My Review of The Vampire Diaries 4.03- The Rager

No question about it, we are now solidly back in the swing of things.  After a couple of slower episodes where Elena was transitioning and learning how to be a vampire, this week we got smacked with a ton of information and a new character.  We had questions answered and new ones raised.  So, here we go...

Let's start with Connor.  Turns out that the tattoo that only Jeremy can see is a hunter's tattoo and can only be seen by another hunter or potential hunter.  We also discovered that; according to Klaus; Connor is one of the Five.  Putting these two pieces of information together along with the fact that Alaric seemed not to have a tattoo, we can come to one of two conclusions.  Either the tattoo is related to Connor being one of the Five (more about this in a bit) or the tattoo is only given to hunters under certain circumstances.  Maybe you have to be raised as a hunter to get one.

About the Five, they are obviously very important.  Important enough that Klaus went through the trouble of saving both Elena (who had drunk werewolf venom) and Connor.  In fact, he told Connor that he was "the best protected vampire hunter in Mystic Falls."  Now, I've seen speculation that maybe the Five are a key to turning Elena human again and therefore giving Klaus more hybrids.  That is a strong possibility.  I also wonder if the Five are five over all of history or if they number 5 at any given point in time and replace their losses through training, like what Connor is doing to Jeremy.  The last question is why Connor (seemingly) does not know that he is one of the Five or what the Five is.

Elena was definitely on a knife's edge this episode.  Rebekah was being a super-queen bitch to Elena.  She taunted her about killing Alaric, took her ring and threw it down a disposal, sent a friend in for Elena to feed off of, wiped blood on Elena's face, and threw a pencil through Elena's left shoulder.  Anyone else want to kill her?  I sympathized with Elena big time, but I am glad that Stefan got through to her.  Killing Rebekah would mean killing her entire line, so you have to ask if the cost is worth it.  And then there was Matt.  It is nice that he is willing to let Elena feed on him, but at the end it nearly killed him.  Good thing Damon came by, because if Elena had fed much longer, Matt would have died.  Elena needs help desperately and Stefan is not the best equipped to give it to her.  He is an addict and she needs fresh blood.  Not the best combination.

I am not quite sure what to make of Hayley.  Given the interview Phoebe gave the other day, I do not think she is actual romantic competition, but she will be competing with Caroline for Tyler's attention.  Add to that the fact that Klaus will use her presence to try and driv3e a wedge between Caroline and Tyler, and you have a recipe for no good.

I loved the banter between Klaus and Damon when they had Connor trapped (ok, skewered) in the hospital.  That was just fun.  And what did Meredith think Damon was going to do?  Let a hunter off with a stern warning?  She cannot be that naive.  If she is, she deserves whatever she gets.  I was glad that she told Damon off, as that is quite probably the thing that saved Matt's life.

Until next week!

My Review of Arrow 1.03- Lone Gunman

I know I haven't done a review of the first two (and probably won't, but you never know!), but at this point I want to write reviews of this show too. So here is my inaugural review of Arrow.

 

Before I start the episode review, I want to talk about the series briefly and why I am enjoying it so much (aside from Stephen Amell's abs!). When I heard about the show, I was expecting something like Smallville, an origin story of a superhero. I have never read comic books; which may seem odd considering the number of comic book movies/TV shows I watch; so I have no clue about the characteristics of the Green Arrow. I only have Smallville to base my predictions on, so I was expecting a bit more playboy and less tortured man. I do like the dynamic though, because it is very similar to Christopher Nolan's Batman. Someone who can do non-heroic things that have to be done without losing their hero status. For the most part, Amell does a nice balancing act with these things, so bravo.

Now onto last night's episode....

First, we find out that Oliver is a captain in a Russian mob-like group. Pretty cool actually. I suppose that it helps to have contacts in the criminal underground when you are fighting them. Although how exactly he joined the group is a mystery. Maybe they were the people on the island who were hunting him and the man who shot him? And was that antidote specifically for the poison that Deadshot used or is it some sort of univeral antidote?

Also, how does Oliver know that Laurel and Tommy had slept together? That was not exactly front page news? Did he make it off the island at some point (maybe when he joined the mob?) and find out about it? Or is he just that good at reading people?

