ARCHIVES
Written by: Beth Dean
Heart of Darkness:
Reasonable VS. Ridiculous
(POTENTIAL SPOILERS!! Please be warned! For those of you that are not in the U.S or are on a different time zone/TVD schedule and/or haven't seen all the episodes thus far, this may contain spoilers for you! Consider this when deciding whether or not to read!)
Despite our desperate pleas to put an end to them and our cries of terror upon being denied, another hellatus has sauntered in to torture our little vampire loving hearts. Nothing but Damon's flirty blue eyes, Klaus' irresistible accent, Elijah's hair or Stefan's re-emerging good-boy behavior can really take away the ache this most recent hiatus has left us with, but in the meantime we must do what we have to in order to get by until April 19th arrives in all its bloody glory. So let's take a page from Caroline's 'Vampire Barbie Handbook' and try to look at the bright side!
For this week's article, I've decided to speculate with the rest of world on what might possibly happen next based off the promo for episode nineteen, titled 'Heart of Darkness.'
To make it more fun, I've included not only some reasonable theories and/or scenarios for every plot point shown in the promo, but some ridiculously crazy plot directions as well that will probably never be explored any further than this article. Of course, this is a show about vampires so you never know…anything could happen.
As the promo starts, we see Damon and Elena talking to Jeremy. They've obviously enlisted Jeremy's help in talking to Rose since she died last season and Jeremy, quite conveniently, has a connection to the other side from also dying last season. (And then being brought back to life by a hundred pissed off dead witches and one live one with a serious nose-bleed and killer acting-like-I'm-crying skills.)
Reasonable: Jeremy helps. Because of this, they find out who Rose was sired by and are led one stop closer to discovering which of the originals needs to be kept alive.
Ridiculous: Jeremy helps, but by doing so strengthens his connection to the other side which causes him to become a little less alive every single time he has contact with a - for lack of a better term - ghost. Maybe it would get to the point where ghosts would never ever leave him alone no matter if he was searching for them or not. Think "I see dead people." Sorry, y'all…it had to be done.
Maybe it would make it so that Jeremy starts to become a ghost himself and eventually he would be completely dead and unreachable in the human world. What would we call that? Ghostitus? I seriously hope it's not contagious. Does his ring protect him from that.
Next scene!
We see Jeremy telling Damon that Rose is there. Rose tells Jeremy to tell Damon that she's 'rooting for him and Elena.' We get a half second of Jeremy's great confused cocker-spaniel look before the scene fades.
Reasonable: Jeremy questions Elena about why Rose would say that to Damon. Or he might just let it go altogether because his sister is already bringing all this drama back into his life (that she had Damon compel him away from in the first place) so maybe he doesn't need to add her sordid love triangle to the mix, too.
Ridiculous: Jeremy pats Damon on the back and wishes him good luck getting into his sister's skinny jeans.
Now we get to see Stefan! How gorgeous is that face?
It fades into the big thing that I think the vast majority of us have been waiting to get some clarity on. Elena brings up the subject of her feelings for Damon when she tells him "Stefan thinks I have feelings for you." And of course, Damon has to ask her if she does. This is the part of the episode where I will be sitting on the edge of my seat trying desperately not to pee on myself. (Or throw things if they don't happen the way I've been dreaming for nearly 3 whole seasons now.)
Reasonable: She says yes. Of course she has feelings for Damon! Whether they are romantic or just friendly doesn't matter. They're feelings of fondness. She may not have the kinds of feelings that Damon (and about 60,000 other people) wants her to have, but they're feelings nonetheless. I honestly don't think she'll say 'no' here just for the simple fact that we've watched how they've bonded for an entire season; Damon and Elena (and the writer's) can't possibly backtrack on that connection now.
Ridiculous: She will say yes and - Stefan be damned! - they'll fall onto a cheap hotel bed and…bow chick wow wow. Is it wrong that I'm still totally rooting for this scenario even though I know it'll make the Stelena shippers insane with rage? And maybe afterwards, they'll ride off into the sunrise on a white unicorn with rainbows flying out of its' bum to go get breakfast at the Mystic Grill (because that is the only restaurant in town apparently) and they'll get engaged and Stefan will be Damon's ridiculously enthusiastic best man!
Or maybe Elena just says to hell with both the Salvatore boys and hooks up with Matt again.
Then we see Stefan punching somebody.
Reasonable: He's punching Damon. Or Klaus or Kol or Elijah or the Alaric who's not really Alaric…dude, how long is this list?
Ridiculous: He's punching Elena because she had sexytimes with Damon. Yes, that sounds like Stefan! (Say hello to my little friend, Sarcasm.)
Next, we see a snippet of someone on the ground being kicked I think.
Reasonable: I'm thinking it's Damon. I'm wondering if it's Stefan doing the kicking. I'm wondering if that means that something does, in fact, happen with Elena. I may or may not be crossing my fingers, legs, toes and hair while praying to God for the outcome of a teen-based TV show….I'll never tell.
Ridiculous: Someone has Elijah on the ground curled up in the fetal position. Yeah…go ahead and try that with Elijah. A single strand of his hair alone could kill anyone on that show. It's true…he's that awesome.
Seconds later, someone is getting hit with a baseball bat.
Reasonable: The Alaric who really isn't Alaric at all is trying to score a home-run. What vampire needs to use a bat to inflict pain on someone? Or maybe it's Jeremy or Matt. They're about the only humans left on the show so it could be any of them.
Ridiculous: Klaus decided to take up baseball. If this ever happened, I can only imagine what he'd be using in the place of baseballs.
Then we see Caroline with someone. Looks like a witch.
Reasonable: Maybe it's Bonnie? But then again, it's really hard to tell.
@sampsona04 tweeted that she bet it had something to do with saving Tyler. Could be considering the next few seconds of the promo shows Tyloline kissing.
Ridiculous: Older vampires than the supposed "Originals" come to town, claim that all the rest are big ol' fakes so now Team Original & Team Salvatore have to team up to beat Team Ancient Original Originals & Team Witchy Juju gets together to cast a behemoth size spell to send them all back to fang-land. (Thanks to @spiny_starfish for tweeting some creative ideas that I was able to run with! My only regret is that I was unable to use all of her great suggestions in this post.)
