Cracking my knuckles.... Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I’m rusty - and pressed for time as always. I’m going to kind of glance over some things, and I’ll likely focus on some areas you might not expect.
Let’s go...
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Witchy dream sequence. The only really important thing I got from this scene is that I think the key to putting Klaus in that locked coffin is what’s already inside the coffin. (And I’m predicting the necklace is the key to opening it. Doesn’t Damon have it now? I’m not sure who had it the last time we saw it.)
Elena’s running. I like that they’re staying with the continuity of Elena training. Just because Stefan isn’t compelled any longer, he’s still not on their team - and there are a lot of other bad guys in town. (I just wish Elena were jogging with someone else too - surely Caroline likes to keep in shape.) Of course, if she had a jogging partner, we wouldn’t have the “freaked out and jogging like a scared bunny scene” when the hooded dude appears.
At the grill -
Elena’s “freaked out” trumps Bonnie’s bad dreams. Enough said. I am confused as to why Bonnie asked about Damon - he’s sitting about 10 feet in front of her. Pretty sure she can see him.
I adore Damon and Alaric scenes. Here we can see that Stefan’s actions seem to have impacted Damon more than they have Elena. I like that she’s not doing the mopey thing any longer. She’s given Stefan a chance (in Ghost World). He betrayed them - she’s ready to move on.
Alaric really is acting guardian-ish. John knew what he was doing when he asked Ric to look out for the kids.
In the woods -
Tyler and Jeremy are bonding. Information about how to kill hybrids is discussed.
At the grill 2 -
Damon and Elena are exchanging banter. Elena has every right to be worried about Jeremy - she’s seen this before. It doesn’t end well. Speaking of not ending well and seeing this before...Damon’s day drinking and playing darts. Elena’s worried about Damon too. (I’m pretty sure she should be joining him in the drinking. She’s got a lot on her shoulders right now.)
Elena comments that being day drunk isn’t an attractive look for him, and he seems amused that she’s concerned about his appearance. (Let me go on record to say that Damon’s hair issues this season have been on purpose. As he’s been worried about Stefan, he’s let himself go. Now that his relationship with Elena has shifted post-kiss, he will be making some improvements.)
Klaus arrives and the three have a discussion. My favorite part has to be the fact that Damon keeps trying to keep himself between Klaus and Elena. Klaus seems to notice Damon’s attempts and he finds it amusing as well.
Witch House -
Bonnie finds Stefan. Stefan needs her help to conceal the coffins.
Gilbert House -
Alaric and Elena seem to be prepping for lunch - right after breakfast. (Seriously, I do not understand the flow of time here.) I’m assuming they’ve been talking and worrying for a few hours since the last scene with Klaus in the Grill.
PLEASE do not let Alaric’s comment here be foreshadowing. Elena’s worried about Jeremy which Alaric says “is proof that she’s still human.”
Alaric tries a version of Jenna’s “we need to talk” meal. Interesting that Alaric and Elena get a little bit better of a response - Jeremy doesn’t leave - he calls Tyler inside. Jeremy, not sure if inviting a sired hybrid into the house was a great call.
Boardinghouse -
Klaus drops by for a drink. He and Damon exchange veiled insults about their relatives. I love how Damon downs the vervain-filled drink. (I keep remembering Stefan’s attempt at drinking vervain-kool-aid last season.)
Gilbert House -
Tyler gives us Hybrid 101.
Boardinghouse -
Klaus and Damon are still drinking. Klaus knows Stefan’s weakness - Damon. Damon’s the most likely person who can get Stefan to give Klaus his family back. He also knows Damon’s weakness - Elena. To get Damon motivated, he gives a little demonstration.
Gilbert House -
Hey, where did Jeremy go? Oh, there he is...standing in the path of the car. Run, Alaric, run! Seriously, I don’t think words can express how much I like Alaric in responsible-parent mode. He didn’t even pause when he ran to knock Jeremy out of the path of the car. He had no idea who was driving. He very easily could have died right here, but he wasn’t going to let Jeremy get hit.
Let us all pause in awe of the awesomeness that is Alaric - anybody else think he’s seriously lost weight?
Street of Awesomeness -
Jeremy “wakes up” and remembers it was Klaus who’d called him. He and Elena carry a very dead Alaric into the house.
House of Renovation -
Tyler didn’t realize they were going to kill people. Somehow, being sired isn’t as awesome as it once was.
Gilbert house -
Damon asks the million dollar question - where’s Jeremy’s bracelet? Hmm...so that’s why Tyler’s been hanging around. This really is like one big chess game. To influence Elena, Klaus threatens Jeremy.
And Jeremy doesn’t want to be part of the game any longer. He wants to pack up and leave. Problem is, Elena knows trouble would just follow her, no matter where they go. Damon explains what Klaus wants. Elena knows how to provide part of his wish list. Damon says..no. Rebekah’s going to be ticked when she wakes up, and Damon doesn’t want to risk Elena getting hurt.
Elena calls Bonnie who tells them to find Stefan at....
The Witch House -
Still can’t figure out why the witches are so anti-Damon. (I discussed this with my husband at lunch today. His theory’s as good as any I’ve heard. Stefan’s goal is to get even with Klaus. The witches are anti-Klaus. Damon’s goal is to keep Elena breathing. The Original Witch doesn’t like having her alive - hence her instructions to Matt that Elena needed to die to save Tyler along with her attempts to kill Elena through Vickie. Since Damon’s on Team Elena Needs to Keep Breathing....he’s not on the witches’ good side right now. Not sure how to explain the other times they’ve been anti-Damon, but that works ok for me now.)
I have to say that when Stefan tells Elena to go away, that’s as bored as I’ve ever heard him. If he’s acting like he doesn’t have feelings for Elena at this point, he’s doing a VERY good job. Honestly, I don’t think it’s an act. Right now he’s only letting one thing
drive him - his desire for revenge. (Since he’s taken one family from Klaus, I think Stefan could be a very real threat to Elena’s safety since she’s the key to making Klaus’ second family.)
Damon sends Elena home to deal with Jeremy and endures some very real pain getting downstairs to deal with his brother.
Damon’s pretty strong when he’s mad. Not only has Stefan ruined the plan to kill Klaus - he’s just made Elena really upset. I’m amazed at how fast Damon was able to get Stefan out of the house. After staking Stefan, Damon’s finally able to get him to say why he interfered - to save his brother. Problem is, Damon would have gladly traded his life to kill Klaus.
Woods -
Tyler’s still out there. He warns Jeremy that Klaus isn’t done with him.
Gilbert House -
Alaric’s on two feet, but he’s not doing well. After rolling around and vomiting blood, Elena calls the paramedics. Oops - the cute hybrid has arrived and compels the paramedics to leave. Alaric’s not doing too well... Tony says he’ll save Ric, but only if she lets him in.
Jeremy saves her from having to make the choice. In a moment of supreme ickieness, Jeremy cuts the hybrid’s head off without blinking even though Elena looks like she’s about to be sick all over the porch.
Really, I think this moment greatly influences Elena’s later actions. Jeremy is so blase about killing someone. And, Klaus has further illustrated just how easily she can be manipulated by threatening a family member.
Witchy Woods of Darkness
The brothers have a glare down as Damon presses Stefan to tell him why he saved him. Stefan’s not budging. Finally, Stefan tells Damon there must be another way to get rid of Klaus.
Damon wants in. Stefan agrees, but only if Elena’s left out of it.
Now, I’ve seen comments that question Damon’s actions here. Agreeing to leave Elena out of it....could it come back to haunt him? Maybe... I think Elena and Damon both know, though, that sometimes they have to do things the other won’t agree with. (We’ll come back to this when Elena visits Rebekah.)
Mystic Falls General -
Howdy Torrey!
Um, sorry, Dr. Fell checks on her patient - only to discover he’s checking himself out. She seems a bit suspicious of his rapid recovery. She’s a Fell. This won’t end well.
Boarding house -
Elena meets with Klaus. She needs to make a deal - her brother’s safety for Rebekah. After they come to an agreement (and he guarantees that Rebekah won’t hurt Elena), she drops one more bomb on Klaus - Rebekah knows he killed their mom.
Hospital Parking Lot -
Jeremy appears to be waiting to take Alaric back home. (Alaric’s ring isn’t working too well lately. That’s not a good sign. Team Blood and Beer forever.) As they walk through the parking lot, Alaric wants Jeremy to know that he’s available to talk. Jeremy says it won’t help. He just shot a hybrid in the back and chopped off his head without blinking. It’s something he has to get used to?
Yikes.
I think his blase attitude is one of the most frightening parts of the episode. He’s so blank and empty.
Gilbert KITCHEN -
Damon’s been on body duty while Elena’s been cleaning the porch. (Seriously, look at the assortment of bottles behind Elena - the Gilberts are serious about their cleanliness.) She’s washing the cleaver of doom in the sink..and seriously loosing her battle to keep tears at bay.
Damon gets Elena.
Even without looking at her, he can tell she’s definitely not ok. She levels with him about giving Klaus Rebekah back, and Damon mildly freaks out thinking that Rebekah’s going to come after Elena, but he doesn’t question her actions for too long. She did it to keep Jeremy safe, but she knows that even now that’s not a guarantee. Stefan’s “running his own show” and Klaus twists his words.
