the blood boiling. Though hearing Elijah tell the story about Tatia really pulled me in even more. I'm so interested in knowing about the OP. He adds in there that she had a child by another man, hence how the Petrova line continues, just as Katherine had a child by another man before becoming a vampire. So does that mean when the series ends (hopefully a long time from now!) they will have Elena become pregnant by another man to continue the Petrova line in another 500 years? Also through the explanation we find that while Tatia's blood was in the wine to cast the spell, she was alive afterwards. Her blood sealed the deal and sealed the bond of family, thus making the dopplegangers' blood be what can unseal the bond of family (killing Elena stops the bloodline and turns on Klaus' hybrid nature but her blood also creates more hybrids, which tears Klaus from the family). Any chance her blood could unseal the vampire spell/curse somehow? Even so, they don't explain what happened to Tatia after they had fully turned, except to say she still couldn't choose between Klaus and Elijah. I love the OP mystery and want to know more! We need some OP flashbacks! This conversation also clearly shows the parallel of Klaus being consumed by Tatia and Elijah's love for her tearing the brothers apart, while Stefan's love for Elena pulled her into all this and Damon's love for her is pushing the brothers apart. Oh to be part of the Petrova line and having incredible (and incredibly dangerous) men loving you so desperately! hehe Then Klaus points out how dangerous it really is to be stuck between two feuding vampire brothers (as he knows first hand!) and one must wonder again at the triangle turned huge spoke and wheel relationship between the Petrova line and brother vampires. So I'd assume future dopplegangers will probably have brother vampires love them too. haha Still, in the end, Stefan and Damon are both in love with Elena yet are trying to be loyal and love each other. They're vampires - if Elena doesn't turn then they only have her for a short time but they have each other for eternity.

Thought: the werewolf gene is passed through families, so they're human until they turn it on. As humans, the gene is continued, but once they turn can they have children? If not, then how do the families continue on - you know many of them eventually cause someone to die somehow, hence why Klaus is finding so many teenage and young adult wolves to turn into hybrids. But once they're hybrids, they're part vampire and can't have children. So if Klaus is turning so many hybrids (that are then being killed by Damon and everyone), how does he expect to keep having more werewolves to turn to hybrids? At some point the gene pool must run out - especially since when they were finding out about Klaus being part wolf they thought the werewolf families were almost hunted to extinction.

Making Elena kill Alaric to save him is almost poetic. It seems as if someone is testing Caroline and Elena to see how far they will go to save their family. Caroline either forces her vampire blood into her father to keep him alive, which is against his wishes, or watches him die. Elena must kill Alaric to save him, or lose another family member. I'm questioning Meredith's part in this, as even though she saved Bill, it seems more like testing the girls than having anything to do with those that are being used for the testing. Is Meredith, or someone else, testing the girls to find their limits? The dinner party shows the brotherly bond over loving a Petrova, and the episode ends with the Originals saying they have family business, so it makes me wonder if the tests on the girls are to see how strong their bonds are to those they consider family. Jeremy has been sent away and killing Liz would be disastrous to the town so they attack the next best family to each.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ending! Having all of the Original siblings turn on Klaus and his explosion of emotion, plus having Mommy, the OW, walk in and say she forgives Klaus just opened up a whole new storyline for the Originals to become some favorite characters. Seeing them all standing there, staring at Mommy is incredible. Yet they still have to tell her that Mikael is dead. Will that change anything? I'm ridiculously excited for the Originals Ball tomorrow! EEEP!

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2/7/12 10:09 P

Oh the thought of being dinner at that dinner party... That's dangerous territory that should make its way into a dream! hehe I was woken up earlier than normal with a phone call this morning so I came upstairs and fell back asleep on the couch with the episode playing in the background. I need to watch it again tomorrow morning to write out my thoughts.

I like what they did with Caroline - we've seen her character change and grow and they really rounded her out to be someone we can't imagine not having in the show. They really need to do that with Bonnie. She's been pretty good from the start (even though a few times she's been a little vicious with our beloved vampires, when necessary) so maybe they should have her take a turn for the naughty for awhile then give her a reason to become better. I just want her to get more involved. I thought they would get there by putting her and Jeremy together, but then they sent Jeremy away. Maybe her and Finn could have some kind of magic together (pun intended) that would be awesome. (I'll take Kol - that guy is adorable, so far!)

Edited by: 1STATEOFDENIAL at: 2/7/2012 (22:14)

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2/7/12 9:51 A

I have to agree with the fall on the floor awesome for the most recent episode. Oh. My. Goodness. I want to be at a dinner party with Damon, Stefan, Elijah and Klaus. At this point I don't even care if I'm dinner. (Just be gentle, please.) Wow. Wow. I haven't watched a second time yet, but I need to.

I agree Bonnie is underutilized. Her character suffers from being handy when they need a witch, but thrown into the background when they don't. The character of Caroline has gone from an annoying, bitchy nobody to all kinds of awesome in the past two seasons, so maybe eventually Bonnie can have her character makeover and be awesome. There is still hope!

That dream sounds absolutely hilarious!! How cute!

Edited by: LOLADUVALL at: 2/7/2012 (10:06)

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2/6/12 11:39 P

I think the writers underutilize Bonnie in action. Maybe with a little luck having Abby around for a few episodes can change that.

If you think Damon is cute, have you seen the video of Ian with the puppy dog? hehe It's like that calendar of hot guys and cute animals... but better!

I'm sure if they let the love triangle falter it would slow the show down (or at least the fans haha).

The last scenes of that episode were great, but this recent episode was 'fall on the floor in shock' awesome! I watched it again this morning and I have lots to say when I can watch it at least once more (twice if I can!) and get my thoughts written out.

Oh and I have to share that last night I had a dream with Claire, Joseph, and Daniel in it - though they were teenagers doing their first acting jobs together. It was funny! haha

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2/6/12 8:30 P

Bonnie isn't typically my favorite character, but I really did feel for her in that episode. To track down her mother only to find out she raised another family and then have her kidnap you to protect that family. Ouch.

I agree that Damon investigating Meredith to protect / win back Alaric was pretty darn cute. Of course, everything he does is pretty darn cute.

I did like how Elena finally owned the kiss while telling Stefan. And yes, his reaction was very telling. It hurt him that Elena moved on, it hurt him that he deserved to have Elena move past him, and it hurt that it was Damon.

I LOVED the final two scenes, first between the Salvatore brothers, then the brothers original. I thought the punch and Damon's reaction to it were both perfect. And I adored Elijah's entrance. All of it was priceless. :)

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2/1/12 2:13 P

Liked: Damon's comments about the road trip were classic Damon funny, but the look he gives Elena that says "you'd better take me, please let me, you know you want me to come" was just another example of Ian's incredible ability to say everything with just his facial expressions. Of course I'm liking getting Tyler back to good and away from the sire control - I hope it works! Plus knowing he's going to be chained up half naked several more times isn't a bad thing. hehe Klaus is so arrogant that he breaks into the Salvatore house, drinking and listening to loud music, then still fights to make the deal while pointing out that he, even now, has control over Stefan by keeping him Crazy Stefan to drive away everyone he cares about. That kind of arrogance is unmatched! Joseph's acting in the coffin reveal scene is great. He shows clear agony while being tortured by the witches, then easily resets back to arrogance and threatening when it comes to the coffins, followed but that twinge of hurt when Damon reveals he was able to get the most important coffin out. While I don't really like Bonnie's part in this episode (see below) at least her mother helped her warn Damon. Even though I don't particularly like Meredith (I think she's hiding a lot more than what we've seen) I do like the idea that instead of her being afraid of vampires like the founders and the current founding families, she's using them to her advantage to actually save lives. (Almost makes me wish I could get some vampire blood to cure my health woes!)

Disliked: Bonnie is being forced to find her mother, face her insecurities of being abandoned, just to be shamed by realizing her mother loves some relatively random guy the way she should love her daughter. Then her mother kidnaps her and gives her and her friends to try to save the same random guy. It ups the angst factor for Bonnie, but does she really need that when she's already lost Grams and Jeremy and has few family ties (we've never seen her father and who the heck does she even live with in Mystic Falls?). It's good to round out her character a little more since she's such a large part of everything, because sometimes I think she's used too much as the token witch that can be used to answer plot issues. Let her have some more happiness! She deserves some good!

Questions/Comments: Bonnie's dream about the coffin and Klaus - does this mean Klaus got into her head somehow? The witches could send her the message about her mother, but why would they show her Klaus telling her he figured out how to open it then biting her? I have to wonder how Bill Forbes knows how to break a sire bond. He can resist compulsion (how did he learn that btw?) but how did he learn about a sire bond in the first place? Is he going to become a more regular character now that he's going to be helping Tyler? I'm not sure I like that idea because having him a peripheral character keeps him from being too involved and answering or even causing problems. Do Ric and Meredith really have a chance? Yeah, it'd be nice to give him another love interest now that Jenna is gone, but I just feel like Meredith is holding so many more secrets. It'd be good to have both of them working to bring about changes to better the human/vampire relationships in the town, but could it ever be that simple?

Damon is still trying to get Ric to be his buddy again. I really LOL when Damon looks at the check before tossing it to Ric. Damon has great wealth (a long life with family money and an ability to use compulsion seems to equal wealth in TVD) but still makes Ric pay. haha Though Damon did go against Ric to find out info about Meredith, and it turned out to be helpful info. Any chance Ric will eventually forgive him? Hopefully! Plus thinking of Damon waving a newborns is a thought-provoking idea, as is bloodjacking him. haha Still he had to realize she was up to something yet he didn't use compulsion to control her, so maybe was there some part of him willing to risk exposure to help Ric to earn back his trust? Really Damon is showing that he can be a friend (sometimes) because he's looking out for Ric the best way he can, even if he's a snarky jerk when he tells Ric what happened. hehe

Good to know Stefan has some emotion back. He's laying on the ground in agony and begging Elena to save him, partially knowing and partially hoping she will save him even when she has every reason to hate him from the previous episode's bridge scene. Then as she's pulling wooden buckshot out of him to save him, she hurts him by telling him about the kiss with Damon. In that moment he is clearly in so much emotional pain from that revelation that he no longer even cares about if the wood is out of him or not then walks away, dejected. It probably also reminds him that while he's been so busy being Crazy Stefan and seeking revenge that she's moving past him to his own brother. That would hurt a human guy, so we can only imagine how horribly it is hurting a vampire who's emotions are heightened. Any chance this could be almost enough hurt to get him back to Emo Stefan who feeds on woodland creatures? The last exchange between Stefan and Elena says a lot - he feels some remorse over hurting her, even if it is mostly because of the realization that he can lose her. Plus he's now facing the idea that his revenge is hurting so many people around him, not only himself, Damon, and Elena, but Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, even Ric and many others too. It's such a slap in the face to know he's causing so much pain and in turn hurting himself. And yet again, he drives away from her, leaving her to consider the idea that she should hate him.

