You’ve Got Mail (A Belated-Movie Review)

When asked, “What’s your favorite movie?” The first movie to come to my mind is almost always “A Cinderella Story.” Of the hundreds of Hallmark movies I’ve watched, “Bottled with Love” is one of my all-time favorites. And, while I love rom-coms, I haven’t seen very many adult rom-coms unless they were Hallmark. Otherwise, I’ve watched mostly teen movies. So, when my best friend told me the movie for today’s girls’ night was “You’ve Got Mail,” I was excited. This was my chance to finally watch the movie that seems to have started it all for the “pen pals to lovers” trope. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.
I’ll start with my highlights. I loved the soundtrack and I liked the setting. Funnily enough, I was wearing an “I ❤ NYC” shirt today, which went perfectly with the movie. I also loved that every time Joe talked all I heard was Woody. And that his kid-aunt was played by an actress I’ve liked in several roles, particularly “Flight 29 Down.” Moreover, I liked that the boyfriend was played by the dad from “The Last Song,” another of my favorite movies.

What I did not love was, well, pretty much everything else. There was so much potential in this movie and it was all wasted. An ending that could have been perfect was tainted by the first hour and a half of awfulness. I acknowledge the Hallmark movies I love always tie everything up in the last five to ten minutes, but it always follows the consequences and resolution of the rest of the movie. So, what felt like a far too quick tie-up to this movie would’ve been fine with me if it wasn’t for everything else. Joe (NY152) and Kathleen (Shop-Girl) were truly awful characters who saw zero consequences and very little resolution.
The nostalgia of the opening scene alone could’ve given the movie so many bonus points. Add the promising beginning of two strangers chatting on AOL and we’ve got the start of a true winner. Then, everything came screeching to a violent and abrupt halt. Not one, but both of the leads were in serious relationships. This may not have been alarming, except both leads hid their messages from their partners. *red flag #1*

In other promising scenes, we get several near-meet-cutes that I always love. They just kept missing each other until the true meet-cute moment. *swoon* He takes his child-aunt and baby brother into her bookstore and they have several moments. Adding to the moment is the fact we all know what she doesn’t. He’s the namesake of the big-name book company that will likely put her small bookstore out of business. This is the moment we Hallmarkies love about our movies. So, yes, I saw a lot of potential in this scene too, especially because he was trying to hide his identity. But then, things got worse and worse.
Shop-Girl and NY152 kept sending flirty emails and building a relationship. *red flags #2 & #3* And each encounter between Joe and Kathleen was flirty in the haters-to-lovers kind of way. *red flag #4* Shop-Girl and NY152 even planned to meet for a coffee date. *red flag #5* Then, NY152, aka Joe, saw Shop-Girl was Kathleen. Naturally, he realized they couldn’t possibly be in a happy relationship, so he stood her up. *red flag #6* But not really, because Joe showed up without telling Kathleen the truth. Which, I mean, is sort of understandable since she hated him so much, but still… It was a lie. *red flag #7* A lie that could’ve been forgivable if it wasn’t for everything else.

I don’t expect movies to be as realistic as real life. I do expect some sort of realism though. I expect real life, but with a guaranteed happy ending. That’s why we love fairytales, Hallmark, and other rom-coms so much. Most of the stories feel relatable in one sense or another and there’s always a happy ending. Not so with “You’ve Got Mail.” Sure, there was a happy ending, but it was tainted by the lack of reality.

Kathleen spent the whole movie cheating on her significant other and blaming Joe for making good business decisions. *red flag #8* Joe spent the whole movie being insensitive and also cheating on his significant other. *red flag #9* In a Hallmark movie or teen rom-com, this would’ve been fine. Not here. Not without consequences or resolution. In Hallmark movies and most other rom-coms the cheater, emotional or otherwise, gets called out and has to deal with the consequences. In this one, the breakups were clean and mutual. What!? Are you kidding me!? GROSS! Then, Joe never actually tells Kathleen the truth. *red flag #10* And neither of them truly apologizes for being awful human beings. *red flag #11* Kathleen does say she shouldn’t be cruel, but she doesn’t apologize. And Joe. Ugh! Joe… Joe doesn’t even apologize for anything. He gets all manipulative saying, “If you can forgive him, then why can’t you forgive me?” *red flag #12* And then, when she leaves him to meet cyber-boy he just shows up without ever telling the truth. In fact, he sort of plays her. When she finally sees it’s him, she cries. I thought, finally, we’d get a good wrap-up and she’d call him out for what he deserved to be called out on–lying–but no! She’s glad it was him!? She was hoping it was him!? She’s not even mad he lied to her knowing who she was the whole time!? And then it’s just over!? Gross! No consequences. No true apologies or ownership. No redeeming qualities even though it had so much potential!
I wanted to like this movie. I really did. It’s the forerunner of one of my favorite tropes! But I couldn’t like it. I tried until the very end and it just fell flat. I honestly can’t believe so many people love this movie so much. What about it is in the least bit romantic? I will defend a rom-com or drama to the end in most cases, but I can’t with this one. I will not be watching it again. And I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. If asked, I would discourage it. But I will leave with a parting comment of semi-positivity. I acknowledge Joe did see a little bit of character growth. He was nicer and more empathetic and figured out what he wanted. But once again, it was wasted potential. *Sigh*

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What if Love is the Point? (Launch Team Book Review – Part One)

Ever wondered what it’s like to be rich & famous? Are fame & fortune all they’re cracked up to be? If not, then what’s the point? In their new book, boybander Carlos & Spy Girl Alexa answer those questions & more.

I’m a major fangirl, aspiring podcaster, self-published author, & most importantly, a devoted Christ-follower. As such, Alexa & Carlos PenaVega are 2 of my favorite celebrities. Seeing they were launching a team to read their new book had me pumped! Idk how a launch team works. Idk if it’s first come first serve, all are welcome here, or a select number of people who get to join. Either way, it felt like a risk to ask to be on the team. I didn’t expect to get an invite. I figured thousands of people, if not more, would be asking to join. So, when I saw the email to join, I was SO excited! It’s always such an honor to get an invite into someone’s story. It’s why I do what I do. I share my story, so you can be a part of it, & so I might be a part of yours too. That’s exactly what Carlos & Alexa have done with this book! Why? Because Jesus invited us into His story & when we invite Him into ours everything changes for the best. That doesn’t always feel true, but it is.

There’s a time & place for philosophy & theology. This isn’t it. Both often leave more questions than answers. In this book, Carlos & Alexa give us the only answers that matter–love & Jesus.

Some might complain most of the book is their stories & not “the point.” I would argue that’s not true. If love is the point, then you have to get to know people & you have to get to know Jesus. How would you get to know people & Jesus without hearing their stories?

Maybe I’m biased. Maybe being a fan of BTR, Spy Kids, DWTS, & Hallmark made me love this book more than I would’ve otherwise. I don’t think so though. Alexa & Carlos were vulnerable & raw in this book. They were amusing & straightforward. I will recommend this book to anyone & everyone interested in the lives of child stars, heartthrobs, & what truly matters. I gave this book 5 stars, not for the writing, but for the story & the answers because love IS the point.

For a more detailed review keep an eye out for TWO podcast episodes coming soon!

The One About Toby and Stuff (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on February 2, 2016. Republished on May 18, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

I take it back! I am NOT okay with Spaleb! Nope! Not at all! Did you see Toby’s face when Caleb told him? No! Okay? No! It was close to the same face he made in the hotel with Spencer. Ya know? When she was talking to him about how she felt when he let her cry outside his apartment! Then, he looked at the ring he would have given that chick before he found out about Spencer and Caleb! Officer Toby didn’t propose as he planned! Why do you suppose that is? It couldn’t be because he’s still in love Spencer, could it be? I mean, he did have a glimmer of hope on his torn face when he asked Spencer if she would be returning to DC. Ugh! My heart guys! It hurts right now! I love Toby so much!

^This is the face^

Let me tell you why the look on Toby’s face hurt me so much more than the look on Hanna’s face. It’s because Hanna is engaged to Jordan, who by the way, is a total sweetheart! And yeah, I get it, Toby was on the verge of being engaged, but I don’t know… there’s something different about Toby. Hanna, I guess, I don’t know…. Before she went off on Spencer for being with Caleb, she seemed like she could have been happy for them. Toby though, his immediate response was heartbreak. He couldn’t even look at Caleb when he wasn’t telling him it was okay. Hannah pretty much looked Spencer dead in the eye when she told her it was okay. Now, don’t get me wrong. I do believe Hannah loves Caleb as much as Toby loves Spencer. I also think Hannah might be able to deal with Spaleb a little better than Toby can. (I don’t remember why I thought this, but I don’t disagree now. So…)

Let’s talk about that morning-after scene though! Was it me, or even in the happiness and bliss of the moment, did Spencer seem to be a little bit remorseful? To me, she seemed a bit hesitant, like she could have been feeling regret. I mean, I do like Caleb and Spencer together for a short time and they do seem to like each other. But I think Spencer loves Toby and Hanna more than she likes Caleb. It wouldn’t surprise me if Toby ends up working with the girls again to beat this “big bad.” Or if Spencer goes to him one night when she needs to talk and something happens with them. The same scenario could take place with Hannah and Caleb! A girl can dream, right? A girl can hope for her OTP’s to get back together?

###

Okay, now let’s talk about this “big bad!” How creepy was that final scene? Like, for real! He took off a LITERAL face mask! Not like the ceramic ones Charlotte and her minions wore, but a flesh-like mask! CREEP-Y! skin crawls This “big bad” is out for serious blood! He’s not playing any games! His text message was serious when he said he’s hiding in plain sight! CREEPY! skin crawls again I don’t know if I can handle this! I…. Ugh! I am CREEPED OUT! And, in case you didn’t notice, his glasses are the same as Leslie Stone’s!

Last, but not least, Byron…. Creepy or not? If you say not, then I will question your sanity. Like more than anyone already questions the sanity of Pretty Little Liars fan! Byron is so freaking CREEPY! I’ve kind of always thought so! I don’t care that he dated his student. They were both legal adults. I do care that he cheated on his wife, made his daughter lie, and gave his daughter hell for dating a teacher. She did learn it from him. There’s also something creepy about a man who has so much hatred for a girl his daughter’s age—any scene he’s had with Alison! (Byron still creeps me out. He and Peter and Kenneth. Like even more than the twenty-something dudes dating teenagers.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

Haleb vs Spaleb – It’s Realistic (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on January 30, 2016. Republished on May 18, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

I don’t have any new or complete PLL theories right now. (I was so over PLL at this point. It took a lot for me to even write about it.) I do have a thought or two about what has happened in Pretty Little Liars season 6B so far. Most of what I have to say is about what happened in the last moments of the episode that aired on January 26, 2016. That’s right. It’s time to talk about Spaleb. I have a group chat with two of my roommates and a friend. It is fully dedicated to Pretty Little Liars conversations. My roommate Ana and our friend, Courtney, shared how MAD they are about Spencer and Caleb. I shared how much I like it. ducks from the things being thrown at me by you furious Haleb and Spoby shippers.

Okay, now that’s out of your system, let me explain. Rosewood is one of the tiniest towns imaginable. I mean, there are like what? Ten families, that live there based on how many families show up in the show? They haven’t had many people to choose from. (Still not an excuse, but that may be why the young twenty-somethings went after the sixteen-year-olds.) That said, I will acknowledge they’ve been out of Rosewood for about five years. Aria has a new boyfriend. Hannah’s engaged. So, why can’t Spencer be with someone who isn’t, ya know, Hannah’s first (and only) true love? Well, let’s see. Do Aria and Liam seem happy? Sure, yeah, they could be happy together. But will Aria ever be able to talk to him about everything that happened in high school? Will he ever be able to understand why or how she became the woman she is? No, especially not when you can see in his face he knows Ezra was something much more than an English teacher. Can Hannah and Jordan be happy in their proposed marriage? They do seem happy. They could make it work, right? The same is true with them though that is true of Aria and Liam. Jordan will never be able to understand who Hannah is, and I don’t Hannah even wants him to understand. She’s still in love with Caleb. She’ll always be in love with Caleb. And they all need someone who was there for them in the worst years of their lives. They need someone who understands. And that’s why Spencer and Caleb make sense.

Caleb, Toby, and Ezra are the ONLY men who could ever hope to understand the girls. They were there when everything went down. They experienced it all with them. If they’re not psycho, Lucas, Jason, and Wren have a chance of relating a little too. That’s why it makes sense for Caleb and Spencer to be together if they can’t be with Hannah and Toby. They’ve had a connection since the moment Spencer was trying to break her laptop out of Ian’s desk. They went to high school in a small town where all the liars grew up and so it makes sense. In a town that small, it’s unrealistic the four liars (six, if you count Alison and Mona as I do) would never the same guy. At some point, one of the best friends was bound to date one of the same guys as one of the others. It makes the most sense for that same person to be Caleb. Aria doesn’t have much of a relationship with Toby or Caleb. Hanna and Spencer don’t have much of a relationship with Ezra. And Emily’s gay. Spencer and Caleb have always somewhat had a relationship. If anyone’s going to date the same guy it would be Spencer and Hanna. I grew in a small community. We all knew the same people and there were very few dating options. We all liked the same people. Many dated the same people and eventually married someone who dated someone else. It was bound to happen in Pretty Little Liars. (I still stand by these statements.)

You can deny it all you want, but Spencer and Caleb are cute together and good for each other. I don’t think they’ll be together for long though. All our OTPs will inevitably get back together, at least for a little while, before the end of the show. Still, Caleb and Spencer could be very good for each other. They’re almost total opposites. And for that reason, they could help each other become stronger, healthier. (It’s kind of like that quote from Rose in The Vampire Diaries. “It’s not just that she makes him a better person–she does–but he changes her too. Damon challenges her, surprises her. He makes her question her life, beliefs. Stefan is different–his love is pure. He’ll always be good for her. Damon is either the best thing for her or the worst.”) It’s not like they’re doing anything behind Hanna’s back. Hanna’s the one who put two and two together in the first place. Spencer didn’t exactly broach the subject on her own. She asked Hannah, who freaked on her, about how she and Caleb are. That’s when Hannah asked and it’s not like Spencer was going to lie? That would be a bad friendship. Hanna suggested Spencer explore her feelings for Caleb, so she did. That’s not a bad friendship. Hanna and Caleb broke up at least two or three years ago. No, she’s engaged to someone else. If that were me and one of my best friends had feelings for my ex, then I’d want her to figure out what she’s feeling. What if Hanna stays with her fiance? It would be crappy for her to keep Caleb and Spencer from potential happiness. If Spencer had tried to bury feelings, only that would have ruined her friendship with Hanna. Have you ever tried to hide your feelings for someone? Eventually, it comes out and it’s usually a mess. Spencer should be honest now before Hanna finds out later. I don’t think it will ruin their friendship one way or the other. I think it will make them stronger. It’s the perfect adult conflict that Pretty Little Liars is trying to give us. They’re not in high school anymore. Hannah and Spencer spoke like the grown adults that they are. If they want their friendship to survive, then Spencer can’t bottle up her feelings like she always has. She needs to let them out and figure them out. Besides, Hannah is engaged and Jordan seems to love her. So until or unless they break up (assuming they will) then Caleb is fair game.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on Spaleb vs Haleb. I’m sure a LOT of people will have negative feelings about this post. That’s because ships and OTPs make us irrational sometimes. We forget all good stories need to be realistic. Realistic for a story like this is having one of the girls be with one of the other girls’ exes.

(I still think Spaleb was one of the best things to happen to PLL. So much growth came out of that ship. I think they all handled it quite well.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

Pretty Little Predictions (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on January 5, 2016. Republished on May 11, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

I’m posting this post at exactly 7:00 pm central time on Tuesday, January 5, 2016. I want it to post exactly one week before Pretty Little Liars season 6b premiers on ABC Family. Unfortunately now known as Freeform. I want to post now before we see anything in context. This is my prediction for what will happen between now and the last episode of season 7. I’m basing it off what we didn’t learn in the finale and things we have learned from previews and interviews.

The biggest question is, “Who is “he?” We hear someone talking about “him” in the previews for the time jump. So, who is he? Who’s the new big bad? Who’s the final “A” going to be? And for crying out loud, who or what is in the barrel!? Is Marlene going to leave us hanging? Red herrings still get answers! We need answers! Also, what’s going to happen to the core couples? What about their families? We have so many questions and so little time! This isn’t even touching all the questions I still have! (It’s been 4 years and I still have so many questions! The show left us so desperate for and so lacking in answers.)

Let’s be honest, the revelation of “Big A” was disappointing and Marlene King’s explanations only made it worse. That said, I still believe she doesn’t place things in the show for no reason. (Yes, she did. So many things happened in that show for no reason.) Everything’s a red herring or actual evidence. Speaking of red herrings, I’m still holding out hope that “Miss Aria You’re A Killer, Not Ezra’s Wife” was more than that. I hope it has a secret meaning. It would be interesting to find out Aria is or was somehow a killer or something.

My theory for “he” is that the NAT Club leader is going to be the final A. In season 3, Jason tells Spencer, “Sometimes, I think they were taking orders from someone else.” “They” are Ian and Garrett, the only other official members of the NAT Club. I hope Jason’s comment wasn’t a red herring. Not enough people have talked about it. It would be perfect for leading us to answers. I hope it’s going to have some kind of relevance for the rest of the series. If it was a red herring, I hope it was to throw suspicion off himself. In that case “he” could Jason. It could also be Wren. Wren’s been around town for a while. He could’ve been around before we knew it. He could’ve been pulling the strings. It could, but I doubt any of this has anything to do with Wren. He was one of the most talked-about suspects toward the end of 6A. The mystery is supposed to be guessable, but not obvious until you go back and watch. Wren seems like the most obvious choice. I don’t think it’s him, but it’s always a possibility.

Now, what’s going to about the relationships? If only one of the couples ends up together, I’m guessing it would be Ezria or Spoby. But I’ll give the pros and cons to all the couples getting back together.

EZRIA: Aria and Ezra have been such a toxic couple. Aria was pretty much addicted to him and he was a little bit crazy. As we come into the new season, the previews show Aria will have a new boyfriend and Ezra will be an alcoholic. I’ve also read since Aria is a publisher—or an editor, I don’t remember—she’ll be working with Ezra on his new book. We’ve seen a preview of her picking his book. A deep reminiscent look floods over her face, so one can assume she still has deep feelings for him. Of course, she would, he was her first love. The kind of feelings she had for Ezra don’t go away. Not completely. Despite the fact they were toxic with each other, they were good for each other. Together, they got through things in their lives they may not have been able to get through otherwise. I also think Aria is going to be the one who brings Ezra out of his slump and back into a good, healthy place in his life. (I was pretty much right about most of this. Ezra was definitely in a worse slump than anyone knew. And there were moments when they were still toxic. Overall, I think their adult relationship was okay.)

