Dear Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec,

[lirazel]

THAT WAS A CLOSE SHAVE, YOU TWO. If you had seriously killed Jenna, another female character (who I think could be really interesting if you'd give her a character arc), I would have gone completely berserk. But thankfully you just went for the big shock without the follow-through. You also did this in an episode where Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie were all awesome in various ways. So I forgive you. BUT DO NOT LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?

Speaking of killing people off, MATT IS OFF-LIMITS. He is necessary for Caroline's future happiness. Those two will end up together in the end, I know it. SO YOU BETTER NOT KILL HIM OFF EITHER. But Mason's death was very well-done--ripping hearts out of chests! How very Temple of Doom! So we're cool for the moment. We'll see how long we stay that way.

Tentatively yours,

Lauren

P.S.

Thank you for making Jeremy less annoying. I didn't think that was possible sans-Anna. WHO WAS ANOTHER AWESOME FEMALE CHARACTER YOU KILLED OFF.

I think I need more TVD icons.

Comments

[ahigheroctave.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize how much I've warmed up to Jenna until they tried to kill her. And I agree, awesome trio of females is awesome. I was very happy that Mason finally died.

IF KATHERINE KILLS MATT I WILL KILL HER MYSELF.

Mmm, Jeremy needs to show this non-emotastic side of his personality more often. Like every week.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! THE KNIFE WENT UP AND I FREAKED OUT!

I WILL HELP YOU. LEAVE MATT ALONE! I do think it's kind of an awesome development, Katherine going after him this way. I know it'll provide lots of awesome development of Caroline, so I'm excited about it. AS LONG AS HE DOESN'T DIE.

This is also the first time I've found Jeremy attractive. I was sitting there basically going, "Hey. He's kind of cute. When did that happen?" It was a weird experience for me.

[next_to_normal]

OMG SO MUCH WORD. Although I kind of didn't actually expect Jenna to die.

If Matt dies, I will RIOT. But I see they are taking my advice to kill off people I don't like (i.e. Mason), so perhaps they will continue to heed my wishes.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I was seriously like, "No way. You can't kill her off. That is unacceptable. You won't even do that." And then minutes later...they didn't!

OMG MATT HAS TO BE SAFE. I will join your riot. But I'm totally fine with Mason dying, so we'll be optimistic!

[zombie_boogie.livejournal.com]

WHY DOES EVERYONE IN THE GILBERT FAMILY GET STABBED IN THE STOMACH? But that was a really ace commercial break cliffhanger. I'm really glad Jenna is still alive. But there were really lovely moments between Caroline and her mother and Caroline/Elena/Bonnie so I can forgive the show for freaking me out like that.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I KNOW RIGHT?

All of the Caroline drama is so excellent. Her stuff with her mom and Bonnie is beyond wonderful. I love how complex and layered it all is. More of that, please!

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

RIP Mason but not Matt!!! And yes, Caroline, Bonnie, Elena, Jenna, Liz and even Mrs. Lockwood were awesome last night.

And I love that we now have Damon, Stefan, Alaric and Jeremy teaming up to take down Katherine "bounces".

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

The ladies on this show are just so fantastic!

I am loving all the boys working together.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

I had a weird reaction to this episode. I'm starting to worry that TVD is abusing protagonist privilege.

Mason was a decent man who happened to be boring. He wanted to just be at peace with the vampires in town and Damon attacked him and turned it into a blood-feud. Yes, Mason was allied with Katherine, but he wasn't in the know and he wasn't interested in going after the Salvatore brothers until they started attacking him.

Mason died and Jenna almost died. All because of Katherine and the Salvatore brothers' games. Katherine's the villain, right? Nope. The Salvatore brothers are doing dirty now, too. There are no good guys in this fight. There's only combatants and the innocent people who get caught in the crossfire.

I'm losing sympathy for Damon, to a lesser degree I'm losing sympathy for Stefan since he so blithely accepted Mason's death.

I know Damon and Stefan almost died the week before, but again it was a fight that Damon instigated and Stefan supported. Mason went after them to defend himself which he had the right to do. I mean, the Sheriff was the one who actually tried killing them and she's only alive because she's Caroline's mother and she's vulnerable to compulsion.

I don't really ~care~ about Mason except in a mild way--he was decent and he died. What bothers me is what this means for the characters I do care about. Damon and Stefan aren't looking so hot.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I actually...completely agree with you. I'm fine with Mason's death from the POV of the narrative--he isn't really necessary; he's played his role--but you're very right about how the boys are going way too far. I do think it's very in-character for Damon, and I think Jeremy's reactions--he's pretty appalled--clearly underline the fact that his behavior is not okay. And Damon is still evil, after all. And I think Stefan's getting ready to face some moral quandries, so I'm seeing this as foreshadowing in a way? Basically, I think the text is ambiguous at this point, but what I'm getting from it is that they are going too far: in their desperation to stop Katherine and to keep the town safe, they're acting in ways they definitely shouldn't. Do you think the text is wanting us to accept it? I just don't know.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Do you think the text is wanting us to accept it? I just don't know.

I'm not sure...? I think this could be a good thing, that the story is questioning the protagonists. But the show hasn't really done this much before and I'm worried it's not conscious of itself. What worries me the most is Stefan no longer questioning Damon and also how Elena's judgment of Damon feels more like lipservice than actual censure.

