The Vampire Diaries 3x08 Review
Nov. 15th, 2011 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaOrdinary People
An okay episode.
• Elena was awesome as usual and I loved her interactions with Rebekah. I actually really love how much better she is getting at manipulating people and the way she played Rebekah was excellent. I also love how she just doesn’t back down even when facing a millennia old vampire who has no issues killing people. I also loved her being on the ball and proactive about everything that’s happening – her handling Rebekah herself, her “too bad” response about Stefan when Damon called her outside the cell, her working with Alaric to figure out what the symbols mean and figuring out the truth in the end.
• There was a lot of implication that Rebekah really needs and wants a friend – her getting Elena to help pick a homecoming dress, her trying to bond via going through their shared ex-boyfriends’ stuff, her showing her vulnerability – and I’d love for Elena and her to become friends. Rebekah was right when she pointed out that she herself hadn’t hurt Elena and now we have Elena seeing her all vulnerable and human and this being Elena you can already see her compassion working overtime.
• “Maybe you can compel yourself a friend.” – Elena. That really doesn’t seem to be the smartest thing to say. Especially considering a) Rebekah is very dangerous and unknown, b) Rebekah spent the past half hour trying to bond and doing friend type things with Elena, and c) Elena is right there. It’s probably best if Elena not give her ideas.
• I was really surprised that Elena didn’t try to comfort Rebekah at the end and a bit put off about it. I mean Elena just spent the day learning about Rebekah and coming to understand her before destroying her world – and she didn’t offer her a hug or a couple words of comfort? We should have at least seen her try and get rejected. This is Elena after all.
• I loved Elena training with Damon while chatting with Alaric about their hybrid problems. Everything about that scene made me happy (it just needed Caroline and Bonnie).
• Damon/Elena were excellent. Him scaring her in the tunnels (heh), their training, the checking in about Stefan and the final bedroom scene – I loved it all. The final bedroom scene in particular was perfect. I love that after a few ignored demands Elena just kind of mentally rolls her eyes and then crawls into bed. I loved the casualness of their discussion and just how very comfortable both of them were.
• “I think you’re going to be the one to save him from himself. It won’t be because he love me. It’ll be because he loves you.” – Elena. Okay, so a part of me loves this a lot. We’ve had such an emphasis on Stefan/Elena and it really bothered me that the Stefan/Damon relationship has felt so back-burnered so all the Stefan/Damon emphasis in this episode was great. This show is all about family and so of course it would be Damon. I don’t know if the show is actually going to follow through with this but if it was an option between the two – Stefan saving himself for Elena or Damon – I would choose Damon. But, honestly, I would much rather it be Damon and Elena who save Stefan, or Stefan saving himself for himself.
• I really liked the Damon/Stefan scenes and I loved the show finally focusing on their relationship again. I loved Damon letting Stefan out and taking him to a bar and actually talking with him. Stefan getting around Klaus’s compulsion in order to save Damon’s life was awesome. He tried to wave it away later as doing it for himself (so he could be free) but I don’t buy it really. And Damon’s frustration later: “Because I owe you. And, because I can’t just leave you in a cell to rot.” Oh, Damon. Because he loves Stefan and he can’t even say it.
• “Don’t worry, I’m off him until he starts treating me better. In fact you should probably take a page out of my book.” – Rebekah. I still don’t love Rebekah but I did love what we saw of her in this episode. I loved this line a lot. I loved human!Rebekah who used a knife and refused to ‘accept her place’, who was loyal to her brothers and loved them.
• I loved seeing Elijah again. I really hope we can see him again in person soon.
• On one hand I love that the Original Witch turned out to be the Original Vampires’ mother. It works well, makes sense and I think it’s a great idea. But on the other hand it plays into this show’s racial issues with witches in a way that makes me uncomfortable.
• “He has a hold over Stefan’s life, and over mine.” – Elena. And um, also he turned and then murdered her aunt in front of her. What is with the complete lack of Jenna mentions this season?
• Okay, where is Katherine? Why has there been no mention of her? I might be getting a bit worried about her.
• How the hell does the doppelganger come into all of this? We hear and see nothing about her and yet I thought she had to have played a large role in this somehow. Who was she? Was she just a random Viking neighbour sacrificed by Esther to contain Niklaus?
• I realise that the show probably hasn’t cast all of Klaus’s siblings but their absence was really noticeable and it bothered me multiple times during the episode. I found it weird.
- I also don’t like the way that the other four seemingly split completely from Klaus/Rebekah/Elijah right from the beginning. Elijah’s whole motivation in season 2 was his family – first revenge for Klaus taking them from him then the promise of getting them back. I suppose he could have been just talking about Rebekah but it didn’t seem like it. This is only the beginning so it is entirely possible that the other four join back up with their siblings at some point or Elijah maintains a relationship with them. I also found it really strange that the other four siblings left before even burying their mother.