SPOBY: Spencer and Toby were also a bit toxic for each other. Even more than Ezra was a drug for Aria, Toby and Spencer were drugs for each other. I mean, Toby drove Spencer crazy! And, because of Spencer, Toby almost died because he didn’t know he was eating her secret drugs. Despite that, other than Emily, Spencer was the only person who believed in Toby. And Toby was often the only one who believed in Spencer. When their lives were falling apart, they held each other together. Not always in the healthiest ways, but they did hold each other together. They were also always good sleuthing partners. So, I’m sure they’ll end up sleuthing together again. If they don’t end up together, they will for sure have a few Spoby moments. (I was pretty much right about this. I’m not sure what my thoughts were or are. Spoby are somewhat together, but not as much as I’d like them to be. It’s kind of a bummer.)

HALEB: Hanna and Caleb have the healthiest relationship in the whole show. They were even healthier than the relationships the parents had. For that reason alone, I’m afraid they won’t end up together. It would be so like the writers to have the healthiest relationship of the whole show not end up together. Hanna’s engaged but I’m sure she’ll end up with Caleb for a temporary period anyway. Hannah will likely have a few issues with her fiancé and run to Caleb for comfort. She does love him and has major daddy issues after all. If Pretty Little Liars goes for a cliché storyline, then Hannah and Caleb will end up together. That’s how it is in all the cliché love stories. The girl goes back to her hometown while engaged. She runs into her first love, they click again, and they end up together. (That’s what I want to happen. I want Hanna and Caleb to be together. I love them. They might be my favorite.)

PAIGE AND EMILY: In a sneak peek of Mona and Allison, Emily and Paige have been talking again in California. I don’t have much to say about them, but I don’t think they’ll end up together. They never trusted each other and they were always fighting over one thing or another. And Paige is awful. (Glad she didn’t end up with Paige. Not glad she did end up with Alison. I didn’t like any of Emily’s love interests. I liked Alison on her own, but not with Emily.)

MIKE AND MONA: This is the couple I want to be together! They were so cute together. Mike was the only person who believed Mona could be more than the crazy stalker girl from Radley. (They didn’t end up together. I’m bummed about that.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

Why I’m Mad that *Spoiler* Is A (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on August 11, 2015. Republished on May 4, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

Truth? I am not happy with tonight’s episode of Pretty Little Liars. I would have been happier if Toby, Ezra, or Caleb were A. I don’t care that my suspicions about Jason and Wren were wrong. I’m kind of glad I wasn’t right about them being A. After all the time and energy I gave to figure out the mystery, it would have sucked if my original theory was right. Let me count the reasons why I’m not happy with who A is:

1. The mystery suspect is a secret family member? Come on! Transgender or not, that’s so overused!
2. CeCe was only in 11 of 142 episodes of Pretty Little Liars and was not in the twenty episodes leading up to this finale. Why?
3. “A” should have been someone who had a personal vendetta against each of the liars—Jenna, Toby, Lucas, or Noel.
4. The whole thing with CeCe and Jason dating was wrong on so many levels. It should not be in a show on a channel with ‘family’ in the title. Or any show on any channel. (At least they changed the channel name to “Freeform” shortly after this.)
5. “A” should have had a motive that we could have suspected before we met Charles at the end of season five. The point of a mystery is to give hints and reasons for viewers to pick up. Most viewers, not a few.
6. CeCe being “A” would have made so much sense on its own if she had been CeCe and not Charles. If she had had a little more face to fans time in a few more episodes. The CeCe we thought we knew could’ve been a realistic “A.” I even would’ve been fine with that. She was someone we knew. We don’t know this CeCe, Charles, whatever the name is.
7. “A” should have had at least a brief introduction before stealing the game from Mona.
8. CeCe spent the whole summer with the DiLaurentis family. Kenneth should have at some point suspected CeCe of being Charles if not knowing. Gender Transformation or not, a parent doesn’t forget their child altogether. Not to the point he doesn’t notice you after a long summer together.
9. Speaking of spending a summer with the DiLaurentis family and Jason having a thing with CeCe. Jessica should have made CeCe put an end to things immediately! I mean, EW! What kind of mother, even one as shady and psychotic as Jessica, would let her children date each other?
10. “A” has always been so organized and had everything so well thought out. To hear CeCe explain her story, you would think everything was kind of sporadic.
11. As far as the Charles storyline goes in general. How did Mr. Hastings not know about him when he had the affair with Jessica? Is he lying about that too? Did he know Jessica had a son who was only a few months old? Or did Jessica lie about that too? (Did these questions get answered?)
12. I always knew I should have written something specific about CeCe. At the end of my last post, I should have said, “If it’s not a guy, it’s CeCe, but I didn’t so I’m also a little mad at myself! (I say I didn’t. But I know I wrote about it. I mentioned a couple of times if I had to pick a female A it’d be her.
13. …to be continued… if/when I think of more reasons to be upset… (I’m still mad about all the above.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

I’m Calling It: WREN KINGSTON IS A! (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on August 4, 2015. Republished on April 27, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

It was August 2014 when I started watching Pretty Little Liars. I watched 4 ½ seasons in the 9 days leading up to the season finale for season 5a. One of those nine days I watched it for 23 hours straight, only breaking to shower and eat. I crammed more than 100 episodes (4708 minutes. 79 hours. 3.2 days.) on top of work and sleep, so I didn’t have a lot of time to theorize until after I finished catching up. I did have two theories or gut feelings. Either Wren or Jason is A. With all the theories flying about Wren being A now, I want to emphasize I’m not saying this to join the bandwagon. You can ask any of my coworkers or read many of my posts. Wren has been my consistent answer to “Who is A?” I haven’t written a lot about him because I’ve been lacking motive.
I’ve also had a lot of time to doubt it. The thing is though, I’ve spent a LOT of time in my 21 years watching and reading mysteries. My gut instinct has rarely been wrong before! I pretty much always know, at least halfway through the story, who the real suspect is. That’s why I’m finally writing this post about Wren and following my roommate’s advice. I’m not holding back anymore or leaving any room for doubt. WREN IS A. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong. But it won’t be because I didn’t say what I believed to true.
I’m not even going to list all the reasons it makes sense for Wren to be A. There are already so many blog posts that list all the same reasons I agree with. I just wanted to accuse Wren of being A once and for all. I’ve thought it all along, even amongst theorizing about other people, so I needed to make it clear. So far, I’ve said Wren could be “A.” With one episode left before the reveal, I’m now saying WREN IS A. (Could you imagine if I was this confident about everything in life? I would be a force to be reckoned with! ha. ha.)

Other Thoughts:

1) Eddie Lamb is in the Barrel! (Still not sure what happened to him? Or the barrel?)

2) Melissa or Jenna is Black Widow. (Melissa actually was Black Widow, wasn’t she? Or…? Am I completely making that up?)

3) CeCe or Sara are Redcoat! (Wasn’t Alison redcoat? Or am I making that up too? Was it Sara? I don’t even know anymore.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

Radley Sanitarium and Rosewood Secrets (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on June 17, 2015. Republished on April  Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

What is Radley Sanitarium? Radley is a mysterious psychiatric hospital. More than that it’s a home. Home to Rosewood’s biggest secrets. Home to two of our Liars. Home to one of our Liar’s boyfriend’s mother. Home to Rosewood’s two biggest mysteries—Bethany Young and “A” himself.

Tonight, Alison and Jason confronted their father, demanding he tells them about Charles. Mr. DiLaurentis sat down, looked up at them, and answered their question. Of course, we didn’t get to hear the answer. Instead, we saw a hooded character watching them from outside the house. In the preview following, we heard Alison telling the Liars her father said Charles is dead. The look on his face when he sat down to tell them seemed to prove he believes what he told them. It seems clear Mrs. D did NOT believe Charles was dead. Charles must have been in Radley for some reason. Then something happened to him while he was there to lead Mr. D to believe he was dead. But Mrs. D knew the truth–Charles ran away. I bet that’s why Mrs. D was so involved with Radley.
I also believe the theory that Spencer was in Radley as a child is also true. She might have known Jason was her brother but was lead to believe she was crazy? Or it could’ve been far more sinister. I don’t know. I do believe Spencer was in Radley and that she met Charles there in Radley. Or she might have known Bethany Young and Bethany talked about Charles because she knew him. Think about it. Why and how could Spencer seem so comfortable in Radley if she had not at some point spent time there? This would explain why Peter Hastings felt the need to be so involved in Toby’s search of Radley. He wouldn’t have wanted Toby to know Spencer had been in Radley. If I’m wrong, then Spencer must have known Jason and Charles as a child but was told, like Jason, Charles wasn’t real. It’s also possible since she and Alison are the same age, she was too young to remember him. But wait! Didn’t Peter Hastings claim there was a time when the DeLaurentis’ didn’t live in Rosewood? It’s possible they didn’t live in Rosewood until after Charles’ disappeared.

Fast-forward a few years in Radley’s timeline and we see Toby’s mom was once a resident. Maybe at the same time as Bethany Young. The public records say Toby’s mom jumped out of a window at Radley and died. What if that’s not true? What if someone pushed her? Why would someone do that? Well, she was blonde and so was Mrs. DiLaurentis who was allegedly working at Radley at the time. It seems obvious Bethany loathed Mrs. DiLaurentis. She must have plotted to push Mrs. D off the roof. But she mistook Mrs. Cavanaugh for Mrs. D and pushed her instead. (This show is so messed up. Like what even?)
Fast-forward a few more years. We see Bethany Young does have some major connections to the DiLaurentis family. She was even at their house the night Alison disappeared. So far, we know Byron Montgomery, CeCe Drake, Ezra Fitz, Jenna Marshall, Melissa Hastings, Spencer Hastings, and Toby Cavanaugh were all there that night. And they all had something to be angry with Alison about. Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, and Hanna Marin were each there that night too. For whatever reason, Bethany escaped Radley to be there that night. Alison, Bethany, and CeCe were all wearing the same outfit. So, someone must have mistaken Bethany for Alison, since they had something against her.

Side note: What if Sara Harvey has nothing to do with that night or any of the Liars on a personal level at all? What if the next morning, as Alison and Sara were both running away and they ran into each other? Then, Alison somehow managed to convince Sara to trade clothes with her. A could’ve captured Sara instead of Alison. If Sara does have more to do with the Liars, I think she was also in Radley at some point as a child. She could be the real person whose father had an affair with Mrs. DiLaurentis.

A year and a half later, Mona gets put in Radley for being “A.” While there, she pretends she’s mentally unstable and incoherent. She only communicates with “A” or “Redcoat.” We see them talking in the very last scene of season two. This is the first scene to lead us to believe Mona may have been “Original A” but is not “Big A.”

Mona might have started the “A Game,” but someone much darker and more psychotic took it over. Mona might have been happy to give him the game or he might have threatened her. Who knows? One thing is for sure. A woman working with “Big A.” She might be a minion or she is “Uber A.” I suspect the woman is Sara or CeCe. Sara either has no choice or she wants to get back at Alison for being the reason Charles captured her. I have always been a fan of CeCe, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like she may not be on Team Alison as I have hoped. (Still not happy about this, but I am happy I was open enough to admit it could be true.) After a while, Mona gets out of Radley, but then she goes in again for a little for some extra investigating.
Not long after Mona got out of Radley, one of our four beloved Liars lands herself in Radley as “Jane Doe.” We never did get a satisfying answer why Spencer was so willing to be in Radley as someone else for a few days. I think in the next few episodes we will see why Spencer was content to be in Radley for a while. I think it could come down to the fact that Spencer somehow felt like Radley was a familiar place. Perhaps because she was in Radley for a little while as a child?

Let’s not forget Aria was volunteering in Radley for a while. She was trying to figure out the secrets about Bethany, Mrs. DiLaurentis, and Radley in general. She and Hanna also snuck into Radley one night to speak with Mona about who might still be threatening them. Because she knew others were listening, Mona spoke in a code that only Hanna could understand. What she said was strange but possibly relevant. “Miss Aria You’re A Killer, Not Ezra’s Wife.” We know based on their code, she was saying, “Maya Knew.” What we don’t know is what Maya Knew. Did she know who A was? What we also don’t know is if the words Mona used were significant or not. Did Aria kill someone? In the preview for next week, Spencer asks, “What if we really did hurt somebody?” Marlene once said in an interview that each Liar still has a big secret yet to be revealed. I bet at some point we’re going to find out the Liars have more to do with “that night” than they remember.

Finally, we someone in a black hoodie watching the DiLaurentis’ as Mr. D told Ali and Jason about Charles. So, I no longer think Jason has anything to do with “A.” I do believe Wren Kingston is both Charles and “A.” Since the first time I watched Pretty Little Liars (in August 2014 before 5A ended) I’ve had a gut feeling Jason or Wren is “A.” To this day I haven’t been able to pinpoint why I feel like Wren is “A.” If he’s A, he probably has something personal against each of the Liars. I can’t figure out what, but my gut instinct has never been wrong before, so I’m gonna go with it. Wren has been around way too much, and at way too intense of times, to only be a love interest. Dr. Kingston is the only one in Rosewood who has access to medical supplies and we know “A” has a steady medical supply. “A” and Wren have also both shown a preference for Vodka. And, you know what? It doesn’t make sense for Wren to be around so much. Of all the characters still alive, Jason and Wren are the only two old enough to have their own money. Sure, Ezra is old enough too, but he’s not rich. He’s been a teacher, and now the owner of The Brew. Neither job pays well enough to pull off all “A’s” elaborate schemes AND to build the dollhouse for the Liars. Besides, he’s pretty much always with Aria or Caleb and Toby. In season Jason received a large sum of inheritance money from his grandmother. Wren Kingston is a doctor, which means he very likely has a large sum of money lying around. So, yeah, my theory is that Jason or Wren is “A.”

P.S. I think Eddie Lamb’s in the barrel! It could be Paige. “A” never lets someone leave Rosewood that easily. But she said where she was going and Eddie Lamb disappeared without a trace. (I still can’t believe we never found out who or what was in the barrel. What was the point in all that? Did we ever find out what happened to Eddie Lamb?)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

A lArge bAnk Account (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on March 3, 2015 Republished on April 13, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

Okay, let’s think about “A” and Pretty Little Liars logically. Please correct me if I’m wrong. When Mona was “original A,” she didn’t have money for her plans to be elaborate or expensive. “Big A” seems to spend more and more money as each scheme escalates into another. Let’s suppose three things are true. 1) “Big A” has a lot more money at his/her fingertips than Mona had at hers. 2) “Big A” has quick and easy access to money. 3) The money comes straight out of “Big A’s” checking account without the help of anyone else. This theory eliminates Mona, Jenna, Toby, the Liars, and the Liars’ siblings as suspects. The only money they have access to is the money in their parents’ checking accounts. So, unless the parents are in on it, the kind of access “Big A” has to immediate funds is more or less impossible for the kids. That means the only remaining suspects are Ezra Fitz, *Doctor* Wren Kingston, and CeCe Drake.

I already talked about Ezra so I won’t say much about him here. I will point out he likely doesn’t have much money. His family is rich, but sort of disowned them, and he’s a teacher. Even professors don’t get paid well. And he did help Emily and Aria find Varjack, so it makes sense to remove him from our list of suspects.

Then there’s Wren Kingston. He’s a freaking Doctor, so of course, he has money! He’s also as sketchy as or sketchier than anyone else in Rosewood ever has been. We know he has a thing for younger girls. First, he had a three-season long on-again/off-again fling with Spencer. Then, he seemed to have a bit of chemistry with Hanna. Finally, he seemed to get along a little too well with Mona. As far as we know, he doesn’t have any reason to have a vendetta against the Liars, but that could be the point. A is psycho; Wren is… something… He might have decided to prey on the unsuspecting lives of a few young girls for no reason. In many stalker/murder cases, the vendetta has less to do with the victims and more to do with the suspect’s past. There might be something about Wren’s past that’s triggering him to do what he’s doing. Regardless, he’s doing something awful if he is “A.” That or he’s another older man who had a thing with Alison and she pissed him off enough that he went after her friends.

Finally, there’s CeCe Drake. More times than not, I will defend her, because I want to believe she’s the only person who never turned her back on Alison. I can’t ignore the obvious though. Alison did get CeCe kicked out of school. And Cece never has seemed to actually like Aria, Emily, Hanna, or Spencer. We also know she spied on Aria and Ezra for a while and that she was on Ezra’s payroll for some reason. I don’t know if she has any money, but I would assume she does. So, even though I don’t want to, I have to acknowledge she could be A. (I don’t know if I could ever express how mad I was about CeCe being A.
Not because CeCe was A, but because the story was so ridiculous and far-fetched. CeCe had more than enough reason to be A from what we knew of her before we met Charles/Charlette. It was so ridiculous. All of it. The first 2 seasons were great. The 3rd season was good. The 4th season was okay. Then it got progressively worse until I regretted watching it.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

PLL s05e10: Recap and Review (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on February 17, 2015. Republished on April 6, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

Always when I start to think nothing big is going to happen, something momentous happens! In two previous posts, I discussed the possibilities of Mona faking her death. In another post, I discussed how Jason could be “A.” And, in my second to the last post, I spoke about Alison and everyone else. Tonight’s episode of Pretty Little Liars may have shed light on many of the things I said could be true! So, let’s talk about what we saw tonight. Recently, Mike has been acting super shady. Many people suspected that was because he is “A.” I theorized, with my friends, that it had more to do with the fact that he knew something about Mona that no one else knew. Tonight, we found out what he knows.

In one episode, the Liars suspected Mike stole their blood and gave it to “A.” Because he does love Mona and love, especially in Rosewood, makes you do crazy things, we can’t rule that out. That said, we do know the blood he was most concerned with was Mona’s blood. And many have theorized that Mona collected her own blood and used it as “evidence” for her alleged death. Tonight, we see that that was true. Mona had been taking her own blood and storing it in a mini-fridge. She told Mike she was going to use it to stage her own death and meet “A.” While Mike was telling Aria about this, he started to cry, proving that he does love Mona. We all know he’s not going to cry unless he means it.

Was Mona telling Mike the truth? Was she bottling her blood, so she could disappear, blame it on Alison, and meet A? Things are rarely so simple in Rosewood, especially when it comes to Mona and the other liars. Also, Mona seemed way too excited to be meeting “A” to be trying to save the girls. I suspect there are two other options here besides, Mona maybe telling the truth for once. Mona and Alison may be working together on this whole thing. They might have a brilliant plan to take “A” down. If so, it’s likely unrealistic to believe they’ll both come out of this alive if neither of them is A. If I’m right, then Mona was either murdered and stuffed into that barrel, or she’s “A.” And everything she’s been doing has been to throw the trail off herself and onto Alison and the other liars.

I also think someone’s going to murder or injure Mike in a strategic and revealing manner. If Mona is dead, then Mike will be injured. If she’s alive, then he will be murdered. (Did anything happen to Mike? I know the actor sort of disappeared to act in Teen Wolf, but I don’t remember what happened to him in PLL.) I don’t think Marlene would have two major characters murdered at the same time. Not when we’re about to get the most major clue ever. Besides, that would be depressing. We need as many of our Liars as clear-minded as they can be for this next stretch before we find out who “A” is! They won’t have clear minds if someone dies, especially not one of their brothers.

