redbrunja | I Had Those Wild Charms For You

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I Had Those Wild Charms For You

I am deeply, deeply meh about The Secret Circle. Only two things really caught my interest - Faye and Diana's scene on the porch and Tomas Dekker's character's unstable, drunk, slightly creepy, slightly inappropriate yet still hot dad. –and those are, narratively speaking, very small things, especially when stacked up against a big fat pile of storytelling tropes that I am not a fan of. Namely: more powerful together; nice girl being more skilled at magic than bad girl; bad girl not being in control of her power; FUCKING SOUL MATES; and another goddamn love triangle (this one with the added downside of involving characters I do not care much about).

That said, the pilot had good music and I love how The Kills are the go-to band for supernatural shows. And while I have no desire to watch the second episode, I'm not going to completely write this show off - if my flist suddenly explodes with omg Secret Circle posts, like what happened with TVD, I'll pick it back up.

The Vampire Diaries, on the other hand, was hellishly entertaining. I am going to take this in descending order, from things I loved to things I didn't.

First, OMG Caroline x Tyler! So delicious. I loved every single one of their scenes, from the awkward 'Us? Dating?' to the whole horny-all-the-time convo (JUST BONE, KIDS!) to everything at the party to AWESOME MAKE OUTS FUCK YES. God, their arc in this episode was so adorable and satisfying. I don't have much to say beyond FUCK YES ABOUT TIME. (Sidenote: Matt is a total dick. I cannot believe he refused to wait on the girl HE dumped. What an ass.)

I am super-excited about what is going to go down between Mrs. Lockwood and Caroline. I foresee much awesomeness from Caroline and much angst from Tyler and it is going to be GLORIOUS.

I am very interested it what's happening with Stefan. How much did I love that he has a specific serial killer style? So goddamn much. Seriously, that little detail totally delighted me. As did the ending scene where Stefan called Elena. I loved that whole thing, from Stefan coming out of the bar, moving like he doesn't know what he was doing and how he didn't say a thing on the phone.

Things besides Bonnie's extended family that is like watching paint that never dries? Bonnie and Jeremy. That said, given that Anna and Vicki are showing up again, I am willing to consider being interested in Jeremy while they're around.

I hated everything with Andi. That storyline is so damn terrible and I find I have lost so much respect for everyone involved, bystanders included. How Elena, Caroline, FUCKING ALARIC, et al justify not drowning poor Andi in vervain and getting her the hell away from Damon I'll never know. That said, Elena and Damon continue to have mad chemistry, damn them both. (Sidenote: Nina Dobrev looked fucking gorgeous in every single scene. A+ hair and costume department.)

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How Elena, Caroline, FUCKING ALARIC, et al justify not drowning poor Andi in vervain and getting her the hell away from Damon I'll never know.

OMG, I hadn't even thought of that! I was too busy going, "Fucking Stefan's bullshit now on top of Damon's bullshit" in regards to Andi that I didn't even factor in everybody else that just watched it all unfolding knowingly.

I'm particularly pissed at Alaric due to his flippant comment. It's just - how hard would it be to get her on vervain? How to you just blithely have a conversation with Damon when you know that's going on?

You know, Damon used to be my favorite character but the Andi arc... yeah, that was were that all stopped. Le sigh.

Yeah, I have the same problem with Damon. It's getting increasingly difficult to love him, and I REALLY WANT TO BECAUSE OMG HAVE YOU SEEN IAN'S FACE? But prettiness and fantastic snark will only buy you so much leeway.

He's NEVER treated a female character properly. Caroline and Andi - he compelled and raped and feed off of. Bonnie - threatening and intimidating and biting. Elena - he forces his will on Elena repeatedly, despite her clear and in no uncertain terms desire to not have him bite her, kiss her, turn her, etc... The only girl he's ever acted legitimately decent to? Rose.