Thea is going to get on my nerves unless she stops fulfilling the stereotypical privileged bad girl role. I get that she's had a tough life and what not, but seriously, she needs to pull herself together. While she is right that Oliver is trying to get her not to do the same things he did, he is not being a hypocrite. He is trying to help her learn from his mistakes. People need to seriously learn what words mean (in real life too!). A hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does another. Not someone who did something in the past and then advocates against it now. That is called learning from the past, it hypocrisy. (Ok, getting off my soapbox now!)

I knew the bodyguard was going to find out the truth soon. Since he has to follow Oliver around, he was going to have to find out, or at least put the pieces together. Wasn't expecting him to get shot, but that works. Now that he knows Oliver can take care of himself, he might be a little less anxious. Also, he can help Oliver out if needed.

I am glad that Laurel's dad did not blame the Arrow for the death in the beginning. He knows that the Arrow only uses arrows, and therefore a poisoned bullet? Not quite his thing. That is the sign of a reasonable man, so let's hope that it continues. And the tension between him and the Queens was very interesting. Understandable, but interesting.

Loved that Laurel came in and helped Oliver and Tommy. That was flat out amusing. And her explanation? Totally reasonable. Talk about damn good teachers though!

Until next week!

My Review of The Vampire Diaries 4.02- Memorial

There's a new danger in town, and he knows about several members of the gang.  We meet someone from Jeremy and Elena's past, Elena adjusts to being a vampire, and Jeremy does something fairly nifty....

Elena is having trouble adjusting to life as a vampire.  Stefan is insistent that Elena drink only animal blood from the start in order to acclimate her to the taste so that she won't accidentally kill someone and turn off her humanity as a result.  Unfortunately, she is rejecting all sources of blood.  She tries live animal, blood bag, and Damon.  First one that takes is when she feeds on Matt.  Have to admire him for that one.  Not at all surprising, but still pretty cool.  I was impressed that she was able to pull off.  Of course, I would expect Elena to be able to pull off of Matt, Jeremy, or Bonnie.  Still, the control was impressive.  Was also impressed to see how well Caroline took to mentoring Elena and how well Elena took the instructions.

Ok, so what is up with Jeremy being able to see the ink on the hunter's arm?  It was obviously something he should not have been able to see.  I wonder whether it has to do with the number of times he has died with the ring or if it has to do with his ability to see people as they are transitioning to the other side.  Whichever it is, he'd better be careful because the hunter was definitely looking at him oddly.  I will bet that the invisible tattoos have something to do with the harmful handshakes.  They also obviously have something to do with the bullets.  I am very sure I saw the same (or a similar) tattoo on his wrist/hand that was on the bullets.

I am not sure if I would side with Damon or Stefan in the Great Blood Debate.  I get where Stefan is coming from, but obviously he was doing something wrong since Elena went to Damon.  I do not think it is that she loves Damon more or anything, but rather that she didn't want to worry Stefan.  I am not quite sure why feeding from Damon was such a big deal, unless it is an intimacy thing.  She really does need both of the brothers to get through this.  Watching Stefan punch Damon in the face was quite funny.

This new hunter is dangerous.  He knows about Tyler and Damon, strongly suspects Elena, and I'll bet he has his suspicions about Stefan.  At this point, I think Caroline may be the only one who he doesn't suspect.  Cannot believe that he stabbed April.  If he thinks he is some sort of good guy, he is seriously deluded.  A good person does not almost kill an innocent person the way he did.  He is dangerous to all sorts of people.  What remains to be seen is if he ends up having any sense of morals or if he is one of those people with a monofocus that can justify anything that furthers that end.

The lantern balloons at the end was nifty.  The group did need the release.  They have all lost so many people and never really had the opportunity to grieve properly, because every time they start to grieve, something else happens.  And Damon leaving was totally expected.  He is never much to express his feelings, but I liked that he went to Alaric's tomb.  Seeing Matt Davis was a very nice touch.

Next week, the hunter starts hunting....

Until then...

My Review of The Vampire Diaries- 4.01- Growing Pains

That was a pretty intense season premiere.  Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Well, Elena has completed the transformation to vampire.  After spending most of the episode trying to get the process reversed, she opted to save her life and complete the transformation with a little help from Stefan and Rebekah.  Matt and Jeremy are guaranteed to be unhappy about this, but I do think that they will adjust to this new Elena.  After all, is it better to have Elena in their life in some fashion or to not have her at all?  I was impressed at the fact that she was able to hold things together as well as she did.  When she had that memory of Damon in her room, I have to say that it took me a while to realize that it was a memory.  Look forward to seeing how she deals with being a vampire over the next few weeks.