Stefan punches Damon over the kiss with Elena and Damon understands why without being an arrogant jerk older brother about it. But then Damon turns the tables and reminds Stefan why he needs him, by showing him the dagger. While Crazy Stefan is running around lawless and vengeful, Damon is trying to be the smarter villain and look at who he brings back in doing so - Elijah! Now Elijah gets to step back into the land of the undead (hehe) and can attempt to be the moral (per Rebekah) negotiator to bring some attempt at peace. This will get interesting!!!

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2/1/12 12:12 P

With everything going on I haven't been able to write out my thoughts on the episode from 2 weeks ago. How bad is that? So first, I'll respond to you then I'll write out my thoughts from the last episode.

I definitely think you should watch it on Thurs then watch it again on Friday. You'll get to see it a 2nd time while looking closer at it while your husband is watching it the first time and (I'm assuming) not so in depth. Though I do like the idea of you watching it with him - if he's interested in finding out why you like the show so much then you can show him it's not all about just the sexy vampire thing, but about the complexities of human interactions and the age-old conflict between wanting to live forever versus wanting to make the most of the time you have. (The sexy vampires and hybrids are just icing. hehe)

If the show ever did away with the small proportion of humans without supernatural ties it would make it so much less believable. In the first season they still tried to make an effort to show the difference between the supernatural storyline and the human storylines around them but lately there are so many parts of what's going on that is completely devoid of outside human interaction. While in real life that's impossible, for the sake of the show they had to pull us away and make us believe that this is all possible in order for the show to have a better draw. Matt's involvement allows us to remember that this is still a form of real life (could it happen to you?) but still allows us to know it is a fantasy (don't go biting people and call yourself a vampire). It's a thin line, but I think they're doing pretty good at it.

The video I shared the other day showed Klaus talking about a possible love interest. I'm hoping it's not Caroline! Or if it is, make her not interested in him and want to be with Tyler, so Klaus has to try to win her over and fail. Still, I'm thinking there has to be more with the bracelets than just jewelry. I hope it comes up somehow and they explain it!

You're right about the differences between Stefan threatening to turn Elena versus Damon threatening to turn her. It depends our understanding of the differences between the brothers while also showing us where the characters have been heading. When Damon threatened to turn Elena she was weaker physically and in some ways mentally (didn't she cry more than yell, whereas with Stefan she yelled more than cried) but with Stefan she was stronger, even if she wasn't prepared for the possibility that he would do that. Damon was thinking more of himself then but is now thinking of her, while Stefan was thinking of her while now he was thinking of his revenge.

So have you thought about what you'll do when the Damon shower scenes start popping up while you're watching the show with your hubby? Hopefully he won't feel threatened that you like those scenes, but you could always claim it to be a form of aphrodisiac. hehe

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1/20/12 4:10 P

I had the same dilemma with my husband when he said he wanted to start watching it. It is so hard to jump right in, but he wasn't exactly motivated to watch 54 episodes to catch up. So, we compromised and he's starting back at Season 1 and I'm watching it with him to help fill in the blanks. It helps that I have already seen the episodes, so I pretty much know when to tell him something that might be important. It is going to be weird when he catches up and I'm watching it live with him. Although, it cuts into his nap time, so I may just watch it on Thursday and watch it again with him on Friday. I will say, although the scenes that explain everything to the viewer (like the one where Damon was counting coffins) may come across a bit awkward and unnecessary to a fan, they do come in handy to a newbie.

I did like the birthday / funeral. I've seen a few people express their dislike for it in various posts, but I thought it was well done. Sometimes it helps to remember that these people are just teenagers learning how to cope with an impossible situation. I also agree about Matt. I used to think that he was doomed, but now I think his presence is important to help ground the show. Nearly all of the characters have some kind of history with Matt. Elena dated him, Caroline dated him, Bonnie worked with him, Jeremy worked with him, Stefan and Tyler played football with him. Damon picked his mother up at a bar once, does that count??

I think the purpose of showing the medical examiner calling Meredith psycho, then showing him dead was to make it look like Meredith did it. I didn't notice any differences between his two scenes, maybe the lighting was playing some tricks.

I think the bracelets were definitely significant in that Tyler gave her a charm bracelet for a "girl" and Klaus gave her a diamond bracelet for a "woman". I also think the infinity symbol style of the bracelet was perfectly fitting, I loved that touch. I don't think Klaus is finished with Caroline at all & I'm quite certain that he has something up his sleeve. Interesting theory that there might be even more to the bracelets. This show does love to use its jewelry.

I did also very much like the message shared between Klaus and Caroline. I thought it was powerful and very well done. This show has used suicide to further the plot more than once, so it was refreshing to see the message Klaus had for Caroline.

I agree, the Stefan/Elena Bridge scene and the Damon / Klaus scene were very powerful and very parallel. I also think it was absolutely intentional that Stefan threatened to change Elena just as Damon had done last Season. Stefan took things several steps further though. 1. He had had a conversation with Elena where she explicitly said she didn't want to be a vampire, Damon had not known her wishes (he probably still would have done it, though) 2. Damon was doing it out of the fear of losing Elena, Stefan was using her as a pawn in his game with Klaus 3. Stefan took her to the same darn bridge where she crashed with her parents. Bad move Stefan.

And yes...completely agree with the opener. Naked, happy Damon in the shower. :)

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1/20/12 2:22 P

Liked: The first few seconds of the episode... Damon in the shower with a huge smile on his face... Need I say more? I always find it funny when Damon rips out a hybrid's heart. Stefan confronting Klaus in his new lair is bold. Last episode Klaus told us Damon was on vervain, now he's told us Stefan is too. So they've got to be working up to something where our favorites have to be on vervain. Plus we're now seeing Stefan taking on some of Klaus' personality - the 'do what I say or I'll kill you' part. They're against each other, but it's like two dominant bucks fighting over control of the herd - either will lead the herd the same way, but it's just a matter of the fight to see who wins. Elena throwing Caroline a funeral/birthday party is genius. They get to show her who she was in comparison to who she is now, as a point that who she is isn't all that different. Klaus is trying to work the smart villain angle - get the mayor and the sheriff to give in to his wants and convince them that Stefan is the problem, but we know that Klaus is never satisfied. Even if he were to get rid of Stefan, he'd never hold is promise to protect the innocent townsfolk. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Tyler and Caroline are just too good together. If he can figure out how to ditch the sire bond they would be back to being an incredible pair! Damon telling Elena that Klaus blinked because of what Stefan did, ignoring the fact that he faced down Klaus, is interesting. Damon wants Elena, Stefan wants Elena, Elena is torn, Stefan is pushing Elena towards Damon, and Damon is pushing Elena towards Stefan. What's a girl to do?!?! hehe Then Matt helps Elena say goodbye to who she was and attempt to come to terms with what her life is now. Sometimes Matt seems like the token human guy to keep reminding everyone what they once had, while also helping them realize that sometimes it's better to have the excitement of their current lives instead of sitting back and watching from a distance like he is.

Disliked: Damon's breakdown of the siblings is definitely the writer's way of answering the fandom questions of the count - does it include the dead siblings or not? It kind of made me feel dumber than if they had found a way to show us who was inside. That means having the actors there for just a minute on camera, but still. Gotta feel bad for Bonnie; Jeremy has been compelled to be fine with leaving, Elena and Alaric will miss him, but it was their choice, but Bonnie and Jeremy still have such a wound between them that they never really got to deal with. So Bonnie has to try to figure out how to deal with those feelings when Jeremy is going to enjoy his new home. Hopefully this separation won't last long and he'll be back so they can face their issues again, but why do I think this will be a constant nagging distraction to Bonnie in the meantime?

Questions/Comments: Meredith Fell - I'm still questioning who she is and what her deal is. There is something crazy weird about her. I'm wondering if she's from a witch family. "Matt's being haunted by the Fell ghost" - I get the joke (she was pushing him to fall over) but what do they know about the Fell family that we don't know? I'm also confused about this Brian Walters, the medical examiner. Tell me if I'm wrong, but the guy Meredith talked to and the dead guy in the woods do not look like the same guy. One has brown hair and the other has black. It could be the lighting or something, but they don't look the same to me! Plus, why make a point of showing us Brian talking to Meredith at the party just to make a point of showing his dead body in the woods, murdered, if there wasn't something important there? And why make him her senior prom date then have them working together just to kill him if there wasn't meaning behind the fact that both of them are back in the small town many years later? Something seems very fishy here to me. Even if it is just that she murdered him for falsifying the records of 'animal attack' deaths by using a wooden stake like he's a vampire as a way to show the naive townsfolk what's been going on around them, then something's crazy wrong with Meredith!

I'm working on a theory. What is the significance of the charm bracelet? Whenever they focus on something so much, it means that will show up again. Elena's necklace wasn't much at first, but now we know it was used by the OW. The charms on the bracelet are clearly high school memory charms, but there's got to be something else going on with it. Tyler gives Caroline a charm bracelet then Klaus gives her a diamond bracelet. Klaus sends Tyler to bite Caroline, then when he realizes he'll lose Tyler's sire bond because of Tyler's guilt, Klaus heals her. But when Klaus is with Caroline, there is more going on there than just 'here I'll heal you'. Klaus already has the mayor in his pocket and by healing Caroline it gets him in the sheriff's pocket too. We learned from Rose that after a few hundred years vampires can't turn off their humanity/emotions anymore. They pretend like they can, but it's ever knawing. So what's the possibility that when Tyler realized he needs to put the breaks on the sire bond, it somehow shot something back and Klaus is now having feelings for Caroline in some way? He might not have realized it when he went to save her, but as he was sitting with Caroline he seemed genuinely concerned that she see the beauty in being undead. Then he didn't give her the bracelet - it was sent through someone else later and left on her nightstand. I have a feeling there is wolfsbane in the bracelet (they put vervain in jewelry, have vervain and wolfsbane grenades, why not wolfsbane jewelry?) so that Tyler needs to stay away from Caroline and possibly Klaus too. Also, the diamond bracelet from Klaus looks like a row of hourglasses on their sides which is also the infinity symbol, which is a reminder to her of all the time she has waiting for her in the future. Why would Klaus be concerned if a vampire who's on the side of his enemies wants to live or die, unless there's something else going on?

