One of the shows I was the most excited for this season was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I was excited for 2 main reasons. First off, it is a spin off of comic books and a great set of movies. Secondly, it is a Joss Whedon show and Joss Whedon; for those who may not know; has history of doing awesome, incredible shows. He created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse all of which I loved. Sadly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has seriously failed to deliver on much.
Going in, I knew that the show wasn't about superheroes, so that didn't shock me. What did what the almost complete lack of Jossness in the show. In BtVS, Joss took stereotypes and completely turned them on their head. He made one blonde cheerleader into his hero, a second into a major villain, and killed what looked like a major character in the pilot episode. As the show went on, it became famous for the banter, quips, and twists, much of which we now take for granted. Joss also excelled at teaching moral lessons while not seeming to teach anything and without being preachy.
Unfortunately, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't deliver anything remotely close to this. The characters and banter are incredibly mundane and bland. It's like someone decided that they wanted to try and imitate Joss, but lacked his deft hand and failed miserably. All of the characters are cookie cutter and (frankly) boring. Ming-Na's Melinda is the most interesting character, mainly because she is an incredibly bad-ass fighter. The rest of the cast is a fairly cookie cutter collection of a special agent, a hacker, and two tech geeks, none of whom are particularly interesting.
All of this I could forgive and I could hold out for more characterization later if the stories were interesting, but frankly, they are not. They are ok and the action scenes are not bad, but overall it doesn't deliver anything that makes me want to come back. I am honestly at the point where I am saying that if I miss an episode and tape it, I am not in a hurry to watch it again. Not a good thing. I want to love this show and I want to get lost in it, but sadly that is not happening. I have decided that I am giving the show two more episodes (last nights and next week's) to impress me. If it doesn't, then I am dropping it.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
My Review of The Originals 1.04- Girl in New Orleans
We learn a little more about Cami, Devinna meets Klaus, Hayley runs into some trouble and some new information comes to light, and Marcel makes some decisions regarding the Originals.
Klaus and Devinna face off and it ends in a draw. Devinna can hurt Klaus and keep him away, but he heals so quickly that nothing she has done so far does much more than give him pause. She tried boiling his blood and breaking bones, but it didn't matter to Klaus. Good luck trying to kill him. She would have to do catastrophic damage and make the cumulative effects cause him so much damage so quickly that he wouldn't be able to heal. Somehow I doubt she can do that. He did not help matters at all when he put her in his debt by first almost killing and then reviving her crush. If Klaus can manage to turn Devinna to his side, Marcel won't last very long. Between the witches, Devinna, Klaus, Rebekah, and (maybe) Elijah, Marcel and his army don't stand a chance.
I found it interesting that Cami's brother killed a bunch of seminarians around the time that Marcel took Devinna. At least, I think it was the same time. Cami said that the massacre was 5 years ago and Devinna said that she last saw her crush when she was 10 or 11 (she is 16 now). If Cami is right and her brother was under compulsion at the time, I wonder if Marcel (or one of his lackeys) compelled her brother in order for Marcel to have some place to stash Devinna.
Marcel has decided that he doesn't want Rebekah or Klaus hanging around the French Quarter. The problem is that he cannot effectively discipline either of them and they can make him look weak. Not a good thing for him. And he appears to be losing his grip on Devinna which is also not a good thing. Lastly, although he does not know it, he has lost Elijah because Devinna removed the dagger from his chest. All in all, it is not a good time to be Marcel.
I wonder what Elijah will do now that he is awake. He does not appear to be carrying a major grudge against Klaus, but that doesn't mean that he is not. He may be biding his time, although I suspect that he will forgive Klaus and work with him and Rebekah in order to protect Hayley and the baby. I so hope they show the chat that he is going to have with Devinna. I want to know what he plans on saying to her.
Hayley is a bit of a badass. Not surprising given the fact that she is a werewolf, but I suspect that maternal instincts are making her even more dangerous than she would normally be. Also, the baby's blood can apparently cure her very quickly which would make her very hard to put down for any length of time unless you're a witch who can exert continuous force. So, why were the witches after Hayley anyway? Do they really want to make an enemy of Klaus as well?
Until tomorrow!