Bonnie got spanked hard by the spirits for how she has been using magic.  I must say that I was surprised at how the spirits reacted.  I would have thought that they would have liked one less vampire on the earth since vampires are abominations in their view.  Guess the use of dark magic outweighed the virtue of less vampires.  Also, it was nice to discover that what she did to Tyler was with his consent.  I was under the impression that she did it without his consent in order to save her friends, so seeing that he consented to it makes the whole thing alot more palatable.  I am thinking we are going to have a magic skittish Bonnie for a while.

Rebekah and Klaus have had a major falling out.  Klaus chose to save Caroline from the van rather than Rebekah and she has retaliated by destroying the last of Elena's human blood that would allow him to create hybrids.  He has chosen to renounce her as a sister and family.  This is so not going to end well.  The good thing is: no more hybrids.  The bad thing is that now Klaus could very well be desperate enough to do anything to create a family.  And Rebekah may choose to take her anger out on people Klaus cares about (aka Caroline).  The fallout from this could be massive.

Stefan and Damon both reacted to Elena's change very much in character.  Stefan was very focused on trying to fulfill Elena's wishes and having her not transform, but then when it became obvious that she would die if she didn't transform, he made sure she had blood.  Damon, on the other hand, was being very selfish and wanted her no matter what she thought.  He blamed Matt for what happened and tried to kill him 2 (or was it 3) times.  He reveled in his selfishness and the fact that he would do what he wanted.  And I think this is the real reason Elena chose Stefan.  While I have no doubt that Damon loves her and that there is chemistry there, Damon is so fundamentally selfish that he would not be a good partner.  Stefan is willing to set aside what he wants to accommodateothers, whereas Damon will insist on pushing his wants, needs and desires on the other person if *he* thinks it is best for them.

And how about that Council?  Ok, now former Council.  Not sure about the reason for the mass immolation, but that was interesting.  First, they get the ascendancy and have the sheriff and mayor removed and placed under arrest.  Then they get Stefan, Rebekah, and Elena.  They also almost get Caroline.  What I don't think they counted on was the fact that humans would be willing to help the Salvatores for Elena's sake; even if that help was in a different form than Matt thought it would take (don't think he counted on being bait!).  So like I said, I am not sure why the priest chose to kill all of them, but something had to be done in order to prevent the entire group from scattering to the wind.

Next week, Elena continues to deal with the transformation.....

My Review of Political Animals Episode 6 (Finale)- Resignation Day

The time has arrived. Elaine submits her resignation with a surprising result, there is a massive twist in the middle that I never saw coming, Doug's duplicity is revealed, and Susan gets sucker punched by Georgia....

Wow, that twist in the middle was seriously unexpected. I am going to focus on that and get to the rest later.

About halfway through the episode, we found out that Air Force One crashed on its way to France and all aboard were presumed to have been killed. When they said in the previews that there was an accident, I assumed it was Doug or TJ in the accident. I was so not expecting Garcetti to have been (presumably) killed. That is where things get interesting. I want to explain the terms being tossed around last night, so here we go.

Under the Constitution, all executive power is vested in the President of the United States. Under Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, if the president is unable to discharge the powers of his office due to disability, death, or resignation, the Vice President assumes the President's powers until a new election (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Two_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Clause_6:_Vacancy_and_disability). That is what the Vice-President wanted to do last night. Given the (perfectly valid) assumption that the President had been killed in the plane crash, he wanted to assume the office (under the Tyler Precedent, see link above) of the President. What Elaine and the Chief of Staff were arguing for was a slightly different route where the Vice President would invoke the 25th Amendment (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution). This amendment was put in place in in 1967 for a variety of reasons. First, it was to codify the Tyler Precedent that the Vice President would become the President and not acting President. In other words, the Vice President could assume the office and not just the powers. Second, under the Constitution, there were no provisions for replacing the Vice President. Under the 25th Amendment, the President can voluntarily relinquish his powers temporarily if needed and then reclaim them (Section 3). Under Section 4 (which was discussed last night), if the President is unable to discharge his powers but cannot (or will not) relinquish them, the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet can sign a letter certifying that the President cannot discharge his powers and then the Vice President would become acting President. This is the route that Elaine was urging be taken. Under this route, the President can reclaim his powers under certain conditions. Therefore, if Gercetti somehow survived the crash and came back, he would merely have to certify to Congress that he could discharge his powers properly and then he could reclaim his office. On the other hand, if the VP had taken the oath, you would have two presidents and therefore a Constitutional crisis. By assuming the powers, the VP would act as President and when (if) the President's body is found, then the VP can take on the office completely.