In the end, when we saw “A” or “A’s” minion in Mike’s room, and it looked a lot like a man, or at least a girl wearing extra layers. There are two men Alison has tortured but have yet to come up with cover stories—Jason and Lucas. It doesn’t seem unlikely either of them would be doing “A’s” dirty work. Then, there’s always Wren, who we still know nothing about, and who has always been super sketchy!

Now, let’s talk about the relationships! Spencer and Toby. Aria and Ezra. Under all the intense “A” action, we’ve been having some mild couple drama too! Toby’s been avoiding Spencer because Tanner still suspects Spencer of criminal activity. And she didn’t stop Jonny when he kissed her! Geez, Spenc! What kind of a girlfriend are you? If you’re feeling lonely, you could have at least kissed him BEFORE Toby told you why he’s been avoiding you! Not afterward! Gosh! (I’m glad I had a somewhat rational response to at least some of the awfulness that came with the PLL couples.)

Then there’s Aria and Andrew. If he’s not gay, then he has a thing for Aria. But she’s still sort of dating Ezra, even if we haven’t seen him or them in a while! I mean, they never agreed they would take a break for her to “experience life” did they? Didn’t think so! So, I’m suspecting that Aria and Andrew are going to have a thing. That or Ezra’s going to step in and win Aria back, even though he hasn’t lost her. He’s being over-sensitive about Aria’s letter. Yes, it a little truthful, but her relationship with him has been the most normal part of her life in high school. (How twisted is that? Rosewood is so messed up, the most normal thing in Aria’s life is her relationship with her high school English teacher.) How could he not see that? Why would he try to push her away again? I hope SOMETHING happens with them soon because I’m kind of getting worried! (SMH. I still can’t believe I shipped them so hard…)

P.S. Happy 19th Birthday to Sasha Pieterse! (Dang. I forgot how much younger she was than the other actors. She’s still younger than the other actors were when the show ended. She turned 25 in February 2021. Ashley Benson and Lucy Hale, the other youngest of the show, turned 27 in the show’s final season. Crazy!)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

“A” for Alison, “A” for Anonymous (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on February 10, 2015. Republished on March 30, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

Alison’s Army

For a while now, I’ve been formulating a theory that there are two “A-Teams” in the world of Pretty Little Liars. Until now, I’ve felt like I haven’t enough evidence to support my theory. Now, I do. Alison has an army, but it is not the “A-Team.” Alison’s Army is a group of people who have been doing things per her request since the very beginning of the series. These people are Noel Kahn, CeCe Drake, Mike Montgomery, and most likely others.

In the first season, Noel Kahn tried to get close to Aria Montgomery. He might have liked her for real. He might not have. I suspect he was working for Alison since the very beginning. Throughout the whole Noel Kahn loves Aria Montgomery plot, he was trying to get rid of Ezra. Could it be possible this was because Alison asked him to do it? Maybe, Alison put him up to it because she knew that Ezra was using Aria and the other girls to write a book. She at least knew he knows who Aria was all along. And she likely suspected his intentions with Aria were less than honorable. When Noel was watching Hanna and Aria at that cupcake shop, I suspect that he was watching out for Hanna. I think Alison wanted to make sure she didn’t go as far as she had once upon a time. (You know, despite the fact it was pretty much her fault Hanna did what she did, to begin with.)

In season three, CeCe Drake showed up at The Brew, where the girls almost always hang out. Why, of all the places in Rosewood, would we be introduced to CeCe Drake at The Brew? Why would she be quoting word for word something that Alison said in another episode? I suspect it’s because Alison sent CeCe to Rosewood to test the girls. I suspect in the beginning because she hurt them more than anyone else, Alison thought “A” was one of the girls. Then, after seeing “A” taunt them so much, I suspect Alison realized that none of them were “A,” but she wanted to make sure. So, she sent CeCe to Rosewood to test the girls. I suspect Alison assumed the girls would see CeCe as a future version of Alison. That however they treated CeCe would be the same way they would treat Alison if she came back. When the girls decided to be civil with CeCe, it showed they were still loyal to Alison.

Finally, in this season, Mike Montgomery has been acting super sketchy. Naturally, everyone wonders if Mike is “A.” I’ll be honest, I started to think it a little bit, but now I’m not so sure… actually I am. I am very sure that Mike is not on the “A-Team.” That would be too obvious since we know “A’s” identity will stay a secret until at least halfway through season six. Second, Mike is the younger brother who used to be dorky but is now kind of hot. So, we kind of like the “bad boy cred,” but we also want him to stay the sweet and innocent younger brother forever. Then, of course, there are the actual reasons he would not be “A.”
Despite his anger and communication issues with Aria, he does care about her. You can see their sibling bond play out over and over again throughout the series. (It’s like that quote from “Cheaper by the Dozen” by Hilary Duff’s character. “Sometimes I may want to kill you but I will always kill for you.”) In any case, he has been talking to Alison and communicating with Cyrus, aka Hank Mahoney, as of late. And that leads me to believe he is part of Alison’s Army.

Also, in season one, when Noel was threatening to turn Ezra in, we saw Mike and Noel talking in the courtyard. We were led to believe that Noel told Mike “someone” was dating Aria’s favorite teacher, Ezra Fitz. Mike is not stupid. If that were all Noel told him, he would have fit the pieces together. He would have realized Aria was the one dating her teacher. I suspect Noel and Mike knew long before this incident that Aria and Ezra were dating. I suspect Alison told them. She wanted to make sure they were both keeping an eye on Aria, in case Ezra broke her heart.

The “A-Team”

We all know Mona is still alive; she’s been missing for far too long to be anything but alive. The only thing we can trust in PLL is that anyone who’s been missing for longer like one episode is still alive. So, Mona is for sure still alive and well, or at least alive. How do we know this? Who was the one to help Alison escape and hide for two years? Mona. Mona helped Alison escape and Mona is the one who did not tell anyone Alison was still alive. Instead, she played dumb to the whole situation. Is it so unbelievable that Mona would do the same for herself? I don’t think so. Mona’s reasons for hiding are likely different from Alison’s reasons for hiding. Think about it. Who in Rosewood would ever suspect Mona of being “A” after she was already put in Radley for it? Very few would suspect that! And that is why it’s such a brilliant plan! Mona allowed the girls and police to discover the truth so no one would ever suspect her again! It was her plan all along. That way she could get into Radley and work on far more elaborate plans than what we saw in seasons one and two.

Jason DeLaurentis may be the sketchiest person in Rosewood! He spent his high school years drinking beer and getting high. He also started the NAT club with some friends so they could spy on unsuspecting girls. He claims he can’t remember anything that happened “that night.” He was missing for Alison’s funeral and much of the first season. He had stalker-like pictures in his shed of Aria sleeping. He may or may not have genuine feelings for Aria. And her main “A drama” revolves around her relationship with Ezra. He may or may not have caused trouble with Emily on that elevator. He’s been conversing with Mona. He’s slept with Ashley Marin. He is generally a very sketchy guy.

Wren Kingston is also super sketchy. He’s one of the many men in Rosewood who cannot seem to resist his attraction to young high school girls. (Again. Gross. What is wrong with Rosewood men? The fathers cheat and the twenty-somethings fool around with high school girls. There are so many things wrong with Rosewood and this ranks at the top.) We know very little about him or his past. He has already shown that he is comfortable breaking medical laws. He gave Melissa strong medications for Ian. Then, he let CeCe Drake and Hanna Marin into Radley Sanatorium without identification. He also seemed to be pretty close to Mona while she was in Radley. The dude’s a creep. (Side note: I also always liked the idea of him being “A.”)

Double Agents

Every good mystery has a few double agents. Double agents are the people willing to work with or for both sides of the war. They’re gathering and passing information from one or both sides to anyone who wants it. And they want to save themselves from incriminating information any side has on them. We know Caleb Rivers, Toby Cavanaugh, and Spencer Hastings have been double agents. We also know Ezra Fitz has technically been a double agent. He was spying on the girls as much as, if not more than “A” him/herself. Despite his feelings for Aria, he did use their intimacy to gather information for a book. But, he also used that information, in the end, to keep them safe.

Lucas Gottesman may have also been a double agent. He was the victim of many of Alison’s cruel jokes. So, he has every reason in the world to hate her and work against her on the “A-Team.” For the same reasons, he has every reason in the world to hate Mona and work against the “A-Team.” So, it is fair to assume he’s been a double agent since the beginning, or at least since he tried drowning Hanna in the lake. We know “A” recruited him to try to get rid of Hanna. He more or less confessed that himself. But we can also assume he has likely been protecting the girls in some ways as well. I mean, he’s pretty much in love with Hanna and love makes you do the craziest of things. (Actually, love doesn’t make you do crazy things. Lust makes you do crazy things. And there were way more lust and infatuation vibes from Lucas to Hanna than love.)

If anyone is, Jenna Marshall is definitely a double agent. We know she has a lot of anger toward Alison and the other girls for blinding her. We’ve also seen her try to put that behind her many times. We know she worked against the girls to find the flash drive that held her darkest secret on film. But we also know that she claimed in the Christmas episode she was working with Alison now. If that’s true, it’s safe to assume wherever she is, if she is still alive, she is doing some kind of work for Alison so they can finally beat “A.”
If nothing else, Jenna is working with Alison because she knows the girls are sorry for blinding her. Especially Hanna, who pulled her out of Jason’s burning house.

Furthermore, I suspect Mike and Mona have acted as double agents as well, but in less obvious ways. They do/did have feelings for each other, but Mike knew that Mona was/is “A.” If she’s “A” and he knows, then he used their relationship to learn everything he could about her so he and Alison could defeat her. I think Mona eventually found out Mike was using her and that’s when and why she staged her death.

Of course, Mona may not still be “A.” She and Alison may be working together to bring down “A.” As much as they hate and fear each other, they hate and fear “A” even more. To be honest, though, my primary theory for Mona is that she is still on the “A-Team.”

In conclusion, I suspect there are two secret teams in Rosewood—“The A-Team” and “Alison’s Army,” aka “Redcoat.” I’ve been formulating this theory in my head since I finished watching season four a few months ago. It’s been driving me crazy to find out some kind of proof to back it up. Now I have found proof. And I cannot wait to find out more in the last few episodes of this season.

**2021 Thoughts** From what I can remember, and I haven’t watched PLL since it ended, I was sort of right with this theory. Not all the way of course, but the bones of the theory were pretty close to reality and I’m proud of that. I’m especially proud because the last few seasons were such a hot mess it wasn’t worth putting in so much effort. That said, people still reading these posts does make it a little worth it. So, thank you for reading. Thank you for justifying the insane about of time I put into writing these posts. Ha. Thank you also for giving me a reason to pull these up and edit them. It’s been fun!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

PLL s05e18: Recap and Review (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally published on February 3, 2015. Republished on March 23, 2021. Yes, on a Tuesday in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

What to say about tonight’s episode of Pretty Little Liars… It was extremely interesting. It’s been a while since we’ve seen any of the Liars’ parents. This time, we see Spencer’s mother talking to Alison’s lawyers. She wants to know everything she can about Alison and who may be questioned at the trial. Watching Mrs. Hastings from afar, Emily, Spencer, and Aria also see Holbrook walk into the police station. (So, that answers my 2021 question from past posts. Holbrook did show up again. I forgot. ha, ha.)

Inside The Brew, a random redhead introduces herself as Lesli, Mona’s friend from out of town. (Who the heck is Lesli? I do not remember this person.) At first, they’re intrigued, but quickly grow wary. Why is she talking about Mona as if she were the best friend who knew her better than anyone else? The last time an unknown friend showed up it was CeCe and they still don’t trust CeCe. (As we later find out, this distrust is completely justified on both parts. I do not remember Lesli, but I’m pretty sure she was untrustworthy. And if you’ve watched the entire series, then you know CeCe wasn’t, even though I wanted her to be!)

At the police station, Holbrook gathers his things while yelling at other officers. Caleb and Hanna overhear him.
He looks at them and says, “Perfect. Just perfect.” Then he walks away.
Hanna later tells the girls that Holbrook was suspended for inappropriate behavior. He was in a relationship with Alison and may have helped her cheat on her lie detector test.

Spencer goes through her mother’s papers and finds a list of people who have been visiting Alison in prison. One of the signatures both surprises and terrifies her so she goes to Aria to tell her that the signature was Mike’s. Naturally, Aria refuses to believe that Mike has been visiting Alison. She is the one who allegedly killed his girlfriend, but she agrees to confront him about it anyway.

When Hanna and Lesli go to Mona’s house together, Lesli picks up a book and asks Hanna if Mona ever talked to her about it. Hanna has a flashback of a time when Mona did talk to her about it. In the same flashback, Mona asks Hanna for three wishes. Then, she shares that if she could have any wish, she’d wish for a stopwatch. She would stop time and space so that she was the only one moving or doing anything. She would be able to spy on people without them knowing.
After the flashback, Hanna says, “Mona was always thinking. She just wasn’t thinking what we thought she was thinking.”

Hanna and Lesli walk into The Brew with Mona’s book and Mike is there. He notices that they have the book and gets defensive. He demands they give him the book so he can take it back to her house where it belongs. Hanna manages to calm him down and assure him that she will make sure to it put back where it belongs. After Mike walks away, Lesli tells Hanna that she was on the phone with Mona the night before her murder. She tells her that she heard a man’s voice over the phone telling her to get off the phone and talk to him. She is confident that it was Mike who was talking to Mona.

Hanna has another flashback of that night with Mona. In the flashback, Hanna asks Mona about Alison coming back and wonders if they would even notice her. Mona snaps that of course, they would notice her, even if she cut and colored her hair. They would be the ones she wouldn’t notice. She would be crazy and be locked into Radley “and no one gets out of there.” (I mean… Mona got out of there, so….)

While putting Mona’s book back, Hanna finds an audiotape hidden in the spine. She quickly leaves and someone follows her. While she’s driving, Hanna notices that it’s a cop car following her. She opens the car door, picks up a long tool of some sort, and walks toward the other car. No one is in the car but then Holbrook shows up behind Hanna.
He starts rambling, as if he’s drunk or insane, and asks, “How does a girl like Alison become a girl like Alison?”
He goes on about how, because of her, the career that looked so bright and promising was now ruined. Hanna calls him out and says that a man like him should have been able to resist the advances of a young girl. (Yes, exactly! What is wrong with the twenty-something “men” in Rosewood!? And why did we all act like it was okay!?) He goes on to say something about Tanner and how she knows everything.

The new male character, Jonny, talks to Spencer about something he’s making for The Brew for Ezra. Hw explains that he was “inspired by Rosewood. This whole town is strung together with whispers, secrets, and lies.” (Ain’t that the truth! The only explanation for us letting this show get away with so much is we wanted to know what the secrets and lies were! I know that’s why I was watching it. Still… I can’t believe I condoned so much! Normally, I stop watching something if nothing is redeeming about it. I guess since I binged 4 seasons in 2 days, it sort of all melded together and felt okay? I don’t know… still wrong though!)

The Liars listen to the tape of Bethany and she says, “she’s not the only one who can make plans.” The liars assume that it’s Alison that Bethany is speaking of, but of course, we can’t know for sure. At least, not yet.

Aria notices that Mike is leaving the house and follows him. She follows him to a bridge over a lake. To me, it looks like the one where Spencer confronted Melissa about the masks she had made. Mike takes a bag out of his pocket and leaves it on the railing of the bridge. When he walks away, Aria goes to inspect the bag and it appears to be a bag of gummy candies that he left for someone. Mike turns around and confronts Aria. She tells him not to come back and not to talk to Alison again.
He says, “Nobody’s giving me orders anymore.”
Then, he tells her, “Be careful going home through the woods.”

Mrs. Hastings tells Spencer the blood spot found near the barrel was Alison’s. (Okay… but did we learn what was inside?)

Hanna tells the Liars about her confrontation with Holbrook. They realize he doesn’t know half of the stuff they thought he knew. Both she and Spencer wonder if Mike has been the one helping Alison. Aria still doesn’t want to believe them and tells them that he won’t be seeing her anymore because she told him not to. Of course, Mike doesn’t listen and he does go to see Alison again. Discussing what they heard Bethany say on the recording, the girls suspect what happened in Alison’s back yard “that night,” was a trap… They just don’t know for whom or by whom.

In the final scene, we see that Liars were finally one step ahead of “A.” “A” goes into Mona’s room to find the recording but discovers that it’s gone.

Signed at the top of the list was “Sarah Hernando.” (What list? Did I forget to include that information? I’m so confused…) If you remember, there was a girl named Sarah who seemed to be a lot like Alison. She even disappeared the same day Alison disappeared. When her friends visited the Liars, we learned she was as likable and manipulative as Alison was. This could be nothing because that girl’s name was “Sara Harvey.” However, this could likely be the same girl. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s name got changed on the show. Wren Kingston’s original last name was “Kim,” and Toby Cavanaugh’s original name was “Marshall.” She might also be visiting with a fake name or it might simply be a random Sarah. It is a common name after all.

In the flashbacks of Hanna and Mona, it feels like we get two potential hints or clues. First, Hanna’s comment about Alison coming back in disguise might be a clue that Hanna knew Alison wasn’t dead. It could also mean Hanna knew about Alison’s “Vivian Darkbloom,” disguise. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the liars knew something about Alison and didn’t find it important enough to mention. Or maybe, Hanna was working with Alison? She could have even been spying on her as “A” or as Mona’s assistant. Who knows? Everything is possible right now. Also in the flashback, Mona talks about stopping time and spying on people. Is she hinting at being “A?”

The clip the liars hear is of Bethany talking about and to someone is quite sinister. The someone she is talking to is supposed to be a psychiatrist or something. The person she is talking about is suspected to be Alison. How can we know that though? We can’t right now. For all we know, she was talking about Jessica. She could have been talking about Mona, or she could have been talking about whoever “A” is. And it is still possible that Mona is still alive and still “A.” (I still think that would have been an epic and far more believable twist!)

When Mike says, “Nobody’s giving me orders anymore” it indicates he had been taking orders from someone. Lately, many things seem to point to the possibility of Mike being A. But what if he was working for “A?” What if he has been doing a sort of “Toby move” where he works for “A” so he can protect Mona? Or Aria even? Anything is possible in Rosewood. (Even the stupidest of things.) Whatever he meant by that statement, it’s clear he is working with someone he doesn’t want Aria to know about. I suspect he knows Mona is still alive and he brings her things that she may want or need. That or he may be working with “A” and brings “A” things. Or Mona and “A” are the same? Who knows?

Here is my best friend’s theory: “Mona isn’t dead. She’s A and never stopped being A. But I think Mike was dating her because he is working for Ali. And Ali was trying to bring Mona down. And now he is visiting Aly in hopes they can still stop Mona.” (Again, I wish this theory had been true. It would have been way more awesome than what did happen.)

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

Who’s in the barrel? (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**originally posted on January 23, 2015. Republished on March 16, 2021. Yes, a Tuesday, in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

What’s in the barrel? That’s the question on every Pretty Little Liar’s mind right now. We all have theories and arguments, but I think we can all agree on one thing: There is a body in that barrel. The two most talked-about theories are Mona and Officer Holbrook. After talking to a friend about it, I think it’s Holbrook. I think there’s an equal possibility that it would be Mona or that it could be a major new plot twist and be someone else. Maybe that random girl, Sarah, whose posse came to talk to our own Pretty Little Liars that one time. So, let’s talk about the possibilities.