Klaus and Devinna face off and it ends in a draw. Devinna can hurt Klaus and keep him away, but he heals so quickly that nothing she has done so far does much more than give him pause. She tried boiling his blood and breaking bones, but it didn't matter to Klaus. Good luck trying to kill him. She would have to do catastrophic damage and make the cumulative effects cause him so much damage so quickly that he wouldn't be able to heal. Somehow I doubt she can do that. He did not help matters at all when he put her in his debt by first almost killing and then reviving her crush. If Klaus can manage to turn Devinna to his side, Marcel won't last very long. Between the witches, Devinna, Klaus, Rebekah, and (maybe) Elijah, Marcel and his army don't stand a chance.
I found it interesting that Cami's brother killed a bunch of seminarians around the time that Marcel took Devinna. At least, I think it was the same time. Cami said that the massacre was 5 years ago and Devinna said that she last saw her crush when she was 10 or 11 (she is 16 now). If Cami is right and her brother was under compulsion at the time, I wonder if Marcel (or one of his lackeys) compelled her brother in order for Marcel to have some place to stash Devinna.
Marcel has decided that he doesn't want Rebekah or Klaus hanging around the French Quarter. The problem is that he cannot effectively discipline either of them and they can make him look weak. Not a good thing for him. And he appears to be losing his grip on Devinna which is also not a good thing. Lastly, although he does not know it, he has lost Elijah because Devinna removed the dagger from his chest. All in all, it is not a good time to be Marcel.
I wonder what Elijah will do now that he is awake. He does not appear to be carrying a major grudge against Klaus, but that doesn't mean that he is not. He may be biding his time, although I suspect that he will forgive Klaus and work with him and Rebekah in order to protect Hayley and the baby. I so hope they show the chat that he is going to have with Devinna. I want to know what he plans on saying to her.
Hayley is a bit of a badass. Not surprising given the fact that she is a werewolf, but I suspect that maternal instincts are making her even more dangerous than she would normally be. Also, the baby's blood can apparently cure her very quickly which would make her very hard to put down for any length of time unless you're a witch who can exert continuous force. So, why were the witches after Hayley anyway? Do they really want to make an enemy of Klaus as well?
Until tomorrow!
Friday, October 18, 2013
My Review of Vampire Diaries 5.03- Original Sin
A new (well, old really, but new) character shows up and stirs things up, we get lots of answers, and everyone is now caught between a rock and a hard place....
Qetsiyah is back and, boy, does she really go for the whole "woman scorned" thing. The nice thing about having her around is that we got some more of the story about how the Veil was made and about Silas' immortality. Turns out that Qetsiyah was (as previously stated) deeply in love with Silas and wanted to be immortal with him so that they could live together for eternity. She made a potion and gave some to him so that they could consume the potion together when they got married. The problem is that Silas was in love with one of Qetsiyah's handmaidens. In a bit of an interesting (though hardly unexpected) twist, this handmaiden was the first of the Petrovas and from her sprang the Petrova dopplegangers.
Since both Silas and the handmaiden consumed the potion, dopplegangers came from both in order to right the balance, as nature is wont to do. Qetsiyah threw a bit of a wrench into the works when she killed the handmaiden and then made the immortality cure out of her blood. This is why Silas has been desperately searching for Katherine. Her blood holds the key to making the cure so that Silas can become mortal again and can rejoin his love. My only real question is this: If the blood of the Petrova doppleganger holds the cure for immortality, then why did Elena's blood not make Klaus mortal at the end of Season 2? My assumption is that the blood of the doppleganger is a cure for the immortality potion, but they weren't exactly clear about that, so I could be wrong.
I was impressed that Quesiyah managed to put an end to Silas' mental abilities using Stefan as a conduit. She linked the two magically and then used Stefan to affect Silas. The only problem is that now Stefan does not know either Damon or Elena. I wonder if this amnesia extends to everything or if it is related to certain things or people. If this is an instance of total amnesia, then this could be very interesting since they may very well have to teach Stefan about who he is and what he can do.
Poor Damon is stuck with a massive problem on his hands. His brother is an amnesiac, his girlfriend is apparently destined to be with his brother, and he is left to sort everything out. Not fun for him. The fact that Katherine is now in the hands of the Traveler makes things more complicated. Add to that the fact that Matt is carrying around the spirit of the dead Traveler in his head and that occasionally the Traveler will take control of his body and you have a recipe for very hard times ahead.
I also found it interesting that Silas and Qetsiyah were Travelers as well. Not shocked or anything, but it was interesting.
Until next week!