• I liked the Alaric/Bonnie exchange about Jeremy. It was really sweet.
An okay episode.
• Elena was awesome as usual and I loved her interactions with Rebekah. I actually really love how much better she is getting at manipulating people and the way she played Rebekah was excellent. I also love how she just doesn’t back down even when facing a millennia old vampire who has no issues killing people. I also loved her being on the ball and proactive about everything that’s happening – her handling Rebekah herself, her “too bad” response about Stefan when Damon called her outside the cell, her working with Alaric to figure out what the symbols mean and figuring out the truth in the end.
• There was a lot of implication that Rebekah really needs and wants a friend – her getting Elena to help pick a homecoming dress, her trying to bond via going through their shared ex-boyfriends’ stuff, her showing her vulnerability – and I’d love for Elena and her to become friends. Rebekah was right when she pointed out that she herself hadn’t hurt Elena and now we have Elena seeing her all vulnerable and human and this being Elena you can already see her compassion working overtime.
• “Maybe you can compel yourself a friend.” – Elena. That really doesn’t seem to be the smartest thing to say. Especially considering a) Rebekah is very dangerous and unknown, b) Rebekah spent the past half hour trying to bond and doing friend type things with Elena, and c) Elena is right there. It’s probably best if Elena not give her ideas.
• I was really surprised that Elena didn’t try to comfort Rebekah at the end and a bit put off about it. I mean Elena just spent the day learning about Rebekah and coming to understand her before destroying her world – and she didn’t offer her a hug or a couple words of comfort? We should have at least seen her try and get rejected. This is Elena after all.
• I loved Elena training with Damon while chatting with Alaric about their hybrid problems. Everything about that scene made me happy (it just needed Caroline and Bonnie).
• Damon/Elena were excellent. Him scaring her in the tunnels (heh), their training, the checking in about Stefan and the final bedroom scene – I loved it all. The final bedroom scene in particular was perfect. I love that after a few ignored demands Elena just kind of mentally rolls her eyes and then crawls into bed. I loved the casualness of their discussion and just how very comfortable both of them were.
• “I think you’re going to be the one to save him from himself. It won’t be because he love me. It’ll be because he loves you.” – Elena. Okay, so a part of me loves this a lot. We’ve had such an emphasis on Stefan/Elena and it really bothered me that the Stefan/Damon relationship has felt so back-burnered so all the Stefan/Damon emphasis in this episode was great. This show is all about family and so of course it would be Damon. I don’t know if the show is actually going to follow through with this but if it was an option between the two – Stefan saving himself for Elena or Damon – I would choose Damon. But, honestly, I would much rather it be Damon and Elena who save Stefan, or Stefan saving himself for himself.
• I really liked the Damon/Stefan scenes and I loved the show finally focusing on their relationship again. I loved Damon letting Stefan out and taking him to a bar and actually talking with him. Stefan getting around Klaus’s compulsion in order to save Damon’s life was awesome. He tried to wave it away later as doing it for himself (so he could be free) but I don’t buy it really. And Damon’s frustration later: “Because I owe you. And, because I can’t just leave you in a cell to rot.” Oh, Damon. Because he loves Stefan and he can’t even say it.
• “Don’t worry, I’m off him until he starts treating me better. In fact you should probably take a page out of my book.” – Rebekah. I still don’t love Rebekah but I did love what we saw of her in this episode. I loved this line a lot. I loved human!Rebekah who used a knife and refused to ‘accept her place’, who was loyal to her brothers and loved them.
• I loved seeing Elijah again. I really hope we can see him again in person soon.
• On one hand I love that the Original Witch turned out to be the Original Vampires’ mother. It works well, makes sense and I think it’s a great idea. But on the other hand it plays into this show’s racial issues with witches in a way that makes me uncomfortable.
• “He has a hold over Stefan’s life, and over mine.” – Elena. And um, also he turned and then murdered her aunt in front of her. What is with the complete lack of Jenna mentions this season?
• Okay, where is Katherine? Why has there been no mention of her? I might be getting a bit worried about her.
• How the hell does the doppelganger come into all of this? We hear and see nothing about her and yet I thought she had to have played a large role in this somehow. Who was she? Was she just a random Viking neighbour sacrificed by Esther to contain Niklaus?
• I realise that the show probably hasn’t cast all of Klaus’s siblings but their absence was really noticeable and it bothered me multiple times during the episode. I found it weird.
- I also don’t like the way that the other four seemingly split completely from Klaus/Rebekah/Elijah right from the beginning. Elijah’s whole motivation in season 2 was his family – first revenge for Klaus taking them from him then the promise of getting them back. I suppose he could have been just talking about Rebekah but it didn’t seem like it. This is only the beginning so it is entirely possible that the other four join back up with their siblings at some point or Elijah maintains a relationship with them. I also found it really strange that the other four siblings left before even burying their mother.
• I liked the Alaric/Bonnie exchange about Jeremy. It was really sweet.