Jeremy’s mental health is at risk too. He just killed a hybrid without blinking.
And it’s tearing Elena apart.
She turns back to the sink and is breaking down while pretending not to. Damon moves in - showing the incredible closeness they’ve developed these past months. He turns off the water and spins her to face him. Stroking her cheeks with each hand, he assures her that they’ll fix this.
Mansion in Need of Remodeling
Klaus and Rebekah share a moment...before he re-stakes her.
Gilbert House -
Jeremy’s guardians (the dude’s a minor - his guardians are still allowed to make some decisions for him) appear in the doorway. I like how it’s clear that Elena, Alaric, and Damon have talked this next scene out.
They haven’t acted rashly.
Alaric and Elena have tried to talk with Jeremy earlier...and each can see that Jeremy doesn’t want this. After all, he tried to get Elena to leave with him earlier that day. Of course, if she left, danger would follow.
So Damon comes in.
He tells Jeremy that they need to talk. Jeremy’s smart. He knows what a chat with Damon means. His eyes immediately flick to Elena’s and he doesn’t miss the tears...but he doesn’t protest. He rolls his eyes at Elena. He’s aware of what she’s asked Damon to do.
(I can’t make this point strongly enough. When Damon offered to compel Jeremy at the end of Founder’s Day, Jeremy point-blank told Damon no. Jeremy KNOWS what’s about to happen. He says NOTHING. Jeremy is aware that he’s about to be compelled, and he doesn’t ask them not to do it.)
Damon’s spent enough time around Jeremy that he knows Elena’s brother too. He tells him to go spend some time with family friends...he’ll take art classes, drink beer, and date living girls.
Alaric wants Damon to add leaving Mystic Falls with no regrets to the compulsion. After checking with Elena, Damon complies.
Gah - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Elena look more fragile than she does in this scene. She’s sacrificing the last thing she has - she’s sending her brother away, and it’s killing her.
Back at Witchy House
(Was anyone really paying attention to this scene after that heartbreaking scene? No? Well, it might be important, so we’ll go through it quickly.)
One of the caskets is locked. Bonnie thinks it was a spell. The locked one is the one that she saw in the dream. (I’m thinking Original Petrova is in there.) Bonnie says what’s inside that casket is “OUR” answer - she’s aligning herself with Stefan.
THE PORCH -
Elena’s pacing...she does that a lot when something bothers her. She’s questioning what they’ve just done, but Damon reassures her that she’s made the right choice. If Jeremy stays, he’s going to end up dead.
Now the temperature on the porch increases about 20 degrees. Elena thanks Damon for being there for her. I love all the parallels this scene has to other episodes. When Damon compelled Jeremy the first time, JP called it his first “hero moment.” When he kissed Katherine (thinking it was Elena), he couldn’t understand how and when she decided he was worthy of being saved. Now, she’s thanking him for being there for her.
Elena wouldn’t have gotten through the last months without him. And she needs him to know that.
Damon needs her to know something. Stefan had a reason for stopping Klaus - if Klaus had died, Damon would have been killed. Neither really seem to understand what that means about Stefan, but it proves he’s not totally gone (he can’t watch his brother die). I love that they made sure Elena knew Stefan saved Damon before this scene progressed.
Damon’s annoyed at Stefan. He didn’t want to feel guilty anymore. And Elena’s been through a lot tonight...she needs him to explain. He doesn’t want to feel guilty for wanting what he wants....her.
“Damon....”
Damon’s half smile kills me. “I get it....brother’s girl and everything.”
She doesn’t say anything, but she stands fixed in place as he walks away. And then he comes to his senses. (Personally, I think that he’s so sure that someone’s going to die soon that he doesn’t want any regrets.) Turning around, he says that if he’s going to feel guilty...he’s going to have a good reason for it.
He comes to Elena and pulls her to him. As she doesn’t resist, something happens. His hands shift and move to her cheeks as he strokes along her jawline with his thumb. She lifts her hands and, instead of pushing his away, she grips his as she seems to deepen the kiss by rising onto her toes. He ends the kiss, but her lips seem to be continuing to search for his. She’s still holding the ghost of his hand in hers as he pulls away - and they both seem mildly shocked at what has happened.
He didn’t seem prepared for her to kiss him back.
She didn’t expect to be swept off her feet.
In an echo of the Southern gentleman he was raised to be, he smiles and tells her goodnight - leaving her standing stunned on the porch.
And...credits roll.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Random Musings
Ok....so somewhere along the way of my recap...I hit a plot bunny. Although, since I’m not writing fanfic, I think you’d call this a recap bunny. Blame the jogging club annoying me and making my train of thought veer off somewhere around the next state, but I couldn’t keep concentrating on the episode - and my mind went to my favorite scene.
Which isn’t what you think.
I still love my hospital scenes...or even just Damon carrying Elena scenes . I started thinking about this week’s episode and what I hope to see coming out of the Stefan and Elena confrontation - and I wondered if there would be any reason for Damon to scoop Elena into his arms - and then I stopped.
Hey, I have a thing for Damon carrying Elena. But so do the writers.
We’ve seen Damon pick her up in Bloodlines, The Sun Also Rises, and The Reckoning. Each time, Damon’s getting Elena out of harm’s way.
How about Stefan?
Crickets.
I couldn’t think of any, so I went to the most reliable source of TVD information I could think of....Twitter. I wanted to know if Stefan has ever carried Elena if he wasn’t making out with her. So I asked for help. I’m followed by quite a few fans of all ships - no dice. Stefan has never been the one to pull Elena from danger - or at least not where she’s been out cold. He tried to trade places with Jenna, but that’s about all I can come up with.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Stefan has saved Damon at least three times - Founder’s Day, As I Lay Dying, Homecoming.
I thought about that. And then I thought about Blood Brothers (I think). I started thinking about the brothers’ reactions on their awakening as vampires.
Damon wanted to die rather than be separated from Katherine.
Stefan couldn’t face the loss of his brother.
The two brothers are driven by very different kinds of love.
Stefan found his humanity when faced with the potential loss of his brother.
Damon found his as his love for Elena has grown.
I’m not certain if this has any foreshadowing as far as endgame or if my random musings have any validity at all, but I don’t think the writers do anything without a plan. The fact that Stefan has saved Damon time and time again has to mean something - so does the fact that Damon is always the one to be Elena’s true knight in shining armor.
Which isn’t what you think.
I still love my hospital scenes...or even just Damon carrying Elena scenes . I started thinking about this week’s episode and what I hope to see coming out of the Stefan and Elena confrontation - and I wondered if there would be any reason for Damon to scoop Elena into his arms - and then I stopped.
Hey, I have a thing for Damon carrying Elena. But so do the writers.
We’ve seen Damon pick her up in Bloodlines, The Sun Also Rises, and The Reckoning. Each time, Damon’s getting Elena out of harm’s way.
How about Stefan?
Crickets.
I couldn’t think of any, so I went to the most reliable source of TVD information I could think of....Twitter. I wanted to know if Stefan has ever carried Elena if he wasn’t making out with her. So I asked for help. I’m followed by quite a few fans of all ships - no dice. Stefan has never been the one to pull Elena from danger - or at least not where she’s been out cold. He tried to trade places with Jenna, but that’s about all I can come up with.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Stefan has saved Damon at least three times - Founder’s Day, As I Lay Dying, Homecoming.
I thought about that. And then I thought about Blood Brothers (I think). I started thinking about the brothers’ reactions on their awakening as vampires.
Damon wanted to die rather than be separated from Katherine.
Stefan couldn’t face the loss of his brother.
The two brothers are driven by very different kinds of love.
Stefan found his humanity when faced with the potential loss of his brother.
Damon found his as his love for Elena has grown.
I’m not certain if this has any foreshadowing as far as endgame or if my random musings have any validity at all, but I don’t think the writers do anything without a plan. The fact that Stefan has saved Damon time and time again has to mean something - so does the fact that Damon is always the one to be Elena’s true knight in shining armor.
Friday, October 7, 2011
304, Disturbing Behavior, It's What She Didn't Say that Counts
First things first, be warned - I liked this episode. If you didn’t like it, you’re probably just going to want to skip this review. Also, I’m doing this one from memory again. I’m trying to keep things in the right order. If I mess up, don’t hold it against me.
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Chicago
That’s a fancy little dress store. One thing you have to say about vampires, they must definitely know how to invest. Rebekah’s rant about the lack of fabric on modern dresses amuses me. She laments the fact that trousers were once scandalous, and now she’s basically not wearing anything.
She shows Stefan a dress, and he does a great imitation of my father when he has to shop with my mom. Sure, nice dress, honey. She’s so not buying it. Once again this week, she focuses on the fact that she can tell when Stefan’s lying. Not only does that reinforce the depth of their past relationship, you know (since she’s repeating herself) that’s about to be really important somewhere.
Stefan tires of shopping and decides to head outside for a bit. Well, hello there, Katherine. My gosh, I’ve missed you.
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Speaking of missing things......
Ahhh, Damon and Elena are cooking. Brings back such fond memories to better times...like kitchen banter in season one.
His lines in this episode are so quick and sharp. One of the writers must be channeling his inner Kevin Williamson - they’ve pegged Damon spot-on.