This scene also seems a message to the teenage fans. We're hearing of so many teenagers and young adults committing suicide and it's horribly sad. In the scene, Caroline is about ready to give up and Klaus tells her he's thought about it once or twice. By him telling her there is so much out there that she doesn't know about, that there's such great beauty in the world, it's telling the fans that every one of us has some purpose. If Caroline lives she can see all the wonderful parts of the world, plus that her existence is more than her life because it's how she affects others' lives also. Thus the whole scene is so much more poignant than it first appears. It's a way to tell viewers that there is always new and wonderful things for us to try, do, and achieve so there's no reason to give up. He makes a point that if she believes her existence is worthless then he will let her die, but he's been where she's at and he thinks it's worth it for her to stay alive. It's like an adult telling a depressed teenager there's so much to live for, without all the hype and argument in the conversation.

The Stefan/Elena/Bridge scene is so important. We not only see Ripper Stefan not caring what he's doing to someone he was/is totally in love with, but we see Elena's reaction to who Stefan is now. We see Klaus back down and Stefan take a small win. We get to see Elena's raw emotions over her parent's death, her near death, the realization that Stefan is still Ripper Stefan, and that her life isn't really her own anymore - she's in the middle of something so much bigger. Of course Damon standing toe-to-toe with Klaus and telling him to back down because Stefan won't, with the 'and I don't want him to hurt Elena' hanging just under his words, shows how willing he is to put himself on the line for her. We know Klaus wants to kill Damon, but Damon is only thinking of Elena. Yet in the instant that Stefan stops the car and Elena looks at him with anger and fear, you see for just a few seconds that Stefan hated himself in that moment. Then when Elena asks him if he's trying to make her hate him and he leaves her on the bridge, it's like him kicking sand in her face and saying she doesn't matter, even though we know she does matter to him. Is it possible Stefan is starting to think she should be with Damon not him? This could be a good thing to keep Elena with Damon for awhile yet, but I get the feeling at some point things will circle back around and Stefan will realize he really wants her back - putting the brothers at odds again. (Yay for angst drama!)

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1/20/12 12:34 P

When my mom was here too for awhile, I was watching it with both of them in the living room too. My mother started asking questions about what's going on so I tried to give her a little info and explain that she would never understand everything going on, but she kept asking. After about 10 minutes of explaining she got angry because it was too much for her to understand. haha There's a point where a show is just too involved for someone to step in and figure it out.

My dad isn't awake yet, so I'm going to write out for last week's episode - Our Town - now.

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1/20/12 9:30 A

I'm lucky in that respect because I can watch while my daughter is in bed and my husband is napping. My husband has started watching, but I'm trying to catch him up on this season, so he's only on Episode 5. I don't know what I'll do when he actually wants to watch it with me. Of course, I can always watch it again when he goes to work. :)

This week's episode has a lot to process. I watched it again last night after Secret Circle. There is a lot going on.

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1/19/12 9:33 P

There is just so much going on with me right now, that I obviously am way behind in writing about the episodes. This morning I got to watch last week's episode for the 3rd time but I didn't get a chance to write about it. So I haven't watched tonight's episode so I can watch it after I write about last week's.

Of course, it's also hard to watch it the way I need to when I write about the episode while my dad is here. So if I can get up earlier then I can do it and not drive my dad crazy with the play, pause, write, play, rewind, pause, write, play, write, rewind, play, write, etc. hahaha

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1/16/12 5:24 P

It would definitely be beautifully tragic and I think it'd be awesome to see Nina in yet another role. hehe She is such a great actress!

I don't think any of us would argue with watching the show a couple more times. Honestly there are so many nuances and expressions that are missed the first time because you're watching the big picture. This morning I watched this last week's episode again and actually watched the bracelet scene (Tyler/Caroline) and the Klaus/Caroline parts twice. I have some theories on the bracelets. I'm going to watch it once more while I write out my thoughts. The good thing is they didn't slow down much after the break and we have a lot more season to go!

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1/16/12 12:24 A

I love the idea of the OP being Klaus' first kill. That is so completly trajic, and this show loves to do tragic. I really hope they bring her out eventually, even if only in flashbacks.

This show has so much to process. I love it, but you really do have to watch it more than once to process everything. (Not that there is a problem with that.) Judging from the preview for next week, it's only going to get messier.

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1/15/12 1:25 A

I was thinking if it was the OW it would be her bones, not her whole body. Like you said, Rebekah said a witch can't be a vampire - she didn't turn. He could've unburied her years later, but there wouldn't be much left because back then they wouldn't have put her in a coffin. To be honest, I just am in love with the idea of the original Petrova showing up somehow. Though for Nina to be able to play her, she will have to be undead or somehow brought back to life - unless it is through flashbacks only. So maybe it doesn't make sense to have her in the coffin. Like you said, it could be items not a person. Maybe it could be his most prized possessions from his human life. Or items gathered to reverse the spell and make his family human? Hmmm there really are a lot of possibilities.

When Elijah first saw Katherine I was thinking his awe was because of her beauty. Now that we understand the doppleganger part and that they only show up every 500 years, that means Katherine was the first. So the awe could be because they had no idea there would be a doppleganger, or at least that they had no idea when she would show up. So when he realized who she was, he knew he could be on Klaus's good side by delivering her to him. Then since they didn't know Katherine had had a child before they found her, they didn't know that there would be another doppleganger (though I'm sure Klaus still hoped). As for the original Petrova, I'm not certain she would have been used in the ritual. Mikael brought in a random girl to feed Rebekah and shoved Klaus aside - if we assume he drank from her, then it wasn't the original Petrova that was used in the transition. She could have been the blood in the wine before they were killed or Klaus fed on her because Mikael wouldn't let him drink from the same girl as Rebekah. Yet they didn't drain that girl (assumed from the short drink Rebekah took) and Rebekah had said they didn't realize the power of the bloodlust until later (presumably a few days to weeks later). So if Klaus was in love with the original Petrova, they didn't realize the power of the bloodlust, and he was angry at his father, he could have gone to see her and lost control of the bloodlust and killed her. Rebekah said when he killed his first human that's when the werewolf gene kicked in. If the original Petrova was his first human kill that turned on the werewolf gene, meaning he killed his first love because of Mikael's need to make his family immortal, he would blame Mikael for her death. Then again, Mikael really turned against Klaus after the werewolf gene kicked in and he realized Klaus wasn't his son. Perhaps the OW tried to make it up to Klaus by putting the OP (got to shorten the original Petrova!) in some kind of stasis with the idea that at some point if he could figure out how to reverse the vampire spell then she would be released and he could be with her again. Maybe her way of apologizing to him for having him out of an affair. Perhaps her death wasn't because Klaus actually killed her - perhaps she performed a spell that gave up her life to put the OP into stasis so Klaus could bring her back somehow. Then she could be in the coffin, sealed by the OW's power from beyond the grave, waiting for him to gather parts for a final spell.

Wow okay so I totally have a ton of theories here, but we can only wait to see what comes of this storyline. I am a little obsessed with the history of the originals I think. hehe

I definitely need to watch this week's episode again and get that breakdown done. There were so many INCREDIBLE moments in this weeks episode. S3 has blown my mind and I have to wonder how they're going to keep this pace going. There are so many potential storylines!

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1/14/12 9:39 P

I would love to see the original Petrova in the coffin (or anywhere else, for that matter). I'm pretty much dying to "meet" her. That could add another to the tally of characters & time periods that Nina is playing. I do agree that the original Petrova was most likely a love interest for at least Klaus & maybe even Elijah. Their reaction to their first meeting of Katherine really seemed like they were awed by her. I also think that is why Klaus killed his mother. I think she sacrificed his love to seal the curse and I think the killed her in a fit of rage because of it.

I did think of the Original Witch being in the coffin too, but you're right about Klaus burying her. And, I thought that maybe Klaus had turned her into a vampire, (buried her while she was in transition and went back and un-buried her without Rebekah and Elijah knowing.) But that is pretty far-fetched, even for The Vampire Diaries. Plus Rebekah said she can't be a vampire and a witch. Since she obviously still had powers and was on the other side playing with the ghosts, she can't be a vampire sleeping in one of Klaus' coffins. Now, I'm wondering if maybe it is not even a person at all. It would be like the show to have us all trying to guess who is in there only to have it be something completely different. Although I have no idea what could be so important for Klaus to drag around in a coffin with his family.

I like what you said about Damon getting frustrated when Elena does what she wants (like giving Rebekah back to Klaus) when you said that is part of what he loves about her. I think you are very right about that. Also, I think it was very telling that when she had told him what she had done, he didn't berate her about it. He just accepted it and moved on. I think he now sees her as an equal and values her decisions too.

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1/13/12 8:53 P

In response to you: I really REALLY do not want Klaus to leave. Joseph has been KILLING the part. I think if they can neutralize him for awhile, where he can turn it back around at any time, that's the best. I so don't want him to become a part-time ally like Katherine so they can replace him with a new villain. Who could be worse than the originals, especially the original hybrid? The setup to get to Klaus was so huge, trying to set up for someone else could slow the show's pace to a crawl. I think they'll hold onto Klaus for awhile and try to figure out how to up the ante a few more times. Joseph Morgan is just too amazing as a crafty, sneaky, and downright evil villain - that you just have to adore and want around.

Of course Damon and Elena keep us all wrapped up in them - the chemistry is amazing (hard to not have chemistry with someone you're dating!) and that makes every instance between them, fights and kisses, so much more amazing. I'm glad Damon finally verbalized his feelings and made Elena face her own feelings head on. It moves things up a notch, as now we will never know when they're face to face if one of them will make a move or not. We will watch with bated breath every time they're in a room together. hehe

Ripper Stefan is breathtaking. Paul has been getting better at it, and you have to wonder what is going on behind his steely face. What is really going on in that messed up head? He needs to attack Klaus for what he did, as that's his major focus, but then what is his self-purpose? He needs a reason to keep him sane and something to work towards, so what will he have? Let's just hope he spends more time with Damon and picks up some of the habits of his older brother!

I talked about Jeremy in my breakdown, but I'll just reiterate that Steven should be around. Jeremy has been getting drawn into the group more and more - it wouldn't be the same without him. I do have to add - is there any possibility that Damon pretended to compel him and Jeremy pretended to oblige? Or any chance Stefan will bring him back for some reason?

