Vampire Diaries: 3x07 - Ghost World

[butterfly]

Hmm. Okay, wow. This episode kinda was interesting to me in a lot of ways.

a) So, I liked (not loved, but liked) Lexi in her first episode. Was kinda put off by her in her second one. Hated her in this episode. Seriously, she tortures Stefan until his behavior is acceptable to her and she's managed to break him back into being 'her' Stefan again? That's how she 'saves' him? Torture until he represses the blood urge. How is this not exactly what Bill Forbes tried to do to Caroline? No wonder Stefan is so fucked up. I'm now thanking Damon's lucky stars that Lexi didn't take him under her wing. Because... damn. She's Bill Forbes. And how many times did she need to do it? Apparently more than just twice, from how they were talking. Hey, maybe all those relapses could serve as a hint that the method doesn't work. Argh.

b) Awww. Rebekah's necklace was Stefan's symbol of hope in his darkest hour (aw, losing his memories of Klaus and Rebekah was his darkest hour!). That's actually really adorable. *ships them more*

c) Did Damon just charm Alaric out of being mad at him? I think he might have. Alaric totally looked less pissed off at Damon than he has recently. I really enjoyed the whole Damon-Alaric-Mason stuff. Oh, and the Damon/Stefan scene at the beginning cracked me up! I noticed that Stefan couldn't leave his brother stabbed. He does still care.

d) I enjoyed all the ghosts. I found it interesting that Elena explicitly compared her/Stefan to Jeremy/Anna. There are actually a lot of parallels, when I think about it. Both of them pretended to be human at the start, both of them used information (either by withholding or giving) in order to try to control the other person into caring about them, both of them have a familial bond that is stronger than their romantic bonds (Pearl for Anna and Damon for Stefan). Hmm.

e) Poor Bonnie. This episode kinda sucked for her in a lot of ways.

f) Matt, walking away again. He does that a lot, it seems.

g) Elena made me feel many complex emotions tonight that I will need time to process.

h) I actually did really enjoy the episode, btw. But, man, it really made me feel bad for Ripper!Stefan. Was that the intent? I suspect that was not the intent.

Comments

[silviakundera]

Hey, maybe all those relapses could serve as a hint that the method doesn't work. Argh.

IKR? That is NOT the answer. I really, really hope that Stefan's ultimate storyline this season eventually ends up being about how he has to find his balanced self and make the decisions about who he wants to be (not be what Klaus wants or Damon wants or Lexi wants or Elena wants, but who Stefan is).

otherwise I will be sadface.

[butterfly]

I really hope that, too.

Stefan seems to be the only person who is getting denied the freedom to choose who he is (well, Tyler is kinda getting that, too, but not to the extent that Stefan has). And it started from the beginning, when Katherine kept more secrets from him than from Damon and compelled him into going along with her once he had found out her secrets. He wasn't allowed to feel the distaste and fear that he genuinely felt on discovering the truth. And it's kinda been that way all along for him, it seems.

[silviakundera]

It seemed so clear to me that in 3x5 the emotional struggle for Stefan was being caught between both Elena and Klaus -- two ways instead of one. Both people wanted him to live up to an ideal, their extreme vision of who they think he should be. The real Stefan is somewhere in the middle.

I just hope that the writers ultimately understand the character they've created. DDD:

[butterfly]

It seemed so clear to me that in 3x5 the emotional struggle for Stefan was being caught between both Elena and Klaus -- two ways instead of one. Both people wanted him to live up to an ideal, their extreme vision of who they think he should be. The real Stefan is somewhere in the middle.

Yes. Elena wants him to completely deny his vampire nature, while Klaus wants him to completely give in to it. Damon is allowed the dignity of choosing his own path. I hope that Stefan gets accorded that same respect. I hope that's what his journey this season is about.

[scy]

Yes, the methods Lexi used were awful. And, Stefan was using a gentler method, well, less contact, but still - starving Damon until he was 'good' that Lexi likely told him about and used on HIM. I mean, punishing somebody until they do what you want is not therapy. It's well, abuse and torture.