Speaking of, Damon’s totally in-tune with Elena here. He’s not here to help her cook. As she tells Alaric, he’s there because he’s expecting her to break, and he’s going to be there when she does. That means helping cook the dreaded chili.
As a viewer, Alaric’s concerned expression at the apparent connection between Damon and Elena annoys me. As a parent, he’s totally right. If that were my daughter, I’d be more than moderately concerned. Yes, I know, there’s a lot of worse things out there in Mystic Falls...and Elena needs all the protection she can get, but Elena even told Alaric she wasn’t sure what she was getting into with Damon. Until she can answer that with certainty, Alaric has the right to be wary.
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And one more thing I’ve missed......
Whoa, I’d forgotten the connection between Jeremy and Anna. I LOVE Malese Jow (I’ve been getting my fix on Nickelodeon shows lately.) She’s one of the most “human” of the vampires. I think she must rival Katherine in age - her control was amazing. The emotion that she brings to this scene is beautiful, but it’ll be rivaled by another one of her scenes later.
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One thing I hadn’t missed....
Bonnie’s home! Her arrival breaks up my pretty Anna/Jeremy scene. But, I have to say, Bonnie didn’t annoy me in this episode. She’s there for Elena (and by extension Caroline) when her friend really needs her. When she’s working in tandem with the other girls, I don’t dislike Bonnie.
For those of y’all who read my reviews often, that’s saying a lot here.
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Sheriff Forbes called Damon for help. How much do I love this transition scene?
Liz needed help, and once again, she looked to our reluctant hero. There’s no reason why she didn’t ask Caroline to do this, but she didn’t. She trusts Damon.
I really don’t like Bill. I’ll get back to that.
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Stefan comes back and Rebecca’s not amused that he’s been gone for long. Time for a little witch tracking spell.
I like Gloria. I really do - at least here.
She’s working for Klaus, but she doesn’t like him. (I’m still going with the witch indebted thing here that Katherine hinted at once.) Gloria’s working with him because she has to for some reason, she’s not doing this because she thinks he’s doing the right thing.
Since Gloria isn’t too sure about what she’s looking for, she’s going to call in Rebecca’s help.
Oh, there’s the necklace - right in the middle of a little girl talk. Bonnie’s mildly frustrated that everything in Mystic Falls fell apart while she was busy being bored with her dad’s family.
Caroline’s a little suspicious as to why Damon was there helping Elena cook, but before they can delve too much into that, Elena’s necklace heats up and burns her. When she hands it to Bonnie, literal sparks fly.
Back in Chicago, Gloria knows she’s found the necklace, but she’s tired and she needs a little time to rest. Hmm...I’m skeptical.
Klaus is annoyed, but Stefan knows how to have a good time. They just need to go eat some ladies, and he’ll even let Klaus pick their victims out.
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The girls have decided to take their research to town square. Fresh air is good for you...
While Bonnie tries to figure out what’s going on with the necklace, Caroline continues her original line of questioning. She’s spent a ton of time with Elena lately, and she’s seen more than Elena will likely admit to herself.
Is Elena switching Salvatores?
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Now our vampire trio has finished their snacks. Rebekah’s acting like the spoiled brat that Klaus has hinted that she is. Stefan needs some air - and Klaus thinks Stefan is headed to write a name on the wall. But that’s not where our younger brother Salvatore is headed.
He knows Gloria knows more than she’s telling.
And she knows Stefan does too.
The next scene is icky as she tortures the knowledge of what’s up with the necklace out of him. She doesn’t take kindly to the new age stuff, she prefers old fashioned voodoo. After she locates the necklace, she can see visions of Elena, but he’s fighting her. I’ll admit that his pleas show that he hasn’t gone full ripper yet. He’s struggling against her because she can’t know about Elena.
And then she pushes even harder.
There it is. The key to why Klaus can’t make his army. The doppleganger’s still alive. Happy with this new weapon in her arsenal, she’s smug as she backs away - right into a stake from Katherine.
Hmm, even this ultra-powerful witch is totally at the mercy of this unexpected attack.
It’s more than a little creepy that Katherine’s watching out for Stefan this closely. For someone who’s always been looking out for number one, she’s taking a massive risk here - if Klaus unexpectedly showed up in the bar, he’d find Katherine. But she was willing to take the risk to find Stefan. She knew he was in over his head, and now she’s proven it.
He still won’t work with her though. She needs a new partner in crime. Wonder where she’ll get one of those?
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Damon’s looking through the various pots of chili - loved the little Founding Family nametags. I was kind of expecting him to switch the Gilbert chili with one of the really good ones....but I digress.
As expected, Alaric’s not too far from his friend’s side. But we have a bit of a problem. Our not-so-reluctant guardian has a little bit of an issue with what was going on in the kitchen earlier that day. In his opinion, Damon needs to back away from Elena.
Alaric’s looking out for Elena, and part of that means he needs to put the brakes on whatever’s going on between his charge and his friend. Damon seems honestly shocked. If Alaric’s doing this to protect Elena, what on earth does he think Damon’s been trying to do.
Team Blood and Beer, I feel you are on shaky ground right now.
We don’t really get the chance for Alaric to answer Damon’s question because now Liz arrives with the news that the council meeting is about to start. As head of the council, Damon needs to be there.
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More Jeremy and Anna cuteness. She can come because he’s calling out to her. I think that’s going to be important later.
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Mrs. Mayor is leading the anti-werewolf council that just happens to consist of a mom of a werewolf, mom of a vampire, and a vampire. Yeah, I’ll bet these council meetings are amazingly productive.
She seems to just want to get out of the little meeting room as quickly as possible. Before they all leave, Damon stops for a drink of water (I was really hoping there wasn’t any vervain in there...this is a council meeting after all). Quick question, does Mrs. Mayor know what Damon is?
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Stefan and Katherine are talking. She’s skeptical that he’s really thought all of this out. She’s worried that he’s let this “I’m a bad guy now” thing make him over confident. She wants to know what he’s planning to do, and when she hears about this hunter dude, she is not pleased.
Very little freaks Katherine Pierce out. This hunter guy apparently does. She heard about him centuries ago, which begs the question, what is he?
Not human - he’d be dead by now.
A witch? I know they can slow aging, but how much?
Werewolf? They seem to live rather human lifetimes.
A vampire who hunts other vampires?
Hmm.....
Katherine may want to join the party, but there’s only room for one hero in the room right now. Stefan’s been reading his own press, so he’s not buying what she’s selling, and that’s about to be a really big problem.
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Ok, we’re about to hit the largest section of “D’Ann commentary,” marked by italics. This is my recap, and I can chase bunnies if I want to.
So...Ric and Elena leave while Elena asks where Damon is. Ric doesn’t care, but this scene does illustrate just how much time Damon’s been spending around Elena. He’s not here with her, and she’s looking for him before she leaves.
Houston, we have a problem. That’s an understatement.
Bill is threatening to out Damon to the council. (Insert appropriate snickers here.) Damon needs to fix the problem, and it’s almost as if he’s counting on Alaric’s backup here. When he doesn’t get it (and, I’m going to excuse Elena’s little moment of word vomit here because she’s about to say something so amazing, I’m going to blame her comment about keeping Damon in check as her being overly tired or something like that), Damon has to act. After checking for Alaric’s ring, Damon declares Alaric temporarily dead and goes to deal with the problem.
Why didn’t the compulsion work on Bill?
This is the only real section I have an issue with on this episode, and it isn’t for the reason you think. Really? The dude has trained his brain to resist compulsion? Sorry, that’s just lame to me. Most of our witchy stuff has loopholes, but this one just doesn’t work. Unless Bill has a vampire friend who he’s practiced resisting the compulsion with, there’s no way he could have built up an immunity to it like Katherine can resist vervain now. (Ok, so on fifth thought, I have an idea about this scene....discussion to be coming soon.)
So, a very “in control” Damon attacks Bill. After blasting Bill for underestimating him, Damon goes in for what appears to be the kill, but is actually just really intense scare tactics.
Caroline doesn’t realize that Damon’s just trying to teach her dad a lesson. She immediately comes to her father’s assistance. Older and stronger should be able to take out the younger vamp, right? But Caroline has anger on her side. She’s able to overpower Damon and take him down for what he’s doing to her dad.
While I initially had HUGE issues with this, I think I see where they’re going with the anger can overpower age thing. Spoiler theory - don’t read this if you don’t want to know something about next week. Next week, Elena’s in danger. Klaus and Rebekah are both trying to prevent him from getting to Elena. Age will not be able to overcome his anger at the risk to Elena.
Elena rushes into the room during the fight between Caroline and Damon. She’s livid as she turns on Damon. And here, we have a case of what she DIDN’T say that’s important.
Elena faces off with Damon, screaming at him that she doesn’t want him to be what OTHER people think he is. She doesn’t say what SHE thinks he is. She knows the “real” Damon, and it isn’t even the monster that he views himself as. She wants him to be the man that she’s come to know - the one she likes just like he is.
Here Damon’s past comes to the surface. He’s always been second to Stefan, even though he was the firstborn. Here, we see his feelings of inadequacy when comparing himself to his brother. He’s assuming that she’s angry because he’s not acting like Stefan, but that’s not her point. She knows there’s more to him than he even sees in himself. That’s why she’s calling him out.