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1/13/12 4:16 P

Like: I kinda like that I knew Bonnie was dreaming within seconds; the coloring was off and seeing Klaus confirmed it. It had to be the opening but it begs the question why the witches were reaching out to her, someone they're angry at. Elena getting fit seems almost redundant when you look at her, but as I know looks are deceiving. Showing her working out little bits in the episodes helps you realize how hard she's working to protect herself. Plus to those of us in the know, we know that the exercise should be helping her mood. Klaus and Damon staring each other down in the Grill is awesome. Elena isn't afraid to step toe to toe with Klaus, and perhaps Damon allows it enough to let him see Klaus' reaction to Elena when she stands up to him. Sure he plays the shield, but I think he's trying to be more like Katherine and watch for clues in people to know how to attack effectively. When Damon and Klaus talk at the house, Damon seems more afraid than at the Grill because he's only thinking of himself, not of Elena. He always puts her before himself, so his concern for her gives him courage. (Though they also just snuck in that Damon has been building a tolerance to vervain so we know that will come up soon.) Tyler stood up to Klaus because of Caroline right after being questioned about the sire bond. My hope is that Tyler and Caroline can get back together - I love them together! Their intensity just works beautifully. Plus if Tyler can slow/sever the sire bond, then they can attempt to do the same in other hybrids and get them on the 'good' side.

Dislike: Of course we know Tyler buddied up with Jeremy because of Klaus, and Jeremy just wants a friend who will treat him like a man, not a kid. Still, you'd think Jeremy would realize there was something funky going on. Stefan is after Klaus, the witches hate Klaus (probably prodded by the OW), Bonnie has used her powers against Klaus but also brought back Jeremy which made the witches hate her. The witches must be working towards the best outcome, as they're aiding Ripper Stefan (they liked good Stefan, but must hate what he's become) and forgiving Bonnie for the time being to work against Klaus. I would have thought that they would have forced something from Stefan and Bonnie to prove they will change - as in making Stefan go back to drinking only animals and denying Bonnie any spells that aren't for protection or for their cause. They're powerful enough (they turned off Damon's daylight ring). I just don't think they'd forgive and forget all they stand for just to take on the one big target; they always have rules. Tyler's explanation of the sire bond reeks of writers putting in a scene as an explanation to fans. They could have switched the location and people and the scene would have still worked. Maybe they felt the fans didn't really understand what they're trying to do with it, so they wrote the scene in after the fact. It seems a little out of place and probably could have done it in a better way, but I guess some people need that verbal explanation. Elena's reaction to Jeremy beheading Tony must be more that it was Jeremy doing it than what was done. If she's still this skiddish, that'd be kinda ridiculous.

Questions/comments: Damon is clearly trying to get Ric back as a friend, partially by the 'be my friend, we're so much alike!' and partially by 'see, I'm pathetic, you help out others, help me!'. So is there any chance of Ric forgiving him? Are they winding down Jeremy's storyline? I really hope not! Steven's acting skills have improved from the first few episodes and by having him and Bonnie date plus having him as Elena's last hold to her family, they can't fully be rid of him. I'm hoping that at most he'll be gone for a few episodes (maybe he's working on another project?) then they bring him back with a huge new storyline. We know that either Elena or Jeremy must have kids (assuming it is the bloodline, not just the doppleganger) to give the chance for another doppleganger in the future. Elena doesn't seem keen on it at this point (she wouldn't want someone to go through what she is, and couldn't be fathered by either Salvatore brother) but giving Jeremy a future away from Mystic Falls could give him the chance to continue the family bloodline. Even when the show ends (hopefully many years from now!) I would assume they would allow an ending that could be kept going on in the fans' heads, not just kill off everyone. Therefore, giving the chance for another doppleganger means they could bring back a new version of the show in 20 years for another generation to love. hehe Alaric's ring isn't working right. We already knew this was coming. Ric said the ring was meant for a Gilbert - is that why it's not working? Is it possible that too much vampire blood to bring someone back without the ring diminishes the ring's viability? Can't Bonnie make him a new ring? She worked with him on the cave drawings so she would want him around. Elena slapping Stefan is like pounding your fist into a rock - shows you're angry but doesn't do any good. Though it does show Stefan has some control over himself, otherwise he would've just taken her out. Remnants of love or the singularity of his blinding hate for Klaus? Meredith Fell - who is she, why is she there, and what is her plan/purpose? Her introduction into the story is clearly not an accident and definitely not going to be short term (or we wouldn't know her name and she wouldn't have caught Ric leaving). Why does she seem familiar to me?

Elena had said while laying in bed with Damon that he would be the one to get through to Stefan, not her. Stefan loved/s Elena, but he's been attached to Damon for so long that I do think the brotherly bond is probably stronger than the love that he transferred from Katherine and grew with Elena. Still, when you see Stefan and Damon having a brotherly tantrum fight it is all about 2 guys in their late teens and early 20s trying to figure out who they are. They're not vampires in that moment (except the whole stabbing with a stick part haha) but are beating each other up to assert their dominance and figure out who they really are. They hurt each other physically until they're both exhausted then whichever has a little strength left cements the dominance with one final punch (or stick to the abdomen). And, of course, the light in Ian's eyes in that scene couldn't have been more perfect! hehe Still, Damon is desperately looking for someone to buddy up and team up with. Until Ric changes his mind, he needs Stefan.

I get the feeling that Elena is going to be a weapon against Klaus more than we already know. Her blood is necessary for making hybrids, but in the interaction while she's handing over Rebekah, Klaus is clearly affected by her tone and her words more than one would expect. Elijah was in love with Katherine, I suspect Klaus may have had some type of feelings for her, and we still don't know much about the original Petrova. Damon and Stefan have Elena but started with Katherine, Klaus and Elijah had Katherine but may have started with the original Petrova. If so, then Elena could be a weakness if she is able to reach the emotional humanity in Klaus. Is that why in Homecoming Damon pointed out that Katherine is going to be long gone? If Nina is going to have to be the original Petrova at some point, they're going to have to back off of using Katherine. Thus, my current theory is pulling off my previous theory that the original Petrova was Klaus' first love and was killed around the time they transitioned, thus cementing the doppleganger as nature's way of torturing Klaus for all he's done. Then Katherine comes along and basically stabs him in the back by turning. Elena comes along and he will fixate on her, not only for her hybrid-making ability but in an emotional way. This show is incredible about mixing up the love triangles and relationship octagons and such, so this would add yet a whole new level of it!

What is in the sealed coffin? My first thought was the body of the OW, but they buried her when Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah made their pact. Then I was thinking about the original Petrova - could she be in there? If the original Petrova was Klaus' first kill, could the witches have sealed her up so that Klaus can have the coffin but never have her as a way to torture him for eternity? Is it possible by giving the body Elena's blood that the original Petrova can come back to life, so Klaus has kept her close in the hope that one day he will get his true love back? Just thoughts, but dang this would be an interesting storyline!

Elena is so strong already, and is so determined in doing what needs to be done that she'll only keep getting stronger. Damon wants to be the white knight wearing black and be in control. He gets frustrated when she goes off and does what she wants (like giving Rebukes body to Klaus) instead of following his orders. But that's partially why he loves her, right? Plus, he usually does what she tells him to do, and when he doesn't then he tends to feel bad that he didn't. Which lends into the kiss. The last time he was dying and he still feels guilty because he wanted that kiss more than anything, she gave it to him because she felt bad she couldn't save him, but then his brother saved his life. Elena did what he wanted and it didn't turn out as expected; if she had followed her heart (at that moment) she wouldn't have kissed him. I think he's feeling guilty not just for wanting her, but for influencing her.

During the kiss, it might just be a continuity error, but if you watch her arms, first her left arm is up while her right hangs at her side, then with the camera angle switch both arms are up. I'd rather like to think that it shows she's torn between wanting to kiss him while the other half of her is still remembering Stefan. Then after a moment she gives in and puts both hands on him. When he pulls away she's not only shocked he kissed her, but is shocked that she gave in to him so easily. That's why her left hand stays at her cheek so long after he slides his hand away - because she doesn't want him to stop! When he pulls away then it hits her that she's wanted that for so long!

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1/12/12 7:32 P

I finally got around to rewatching the episode this afternoon, but I was dozing off so I need to try to watch it again before I really break it down. (I didn't go to work today and I won't go tomorrow so I'm hoping to do it tomorrow!) When I do my breakdown I'll comment on yours - though I will say I agree with a lot of what you said. I do want to expand on some of it though. hehe

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1/11/12 10:17 A

Now that I can say more than just WOW, I want to say that I'm very excited that TVD is back and really like where the show is going.

Bonnie/Bonnie's dream. I really think Bonnie's dream is the Original Witch reaching out to Bonnie. I'm certain that the OW is going to be crucial in taking down Klaus.

Klaus. Speaking of Klaus, I will be really sad when they take down Klaus. I love what Joseph Morgan / Klaus brings to the show and will really hate to lose that. I love that he raises the tension every time he enters a room, even if he's "Just going to the local pub to have a drink with hie mate". However, I think they pretty much have to take him out. They already let Katherine turn from the "Big Bad Scary vampire" to "harmless to the important people and sometimes even an ally". I don't think they can afford to do that with Klaus too, or the viewers are going to stop believing the antagonist is really an enemy at all.

Damon / Elena - I love their interaction this season. It is so much fun to watch people falling in love and this show is portraying it flawlessly. "The Kiss" didn't happen exactly as I wanted it to, but I think that the way it happened was better, more real and more in line with the characters. (I wanted Damon to wait for Elena to make the first move, but it is more in line for both of their Characters for Damon to not be that patient to wait for Elena to finally admit to herself what she is feeling.) I think the kiss scene played out perfectly and I really appreciated the gentleness. It left me wanting more (for them) but I think that is the prefect time for the writers to stop. (Always leave the audience wanting more.)

Stefan. I have no clue where they are taking Stefan from here, but I am sure enjoying the ride. I think Paul Wesley has nailed "Ripper Stefan" and it is really fun to watch. I hope he doesn't spiral directly into emo Stefan when he finally has to face the guilt of everything he has done.

Jeremy, I love hybrid-hunter Jeremy. I love that the spiral downward that had Elena & Alaric's panties in a twist wasn't so much a spiral out of control as it was a "Does busing tables really matter while I'm being chased by vampires and werewolves?" You would think Alaric, of all people, would cut him some slack. The boy has been a little busy. I think his attitude actually shows a little maturity. Like he said, this is his life, it sucks but he's learning to deal with it. I'm not a fan at all of compelling him to stay away. I get why Elena, etc. felt the need to do it, because he was a target, but I don't like it. Jeremy was finally coming into his own and becoming a vital part of the "team". (Hello...who took care of Tony the Hybrid??) My biggest hope for this whole compulsion bit is that Jeremy overcomes it and comes back even more awesome. They've laid down the precedent when Bill Forbes resisted the compulsion. But it's obviously just wishful thinking on my part because he obviously didn't overcome Klaus' compulsion.

Alaric - Good job trying to stay alert and sober for the kiddos. Of course it landed you in the hospital...but you met a hot chick there, so it's all good, right??