It’s Mona. Okay, maybe it is Mona. Maybe, for once, the PLL writers decided to make things “easy” and have it be as simple as it sounds. Maybe “A” found out that Mona found out who (s)he is and decided to get rid of her. (I did not want this to be true and I’m so glad it wasn’t.)

It’s Holbrook. As my friend, Courtney, said, “Whenever someone goes missing for no reason, they end up dead.” This might be the truest statement ever made about Pretty Little Liars. Alison is the only Rosewood resident to ever go missing and then come back. Based on past events, it is more than likely that Holbrook is dead and in that barrel. Even if he’s not the one in the barrel, it’s still likely that he is dead. (Whatever did happen to Holbrook? I can’t remember anything about him.)

It’s Sarah. Someone recently mentioned the group of four friends who heard about the liars and went to talk to them because they had a friend disappear at the same time as Alison was never explained. Marlene recently said that by the end of the show, all the random subplots we’ve seen would be explained. (That was a lie. So many subplots, including the barrel, were never explained. I googled it. An interview with Marlene says it was a random corpse. Was that explained? Did I miss that? That was stupid.) Maybe this will be one of the ways she’ll connect that story to the main plot? Who knows? I don’t think that would happen at this point in the story, but it would make a pretty good plot twist. If it’s not Mona or Holbrook in the barrel, the plot twist would have to be as big and random as this theory.

2021 Thoughts: I’m gonna have to check to see if I wrote about the barrel again in another episode. I was convinced Eddie Lamb was in the barrel. I don’t remember what happened to him now. I do remember he disappeared because he had information for Aria and Ezra. The barrel would’ve been the perfect story.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

My Theory on Jason DeLaurentis (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**originally published January 21, 2015. Republished March 9, 2021. Yes, a Tuesday, in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

When I started this blog, my plan was not to write about who could be “A,” but instead who probably isn’t “A.” After tonight’s episode, a theory came to me that I can’t shake and I want to write about it, so I am! I read earlier (unfortunately I can’t remember where) that Marlene King allegedly tweeting something like “You’ll feel sorry for “A” when you find out who he/she is.” (Was this about Mona? CeCe/Charles? Alex? Because yes, I felt bad for Mona, even a little for CeCe, but definitely not for Alex.) While watching tonight’s episode, I thought of an interesting, often visited, theory. Jason is “A.” (Obviously, I was wrong.)
In an interview, Marlene said only one fan has ever figured out who “A” is. In another interview, she clarified that it wasn’t so much “who” the fan suspected that was unusual, but the “how and why.” (I don’t see how this was possible. Not because the fan figured it out, but because there were too many loose ends and plot holes for Marlene to have had any kind of a plan for who A was. That is, unless she was specifically talking about Cece’s A and not the ultimate A.) So, who’s to say it’s not Jason? He’s had major connections to four of the five liars and has been scarce in some episodes and fully there in other episodes. To me, it makes sense that he very likely could be “A.” In this post, I’ll list as many facts about him as I can think of that make me suspect him.

The last thing we knew, Jason claimed that he could not remember any relevant details about the night Alison disappeared and Bethany was killed. After the incident, as he told Aria, he woke up to a note saying, “I know what you did.” One would suspect that Jason didn’t do anything, but that “A” planted the note so he would feel guilty. How do we know the real work of “A” wasn’t that Jason was showing Aria the note so he could throw the suspicion off of himself? He also didn’t show up at Alison’s funeral. He may or may not have a good reason for that, but odds are whatever his reason may be, it’s not a good one. His sister had been allegedly murdered and he couldn’t even show up. Why? Was he the one who killed her? Or, did he know that she wasn’t dead? Either way, it would take some inside scoops to know that information.

He has close connections with four of the five Liars. First, he’s Alison’s brother. He always seems to take second place in the eyes of his parents compared to her. He always seems to speak of her in a jealous tone. Second, he is Spencer’s half-brother. Third, he continues to seem to have a thing for Aria. He even kissed her in season two. If Jason were “A,” it would explain why the worst thing that generally happens to her is constant attacks on her relationship with Ezra. She did choose him over Jason. Fourth, Jason now has connections with Hanna through her mother.

The N.A.T. Club: Jason DiLaurentis was one of the founding members of the N.A.T. Club. This club was created for the sole purpose of watching and filming unsuspecting girls for entertainment. (Did we ever get answers about the NAT Club? I’m pretty sure that was one of the many loose ends never tied up. There was always something that didn’t add up about that club.) “A” is known for filming and photographing everyone in Rosewood, especially the Liars. If he is “A,” it would give more explanation for the pictures Spencer and Emily found in Jason’s tool shed of Aria sleeping. And, speaking of the N.A.T. club, he is the only founding member who is still alive. Coincidence or convenience? You decide.

Evidence? Most of the “evidence” anyone in Rosewood has found has allegedly pointed at Alison and Spencer. Bethany, Jessica DiLaurentis’ possible other secret children, is dead. If that is true, then one of Jason’s sisters (who also got more attention from Jessica than he did) is dead. Another is in jail, and the other one is constantly framed for people’s deaths. Is that why Jason was an alcoholic drug addict in high school? Did he know about Spencer and Bethany and just want to forget about it instead of confronting anyone? Or did he graduate and become A, taunting Alison, murdering Bethany, and stalking Spencer?

Motive: Alison and Bethany got more attention from his mother than he did. So he got jealous and decided to get rid of them if he could. They were both there “that night,” they were wearing the same clothes, and they were both buried in his biological father’s backyard. Spencer receives more attention from their biological father than he ever has. It would make sense that Melissa would be stalked too. Except Melissa was dating an NAT member and she was with Ali and the other two NAT members “that night.” That could have been his way of giving her an easy way out. Or he knew she hated Alison as much as he did.
Since the days when she wore pink highlights, Aria has always been a subject of his attention. He respected her and admired her for living outside of the box. He presumably thought she was beautiful. He kissed her. He allegedly took pictures of her while she was sleeping. She seems to get less of the brunt than any of the other girls do. Could this be because he is trying to spare her?
Hanna replaced Alison as the “it girl” in school after she disappeared, maybe Jason didn’t like that? After all, Alison was his sister, even if he possibly tried to kill her. Finally, Emily also seems to get fewer attacks from “A,” than Alison, Spencer, and Hanna. Could it be because “A,” aka Jason, doesn’t have anything against her accept the fact that she is close friends with Alison and Spencer?

My theory is likely faulty, but I didn’t do any research as I have for my previous posts. Even if it’s not the right theory, it’s a pretty interesting one. Anyway, tell me what you think! Could I be right or am I wrong? You decide!

P.S. I just remembered that Emily and Jason were connected for a little while in season (I think) 3!

**2021 thoughts & opinions** Okay, but why wasn’t Jason A? What was his story anyway? I don’t even remember. He was super sketchy. And, I totally would’ve supported a reveal that pinned it all on Jason! I would’ve felt bad for him. I would’ve been impressed. And I wouldn’t have regretted putting so much time into the show.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

PLL s05e14: Recap and Review (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**originally published January 7, 2015. Republished March 2, 2021. Yes, a Tuesday, in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

Tonight, the second half of Pretty Little Liars’ fifth season premiered. The episode takes place three months after Mona Vanderwaal was allegedly murdered. All eyes are turned suspiciously at Alison DiLaurentis. Even her four closest friends, or maybe ex-friends, suspect that Alison killed Mona. No one can prove it though. Both Alison’s dad, Kenneth, and her brother, Jason, swear she was with them at the time of the crime.

Rosewood’s four little liars refuse to believe Alison’s alibi. So Emily and Spencer decide to do whatever it takes to prove Alison’s guilt. They drop in at the DiLaurentis home where they find and confront Jason. At first, he refuses to admit he wasn’t with Alison, but then Spencer plays the “I’m your sister too” card. Jason’s silence says everything. After Emily and Spencer leave, Jason confronts Alison about where she was. Alison swears she is being framed for Mona’s murder but doesn’t answer otherwise.
Later, Emily and Spencer go to Mona’s house and plant false evidence against Alison. While looking for a place to leave strands of hair from Ali’s hairbrush, Spencer finds a hidden camera in the air vents. She suspects Mona set it up for evidence and safety.

After the girls tell Hanna and Aria about their find, Hanna goes to Mona’s mom and suggests that she ask the police to search her home one more time. She claims Mona had mentioned to her that she had wanted to set up hidden cameras around the house. Mrs. Vanderwaal follows Hanna’s advice and the police do find the hidden camera. On the camera, they see that Mona was dragged down the stairs and around the house by a blonde that looks suspiciously like Alison. The police decide the video is proof enough that Alison was the murderer and call Jason in for more questioning. This time, Jason admits that he lied about Alison being with him and that the person in the video does look like it could be Alison.

In the last few minutes of the episode, we see the police pull up at the DiLaurentis home while Alison is inside. Scared, she tries to run away, but the other four liars stop her in the yard and don’t let her pass. She argues that they are wrong. She did not kill Mona and that by letting the police arrest her, they are giving A exactly what (s)he wants. The girls don’t listen though and Alison is arrested. The final scene with the girls shows fireworks that leave a giant “A” in the sky to scare them. The doubt is obvious in the girls’ eyes; they seem to second guess their decision to believe that Alison is “A.”

Also throughout the episode, Aria worries about her future. None of the schools she’s applied to have accepted her. Suspected that “A” is the reason she’s not getting into the schools, she goes to Caleb for help. She wants him to hack into the school systems to see why exactly she was rejected.

We see Mike react, or not react, to Mona’s alleged death. For the most part, he seems stone-cold, almost as if he doesn’t care, but then he has a talk with Aria and admits that he is hurting. He hates seeing the whole town, including Aria and the girls, pretending that they liked and knew Mona. They didn’t know her at all. Aria asks Mike to tell her about the real Mona one day and Mike stares blankly at her before starting to cry. As Aria walks away, she hears Mike’s sobs for Mona and stops at the exit of the living room to cry with and for him.

Finally, we see the Young family has decided to revoke their decision to let Spencer go free for Bethany Young’s murderer. However, Alison’s alleged murdering of Mona causes the police to believe she also killed Bethany. So Spencer is set free, while Alison is locked up in a prison cell.

**2021 Thoughts** Was Pretty Little Liars as ridiculous as this post makes it seem? Like this particular episode sounds pretty interesting, but my goodness the drama! A fake death? An alleged death? And a proven death? Or wait… now I’m confused… Am I remembering correctly that Bethany Young wasn’t killed? She was actually kept in the dollhouse? Or was that a third suspiciously similar-looking blonde chick? OMGosh. What was wrong with this show? How did we all get sucked in? This is ridiculous! The things I’m remembering while reading these posts are ridiculous and hilarious!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

Who Isn’t “A?” (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**Originally posted December 28, 2014. Republished February 23, 2021. Yes, a Tuesday, in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

“Who is “A?” That is what every person in the PLL Army is asking. I suggest we stop asking, “Who is ‘A,’ and start asking, “Who isn’t ‘A?’” Everyone has a theory about who might be “A.” Many think it is Aria or Alison, maybe Ezra, or possibly someone’s secret twin. (Worst reveal ever! I can’t believe I put so much time and energy into PLL only to be let down like that.) I highly doubt it’s any of them though. (Boy was I wrong. Ugh.)

I. Marlene King is a BRILLIANT writer. (Or so I thought before the big reveal that left many questions unanswered.) She is smart, incredibly clever, and extremely sneaky! I doubt that she would ever make any of the five girls be “A.” (Technically true, but not entirely.) Smart writers never have their sleuths double as the villain. The whole reason people read and watch mysteries, like Pretty Little Liars, is to figure out “Who-dun-it.” Stalker/Murder mysteries are supposed to be as realistic as possible. (The first reveal was decently realistic. Having had my own stalker, many of the first two season issues felt relatable. Even the second reveal was somewhat realistic, if not infuriating. The final reveal? Terrible.)

If any of the girls are “A,” then it would mean that they have tortured themselves for the past two years. And it was for no other reason than to make friends, family, and fans alike believe that it couldn’t be them. Realistically, no one would torture themselves the way “A” has tortured them. Spencer has also technically already been a part of the “A TEAM.” She is also suspect number one on the Rosewood Police’s suspect list. We can pretty much rule her out as being “A.” Alison couldn’t possibly be “A” because we’ve all kind of been suspecting it the whole time. That would be a terrible reveal. Even I suspected she was back when I was only watching the previews for four seasons. A great writer wouldn’t allow her viewers to discover the criminal right away. For the other girls, most of the “clues” gathered against them can be picked apart so fast it’ll leave your head spinning.

Other popular theories try to prove that one of the “bed buddies” is “A,” which is absurd! Ezra, Toby, and possibly Caleb each have alibis as to why they couldn’t be “A.” Maya was murdered, and Paige… well, Paige could still possibly be “A,” but I highly doubt it. (I never did like Paige, which is a bummer because I wanted to. Only because she was played by Jennifer Mosley. Aka Lindsay Shaw.) As we all know, Ezra’s alibi is that he was writing a true crime novel about Alison’s disappearance. So, at first, he only talked to Aria because he knew she was one of Ali’s closest friends. Upon finding that he was attracted to Aria, he stopped writing the book. Then, he picked it up again when everything in his life was upside down. Toby’s alibi was that he was on the “A TEAM,” but only because he wanted to protect Spencer. Finally, Caleb’s alibi is that he worked with Jenna, before falling for Hanna. Also, that he faced a lot of crazy crap in Ravenswood that now makes him wary and skeptical of everything else. (I never finished Ravenswood, but that show was crazy!) That said, he and Alison always seem to share strange glances now that she’s back in Rosewood. So, until we find out if he and Alison are connected in any way we can’t completely rule him out as a suspect. (Did we ever learn if they were connected? Or did he just hate her? And vise versa? I really can’t remember.)
We also can’t claim that Melissa could be “A” anymore. She revealed the reason she was being so sketchy was that she buried Bethany Young to protect Spencer, whom she thought had killed Bethany in the first place. (Why don’t any of these twenty-somethings ever call the police? I know she was protecting her sister, but come on!)

So, we can also potentially rule out Peter Hastings, whom we know knew the truth about Melissa. We may also be able to rule out Peter as a suspect because his secret was that he is Jason’s biological father. However, we can’t know for sure if that’s a reliable alibi or not, because Peter is such a shady guy. So, he may have very well attempted to kill Alison for blackmailing him. Then, killed Jessica DeLaurentis for saying that she couldn’t protect him anymore.

It’s liable that we can rule out Noel Kahn and Cece Drake as suspects as well. (Boy was I wrong. I liked Cece! I wish things had worked out with her, or that she had just been CeCe. She had more than enough reason to be A without the convoluted Charles plotline.) It seems, their sketchiness has been based on the fact that they knew Alison was still alive. And that they have been and probably still are helping Alison escape the evil clutches of “A.”

Other than that, we can’t for sure rule out anyone except for those characters that have been killed. There are a few characters that we can possibly rule out, based on certain evidence. But it’s not proven evidence, so I’ll give them their own post instead of including them here.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

The Truth about Ezra Fitz (2021 Thoughts Added)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

**originally published November 19, 2014. Republished February 16, 2021. Yes, a Tuesday, in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.**

In season four of Pretty Little Liars, the girls found out about Ezra’s book, and Emily asked what was on everyone’s mind.
“If he’s been watching us, then he has to know about “A.” How could he just sit back all this time and not do anything to help you?”
Aria answered, “It’s simple. He never really loved me.”
After I cried my eyes dry (not really; being dramatic is sort of my thing) because of the empty look on Aria’s face when she said that, I started thinking. Look at Ezra from the subjective view of Aria and the other girls who have been in close contact with Ezra. It makes sense that Ezra was just a sketchy writer. Now, look at it from the somewhat unattached slightly objective view of an outsider. You can see that Ezra really does love Aria and he was protecting her from “A” all along. Throughout each season, Ezra shows his feelings for Aria in different ways.

Season one shows how conflicted Ezra feels about his relationship with Aria. Sure, the beginning makes Ezra look like a perverted jerk. He knew how young Aria was and made out with her in the bathroom of a bar anyway. After watching every other Ezria scene after that, I kind of want to cut him some slack though. In reality, if she was already out of high school, the age gap wouldn’t be considered that big of a deal. (I was twenty-three when I wrote this. I can’t believe I shipped 23-year-old Ezra with 16-year-old Aria so hard. Or at all. Never in a million years would I have been okay with a 23-year-old dating at 16-year-old in real life. Why was I so blinded by this show to think it was okay even in fiction? It wasn’t and it isn’t.) And honestly, there are so many scenes throughout the rest of the series in which Ezra talks about how he only talked to her for research. Then, as he talked to her, he couldn’t help falling for her on the spot. (Yes, he could. And if he couldn’t, then he should’ve moved.) I can’t help but love him. (Ugh. What was wrong with me? Ezra was and is so problematic.)

Aria and Ezra spend the first half of season one on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Almost every other scene with them has one of them trying to convince the other they shouldn’t be together. (Darn right, they shouldn’t be!) That is until episode nine when Ezra shows up after spending three and a half episodes in New York.

Here’s how I picture Ezra in New York. He was sitting in his room at his parents’ place thinking, “I can’t do this. I need to end things with Aria before things get even more complicated. But wait, how will I write my book? Never mind. Who cares about the book? I’m in love with Aria. But what about her parents, other teachers, and the school board? I can’t put her through that. What if I just leave Aria and Rosewood all together? No. I can’t leave Aria.” So, he cancels his book deal and goes back to Rosewood where he sees Aria almost kiss Noel. “Okay, I need to end things with Aria. She needs a normal relationship.” But then she reads his poem and he can no longer deny his feelings for her. So he asks her to meet him and they makeup and make out…again. (I will give Ezra credit for allegedly canceling his book deal. At least he was mature enough to do that. Though, he definitely should’ve been mature enough to end things with Aria. Sure, we could reason the brain doesn’t fully mature until 27, but he should’ve known better. We all should’ve known better.)

Then Aria found out about Ezra’s ex-fiance, Jackie, and “Bam!” Everything exploded and didn’t slow down until the end of season two. First, it was Jackie, then it was Jason, next it was Jackie again, and finally, it was Aria’s parents. Ezria spent the entire second season fighting outside forces and trying to make things work. (Why? Why fight that hard? So inappropriate. Even Aria should’ve known better.) If that’s not enough to make you believe Ezra truly loves Aria, then remember what he said in the finale. “No matter how hard I try. I can’t stay away from you.” (Yes, yes he could have. It might have been hard, but he could’ve stayed away from her.) Let me also point out that this is one of the many scenes in which Aria was with Ezra while something huge was going down with “A.” I used to think it was kind of sketchy that Ezra was often with Aria the moment of or immediately after an “A moment,” but not anymore. Now I find it sweet and charming. He was watching “A” so he always knew when Aria needed him and he was almost always there for her! (I do commend him for being with her in these moments, but he was 23 and she was 16. He should’ve notified proper authorities about A, especially since he was no longer writing his book.)