Qetsiyah is back and, boy, does she really go for the whole "woman scorned" thing. The nice thing about having her around is that we got some more of the story about how the Veil was made and about Silas' immortality. Turns out that Qetsiyah was (as previously stated) deeply in love with Silas and wanted to be immortal with him so that they could live together for eternity. She made a potion and gave some to him so that they could consume the potion together when they got married. The problem is that Silas was in love with one of Qetsiyah's handmaidens. In a bit of an interesting (though hardly unexpected) twist, this handmaiden was the first of the Petrovas and from her sprang the Petrova dopplegangers.
Since both Silas and the handmaiden consumed the potion, dopplegangers came from both in order to right the balance, as nature is wont to do. Qetsiyah threw a bit of a wrench into the works when she killed the handmaiden and then made the immortality cure out of her blood. This is why Silas has been desperately searching for Katherine. Her blood holds the key to making the cure so that Silas can become mortal again and can rejoin his love. My only real question is this: If the blood of the Petrova doppleganger holds the cure for immortality, then why did Elena's blood not make Klaus mortal at the end of Season 2? My assumption is that the blood of the doppleganger is a cure for the immortality potion, but they weren't exactly clear about that, so I could be wrong.
I was impressed that Quesiyah managed to put an end to Silas' mental abilities using Stefan as a conduit. She linked the two magically and then used Stefan to affect Silas. The only problem is that now Stefan does not know either Damon or Elena. I wonder if this amnesia extends to everything or if it is related to certain things or people. If this is an instance of total amnesia, then this could be very interesting since they may very well have to teach Stefan about who he is and what he can do.
Poor Damon is stuck with a massive problem on his hands. His brother is an amnesiac, his girlfriend is apparently destined to be with his brother, and he is left to sort everything out. Not fun for him. The fact that Katherine is now in the hands of the Traveler makes things more complicated. Add to that the fact that Matt is carrying around the spirit of the dead Traveler in his head and that occasionally the Traveler will take control of his body and you have a recipe for very hard times ahead.
I also found it interesting that Silas and Qetsiyah were Travelers as well. Not shocked or anything, but it was interesting.
Until next week!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
My Review of The Tomorrow People 1.02- In Too Deep
Stephen begins to figure out just what he in in for, the Tomorrow People receive a wake-up call, and Jedekiah is suspicious...
Stephen is in over his head. I get that he wants to do whatever he can to find his dad, but he is in trouble and he knows it. He is caught in between a rock named Ultra and a hard place called the Tomorrow People. Neither side seems to fully trust him, although the Tomorrow People seem to trust him more than Ultra does. I definitely admire that Stephen is idealistic and truly wants what is best for everyone. Seeing what Ultra is willing to do to people freaked him out and I am definitely surprised that he decided to stay. Don't get me wrong, I think it is the right thing to do, but he'll have to be a lot more careful about what he does in the future.
Part of his problem is that he is very idealistic and does (or rather did) not understand what Ultra is truly about. Sending in a kill team immediately definitely struck me as overkill. I get what Jedekiah is saying about needing to control the criminal element present within the Tomorrow People, but you'd think that it might not be a bad idea to bring in some of them alive. But, nope, he wants them dead. Fortunately, Stephen managed to save the guy (forgot his name) from Ultra, but there was a price. His supervising agent was killed because he could not control Stephen. Somehow, I don't think that is going to cow Stephen, rather I think it will make him more determined and cautious.
The Tomorrow People received a much needed wake-up call courtesy of Stephen. They have been on the run for so long that they are unwilling to stick their necks out to help people. I get why they are this way, but it is a problem. Fortunately, Cara and Russell were more willing than John to do the right thing. Is it dangerous? Sure, but as Cara pointed out, what is the use in being free if they don't do what they can to help out people who need it?
I am trying to figure out how exactly Jedekiah can justify (in his mind) the actions he is taking. He has people killed without blinking an eye, orders surveillance on his nephew, and acts as if everything he is doing is the right thing to do. I get that he views this as a war and that, as such, many things are justified, but the fact that only one side can really do any lasting damage to the other makes this an incredibly one sided war. He is basically using the idea of a preemptive strike to make everything ok. Since the Tomorrow People are only "one gene away" from being able to kill, it is ok to wipe them out before they can kill humans.
The other problem is that both sides look at the other as something wholly other and that, as we all know, allows each side to do horrific things in the name of self-preservation. Stephen still looks at the Tomorrow People as gifted humans, which I think is closer to the truth. Since they are all humans, all of the death is a bad thing that needs to be stopped. I wonder if he'll lose this view or if he'll somehow be able to persuade others to follow him in this view.