Next is Stefan in all his hotness making us swoon over him again by admitting that no matter what he does to get Elena back, "none of it matters if she's in love with someone else." We see hands touch & then the last shot is a big giant Delena tease showing Damon laying down in bed with Elena.
Reasonable: The hands we see touch are Elena & Damon's. I'm leaving no doubts here as to who I'm currently shipping for, am I? But that doesn't mean it's an I-love-you kind of touch. It could just be a friendly I-need-the-comfort touch or, if Elena decides to tell Damon she doesn't feel as strongly about him as he does her, it could be a gesture that says "I'm still here for you even though you're a blood-aholic loving wench that doesn't love me back even though I'm way hotter." It might even be a dream. The Vampire Diaries writers are known for throwing tantalizing scenes at us that turn out to be a simple dream-tease.
Ridiculous: Elena runs to Klaus and asks him to take her far, far away from these crazy vampire boys and their uninvited obsession over her! He takes her hand & they run off to frolic in a meadow with a group of potential hybrid's which Klaus will drain Elena's blood to create.
All in all, this promo is thick with Delena tension so my assumption is that a majority of the episode is going to focus on that. Having come to that conclusion, all I can say is that everyone in my house better be out of my way at 8pm on April 19th because I will be forced to cut anyone who interrupts my view of Damon the television.
I'd love to hear your theories for the show! Speculating isn't as much fun as watching, but it gets us by!
Written by: Beth Dean
The Vampire Wars
How many polls have we, as devout TVD fans, voted tirelessly on? So many of us can't even count on our fingers the number of Stelena Vs. Delena polls we've cast our opinion in. And what about the 'Which Vampire Diaries Cast Member is Hotter?" Whether you vote for Stefan, Damon or Alaric is irrelevant because either way, it gets everyone thinking and talking about The Vampire Diaries. Honestly, I don't care who wins the poll as long as they're from Mystic Falls.
But what if all the choices don't live in the land of TVD? You have undoubtedly seen the many polls devoted to pitting Twilight fans against Vampire Diaries fans. Who's hotter? Edward or Damon? Already, the fiercest of Team Salvatore are screaming at their screens, "Duh! Damon! No contest!" while all of Team Edward are frantically appealing to their teammates to go vote for Mr. Cullen because he came first, he's so romantic and hello, he sparkles!
What if I told you that I am about to do something similar? Not only that, but what if I told you that I'm about to take the Damon Vs. Edward debate a bit farther? Not to pit fans against one another - because, truthfully I'm a huge fan of both - but to challenge you to look beyond the prettiest face or the sexiest set of abs and contemplate something that may not be as easy to decide. I want you to really think about each story and the merits and capabilities of its characters. So I'm presenting you with a poll of my own. In a fight between Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries and Edward Cullen from the Twilight Saga, who would win?
I asked this question on Twitter recently and the response was overwhelming for Damon, which is to be expected since so many of my followers found me thanks to this website and the amazing set of ladies that run it. But how many of you really thought about it? How many of you put aside your bias for both character and honestly considered which one might have the general advantage? I'm here to challenge you to do that. I'm going to lay out a few points (and award a few points) and then you tell me who you think has this round and why.
-- Damon embraces his vampiric nature with relish, proving that he can take a situation that he's not happy in and make it work for him regardless. He pushes the guilt to the side and keeps on movin'.
Edward considers himself a monster & is determined not to embrace anything that would reinforce that idea in his mind. He lives in a sea of guilt and lets it dictate almost every decision he makes.
One point for Damon.
-- Damon is ruthless when he needs to be, which is pretty much all the time.
Edward is no sissy either though. He's very intimidating and aggressive when he needs to be. I just think he uses that particular part of his character a bit more sparingly than Damon does.
One point for Damon AND one point for Edward. They're pretty evenly matched here as I think both of their approaches have their own merits.
-- Damon doesn't waste time worrying about collateral damage.
Edward's every thought and concern revolves around his love, Bella. He wants to grant her every wish and desire.
One point for Damon. Love won't stop him from doing what needs to be done. He's up to three.
-- Damon is incredibly clever.
Edward is a near genius. Also, he has probably spent more time dabbling in books and different activities than Damon seeing as how Damon was probably out breaking the hearts (and jugular's) of unsuspecting women while Edward was out trying to gain more knowledge and chasing down deer in a forest.
I think Edward gets the point here. He soaks up any and all knowledge he can get his hands on whereas Damon isn't prone to go looking for something until there's some benefit to him finding the information.
Eddie is up to two points in his favor now.
-- I imagine that Damon has more experience dealing with tricky situations in which he needs to think fast on his feet. Somehow I don't see Edward getting himself into mess after mess the way Damon does and having to fight his way out. I think that gives Damon another advantage.
Another point for Damon.
-- Damon is a pro at ripping out hearts.
Edward is pretty good at biting off entire heads.
I'd say they each get a point. That brings Damon's total to five and Edward is close with three points.
-- Damon is older than Edward meaning he could very well be stronger, too.
Edward is fast. It doesn't much matter if Damon is stronger if he can't catch Edward in the first place.
One point for Edward McSparklePants.
-- Damon's plans, though not always successful, are usually genius.
Edward has been known to pull off some pretty great ones in his time, too. Though it's not Damon's fault that some witch or another vamp will walk in and dash all his plans in a single swoop, I think Edward still gets the point here just for the fact that his plans have usually been both clever and successful.
If you're keeping count, that brings Edward's total to five. It's a tie.
-- Damon doesn't sparkle. Maybe you didn't think of this as an advantage, but when you consider that sparkling severely limits Edward's hiding places, it does give Damon a certain edge, bringing Damon's total points to six.
-- Damon tends to let his rage drive him in a very calculated way. He would consider every angle before striking, but he would do it fast and he would go all out to win.