In the season three premiere, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer were called down to the police station and Ezra showed up to take Aria to dinner. I’m sure Ezra knew how risky it would be for him to show up where the police and one or both of Aria’s parents would be, but he didn’t care. He wanted to see for himself that Aria was okay. (Okay, that is kind of sweet. Still inappropriate, but sweet.)

In the Halloween episode when Ezra had to cancel his plans with Aria but then showed up anyway, that was sketchy. Now I know it was Ezra being Aria’s knight in shining armor. He knew about “A” and he knew that Aria was in trouble, so he showed up to make sure she was safe. (Again, he should’ve called the police.)

Finally, in the season finale, when Aria wanted to break things off with Ezra, he unhappily obliged because all he wants for her is safety and happiness. (That’s sweet too, but he should’ve been the one to break things off a long time ago.)

Season four was awkward for Aria and Ezra. Aria was dating a guy named Jake and Ezra was acting super sketchy. Even that didn’t stop them from caring for each other. They shared a secret cabin and Ezra even set the passcode to “B-26” (the number of their song from the bar). While Ezra was acting sketchy, Aria found out why. Ezra knew and dated Alison, before knowing Aria. In fact, Alison was the reason he knew Aria. He only ever talked to Aria, because he was writing a true crime novel about Alison. Because of this, Aria assumed that Ezra never loved her. We know that can’t be true. Even when Aria tried to hate Ezra, he did everything he could to protect her and win her back. First, he gave her the space she asked for; then, he took a bullet for her and her friends. (He deserved that bullet.)

In season five, he’s kind of like a wounded puppy. He’s afraid to move or make noise because he knows that he doesn’t deserve Aria’s forgiveness, but he wants it anyway. So, he follows her moves. When she’s cautious with him, he’s cautious too. And when she throws caution to the wind, of course, he does too! He wants her to know that his love for her is, was, and always will be real, but he doesn’t want to push her. That’s how you know Ezra loves Aria. He waits for her and he’ll continue to wait if he has to. (If Aria was 26 and Ezra was 32, or even if Aria was 18 and Ezra was 24, this would’ve been a good example of what love looks like. Since Aria’s 16 and Ezra is 22 or something like that. It’s just wrong. That said, once he’s no longer her teacher and Ella is sort of okay with the relationship, I don’t think it’s wrong. Still weird, but not necessarily wrong.)

If he knew about “A” all along and if he does love Aria, why didn’t he do more to protect the girls from “A?” It doesn’t seem like “A” knew he was onto him/her. The answer is simple. He was afraid. He didn’t want to lose Aria and he knew that by going after “A” he would have to tell Aria how he knew about him/her. And he knew that doing so would be risking losing her. (He also knew if he went to the police, he’d have to give himself up for dating a student and stalking teenagers.)

So, even though it kind of makes him seem like a wimp because he lied to Aria, he’s just a lovesick fool. (More like just a fool.) And in the end, he was able to use his lie to protect Aria and her friends from being shot by “A.” (Yeah, that did end up being a good thing. But he was still basically stalking them.)

Who can blame him for keeping the book a secret anyway? (I can. I blame him. 23 year old me was a bit of an idiot if she didn’t blame him. He lied. And lying is wrong. He also stalked them and fully knew who Aria was when he made out with her. Creep.) Not only did it reveal that his original meeting with Aria was a lie, but it also showed that he dated one of her best friends. (Also inappropriate. Though, to be fair, Allison did trick him into thinking she was 18. Was it at all possible he thought Aria was 18 too and his shock of seeing her in class was genuine? I don’t remember if that’s addressed, but I guess it’s slightly less creepy if he did think she was 18.) Would you want the love of your life to know that about you? I doubt it! So leave poor Ezra alone! (Again. What was wrong with me? Ezra was a creep. This was written at the beginning of season 5. While I think Ezra did redeem himself some in the end, he had come nowhere close to redeeming himself when I wrote this.)

Forever Team Ezria (Wrong. Not team Ezria anymore.)

P.S. Let’s talk about Ella Montgomery for a minute. In one of the season 5 episodes, Aria is talking to Emily on the phone and Ella overhears her. “I’m the one confusing things, Em. I can’t trust Ezra, I don’t. People don’t change just because you want them to.” We all know only one person is less of a fan of Ezra than Ella and that’s Byron. So, I think it’s safe to say that if Ella is willing to talk to Aria about Ezra and even go as far as to say, “Aria, listen to me. I don’t know what exactly happened with Ezra, but Zach is not going to be the one to write the book on relationships in this family. Not if I have anything to say about it,” then I think it’s safe to assume Aria and Ezra should indeed be together. (Should they though? I mean… she’s still in high school at this point…) Sure, Ella doesn’t know what Ezra did, but who cares? Clearly, Ella knows how much Aria and Ezra love each other. And with that look in her eyes when she’s talking to Aria, it’s clear that she thinks they belong together. She may not want them to be together, but she clearly thinks they belong together.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

The Truth about Mona Vanderwaal (2021 Thoughts Added)

Preview(opens in a new tab)

Warning: This post contains Pretty Little Liars spoilers. If you haven’t watched the whole show, then proceed with caution.

A little note: In August 2014, I started watching Pretty Little Liars. That November, I started blogging about it until it ended in 2017. I haven’t watched it since, but people are still reading my posts in 2021. So, I’ve decided to add thoughts and comments based on the feelings and opinions I have in 2021. Because you’re reading this now, I want to thank you! Tbh, after the disappointment of the series finale, I felt like I wasted time writing these posts. Because you’re reading this, it doesn’t feel like a waste anymore. So, thanks!

(Unless otherwise noted, parenthesis indicate thoughts from 2021)

Originally, this post was published on November 19, 2014. It’s being republished on February 9, 2021. Yes, a Tuesday, in honor of the show originally airing on Tuesdays.

Picture an uber nerdy, pretty much friendless girl who is one of the main targets for the school mean girl. What if that mean girl disappeared? Would you blame the nerdy girl if she took her chance to become the new “it girl?” Would you blame her if she took the “weakest link” in the original “it girl’s” clique and became her best friend? I can’t imagine anyone would say anything to her for either of those things. But what if, after all her hard work, the nerdy girl felt like she was losing her new best friend to the original group? And what if she felt like the only way to get her back was by torturing the girls in an attempt to break them up again? Now, that is something to talk about! So, let’s talk about Mona Vanderwaal, but first let’s talk about Alison DeLaurentis, the “it girl” who picked on Mona.

Hanna Marin described Alison DeLaurentis as the girl who can be both your best friend and your worst enemy. She knows exactly how to make you feel like a precious diamond, even when she’s treating you like a piece of trash. No one knew why she wanted to be Alison’s friend, but every girl did, especially Mona Vanderwaal. Before Mona could join Alison’s team of “it girls” though, Alison was murdered. At least, that’s what the police led everyone to believe. The truth is, Alison DeLaurentis faked her death and Mona Vanderwaal helped her do it. Why? Because if you can’t join them, beat them.

When Alison left Rosewood, PA the polar opposite girls from her clique fell out of touch and Mona made her move. She befriended “Hefty Hanna” Marin, the “weakest link” from Alison’s clique. Together, they turned themselves into the school’s new “it girls.” More than that, they became best friends. After a year apart, Hanna and her old friends started to reconnect and Mona feeling left out again. Afraid of being friendless and unpopular again, Mona decided to do whatever she had to do to keep Hanna as a friend. Every Pretty Little Liars fan knows what Mona did to the girls. But in case you’ve forgotten or you’d rather read about it than watch it, let me tell you what happened. Let me also share what I noticed when re-watching the first two seasons of PLL in 2014.

Season One In season one, there were five major clues I noticed that helped me realize how obvious it was that Mona was A. I’ll call these clues “Shoplifting,” “Camp Mona,” “Welcome Home Hanna,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Heartbroken.”

The pilot episode introduces Hanna and Mona as shopping buddies who walk straight past a security camera while wearing stolen merchandise. Somehow, Hanna is the only one caught and charged for the crime. That never made sense to me. Why on earth would Hanna be the only one caught? Surely, “A” was not above going after a close friend. Why should (s)he be? After watching it with a new perspective, I understood. Mona was A! “A” wouldn’t let herself get caught for something so trivial.

One of the most obvious “Mona is A” clues was “Camp Mona.” First, we see Mona invite “Hanna and her clanna” to go “glamping” with her. When she walks away and the girls start looking for reasons why they can’t go with Hanna. Then, “A” sends them a text saying (s)he would be there. The next day, Mona claims she received a text from someone called “A” and uninvites Hanna from her party. At “Camp Mona,” we hardly ever see Mona. Why not? It’s her party. Naturally, it’s because “A” is busy sending the girls on a wild goose chase.

Less obviously, Mona also gave us a clue at Hanna’s house right before the surprise “welcome home” party. She said, “Whoa, what was that? I just saw a shadow at your door.” As I’m sure Mona intended, Hanna started freaking out. There were many other ways that Mona could have set Hanna up for the surprise, but she chose the creepiest way. Why? Because Mona is “A!”

Also less obviously, we were given a clue that maybe “Mona is A” when Hanna was told to break Lucas’ heart at the dance. Who, other than maybe Alison, would care enough to make Hanna break Lucas’s heart? Mona, that’s who!

Finally, when Caleb left a letter for Hanna with Mona, she ripped it up and threw it away. When questioned, she claimed that it was to protect Hanna. That was a lie. We know that in those episodes, “A’s” main goal was to break Hanna’s heart. As Hanna’s best friend, Mona, aka “A,” knew that the best way to break Hanna’s heart. She had to make her believe Caleb left without saying goodbye. It worked.

Season Two “Mona is A” clues from season two that led up to the big reveal. “The Cafeteria Scene,” “Truth-Up Day,” “The Cellphone,” and “Never Around.”

After Dr. Sullivan suggests that the girls spend time apart, we see the girls at four different tables for lunch. We also see a shot of Mona with the hint of an evil smirk on her face before the camera moves away from her. Next thing we know, the girls receive a text from “A.” “Look at you. All alone in a crowd. I win! Xoxo – A.” How the heck did we miss that obvious hint?

Mona spends most of season two trying to be friends with Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, and Spencer Hastings, aka Hanna’s other friends. In the “Truth-Up Day” episode, Mona goes as far as to hack into the school computer, collect classified information, and get out without being caught, all to help Emily get back on to the swim team. This should have been a dead giveaway for us all. Mona is supposed to be clueless and Caleb is supposed to be the only tech-savvy person in school. Clearly, that was not true.
At one point, Ashley Marin and Ella Montgomery, Hanna and Aria’s moms, get closer and closer to finding out about “A.” So, Hanna destroys her phone so that no one can see her texts from “A.” And from whom did she get a new phone? Mona Vanderwaal. That’s who. A herself.

Finally, did you ever notice who was never around when the girls got “A” messages? That’s right. Mona! Haven’t noticed? Go back and watch. It’s so obvious it’s painful.

Mona was “A” and it all makes sense now! Mona had moments when it was so easy to believe she was too clueless to be “A.” There were even moments when she was downright likable. And that is what made her the perfect suspect! In the end, (yes, even in 2021) she will always be one of my favorite characters. Sure, she was manipulative, sinister, and a bit psychotic, but she was not heartless. In fact, I believe she had one of the biggest hearts in Rosewood. She was just a broken-hearted girl who never fully recovered from being bullied as a kid. All she wanted was to be loved and accepted by “it girl” Alison DeLaurentis, “cute boy” Noel Kahn, the other girls, and most importantly her best friend—Hanna Marin.

**2021 Thoughts** It’s been over five years since I wrote the bulk of this post. Honestly, it’s not some of my best writing, but it wasn’t really about the writing. It was about Mona Vanderwaal and how obvious it was she was “A.” It was also an appreciation post of sorts. I loved and still love Mona. Maybe I’m biased since I’ve loved Janel Parrish since she starred in Bratz (2007). That’s possible. Or maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for outcasts and psychology. Mona was the ultimate outsider in Pretty Little Liars. And the psychology of her character is fascinating. But whatever the reason, I do love Mona. Even though Pretty Little Liars was ultimately not worth the time and energy I put into it, I do still love Mona. And, I still stand by my belief that Mona being AD in the series finale would’ve been the ultimate twist. She was already A and she did so much to make people believe she had turned over a new leaf. I think it would’ve been brilliant if she had been A. It certainly would’ve been better than the real reveal. Yuck.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you need anything! Like seriously. I’m here for you!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram – @ogbrittanyalex

Find my podcasts “The Mask; Her Aid” and “Obsessive Girl Podcast.”

You can also buy my book “The Mask; Her Aid” by Brittany Alexandria on Amazon for Kindle.

TVD Thoughts: Alaric & Delena

^^ One of my favorite things about Delena is that literally from the moment Alaric helps them for the first time, you can see him making faces of annoyance because he can see their chemistry and knows how much trouble it’s gonna cause. 😂 Also he knows Damon will do anything she wants, which essentially means Alaric has to do anything she wants because he’s not gonna let either of them get killed. 😂 I mean, just look at that face! 😂 **crap. Best friend will do anything for the girl who is basically my daughter at this point. Now I really have to do this** 😂

Pride & Prejudice – Book & Movie Review (January19, 2019 – Archive)

As a hopeless romantic, I can have no qualms with any telling of Pride & Prejudice. I can have however have a favorite. While neither movie was better or worse than the other and certainly not better or worse than the book, I do have a clear favorite. In part because I prefer simple, modern writing and partly because I already knew most aspects of the story, it took me at least five attempts to read the book for the first time. After the fact I was happy to have done it and have now read it again. That said, and I NEVER say this, I actually prefer the movie to the book. Both movies took creative liberties that seemed odd, especially the six-hour BBC production, but I actually enjoyed the 2005 movie to the BBC production or the book. Perhaps it’s because it’s shorter and thus easier to digest or maybe because it caters to the wants of a rom-com fan, but probably because I didn’t have to deal with the insufferable Mr. Collins or Mr. Wickham for half as long as I was forced to do so in the book and BBC production. As, I must admit, I only like the series because of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth and I wish that we could get their story with dealing so much with the others, though I understand that would make it a much different story, so I’ll tolerate it. As I do though, it will likely only be through watching the 2005 movie instead of reading it or watching the BBC production. All the same, I recommend everyone read and watch each production at least once in their lifetime! 😊

Artemis Fowl (2018 Archive)

Book 1:

My primary job is delivering for Uber Eats. That means, I spend a lot of time sitting in my car. I’ve decided to spend that time listening to audiobooks. After listening to the Harry Potter books, I decided to listen to Artemis Fowl, because my best friend raved about them, and because I had never read them before.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book. In the beginning, it was confusing to go back and forth between views, but by the end it made sense. It is exciting and intriguing, and even though I really didn’t like any of the characters, I am now listening to the second book! So far, it seems like the perfect series for middle school boys, and anyone who likes Kid’s books. I have a 12 year old brother whom I think will really like these books! I’m gonna challenge him to read or listen to them this summer!

Emoji Review: 🙃🤷🏼‍♀️👍🏼

4 out 5 ⭐️ review

The Arctic Incident:

Perhaps, the series gets better with every book. I certainly liked this one much better than the first one! I even started to like the characters. 🙂 No complaints for this book and not much in the way of praise either, except that I liked it more than the first. And of course, I still think it’s a great series for middle school boys! 🙂 Emoji Review: 👍🏼😊

4 out of 5 ⭐️ rating

The Opal Deception:

Generally, I either immediately like a series or I don’t like it all. When I do like the series, I expect it to get better with every book (or season if it’s tv). With Artemis Fowl it’s different.

It’s not that I disliked it in the beginning, but I also didn’t like it. I was intrigued, but not attached. This is a new concept for me. Generally, if I’m intrigued, then I’m immediately attached. With Artemis Fowl, it’s been a slow attachment. With every book, I’ve grown more and more attached to each of the characters. And yet, I there’s one character I haven’t grown attached to. When something happens to this character, I feel nothing. A little sad for the other characters, perhaps, but nothing for this character. All the same, I’m really growing quite fond of these characters and each adventure is getting more and more intriguing!

The Lost Colony:

As a Christian, I firmly believe that demons are always evil. Therefore, I found it hard to justify the somewhat goodness of some of the new characters in this book.

With or without the demon characters, this wasn’t one of my favorite of the books. There were several scenes in which I was gasping or holding my breath, but I was neither here nor there in the like or dislike of this book. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The Time Paradox:

This may have been my favorite of them all. It’s always fun seeing characters affected by time travel. Artemis and Holly were quite amusing through this book’s adventures.

The Atlas Complex:

This one didn’t leave much impression on me. I felt rather indifferent throughout the whole story… 🤷🏼‍♀️

The Last Guardian:

I’m surprised to say that by the end of this series, I actually cared about all the characters! I didn’t like any of the characters in the beginning, but they slowly grew on me and by the end I liked them all! I will say that I was a bit disappointed with the end of this book. While the main plots were all finished, I still felt like there was something missing in the end. 🤷🏼‍♀️

#bookreview #ArtemisFowl #HollyShort #Elves #Demons #Fairies #dwarves #Butler #Elves #Fairies #Dwarves

#Crime

Beauty and the Beast (2018 Archive)

I’m not a fan of movie theaters. If I’m gonna spend that much money on a movie, then I’d rather be at home. I do make exceptions for some movies though. This was one of the exceptions.

I’ve seen a lot of fan made lists for live action Disney movies of whom should play who if the movie was ever made. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a list that didn’t have @emmawatson as Belle. I always agreed that Emma seemed like the perfect fit.

When I sat in the theater watching the movie, I was mesmerized. In recent years, Beauty and the Beast has become one of my favorite Disney Princess movies, so I was ecstatic to see it in live action. By the end of the movie, I felt like I had watched the best live action movie ever!

As time has passed since I watched Beauty and the Beast in theaters, some of the enchantment has worn off. Maybe Emma wasn’t as good as Belle as I had hoped and thought. I certainly didn’t think of the performance much after the fact. That says a lot. I’m obsessive girl for a reason. When I love something, I tend to be a tad obsessive. That didn’t happen with this movie.

Today, I watched it again on Netflix after watching my DVD copy of the classic animated version. Throughout the first half of the movie, I was rather disenchanted. I couldn’t see why I loved it so much. She’s not the most phenomenal singer in the world and her performance didn’t seem quite as magical as I had thought the first time. By the end though, I still couldn’t think of anyone who seems like a better Belle in looks and certain mannerisms. Idk, maybe it’s because I spent so much time envisioning her as Belle, but she still seems like the best fit, even if her voice isn’t the best fit. 🤷🏼‍♀️ At times, she didn’t look like the best fit, but at other times I thought, “She is definitely Belle!” So, now I’m confused, but I still like the movie enough that I’ll certainly watch it again!

Whatever the case may be, I still want Belle’s Library!