Caroline. There is nothing really to say, she wasn't in this episode, but I missed her. I suppose Matt wasn't in this episode either, but I missed Caroline more.

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1/9/12 10:32 A

I had the luxury of going to a friend's house and watching it with 3 other fans. We were all doing the yelling / talking to the characters. It was fun. :)

I'm very blown away at how well they do everything. They of course nail the big things pretty well, but there is so much of the little things that shine. I think my favorite is all of the body language / facial expressions going on when Klaus confronts Damon and Elena in the Grill. The look on Elena's face when she recognizes Tony, the look on Klaus face as he watches Elena recognize Tony. Then, Damon stepping between Klaus and Elena. The look on Klaus' face as he watches Damon do that. Klaus circling around so Damon was no longer in the middle, and Damon stepping right back in between them. I love that they are able to say so much with so little.

Enjoy watching it again. :)

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1/6/12 2:19 P

With my parents still at my house (helping me out a lot), I couldn't get into the episode as much as I usually do, but I'll be watching it again (probably 2-3 more times if I can!) so I can break things down like I have been. But you said it - WOW! Ian and Nina nailed/killed/blew out of the water/destroyed/etc the final scene! (Check out the twitter post I linked in the 'random TVD tidbits' topic!)

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1/6/12 9:07 A

Wow...just wow... I'll say more later, but I had to say wow.

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1/3/12 10:18 A

Only two more days until the hiatus is over!! I can't wait. I spent some time scrapbooking this weekend & played this season's episodes while I was working. I had forgotten how much had happened!! I''m extremely excited!

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12/30/11 10:28 P

I'm so totally excited for the show to come back from hiatus next week! I miss spending my Thursday nights engrossed in TVD!

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12/10/11 10:01 P

Candice definitely seems so sweet and adorable, kinda like Caroline before she became a vampire. It's funny how sometimes an actor and character seem to have several traits in common, though it does make sense too, as the actor evolves the character, the writers continue the evolution.

I sometimes wish I could meet some actors that I admire just to see how they differ from the characters they play.

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12/8/11 10:11 A

I haven't seen the PCA video, I'll have to check it out on a computer that actually has sound. I did watch the extras on the DVD & I thought it was pretty funny. I loved Candice Accola (Caroline) on the video. She seems so sweet and genuine.

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12/1/11 10:29 P

Yes, they seem to get along quite well. Have you seen the video of Kat, Nina, Joseph, and Ian telling people to vote for the PCA?
www.buddytv.com/articles/the-vampire-diari
es/vampire-diaries-stars-get-sill-4293
6.aspx
I just saw it and it's pretty funny. Also if you check around youtube there are a lot of videos of the cast being weird and funny together. haha

Though you also reminded me - in the 2nd season dvd there's an extra about the relationships of all the characters. Apparently the actors don't even get how everyone fits together - and neither do the writers anymore! haha It doesn't seem as complicated when watching the whole show from the beginning, but the way they explain it, they make it seem harder to understand than it seems.

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12/1/11 9:50 A

I do love how much chemistry the cast has with each other. I think that really makes the show.

I think they're going to run out of shapes to define the love polygons they have going on in this show. (Maybe that has something to do with the cast having so much chemistry with everyone.) Whatever the reason, it keeps things interesting. :)

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11/24/11 11:24 P

Good point - best way to deal with a witch is another witch. Mommy will probably be around at some point, so Bonnie will be needed. Ian is gifted in figuring out how to play a scene. I didn't really think of Tyler with Rebekah - that could be incredible! At least until he's back with Caroline - because I like them together. I know that if the occupant is dead then vampires can enter, but I dunno - you could very well be right.

I like that Sebastian and Joseph congratulated each other on the episode. haha They both played it very well. TVD has somehow amassed some really great actors who have great chemistry with each other - and us fans totally win from it!

I think you're right about Elena - she's definitely getting stronger mentally and emotionally (and with the weight lifting, physically too). When the show started, she couldn't have handled Damon, even (maybe especially) his love. If she had met Damon first, saw his sarcasm, his idea of a joke, and his overt energy, she would have run like crazy. By having Stefan as her introduction into the vampire world, and to Damon, it gave her a chance to figure it all out slowly.

The switch might have taken place later and Matt knew, but based on the weird calmness on the phone, I was thinking it was before. If Matt knew all about Katherine, he would never want to be near Elena in fear that it's Katherine. He's not so good at figuring out what's going on, so I don't think he'd be great at figuring out which of the two he was talking to. Damon and Stefan figure it out when talking to Katherine for a minute or two, she's that good at being Elena. Not sure if we'll ever know, but I do know that the writers purposely made it hard to figure out because they wanted to give us a little surprise that it was Katherine, since we hadn't seen her since Mikael bit her.

Yeah, Katherine has a soft spot for both Salvatore brothers. She compelled Stefan to love her, but not Damon. She likes a challenge - Damon was her playtoy because she didn't have to work for him but Stefan she had to chase and force to love her, so that's who she wants. Remember the scene where Damon was in bed and Katherine came in and tried to kiss him but he pushed her away? He's finally realized that she just played with him. She wanted attention and Stefan wasn't available. She knows Damon hates her now. So if Katherine is caring about Damon's opinion, then she's either trying to get him to like her again so she can play him, or she's getting on Stefan's brother's good side. I could be wrong, but it seems like a 'fool me once' situation, and she fooled Damon many times. Not sure about Klaus' angle. I was trying to figure out why he would threaten only Damon, no one else. Who else would Klaus honestly be worried about coming after him - he isn't all that afraid of anyone. Damon is probably his biggest threat, but Ric has a chance of being trouble, Stefan might be able to figure out how to break the compulsion, and he should realize that pissing off Elena - someone who can get just about anyone to do what she wants - isn't a good idea. I just figured he could've added others to the list of targets for the hybrids, so why only Damon? Hence why I was thinking Katherine could have added the last part to jolt Stefan into doing what she wanted him to do.

Right now I'm not so sure how I want the triangle to go. At first I just wanted Damon to have a chance at Elena then have her return to Stefan. But with the way Damon is evolving, I'm starting to question that. We can't really do without the triangle, but I'm getting more and more excited about Elena/Damon. If Stefan decides to give Katherine another go, then it would be a square pretending to be a triangle. haha

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11/22/11 10:32 A

I pretty much agree with most of your take on things. I don't think you have to worry too much about Bonnie. We still haven't dealt effectively with Mama Original Witch, and I think Bonnie will be key in that showdown. I could take or leave the band, no big deal to me either way. I pretty much agree on the Mikael biting Stefan. I think it lost a bit of the shock due to the absurdity. I actually think Damon played that scene the best. (Of course, I am partial to Ian...) He looked extremely uncomfortable with Mikael biting Stefan. You could tell he wanted to rush in, but he put it aside for the "greater good". I didn't catch the Seattle / Twilight reference...that is pretty silly. I don't like Tyler and Caroline being apart, but I think they played it extremely well. They both have a good point. I hope they work it out, but it isn't a teen drama without angst, so I don't think they'll work it out anytime soon. I think Tyler with entertain himself with Rebekah (if she is undaggered) for a while first. I don't think the occupant of the house has to be home to keep the vampires out, though. I think Klaus just compelled Carol away so she wouldn't interfere with the party / plans. He could have compelled her to stay and be agreeable, but she would be a useless character at that point, so it was just simpler to do the scene without her. You're right, Mikael should have headed for the hills as soon as the plan went awry, but they were probably treading a fine line between making things happen quickly enough to catch a vampire off guard and slowing things down enough so the audience could see it. We can just pretend that everything happened much more quickly. :)

I completely agree with all of your "likes" I loved the grenade scene. I think it perfectly showed how comfortable Damon & Elena are with each other. Plus, it was balanced with Stefan's snark. I also loved the Mikael - Klaus scene. I think they both played it beautifully. I love that Joseph Morgan has the talent to make us plot his demise one moment and cry with him the next.

I hope Rebekah does get to connect with her family. I have a feeling it has been a long time since she's seen most of them.

Your mention of the scene in the study after Elena daggered Rebekah makes me think of one thing. So much of this show has been the redemption of Damon and him becoming "worthy" of (Elena's) love. I think it isn't as obvious, but I think there is a progression of Elena's strength also making her ready for (Damon's) love. Because Elena is finally drawing on her inner strength she is learning to stand on her own. Once she is sturdy on her own, she can learn to lean on her love, whomever that may be.

I had a similar take on the Elena-Katherine switch, but I thought they switched after Elena answered the door. I thought Matt being in on the switch was why he was freaked out at the dance and headed straight for the bar. I was just really going on when her hair switched from straight to curly, though.

I loved the fireplace scene, of course. :) I hadn't thought through your take on it, but now that you mention it, I think you are spot on. I like how you pointed out the Damon trusts Elena enough to let her see him at his most angry (and vulnerable). You're right, in the past he would have sent her away. But now, she's becoming so much a part of him that he doesn't need to/want to send her away anymore. He trusts that she can handle seeing him angry and still love him. Awww...

I partially agree with your take on Katherine. I think you're right, but I think she's doing it for both reasons. I think she would stick her neck out a little bit for the Salvatores if she can, because deep down she does still love them. I think the tough shell she's protected herself with has some cracks in it and they sometimes get through. BUT, I think you're absolutely right and she knows that the closer Damon & Elena get to each other with Stefan conveniently out of the picture, the better. I do completely agree that she has every intention of swooping in on Stefan. I think the flashback really did happen the way she said, I just think she has several motivators going on. I think Klaus chose to threaten Damon for a couple of reasons. First, he still wanted Stefan for his "wing man"so he didn't want to take him out just yet. (He may have changed his mind after Stefan stole his family.) Also, he was probably pretty confident that Damon would be the center of any plan to take Klaus out. That turned out to be a correct assumption to make at the time. He may not have known Damon would be wielding the stake, but he knew that Damon would be involved.

You're right. What makes Damon so great is his all-consuming drive. I don't want that to go away even if he gets his chance with Elena. Luckily, the show is driven by danger and angst, so I'm sure there will be plenty of obstacles thrown at Damon to keep him on his A-game. Plus, as pretty as it may be, I don't think a Damon-Elena relationship will last forever. I think there will be an ultimate return to Stefan. I just hope they take their time getting there.

It's funny that you mention the dance with Vicki...I think I still have that one saved on my phone. It makes me laugh too. Not to mention those are some darn pretty abs. :)

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11/21/11 12:48 A

So I've watched it a couple times now, and while I know I'm still missing things (since every time I've watched it I've caught something else!) here's my breakdown. It is VERY VERY long, but krikies there is SO much in the episode!