Edward can read mind's so he'd get an inside glimpse at all of Damon's plans before Damon even had time to act on them giving him the clear advantage here.
They're tied again with six points each.
-- Damon has Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie & maybe even Katherine to back him up. Three vampires and a witch? Not bad.
Edward has six other vampires, each with a different strength and ability. Do you think Bonnie can do her repeated-brain-explosion trick on all seven of them before her nose starts bleeding and all her strength gives out? And even if that doesn't happen, you've got to consider the fact that Edward can read her mind and Alice can see the future. Of course, Damon and Katherine are really good at acting on a whim which could keep Alice from being able to tell what's coming and I'm sure Stefan in Ripper-Mode could handle all the rest.
With all of that in mind, I won't award this last point. That is for you to decide. Given all this information from each side, it's time for the jury to convene.
Who wins and why?
Click Here for Survey
How many polls have we, as devout TVD fans, voted tirelessly on? So many of us can't even count on our fingers the number of Stelena Vs. Delena polls we've cast our opinion in. And what about the 'Which Vampire Diaries Cast Member is Hotter?" Whether you vote for Stefan, Damon or Alaric is irrelevant because either way, it gets everyone thinking and talking about The Vampire Diaries. Honestly, I don't care who wins the poll as long as they're from Mystic Falls.
But what if all the choices don't live in the land of TVD? You have undoubtedly seen the many polls devoted to pitting Twilight fans against Vampire Diaries fans. Who's hotter? Edward or Damon? Already, the fiercest of Team Salvatore are screaming at their screens, "Duh! Damon! No contest!" while all of Team Edward are frantically appealing to their teammates to go vote for Mr. Cullen because he came first, he's so romantic and hello, he sparkles!
What if I told you that I am about to do something similar? Not only that, but what if I told you that I'm about to take the Damon Vs. Edward debate a bit farther? Not to pit fans against one another - because, truthfully I'm a huge fan of both - but to challenge you to look beyond the prettiest face or the sexiest set of abs and contemplate something that may not be as easy to decide. I want you to really think about each story and the merits and capabilities of its characters. So I'm presenting you with a poll of my own. In a fight between Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries and Edward Cullen from the Twilight Saga, who would win?
I asked this question on Twitter recently and the response was overwhelming for Damon, which is to be expected since so many of my followers found me thanks to this website and the amazing set of ladies that run it. But how many of you really thought about it? How many of you put aside your bias for both character and honestly considered which one might have the general advantage? I'm here to challenge you to do that. I'm going to lay out a few points (and award a few points) and then you tell me who you think has this round and why.
-- Damon embraces his vampiric nature with relish, proving that he can take a situation that he's not happy in and make it work for him regardless. He pushes the guilt to the side and keeps on movin'.
Edward considers himself a monster & is determined not to embrace anything that would reinforce that idea in his mind. He lives in a sea of guilt and lets it dictate almost every decision he makes.
One point for Damon.
-- Damon is ruthless when he needs to be, which is pretty much all the time.
Edward is no sissy either though. He's very intimidating and aggressive when he needs to be. I just think he uses that particular part of his character a bit more sparingly than Damon does.
One point for Damon AND one point for Edward. They're pretty evenly matched here as I think both of their approaches have their own merits.
-- Damon doesn't waste time worrying about collateral damage.
Edward's every thought and concern revolves around his love, Bella. He wants to grant her every wish and desire.
One point for Damon. Love won't stop him from doing what needs to be done. He's up to three.
-- Damon is incredibly clever.
Edward is a near genius. Also, he has probably spent more time dabbling in books and different activities than Damon seeing as how Damon was probably out breaking the hearts (and jugular's) of unsuspecting women while Edward was out trying to gain more knowledge and chasing down deer in a forest.
I think Edward gets the point here. He soaks up any and all knowledge he can get his hands on whereas Damon isn't prone to go looking for something until there's some benefit to him finding the information.
Eddie is up to two points in his favor now.
-- I imagine that Damon has more experience dealing with tricky situations in which he needs to think fast on his feet. Somehow I don't see Edward getting himself into mess after mess the way Damon does and having to fight his way out. I think that gives Damon another advantage.
Another point for Damon.
-- Damon is a pro at ripping out hearts.
Edward is pretty good at biting off entire heads.
I'd say they each get a point. That brings Damon's total to five and Edward is close with three points.
-- Damon is older than Edward meaning he could very well be stronger, too.
Edward is fast. It doesn't much matter if Damon is stronger if he can't catch Edward in the first place.
One point for Edward McSparklePants.
-- Damon's plans, though not always successful, are usually genius.
Edward has been known to pull off some pretty great ones in his time, too. Though it's not Damon's fault that some witch or another vamp will walk in and dash all his plans in a single swoop, I think Edward still gets the point here just for the fact that his plans have usually been both clever and successful.
If you're keeping count, that brings Edward's total to five. It's a tie.
-- Damon doesn't sparkle. Maybe you didn't think of this as an advantage, but when you consider that sparkling severely limits Edward's hiding places, it does give Damon a certain edge, bringing Damon's total points to six.
-- Damon tends to let his rage drive him in a very calculated way. He would consider every angle before striking, but he would do it fast and he would go all out to win.
Edward can read mind's so he'd get an inside glimpse at all of Damon's plans before Damon even had time to act on them giving him the clear advantage here.
They're tied again with six points each.
-- Damon has Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie & maybe even Katherine to back him up. Three vampires and a witch? Not bad.
Edward has six other vampires, each with a different strength and ability. Do you think Bonnie can do her repeated-brain-explosion trick on all seven of them before her nose starts bleeding and all her strength gives out? And even if that doesn't happen, you've got to consider the fact that Edward can read her mind and Alice can see the future. Of course, Damon and Katherine are really good at acting on a whim which could keep Alice from being able to tell what's coming and I'm sure Stefan in Ripper-Mode could handle all the rest.
With all of that in mind, I won't award this last point. That is for you to decide. Given all this information from each side, it's time for the jury to convene.
Who wins and why?