 

I have to say that I was glad the VP took their good advice. Whatever counsel gave the VP the advice to assume the office via the oath should be immediately fired because that was awful advice. Here's why. There is (as hinted above) a distinction between the powers of an office and the office itself. Powers of an office can be shared. Perfect example: the Cabinet system. The President and Congress have decided to create these offices and invested them with some executive authority. Similarly, President Obama has more recently done something similar by creating "czars" of certain policy areas. Power shared can also be taken away if needed. On the other hand, an office cannot be shared and it is harder to strip someone of an office. So, by assuming the powers and becoming acting President, the VP took on the powers while leaving the office vacant until a body is found. I suspect that what actually happened is that the VP wanted to assume the office and his counsel agreed to it because he works for the VP.

 

The presumed death of Garcetti has thrown a major kink into Elaine's plans. She had planned on accepting Garcetti's offer to come on his ticket as VP, but now she seems to be leaning towards running again. Not that I blame her. I think that maybe she and Garcetti would have made an excellent team and it would have been best for her family. However, the VP is unscrupulous and unprincipled. Using TJs affair to round up that vote was (as I've said before) totally underhanded. If the show comes back (which I want iff the cast returns), I so want to see her run against the VP.

 

Which gets us to the letter. Elaine wrote the resignation letter and then gave it to Garcetti, citing recent actions as her reasons for resigning. As mentioned above, he asked her to become his VP. She never formally accepted, but she was going to. Unfortunately, Doug gave a copy of the letter to Susan who promised not to print it. But she decided to share the letter with Georgia (the blogger) who insisted on running the letter immediately. I am definitely siding with Susan on this one for a couple of reasons. First off, it would have totally burned a source and made it harder for her to get a source in the future. Second, it hadn't been made official yet, so if there had been a retraction, it would have caused more issues. I like this division between more old-fashioned investigative journalism and blogging. Sorry bloggers, you ain't reporters. Part of being a reporter is taking the time to get the *FACTS* and make sure all the little ducks are in a row. Immediately posting something without verification of some sort is a bad idea. And then the fact that Georgia went to her boyfriend and then over his head claiming that he slept with her to kill her stories was just over the top. I so want to see her taken down to the gossip level. If she wants to be a reporter and be taken seriously, then she needs to drop her stupid little shortcuts.

 

As for Doug, I'm glad he and Elaine had it out last night. He needed to say all of those things he had been burying. He needed to come clean about what he had been doing and why, so I am really glad that he did. I also loved his conversation with TJ. That was a really nice brotherly moment. And the wedding at the end was really sweet too.

 

I also loved watching TJ and Margaret have their little spat. I loved that he can talk with her about things and they can be frank with each other without being hurtful.

 

Well, here's hoping for another season!

Favorite Moments from the Teen Wolf Season Finale

Meant to do this in the finale and got interrupted, so I forgot. Here are some of my favorite moments from the finale (in no particular order):

[1] Scott and Stiles playing lacrosse at the end
[2] Stiles' dad telling Stiles he was proud of him
[3] Isaac's introduction to Peter Hale (hilarious because it of the snark from Scott and Isaac's deadpan face)
[4] Scott, Isaac, and Scott's mom with Jackson's "body"
[5] Stiles: "Did I get him?" (so eager to please!)
[6] Lydia talks with Stiles
[7] Mr. Argent working with Scott "My car's faster."
[8] Scott finally coming up with a plan and being ahead of Gerard
[9] Lydia helping Jackson
[10] The resurrection of Jackson

My Review of Teen Wolf 2.12- Master Plan

Some surprises, a death, another possible death, some truths being realized, and the introduction of next season's villains....

