The Vampire Diaries 2x02-2x05

[oyceter]

When did spoilers get really good?

I mean, I knew the show was doing plot like whoa at the end of last season, but this season has been kickass, particularly with the characterization.

I continue to like Elena, whose level-headedness serves as an excellent center to the show. I love in particular how people on this show actually talk to each other, especially Elena and Stefan. Please please please show, do not do Elena/Damon, because despite being bored by Stefan in the beginning, I am actually very fond of him now. I think it is how he acts as big brother to Caroline and Bonnie. It is very endearing! I also love that the argument Elena and Stefan have is staged for Katherine; I was scared the show was going to go into more rocky relationship dynamics, and this is so much better. I love that Caroline ends up telling Elena about Katherine and that although Elena is angry, she also understands. I love how she can't forgive Damon for what he did to Jeremy even as she's honest enough to tell him so and honest enough to thank him for the information about the ring, and thought I thought I would never say this, I really like how the show is doing Damon.

His mixture of jerk and genuine human emotion is fascinating, moreso when the show is not inclined to let him off the hook for being a jerk and a sociopath. I love that Caroline finally got her memories back and hurt Damon, although I feel they aren't carrying the consequences of that out as much.

Re: the Caroline arc. Love! Especially Caroline beating the crap out of Mason. That was AWESOME, especially because so many books and shows with vampires and werewolves leave the supernatural strength to the guys. I especially love the gender reversal of the paternalistic "I can't be with you for your own good" between Caroline and Matt; I'm guessing it will come back soon and Matt will find out.

Speaking of which, I'm so glad we're getting to the point where more and more people are finding out about the vampires and werewolves; the early part of "No one can know!" is always the most boring when it comes to these types of series, imo.

Also, the last reveal with Katherine and Mason was great! I am also wondering if the show is going to start dragging Klaus in, now that there's the hint that Katherine's not originally from the Americas.

The things I don't like:

The show is still giving most of the interesting story lines and motivations to the white men, and it's the white guys who come back the most as recurring guest stars. Also, the line about the basement beneath the old Lockwood mansion as a place to hold slaves is... really distasteful, especially given that it's a one-liner to cover up the werewolf-ness of the Lockwood family and given that the show doesn't look much at slavery and has been writing out and/or killing all the POC characters.

For example, Bonnie! Bonnie setting Damon on fire was AWESOME! And then ... nothing from her for three episodes when there's a ton of tension to explore between her and Caroline, along with her and Elena? Why? I am really hoping it's because the actress has other commitments, because otherwise, it looks very bad. It got to the point where I had to check if Katerina Graham was still a regular. It's also annoying because they basically drag her in to be a (literal) Magical Negro; she spells the ring for Caroline and then she's gone again. I keep saying this, but I really wish there would be more examining how Bonnie and Emily and Sheila are used to simply help the white characters out of their fixes.

Also, double boo for the Aztec curse and how that plays into all the dead Indian and Indian curse stereotypes. Triple boo for introducing Bonnie to a potential love interest and then killing him right away. It's a little hard to overlook how Caroline's been given a lot more story in all the episodes so far (1st and 2nd season) even though Bonnie has known about vampires for longer and has magical powers enough to write her into a lot of storylines. It's even worse that she's been isolated from all the core characters, as opposed to Caroline and Jeremy and even Tyler, who are slowly being brought into the world of the main cast. It's especially weird because her antagonism of Damon is great story fodder!

In conclusion: plot super exciting, politics not as much.

Comments

[latxcvi]

Yeah, I'm really largely enjoying the show, but all of the issues you have with it are the same issues I'm having with it (especially all the stuff about Bonnie). Like, I still don't understand why we had to lose Anna permanently, but freakin' John Gilbert got to survive because of his stupid magic ring. Anna would have made an interesting foil/possible team member for Team StefanElenaDamon after the death of her mother and in the wake of Katherine's arrival into town. But no. She gets a completely insignificant death in the finale, while John Gilbert -- who didn't add anything to the story canvas from a long-term perspective, what with how all the other characters hated his ass -- gets to walk away? Whatever, show. Whatever.

[oyceter]

Yes! In the finale last season, I cheered when Katherine knifed Jon Gilbert, but how come all the white guys have magical rings while none of the poc, esp. the woc do?! And Jeremy gets two women fridged for his own angst when he gets very little to do in the plot. I am still so pissed off that they killed Anna on top of all the other WOC they killed in S1.