Emoji Review: 😁🤔🙃🤷🏼‍♀️😊

4 out of 5 ⭐️

Ever After High – Book Review (2018 Archive)

The Storybook of Legends & The Unfairest of Them All:

I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale, especially if it’s a retelling and even more so if it’s the telling of the original character’s kids. Obviously, I loved this before I even opened it. I’m not generally biased though. I may love a story going into it, but that doesn’t mean I’ll love it by the end. That is what happened with this book though.

I absolutely love Raven Queen and Apple White. While their stories are a bit cliched, that’s the entire point of the book. I think Shannon Hale did a fabulous job of making this story unique, while also making it as cliche and cheesy as it was supposed to be!

I love all the characters, but my absolute favorite character in the entire series is Madeline “Maddie” Hatter! Quirky characters are always my cup of tea (pun intended 😏), but I especially love Maddie and not just because I feel like she and Luna Lovegood could totally be best friends! Haha. There’s just something about Maddie that I adore! I can’t really explain it. Oh, and Dexter is adorkable too! Haha.

I could do an entirely separate review just for the “hexcellent” puns and word plays sprinkled on every page, but I won’t. Hexcellent (I’ve seriously been thinking this way too often 🙈) Whatever After, and One Reflection are just a few of my favorites!

As each page flipped, the smile on my face and in my heart grew bigger and bigger! The story may be simple and intended to make little girls want to buy the dolls, but it’s still a great book! It’s supposed to be cheesy, so there’s not much one could complain about!

I’m a firm believer in no spoilers, so you’ll have to read the book yourself to see why I feel the way I do about it! 🤓

Emoji Response: 😁❤️😂

5 out 5 ⭐️ rating!

A Wonderlandiful World

I really wanted to love this book as much as I loved the first two, but I couldn’t. Except for a few references to the first two books, this book often felt like a different story altogether. This was largely due to the fact that it was narrated from the point of view of two entirely different characters than the first two. I understand the story is carried on in the tv show and books written by someone else, but I wish we had a bit more closure or explanation or something with Raven and Apple’s story in this book. It just wasn’t the same.

That said, I still loved it! And I will say, it was a bit more unpredictable than the first two, which I kind of liked actually!

If you read my first two reviews, then you won’t be surprised that I especially loved Maddie’s part in this book! I think it was really quite clever! 😁

And of course, the puns were still just as #hexellent as before! Haha.

I’m a firm believer in no spoilers, so you’ll have to read the book yourself to see why I feel the way I do about it! 🤓

Emoji Response: 😁❤️😂

4 out 5 ⭐️ rating!

Jonas Brothers – Happiness Begins (Music Review)

The Jonas Brothers album is here! It’s 2019 and there is a new Jonas Brothers album out now! No, this isn’t a dream! This is the beginning of our revisited teenage happiness! It’s been quite a while since I wrote a music review, but of course I have to for the Jonas Brothers! First things first. I’ve gotta say, I am so happy that the album isn’t labeled explicit! I do not curse, but I pick up everything, so I can’t listen to cursing or I’ll start using the same words and I don’t want to. I was worried that they might sing explicit songs since both Nick and Joe’s separate projects had explicit music. But now I don’t have to worry! Okay, now onto the actual music.
Sucker – How fitting is it that this was their first single and the first track on the album? We’re all suckers for the Jonas Brothers. If we weren’t, then I wouldn’t be writing this at midnight as I listen to Happiness Begins for the first time. And you wouldn’t be reading this post. I’ve gotta be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Joe’s solo album and I’m not much of a fan of DNCE. So, I was nervous about the new Jonas Brothers music. How could they take Nick’s sound, Joe’s sound, and make it a Jonas Brothers’ sound? Well, they have! And I’m loving it so far! Sucker was stuck in my head after the first time I heard it and it’s pretty much been stuck in my head since! I can’t think of any qualms I have with this song!
Cool – This is such a bop! I love it! If you don’t feel more confident about yourself and life after listening to this song, then I’m sad for you. It’s such a chill and simple song, yet it’s uplifting and encouraging. I can’t remember most of the lyrics, but that’s okay. All I need is “Lately, I’ve been feeling so cool. Top to the bottom so cool! Every little thing that I do. I’m feeling so cool!” Like, come on! That gotta get you feeling cool and confident!
Only Human – To be honest, my sort of innocent mind can’t quite figure out if this song is actually about dancing or if it’s about sex. Based on the day and age and some of the lines, I’d say it’s about sex. Either way, it doesn’t matter. That’s why I like this song. I’m someone that thinks physical relationships should be private and personal. So, I love when a song is just subtle enough you have to listen to the lyrics to catch what they’re actually saying. Nonetheless, it’s definitely got dance vibes and I’m diggin’ it.
I Believe – This is a beautiful song. I’m a sucker (no pun intended) for a good love song about the one who changed you and this is it. Why wait when you know you’ve got the one? Why not get married in a Vegas casino with an Elvis impersonator marrying you? Why not have a bunch of weddings (for cultural reason in this case) to show your lover how much you love them? Why not? Whose place is it to say you’re moving too fast?
Used to Be – I’m also a sucker for a good post-breakup song! Haunting songs, “used to be” songs, “I want you to be happy” songs, “the one who got away” songs. Whatever. I love them all. Not breakup songs. Post-breakup songs. Songs like this one. It seems to me this is the type of song that says, “Yeah, I miss you. You could’ve been the one, but it’s over now. I’ve moved on. You should too.”
Every Single Time – Ah, the classic “you’re bad for me, but I love you” song! Oh, such a good line “you think it’s only physical. No, no, no.” I mean, it’s nothing profound or anything. I just love when people acknowledge there’s nothing physical about this physical relationship. It’s all about emotions and the actions we pursue because of them. That’s why you can’t shake them from your mind. Even though they’re awful to you, you keep going back.
Don’t Throw It Away – Sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back and reevaluate. Dating is about finding the right person and being the right person. Sometimes you need space to be the right person. So, she’s walked away. He’s putting her things away. He’s giving her time and space, whatever she needs. All he asks is that she doesn’t throw it away, that she thinks of him, and comes back to what they have together.
Love Her – “Because when you love her, no matter the fight you know she’s always right and that’s alright… I put my selfish ways in boxes… will never let it get close to bein’ toxic… gotta learn to let the small things go and know it’s always far from perfect… but the hardest parts are always worth it…” Wow! This is what love is about! Selfless love. This might be my new favorite song right now!
Happy When I’m Sad – The lyrics weren’t available for this song… Sounds like there’s a new breakup. His friends don’t know, so they still think he’s happy, but he’s broken. Whatever the song, I like that it’s all upbeat even though they’re singing about being sad. It fits the lyrics well.
Trust – I don’t trust myself when I’m around you. I don’t think I even know me. I’m like the old me when you’re around. That’s all I understood of the lyrics. I can’t judge this song because I can’t understand it. It might be my least favorite song on the album.
Strangers – Why does it feel like these songs are on fast forward? I can’t figure out if he’s talking to someone who is actually a stranger or someone who feels like a stranger. It sounds like it’s a reconnection or something but I don’t know. I can’t understand this song either.
Hesitate – So, in the past he’s been hesitant and cautious. He doesn’t want to be that way anymore. He promises he won’t be. He wants to understand and make things better. He wants to work things out and figure it out. He wants to carry her pain in his heart instead of hers. I like this for the same reason that I like love her. This is selfless love. This growing and changing and loving for her and not for himself.
Rollercoaster – It’s as typical as the title suggests, but it’s still a good and catchy song. Sounds like it’s THE reunion song. I’d assume it’s the boys talking to each other and about their journey. It’s been crazy and sickeningly dizzying at times, but they wouldn’t change a thing. They’d go back every time and they’re sort of going back now.
Comeback – Another beautiful song. If she’ll come to him no matter what then he’ll be there for her no matter. I’m liking the matter, selfless love-type songs on this album!
All in all, I love this album as much as I’ve loved any other Jonas Brothers album. As each one has, these songs have matured with the “boys” as they’ve grown into men. They’ve matured in a tasteful and appropriate way though. I wouldn’t have a problem with my younger siblings listening to this album. And that’s also an important consideration for me. I’m going to like an album, then I’m going to need it to be appropriate for all ears. This album, while mature, is also tasteful. I will definitely be going to Target as soon as possible so I can have a physical copy. And I’ll be adding these tracks to my regularly played list on Amazon Music.

Kim Possible 2018 Live-Action Review

#SpoilerAlert

I’m going into this movie feeling hopeful, understanding that this is a lower budget DCOM made 12 years after the finale of the original and not a big budget theater movie made at the same time as the original. And at the end of the day, it has been written by the same writers as the series.

So far, so good. KP has the right vibes and Ron is as stoppable as ever!

She’s got her classic jet pack, grappling hook, and laser lipstick/gloss!

The random, unnecessary flips are bit much, but I mean, cheesy or not, it’s still pretty cool.

SHEGO!!!! YES!!! Always my favorite villain! And Dr. Drakken, also!

I do like that Ron is doing a live stream! Haha. That’s totally something he would have done in the series if it were a thing! Haha.

What crap is this soccer only thing!? I mean, at least she wanted to cheer, so there’s that! But no cheer!? That’s half of who KP is!

Oh, and I actually really like the holograms vs “FaceTime” messages from Wade! The Kimmunicator was awesome at the time, but now it’s just super basic, so the holograms are awesome!

😂😂😂 Villainstagram! 😂😂😂

Okay, I will admit the soccer thing is a great way of showing off the feud between Bonnie and Kim in a movie that is only an hour and a half long.

Again with unnecessary flips? Just to pick up this girl’s backpack? Athena? Who is Athena!? What about Monique!? I mean, I don’t mind that she’s like a fan girl who needs a friend, so Kim is able to be that, and get a reality perspective, but still… Where’s Monique!?

Yay! Bueno Nacho! 😁 And the Naco! 😁

The tease about Kim not wearing her traditional saving the world outfit! 😂 “I guess, wearing the same outfit all the time just felt cartoony.” 😂

YAY!!! The REAL KP AND SHE JUST SAID “WHAT’S THE SITCH!?” AH!

Ugh, and she’s skilled enough to go on a mission with them!? And she’s basically out-Kimming Kim!? 😒 I bet she’s going to end up being the thing Drakken is using to break Kim! Kim is being a bit petty being annoyed by it, but I also totally get it! Haha. Wow… she’s good at everything? Is she like a robot or something?

Oh, yay! The Naked Mole Rat! AND WE FINALLY HAVE RUFUS!!! 😁 Slightly annoying he didn’t get him at the store, but whatever. It’s RUFUS! “I like weird. As I always say, never be normal!”

Gah! Athena is driving me nuts! At least it gives SHEGO great material for sassy taunts! 😏 Ok, but at least Athena said, “I’m just a Kim-itation.” Poor Kim, though, slowly losing her self-confidence because of everything with Athena. “I walked into high school and it’s like I stopped being good at things. Even worse Athena had one good fight and now she’s amazing at everything. I’ve never met someone who’s better than me and I know how stupid that sounds but it’s like whatever I have that makes me she has more of it. I’m glad she’s finding her way. It’s more about me. If I’m not the best at those things, then what I am? I’m Kim Possible. I’m a star student and I save the world. That’s who I am.”

“No, that’s what you do not who you are.”

“Then, I don’t know who I am.”

I have to admit, I like that this movie focuses on KP figuring out who she is and dealing with insecurity. “I needed to be the person who saves the day. I can’t believe how mixed up I’ve been. Just because I’m not the best at something, doesn’t mean I’m not me.”

Oh! I was right! Athena is a weapon! But I kind of also think maybe she’s going to end up wanting to be friends with Kim? Idk… maybe because Drakken and SHEGO ditch her? 🤔

And is that chocolate milk that Drakken’s drinking!? Haha. I sure hope so! I STILL call my chocolate milk coco moo because of him! 😂

Ooh, Athena attacks Kim and Kim apologizes and thanks her for making her better. Ooh! She is a robot! Or at least partly? Maybe that Brian implant thing she was talking about him using? Poor Kim! Just lost a potential best friend? Okay, so she is a robot? I’m so confused…

Yeah! Go Rufus and Wade saving the day so KP can do her thing!

Hahahaha! 😂 Dr. Drakken is a kid now!! 😂 Is this leading into a sequel? Drakken being a kid and going to school with her as a brainy kid? 🤔

Okay, this whole getting emotional over a robot best friend is a little much… it’s kind of creepy and weird. She’s not human…. I mean, it’s kind of nice too, but… it’s weird….

Special shout out to Momma Possible and Nana Possible, especially because Momma Possible is Alyson Hannigan! Haha.

All in all, I actually really liked this movie and am glad I watched it. I don’t understand why everyone is hating on it so much, because Sadie and Sean did an awesome job!

TVD: Season 2 Episode 12 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 12

(My Thoughts in Bold)

Werewolves

Jules wakes up in the middle of the woods. She killed at least one camper, maybe a family or group of campers. While she’s trying to discard the bodies, a police officer comes up to the camp. Thinking quick on her feet, she acts like the broken-hearted girl who just lost her friends. When he turns around to call the other police, she knocks him out cold.

Caroline checks on Tyler when they’re at school. She congratulates him about not hurting anyone on his first full moon. She encourages him about getting better next time. He thanks her for being there with him. They share a moment in a rather long gazing look. She tells him they’ll have to reinforce the wall next time, because one bite from a werewolf could kill a vampire according to legend.

Jules goes to talk to the Sheriff asking about Mason. Alaric is of course there. He calls Damon. Stefan comes and sees her. He tells him he couldn’t find anything in Isabelle’s works about the werewolves other than the bite being fatal. Stefan asks Alaric if he has any way to contact her. He says he might have an old number, but it’s probably out of service.

Alaric sends Stefan Isabelle’s number. He calls it and leaves a message about Elena. Damon shows up asking what he’s doing there. He was waiting for him. He warns Damon there are a lot of people there. He knows he’s upset about Rose. He says again he doesn’t care about Rose. Then, he goes to talk to Jules. He promises not to kill her if she tells him how to cure a wolf bite. She walks away. He goes after her. She says she’s not afraid of him. He tells her she’s stupid. He starts rambling about the effects of the bite. When she mentions her going rabid, he gets that furious look in his eyes he gets when Elena’s in danger. She says the only cure is a stake through the heart.

Tyler is at Caroline’s house waiting for her. He tells her they need to talk. He asks why she would risk it if a werewolf bite would kill a vampire. He could’ve killed her, but he didn’t. He doesn’t understand her. She asks why it’s so hard for him to let someone care about him. She apologizes for overstepping her bonds by caring for him. He kisses her. She kisses him back. Yay! Like with Matt she tells him he can’t. He apologizes. She yells everyone needs to stop kissing her! Then, she goes inside leaving him confused.

Tyler meets Jules at the Grill. He tells her she knows he’s a werewolf and that Caroline is a vampire. She offers to help him. She tells him this town is crawling with vampires. She tells him there are other werewolves on their way.

Salvatore Lovers

Elena goes looking for Stefan in his room. He pops up behind her. They kiss passionately. She doesn’t want to be away from him at all ever. He doesn’t want to be either. But… she asks him not to ruin the moment. He ruins the moment. He wants to go after Isabelle like Katherine suggested, Elena doesn’t want him to. Elena asks how Elijah could compel another vampire. Stefan says he’s an original. No one really knows what that means. He drinks a little vervain as he tries to build up his tolerance like Katherine did.

Rose comments about how she’s 500 years old and can die. Damon tells her if she’s going to wallow in the possibility of an incredibly unreliable source being true, then he’ll kill her so he can put himself out of her misery. He gives her a drink and looks at her wound. Elena has come by and he asks her to confirm it’s looking better. She does, but it’s not. He asks where Stefan is. She tells him he’s gone to look for Isabelle and asks him to talk to him. He can’t, because he agrees with him. He really has become quit the caring vampire man. He asks her to play nurse so he can go somewhere. She follows him and asks if she’s going to die. He acts like it doesn’t bother him when she apologizes. She’s shocked. Okay, maybe not as caring, at least not admittedly.

Rose complains to Elena about how vampires don’t get sick. When they die, they die. Elena looks around Damon’s room and Rose knows she’s never been in there before. She’s surprised by what she sees. Gone with the Wind and an otherwise fairly normal room. She comments she might have expected silk sheets. Rose tells her she’s lucky. “No one’s ever loved me the way you’re loved.” She doesn’t believe that. Rose says Trevor was just her best friend. Nothing more. She spent all those years on the run from Elijah she never thought it would be wise to set down roots. She asks her why she’s so willing to give up. She says it’s her best option. Rose tells her it’s the easy option. She asks if she really believes her witch friend destroyed the stone. She doesn’t, because she knows she had help and she assumes he was Elijah’s witch friend. Rose says, “At least I ran. You’re not even trying.” She goes to sleep and Elena quietly leaves, but Rose calls her to wait, but she’s hallucinating. She’s talking to Trevor, then she comes back and asks for more blood. She starts gagging. When Elena turns around, she’s gone. She goes to attack Elena, thinking she’s Katherine. Elena yells out that she’s not Katherine. Rose snaps out of it and apologizes, begging her not to be scared of her. Elena assures her she’s not. She asks where she is. Elena reminds her she’s in Damon’s bedroom. She says she wants to go home. Elena tells her to tell her about home. She does. “When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted. I just wish I hadn’t been so afraid.”

When Elena goes to take Rose clean sheets, she’s gone. She calls someone, maybe Damon, but probably Stefan telling him to come home. She’s worried about Rose. She finds rose in the basement devouring blood. She is rabid. She looks up and thinks Elena is Katherine again. She tells her to stop, repeating she’s not Katherine. She stops for a minute, but goes after her again. She pulls down the curtains and it burns Rose. When she tries to attack her again, Elena presses into her bite. She runs to, I think Stefan’s room, closes the door and blocks it with furniture. She opens up the balcony and lets the light in. She breaks another piece of furniture to use as a stake. It goes quiet. Rose is herself again asking Elena for her help as she pukes up blood behind the door.

Elena is hiding in the room. It’s dark now. She listens for noise outside the door and starts to move her blockade. She slowly opens the door and quietly walks out, makeshift stake in hand. Rose is nowhere to be found. The door is open. When she turns around, Damon is behind her asking where Rose is. She doesn’t know.

Rose is outside a dumpster puking blood outside the high school party or something at the school. A garbage man finds her and asks if she’s okay. Rose attacks him.

The sheriff calls Damon and tells him it’s a vampire attack. Elena calls Stefan. He doesn’t answer. She asks Damon if he’s seen her. He doesn’t care about his brother right now. He gives Elena a stake. They find her attacking a couple. He gets her attention. She starts crying about the people she hurt. She apologizes most to Elena. He tells her they need to go home. She says she doesn’t have a home and starts begging him to make it stop.

At the house, she’s in his bed sweating profusely. She apologizes to Damon again. He jokes about going on murderous rampages happens. Elena comes to the doorway. Rose apologizes to her again. She’s never liked taking human life. Damon tells Elena she shouldn’t be there. Rose tells Elena, with Damon there, that he’s a lot like her. He wants to care, but when he does, he runs away. Rose apologizes again and tells Elena she has to fight. She knows she’s scared, but she has to do it anyway. She asks why Elena is so nice her. She’ll never forget being human. It’s the only thing that keeps her going. Rose starts freaking out in pain. Elena asks what they should do. He tells her to go. He’ll handle it.