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Tyler and Caroline have grown on me. For being a werewolf and vampire, these two somehow seem the most teenager-ish on the show tonight. Maybe it’s Tyler’s “you want me to kick his ass” line, but this scene is really nice.
They’re going to give this couple some issues pretty soon, aren’t they?
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Oh, Stefan, you really should have listened to Katherine. Even if you don’t trust her, she’s been surviving for a very long time. The girl’s got good instincts.
Rebekah meets up with Stefan in the warehouse and finds him fingering one of the coffins. Whatever her suspicions are, she warns him not to ask Klaus too much about Michael (the man they’re afraid of). While Stefan lies (badly) and feigns disinterest, Rebekah pulls him to her and seizes the opportunity for a kiss.
A flicker of...something....flashes across her face. Her earlier warnings come back to haunt him.
Stefan should have listened to Katherine. Rebekah does know him too well. She can instantly tell that he’s lying to her - about being able to love her again, about being with them, about a piece of his life back in Mystic Falls.
Klaus comes in, and just like a tattle tale little sister, she spills everything she knows to Klaus. Lights out for Stefan.
----------------------------
Morning’s finally arrived, and Damon’s pouring 2 drinks - one for him and one for his soon to be no longer dead buddy. Ric is livid that Damon killed him. While I almost defended Ric earlier, I’m going to have to go with Damon here. Bill needed to be dealt with. A man who’d brutalize his own daughter in the hope of curing her is no one to mess around with, and he’s totally not someone to have trying to take over the leadership role in the Founder’s Council.
Damon needed to act, and Alaric needed to get out of his way.
----------------------
Caroline and Elena have a really nice heart to heart. Once again wandering through the square, Caroline’s not going to beat around the bush any longer. Elena needs to be honest with herself, even if she’s not going to voice it to her friends. Elena feels something for Damon, and Caroline knows it.
Notice here that Elena doesn’t deny her feelings. She doesn’t try to tell Caroline that her friend is imagining things. She’s just torn.
Torn between what she feels and what she thinks that means about her. She protests that if she says anything...even thinks anything about her feelings for Damon, that they’ll be real. She can’t do that.
Problem is, she already has. She and Damon had that moment after their first failed rescue attempt to bring Stefan home. She told Damon she feels something...she cares...and she’s conflicted.
She’s always said that she isn’t Katherine. Yet, to borrow Caroline’s words, if she switches Salvatores, will she be any different from the woman who shares her face?
Of course she will, but that’s not what Elena sees.
Elena is unsure about what falling for the darker and more dangerous Salvatore means about her.... The problem with that scenario is that she already DID fall for the darker brother when she fell for Stefan. Despite everything she's been told...things she's witnessed, she still just doesn’t realize it.
Bill wanders by, interrupting the girls’ conversation.
Caroline goes to her father and discovers he’s leaving. Even after showing him what she’s capable of doing - fighting Damon to defend him, forcing her blood on him to heal him, it isn’t enough. He only sees her as something that’s broken. His daughter is gone. She’ll never be the same in his eyes.
-----------------------
Alaric meets with Liz and Mrs. Mayor. Whatever Elena said to him in the van after their failed attempt to rescue Stefan must have really gotten to him. His new role of guardian to the Gilbert kids combined with Damon’s most recent actions have pushed him to fully earn that Gilbert ring he’s wearing. The humans need a voice on the council - one that knows what’s really going on in the town.
And Alaric’s going to be that voice. At the next meeting, he’s filling the Gilbert family vacancy.
----------------------
Bonnie and Elena are meeting in the lovely outdoor seating area at the Grill. Bonnie seems troubled. Not only can she not figure out what’s going on with the necklace, she now knows about Jeremy’s own version of ghosts of girlfriends past that’s been going on.
Elena seems concerned, but what she wants is her necklace. She needs that little connection with Stefan.
As soon as Bonnie hands it over, Elena’s gone - like blink of an eye gone. (I’ll admit that the first time I saw this, I’d been distracted. I thought that the necklace had a spell that somehow transported Elena somewhere - hey, stranger things have happened on this show.)
I did not expect....
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Someone’s at the Salvatore door. Damon answers it, expecting an apology from Elena.
In an instant, Elena’s face transforms, and Katherine smiles back at Damon. She’s getting very good at this. One brother would play along with her, so she’s come to find a new partner in crime.
She dangles the necklace in front of Damon and proposes a little trip. Stung by Elena’s words at the Lockwood house combined with his argument with Alaric that morning, Damon’s actually up for a little adventure.
What is Katherine’s game here? Is she taking the necklace because she knows it’s what Klaus wants? Is she somehow trying to protect Stefan? Does she just want a little leverage?
In all the focus on the necklace, one big elephant in the room has gone without mention. Katherine now knows about the ghosts.
Katherine said it herself. She knows stuff, and she uses it to her advantage. Her conversation with Bonnie will definitely be called into play soon.
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Stefan wakes up and Klaus is ready for a little chat. The Hybrid isn’t mad - mainly curious. His sister has good instincts, and she senses that Stefan’s not being truthful. He has something to hide. Klaus wants to know what it is.
Oh Stefan, if you’d listened to Katherine, if you’d been a better liar, you wouldn’t be back in Mystic Falls right now. All you needed to do was convince Rebekah you were head over heels, and you’d still be day drinking somewhere. As it stands, you’re in serious trouble.
Stefan may not be the true ripper without remorse yet, but he’s not in control of his bloodlust.
Damon’s gone - off with Katherine on some adventure with the necklace.
And she might have Alaric, Caroline, and Bonnie, but Elena’s basically on her own. She wants to trust Stefan - she’s convinced she can somehow save him. Her one voice of reason is currently car tripping with Katherine.
Yeah, next week’s not going to end well.
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Chicago
That’s a fancy little dress store. One thing you have to say about vampires, they must definitely know how to invest. Rebekah’s rant about the lack of fabric on modern dresses amuses me. She laments the fact that trousers were once scandalous, and now she’s basically not wearing anything.
She shows Stefan a dress, and he does a great imitation of my father when he has to shop with my mom. Sure, nice dress, honey. She’s so not buying it. Once again this week, she focuses on the fact that she can tell when Stefan’s lying. Not only does that reinforce the depth of their past relationship, you know (since she’s repeating herself) that’s about to be really important somewhere.
Stefan tires of shopping and decides to head outside for a bit. Well, hello there, Katherine. My gosh, I’ve missed you.
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Speaking of missing things......
Ahhh, Damon and Elena are cooking. Brings back such fond memories to better times...like kitchen banter in season one.
His lines in this episode are so quick and sharp. One of the writers must be channeling his inner Kevin Williamson - they’ve pegged Damon spot-on.
Speaking of, Damon’s totally in-tune with Elena here. He’s not here to help her cook. As she tells Alaric, he’s there because he’s expecting her to break, and he’s going to be there when she does. That means helping cook the dreaded chili.
As a viewer, Alaric’s concerned expression at the apparent connection between Damon and Elena annoys me. As a parent, he’s totally right. If that were my daughter, I’d be more than moderately concerned. Yes, I know, there’s a lot of worse things out there in Mystic Falls...and Elena needs all the protection she can get, but Elena even told Alaric she wasn’t sure what she was getting into with Damon. Until she can answer that with certainty, Alaric has the right to be wary.
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And one more thing I’ve missed......
Whoa, I’d forgotten the connection between Jeremy and Anna. I LOVE Malese Jow (I’ve been getting my fix on Nickelodeon shows lately.) She’s one of the most “human” of the vampires. I think she must rival Katherine in age - her control was amazing. The emotion that she brings to this scene is beautiful, but it’ll be rivaled by another one of her scenes later.
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One thing I hadn’t missed....
Bonnie’s home! Her arrival breaks up my pretty Anna/Jeremy scene. But, I have to say, Bonnie didn’t annoy me in this episode. She’s there for Elena (and by extension Caroline) when her friend really needs her. When she’s working in tandem with the other girls, I don’t dislike Bonnie.
For those of y’all who read my reviews often, that’s saying a lot here.
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Sheriff Forbes called Damon for help. How much do I love this transition scene?
Liz needed help, and once again, she looked to our reluctant hero. There’s no reason why she didn’t ask Caroline to do this, but she didn’t. She trusts Damon.
I really don’t like Bill. I’ll get back to that.
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Stefan comes back and Rebecca’s not amused that he’s been gone for long. Time for a little witch tracking spell.
I like Gloria. I really do - at least here.
She’s working for Klaus, but she doesn’t like him. (I’m still going with the witch indebted thing here that Katherine hinted at once.) Gloria’s working with him because she has to for some reason, she’s not doing this because she thinks he’s doing the right thing.
Since Gloria isn’t too sure about what she’s looking for, she’s going to call in Rebecca’s help.
Oh, there’s the necklace - right in the middle of a little girl talk. Bonnie’s mildly frustrated that everything in Mystic Falls fell apart while she was busy being bored with her dad’s family.
Caroline’s a little suspicious as to why Damon was there helping Elena cook, but before they can delve too much into that, Elena’s necklace heats up and burns her. When she hands it to Bonnie, literal sparks fly.
Back in Chicago, Gloria knows she’s found the necklace, but she’s tired and she needs a little time to rest. Hmm...I’m skeptical.
Klaus is annoyed, but Stefan knows how to have a good time. They just need to go eat some ladies, and he’ll even let Klaus pick their victims out.