Click Here for Survey
Written by: Beth Dean
Vampire Barbie Makes Lemonade
Remember my last article? I mentioned that the Vampire Diaries writers had a stroke of genius that came in the form of Caroline being transformed into Vampire Barbie and how that was a story for another day? Today is that day, my friends.
I'm sure several of you will agree with me on this. Becoming a fanged, blood-thirsty creature only improved Candice Accola's character about a million kilowatts!
Can you believe I didn't like Caroline at all through the majority of season one? I thought she was a selfish, high-maintenance, spiteful hag. As the season progressed, I discovered that she was selfish and spiteful at times and she certainly was high-maintenance, but she was never a hag. Caroline Forbes was just a regular teenage girl who wanted to be loved and given attention the way any of us do in those angst-filled teenage years. But still, it wasn't enough to win me over to Team Caroline.
Yes, I felt sympathy for her and identified with the more insecure part of her character. I began to appreciate her take-charge attitude a bit more than I did when I thought she was just doing it for the sake of having control. Sure, I pitied her because Damon was so obviously using her, but I wouldn't have wasted any tears (or tweets) over her had Damon killed her ten episodes in. Sorry, Caroline.
But then, something changed. Damon didn't succeed in killing her and Caroline came back just the tiniest bit stronger. She was still fragile-on-the-inside, hard-on-the-outside Caroline, but she seemed to have built an extra layer of protection around herself. She showed this when she stood up for herself to Damon, with her snarky comments and unwillingness to let anyone control her the way he had. She showed that strength consistently in relation to her friends. Even Elena, who Caroline was constantly in competition with, managed to wiggle some of that compassion out of her in spite of Caroline's obvious jealousy of her.
That's when I first started to warm up to Caroline; the moment I realized what a fierce friend she was. Even her jealous, competitive nature couldn't stand in the way of her more caring, loyal characteristics. The borderline narcissistic traits she displayed in the beginning - as a wall to hide her insecurities behind, no doubt - started to give way to a more genuine confidence. No big, miraculous, over-night change; just a slow progression from girl to young woman. One you would hardly notice if you weren't watching carefully.
After all that, I still couldn't manage to get to that place where Caroline made such a lasting impression on me that I'd be devastated if she weren't a part of the show. I liked her by this point in the season and I was right on the edge of really caring about her as a character, but it wasn't until Matt Donovan carried a very drunk Caroline back home and took care of her that I got to see what I think was the real Caroline; albeit with a substantial amount of alcohol in her system. No walls, pretenses or imitations on her part. Just a lonely, broken girl who wanted to be number one to someone, anyone.
It did not escape my attention that her mother never spent any time with her. Later, I would come to understand the dynamics of their relationship more completely, but at this time in the season, it just looked like Caroline had a mother who was too busy to be bothered with her and an absentee father who I pictured frolicking in some meadow with his boyfriend.
As things started to develop with Matt, I was sincerely rooting for the two of them as a couple. It seemed that Matt brought out a more honest, selfless version of Caroline that I preferred over the many versions of her we got the privilege to encounter over the course of season one. This can only be a testament to Candice Accola's superb acting skills because despite the fact that I wondered at one point how many personalities Caroline had, Candice made me believe every single one of them without question. It seemed not only real, but totally plausible that Caroline could transform from a self-conscious little girl masquerading as a bubbly, confident young woman to a jealous, resentful, seemingly insensitive control freak and then to a timid, emotional, needy wreck with Damon one minute to this slowly-blossoming incredible person she was becoming with Matt.
I realized that she was a valuable asset to the show. I realized that she was going through what could potentially be a wonderful character arc for her. I cared about Caroline, finally. Did I absolutely love her at this point? Not quite yet. It may seem a bit insensitive and unfair, but that first impression of Caroline still stuck with me and she was still having battles with that old personality, too. That's to be expected, of course. You can't just go from being one person to being an entirely different person over-night or in one episode so I respected Caroline as a character for that. I respected Candice and the writers of the show for making her transition slow, but steady.
Let's fast forward to season two and Caroline's transition from human to vampire. After all, that's what this article is really about. I think it was one of the best decisions the writers ever made for the show because it broke our hearts while simultaneously giving Caroline the opportunity to truly grow as a character and shine on her own, apart from the boys they put in her life and her friends that seemed to steal the show whenever they were around. How does Caroline compete with Elena who everyone loves and feels sorry for because she lost her parents and now faces all these insurmountable, supernatural odds? Or Bonnie who is a witch? Even with her human character developing into something wonderful, it still wouldn't have been enough to bring Caroline front and center, where her character has been longing to be since we met her in season one. Her transition to a vampire accomplished that beautifully.
Out of everyone we've watched attempt to make the transition from human to vampire, I believe that Caroline did it the most gracefully. How can I say that when she attacked a hospital nurse, compelled aforementioned nurse, lashed out at Matt repeatedly, killed an innocent carnival worker who had the potential to be Bonnie's first love interest on the show & broke down while Stefan wiped the blood off her face? Several reasons and I can back each one up with an example.
First, she did all this essentially on her own. No one was there with her to explain what was happening and the only people she came in contact with for a while were those that had no idea about vampires at the time. Her memories didn't start coming back until she had that first sip of blood so, though she remembered how Damon used her, she had no way of remembering how he fed on and compelled her or when he broke down the steps of becoming a vampire for her. She deduced that herself after her memories started resurfacing piece by piece.
Second, she figured out what she needed to do to get out of the hospital she was in at the time without alerting anyone else that anything was amiss: wait until dark, feed on the nurse, compel her to tell everyone her husband 'likes to get kinky' and then be on her merry way. I, for one, think Caroline is a genius for figuring out how to compel people without any instruction from another vampire.
She gets ridiculous points for making Damon her first target after a becoming a vampire. As much as I love Damon, I have to admit that vampire-super-shove thing she did was bad-ass.
And do I really need to point out how incredible it is that she stopped herself from killing the nurse or how she managed to not eat Matt when she ran into him at the school carnival? She collected herself and walked away. I think that for a new vampire, that's a feat that should be recognized with a medal or a special plaque. Or a keg full of blood and a funnel or something equally vampire approved.