Damon and Stefan need to TALK about what Lexi did, because Damon has no patience for those methods, as we saw with Bill Forbes, and hey, THEIR DAD.

Oh, and yes, Caroline and Bonnie were GREAT. GIRLS.

Damon and Alaric? Augh, he is Damon's only FRIEND, and one of two humans Damon trust, and one of a FEW human or not people that he will EVER call. And his little 'come on, love me?' GRIN. Then Alaric giving him that LOOK. Meep! I squeaked with joy. Very much 'god, you are such an asshole, but you are MY psychotic vampire, aren't you? OH ALL RIGHT, LET US FIGHT EVIL, AT LEAST EVIL THAT IS NOT YOU. NOW STOP GRINNING AT ME, THIS CAVE IS NO PLACE FOR MAKING OUT. OOOH CAVE PAINTINGS.'

[butterfly]

Yes, the methods Lexi used were awful. And, Stefan was using a gentler method, well, less contact, but still - starving Damon until he was 'good' that Lexi likely told him about and used on HIM. I mean, punishing somebody until they do what you want is not therapy. It's well, abuse and torture.

Damon and Stefan need to TALK about what Lexi did, because Damon has no patience for those methods, as we saw with Bill Forbes, and hey, THEIR DAD.

Yeah, I suspect that if Damon knew the methods Lexi had been using, the words, "I should have killed her sooner" might cross his lips. He thought she was going to help his baby brother. And, yeah, Lexi is probably the person who told him the stories about what ~older vampires would do to misbehaving young vampires.

Oh, and yes, Caroline and Bonnie were GREAT. GIRLS.

♥ them.

Damon and Alaric? Augh, he is Damon's only FRIEND, and one of two humans Damon trust, and one of a FEW human or not people that he will EVER call. And his little 'come on, love me?' GRIN. Then Alaric giving him that LOOK. Meep! I squeaked with joy. Very much 'god, you are such an asshole, but you are MY psychotic vampire, aren't you? OH ALL RIGHT, LET US FIGHT EVIL, AT LEAST EVIL THAT IS NOT YOU. NOW STOP GRINNING AT ME, THIS CAVE IS NO PLACE FOR MAKING OUT. OOOH CAVE PAINTINGS.'

lol, yes. Alaric just couldn't resist that smile (and the implication that he's one of the very few people that Damon cares about).

[scy]

Yes, if Damon knew what Lexi's idea of helping was? And that she basically taught Stefan to IGNORE, OR BE HURT, he would not be thrilled. Not at ALL. Damon learned how to deal with all of this stuff on his own, and is therefore a well adjusted vampire. Not emotionally, but that's accumulated issues from, oh, birth. And Damon has been living as a VAMPIRE for decades, while Stefan pretends he is human, then goes back to being a vampire, none of which is healthy. One has to be a vampire, live that way, and then if it's in the cards, live among humans.

The girls were so great this episode. And I have an essay in my head about Caroline being a successor to Cordelia and a bit of Buffy. But OH, MY GIRL. She is just - Candace's stance before she went to kick ass made me CHEER.

Oh, Alaric. He was so amazed that Damon does not APOLOGIZE, and yet, Damon does not, unless he MEANS it, and he wasn't sorry about Mason, he just pointed out that yes, he did not HAVE to kill him.

Then Alaric's EXPRESSION when Damon gave him that apology. OH, MY HEART.

And he IS, and he knows this is Damon coming out and saying 'YOU MATTER, PLEASE DO NOT HATE ME.'

[threerings]

Yeah, Lexi's methods creeped me out here. I didn't HATE her, but now I WONDER about her. Like, what in the world would make you want to do that for someone? Even if you believed it was the only way to get him to behave? A total stranger, and you're going to spend months (years?) at a time torturing him for his own good? That is not a healthy instinct there. It makes me wonder big time about Lexi's past and if this was something that was done to her.

And yes, it's what Bill Forbes tried, which is why I kept holding my breath and waiting for Caroline to develop an unhealthy relationship to blood ala Stefan. So glad they didn't go there, but I thought they were.