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The girls have decided to take their research to town square. Fresh air is good for you...
While Bonnie tries to figure out what’s going on with the necklace, Caroline continues her original line of questioning. She’s spent a ton of time with Elena lately, and she’s seen more than Elena will likely admit to herself.
Is Elena switching Salvatores?
----------------
Now our vampire trio has finished their snacks. Rebekah’s acting like the spoiled brat that Klaus has hinted that she is. Stefan needs some air - and Klaus thinks Stefan is headed to write a name on the wall. But that’s not where our younger brother Salvatore is headed.
He knows Gloria knows more than she’s telling.
And she knows Stefan does too.
The next scene is icky as she tortures the knowledge of what’s up with the necklace out of him. She doesn’t take kindly to the new age stuff, she prefers old fashioned voodoo. After she locates the necklace, she can see visions of Elena, but he’s fighting her. I’ll admit that his pleas show that he hasn’t gone full ripper yet. He’s struggling against her because she can’t know about Elena.
And then she pushes even harder.
There it is. The key to why Klaus can’t make his army. The doppleganger’s still alive. Happy with this new weapon in her arsenal, she’s smug as she backs away - right into a stake from Katherine.
Hmm, even this ultra-powerful witch is totally at the mercy of this unexpected attack.
It’s more than a little creepy that Katherine’s watching out for Stefan this closely. For someone who’s always been looking out for number one, she’s taking a massive risk here - if Klaus unexpectedly showed up in the bar, he’d find Katherine. But she was willing to take the risk to find Stefan. She knew he was in over his head, and now she’s proven it.
He still won’t work with her though. She needs a new partner in crime. Wonder where she’ll get one of those?
------------------------------
Damon’s looking through the various pots of chili - loved the little Founding Family nametags. I was kind of expecting him to switch the Gilbert chili with one of the really good ones....but I digress.
As expected, Alaric’s not too far from his friend’s side. But we have a bit of a problem. Our not-so-reluctant guardian has a little bit of an issue with what was going on in the kitchen earlier that day. In his opinion, Damon needs to back away from Elena.
Alaric’s looking out for Elena, and part of that means he needs to put the brakes on whatever’s going on between his charge and his friend. Damon seems honestly shocked. If Alaric’s doing this to protect Elena, what on earth does he think Damon’s been trying to do.
Team Blood and Beer, I feel you are on shaky ground right now.
We don’t really get the chance for Alaric to answer Damon’s question because now Liz arrives with the news that the council meeting is about to start. As head of the council, Damon needs to be there.
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More Jeremy and Anna cuteness. She can come because he’s calling out to her. I think that’s going to be important later.
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Mrs. Mayor is leading the anti-werewolf council that just happens to consist of a mom of a werewolf, mom of a vampire, and a vampire. Yeah, I’ll bet these council meetings are amazingly productive.
She seems to just want to get out of the little meeting room as quickly as possible. Before they all leave, Damon stops for a drink of water (I was really hoping there wasn’t any vervain in there...this is a council meeting after all). Quick question, does Mrs. Mayor know what Damon is?
------------------------
Stefan and Katherine are talking. She’s skeptical that he’s really thought all of this out. She’s worried that he’s let this “I’m a bad guy now” thing make him over confident. She wants to know what he’s planning to do, and when she hears about this hunter dude, she is not pleased.
Very little freaks Katherine Pierce out. This hunter guy apparently does. She heard about him centuries ago, which begs the question, what is he?
Not human - he’d be dead by now.
A witch? I know they can slow aging, but how much?
Werewolf? They seem to live rather human lifetimes.
A vampire who hunts other vampires?
Hmm.....
Katherine may want to join the party, but there’s only room for one hero in the room right now. Stefan’s been reading his own press, so he’s not buying what she’s selling, and that’s about to be a really big problem.
--------------------------------
Ok, we’re about to hit the largest section of “D’Ann commentary,” marked by italics. This is my recap, and I can chase bunnies if I want to.
So...Ric and Elena leave while Elena asks where Damon is. Ric doesn’t care, but this scene does illustrate just how much time Damon’s been spending around Elena. He’s not here with her, and she’s looking for him before she leaves.
Houston, we have a problem. That’s an understatement.
Bill is threatening to out Damon to the council. (Insert appropriate snickers here.) Damon needs to fix the problem, and it’s almost as if he’s counting on Alaric’s backup here. When he doesn’t get it (and, I’m going to excuse Elena’s little moment of word vomit here because she’s about to say something so amazing, I’m going to blame her comment about keeping Damon in check as her being overly tired or something like that), Damon has to act. After checking for Alaric’s ring, Damon declares Alaric temporarily dead and goes to deal with the problem.
Why didn’t the compulsion work on Bill?
This is the only real section I have an issue with on this episode, and it isn’t for the reason you think. Really? The dude has trained his brain to resist compulsion? Sorry, that’s just lame to me. Most of our witchy stuff has loopholes, but this one just doesn’t work. Unless Bill has a vampire friend who he’s practiced resisting the compulsion with, there’s no way he could have built up an immunity to it like Katherine can resist vervain now. (Ok, so on fifth thought, I have an idea about this scene....discussion to be coming soon.)
So, a very “in control” Damon attacks Bill. After blasting Bill for underestimating him, Damon goes in for what appears to be the kill, but is actually just really intense scare tactics.
Caroline doesn’t realize that Damon’s just trying to teach her dad a lesson. She immediately comes to her father’s assistance. Older and stronger should be able to take out the younger vamp, right? But Caroline has anger on her side. She’s able to overpower Damon and take him down for what he’s doing to her dad.
While I initially had HUGE issues with this, I think I see where they’re going with the anger can overpower age thing. Spoiler theory - don’t read this if you don’t want to know something about next week. Next week, Elena’s in danger. Klaus and Rebekah are both trying to prevent him from getting to Elena. Age will not be able to overcome his anger at the risk to Elena.
Elena rushes into the room during the fight between Caroline and Damon. She’s livid as she turns on Damon. And here, we have a case of what she DIDN’T say that’s important.
Elena faces off with Damon, screaming at him that she doesn’t want him to be what OTHER people think he is. She doesn’t say what SHE thinks he is. She knows the “real” Damon, and it isn’t even the monster that he views himself as. She wants him to be the man that she’s come to know - the one she likes just like he is.
Here Damon’s past comes to the surface. He’s always been second to Stefan, even though he was the firstborn. Here, we see his feelings of inadequacy when comparing himself to his brother. He’s assuming that she’s angry because he’s not acting like Stefan, but that’s not her point. She knows there’s more to him than he even sees in himself. That’s why she’s calling him out.
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Tyler and Caroline have grown on me. For being a werewolf and vampire, these two somehow seem the most teenager-ish on the show tonight. Maybe it’s Tyler’s “you want me to kick his ass” line, but this scene is really nice.
They’re going to give this couple some issues pretty soon, aren’t they?
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Oh, Stefan, you really should have listened to Katherine. Even if you don’t trust her, she’s been surviving for a very long time. The girl’s got good instincts.
Rebekah meets up with Stefan in the warehouse and finds him fingering one of the coffins. Whatever her suspicions are, she warns him not to ask Klaus too much about Michael (the man they’re afraid of). While Stefan lies (badly) and feigns disinterest, Rebekah pulls him to her and seizes the opportunity for a kiss.
A flicker of...something....flashes across her face. Her earlier warnings come back to haunt him.
Stefan should have listened to Katherine. Rebekah does know him too well. She can instantly tell that he’s lying to her - about being able to love her again, about being with them, about a piece of his life back in Mystic Falls.
Klaus comes in, and just like a tattle tale little sister, she spills everything she knows to Klaus. Lights out for Stefan.
----------------------------
Morning’s finally arrived, and Damon’s pouring 2 drinks - one for him and one for his soon to be no longer dead buddy. Ric is livid that Damon killed him. While I almost defended Ric earlier, I’m going to have to go with Damon here. Bill needed to be dealt with. A man who’d brutalize his own daughter in the hope of curing her is no one to mess around with, and he’s totally not someone to have trying to take over the leadership role in the Founder’s Council.
Damon needed to act, and Alaric needed to get out of his way.
----------------------
Caroline and Elena have a really nice heart to heart. Once again wandering through the square, Caroline’s not going to beat around the bush any longer. Elena needs to be honest with herself, even if she’s not going to voice it to her friends. Elena feels something for Damon, and Caroline knows it.
Notice here that Elena doesn’t deny her feelings. She doesn’t try to tell Caroline that her friend is imagining things. She’s just torn.
Torn between what she feels and what she thinks that means about her. She protests that if she says anything...even thinks anything about her feelings for Damon, that they’ll be real. She can’t do that.
Problem is, she already has. She and Damon had that moment after their first failed rescue attempt to bring Stefan home. She told Damon she feels something...she cares...and she’s conflicted.
She’s always said that she isn’t Katherine. Yet, to borrow Caroline’s words, if she switches Salvatores, will she be any different from the woman who shares her face?
Of course she will, but that’s not what Elena sees.
Elena is unsure about what falling for the darker and more dangerous Salvatore means about her.... The problem with that scenario is that she already DID fall for the darker brother when she fell for Stefan. Despite everything she's been told...things she's witnessed, she still just doesn’t realize it.