Andi and, omg, CAROLINE - they're both excused away without acknowledging the level of fucked up that happened. One of the writers even said something about how Damon helped Caroline become the self-confident vampire she is now, and I was like, "HELL FUCKING NO. Caroline is fierce all by herself, and despite Damon's involvement, not because of."

Which, this comment sounds like I hate Damon - and I sorta do, but I also love him because I get what he's trying to do. I do. And I love the potential of him, and that's why I'm sticking around so much. I am currently writing an epically long TVD fic, and in it, I have it set six years into the future for a very specific reason - and that's because Damon has a long, long way to go before I'd ever want him to hook up with any of the fierce ladies that are on this show. He's too fucked up, and he's got such icky issues. When s2 began, I honestly thought that the writers were going to start his redemption arc, but like the PTB said, "it's more one step forward, three steps back." At this point, I freely acknowledge that I love fanon!Damon more than the actual canon!Damon. (Obviously the not-crappy fic kind of fanon!Damon, because OMG, there is a lot of crappy fic in this fandom.)

Edited 2011-09-17 00:04 (UTC)

Um, if this is too much bitching in your journal, I apologize and can totally take it down.

Are you kidding? Your thoughts are totally my thoughts. I was actually just in the middle of writing you a response.

Yeah, I have the same problem with Damon. It's getting increasingly difficult to love him, and I REALLY WANT TO BECAUSE OMG HAVE YOU SEEN IAN'S FACE? But prettiness and fantastic snark will only buy you so much leeway.

Exactly. And it was one thing when (at first) I thought they were writing Damon as a straight-up evil vampire (oh, so young and foolish) and then (season one) they were writing Damon RIGHT, as the evil boy the good girl is nonetheless safe with, but in season two they just crossed lines over and over and over.

Which is not to say that Damon's treatment of Caroline or Andi or Bonnie was every OKAY but if you're building a ship or a redemption arc (which the writers clearly are, even if they're blotching it) you've got to have some lines that Damon won't cross and the audience needs to want to root for Damon and Elena... WHICH THEY'RE NOT, because Elena isn't safe with Damon, and she isn't even unsafe in a fun way (a la that scene where she slaps him in the halloween episode of season one, which I found nicely walked that bad boy line).

something about how Damon helped Caroline become the self-confident vampire she is now, and I was like, "HELL FUCKING NO. Caroline is fierce all by herself, and despite Damon's involvement, not because of."

Oh, yes, Damon helped Caroline... by being the instrument of her crucifixtion if we're going to get all hero's journey about it.

Oh, good! I figured as much, but I just wanted to make sure!

And s1 Damon is totally my favorite, because there was no conflict in liking the bad boy. I like villains! For instance, my love of Katherine knows no bounds. However, the writers are trying to make Damon a hero and are either (1)purposely screwing it up in so many different ways, or (2) doing a piss-poor job of it. I think it's a combination of both, and I'm sorry, I can't ship Damon with anyone the way he is right now. The pretty will go to waste that way!

I really think that's it's mainly unintentional. Because what the writers SAY they're doing and what they actually are is just SO DAMN far apart.

As you already know, I agree with most of this! Heh. The best thing about TVD is also sometimes the worst thing about TVD, which is to say I love the little summer backstory of Tyler and Caro being BFFs who are always together, and everyone suspects they are more. That is a favorite trope of mine (friends to lovers) but it's already over and into the next (exceedingly hot!) stage! So I would totally go find fic, except...I do not know who is good in this fandom?! Oh the humanity.

Yeah, I haven't come across that fic out.... if I do, I will send it your way. But there totally absolutely should be fic about Caro and Tyler BFF-ing it up all summer!

Thanks! I suppose I should look into an LJ comm maybe. Thought I can't decide if I really ship them or just enjoy Caroline with whoever. (Though Matt's like a wet dishrag at this point a bit.)

But there totally absolutely should be fic about Caro and Tyler BFF-ing it up all summer!

It's not *exactly* that (the sexual tension prevents it from being simply BFF-y), but it is summer fic and awesome IMO:

Staring at the Sun (http://lila82.livejournal.com/34552.html) by

lila82. Most appropriate title ever, Y/Y/MFY?