Until next week!
Stephen is in over his head. I get that he wants to do whatever he can to find his dad, but he is in trouble and he knows it. He is caught in between a rock named Ultra and a hard place called the Tomorrow People. Neither side seems to fully trust him, although the Tomorrow People seem to trust him more than Ultra does. I definitely admire that Stephen is idealistic and truly wants what is best for everyone. Seeing what Ultra is willing to do to people freaked him out and I am definitely surprised that he decided to stay. Don't get me wrong, I think it is the right thing to do, but he'll have to be a lot more careful about what he does in the future.
Part of his problem is that he is very idealistic and does (or rather did) not understand what Ultra is truly about. Sending in a kill team immediately definitely struck me as overkill. I get what Jedekiah is saying about needing to control the criminal element present within the Tomorrow People, but you'd think that it might not be a bad idea to bring in some of them alive. But, nope, he wants them dead. Fortunately, Stephen managed to save the guy (forgot his name) from Ultra, but there was a price. His supervising agent was killed because he could not control Stephen. Somehow, I don't think that is going to cow Stephen, rather I think it will make him more determined and cautious.
The Tomorrow People received a much needed wake-up call courtesy of Stephen. They have been on the run for so long that they are unwilling to stick their necks out to help people. I get why they are this way, but it is a problem. Fortunately, Cara and Russell were more willing than John to do the right thing. Is it dangerous? Sure, but as Cara pointed out, what is the use in being free if they don't do what they can to help out people who need it?
I am trying to figure out how exactly Jedekiah can justify (in his mind) the actions he is taking. He has people killed without blinking an eye, orders surveillance on his nephew, and acts as if everything he is doing is the right thing to do. I get that he views this as a war and that, as such, many things are justified, but the fact that only one side can really do any lasting damage to the other makes this an incredibly one sided war. He is basically using the idea of a preemptive strike to make everything ok. Since the Tomorrow People are only "one gene away" from being able to kill, it is ok to wipe them out before they can kill humans.
The other problem is that both sides look at the other as something wholly other and that, as we all know, allows each side to do horrific things in the name of self-preservation. Stephen still looks at the Tomorrow People as gifted humans, which I think is closer to the truth. Since they are all humans, all of the death is a bad thing that needs to be stopped. I wonder if he'll lose this view or if he'll somehow be able to persuade others to follow him in this view.
Until next week!
My Review of Arrow 2.02- Identity
The title sums up what tonight was about: Oliver's quest to figure out who he is and what he can or cannot do. Roy also had to figure out who he is and what is important to him. Laurel, Diggle, and Felicity also had some identity issues as well....
Now that Oliver no longer has the list to work from, he is at a bit of a loss about how to proceed. On the one hand, he wants to do everything he can to save the city and help people, but he doesn't want to return to the Hood and killing. On the other hand, he wants to do what he can as Oliver Queen to help people if possible. The problem is that he can't do both at the same time, as he learned tonight. Not that he won't try, but it is not possible.
His job as the Arrow (is he using this yet?) is being made much harder because the police are out to get him bigtime and Laurel is helping them out. I hate to put it this way, but Laurel is basically having a massive hissy fit. I get that she is grieving what happened to Tommy, but blaming the Hood for his death is a bit of a stretch. Did she once consider the possibility that the Hood couldn't get to Tommy in time because he had to try and save other people? From what she said tonight, I doubt it. Add to that the fact that she is undoubtedly feeling guilt over having slept with Oliver and you have a recipe for some major issues. Not totally unjustified, but also a little jarring given her previous thoughts about the Hood.
His job as Oliver is being made difficult thanks to a demagogic and grandstanding alderman named Sebastian Blood who is ascribing all of the worse possible motives to Oliver. Again, given the secrets Oliver is keeping, this is not totally unjustified but it is definitely making Oliver's life harder. Badmouthing Oliver at his own benefit was extremely tacky and is poor taste. I am so not liking this guy right now. Of course, demagogues do have a particular way of getting under my skin, so that is a large part of it.
I am trying to remember something. I thought that Malcolm Merlyn had bought Unidac Industries, but people keep on saying that Oliver's family had made the earthquake device. Either my memory is bad or they changed the continuity. If it is the former, can someone let me know so I won't be continually annoyed when people say that. If it is the latter, someone needs to clear up the situation ASAP.