Rose tells Damon he’s a nice guy. He says he’s not nice. He’s mean and he likes it. She calls him a liar. He tells her to sleep.

She dreams. I think of being human. She’s in a field of horses and she’s happy. She’s in the sun and Damon is there. He takes her there with that mind control thing. She asks how she knew she liked it there. She told Elena. She says she misses being human. She had friends, a family, and she mattered. He says she still does. She says no. He does. He’s built a life. They sit together in her fantasized fresh air for a while. She thanks him. The pain is gone. She asks if she’ll her family again. He thinks she’ll see whoever she wants to see. She’s not afraid of dying anymore. He lets go of her in the real world. He looks at his stake. He stakes her, taking the pain truly away.

Damon takes her to the sheriff, telling her the vampire problems are over.

Elena waits for Damon to come home. He tells her she was supposed to leave. She says she did, but then she came back to make sure he’s okay. She says a friend can tell when their friend is hurting. He asks what she wants to hear. That he cared about Rose? That he’s sad? He lies saying he didn’t and he’s not. She calls on pretending that he doesn’t care. He says he does care. It was supposed to be him. Jules was coming after him. She acknowledges he’s feeling guilty. He tells her to leave. She says she will. She hugs him instead and he tries not to cry. She pulls away and says goodnight.

At home, Stefan is waiting for Elena. He tells her he called Isabelle. John is there.

Damon is lying in the middle of road and some girl gets out of the car to help him. He’s drunk. He tells her not to move. He asks her name. Don’t do it Damon! He says he has a secret. “I can’t be what other people want me to be. What she wants me to be. This is who I am.” She asks if he’s going to hurt her. He’s not sure.  She’s his existential crisis. Does he kill her? Does he not? She begs him not to. “But I have to, because I’m not human and I miss it. And there’s only so much a hurt a man can take. Don’t do it Damon! She begs him. He says okay. He’s crying. He tells her she’s free to go. He goes after and attacks her. Ugh! Damon! Why!? Please feel guilty. Please… idk, don’t do this again! Ugh! Damon! If you’re ever going to win Elena over you have to be more careful! I know feeling sucks, but that doesn’t mean you have to!

Matt and Caroline

Matt interrupts Caroline and Tyler. She swears to him that nothing’s going on with her and Tyler. He believes her. He gets tongue tied trying to tell her he doesn’t like not being with her. He kisses her passionately. She kisses him back. When they pull apart, she says they can’t. Then walks away.

Matt goes to talk to Caroline again. He asks why she ran away. She says he caught her off guard. He didn’t expect her to run away. She tells him she loves him. He says it back. Tears form in her eyes.

He asks what she’s keeping from him. If she loves him, she’ll tell him. Some girl comes looking for him and Caroline disappears while his back is turned.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 11 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 11

Werewolves

Tyler listens to the video again while getting ready to go to the cellar. He tries calling Mason, but Mason doesn’t answer. Some woman is at his house listening to the voicemail.

The woman, Jules, comes to see if Mason is in Mystic Falls. They tell her he’s in Florida. She tells them he’s not.

Tyler tells Caroline Mason never made it back to Florida. Alaric happens to be sitting right there. He and Caroline exchange a look.

Jules calls someone telling them Mason is missing and that he was lying about there being another werewolf. She goes to the Grill looking for Tyler. Damon and Alaric are there.

Caroline helps Tyler prepare. She brings wolfbane, he touches it, and it burns him. She puts it in his water bottle. He takes off his shirt and she freaks out thinking he’s going to get naked.

Alaric acts like a drunk and talks with Jules. Damon jokes he’s a town drunk. Alaric buys her drink and puts wolfbane it to make sure she’s not a werewolf. She doesn’t drink it.

Damon plays stupid and claims he’s friends with Mason when Jules brings him up.

At almost 8, Tyler still hasn’t changed. They talk about when it might happen, how long he’ll actually be a wolf, and everything. He moves to drink from his bottle. She worries about him doing it. He starts to drink about starts gagging. Caroline goes to comfort him. He starts yelling at her. She keeps comforting him. He’s calmer and apologizes.

Tyler starts struggling with the burning of the wolfsbane. Caroline tries to comfort him. He tells her to leave. She says not yet. He final starts changing.

Damon assures Jules he’ll speak with the sheriff if it can help find Mason. He tries to encourage to have a drink she refuses. She knows he’s a vampire. She is a werewolf.

Tyler falls silent. She wants to help, but she doesn’t know what to do. He says there’s nothing he can do. It seems like his bones break or something when he changes. She tells him to get out. She says know. She holds him while he fights the change.

Damon wants to look for her. Alaric tells him not to. The moon is up. If the werewolf stuff is true, then one bite would kill him. He seems to agree.

Caroline keeps holding Tyler. It seems to comfort him, but he’s still struggling through the pain. She tries to get him to sleep. He tries to get her to leave. She refuses. Not yet. He really starts changing now. His teeth and everything. She runs and tries to lock the cage as she knows. He comes after her. She apologizes to him and leaves. She sobs outside the odor of the cellar. He’s going full wolf. She hears silence. This must be terrible with her hyper senses. He breaks through the cage door and fights through the cellar door. She speeds away.

Damon goes home and locks the door. It’s quiet. He seems concerned. Rose is there. She apologizes about Elena. He knows she has nowhere else to go. He tells her there’s nothing here for her. They hear glass break. It’s Jules. Yup! It’s Jules. She bites Rose. He stabs Jules with a knife. She’s in pain. It’s healing. He’s surprised. She starts crying. She thought a werewolf bite was fatal. He comforts her.

Caroline waits in the woods for something to happen. When nothing happens, she slowly goes back to cellar to check on Tyler. He didn’t get through the door. He’s inside, naked and crying. She calls out to him. He says her name. She runs to him. He’s huddled in a ball. She’s relieved saying he’s okay. He says he’s not. He cries and she holds him.

Damon tells Rose he talked to Caroline. Mason’s still in locked up. The legend seems to be fake. I wonder if it is or if it depends on the werewolf family. She tells him she’s going to stay and help protect Elena, all things Elena. She says she’ll stay as a friend. He asks just as  friend? She says maybe a special friend, but she doesn’t love men who love other women. The place where she was bitten blisters over after healing.

Salvatore Lovers

Elena asks Bonnie what she’s going to do with the moonstone. She tells her she’s going to remove the curse. Elena reminds her that Katherine says that will make Klaus very jealous. She asks her to focus on getting Stefan out of the tomb. Bonnie tells her this is what Stefan wants her to focus on. They don’t want her being sacrificed for some creepy ritual. Bonnie goes to the kitchen for coffee. Jeremy leaves after a moment. Elena takes the moonstone and says she’s going to go check on Stefan. Bonnie and Jeremy tell her this was a test and she failed. Elena tells them Klaus killed Katherine’s entire family when she crossed him. She doesn’t want the same. Bonnie lets Elena go. She finds herself trapped in the house by some invisible force.

Damon tells Stefan about it. Stefan can’t believe it. Damon says he should be grateful he and Bonnie are getting along. Damon brings Stefan a bag and blood. He doesn’t take the blood, because he’ll only have to share it with Katherine. Damon takes the blood.

Damon comes in and remarks to Elena that she should really keep her door locked. He tells her he didn’t tell Stefan about Elijah, because there’s nothing he can do about it. He asks where Bonnie is. She’s on moonstone duty, he’s on Elena patrol. Alaric calls telling Damon that Sheriff officially has Mason on the missing person’s list. He teases her again about getting out of the house and puts Jeremy on babysitting duty. She throws a pillow at him.

Katherine tries to seduce Stefan, talking to him about Damon having what he wants. Turns out, it was her messing with his head again.

Katherine asks Stefan if he’s really not going to talk to her. He says they can talk about how she regrets all the things she’s done to make his life miserable. She tells him it’s all been elf-preservation. She tells him she does love him though. He tells her to do something to prove there’s something good in her. She wonders why. He’d still hate her. She tells him she doesn’t know where to find Klaus, but he might be able to help. He assumes she wants something. He tells her to ask Isabelle who found her. She might know.

Ugh! Stefan being out makes it harder for Elena and Damon to get together. Stefan goes to her room. They kiss like a lot.

The Originals

Elijah shows up inside the Gilbert house. Jenna let him in. He’s claiming he’s doing research on Mystic Falls. He tells Elena he hopes to see her again soon. Elena goes banging on Jeremy’s door, trying to tell her about Elijah. Elijah speeds over and tells her not to mention him. She claims Jenna wants his help.

Elijah tells Elena he didn’t want her to be taken. If word gets out the doppelganger exists, there will be a line of vampires eager to take her to Klaus, the most feared and hated of the originals. He doesn’t want that happening. His goal is not to break the curse. He wants to get back into Klaus’ immediate circle. He’s become a recluse. She asks how she knows he’s telling the truth. He says if he was lying, then her friends would be dead and she’d be going to Klaus. Elijah makes a deal with her. He promises to keep all of her friends safe if she stops fighting the protection and comes with him when he wants to lure Klaus out and then kill him. He and his witch friends can help keep them safe. She agrees but has one condition. Probably to get Stefan out of the tomb.

Stefan and Katherine hear someone opening the tomb. It’s Elijah he tells them about Elena’s request and that they’ve come to a peaceful agreement.  He and her. He tells Stefan he’s had the spell lifted. Stefan cautiously walks out. Katherine tries to leave to. Elijah stops her. He tells Stefan he’s free to go and that Elena will explain the agreement to him. Katherine begs Stefan not to let Elijah leave her down. He swallows regret and says goodbye.

Bonnie

Bonnie goes to give Luka his dog chains back and apologize about almost killing him. He forgives her and lets her come in. They have a room full of spell books. He explains they’ve been lost and his dad is obsessed with keeping the family legacy in tact. He believes all witches are family. She asks him if he knows how to unbind a talisman from it’s spell.

He asks what the stone is. She doesn’t answer. He teases her about keeping secrets. They channel each other to break the bind. The stone starts floating and bursts into sparks.

Dr. Martin asks if Luka was successful. He says he was. Bonnie didn’t suspect a think. He gives his dad the stone.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 10 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 10

Salvatore Lovers

Elena wakes up to a loud noise downstairs. Her bedroom door is open and her diary is open beside her bed. It looks like Dr. Martin has come for a visit, but it was just a quick glance. I don’t know who it is. Elena runs into a shirtless Alaric who has clearly been fooling around with an embarrassed Jenna. While she’s in the hall with Alaric and Jenna, the guy takes a picture of Elena, a lock of her hair, and something else. He leaves without being noticed. Elena goes back to bed.

Damon and Stefan go to see Katherine and then go to speak with Elena about it. Katherine tells them she’ll give them the moonstone if they let her out. She’s dirty, bored, and hungry. They tell Elena about the information Slater shared with them. They discussed it with Bonnie before talking to Elena. She tells them they don’t want her to do it. If they destroy the moonstone, then Klaus will go after everyone she cares about including them.

Elena goes to the estate and runs into Rose who says, “It’s rude to leave a woman naked so early in the morning.” I’m assuming she was expecting Damon, because it couldn’t have been Stefan. Elena is uncomfortable. Rose tells her no one else is there. Elena tells her she came to talk to her. She wants to talk to Slater about Klaus. She says Rose and Damon gave up before they could get more information. Rose thinks it’s a bad idea. She reminds them it’s because someone blew up the coffee shop with someone it She asks why she’s come to her for help. Elena says because she owes her for not having her killed by Damon and Stefan. Rose argues it’s because they wouldn’t want her doing it. She says they’re having a disagreement. They’re willing to risk everyone she cares about to take down Klaus. Rose says they’re just trying to protect her. Elena brings the conversation back to talking to Slater. Elena offers to give Rose a chance to walk in daylight if she helps her.

Elena and Rose find Slater dead in his home. They look around to see if they can find any information. Rose opens the blinds to look outside through the double tempered glass. They find someone named Alice who cries about him.

Alice found Slater only a few minutes before they did. Rose says she’s overreacting. Elena thinks she’s being harsh. Rose says she only cares because she was with him long enough to see if he’d turn her. Elena manipulates her into helping them get into Slater’s computer. She says she can convince Rose to turn her. She knows that’s not true, but Alice doesn’t. Elena tells Alice to get a message to Klaus. “The doppelganger is alive and ready to surrender.”

Rose calls Damon and her first words are, “Don’t be angry with me.” He asks what she did. She tells him to get to Richmond immediately.

Dr. Martin performs a spell with Elijah. He’s kind of handsome. Pity he’s an ass. I guess the spell tells them where she is. He finds her and she sees his reflection in the window she’s looking out of.

While Elena is waiting with Rose and Alice, Damon shows up and startles her. She knows Rose called him. Alice of course knows who Damon is. He tries to make her leave. She doesn’t get to make decisions anymore. She says she’s never made her own decisions. He and Stefan make them all for her. She doesn’t want to be saved. He tells her to go or he’ll throw her over his shoulder. She goes to punch him, he stops her. Their faces get incredibly close and the tension is palpable.

Damon tells Elena it’s time to leave. He’s put Alice to sleep and she won’t remember any part of the day. Klaus’ people show up wanting to see the doppelganger. She thanks them for coming. Damon holds her back, she tries to fight, he threatens to break her arm, but in an oddly caring tone. Elijah shows up and kills one of the messengers. The only other two talk to him about the doppelganger. They were going to take Elena to them. Elijah kills them and then leaves. Does he not want Klaus to get the doppelganger?

Dr. Martin assumes Elijah killed Damon. He tells him he spared him and that he basically needs Damon and Stefan to keep her safe.

Elena thanks Damon for bringing her home. He tells her what she did was stupid. She asks why he would question why she’d want to save all of them, when she doesn’t question them for always trying to save her. Jeremy opens the door and tells them about Stefan.

Elena goes running to the tomb and Damon follows. He pushes her up against the wall when she nearly goes inside. She blames him for letting this happen. He says he was too busy saving her. Stefan and Katherine listen to them fighting. He lets go when she stops fighting. She leaves. Damon calls Stefan an idiot and tells him he’ll find a way out. Stefan says he’ll figure it out. He asks Damon to promise to keep Elena safe and away from the tomb. Damon promises even though he knows it won’t be easy and leaves. Katherine tells Stefan that was the biggest mistake he’s ever made. I mean… she’s probably not wrong. If this time away from Stefan doesn’t bring Damon and Elena together, then nothing will.

Bonnie

Bonnie and Luka talk about their powers and how Bonnie needs help if she’s not going to have nosebleeds and pass out. He tells her she needs help from nature, the elements, and sometimes channeling another witch. He shows her and the wind around them gets storm crazy. Everything goes back to normal after a minute. I wonder if Luka is in on the team Originals with his dad or if he’s clueless. Jeremy comes up and says Luka is weird. She tells him he’s not. She gets a text message from Damon.

Bonnie, Jeremey, and the Salvatore’s talk about how they’re going to get the moonstone from Katherine. Bonnie plans to try to lift the tomb curse quickly enough for them to get in and get out. Jeremy reminds her about what happened when she tried it with her grandma. He suggests he go in and get it. He’s got his ring. He can get in and get out. Bonnie suggests a way to improve that plan. She needs something of Katherine’s.

Stefan brings her the picture he has of her. She burns it and says she can use the ashes to temporarily incapacitate Katherine. She starts to bleed again.

Jeremy worries about Bonnie. She might get hurt, but Elena could die. They share another moment. He puts the ashes in his wallet.

Jeremy goes into the tomb to get the tombstone. He shoots her and throws the ashes at her. He feels her up to see if she has the stone on her. When he can’t find it, he goes looking for it and finds it. He grabs it and starts running. Katherine is awake now and attacks him. He throws the stone away.

Damon, Stefan, and Bonnie meet at the tomb and they’re waiting for Jeremy. The idiot went in the tomb without back up.

When Stefan and Bonnie go to the tomb, Katherine comes up to taunt them. She’s hanging on to Jeremy and calls him her new little toy, because no matter how many times she kills him, the ring will keep bringing him back for more.

Bonnie and Stefan know now she really has no choice but to open the tomb. She channels Luka while she tries. He feels it and Dr. Martin notices, but he claims it’s nothing.

Bonnie performs the spell. Jeremy tells Stefan to make her stop. She’s not strong enough. Katherine thinks she might be. Dr. Martin knows something is up now as Luka feels the strain of the spell. He is apart of whatever his dad is apart of. He told him to bond with Bonnie. He and Stefan try to help their loved ones. Bonnie cries about not being strong enough. Katherine goes to feed more on Jeremy. Stefan unthinkably runs into the tomb and throws Jeremy out.

Bonnie and Jeremy fight over him getting involved and Stefan being stuck because of him. Bonnie tells him he can’t feel that way about her. He tells her not to act like it’s one-sided. They almost kiss. She tells him she can’t. You can hear both of their hearts break. Jeremy holds a bandage to his neck.

Werewolves

While Tyler is shooting hoops, Matt comes up, apologizes for picking a fight and admits he feels guilty for what happened to Sarah. When he walks away, Caroline catches him, but he walks away. Caroline goes to talk to Tyler about what he’ll do during the full moon. He tries to keep it private at first, but she reminds him she’s pretty much the town planner.

Tyler and Caroline walk through the woods. Tyler takes her to the old Lockwood cellar telling her that’s where he’s going to lock himself up. She looks around and finds something. She unwraps it. It’s a journal. Mason’s journal. It has an SD card in it.

Caroline and Tyler put the SD card in his computer and watch a video of Mason’s first night as werewolf on a full moon. He drank diluted wolfsbane to weaken himself. He was in a lot of pain while he changing. It takes him over 5 hours to changed, all the while screaming and crying through it. Tyler almost starts to cry.

Mason wrote that the first time was unthinkable. Then, it got better over time. Tyler asks Caroline why she’s helping him. She admits he seems like he needs it. She was alone when she turned. She had no control over her body or her urges and she killed somebody. She doesn’t want that to happen to him. She doesn’t want him to be alone. I wonder if they’re just going to be good friends or if this is going to turn into something. The door rings. It’s Matt. She steps outside. He doesn’t know why he’s there. He was driving home from work and found himself there. He tells her he misses her. She doesn’t say anything at first. Then, she smiles. He smiles back and Tyler opens the door. It’s awkward.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 9 -Recap and Reactions

Episode 9

The Doppelgangers

Bulgaria, 1490 – Katherine gives birth to a baby girl. She begs her parents to just let her hold her baby, but her father refuses. She has made their family a disgrace.

Elena goes to the Salvatore house. Damon answers. She asks about Stefan, because he called. She doesn’t seem to want to be there. Rose tells them about Klaus and that he’s coming to find Elena. Klaus is the oldest vampire “alive.” Stefan tries to tell her it might just be a fiction story. He doesn’t know anyone who has actually seen Klaus. Damon tries to balance both of them. Elena gets up and tells them she’s going to school. Stefan offers to go with her. She says she can go herself. Damon tells Rose Elena’s in denial. Good. Good for her! She’s still responding like a normal human being!