Disliked: Bonnie is so angry at Jeremy over Anna. But she won't accept Elena's help. It's so sad. Bonnie's slowly getting squeezed out of the picture, so I hope they change that soon. I'd seen something that the band in the episode was supposed to be a big deal - I totally was not impressed. Neither here nor there for the episode, but they just annoyed me. Mikael (Sebastian) biting Stefan's (Paul's) neck just weirds me out every time. The sound effect growls are so ridiculous and Paul didn't play the 'he's biting my neck' look on his face as well as he could've, but in that moment I see them as Sebastian and Paul and just laugh at the absurdity of how it was when it was being filmed. haha It was a kinda dumb shout out to have Klaus say the 'Seattle contingent' when pointing out his hybrids to Tyler - Seattle, as in Washington, as in Forks, as in Twilight. And if they weren't making that reference, they could've picked any other state, so why Seattle when he was in Portland at the beginning of the episode? Tyler and Caroline... I don't like it! They've got to get things figured out between them so they can go back to being good together! I'm confused... Tyler isn't human so he can't invite people into his house. Klaus said he compelled Carol to go to church so she's not there, probably so his hybrids can come and go without a couple dozen invites. So why couldn't Mikael get into the house? A human owner needs to be present in order to stop a vampire from entering, so he should've been able to just walk in. While Damon is staking Klaus, Mikael watches Katherine stand up, and Stefan stops Damon, Mikael is just standing there... what? He's daddy vampire, he should have been doing SOMETHING, not waiting for Klaus to stake him. Plus the Mikael death screams were totally ridiculous. Yeah part of it is I doubt Sebastian can make the growling and screaming sounds that we heard, but both just seemed stupid and out of place.

Questions: Is Rebekah going to keep trying to find people to connect with? She's been with Klaus so long, and now that her trust in him has been taken away, it seems she was trying to trust Elena, just to be daggered. She's clearly emotionally-driven, so I have to wonder how she will change when she's undaggered again. So there was one stake saved from the tree, any chance there are others out there somewhere? Any chance Klaus has one stashed away? Tyler made some good points to Caroline, but Caroline is stuck about needing Tyler to not be devoted to Klaus, so what are the chances they'll get back together? I'll get to the whole Damon-Elena-Stefan-Katherine thing at the end, because that's a MASSIVE question.

Liked: How crazy is it that Mikael was willing to trust Elena to not leave the dagger in him - originals are definitely complex characters! Clearly he helped Elena line up the dagger so she could get it in correctly (since she doesn't have much strength). Elena and Damon making wolfsbane grenades... not normal but funny! Especially when Damon slaps her hand and takes away the grenade top, it's so classic TVD (with Stefan behind them trying on Damon's ties). I have to laugh every time I hear Caroline say 'evil blood slut'. Damon's RSVP to the hybrid that stopped him at the party still makes me laugh every time. To Damon, tearing out the heart of a hybrid is like squishing a spider on the sidewalk. Mikael and Klaus had such a power struggle in the doorway. Mikael is clearly not intimidated by Klaus, but Klaus was clearly vulnerable to Mikael's disapproval - but the way he says 'BOYEE' is pretty intimidating (Sebastian has the air of superiority down!) and Klaus had tears flowing down his cheeks.

Little things I caught: In the opening Klaus seemed a little unhappy that it wasn't him to dagger Mikael. Elena is a good study - she daggered Rebekah in the back just like Damon taught her to! But then Damon bugs her about it being harsh - in a somewhat complementary way. So what does that say about Damon - he taught her but then semi-harasses her when she does it. Of course when she feels bad about it, he tries to comfort her. So when exactly did Elena get replaced with Katherine... I'm thinking it was after Damon told Elena she wouldn't be a part of it then Caroline calls about the flooding. Elena was all upset then suddenly she's relatively calm on the phone and when she answers the door for Matt. I think that's the moment they were switched in our view. Matt doesn't really know Katherine (right?) otherwise he wouldn't willingly go with her to the party, even if Elena told him to. So Katherine had to be Elena when Matt came to the door otherwise he'd be questioning the change. Then when Mikael shows Damon the stake, Damon says Katherine told him Mikael is a 'vampire on the rocks kind of guy' and later Mikael bites Stefan but Damon only does a 'really?' kind of gesture and that should've stood out to me, but I just missed it the first time I guess. Plus Damon saying 'smooth aftertaste' just somehow stuck in my head. haha

Trust is such a HUGE thing in this show. Trust and loyalties are always changing. Damon keeps trying to get Elena to trust him. Then after daggering Rebekah, she asks him if he trusts Mikael and Stefan, and he doesn't. But then he asks her if she trust him and finally gets his definitive yes. But then in the fireplace scene, I think we really see that Damon is trusting Elena. In s1 Damon seemed relatively carefree, just doing his thing and not caring. But now, he's got the entire weight of the world on his shoulders, always having to be better and do more and be the one to protect everyone that matters in Elena's life, just to try to convince her that she should love him. But in this scene, that weight has crashed down on him and he trusts that she can handle his fury. Even with Andie, she trusted him without the compulsion a time or two and he got angry and tore into her neck before sending her away because she 'knows what he's like when he's angry'. Yet here his anger is worse than we've ever seen - though he's more angry at his failure than at others. He didn't send her away, but we never had an inkling that he would hurt her. I think this shows he trusts her to know who he really is under all that protective attitude. He yells that 'we were prepared', but who really knew the whole plan? Weed out everyone that Damon doesn't trust and planned against (including Stefan and Mikael) and the only one left is Elena and I don't think she knew every piece of the plan either. So Damon starts with 'we' and ends up blaming himself because he's the only one that knew every piece of his plan - 'I had Klaus. This could've all been over!". Plus he says that Katherine 'ran for the hills, like usual' but then 'who blames her, Klaus would've crushed her'... and in that moment I think it shows that he still has a tiny thread of care for Katherine, but that he never wants her back. Then the trust really comes out when he's hating himself and pulls away when Elena tries to grab him. But she pulls him to her and she tells him to trust her. Still, he tests her by bringing up Stefan and saying 'we're never getting Stefan back. You know that, don't you?' to see if she can really survive without Stefan and just be with him. His answer comes as she says 'then we'll let him go'. You see the hope flicker in his eyes as he searches her face then looks down... then she looks down... they just barely lean in the tiniest bit to kiss and the phone rings. GRRRR! When he hangs up he realizes he can't move in on Elena in that moment so he dejectedly hangs his head and walks away. If only he knew the whole story!

One issue with the flashback - I don't really believe it. Katherine is very manipulative and we didn't see the rest of that scene ourselves, only her version. Katherine has ALWAYS wanted Stefan. This is the PERFECT chance for her to get Stefan for herself. She can see that Elena has pulled away from Stefan because of his actions, Stefan is going to be afraid to go back to Elena because of what he's done, and Damon and Stefan have a huge rift between them now. Of course the hybrids were supposed to protect Klaus even in death, but who all knew that Damon would be sneaking into the house to take on Klaus? Why would Klaus make a specific threat only on Damon, not on anyone else? Katherine could only get Stefan to really jump-to-it by telling him to save his brother. Stefan's humanity is still turned off, or at least greatly disabled, so would he really question Katherine in that moment? Besides, if Klaus thought he was talking to Elena, why would he threaten Damon, not Stefan, the one she's supposed to totally love, even through everything that's happened recently? I'm certain he knows she has tried to get Stefan back several times. Thus, my thought is that Katherine inserted her own plan into the mix so that Stefan would be with her instead of Elena! Of course, I kinda like this idea because I do want Elena and Damon to have their time together. Even when Katherine has said she's disappearing, she's never gone for long or far away. Stefan has Klaus' family - he's not going to keep them near Elena where she can get involved in Klaus' revenge. Thus, Katherine can stay near Stefan while he's doing his revenge on Klaus and try to get him to love her. Once Stefan returns, Katherine is going to be pushed aside again while he tries to figure out how to get Elena back. She needs to keep him away from Elena for as long as possible. That's her best chance of getting what she wants.

One thing though, while I love the idea of Elena and Damon getting their chance to be together, I can't help but think that if Damon ever got the one thing he wants most he wouldn't be the same. He's such a ferocious character and everything he does is to try to get what he wants, but he can never seem to get it and that's what keeps him driving forward. It started with him trying to get Katherine out of the tomb - just to find out she was never there. So he had to give up on her, but now here's Elena - and she's so much better than Katherine! So if he does get Elena, he wouldn't have this one incredibly important goal he's fighting against the entire world to get. That would really change who he is. In life, that would be good, but in a show, not so much. So I think before Elena and Damon really get their really big moment together there is going to have to be something else that comes up to give Damon something to really fight for. It could be Klaus putting a bounty on Elena's head to either kill her or turn her. It could be Stefan and Katherine running off together so Damon has to try to get his brother back. He needs something to fight for. Once he gets Elena, he can't just be complacent and enjoy what he has.

Okie dokie it's really late and I have to get to bed. Sorry this was majorly huge, but feel free to pick it apart however you want. I'm certain there are still tidbits I'm missing from the episode, so I'll watch it several more times and see what else I can find.

Oh and last thing - go back to season 1 and watch the scene where Damon is dancing on the 2nd floor ledge. (That's the episode where he turned Vickie.) Somehow I see him doing a stupid dance like that to make Elena laugh. haha

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11/17/11 11:41 A

Wow I hadn't actually thought Ripper!Stefan + dolphins as a visual... now that I have...

Ripper!Stefan standing at the edge of a dolphin pool with vamp eyes and a bloody mouth. Dolphin comes up, Stefan cocks his head to the side debating how a dolphin would taste. Dolphin splashes Stefan and swims away while he fumes. That just seems hilarious to me.

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11/17/11 10:06 A

LOL, that is pretty funny. I guess playing with dolphins isn't necessarily something "The Ripper" would do, but it is a pretty funny visual. :)

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11/16/11 11:34 A

Totally understandable - when someone has kids it's important to think of them first (at least for the first decade or two haha). Let me know when you'll be going and I'll see if I can get out about the same time (I don't have kids, or a guy, just health problems to work around).

The dolphin movie (Beneath the Blue) definitely looks kid-friendly! www.imdb.com/title/tt1222698/ As Paul said in a tweet: "Um yea so CW suddenly airing a dolphin movie I shot 4 years ago doesn't exactly make Stefan "the ripper" very menacing does it?" So I think watching it with your daughter is a great idea!

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11/16/11 9:07 A

No worries & no need to complain. This is for fun, not work so no hurry on anything. :)

Yes, I do want to see Immortals, but it may take me a while to see it. Most movies I get to go to the theater to see are ones that I can take my 8 year old daughter to see. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like one of them. Immortals is definitely top on my list when I can sneak out with my husband for a date, I just don't know when that will be. When I make plans to see it, I'll let you know.

