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butterflyIt's been an uneven season. I feel like there's been quite a bit of mishandling.
Some things have been great - I've adored the Originals (Rebekah and Klaus! Still not dead!); I've liked Bonnie's arc; I thought they were doing a good job with Elena up through half-way through the season; and Damon has been good throughout.
But the Alaric arc was very badly-handled. I'm still not sure what parts of how Alaric behaved during the season were him and which parts were Evilaric. At the end of the season, I feel like, yes, I'm mourning for the loss of Team Badass, but I've been mourning it all season long in a lot of ways - Ric has been consistently terrible to Damon this year in a way that he wasn't last season. And then there's been the way that Stefan and Caroline haven't had a single scene together - have y'all noticed that? I suspect it's because the actors have too much chemistry and apparently Stefan is only allowed to appear attracted to Elena (given the way that we were introduced to Rebekah only to have her interest and storyline completely shift to Damon).
The Stefan-goes-bad arc has been terribly done. And I had such high hopes for it, too. But he's suffered zero consequences as a result of what he chose to do out of his own free will - he chose to follow Klaus (to save Damon's life) and to do Klaus's bidding, killing people for him. And he chose to tell Elena he didn't care about Jeremy's life. And, most of all, he chose to take the single most terrifying and painful moment in Elena's life in order to use her so that he could manipulate Klaus. And, at the end of the season, he's the perfect golden boy again, with the pure love who "respects" people's choices. What? Seriously, we're going to ignore the first half of the season entirely? We're just going to throw it all out and pretend none of it happened?
But of course we are, just like we're going to ignore that Stefan stalked Elena for months. That he lied to her in order to get her to fall in love with him. That he slept with her without telling her that he'd previously been in love with a woman who looks just like her. That he constantly lies in order to make himself look better. We've ignored all that, so why not ignore him murdering people (including Andie) and generally being a jackass in so many ways. Sure, why not? After all, we can just blame everything on Damon. That has always worked out pretty well for Stefan in the past, so why break a successful habit?
After all the horrible things that Stefan did, Elena was the one who ended up feeling guilty and being treated like a bad-horrible person for daring to have feelings for Damon - you know, the guy who was actually there for her and supported her while Stefan was off killing people. She's the bad guy, not the people who've, you know, killed people.
I'm also pretty sad about Elena's 'arc'. At the beginning of the season, it seemed like it was about growing up, but she ended up regressing right back into her safety zone. And, yes, she's now become a vampire, but I'm just kinda feeling like the vast majority of S3 was just... pointless. Should have just turned Elena at the end of S2; emotionally, she's in the exact same place. Hell, she's in the same place she was at the end of S1. I feel like she hasn't grown up at all. She still retreats into denial and lies because reality is too scary. But reality doesn't go away because you've decided to hide from it.
Maybe turning into a vampire will let Elena blossom in the same way that it did Caroline, but I'm feeling pretty wary about S4 at the moment (and again, if that happens, it makes me feel like the entirety of S3 was absolutely pointless for Elena as a character). This season had some really great stuff, but it also had some pretty significant missteps.
Some things have been great - I've adored the Originals (Rebekah and Klaus! Still not dead!); I've liked Bonnie's arc; I thought they were doing a good job with Elena up through half-way through the season; and Damon has been good throughout.
But the Alaric arc was very badly-handled. I'm still not sure what parts of how Alaric behaved during the season were him and which parts were Evilaric. At the end of the season, I feel like, yes, I'm mourning for the loss of Team Badass, but I've been mourning it all season long in a lot of ways - Ric has been consistently terrible to Damon this year in a way that he wasn't last season. And then there's been the way that Stefan and Caroline haven't had a single scene together - have y'all noticed that? I suspect it's because the actors have too much chemistry and apparently Stefan is only allowed to appear attracted to Elena (given the way that we were introduced to Rebekah only to have her interest and storyline completely shift to Damon).
The Stefan-goes-bad arc has been terribly done. And I had such high hopes for it, too. But he's suffered zero consequences as a result of what he chose to do out of his own free will - he chose to follow Klaus (to save Damon's life) and to do Klaus's bidding, killing people for him. And he chose to tell Elena he didn't care about Jeremy's life. And, most of all, he chose to take the single most terrifying and painful moment in Elena's life in order to use her so that he could manipulate Klaus. And, at the end of the season, he's the perfect golden boy again, with the pure love who "respects" people's choices. What? Seriously, we're going to ignore the first half of the season entirely? We're just going to throw it all out and pretend none of it happened?