After she finally did break down and feed on someone to death, you could see how truly sorry she was and how repulsed she was by her own nature. She went right back to the sensitive Caroline that just needs to be loved and accepted and the fact that she had blood all over mouth while she did it just made it that much more epic. In a single scene, the writer's managed to create a whole new set of shippers (a group of people that want two particular characters from a show to become a couple) who would call themselves 'Team Stefoline.' That would never have worked if The Vampire Diaries didn't have such a brilliant cast because so many of us were adamant Stelena fans. Fortunately for them, the cast is brilliant so that scene was brilliant. I was a hardcore Stefan and Elena fan at that time, but when I saw how tender Stefan was with Caroline and how they interacted together, even I had about two minutes on Team Stefoline.
She had been suffering through this alone until Stefan took her under his wing, but she was making the best out of it if you take out the carnival-dinner incident. She managed to be upbeat, smile and try to act normal up to that point. I was amazed by her resilience. I couldn't have imagined that Caroline would one day become one of my all-time favorite characters on The Vampire Diaries, but she has.
She has so many memorable moments as Vampire Barbie. One of my many favorites is when Stefan takes her out in the woods to hunt after Bonnie makes her a daylight ring. Caroline starts babbling about all her teenage end-of-the-world issues (as if being turned into a vampire by your best friend's look-alike doesn't unequivocally trump boy-trouble) and makes a funny exclamation that I still laugh at no matter how many times I see it just because it's so well-executed.
After Caroline learns the ropes, she becomes this strong, truly confident person that I adore so much. She's a perfect - if totally nontraditional - example of what it is to turn an undesirable situation into something positive that benefits you for the better. Not that I'm suggesting anyone run out and try to become a vampire. I'm just saying that if life gives you lemons…well, you know the rest.
Tweet me your favorite Vampire Barbie moments!
I'm sure several of you will agree with me on this. Becoming a fanged, blood-thirsty creature only improved Candice Accola's character about a million kilowatts!
Can you believe I didn't like Caroline at all through the majority of season one? I thought she was a selfish, high-maintenance, spiteful hag. As the season progressed, I discovered that she was selfish and spiteful at times and she certainly was high-maintenance, but she was never a hag. Caroline Forbes was just a regular teenage girl who wanted to be loved and given attention the way any of us do in those angst-filled teenage years. But still, it wasn't enough to win me over to Team Caroline.
Yes, I felt sympathy for her and identified with the more insecure part of her character. I began to appreciate her take-charge attitude a bit more than I did when I thought she was just doing it for the sake of having control. Sure, I pitied her because Damon was so obviously using her, but I wouldn't have wasted any tears (or tweets) over her had Damon killed her ten episodes in. Sorry, Caroline.
But then, something changed. Damon didn't succeed in killing her and Caroline came back just the tiniest bit stronger. She was still fragile-on-the-inside, hard-on-the-outside Caroline, but she seemed to have built an extra layer of protection around herself. She showed this when she stood up for herself to Damon, with her snarky comments and unwillingness to let anyone control her the way he had. She showed that strength consistently in relation to her friends. Even Elena, who Caroline was constantly in competition with, managed to wiggle some of that compassion out of her in spite of Caroline's obvious jealousy of her.
That's when I first started to warm up to Caroline; the moment I realized what a fierce friend she was. Even her jealous, competitive nature couldn't stand in the way of her more caring, loyal characteristics. The borderline narcissistic traits she displayed in the beginning - as a wall to hide her insecurities behind, no doubt - started to give way to a more genuine confidence. No big, miraculous, over-night change; just a slow progression from girl to young woman. One you would hardly notice if you weren't watching carefully.
After all that, I still couldn't manage to get to that place where Caroline made such a lasting impression on me that I'd be devastated if she weren't a part of the show. I liked her by this point in the season and I was right on the edge of really caring about her as a character, but it wasn't until Matt Donovan carried a very drunk Caroline back home and took care of her that I got to see what I think was the real Caroline; albeit with a substantial amount of alcohol in her system. No walls, pretenses or imitations on her part. Just a lonely, broken girl who wanted to be number one to someone, anyone.
It did not escape my attention that her mother never spent any time with her. Later, I would come to understand the dynamics of their relationship more completely, but at this time in the season, it just looked like Caroline had a mother who was too busy to be bothered with her and an absentee father who I pictured frolicking in some meadow with his boyfriend.
As things started to develop with Matt, I was sincerely rooting for the two of them as a couple. It seemed that Matt brought out a more honest, selfless version of Caroline that I preferred over the many versions of her we got the privilege to encounter over the course of season one. This can only be a testament to Candice Accola's superb acting skills because despite the fact that I wondered at one point how many personalities Caroline had, Candice made me believe every single one of them without question. It seemed not only real, but totally plausible that Caroline could transform from a self-conscious little girl masquerading as a bubbly, confident young woman to a jealous, resentful, seemingly insensitive control freak and then to a timid, emotional, needy wreck with Damon one minute to this slowly-blossoming incredible person she was becoming with Matt.
I realized that she was a valuable asset to the show. I realized that she was going through what could potentially be a wonderful character arc for her. I cared about Caroline, finally. Did I absolutely love her at this point? Not quite yet. It may seem a bit insensitive and unfair, but that first impression of Caroline still stuck with me and she was still having battles with that old personality, too. That's to be expected, of course. You can't just go from being one person to being an entirely different person over-night or in one episode so I respected Caroline as a character for that. I respected Candice and the writers of the show for making her transition slow, but steady.
Let's fast forward to season two and Caroline's transition from human to vampire. After all, that's what this article is really about. I think it was one of the best decisions the writers ever made for the show because it broke our hearts while simultaneously giving Caroline the opportunity to truly grow as a character and shine on her own, apart from the boys they put in her life and her friends that seemed to steal the show whenever they were around. How does Caroline compete with Elena who everyone loves and feels sorry for because she lost her parents and now faces all these insurmountable, supernatural odds? Or Bonnie who is a witch? Even with her human character developing into something wonderful, it still wouldn't have been enough to bring Caroline front and center, where her character has been longing to be since we met her in season one. Her transition to a vampire accomplished that beautifully.