The Paul Wesley movie should be a bit easier, it looks pretty kid-friendly. I won't be home Thursday night, but I'll set it to record & I'll watch it some time this weekend.

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11/15/11 8:57 P

I'm sorry. I got to sort-of watch it again Sunday morning while I was doing other things, then I watched it again later in the day, but I know I'm still missing things. So I'm still trying to put it together. Of course - and unfortunately - there isn't a large need to rush it though. My brain has been taken up with my car, trying to (and somehow succeeding) talk a doctor into doing tests without having to fight to make her believe me, and of course working. So when I can clear a few things out again and watch the episode at least once more, I'll figure out the points that stick out for me.

So are you still thinking about seeing Immortals? Want to see it this weekend or maybe next weekend and we can talk about that? How about the dolphin movie of Paul's that's showing on Thursday in place of TVD? That's another we can talk about.

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11/15/11 10:43 A

I'm glad your father came to help, sorry it didn't work out so well for your overexertion. I watched it again with my daughter and saw a couple of new things. It is definitely an episode that needs to be watched more than once.

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11/12/11 10:27 P

I haven't gotten a chance to rewatch the episode, let alone to start my breakdown. My father came up for a few days to help me with a few projects around my house that needed to get done for winter. It would be weird to be rewatching the same episode a few times with him around. haha He's going to be heading home in the morning, so I should be able to watch it again tomorrow sometime. Though I might need to see it a couple times to really catch it all. So much was happening!

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11/11/11 2:23 P

Ha, that would be pretty funny, Nina and Ian having to do so many kiss re-takes that they're tired of it by the time they're done. That would be odd.

It looks like you got quite a few items on your wish list, but I'm betting not really in the way you expected. Especially the Tyler/Caroline. Awww... That's tough, because they both have a really good point. I guess they needed to ramp up the angst. Of course, Tyler could un-dagger Rebekah and run off with her, they're pretty hot together too.

I really liked the episode. I am completely surprised that they took Mikael out so soon. Now I'm betting that Klaus thinks he is free to reunite with his siblings because Mikael is out of the picture and no one can out him for killing their mother. He doesn't know that Rebekah knows. Plus, I think there is still going to be contact with their mother at some point. That necklace didn't come back to "life" for nothing. Klaus is going to be ten kinds of enraged when we come back from break, though. That should be good.

Katherine! I'm so glad she is safe and came back to help! Aww... I Katherine. I think she should hook up with Stefan they could have some fun while Stefan is recovering from his Klaus-compulsion / blood addiction.

I also loved the Damon-Elena interaction, especially the part at the end. She didn't hesitate at all when he asked earlier if she trusted him. And, at the end she kept saying "We'll get through this" and "We"ll have to get over Stefan." Elena is thinking of them as a team (dare I say couple?). You could also see the tension in Damon that you mentioned in an earlier episode. He wants to make a move on her, but even more than that he wants her to come to him. You can tell he's holding himself back. Kudos to Ian for being so phenomenal to pull that off. It can't be easy at all to portray wanting to do something but holding back. But when Elena finally does make the move, Oh. My, Goodness. He won't have to hold himself back anymore and it's going to be insane. Talk about "Rockets Red Glare" that moment he had with Katherine will be nothing compared to what (could be) is in store for Elena.

The Elena-Rebekah moment was so sweet...up until Elena daggered her. Ouch. That hurt for so many reasons. I'm glad they showed Elena's reaction to it, though. And, it was yet another sweet Elena-Damon moment.

I'm sure there were more awesome things to mention, but I'll think of them later. My head is still spinning. I think I'll have to watch it again...and again...and again.

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11/11/11 11:16 A

Sebastian and Joseph were tweeting each other last night about the last 2 episodes:
twitter.com/#!/sebroche/status/13472960522
2375424
twitter.com/#!/sebroche/status/13489309632
3399680

Also, looks like the Original siblings support each other off camera too! thevampirediariescanada.com/?p=5831

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11/10/11 10:42 P

So just a quick message...
NOOOOOOOOOOO! Mikael! Stefan! Poor Damon! Katherine! Family! *headdesk* Seriously I had a headache by the end of it because I kept yelling at what was going on!

I'll write out my full thoughts later, of course. I'm going to have to watch this episode a half dozen times first though.

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11/10/11 2:02 P

(Working on the premise that I believe Nina and Ian confimed they are dating...) I wonder if Nina ever tells Ian she just has no interest in being around guys after spending all her time filming with guys who are kissing and hanging on her. haha 'Ian, you kissed me 20 times earlier today for that scene... leave me alone for a few hours!' 'But that was Damon, not me!'


So Sebastian (Mikael) posted on his twitter feed a few minutes ago: "Watch Vampire Diaries tonight, the mid season finale is going to be very intense :) !"

I'm definitely looking forward to tonight's episode, but I'm not looking forward to the moment it is over and we have to wait weeks until we get another new episode! EEP! So what I want to see tonight: Rebekah's revenge against Klaus, Stefan freaking out about something (give the boy some emotion somehow for just a moment!), Mikael coming face to face with at least 2 of his kids, Tyler and Caroline!, Damon saving/protecting Ric from something (those two need to be buddies again), and another Damon/Elena sexual tension scene (need something to get through the next few weeks!).

So I just looked up Joseph Morgan (Klaus) on IMDB since you mentioned the movie Immortals and oh my I just found out why he seemed vaguely familiar - he was William Wharley in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (one of my favorite movies)! How on earth did I miss that?!?! *headdesk* Anyways, looks like Immortals is hitting theaters tomorrow, so maybe we should check it out sometime next week (or next weekend) and then we can start a thread about that movie. haha

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11/9/11 11:44 P

I'm pretty sure if they show flashbacks with a romantic interest between the Petrova & Klaus and/or Elijah Nina Dobrev will soon have kissed half of the men on the show. She even kissed Stefan and Mason in the same episode. You go girl!!

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11/9/11 2:39 P

I was wondering how you missed seeing that episode, so that makes more sense. hehe I'm really seeing what you mean about the mirroring of the triangles between Klaus/Elijah and Stefan/Damon. Though, is it weird that Nina is playing both characters at the top of the triangles? I bet many girls/women would go to great lengths to take over for Nina!

Perhaps, if the first Petrova was Klaus' first love, when Katherine came around he just shut down his feelings because he was so desperate by then to reawaken his wolf side. Rebekah said that Elijah was moral and that was intensified, so maybe his hatred of the first Petrova being killed is part of what had him fall in love with Katherine (a chance to correct something that was morally wrong). But now he knows he'd better not fall for Elena because not only does Klaus want her (for evil) but both Stefan and Damon are in love with her. A triangle sucks, but a 5-point star is just too insanely complicated! haha

If Rebekah gets to the truck and coffins hopefully Elijah and another sibling can come join the fun!

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11/9/11 10:19 A

Sorry, I meant to say I hadn't re-watched "Klaus" yet. I did see it when it was originally on. But since I still haven't re-watched it, thanks for the refresher. Now I think even more that there has been a love triangle with Klaus, Elijah & the original Petrova. Then, I think that when they found Katherine Klaus had every intention of sacrificing her, but Elijah fell in love with her and tried to save her with his witchy potion. I do think Elijah has a soft spot for Elena too. Not a romantic interest, but just a little soft spot in his heart.

Lets cross our fingers that Elijah gets un-daggered this week!!!

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11/8/11 12:15 P

Good point about the triangle. Elena (and Lexi for that matter) does want him one way and Damon another. Maybe Stefan will only be able to truely be free of compulsion when he can figure out who he wants HIMSELF to be. (I'm feeling philosophical.)

You said you haven't seen the Klaus episode... in that episode we learn that Elijah was in love with Katherine and she seemed to have budding feelings for him too. He also told Elena 'you only make that mistake once.' So maybe Elijah was jealous of Klaus and the first Petrova, then he fell for Katherine, now with Elena he knows he'd better stay clear or he'll get daggered! This will (hopefully) get very interesting! hehe

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11/8/11 9:40 A

I don't think Damon wants to "fix" Stefan the same way Elena wants to "fix" him. Elena wants him to go back to bunnies and brooding while Damon wants him to embrace his vampire side on his own, not under Klaus' control. Heck, Damon's been begging Stefan to embrace the vampire in him since episode one. I think Elena is starting to realize that Stefan is probably never going to go back to bunnies, though.

It is hard to imagine who the original Petrova was. You're probably right that she was a fellow European transplant villager. I like the theory that she was Klaus' girlfriend. I think it would be extra cool if Elijah had a thing for her too. They've drawn so many comparisons between Klaus/Elijah and Damon/Stefan that I think it would be nice to put one more in there. Plus, they both seemed pretty enamored of Katherine so it would fit. It would also give Klaus even more motivation to kill mama if she had killed his love for the curse. The writers are very good at setting someone up to be purely evil, then showing the not so evil motivation, making them more sympathetic. A nice flashback of Klaus courting the Petrova, then finding her dead at his mother's hands would make his anger a lot more understandable. Hmmm....

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11/7/11 9:05 P

It's okay - as long as you keep coming back to bounce ideas back and forth, it's all good. It's just easier to write things down as I think about it otherwise I forget it later. I was awake plenty of the weekend, it just gets too hard to sit up for long periods of time. (When I'm typing something longer than a few sentences it tends to take an hour or three.) The more I lay down, the less pain I have from digesting. The 'joys' of my condition. I'm just getting worse. But really, being able to not only watch the show but have someone to talk to about it gives me something better to think about. So I thank you for that.

I rewatched the Klaus episode (thanks for reminding me). Yep, Elijah says she bore 7 children. I still wonder though - Elijah is supposed to be the eldest (at least of the 4 we've met) and the first child was killed by plague before the rest were born. It just makes me wonder if Elijah would count that child. Either way, there are a minimum of 2 we haven't met. I kinda hope you're right - that Rebekah un-daggers the rest. That would be very interesting!

Also in the Klaus episode I noticed when Damon was begging Andie to let him get a drink from her and she was saying she was late for work and he should use a blood bag, Damon stuck his bottom lip out and whined! (When a guy does that to me I bite his lip... now I'm going to think about that. haha) Sometimes he acts like someone mature and grown up, sometimes he acts like a spoiled jerk who is pissy when he doesn't get his way, and sometimes he's just a little teenage boy who wants to giggle about girls and eat dessert all day. I guess when I think about it, Stefan was 17 when he was turned, so Damon was probably 20 or 21, right? (Tried to verify online but I'm seeing everything from 20 - 25.) Kinda fits that he would be like that, because that's about the age that boys are trying to transition through all those feelings - which are now intensified by his vampirism.