Bill wanders by, interrupting the girls’ conversation.
Caroline goes to her father and discovers he’s leaving. Even after showing him what she’s capable of doing - fighting Damon to defend him, forcing her blood on him to heal him, it isn’t enough. He only sees her as something that’s broken. His daughter is gone. She’ll never be the same in his eyes.
-----------------------
Alaric meets with Liz and Mrs. Mayor. Whatever Elena said to him in the van after their failed attempt to rescue Stefan must have really gotten to him. His new role of guardian to the Gilbert kids combined with Damon’s most recent actions have pushed him to fully earn that Gilbert ring he’s wearing. The humans need a voice on the council - one that knows what’s really going on in the town.
And Alaric’s going to be that voice. At the next meeting, he’s filling the Gilbert family vacancy.
----------------------
Bonnie and Elena are meeting in the lovely outdoor seating area at the Grill. Bonnie seems troubled. Not only can she not figure out what’s going on with the necklace, she now knows about Jeremy’s own version of ghosts of girlfriends past that’s been going on.
Elena seems concerned, but what she wants is her necklace. She needs that little connection with Stefan.
As soon as Bonnie hands it over, Elena’s gone - like blink of an eye gone. (I’ll admit that the first time I saw this, I’d been distracted. I thought that the necklace had a spell that somehow transported Elena somewhere - hey, stranger things have happened on this show.)
I did not expect....
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Someone’s at the Salvatore door. Damon answers it, expecting an apology from Elena.
In an instant, Elena’s face transforms, and Katherine smiles back at Damon. She’s getting very good at this. One brother would play along with her, so she’s come to find a new partner in crime.
She dangles the necklace in front of Damon and proposes a little trip. Stung by Elena’s words at the Lockwood house combined with his argument with Alaric that morning, Damon’s actually up for a little adventure.
What is Katherine’s game here? Is she taking the necklace because she knows it’s what Klaus wants? Is she somehow trying to protect Stefan? Does she just want a little leverage?
In all the focus on the necklace, one big elephant in the room has gone without mention. Katherine now knows about the ghosts.
Katherine said it herself. She knows stuff, and she uses it to her advantage. Her conversation with Bonnie will definitely be called into play soon.
--------------------------
Stefan wakes up and Klaus is ready for a little chat. The Hybrid isn’t mad - mainly curious. His sister has good instincts, and she senses that Stefan’s not being truthful. He has something to hide. Klaus wants to know what it is.
Oh Stefan, if you’d listened to Katherine, if you’d been a better liar, you wouldn’t be back in Mystic Falls right now. All you needed to do was convince Rebekah you were head over heels, and you’d still be day drinking somewhere. As it stands, you’re in serious trouble.
Stefan may not be the true ripper without remorse yet, but he’s not in control of his bloodlust.
Damon’s gone - off with Katherine on some adventure with the necklace.
And she might have Alaric, Caroline, and Bonnie, but Elena’s basically on her own. She wants to trust Stefan - she’s convinced she can somehow save him. Her one voice of reason is currently car tripping with Katherine.
Yeah, next week’s not going to end well.
Friday, September 16, 2011
She'll Cry if She Wants To - TVD 301 Recap
Ok. Here goes. First up, this review isn’t going to be as detailed as most. I’ve been working on something else all day, and I don’t have time to rewatch as I’m trying to write this up. This is from memory. Please be kind.
I’ll hit the high points. Add some commentary. Then, at the end, I have a couple of concerns.
Still with me?
Let’s go.
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Opening at the house out in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, that’s not going to end well. Klaus’ American accent does NOTHING for me. Then, I don’t understand why the girl didn’t run like heck when he switched into his British accent. He hadn’t compelled her yet. Surely, the accent switch was a sign that the dude was dangerous.
Yikes. Stefan standing blocking the doorway was chilling. This scene was one of the only times I really felt the “ripper” aspect of his nature.
Loved the parallel between Damon in the finale and Elena here in the premiere. They both opened curtains (to songs by the same artist) but for much different reasons. Damon had been trying to end his suffering, and Elena was beginning her adult life.
So, Jeremy’s got a job....and he doesn’t seem to be too enthused. Alaric’s been sleeping on the couch. Yep, life goes on in Mystic Falls. Speaking of, Caroline’s planning a not-surprise party while also passing on leads for Stefan’s potential whereabouts.
Damon apparently really likes his bubble baths. I really thought he’d be in the bath with Andie, but it doesn’t appear that’s the way it went down (or she got out a LONG time ago). I like the fact that he was already on his way downstairs to get more liquor when Elena got there instead of somehow arriving in the living room just to flaunt what he’d been up to.
She’s obviously been spending a lot of time at Casa Salvatore over the summer, since she just waltzes into the house without knocking or anything like that. Yes, she got an eye full. Her reaction made me laugh.
Jeremy sees dead people while at his job. Haven’t figured out the ghosts’ purpose other than to make Jeremy backpedal from all the progress he made last season - when I actually began to like his character. Now he’s back to drugs and that’s just putting MORE pressure on Elena. Not a fan at the moment.
So...I understand that the show is wanting us to realize that quite a bit of time has passed, but I don’t really understand why Tyler was in this scene with Elena’s party preparations. (Isn’t it kind of sad that Elena’s having to help decorate for her own 18th birthday party?) Tyler and Caroline have a very unique vibe going here. I’m not anti-Forwood, but something isn’t working for me. I think it might be that Tyler’s here at all - I’d rather that this would have been a scene with just the girls.
Apparently Damon and Ric have actually been taking Elena’s words to heart, even if they didn’t let her know about it. I’m assuming Damon needed Ric here to help him get in the house. This has to be one of the ickiest scenes in TVD so far. And...since this is apparently Stefan’s “signature,” this is where I move into commentary mode for the first time of this recap.
The fact that Damon apparently was well aware of this side of Stefan is a continuity error for me. There is NO WAY on earth that Damon would even tempt Stefan with human blood knowing what it turned his brother into....at least he wouldn’t have done it once Damon began to feel for Elena. This Stefan is DANGEROUS and twisted. Damon would never have let Elena walk into the room in Miss Mystic Falls to vervain Stefan if he’d known this is what Stefan on too much blood turns into.
Moving on...
Pretty sure we were back in the bar here. Sorry, the human darts game was so disturbing that I’m just going to scurry on past this scene. It was twisted. Yes, we understand Klaus and Stefan are evil. Yuck.
And now we’ve hit one of the three highlights of the episode for me.
The necklace scene.
They had me at the music in the background. Seriously, I think this section of the episode is likely one of the most beautiful moments we’ve seen on the show. I think I like it as much as the Miss Mystic Falls dance....the way they looked back and forth at each other in the mirror, the way Damon choked up when he spoke to her. Gah!
This is my recap and I can give this scene three paragraphs if I want to.
“This is the starting of my greatest fear...” Damon’s been left alone with Elena. In many respects, he’s the only one capable of protecting her right now (sorry, Alaric, but...you’re not the best babysitter). He’s in love with her, but she’s beyond emotionally fragile right now and he knows it.
“This is the starting of a brand new day...” The looks between them speak for themselves. If ever there was a time that I hoped there was a meaning behind the song choice on this show, this one is one of them. She’s just confessed that she’s likely going to break down before the cake - and once again he’s her rock. Supporting her as she needs it. Literally in this case, since he offers her his arm to lead her into the party that she doesn’t want to have.
I think Stefan and Klaus are still playing darts here. Klaus learns that Damon’s following them. And, this is an important part for later, Stefan volunteers to take care of it - and is given NO instructions by Klaus. What Stefan chooses to do is all on him.
Ok, I’m going to give Jeremy a pass at the drug use just because it allowed us to have my third favorite scene in the episode. When Elena sees her brother, she doesn’t confront him herself, she charges outside to find her “guardian.” When she commands Damon to hand her his drink...and he gives it to her....speaks volumes to the closeness of this pair. She takes Damon’s drink, downs a few sips, and hands it back to him. They are so comfortable together now. Having her around so often must be killing him. I’l get back to that later.
Andie’s alone at the station. Once again, this isn’t going to end well. When she was running in terror, I felt like I was watching a horror movie. She’s relieved to see Stefan, but she really shouldn’t be. I don’t think she was in on the whole “how Stefan’s been spending his summer” discussion.
Elena needs to take a breather from the party and happens into Caroline having a snack. While I understand that her friends aren’t wanting her to waste away - I don’t think that Elena was really ready for this conversation, even though she probably needed it. I’m glad it was Caroline here. Interesting how her main source of support has shifted from Bonnie to Caroline throughout the past few months.
Now we begin the most disturbing segment of the episode - and after “human darts,” that’s really saying something. Stefan meets Damon in the darkened studio (and, he doesn’t really own that “Hello Brother” phrase). After Stefan tells Damon to stop following him, Damon makes a quip about having a birthday girl to take care of (or something like that).
Then we see how deeply disturbed Stefan can really be.
The guy’s not currently at the mercy of the blood (which is how Damon explained Stefan’s actions for mutilating the girls earlier).
No one compelled him to do anything to hurt Andie.
He’d just made a deal with Klaus to save Damon’s life....and this is how he decided to keep his brother from following him any longer.