Out of everyone we've watched attempt to make the transition from human to vampire, I believe that Caroline did it the most gracefully. How can I say that when she attacked a hospital nurse, compelled aforementioned nurse, lashed out at Matt repeatedly, killed an innocent carnival worker who had the potential to be Bonnie's first love interest on the show & broke down while Stefan wiped the blood off her face? Several reasons and I can back each one up with an example.
First, she did all this essentially on her own. No one was there with her to explain what was happening and the only people she came in contact with for a while were those that had no idea about vampires at the time. Her memories didn't start coming back until she had that first sip of blood so, though she remembered how Damon used her, she had no way of remembering how he fed on and compelled her or when he broke down the steps of becoming a vampire for her. She deduced that herself after her memories started resurfacing piece by piece.
Second, she figured out what she needed to do to get out of the hospital she was in at the time without alerting anyone else that anything was amiss: wait until dark, feed on the nurse, compel her to tell everyone her husband 'likes to get kinky' and then be on her merry way. I, for one, think Caroline is a genius for figuring out how to compel people without any instruction from another vampire.
She gets ridiculous points for making Damon her first target after a becoming a vampire. As much as I love Damon, I have to admit that vampire-super-shove thing she did was bad-ass.
And do I really need to point out how incredible it is that she stopped herself from killing the nurse or how she managed to not eat Matt when she ran into him at the school carnival? She collected herself and walked away. I think that for a new vampire, that's a feat that should be recognized with a medal or a special plaque. Or a keg full of blood and a funnel or something equally vampire approved.
After she finally did break down and feed on someone to death, you could see how truly sorry she was and how repulsed she was by her own nature. She went right back to the sensitive Caroline that just needs to be loved and accepted and the fact that she had blood all over mouth while she did it just made it that much more epic. In a single scene, the writer's managed to create a whole new set of shippers (a group of people that want two particular characters from a show to become a couple) who would call themselves 'Team Stefoline.' That would never have worked if The Vampire Diaries didn't have such a brilliant cast because so many of us were adamant Stelena fans. Fortunately for them, the cast is brilliant so that scene was brilliant. I was a hardcore Stefan and Elena fan at that time, but when I saw how tender Stefan was with Caroline and how they interacted together, even I had about two minutes on Team Stefoline.
She had been suffering through this alone until Stefan took her under his wing, but she was making the best out of it if you take out the carnival-dinner incident. She managed to be upbeat, smile and try to act normal up to that point. I was amazed by her resilience. I couldn't have imagined that Caroline would one day become one of my all-time favorite characters on The Vampire Diaries, but she has.
She has so many memorable moments as Vampire Barbie. One of my many favorites is when Stefan takes her out in the woods to hunt after Bonnie makes her a daylight ring. Caroline starts babbling about all her teenage end-of-the-world issues (as if being turned into a vampire by your best friend's look-alike doesn't unequivocally trump boy-trouble) and makes a funny exclamation that I still laugh at no matter how many times I see it just because it's so well-executed.
After Caroline learns the ropes, she becomes this strong, truly confident person that I adore so much. She's a perfect - if totally nontraditional - example of what it is to turn an undesirable situation into something positive that benefits you for the better. Not that I'm suggesting anyone run out and try to become a vampire. I'm just saying that if life gives you lemons…well, you know the rest.
Tweet me your favorite Vampire Barbie moments!
Written by: Jacquelyn Bodmer
1912... The Year that Was This week’s episode focuses on the year 1912. By now we are all wondering what was so influential this year that a whole episode is devoted to it? Damon may have had Sage but what else was going on? Here are some interesting facts and happenings in the year 1912. We may not know everything that happened to Damon and Stefan in this year but we can have a better understanding of what was going on around them. One hundred years seems like forever to us but to Vampires it must seem like yesterday.
1912 was a leap year, just like 2012. Coincidence? I think not!
William Howard Taft was President and New Mexico and Arizona became the 47th and 48th states of the United States.
On February 28th Albert Berry was crazy enough to be the first person in the world to parachute jump out of an airplane.
The Girl Scouts were founded on March 12th. Good thing since the world would never be the same without Girl Scout cookies.
3,000 cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington, D.C. on March 27th. They were a gift from Tokyo to represent friendship between the United States and Tokyo. The trees are still there today and came be admired in full bloom during the yearly Cherry Blossom Festival.
At 2:20 a.m. on April 15th the Titanic ship sinks claiming the lives of more than 1,500 passengers.This is probably the most memorable event of 1912.
I wonder if the Salvatore brothers ran in the 16th Boston Marathon on April 19th. Most likely not since Mike Ryan won it with a time of 2:21:18.2.
Both Tiger Stadiumin Detroit and Fenway Park in Boston opened on April 20th.
Maybe Damon and Stephen were at the August 15th baseball game when Yankee Guy Zinn stole home base twice in the game, setting a new record.
The Presidential election of 1912 resulted in a triumph for Woodrow Wilson, former New Jersey Governor (Yay Jersey!)
Arizona, Kansas and Wisconsin voted for women’s suffrage on November 5th.
With all these fascinating occasions in 1912 I have to wonder what the newest episode will include, if any of these at all. As my wheels are turning and I am desperately trying to figure out the episode I have developed some theories. Unfortunately, they will not be confirmed or denied until after the episode airs.
Theory #1: Dr. Fell is a distant relative of Sage and carrying out the council members murders.
Theory #2: Dr. Fell is trying to protect the council members from the murderer but just happens to be seconds too late in saving them.
Theory #3: Somehow 2012 is mimicking 1912 revealing a dark secret into the past. The murders may be happening by someone who has not been identified as super natural yet.
I am sure everyone has their own theories by now and I would love to hear them. With the creative and superb writing on The Vampire Diaries it is difficult to guess anything that may happen. (But I still like to try!) History always repeats itself, whether we want it to or not. Especially in Mystic Falls.