Roy was having some identity issues of his own. He is trying to do the right thing and help people, but he keeps getting in trouble for it. Fortunately, the Arrow has figure out a way for Roy to help him out while simultaneously removing him from the line of fire. By having Roy gather intel and pass it on, Oliver will be able to move where he needs to, keep Thea's boyfriend safe, and help Roy to make a difference all at the same time. That was a smart move on his part. You know this will morph into something else eventually. I am very curious as to how that will happen.
Diggle has lost Carly because of his obsession with Deadshot. While I think that Felicity was a little unfair in how she yelled at Oliver about his not noticing this, it was not completely off the mark. Oliver has a lot on his plate from running Queen industries to figuring out how to manage his double life to helping Thea and Roy, etc. I don't think he was being purposefully dense, but rather he was missing something that Diggle was trying to hide.
Speaking of Felicity, that girl showed a different side tonight. She yelled at Oliver, sassed him several times, and was a bit of a pain in the ass. It was nice to see that she does have some spirit and spunk. She is normally fairly sedate (aside from the mouth-foot problem she has), so seeing that she can unleash on Oliver when he needs it is a good thing. He needs that sort of person in his life.
As I said above, Laurel is dealing with a lot of issues and it seems that a lot of her anger and guilt has found a target in the Arrow. She is definitely her father's daughter in that respect. I just hope she learns from his mistakes and doesn't focus so much on bringing the Arrow down that she alienates the people around her. Hopefully Officer Lance will be able to help her there.
I doubt that this is the last we will see of the Triad. Taking them down will require all of Oliver's skill and cunning, particularly since he is trying to avoid killing people now. The Triad will not share that compunction and that will make his job a whole lot harder.
Until next week!
Now that Oliver no longer has the list to work from, he is at a bit of a loss about how to proceed. On the one hand, he wants to do everything he can to save the city and help people, but he doesn't want to return to the Hood and killing. On the other hand, he wants to do what he can as Oliver Queen to help people if possible. The problem is that he can't do both at the same time, as he learned tonight. Not that he won't try, but it is not possible.
His job as the Arrow (is he using this yet?) is being made much harder because the police are out to get him bigtime and Laurel is helping them out. I hate to put it this way, but Laurel is basically having a massive hissy fit. I get that she is grieving what happened to Tommy, but blaming the Hood for his death is a bit of a stretch. Did she once consider the possibility that the Hood couldn't get to Tommy in time because he had to try and save other people? From what she said tonight, I doubt it. Add to that the fact that she is undoubtedly feeling guilt over having slept with Oliver and you have a recipe for some major issues. Not totally unjustified, but also a little jarring given her previous thoughts about the Hood.
His job as Oliver is being made difficult thanks to a demagogic and grandstanding alderman named Sebastian Blood who is ascribing all of the worse possible motives to Oliver. Again, given the secrets Oliver is keeping, this is not totally unjustified but it is definitely making Oliver's life harder. Badmouthing Oliver at his own benefit was extremely tacky and is poor taste. I am so not liking this guy right now. Of course, demagogues do have a particular way of getting under my skin, so that is a large part of it.
I am trying to remember something. I thought that Malcolm Merlyn had bought Unidac Industries, but people keep on saying that Oliver's family had made the earthquake device. Either my memory is bad or they changed the continuity. If it is the former, can someone let me know so I won't be continually annoyed when people say that. If it is the latter, someone needs to clear up the situation ASAP.
Roy was having some identity issues of his own. He is trying to do the right thing and help people, but he keeps getting in trouble for it. Fortunately, the Arrow has figure out a way for Roy to help him out while simultaneously removing him from the line of fire. By having Roy gather intel and pass it on, Oliver will be able to move where he needs to, keep Thea's boyfriend safe, and help Roy to make a difference all at the same time. That was a smart move on his part. You know this will morph into something else eventually. I am very curious as to how that will happen.
Diggle has lost Carly because of his obsession with Deadshot. While I think that Felicity was a little unfair in how she yelled at Oliver about his not noticing this, it was not completely off the mark. Oliver has a lot on his plate from running Queen industries to figuring out how to manage his double life to helping Thea and Roy, etc. I don't think he was being purposefully dense, but rather he was missing something that Diggle was trying to hide.
Speaking of Felicity, that girl showed a different side tonight. She yelled at Oliver, sassed him several times, and was a bit of a pain in the ass. It was nice to see that she does have some spirit and spunk. She is normally fairly sedate (aside from the mouth-foot problem she has), so seeing that she can unleash on Oliver when he needs it is a good thing. He needs that sort of person in his life.