He compelled Andie to stand at the edge of the catwalk. He made her bring Damon to him - and she was probably aware her life was about to end. Then, to emphasize his point, he made her jump to her death while he forced Damon to watch as he pinned him against the wall.
Stefan is one scary dude.
A emotionally drained Damon arrives back at the boardinghouse, and he’s no longer in the mood to party. When he goes to his room, he’s met by Elena. She’s found his Stefan-tracking area and wants to know why Damon hasn’t told her what he’s been up to. He wants her to forget Stefan...because this Stefan isn’t the one she used to know. Her Stefan won’t be returning in her lifetime. (I understand Damon was still wanting to protect Elena, but WHY didn’t he tell her about Andie here. The girl needs to understand how far he’s gone.) Elena is shocked and hurt here. I so wanted to see Damon come back and level with her about why he lashed out...sadly, that wasn’t meant to be.
Jeremy and Matt bond over ice cream. Matt doesn’t understand that when Jeremy says he sees Vicki, Jeremy means he sees Vickie. Poor Matt. This supernatural stuff is hard.
Tyler and Caroline have some serious pent-up needs to take care of. Seriously? This is probably the hottest sex scene we’ve seen on the show...and it’s between these two characters? I guess the emphasis was on what happens when two supernaturals get together, but yikes! Whichever Salvatore happens to bed another character in the future, the standards for intensity have been kicked up a notch.
And now we’re at my second favorite scene - not because I like seeing Damon in pain (totally the other way around), but because I liked seeing Damon’s control. Yes, Damon trashed Stefan’s room, but he didn’t physically hurt anyone here. This situation is so similar to after he lost Rose - he could easily have wandered out and found a wasted teenager wandering home from the party. Instead, he even stopped destroying Stefan’s room mid-explosion.
Damon’s face as he leans against the table speaks for itself. His worst fears are confirmed. Stefan has truly gone over the edge.
If only Stefan fully understood that. By calling Elena here, that’s really cruel. Yes, she earlier told Caroline she just wanted to know he was alive, but that’s likely because she still thinks he’s doing these things because Klaus is forcing him to. Listening to her plead with him, promising him that she’s still in love with him.
Soundtrack moment two: The song playing here speaks of changes in the weather. I think the conclusion of this scene likely signals a change of seasons for the show. The Stefan and Elena season is over - even if Elena doesn’t realize it yet. Stefan may be trying to fight through here, but he’s given himself over to Klaus. He may cry because he’s conflicted, but no one made him kill Andie the way he did.
Elena doesn’t understand how far gone Stefan is. She doesn’t know what he’s really capable of. When she was with him, she bought the story of the man he tried to be...but that’s not really who he is.
Now onto my comments:
Let’s talk Damon’s hair.... No, this isn’t one of those comments. I think they’re having him grow out his hair as an outward expression of his inner turmoil. The guy’s in over his head. He’s having to be the good guy, and we know he doesn’t think of himself that way. Like when he was letting himself go and partying down with the college girls after losing Katherine, he’s not functioning at full capacity here.
Poor Elena. The girl’s in denial, but it’s because she doesn’t really have all the facts. I’m beyond afraid that she’s not going to really believe that Stefan’s really as far gone as he is until he physically hurts her. I don’t want to see it (and Damon’s reaction would likely be beyond frightening), but she doesn’t seem to understand exactly how detached he is.
And now I have to be honest. These recaps take a lot out of me. I rewatch the show at least 4 times before I’m ready to do these. Right now, I can’t invest that level of emotions. This episode was painful in its intensity. I’m not certain if I’ll be up to doing these full-blown reviews for a while. Seeing the connection between Damon and Elena, while neither are willing to act on it because of each or their duty, honor (can’t figure out the right word here) to Stefan is just too much for me to watch more than once.
I’d love to know what you thought of this one, though.
I’ll hit the high points. Add some commentary. Then, at the end, I have a couple of concerns.
Still with me?
Let’s go.
------------------------------------------
Opening at the house out in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, that’s not going to end well. Klaus’ American accent does NOTHING for me. Then, I don’t understand why the girl didn’t run like heck when he switched into his British accent. He hadn’t compelled her yet. Surely, the accent switch was a sign that the dude was dangerous.
Yikes. Stefan standing blocking the doorway was chilling. This scene was one of the only times I really felt the “ripper” aspect of his nature.
Loved the parallel between Damon in the finale and Elena here in the premiere. They both opened curtains (to songs by the same artist) but for much different reasons. Damon had been trying to end his suffering, and Elena was beginning her adult life.
So, Jeremy’s got a job....and he doesn’t seem to be too enthused. Alaric’s been sleeping on the couch. Yep, life goes on in Mystic Falls. Speaking of, Caroline’s planning a not-surprise party while also passing on leads for Stefan’s potential whereabouts.
Damon apparently really likes his bubble baths. I really thought he’d be in the bath with Andie, but it doesn’t appear that’s the way it went down (or she got out a LONG time ago). I like the fact that he was already on his way downstairs to get more liquor when Elena got there instead of somehow arriving in the living room just to flaunt what he’d been up to.
She’s obviously been spending a lot of time at Casa Salvatore over the summer, since she just waltzes into the house without knocking or anything like that. Yes, she got an eye full. Her reaction made me laugh.
Jeremy sees dead people while at his job. Haven’t figured out the ghosts’ purpose other than to make Jeremy backpedal from all the progress he made last season - when I actually began to like his character. Now he’s back to drugs and that’s just putting MORE pressure on Elena. Not a fan at the moment.
So...I understand that the show is wanting us to realize that quite a bit of time has passed, but I don’t really understand why Tyler was in this scene with Elena’s party preparations. (Isn’t it kind of sad that Elena’s having to help decorate for her own 18th birthday party?) Tyler and Caroline have a very unique vibe going here. I’m not anti-Forwood, but something isn’t working for me. I think it might be that Tyler’s here at all - I’d rather that this would have been a scene with just the girls.
Apparently Damon and Ric have actually been taking Elena’s words to heart, even if they didn’t let her know about it. I’m assuming Damon needed Ric here to help him get in the house. This has to be one of the ickiest scenes in TVD so far. And...since this is apparently Stefan’s “signature,” this is where I move into commentary mode for the first time of this recap.
The fact that Damon apparently was well aware of this side of Stefan is a continuity error for me. There is NO WAY on earth that Damon would even tempt Stefan with human blood knowing what it turned his brother into....at least he wouldn’t have done it once Damon began to feel for Elena. This Stefan is DANGEROUS and twisted. Damon would never have let Elena walk into the room in Miss Mystic Falls to vervain Stefan if he’d known this is what Stefan on too much blood turns into.
Moving on...
Pretty sure we were back in the bar here. Sorry, the human darts game was so disturbing that I’m just going to scurry on past this scene. It was twisted. Yes, we understand Klaus and Stefan are evil. Yuck.
And now we’ve hit one of the three highlights of the episode for me.
The necklace scene.
They had me at the music in the background. Seriously, I think this section of the episode is likely one of the most beautiful moments we’ve seen on the show. I think I like it as much as the Miss Mystic Falls dance....the way they looked back and forth at each other in the mirror, the way Damon choked up when he spoke to her. Gah!
This is my recap and I can give this scene three paragraphs if I want to.
“This is the starting of my greatest fear...” Damon’s been left alone with Elena. In many respects, he’s the only one capable of protecting her right now (sorry, Alaric, but...you’re not the best babysitter). He’s in love with her, but she’s beyond emotionally fragile right now and he knows it.
“This is the starting of a brand new day...” The looks between them speak for themselves. If ever there was a time that I hoped there was a meaning behind the song choice on this show, this one is one of them. She’s just confessed that she’s likely going to break down before the cake - and once again he’s her rock. Supporting her as she needs it. Literally in this case, since he offers her his arm to lead her into the party that she doesn’t want to have.
I think Stefan and Klaus are still playing darts here. Klaus learns that Damon’s following them. And, this is an important part for later, Stefan volunteers to take care of it - and is given NO instructions by Klaus. What Stefan chooses to do is all on him.
Ok, I’m going to give Jeremy a pass at the drug use just because it allowed us to have my third favorite scene in the episode. When Elena sees her brother, she doesn’t confront him herself, she charges outside to find her “guardian.” When she commands Damon to hand her his drink...and he gives it to her....speaks volumes to the closeness of this pair. She takes Damon’s drink, downs a few sips, and hands it back to him. They are so comfortable together now. Having her around so often must be killing him. I’l get back to that later.
Andie’s alone at the station. Once again, this isn’t going to end well. When she was running in terror, I felt like I was watching a horror movie. She’s relieved to see Stefan, but she really shouldn’t be. I don’t think she was in on the whole “how Stefan’s been spending his summer” discussion.
Elena needs to take a breather from the party and happens into Caroline having a snack. While I understand that her friends aren’t wanting her to waste away - I don’t think that Elena was really ready for this conversation, even though she probably needed it. I’m glad it was Caroline here. Interesting how her main source of support has shifted from Bonnie to Caroline throughout the past few months.
Now we begin the most disturbing segment of the episode - and after “human darts,” that’s really saying something. Stefan meets Damon in the darkened studio (and, he doesn’t really own that “Hello Brother” phrase). After Stefan tells Damon to stop following him, Damon makes a quip about having a birthday girl to take care of (or something like that).