What are your "1912" theories?
Special thanks to historyorb for the great information.
Written by: Jacquelyn Bodmer
First Love
Everyone remembers his or her first date, first kiss and first love. But do you remember the first time you fell in love with The Vampire Diaries? For some it was a courtship, slow and steady episode by episode. While for others it was love at first sight.
For me it was love at first sight but it took awhile to get there. I resisted the urge of both seasons one and two, making every excuse as to why I couldn’t watch. I didn’t want to get involved with another show, I had class or something else to do. On one random night while I was reorganizing my closet I turned on the television. And there he was. Ian Somerhalder, my first actor crush from Young Americans. He was on my TV looking more dashing than I remember. Instantly I was hooked, I quickly overloaded my iTunes with all three seasons and watched them nonstop. It wasn’t until now that got me thinking about TVD and relationships.
Being a loyal fan of any TV show mimics a real-life relationship. You begin with the first date (the first episode), which leads to that longing and yearning for the next one. Then you become hooked and jump into the relationship. Researching and connecting to the actors, following them on Twitter and supporting their foundations forms an unbreakable bond. You compare your life with theirs and identify the characters and how they would fit into your life.
Next, we take things to the next level and begin watching past episodes every night. Out of the blue comes the pause. When the show goes on a hiatus you become irritable and depressed. Unfortunately, this leads to the “summer fling” when you find another show to fill that void in your nights. You reminisce about old episodes and still hold a flame for what seems like a lost love. Then the hiatus is over and it’s time to rekindle your love. You realize how much you missed that person (show) and the feelings become even more intense.
March 15th marks the rekindling of our old flame and new episode. We know it will be intense and amazing and nothing has made us give-up on our love. As someone who dove into this relationship head first it will be interesting to see where season three takes us. For many of us TVD is our guilty pleasure. Each relationship is unique and special in its own way. Some are secretive while others are shouting from the rooftops.
The choice is yours and how you want your relationship with TVD to progress, all I know is that each week the passion grows deeper and deeper in all of us.
I want to know what your first time was with TVD?
Written by: Beth Dean
Operation Vampire Diaries Detox
I'm sweating.
I know what you're thinking: "um….ew," right?
Because sweating is generally regarded across the board as a synonym for 'disgusting ickiness,' (or at least in my mind it is). But this time, I actually have a great reason for sweating and I think anyone reading this can relate (and no, it's not because of Ian Somerhalder's handsome face or striking blue eyes, although I will admit, those are more than valid excuses).
It's The Vampire Diaries - or more accurately - the lack of them.
I happen to be one of the millions of unwilling participants in Operation Vampire Diaries Detox. The powers that be have deemed it necessary to put my drug of choice on hiatus. (Feel free to gasp. I'm just as appalled as you are.)
I suspect that I'm entering the beginning-stages of withdrawal with far too many days to go before I get any kind of relief. You may have heard that Operation Vampire Diaries Detox is the supposed 'cure' for TVD Withdrawal Syndrome. In reality, it's just a way for the CW to keep us on our toes. Or butts. Sweating with anticipation for our next weekly fix. Thing is, we've been running on reruns for only Elijah knows how long and we're starting to get the shakes.
However, you needn't be alarmed. This is a temporary infliction curable by our approaching induction into the Vampire Diaries Relapse Academy which starts promptly at 8pm on Thursday, March 15th just by tuning into the CW. You should attend if you or anyone you know has experience with the following symptoms (particularly, within the first two stages):
Stage One:
So, my fellow Vampire Diaries Addicts - you should take solace; the end of your torture is near. In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you're doing to hold yourselves together during the current "hellatus" (thank you very much Thomas Galvin for that apt description of the CW hiatus)! You're such strong, courageous souls to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward even though yoursoul DVR is currently empty of its reason
to exist. Keep pushing on, brave ones. Don't let TVD Withdrawal
Syndrome or Operation Vampire Diaries Detox destroy you. Find the
nearest remote and tune into The Vampire Diaries on Thursday, March 15th
on the CW - and for the love of all that is "Original" - spread the
word.
Tell us how you've been coping with The Vampire Diaries hiatus!
1912... The Year that Was This week’s episode focuses on the year 1912. By now we are all wondering what was so influential this year that a whole episode is devoted to it? Damon may have had Sage but what else was going on? Here are some interesting facts and happenings in the year 1912. We may not know everything that happened to Damon and Stefan in this year but we can have a better understanding of what was going on around them. One hundred years seems like forever to us but to Vampires it must seem like yesterday.
1912 was a leap year, just like 2012. Coincidence? I think not!
William Howard Taft was President and New Mexico and Arizona became the 47th and 48th states of the United States.
On February 28th Albert Berry was crazy enough to be the first person in the world to parachute jump out of an airplane.
The Girl Scouts were founded on March 12th. Good thing since the world would never be the same without Girl Scout cookies.
3,000 cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington, D.C. on March 27th. They were a gift from Tokyo to represent friendship between the United States and Tokyo. The trees are still there today and came be admired in full bloom during the yearly Cherry Blossom Festival.
At 2:20 a.m. on April 15th the Titanic ship sinks claiming the lives of more than 1,500 passengers.This is probably the most memorable event of 1912.
I wonder if the Salvatore brothers ran in the 16th Boston Marathon on April 19th. Most likely not since Mike Ryan won it with a time of 2:21:18.2.
Both Tiger Stadiumin Detroit and Fenway Park in Boston opened on April 20th.
Maybe Damon and Stephen were at the August 15th baseball game when Yankee Guy Zinn stole home base twice in the game, setting a new record.
The Presidential election of 1912 resulted in a triumph for Woodrow Wilson, former New Jersey Governor (Yay Jersey!)
Arizona, Kansas and Wisconsin voted for women’s suffrage on November 5th.
With all these fascinating occasions in 1912 I have to wonder what the newest episode will include, if any of these at all. As my wheels are turning and I am desperately trying to figure out the episode I have developed some theories. Unfortunately, they will not be confirmed or denied until after the episode airs.