As I said above, Laurel is dealing with a lot of issues and it seems that a lot of her anger and guilt has found a target in the Arrow. She is definitely her father's daughter in that respect. I just hope she learns from his mistakes and doesn't focus so much on bringing the Arrow down that she alienates the people around her. Hopefully Officer Lance will be able to help her there.
I doubt that this is the last we will see of the Triad. Taking them down will require all of Oliver's skill and cunning, particularly since he is trying to avoid killing people now. The Triad will not share that compunction and that will make his job a whole lot harder.
Until next week!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
My Review of The Originals 1.03- Tangled Up in the Blue
Klaus puts his plan to depose Marcel into action, Hayley finds out some information about Elijah, Rebekah is disappointed, and Marcel is shocked by Davinna.
Watching Klaus put his plan into action was sort of fun. He never shares his whole plan with anyone which inevitably leaves someone (normally Rebekah or Elijah) disappointed. His first plan was to ask for Elijah. When that didn't work, he used the witches to create a situation where he could rescue Marcel. The problem was that he made Rebekah believe that he was manipulating the witches to have one spell mask another so as to find Elijah. I'll be honest and say that I don't get why Rebekah continues to be disappointed in Klaus. You'd think that, after 100 years, she'd know that he always has ulterior motives and alternate plans.
Not only did he save Marcel, but he managed to sideline Thierry (Marcel's right-hand man) by manipulating a situation so that Thierry would stake another vampire (who was compelled by Klaus), thus breaking Marcel's primary rule that one vampire could not kill another. That is killing two birds with one stone. Remove someone who is suspicious of him while simultaneously ingratiating himself to Marcel. Good plan that worked out quite well. Klaus doesn't have the strength to take Marcel on directly, so he can only accomplish his goals using subterfuge, which is where he excels.
Hayley finding Elijah's journal was a good thing. It gave her further insight into Klaus' mind and the relationship between the three Originals, which will be vital for her as she lives with them. I do wonder how she'll deal with being cooped up in house. I also wonder what was going on with the witch when she was doing that ceremony over Hayley. That was a weird chant coming from her mouth. Obviously there is something going on with the baby, but whether it is a good thing or not remains to be seen.
Cami got her first real glimpse of Marcel and she did not like what she saw. She saw a little bit of his violent side and it freaked her the hell out. Unfortunately for her, she is caught between feuding vampires and that is never a good place for a human to be, particularly when that human does not know about vampires and their world. Marcel likes her and I get the feeling that Klaus is attracted to her as well. She looks a little like Caroline, so that would make sense. Also, Klaus is attracted to things that are damaged, so that aspect of her personality would attract him as well.
When Davinna refused to give up Elijah, Marcel was surprised. She is obviously not as much under his control as he would like. I think that she is more like a slightly controlled wild animal. She helps Marcel and normally listens to him, but when she wants to do something on her own, he can't stop her. Rather, he has to persuade her to do what he wants. This does not bode well for him. Will she actually find a way to kill an Original? If so, that probably means that she'll only be able to kill Klaus' hybrid side and then he'll be as vulnerable as any other werewolf after that.
Until tomorrow!
Watching Klaus put his plan into action was sort of fun. He never shares his whole plan with anyone which inevitably leaves someone (normally Rebekah or Elijah) disappointed. His first plan was to ask for Elijah. When that didn't work, he used the witches to create a situation where he could rescue Marcel. The problem was that he made Rebekah believe that he was manipulating the witches to have one spell mask another so as to find Elijah. I'll be honest and say that I don't get why Rebekah continues to be disappointed in Klaus. You'd think that, after 100 years, she'd know that he always has ulterior motives and alternate plans.
Not only did he save Marcel, but he managed to sideline Thierry (Marcel's right-hand man) by manipulating a situation so that Thierry would stake another vampire (who was compelled by Klaus), thus breaking Marcel's primary rule that one vampire could not kill another. That is killing two birds with one stone. Remove someone who is suspicious of him while simultaneously ingratiating himself to Marcel. Good plan that worked out quite well. Klaus doesn't have the strength to take Marcel on directly, so he can only accomplish his goals using subterfuge, which is where he excels.
Hayley finding Elijah's journal was a good thing. It gave her further insight into Klaus' mind and the relationship between the three Originals, which will be vital for her as she lives with them. I do wonder how she'll deal with being cooped up in house. I also wonder what was going on with the witch when she was doing that ceremony over Hayley. That was a weird chant coming from her mouth. Obviously there is something going on with the baby, but whether it is a good thing or not remains to be seen.