But of course we are, just like we're going to ignore that Stefan stalked Elena for months. That he lied to her in order to get her to fall in love with him. That he slept with her without telling her that he'd previously been in love with a woman who looks just like her. That he constantly lies in order to make himself look better. We've ignored all that, so why not ignore him murdering people (including Andie) and generally being a jackass in so many ways. Sure, why not? After all, we can just blame everything on Damon. That has always worked out pretty well for Stefan in the past, so why break a successful habit?
After all the horrible things that Stefan did, Elena was the one who ended up feeling guilty and being treated like a bad-horrible person for daring to have feelings for Damon - you know, the guy who was actually there for her and supported her while Stefan was off killing people. She's the bad guy, not the people who've, you know, killed people.
I'm also pretty sad about Elena's 'arc'. At the beginning of the season, it seemed like it was about growing up, but she ended up regressing right back into her safety zone. And, yes, she's now become a vampire, but I'm just kinda feeling like the vast majority of S3 was just... pointless. Should have just turned Elena at the end of S2; emotionally, she's in the exact same place. Hell, she's in the same place she was at the end of S1. I feel like she hasn't grown up at all. She still retreats into denial and lies because reality is too scary. But reality doesn't go away because you've decided to hide from it.
Maybe turning into a vampire will let Elena blossom in the same way that it did Caroline, but I'm feeling pretty wary about S4 at the moment (and again, if that happens, it makes me feel like the entirety of S3 was absolutely pointless for Elena as a character). This season had some really great stuff, but it also had some pretty significant missteps.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-11 03:48 pm (UTC)That's what pisses me off so much with what they've done with this whole ELENA MUST CHOOSE thing in the last few episodes. Elena has been made out to be the one at fault, she's stringing these guys along, she's two-timing, she's in danger of becoming a S-L-U-T. Like, seriously? FU show.
Yeah, much as I love Elena, she hasn't really changed much. But it's sorta one reason I'm maybe-kinda looking forward to Elena being a vampire? Cause obviously where we are now kinda sucks and is boring and annoying. So, hopefully this allows the writers to do something different?
Also, good freaking point about Rebekah and Stefan. WTF happened to that? seriously? That was really interesting. Seriously, I just want Stefan to fall for someone else, cause I feel like he has so much more chemistry with anyone but Elena. Also, Elena does not need his bullshit.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-12 12:40 am (UTC)Yeah, it basically feels like they treated her kissing Damon as canceling out Stefan murdering and terrorizing people. Stefan can be all "the past is the past" and Elena will agree and even feel like he's being startlingly fair and kind.
Yeah, much as I love Elena, she hasn't really changed much. But it's sorta one reason I'm maybe-kinda looking forward to Elena being a vampire? Cause obviously where we are now kinda sucks and is boring and annoying. So, hopefully this allows the writers to do something different?
This season has done a lot to hurt my trust in the writers. Possibly kill it. I'll give it some time and see if my trust survives its battle wounds.
/melodrama
Also, good freaking point about Rebekah and Stefan. WTF happened to that? seriously? That was really interesting. Seriously, I just want Stefan to fall for someone else, cause I feel like he has so much more chemistry with anyone but Elena. Also, Elena does not need his bullshit.
Exactly.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-12 07:10 am (UTC)And I liked it when Stefan and Rebekah were involved - they were interesting.
Why can't we have more diversity?
It feels like they're almost saying 'oh, and Damon sleeps with a lot of people (but of COURSE never MEN, *wink*) so he's not to be trusted, etc.'
Which is ticking me off something fierce.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-13 11:35 pm (UTC)Yeah, that whole flashback with her and Matt, with her worrying that she was stringing him along? I was rolling my eyes so much with that. Not that she maybe wasn't stringing him along if she really didn't feel strongly about him, but that is NOT actually analogous to the situation with the Salvatores. Good grief, show.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-13 11:36 pm (UTC)Totally aside from the whackiness of some of the storylines, this season has featured some of the laziest writing ever. They just don't seem to be thinking things through at all, whereas they seemed perfectly capable of doing that all through S1 and 2. *throws up hands*
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-13 11:38 pm (UTC)*sigh* Yeah, it's OK if Damon does it, because he's BAD *eyeroll*, but anyone else who does it is clearly going evil. Whatever.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-14 05:14 am (UTC)