So I'm thinking more about the first Petrova. She was killed to set the hybrid curse. She must have had a child before she was killed, so she had to have been in mid teens at least. Mikael was livid about his wife cheating on him and Klaus being a hybrid, so he slaughtered the entire family of Klaus' real father. Could the first Petrova be Klaus' half-sister from his father? Maybe she was his fiancé/girlfriend? Daddy was in charge of feeding his kids blood so he might have punished Klaus by using the woman he loved to seal the hybrid curse and Klaus' revenge was to kill Mommy. We know the rings won't work for Elena because she's a doppleganger, and her bloodline is supernatural somehow. In the flashbacks it seemed like there were other Viking villagers beside the werewolves (the wolves are probably not of European descent, but the other villagers were European) so maybe she was somehow related (like cousin) to the Original family. There are SO many possibilities! I just want to know! haha

Good point about Damon not thinking things through. haha You're right it'd be nice if Stefan could find that balance without having to have it tortured into him. Damon hits the edge and teeters right at it, ready to plummet at any time, but he hangs on and pulls himself back up (think back to Andie). Stefan holds his nose and swan dives! Maybe Damon is attempting to show Stefan how he toys with the edge. Maybe Damon is enjoying being the closer-to-sane brother and doesn't want Stefan to take that away from him. Though yeah, maybe Damon is just being an impulsive 20-something year old guy who wants everything his way or no way. Sounds about right. (I can be his way! haha j/k)

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11/7/11 1:50 P

OK - I haven't watched it yet, but In Season 2, Episode 19, "Klaus" Elijah says “My mother bore 7 children”. I guess that means the child who died from Plague, Henrick, Elijah, Rebekah, Klaus and 2 more who are presumably vampires and daggered in the coffins.

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11/7/11 10:26 A

Sorry, I got a little behind in the messages. I hope I didn't leave you feeling like you were talking to yourself too long. Sorry to hear you're not feeling well also. I'm glad you were up long enough to post, but I hope you get more relief soon.

I think you're right about the weight bench and the "Anthropology Lab" being in Ric's apartment. I've been confused that it doesn't really look the same as when Klaus was there, but you're right, it is the same color scheme. Maybe he moved stuff around since he's been staying with the Gilberts.

I did love the pillow talk at the end. Damon and Elena have come a long way to the point where she has no problems drifting off to sleep with him on her pillow. It says a lot of things, mostly that she's comfortable with him and feels safe with him. I thought the scene was perfect and you're right, Ian can say a lot without breathing a word. And yes, Damon has been quite the flirty teenager, but it suits him. He can get away with it. :)

I have the same count on originals, there should be at least 2 siblings we haven't met yet. I think the story last week focused on Klaus, Elijah & Rebekah mostly because they're the ones we met & they're the ones who took Klaus' side. There could be up to 4 more siblings, though. I'm not sure if the 7 count was the 7 children, or the 7 original vampire children. I'll have to figure out where that reference was made and watch it again. If he said that there were 7 original vampires, then neither the child who died of the plague nor Henrik would count because neither one of them became vampires. I think it was intentional on the writers part that we didn't meet them all. They may not have cast them yet and they're probably holding their cards closely for a surprise. I think we'll meet more of them soon. Maybe Rebekah will be angry now that she found out Klaus killed their mother and un-dagger her siblings. That would be fantastic.

I'm bummed we didn't get to meet the original Petrova either. Of course, the first rule of writing is to always leave them wanting more. I'm sure they did that on purpose.

I think the question of Does Damon really think he can control Stefan's ripper side? Would be answered with Does Damon really think anything through at all? I would like it though, if Stefan found balance in some other way than torture. I didn't really like that Lexi's "cure" was to torture it out of him. It looked too much like Papa Forbe's torture of Caroline to me.

I sure hope Katherine isn't gone. I'm still holding on to hope that the writers are just teasing us.

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11/6/11 6:54 P

Still not doing well, but I want to get my breakdown written.

Disliked: I've read there are supposed to be 9 Originals: Esther, Mikael, and 7 kids. We've seen Elijah, Niklaus, Rebekah, and now Henrik, and Rebekah said they lost 1 kid to plague. We're still missing 2 (or 3 if the 1 they lost before moving to the new world doesn't count in the 7). There were plenty of coffins travelling with Klaus - will we meet them sometime or are they expected to be 'jump the shark' characters when they run out of other storylines? This is kind of picking things apart, but Rebekah looks like Ester, Niklaus looks like Mikael, Elijah looks a little like Esther, and Henrik looks like Elijah. They cast when they cast, but it seems like they could've switched actors for Elijah and Klaus and it would've made more sense for Klaus having a different father. One big issue - we found out nothing about the first Petrova - who's blood was used to seal the hybrid curse. I would've thought we would learn something about the Petrova.

Questions: Does Damon really think he can control Stefan's ripper side? He lets him out of the chains and takes him for some drinks, letting Stefan have what he wants but thinks he can keep Stefan from going over the edge? Why am I thinking that Stefan is playing him? Rebekah seems to want a female friend (she's been surrounded by her brothers for centuries!) is that why she opened up to Elena? Elena called her out though - Rebekah does care about being around humans undetected, and that means she cares about what humans think. Will Rebekah end up a part of the group once Klaus is dead? How many takes of the quarters game did it take for them to make all those shots? haha Mikael is out and about and we still haven't seen Katherine... is she done for? Who actually wrote down the story in the cave? Was Mikael leaving the story for the family to eventually find or so others can find him at some point to destroy Klaus? We know it wasn't Rebekah.

Liked: Is it me or does it seem like Damon is being a flirty teenager lately? Him scaring Elena in the tunnel screams of teenager who doesn't know how to get a girl's attention. Plus then when she's play attacking him as a workout, he plays like he's biting her neck. haha Seeing the originals as humans is just awesome. Mikael sword fighting with Klaus was great - they both played it really well! I TOTALLY didn't see it coming that Esther was the Original witch! I called Mikael as daddy, but not mommy as witch! Esther gave up everything for the rest of her family. It was cool to hear (part of) how the transformation happened. Of course Mikael wasn't as giving as Esther as he's the one to perform most of the ritual (killing his kids then force feeding them blood). He shoved Klaus away so Rebekah could get the first taste of blood after they revived. I'm thinking Mikael really had a favoritism for his daughter over his sons (Elijah wasn't even in this scene) - even if he didn't yet know about Klaus' bloodline. Once again, Damon has his life on the line for everyone else and he doesn't get anything for it (except to just barely stay alive). Damon seriously needs some TLC for all he does! hehe Rebekah showed her humanity when she yelled at Elena to stop talking but didn't actually compel her to stop talking. She was clearly upset - too upset to compel in that moment.

The vampire curse gives and takes:
sun for life - sun burns
white oak tree for immortality - tree kills
vervain around the tree - vervain protects others
blood gives life and power - unending thirst for blood
turned on their neighbors - neighbors turn on them

The final scene was great. At that time I totally forgot that Damon is a vampire. It was total pillow talk! It was funny to see Elena trying to get him off her bed and realizing there was no way that would happen. And again, Ian really pulled off the facial expressions to say his thoughts without having to speak anything. I swear he could do an entire scene without speaking if he had to and we'd know exactly what's going on. Though it seems like Elena might be opening up to him more lately (like she might finally give in and be romantic with him) and you can see that because she didn't order him to leave her room and then fell asleep with him staring at her. Of course now Damon is in a harder place - Elena knows he will be the one to get through to Stefan and she's counting on him to do that, but Damon want her for himself and HE DESERVES HER! So no matter what he does, something is going to get janked up so he can't be happy. That's the nature of the teen drama but it's sad.

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11/5/11 9:54 P

I wanted to write out my breakdown of this week's episode (which I LOVED and I'm sure you did too!) but I'm not feeling well. I've been dozing all evening. I did watch the episode again, but nearly fell asleep a few times.

In the meantime, after being in Ric's apartment this week I'm thinking the weightlifting scene must have been at his place, even though we haven't seen the same things in there as we have in his apartment. But the coloring schemes are similar.

There is plenty I want to say about this episode, so hopefully I'll be able to sit up long enough to write it all out! Feel free to post your thoughts in the meantime.

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11/3/11 12:10 P

You're totally right. And yes, he loves them bubbles! Not that anyone of us mind them either... even if without them would be... Okay I'm at work so I'm stopping there. haha

So before tonights episode, go watch the weightlifting scene again. I realized something. Where the heck are they? They're not at the school gym (where Matt was weightlifting in the previous episode) and they're not in either the Salvatore or Gilbert house.

Clues:
When Damon opens the door, you look across and see the opposite door has the number 8 on it - which means it's probably an apartment.
Inside there's a dartboard behind Damon, but behind the weight bench is a living room setup.
Of course, Damon is playing with a stake attached to brass knuckles.
They're not interrupted.

The only place I can think of that they'd be is at Ric's apartment. But it doesn't look the same to me as when we saw Klaus posessing Ric and keeping Katherine in the apartment at the end of last season. Matt and Vickie used to live in a house, even though their mom wasn't around - now that Vickie's gone Matt could've gotten rid of the house and moved into an apartment, but then we should've heard about that. Plus Elena being in Matt's apartment would be strange. So where else could they be?

Yes, it took probably 20 times of watching it to even notice the background, but when I suddenly did, I kept trying to figure out WHERE they are. It's just bugging me.

Totally excited for tonight's episode! Of course, if today doesn't start speeding up I might go crazy, but it will get here eventually either way! haha

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11/3/11 9:54 A

LOL. Honestly, I don't think anyone needs that many bars of soap. Plus, you can't use one bar and then put it back in the bowl, or you'll get the soaps around it wet and they'll stick to each other. So, You'd have to use the bars one at a time. Then, the other bars are just sitting in the bowl getting dusty. You can't dust soap and who wants to wash with dusty soap? ick. Maybe they are all still wrapped in plastic, I guess that would work.

Maybe they're solid bubble bath bars. Not that I've ever seen that before, but the man does like his bubble baths. :)

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11/2/11 2:01 P

I just had a thought... Why does Damon have so many soaps in that soap dish? Why do vampires need to wash their hands? It's not like they're going to get sick from germs. If their hands are bloody, the rest of them probably is too and then it's time to hop in the shower (are you thinking back to the Damon shower and bath scenes? haha). If it's just decoration, who would they bring to their house that they'd need to make it pretty for? And if it's for Damon's women (like Andie), he shouldn't need that much soap in there.

Considering there's usually a mini cliffhanger before hiatus, I hope they're going to hit both episodes right out of the park! And the originals - especially new originals and the originals' backstory - MUST be highly involved or I will be totally bummed.