When I think now to Elena's line, "Katherine won" I think about how she's winning by turning Damon and Stefan into monsters. Which... is actually pretty scary and awesome. But I'm not sure if that's actually the point.

I think I'm uncertain because this isn't something the show typically does. They usually just kill people and then move on lightning fast. I'm not entirely sure where the show's conscience lies.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Very good points. I really hope it's going to the interesting place that it totally could--this show can definitely go there; it's got the characters and the mythology in place to do it. But you're right that it hasn't really done it before. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed. It'll be interesting to revisit this discussion in three or four episodes, you know?

[angearia.livejournal.com]

It definitely will be interesting. I'm just a little bit scared it won't succeed. But hey, apparently the producers for TVD Season 2 are Fain & Craft (formerly: Angel and Dollhouse). So maybe that's where the serious is coming from.

Actually, I'm less worried about Damon because this is just what he does. But with Stefan, I think the way he blithely said they had to get rid of the body--it just worries me. That all he cares about is Elena when he used to have a greater conscience and even a few episodes before he (self-righteously) told Caroline that his vampire sensitivity meant he felt other people's pain.

Basically, the only character I'm loving totally is Caroline. And Bonnie made great strides this week. Alaric hasn't gotten much to do (compared to last year). Jeremy is improving but hasn't really had awesome development since that one conversation with Damon. I'm in a weird place with Damon, Stefan and Elena. I feel like I'm in a holding pattern with Matt, Jenna and even Katherine. I keep waiting for the awesome that was Katherine face-to-face with Stefan--I'm hoping that's coming soon.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'im with you on the nervousness. This should could be truly great if they can pull it off.

Right--it's totally who Damon is. But I think what I find interesting about Stefan is that he really is self-righteous. I see hubris in him. Like how hard he falls when it comes to human blood? The contrast with Caroline learning moderation is really underlining that for me. Stefan's just as capable of darkness as his brother is. He really does remind me a lot of Angel (though I actually generally like Stefan better) in that he tries so hard to be good and to convince himself that he is, that I think he's capable of even greater darkness if he fails.

Caroline's story is pretty much perfection. I was worried when they vamped her, but they're crafting her arc masterfully. And I always love Bonnie.

You're right--Alaric's had nothing to do. Jeremy is showing signs that he could grow up and be a really good guy now that he's getting over his emo-ism, and I hope they keep that up. Matt and Jenna aren't being given enough to do, either, and we haven't really seen Katherine enough in the last few episodes to figure out what's going on. Elena's got her head so buried in the whole Stefan drama that it's beginning to bother me--there's more to her than that.

It's definitely a strange place we're in right now.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda worried that the show is placing too much pressure on Katherine as villain without really playing to her strengths. When I think back to last year, there was way more oomph to the bad guys. The tomb vampires were genuinely creepy/scary like I wasn't sure who was going to get hurt next. That episode where Damon and Elena rescue Stefan is one of my favorites of this show.

I think pairing Katherine with the werewolf story is weighing her down with lameness. She should have more dangerous allies. She should be more terrifying. She should have an in with the humanity in town (more than just the kids like Matt). I want her connected to real power. She should be terrifying on all levels. I want her messing with Elena's life more than she is. Basically, I want to remove this entire werewofl story and just unleash Katherine on Elena. Like, can you imagine if Katherine killed someone and the cops thought Elena had done it? There's so many ways Katherine can create havoc and I feel like she's playing with the gloves on and I want her to get more wild.

The thing I loved about TVD last season was how high the stakes felt. And ever since the first two episodes of this season, things have felt like they were getting less intense. Even the Sheriff discovering Damon and Stefan kinda felt like -- oh yeah, I know how this is gonna play out.

In the last few episodes, the show's beginning to feel safe and predictable. Which is very, very weird. So even while it's going darker with Stefan's character, the plot feels like it's starting to slow down and I miss the rollercoaster.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I totally get what you're saying. I do like that they seem to be setting up Katherine to team up with a werewolf to remove the Aztec curse--so that vampires will be able to walk during the day, presumably--but the way she's going about it is kind of blah at this point. I LOVE your idea about her killing someone and the cops thinking Elena did it (you should write fic! ;D ); there really is so much they can do with her. We'll see if they actually go there.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

You know, my dissatisfaction could be because I think werewolves are lame!

I'm kinda hoping now that Sheriff Forbes has been compelled to forget that Katherine will try to use her somehow in order to get Elena in trouble. I want more genuine Elena-in-peril moments because that Katherine vs. Elena scene was disappointing.

SHOW. I WANT YOU TO GO TO THERE.

[shamoogity.livejournal.com]

I'm starting to worry that TVD is abusing protagonist privilege.

This is an excellent way of putting it. I'm worried about the exact same thing and I think the show tends to lose sight of this sort of thing when it gets too caught up in admittedly entertaining character drama. I like moral ambiguity, but only when it feels like intentional character development and not like the writers just can't be bothered to create real consequences for immoral acts by their "good guys."

[queenofdenile.livejournal.com]

Katherine CANNOT kill Matt. I won't allow it.

Awesome female trio, awesome Caroline-Liz interaction, awesome everything, and my god, that breakup KILLED ME DEAD. Seriously, more than any TV breakup ever. I had a real, visceral reaction to that. I didn't know I was that much of a shipper, but there you go!