Then we see how deeply disturbed Stefan can really be.
The guy’s not currently at the mercy of the blood (which is how Damon explained Stefan’s actions for mutilating the girls earlier).
No one compelled him to do anything to hurt Andie.
He’d just made a deal with Klaus to save Damon’s life....and this is how he decided to keep his brother from following him any longer.
He compelled Andie to stand at the edge of the catwalk. He made her bring Damon to him - and she was probably aware her life was about to end. Then, to emphasize his point, he made her jump to her death while he forced Damon to watch as he pinned him against the wall.
Stefan is one scary dude.
A emotionally drained Damon arrives back at the boardinghouse, and he’s no longer in the mood to party. When he goes to his room, he’s met by Elena. She’s found his Stefan-tracking area and wants to know why Damon hasn’t told her what he’s been up to. He wants her to forget Stefan...because this Stefan isn’t the one she used to know. Her Stefan won’t be returning in her lifetime. (I understand Damon was still wanting to protect Elena, but WHY didn’t he tell her about Andie here. The girl needs to understand how far he’s gone.) Elena is shocked and hurt here. I so wanted to see Damon come back and level with her about why he lashed out...sadly, that wasn’t meant to be.
Jeremy and Matt bond over ice cream. Matt doesn’t understand that when Jeremy says he sees Vicki, Jeremy means he sees Vickie. Poor Matt. This supernatural stuff is hard.
Tyler and Caroline have some serious pent-up needs to take care of. Seriously? This is probably the hottest sex scene we’ve seen on the show...and it’s between these two characters? I guess the emphasis was on what happens when two supernaturals get together, but yikes! Whichever Salvatore happens to bed another character in the future, the standards for intensity have been kicked up a notch.
And now we’re at my second favorite scene - not because I like seeing Damon in pain (totally the other way around), but because I liked seeing Damon’s control. Yes, Damon trashed Stefan’s room, but he didn’t physically hurt anyone here. This situation is so similar to after he lost Rose - he could easily have wandered out and found a wasted teenager wandering home from the party. Instead, he even stopped destroying Stefan’s room mid-explosion.
Damon’s face as he leans against the table speaks for itself. His worst fears are confirmed. Stefan has truly gone over the edge.
If only Stefan fully understood that. By calling Elena here, that’s really cruel. Yes, she earlier told Caroline she just wanted to know he was alive, but that’s likely because she still thinks he’s doing these things because Klaus is forcing him to. Listening to her plead with him, promising him that she’s still in love with him.
Soundtrack moment two: The song playing here speaks of changes in the weather. I think the conclusion of this scene likely signals a change of seasons for the show. The Stefan and Elena season is over - even if Elena doesn’t realize it yet. Stefan may be trying to fight through here, but he’s given himself over to Klaus. He may cry because he’s conflicted, but no one made him kill Andie the way he did.
Elena doesn’t understand how far gone Stefan is. She doesn’t know what he’s really capable of. When she was with him, she bought the story of the man he tried to be...but that’s not really who he is.
Now onto my comments:
Let’s talk Damon’s hair.... No, this isn’t one of those comments. I think they’re having him grow out his hair as an outward expression of his inner turmoil. The guy’s in over his head. He’s having to be the good guy, and we know he doesn’t think of himself that way. Like when he was letting himself go and partying down with the college girls after losing Katherine, he’s not functioning at full capacity here.
Poor Elena. The girl’s in denial, but it’s because she doesn’t really have all the facts. I’m beyond afraid that she’s not going to really believe that Stefan’s really as far gone as he is until he physically hurts her. I don’t want to see it (and Damon’s reaction would likely be beyond frightening), but she doesn’t seem to understand exactly how detached he is.
And now I have to be honest. These recaps take a lot out of me. I rewatch the show at least 4 times before I’m ready to do these. Right now, I can’t invest that level of emotions. This episode was painful in its intensity. I’m not certain if I’ll be up to doing these full-blown reviews for a while. Seeing the connection between Damon and Elena, while neither are willing to act on it because of each or their duty, honor (can’t figure out the right word here) to Stefan is just too much for me to watch more than once.
I’d love to know what you thought of this one, though.
Contest Entry
Hey guys - just wanted to let you know that I've entered a contest on this site for original fiction. http://www.romanceisnotdead.com (And...Ciara has a story up as well.)
For a bit of fun, we decided to do a bit of a contest. The first person who finds each of our stories wins a one-shot (subject of your choice).
PM me here or send me a DM on Twitter if you find it. Helpful hint....at least mine's in the contemporary category.
For a bit of fun, we decided to do a bit of a contest. The first person who finds each of our stories wins a one-shot (subject of your choice).
PM me here or send me a DM on Twitter if you find it. Helpful hint....at least mine's in the contemporary category.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Two Steps Forward, A Million Steps Back
Wow, being a mom to a special needs kid is never easy.
I think what’s hardest, though, is that you never know when issues you thought were totally gone suddenly come back with a vengeance.
One therapist says Bud is autistic.
Another says no, he’s just quirky.
Well, my quirky kid has been crying…for two hours. He literally can’t stop. He’s sick, and the doctor put him on 5 meds. Taking all of them scared him, and he hasn’t been able to calm down sense.
So frustrating.
You want to help, but nothing seems to work - not even his favorite dog at his side.
This has already been a rotten year.
At school, we’ve already had two parent meetings, and we’re only 3 weeks in. The teachers have changed the rules on us, and his friends are no longer allowed to eat with him at his nut-free table. These same two boys have eaten lunch with him every day for three years. And now, because they bring their lunch from home, suddenly they’re off limits. One of these kids learned to eat sunflower-seed-butter sandwiches so he’d be safe for my son.
But the school says it’s too hard for them to check the two boys’ lunches every day…even though they’ve never brought anything dangerous…and he’s lost his safe haven at lunch.
His teacher doesn’t understand the dynamics of working with a dyslexic student - much less one who has a few wires that work differently than other kids. Going to school has become a chore.
And now he’s worn down.
My amazing boy - who was beyond proud of his straight As and “student of the six weeks”….the kid who substitutes have left notes about how amazing he is to have in class….the one who was the reason his dyslexia specialist didn’t retire this year…
That kid.
He’s drowning. He’s so stressed out about school and everything that’s changed. He made himself sick.
Tonight he’s just a shadow of the kid I’ve come to know over the past year.
We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, but the “old” Bud is back. The one that’s inconsolable. The one who can’t communicate.
And my heart breaks.
As a mom and as a teacher, I wish schools could see what their never-ending emphasis on tests….and silly rules….and “getting kids ready for next year” is doing to the students.
Teachers are parents, well, a lot of them are. I understand they’re stressed. They’re overworked. They have too much to do and too little time to do it.
I know.
I’ve been there.
But I wish they could see my son right now….well, maybe I don’t.
I think what’s hardest, though, is that you never know when issues you thought were totally gone suddenly come back with a vengeance.
One therapist says Bud is autistic.
Another says no, he’s just quirky.
Well, my quirky kid has been crying…for two hours. He literally can’t stop. He’s sick, and the doctor put him on 5 meds. Taking all of them scared him, and he hasn’t been able to calm down sense.
So frustrating.
You want to help, but nothing seems to work - not even his favorite dog at his side.
This has already been a rotten year.
At school, we’ve already had two parent meetings, and we’re only 3 weeks in. The teachers have changed the rules on us, and his friends are no longer allowed to eat with him at his nut-free table. These same two boys have eaten lunch with him every day for three years. And now, because they bring their lunch from home, suddenly they’re off limits. One of these kids learned to eat sunflower-seed-butter sandwiches so he’d be safe for my son.
But the school says it’s too hard for them to check the two boys’ lunches every day…even though they’ve never brought anything dangerous…and he’s lost his safe haven at lunch.
His teacher doesn’t understand the dynamics of working with a dyslexic student - much less one who has a few wires that work differently than other kids. Going to school has become a chore.
And now he’s worn down.
My amazing boy - who was beyond proud of his straight As and “student of the six weeks”….the kid who substitutes have left notes about how amazing he is to have in class….the one who was the reason his dyslexia specialist didn’t retire this year…
That kid.
He’s drowning. He’s so stressed out about school and everything that’s changed. He made himself sick.
Tonight he’s just a shadow of the kid I’ve come to know over the past year.
We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, but the “old” Bud is back. The one that’s inconsolable. The one who can’t communicate.
And my heart breaks.
As a mom and as a teacher, I wish schools could see what their never-ending emphasis on tests….and silly rules….and “getting kids ready for next year” is doing to the students.
Teachers are parents, well, a lot of them are. I understand they’re stressed. They’re overworked. They have too much to do and too little time to do it.
I know.
I’ve been there.
But I wish they could see my son right now….well, maybe I don’t.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Hunger Games Poster
I'm a little skeptical about some of the casting. Well, let's just say I'm a LOT skeptical of the casting for the movie, but the poster looks amazing.
I had to post it here.
If you haven't read "The Hunger Games" series, you're truly missing out. Add it to your to be read pile after you finish "The Body Finder" series, though. That's still my favorite.
I had to post it here.
If you haven't read "The Hunger Games" series, you're truly missing out. Add it to your to be read pile after you finish "The Body Finder" series, though. That's still my favorite.
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