Well, I have to give Scott credit, he had a plan and stuck with it. Now, I love Scott, but he is not plan guy. That is part of why he needs Stiles, because Stiles can plan. But Scott pulled this one off and he gets serious props for that. Now about that plan:

Remember a few weeks ago when Gerard threatened Scott's mom? Also remember those pills Gerard kept popping? Turns out Gerard has cancer and Scott smelled it on him. Somehow (presumably after talking with the vet), Scott realized that Gerard's plan must be to become a werewolf in order to cure the cancer. So, working with the vet, he replaces Gerard's pills with one filled with mountain ash. When Gerard was at the jail, Scott bumped into him and made the switch then. The mountain ash prevented Gerard from turning. Is he dead? Not sure, but he cannot be in good shape.

So, as I said, very impressed with Scott. I know he had help, but still, the fact that he managed to put the pieces together and come up with a workable plan was impressive. See, this is the thing I really like about Scott. He knows his limits and works with others to compensate for them. His "pack" of Stiles, Alison, and the vet is a good group. Scott is the heart and soul of the group and the others help him out in different ways. Alison (until recently) helped to keep him grounded. Stiles is his friend, the brains of the operation, and his sidekick. The vet has serious amounts knowledge and is a great resource.

See, this support network is of the utmost importance to Scott, which is what made Gerard such an effective enemy. Gerard was able to knock out this support system and keep Scott off balance. By turning Alison into a severe hunter, Gerard took her away from Scott. By kidnapping and beating Stiles, he managed to knock that support away too. Fortunately for Scott, Lydia helped Stiles to do the right thing. When Gerard beat Stiles, he was hurting Scott by removing Stiles from the action. It was only Lydia's talking with Stiles and his yelling at her that got him to snap out of his funk to go help Scott. Ultimately, this is what defeated Gerard's plan. Because Stiles brought Lydia to Jackson, she was able to help him complete his transformation to a werewolf and therefore stop being the Kanima.

Sorry, I know I am rambling a bit. It's just that this part is so important because it helps to understand what I think was the major arc of the season. Last season, Scott was worried about controlling his abilities and learning about what he was. This season, he learned how to be a leader. He is an alpha in his own right; as I've said before. He may not have a wolf pack, but he still has a pack. And I have a feeling that after the events of last night, he may gain a couple new members. Isaac has increasingly been drawn into Scott's orbit over the past few weeks and Mr. Argent is friendlier with Scott. As for Jackson and Lydia, they are the wild cards.

I am not sure whose side Jackson will be on. Theoretically, he should be in Derek's pack, but he was the Kanima first, which may negate that bond. Then there is the fact that when he transformed, he had bright blue eyes. Now, we've seen Alphas with red eyes and Betas with yellow eyes. I do not remember if the Omega had blue eyes or not. If he did, then Jackson is an Omega. If not, then it is possible that the blue eyes signify either that Jackson was the Kanima or that he is free to choose a new pack. He may end up in Scott's orbit or he may go on his own. I don't see him going to Derek, but I could be wrong.

As for Lydia, I suspect that she will follow Jackson's lead in pack choosing. She is new to this and is the only person we have seen so far who was bitten and survived it without being transformed. Does that mean anything beyond her being the one to resurrect Peter? Dunno. But that will be interesting to see.

Part of the reason I don't see Jackson going to Derek is that Derek is the opposite of Scott. He is a lousy leader. He tried to plan, but failed. He doesn't listen to others to compensate for his weaknesses. He does not really have a support system to help him out and consequently has failed miserably. Now that Peter is back and the new pack of Alphas is in town, I wonder what is in store for Derek.

Which brings us to our villains: the Alpha pack. No, this is not the first pack, rather it is a pack of Alphas. That is a genuinely scary thought. Alphas are incredibly powerful and have pretty much been able to mop the floor with anyone (save the Kanima). It took the entire gang to bring down Peter last year. So having a whole pack of the brutes does not bode well for our band of heroes. Really hope they know what they are doing.

Now for some thoughts looking forward:

[1] Alison has broken up with Scott, but I think they will get together again. He cares about her too much to just give up on her. She needs time to think and process. Glad he is giving it to her.
[2] Lydia and Jackson are stronger than ever which does not bode well for Stiles' unrequited love. Hope that poor boy catches a break soon, he really deserves it.
[3] Scott and Stiles are stronger than ever. Glad to see that. Love that the final scene of the season was the two of them just having fun.
[4] Given that next season is 24 episodes rather than 12, I assume there will be 2 distinct arcs. The first one will be the Alpha pack. Wonder what the second will be.
[5] How is Scott going to wrap his mother into this? He can't just leave her in ignorance of what he is doing elsewhere. That could be truly interesting.

Until next season!