Cami got her first real glimpse of Marcel and she did not like what she saw. She saw a little bit of his violent side and it freaked her the hell out. Unfortunately for her, she is caught between feuding vampires and that is never a good place for a human to be, particularly when that human does not know about vampires and their world. Marcel likes her and I get the feeling that Klaus is attracted to her as well. She looks a little like Caroline, so that would make sense. Also, Klaus is attracted to things that are damaged, so that aspect of her personality would attract him as well.
When Davinna refused to give up Elijah, Marcel was surprised. She is obviously not as much under his control as he would like. I think that she is more like a slightly controlled wild animal. She helps Marcel and normally listens to him, but when she wants to do something on her own, he can't stop her. Rather, he has to persuade her to do what he wants. This does not bode well for him. Will she actually find a way to kill an Original? If so, that probably means that she'll only be able to kill Klaus' hybrid side and then he'll be as vulnerable as any other werewolf after that.
Until tomorrow!
Friday, October 11, 2013
Reflections on "The Quarterback" and Mourning Celebrities
Last night, Glee aired the episode "The Quarterback" which paid tribute to Cory Monteith and his character Finn Hudson. If you saw the episode, you probably had a hard time of maintaining your composure because it was so incredibly emotional. I just wanted to give a few thoughts about the episode and then make some comments about some posts I have seen online.
First off, the music was perfect. It may have been partly the subject of the episode, but every song seemed perfect. "Seasons of Love" from Rent made for a perfect opening number because the epsiode was not about how Finn died, but how he (and Cory) lived. Bringing together the old and new student cast (except for Dianna, Heather, and Lea) for this song was especially poignant. Amber's rendition of "I'll Stand By You" was incredibly powerful. I have never heard the songs that Naya or Mark sang before, but their renditions were absolutely haunting. When Chord and Kevin started up "Fire and Rain" and then the cast joined in, it was a thing of beauty. Then Lea came into the memorial and all of a sudden everything felt so much more real. She was radiating grief and that really lent a sense of gravitas when she was on screen. I am glad that she was only in the last part of the episode because if she had been in the whole thing, it would have been too hard to watch. Her rendition of "Make You Feel My Love" went beyond haunting and beyond words to a place that was pure grief and pure love. It was incredible.
I have to say that I do feel very sorry of Jane and Jenna, both of whom had to portray reactions that I am sure they were not feeling. Jane was being Sue continuing to be a bitch which led to an epic shouting match with an intense Santana and to Santana shoving Sue. It was nice to see Santana totally stand up to Sue, even if it was mostly because of how Sue was treating Finn's memorial. It also gave us a chance to see Sue in an extremely vulnerable state, which is not something we get to see a lot of. Jenna played Tina as tired of mourning and wearing black. While I do sort of get it, she was being sort of divaish. Since no one else was really wearing black, she could have done something else. My issue with her is the fact that she was trying to make this more about her than Finn, which was not cool.
I was sort of surprised that Will took Finn's jacket, particularly since he had asked Puck to return the jacket not long before. Honestly, I had assumed that maybe Beiste had taken it because Puck wanted to put it up as a memorial for Finn. I realized that Will had taken it just a few seconds before he took it out of his valise. I so hope he gets it back to Santana. It was good that he could cry. I remember that after my mom's funeral I was so overloaded that I could not cry. There was just too much grief. Had I actually cried then, I would have been paralyzed. As it was, my mind virtually shut down for a while after I heard she died before I could do anything else.
I was quite happy that they didn't discuss how he died. While I do understand that it may have been a great moment to teach about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol, it would have been something that would not have made sense given that the episode was about his life and his impact.
This leads me to the comments about internet posts I have seen. There are a lot of people who think that Cory should not be celebrated because he was an addict and that by celebrating him, we are somehow saying that what he did was ok or all right. The problem here is that they are not seeing that what is being celebrated and honored is not his addiction, but the fact that he made a large impact on many, many people. Even people who didn't know him personally were impacted by his death. Is it fair that we celebrate him and not an ordinary addict? No, but the ordinary addict is not someone who has impacted all of our lives the way Cory has. Yes, everyone's life is equally valuable, but that doesn't mean that they will all be celebrated or missed in the same way. Is it sad and unfortunate? Yes. But it is also true that the more people you touch, the more people will miss and mourn you. Also, to those people who say that Cory should not be celebrated *BECAUSE* he was an addict, go grow a heart. Addiction is a disease; and an all to common one at that; that damages people as surely as any other disease. So pull out that massive stick you have jammed up your ass and be human and not just a giant prick.