Theory #1: Dr. Fell is a distant relative of Sage and carrying out the council members murders.
Theory #2: Dr. Fell is trying to protect the council members from the murderer but just happens to be seconds too late in saving them.
Theory #3: Somehow 2012 is mimicking 1912 revealing a dark secret into the past. The murders may be happening by someone who has not been identified as super natural yet.
I am sure everyone has their own theories by now and I would love to hear them. With the creative and superb writing on The Vampire Diaries it is difficult to guess anything that may happen. (But I still like to try!) History always repeats itself, whether we want it to or not. Especially in Mystic Falls.
What are your "1912" theories?
Special thanks to historyorb for the great information.
Written by: Jacquelyn Bodmer
First Love
Everyone remembers his or her first date, first kiss and first love. But do you remember the first time you fell in love with The Vampire Diaries? For some it was a courtship, slow and steady episode by episode. While for others it was love at first sight.
For me it was love at first sight but it took awhile to get there. I resisted the urge of both seasons one and two, making every excuse as to why I couldn’t watch. I didn’t want to get involved with another show, I had class or something else to do. On one random night while I was reorganizing my closet I turned on the television. And there he was. Ian Somerhalder, my first actor crush from Young Americans. He was on my TV looking more dashing than I remember. Instantly I was hooked, I quickly overloaded my iTunes with all three seasons and watched them nonstop. It wasn’t until now that got me thinking about TVD and relationships.
Being a loyal fan of any TV show mimics a real-life relationship. You begin with the first date (the first episode), which leads to that longing and yearning for the next one. Then you become hooked and jump into the relationship. Researching and connecting to the actors, following them on Twitter and supporting their foundations forms an unbreakable bond. You compare your life with theirs and identify the characters and how they would fit into your life.
Next, we take things to the next level and begin watching past episodes every night. Out of the blue comes the pause. When the show goes on a hiatus you become irritable and depressed. Unfortunately, this leads to the “summer fling” when you find another show to fill that void in your nights. You reminisce about old episodes and still hold a flame for what seems like a lost love. Then the hiatus is over and it’s time to rekindle your love. You realize how much you missed that person (show) and the feelings become even more intense.
March 15th marks the rekindling of our old flame and new episode. We know it will be intense and amazing and nothing has made us give-up on our love. As someone who dove into this relationship head first it will be interesting to see where season three takes us. For many of us TVD is our guilty pleasure. Each relationship is unique and special in its own way. Some are secretive while others are shouting from the rooftops.
The choice is yours and how you want your relationship with TVD to progress, all I know is that each week the passion grows deeper and deeper in all of us.
I want to know what your first time was with TVD?
Written by: Beth Dean
Operation Vampire Diaries Detox
I'm sweating.
I know what you're thinking: "um….ew," right?
Because sweating is generally regarded across the board as a synonym for 'disgusting ickiness,' (or at least in my mind it is). But this time, I actually have a great reason for sweating and I think anyone reading this can relate (and no, it's not because of Ian Somerhalder's handsome face or striking blue eyes, although I will admit, those are more than valid excuses).
It's The Vampire Diaries - or more accurately - the lack of them.
I happen to be one of the millions of unwilling participants in Operation Vampire Diaries Detox. The powers that be have deemed it necessary to put my drug of choice on hiatus. (Feel free to gasp. I'm just as appalled as you are.)
I suspect that I'm entering the beginning-stages of withdrawal with far too many days to go before I get any kind of relief. You may have heard that Operation Vampire Diaries Detox is the supposed 'cure' for TVD Withdrawal Syndrome. In reality, it's just a way for the CW to keep us on our toes. Or butts. Sweating with anticipation for our next weekly fix. Thing is, we've been running on reruns for only Elijah knows how long and we're starting to get the shakes.
However, you needn't be alarmed. This is a temporary infliction curable by our approaching induction into the Vampire Diaries Relapse Academy which starts promptly at 8pm on Thursday, March 15th just by tuning into the CW. You should attend if you or anyone you know has experience with the following symptoms (particularly, within the first two stages):
Stage One:
- Made notable by accompanying pain, anxiety and depression (Or ickiness in the form of sweating). If you know someone going through this, be a good friend and take them some popcorn and the season two DVD of Vampire Diaries. Not only could it save their sanity, but it will forever put you on the "Indispensable Friend List."
- Trust me, people; you cannot have too many friends who consider you indispensable. You never know when you may be Klaus' next victim.
- The
opposite of withdrawal. This is the stage filled with energy and
optimism. Example: Yes! One more week to go and it's back to normal
life with the vamps, witches and wolves (wouldn't that make a great new modern remake of the Wizard of Oz? Vampires, witches and wolves! Oh my!)
- The relapse period. You see, this is where so many people let the anxiety and depression get the better of them & they run right back down Vampire Relapse Boulevard.
- You see, TVD fans, we'll never make it passed this stage as long as Vampire Diaries is around. It's a fact. If the anxiety doesn't suck you back in, Paul & Ian's faces will (no pun intended).
- One word. Acceptance.
- I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not ready to accept anything that entails the demise of Damon's flirty eyes, Alaric's day-drinking, Nina's exceptional portrayal of not one - but two - characters or Vampire Barbie anything. If ever there was a stroke of genius in a series, it was making Caroline Forbes a vampire, but that's a story for another day.
- Resolution: occurs after six months of abstinence.
- I'm (not really) sorry to break it to you, but I am too far gone to ever reach this point of recovery. You can officially label Operation Vampire Diaries Detox an epic failure where I'm concerned. Vampire Diaries has ruined me for life. Thank you Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec and the entire TVD cast; you have created my perfect brand of Entertainment Heroine.
So, my fellow Vampire Diaries Addicts - you should take solace; the end of your torture is near. In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you're doing to hold yourselves together during the current "hellatus" (thank you very much Thomas Galvin for that apt description of the CW hiatus)! You're such strong, courageous souls to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward even though your
Tell us how you've been coping with The Vampire Diaries hiatus!