AWESOME FIC IS AWESOME. PERFECT TITLE IS PERFECT.

Ugh. Don't get me started on the Andie thing. Spitting nails.

Worst part is? I am not even slightly surprised.

I was whelmed by The Secret Circle. It was certainly better than TVD's pilot, but I'm not enamoured with the protagonist or the love triangle set-up.

I loved Caroline and Tyler in this episode, but I'm still kind of ish on them because I'm not sure about Tyler and his anger issues (I haven't forgotten how he treated Vicki. I know people can change but they haven't really explored that with him to my satisfaction). Still, I liked that they were BFFs all summer and then just had to ~give into their feelings. And the twist with Mrs. Lockwood was awesome.

Everyone is the worst about enabling Damon (one of the reasons I love Bonnie is because she doesn't, or at least she didn't) and I sadly don't forsee that changing in the future.

I loved Caroline and Tyler in this episode, but I'm still kind of ish on them because I'm not sure about Tyler and his anger issues (I haven't forgotten how he treated Vicki. I know people can change but they haven't really explored that with him to my satisfaction). Still, I liked that they were BFFs all summer and then just had to ~give into their feelings. And the twist with Mrs. Lockwood was awesome.

I think it's clear that Tyler HAS changed, but you're right that a lot of that change seems to have happened off screen.

Everyone is the worst about enabling Damon (one of the reasons I love Bonnie is because she doesn't, or at least she didn't) and I sadly don't forsee that changing in the future.

Sadly, so very true.

Caroline x Tyler = UNF TIMES A BILLION. I love that they were SO SO HOT and also BFFs in the best kind of way, it was just...AWESOME. They hit every note right from the friendshippy, more innocent and charming stuff (like Tyler stealing little glances at Caro to gauge her reaction to the "dating" comment) to the full-on HOT HOT HOT supernatural sexytimes.

Caroline + Ma Lockwood + Tyler is going to be AMAZINGCAKES. Even more so when Liz Forbes gets in on the action.

Matt needs to STFU and GTFO and DIAF for good measure. When he greeted Elena so warmly and then just completely ignored Caroline I was just...I wanted her to put her fist through his face, srsly.

It was actually what Stefan did to Andie that disturbed me most. Why does this show keep using other women as collateral damage in the Salvatores's quest to prove their love for Elena? I can't believe he did THAT to an innocent woman just to prove to Damon that he'd turned Ripper, I can't believe the show actually lingered on DAMON'S reaction after Andie died.

In general I'm upset that the show milked Andie's hideous death following serial rape to make the audience feel bad for Stefan and Damon and Elena. WTF.

In general I'm upset that the show milked Andie's hideous death following serial rape to make the audience feel bad for Stefan and Damon and Elena. WTF.

Yeah, they pretty much made all the worst choices with that one.

Jumping in to say I basically agree with your whole post. ITA about The Secret Circle. I've read the books, and pretty much enjoyed them, but in the pilot I only really liked the scene on the porch with Faye and Diana. I'll give it a shot, but I'm feeling pretty cynical right now.

That storyline is so damn terrible and I find I have lost so much respect for everyone involved, bystanders included.

Yup. The Andie story line just makes me pissed at pretty much everyone on the show, which I'm sure wasn't the writers' intention. But how could they not see how cavalier they're making everyone seem while this character is being compelled and abused? Grr.

Hah, yeah, no, I didn't continue watching. I probably should have given it more of a chance, but there's so much else on TV this season that I watch (and I seem to be having really limited tolerance for CW teen dramas right now) that I just gave up on it after that episode. Maybe after the first season if it gets good reviews I'll pick it up again. (I mean, the first season of TVD was definitely better than I'd originally thought it would be, so who knows?)

Same here. I just have other things to watch, and given my rocky relationship with TVD right now, plus everything else we've already mentioned, I am not getting the urge to pick it up.

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I Had Those Wild Charms For You

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