There is another branch of postings which say that Glee should have used this moment to teach about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol. As I mentioned above, I think this was the wrong time to do that. First off, Finn wasn't a drug addict, Cory was. To have introduced that storyline at this point would have been in horrendously bad taste and would have been incredibly jarring. How Cory died has been discussed since he died in July and that pretty much covers the teachable moment. Besides, they had the PSA afterwards which also covered this. By allowing the hour to celebrate his life, they gave both the actors and the fans the chance to express their grief about Cory's death.
First off, the music was perfect. It may have been partly the subject of the episode, but every song seemed perfect. "Seasons of Love" from Rent made for a perfect opening number because the epsiode was not about how Finn died, but how he (and Cory) lived. Bringing together the old and new student cast (except for Dianna, Heather, and Lea) for this song was especially poignant. Amber's rendition of "I'll Stand By You" was incredibly powerful. I have never heard the songs that Naya or Mark sang before, but their renditions were absolutely haunting. When Chord and Kevin started up "Fire and Rain" and then the cast joined in, it was a thing of beauty. Then Lea came into the memorial and all of a sudden everything felt so much more real. She was radiating grief and that really lent a sense of gravitas when she was on screen. I am glad that she was only in the last part of the episode because if she had been in the whole thing, it would have been too hard to watch. Her rendition of "Make You Feel My Love" went beyond haunting and beyond words to a place that was pure grief and pure love. It was incredible.
I have to say that I do feel very sorry of Jane and Jenna, both of whom had to portray reactions that I am sure they were not feeling. Jane was being Sue continuing to be a bitch which led to an epic shouting match with an intense Santana and to Santana shoving Sue. It was nice to see Santana totally stand up to Sue, even if it was mostly because of how Sue was treating Finn's memorial. It also gave us a chance to see Sue in an extremely vulnerable state, which is not something we get to see a lot of. Jenna played Tina as tired of mourning and wearing black. While I do sort of get it, she was being sort of divaish. Since no one else was really wearing black, she could have done something else. My issue with her is the fact that she was trying to make this more about her than Finn, which was not cool.
I was sort of surprised that Will took Finn's jacket, particularly since he had asked Puck to return the jacket not long before. Honestly, I had assumed that maybe Beiste had taken it because Puck wanted to put it up as a memorial for Finn. I realized that Will had taken it just a few seconds before he took it out of his valise. I so hope he gets it back to Santana. It was good that he could cry. I remember that after my mom's funeral I was so overloaded that I could not cry. There was just too much grief. Had I actually cried then, I would have been paralyzed. As it was, my mind virtually shut down for a while after I heard she died before I could do anything else.
I was quite happy that they didn't discuss how he died. While I do understand that it may have been a great moment to teach about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol, it would have been something that would not have made sense given that the episode was about his life and his impact.
This leads me to the comments about internet posts I have seen. There are a lot of people who think that Cory should not be celebrated because he was an addict and that by celebrating him, we are somehow saying that what he did was ok or all right. The problem here is that they are not seeing that what is being celebrated and honored is not his addiction, but the fact that he made a large impact on many, many people. Even people who didn't know him personally were impacted by his death. Is it fair that we celebrate him and not an ordinary addict? No, but the ordinary addict is not someone who has impacted all of our lives the way Cory has. Yes, everyone's life is equally valuable, but that doesn't mean that they will all be celebrated or missed in the same way. Is it sad and unfortunate? Yes. But it is also true that the more people you touch, the more people will miss and mourn you. Also, to those people who say that Cory should not be celebrated *BECAUSE* he was an addict, go grow a heart. Addiction is a disease; and an all to common one at that; that damages people as surely as any other disease. So pull out that massive stick you have jammed up your ass and be human and not just a giant prick.
There is another branch of postings which say that Glee should have used this moment to teach about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol. As I mentioned above, I think this was the wrong time to do that. First off, Finn wasn't a drug addict, Cory was. To have introduced that storyline at this point would have been in horrendously bad taste and would have been incredibly jarring. How Cory died has been discussed since he died in July and that pretty much covers the teachable moment. Besides, they had the PSA afterwards which also covered this. By allowing the hour to celebrate his life, they gave both the actors and the fans the chance to express their grief about Cory's death.
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