Elena goes to talk to Katherine and asks Caroline to cover for her at school and with Stefan. Caroline agrees reluctantly. She’s also the one to open the tomb for Elena. Elena needs to talk to Katherine, because she’s the only one who knows the truth. Elena calls out to Katherine. A weakened, bone skinny Katherine scurries over to Elena with a rough voice. Elena and Katherine asks Caroline to leave. Katherine has brought Katherine a bunch of stuff and asks Katherine to tell her about Klaus. She brought Katherine’s family Petrova history book and some blood. Katherine freaks out. Elena gives her a small amount of blood. Katherine tells Elena she has the Petrova family fire.

Her story with Klaus goes back to 1492. Her family disowned her after her pregnancy out of wedlock. She was banished to England where she met nobleman Klaus. She was keen with him until she found out what he was. Then, she ran. Klaus’ men chased after her. That’s where Rose’s friend, Trevor, found her and helped her escape. Elena figures out that Klaus wanted the same with Katherine that he now wants with her.

Damon goes to talk to Rose. She knows he loves Elena. Apparently everyone but Elena knows he loves Elena and the only reason she doesn’t know is because she’s in denial. She tells him she got through to Klaus through a very low man named Slater.

Katherine explains the curse was created with Petrova blood. The doppelganger was created as a way to break the curse.

Katherine runs to someone’s home telling her Trevor told her they’d help her. It’s Rose and an older human lady. Katherine shows Rose that she stole the moonstone from Klaus. Rose locks Katherine in a room and says at night fall she’s taking her back to Klaus and begging for mercy.

Damon threatens Rose, telling her if she’s crossing him in anyway, he’ll rip her heart out and shove it down her throat—something he’s very good at. Rose’s friend knows everything apparently. He gives a quick recap of Damon’s life.

Katherine tries killing herself. Rose feeds her blood so she’ll turn if she dies. Katherine hangs herself. Trevor tells Rose he loves Katherine.

She explains to Elena dying is better than being sacrificed. Klaus was only interested in human blood. She’s only kept running because she underestimated Klaus’ spirit of revenger. She notices Elena is worried she may be right. She reminds her there’s another way out. Katherine cuts herself as a mocking offering of becoming a vampire.

Rose tells Trevor he’s a fool. Katherine used them and she doesn’t pretend she didn’t.

Elena doesn’t like that Katherine doesn’t care about using people. She’s impressed Trevor lasted 500 years. She tells her she was looking out for herself and if Elena was smart, she’d do the same.

Damon and Rose talk to Slater about how to get connected to Klaus. He uses Craig’s list.

Elijah gives a street performing guitar player $100 and takes some of his coins. He stands passing them through his hands while looking through the window at Damon, Rose, and Slater.

Elena asks how much of her story is true. Katherine explains she has no reason to lie locked in the tomb. Elena knows there’s more to breaking the curse than just her and the stone. Katherine says they need a witch, a werewolf, a vampire, the blood of a Petrova, and the stone. Katherine figured 500 hundred years of running could be upended in a really good bargain.

Slater tells them if a vampire breaks the sun curse, then a werewolf can’t break the moon stone. Damon wants to how to make it impossible to break the curse. Damon offers to get Slater a way to walk in the sun if he helps him make the curse impossible to break. Elijah has been listening and at this point he throws the quarters at the windows of the vampire café leaving the vampires inside to burn in its light. Damon covers Rose with his jacket while they and everyone else run away. Damon asks Rose who’s behind this. She starts crying and saying it’s Klaus. He gets sensitive.

Stefan shows up at the tomb. Elena assumes Caroline told him. He assures her he didn’t, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. He tells her whatever Katherine said was a lie. Elena isn’t so sure. He promises he won’t let anything bad happen to her. “That’s the problem. You’ll die trying. How is that any better?” Katherine continues her story.

She finds everyone in Bulgaria, her family and friends, murdered. She cries over their dead bodies.

Stefan is still in denial. She offers to give them the moonstone. Stefan assumes her plan is to give them the stone for her freedom. She says every word she said was the truth. She doesn’t need freedom. She’s in the safest place in town. No vampire would enter the tomb, because they’d never be able to get out. Elena and Stefan know she’s telling the truth.

Rose apologizes to Damon for what happened her earlier. She didn’t know it would happen. He believes her. She knows he wants to save Elena. He swears he will. She says he reminds her of Trevor because he always talked a big game but inside was the best friend anyone could hope for. They toast ironically to friendship. She tells him he’s right to fight the way he feels about her, because if they want to survive, they need to not care about anyone. Caring about others gets you killed. She tells him it might be time to turn the switch off on his emotions. They start making out.

Elena gets home with Stefan. She doesn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to know the truth and now she has it. “I can’t blame anyone else anymore. It’s not because you came to town or because you and I fell in love. That’s not why everyone I love is in danger. It’s because of me. Everything is because of me.” While she cries in hyperventilation, he holds her.

In the tomb, Katherine looks through her family history book and finds a sketched picture of her and her parents. She traces her figure over it. She starts to cry in anger.

Rose tells Damon it’s a lie. There’s no switch you can turn off. Sure, when you’re a newbie, but after a couple hundred years, you just have to pretend. Slater calls. He doesn’t want any part of it, but he did some digging. He tells them they can break the curse with the moonstone and a witch. When he gets off the phone, Elijah is there and has compelled him to lie and to kill himself. He’s able to compel vampires because he’s an original. Oh snap! Dr. Martin is there! He is apparently on good terms with Elijah if not all the Originals. The oldest TVD vampires are so much more intriguing than the oldest Twilight vampires! And I love Twilight! I’ve read it countless time and will likely read it countless more times!

Bonnie and Jeremy

Jeremy asks Bonnie to go the Grill with him. She agrees to go. They both act kind of awkward about it. A new guy, Luka, comes up asking for directions. He’s a handsome black man who she obviously finds attractive. Jeremy seems jealous, but cool.

When Bonnie gets to the Grill, she runs into Luka. She sits with him and his dad for a minute. She tells them her full name and Dr. Martin’s first comment is a question of whether Bonnie has family in Salem. She answers honestly. Jeremy comes in at that moment and she stands up, touching Luka as she does to get a read on him.

Jeremy and Bonnie flirt while playing pool and Luka comes up calling the winner. Bonnie asks where his dad went. He says he went home.

Bonnie and Jeremy flirt from across the bar and Luka interrupts again. He apologizes for his dad. They picked up on something. So did she. They’re warlocks. She’s amazed. I think he’s lying and or hiding something.

Caroline

To deter Stefan from going to find Elena isn’t home, Caroline tells him she told Tyler about the curse.

Caroline and Stefan eat together at the Grill. Caroline keeps talking about Tyler and asks why Stefan cares so much about her. He says it’s because she reminds him of Lexi. She’s surprised he has a friend.

Stefan catches on to Caroline’s act, because he knows she’s good at playing the distraction on demand. She acts confused. He knows she’s working for Elena. He asks where she is. Caroline says she can’t tell him. He wants to know where she is because she just nearly got killed. Caroline is offended. She would not let Elena put herself in danger. This leads him to believe she’s with Damon. Caroline says, “Eww, no.” He asks again. He plays the first card and she reminds him that she’s also Elena’s friend and she’s not telling him where she is. He leaves.

Jeremy looks up at Bonnie, spots her with Luka, and leaves.

The Originals

TVD: Season 2 Episode 8 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 8

Salvatore Lovers

Stefan tells Damon about Elena. He assumes it’s Katherine, but Damon assures him it’s not and tells him about Katherine’s warning about Elena being in danger. Stefan is upset he didn’t mention it before, but Damon assumed it was a lie. Everything Katherine says is a lie. Stefan says they’re going to go talk to Katherine. Damon says it’s a bad idea. Stefan states, “It’s Elena.”

Stefan talks to Bonnie about getting Katherine out. She tells him there’s another way to find Elena. It’s through Jeremy’s blood. He drips it on a map. She does a spell to make the blood move to where Elena should be. She’s 300 miles away. Bonnie leans over the map weakened and drips blood over it. She hides it. Jeremy tries to get Stefan to let him go with him to get Elena. Damon comes in and says he’s going. Stefan is surprised. Damon repeats, “It’s Elena.”

Damon drives and Stefan thanks him. Stefan wants to talk about whether Damon loves Elena or not. Damon doesn’t want to bond with his brother. He claims he can step out of helping as fast as he stepped in. Stefan reminds him he can’t. His eyes say it. “It’s Elena.”

Damon and Stefan arrive in the middle of the woods. Damon tells Stefan whoever has Elena is probably at least 500 years old. He warns him it’s likely they won’t come out of the house. Stefan believes there’s no better way to die. Damon follows.

When Damon starts to go after Rose, Elena tells him to let her go. He stops and looks up at her from the bottom of the stair case. She starts to move toward him. Stefan intersects and they hug, but she looks at Damon. She mouths thank you and he mouths you’re welcome.

Damon is surprised Stefan comes home instead of staying with Elena. Stefan explains she wanted to be with Jeremy. He tells Damon they can’t be fighting if they’re going to protect Elena. And he apologizes to Damon for turning him 145 years ago. He just needed his brother.

Elena comes out of her bathroom to find Damon in her room. He has her necklace. He found it. He holds it out to her, but won’t give it back to her yet, because what he’s about to say next is the most selfish thing he’s ever going to say. She tells him not to. He tells her he loves her, he can’t be selfish with her, he doesn’t deserve her, and that Stefan does. Yay! He says it! He tells her he loves her! He kisses her forehead and then compels her to forget. Idiot. Selfless in this case idiot, but idiot! She comes out of the trance confused and wearing her necklace again.

Bonnie and Jeremy

Jeremy is in the bathroom, calls Elena, knocks on her door, and when she doesn’t answer, opens her door to find her room empty.

Jeremy talks Stefan about Elena being gone. At first, he assumes she spent the night with him. He tells him they’re not back together yet. He checked with Mrs. Lockwood and was told her car was still in the driveway.

Jeremy and Bonnie talk about Alaric taking Jenna away from the house so she won’t ask questions about Elena. Bonnie and Jeremy have a mom talking about Elena. Then, she realizes there’s another spell she can try. With Elena’s hairbrush, Bonnie might be able to send Elena a message. Her nose starts bleeding and Jeremy freaks out. She finishes her spell and passes out. Jeremy freaks out even more. I think they’re going to bond further.

Jeremy gets Bonnie some water and asks what happened. Bonnie explains witchcraft has it’s limits and she’s been doing a lot of magic lately. She asks him not to tell anyone. He promises not to tell. Ooh, another moment. She tells him how hard it is with gram gone and her dad wanting to talk about it. She feels all alone in this. He says he feels alone a lot too.

Jeremy watches Bonnie sleep on Elena’s bed. The door opens and he calls out to Elena waking Bonnie up. Bonnie rushes her in a hug. Jeremy asks if she’s okay. She tells Bonnie she got her message. The hug a couple more times and it’s Jeremy’s turn.

Werewolves

Caroline tells Damon about Tyler’s turning and that she covered for him with his mom. Damon tells Caroline not to be Tyler’s friend, because if he knows about them, he can kill them with a bite.

At school, Tyler is uncomfortable with the memorial for Sarah and the missing posters for Aimee. Someone bumps into him and he almost reacts, but doesn’t. When he tries to open his locker, he breaks it.

Tyler and Caroline run into each other at school. He asks her how she knew about him. She plays it off.

Tyler plays basketball with a bunch of guys and slam dunks, surprising himself and everyone else. He spots Caroline and goes after her. Tyler calls her a Tyler. When she tries to walk away, he tries to grab her, and she twists his arm. He’s surprised she’s stronger than him. She lies again. In his anger, he kicks a trash can and it goes flying, surprising other classmates.

Caroline gets home and finds Tyler waiting for her. He thinks she’s just like him. He refuses to leave until she tells him the truth. He thinks she’s a werewolf. She laughs. When Tyler tries to fight her, she vamps up and freaks him out.

Caroline tells Tyler she’s a vampire. She claims it’s just her. He says he and Mason are the only werewolves. They talk about their heightened senses. The only difference is werewolves run hot and vampires run cold. Caroline tells him she’ll tell him about the council and everything, but he has to promise not to tell anyone else about it. It’s life or death. He tells her he doesn’t have anyone else to tell and he’s scared. They hug. I wonder if they’re going to have a thing.

The Originals

The kidnapper meets some other strange dude. He takes Elena out of the truck of his car and puts him the back of the other dude’s car. The other dude, a vampire, feeds on and kills the human kidnapper.

The vampire carries Elena into a dark building. Elena wakes up and starts to freak out. A woman comes in telling him not to drink from her. They know who she is. She comments about how much she looks like Katherine. She slaps her out.

The vampires talk about Elena and she listens. They’re trying to give her over to someone named Elijah. They’re afraid of him.

Elena keeps asking questions, the vampire chick refuses to answer at first. She explains Elijah is one of “the originals.” Elena is the key to breaking the curse. She’s a Petrova doppelganger. The moonstone seals the curse and the sacrifice of the doppelganger is what breaks the curse.

Elena asks for more answers. The male vampire explains the originals are the first family. Half a decade ago, he pissed them off by trusting Katherine and the female had his back. He helped her escape.

Elena goes to sit on her couch and finds the message Bonnie sent her. “Stefan and Damon are coming for you. – B.”

Damon and Stefan are close. He drinks some blood. Stefan asks for some and tells him he’s been drinking a little bit of her blood every day. He stops for a second before telling him. Damon brings up the old Stefan who used to rip people apart for fun. The vampire dude starts freaking out. Rose keeps him calm. Elena is worried that he’s scared. Elijah enters the house. He’s got like a British accent or something. Rose goes to talk to him. He asks why she called him. She says she wanted her freedom. She tells him about Katherine surviving the burn at the church. He assumed it had everything to do with Katherine. He doesn’t believe her when she says she has Katherine’s doppelganger. She has to show him.  He’s amazed when he sees Elena. She tries not to be afraid, but she’s trembling. He comes up to her and smells her to confirm she’s human.

Elena begs Rose not to let Elijah take her. The male apologizes to Elijah for not being loyal. He respected Rose’s loyalty to her brother. He beheads him. Rose freaks out. Before Elijah can take Elena. Elena exclaims she knows where the moonstone is. He tries to compel her. It doesn’t work because of her vervain necklace. He rips it off. She fights the compulsion. It doesn’t work. The doofus doesn’t even drink the vervain tea she has Jenna drink… oh, never mind. She can’t if Stefan is going to drink from her.

Damon and Stefan show up but speed through the house. Stefan gets Elena. Damon gets Rose. Elena throws a vervain bomb at Elijah. IT barely works. Stefan starts shooting him. Damon stakes him.

Rose shows up at the estate telling Stefan about how Lexi told her about him once. She offers help. The originals will come for Elena. It’s not over. They’re doing it for someone named Klaus.

Oh, geez! Can’t anyone stay dead in this story!? Elijah comes back to life. Like he was staked and shriveled and he somehow comes back to life! Ugh!

TVD: Season 2 Episode 7 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 7

Katherine

Caroline tells Stefan and Damon she saw Katherine at the Grill. She pretends to be Elena, but Caroline knows better. She knows Elena is at home. Katherine tells her Stefan and Damon need to give her the moonstone tonight at the Masquerade Ball or she’s going to make it rain blood. Caroline wonders why they can’t just give her the stone so she’ll leave. Damon says he’s had it and he’s going to kill Katherine. Stefan says he’s not, because he’s going to kill her. Damon doesn’t oppose that idea. I’m liking season 2 Katherine hating Damon way more than season 1 Katherine loving Damon.

Some witch comes to see Katherine per Elena’s call. They’re going to ball together.

Jeremy, Bonnie, and Alaric are at the estate to help plan to kill Katherine.

Katherine straightens her hair to be like Elena saying Katherine has terrible taste. The witch comments “except in men.” When she asks what Katherine’s going to do with the stone, she knows she wants her to break the curse. Does this stone lift the curse for vampires too?

Bonnie tells Stefan this is risky. He tells her he wants Elena back, but this is about Katherine going to far.

Damon makes sure everyone is in. Bonnie’s in as long as no one gets hurt. Caroline is in because Katherine killed her. Fair’s fair.

Katherine arrives at the ball looking very much like Elena. Matt is the first to see her. Katherine keeps calling him hot and compels him again to make sure he’s going to fight Tyler until he’s killed.

Gosh! Damon is hot in a mask. It really makes his beautiful blue eyes pop.

Jeremy and Bonnie take their weapons upstairs. Jeremy asks if the spell book is the one he read about in Jonathan’s journal. Bonnie confirms it is Emily’s. Bonnie talks to Jeremy about how much she doesn’t like being a witch, but she doesn’t want anyone getting hurt, and she doesn’t know how to stay out of it.

Bonnie and Jeremy go back downstairs. Bonnie feels a weird vibe. She goes immediately up to the other witch. Stefan sees Katherine. He asks her to dance. He says no. She asks him who she should kill. He agrees to dance. Katherine asks about Jenna. Stefan tells her he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt tonight. She asks for the moonstone. He tells her they’ll have to go get it together. She says he can go get it and she’ll try not to kill anyone. When Amy comes up asking Stefan if he’s seen Matt, Katherine kills her.

Stefan tells Damon they need to call it off. Damon reminds him this woman destroyed their life. Now it needs to end.

Jeremy asks Bonnie if she can cast a spell to ace a test. She says no. It’d be the first thing he’d learn. He asks her if she wants to dance while they wait. She says no. I wonder if they’re going to have a thing. They get a text message from Damon saying now.

The witch asks Katherine why she didn’t tell her about another witch. Jeremy goes up to “Elena” and gives her the message about Stefan and Damon wanting her in the woods. As he walks away, Elena grabs him and asks what’s going on.

While Caroline waits for her turn, she sees Matt flirting with another girl. He sees her, smiles sadly and walks away. Katherine traps Caroline and forces her to tell her what the plan is. I think this must be her role. Katherine asks where Bonnie is. It works. Caroline is able to fool her into the trap set by Stefan and Damon. Damon shoots Katherine and Elena gets hurt too. Bonnie and Jeremy start freaking out. Bonnie explains to Jeremy and tells her to go make them stop. Katherine fights back. If she wasn’t evil, she’d be cool. Katherine almost stakes Damon, but Stefan stops her. Just as Damon is about to stake her, Jeremy comes running. Katherine tells them about her witch. They stop, but Katherine starts hurting herself. Bonnie tells her she can’t break the curse, but she can try to take the pain away. She almost stabs herself in the gut, but stops when they tell her too. Jeremy comes back and Elena asks about the boys. Jeremy tells them about the witch. Bonnie goes to find the other witch. Jeremy tries to make Elena wear his ring. She tries to fight it. She just wants him to be safe.

Katherine asks if Elena enjoys having them worship her. Stefan almost threatens Katherine again, but she reminds him everything she feels, Elena feels. She tells Damon to kiss her. Stefan asks about the werewolf connection. Katherine tells them about her second werewolf.

Stefan finally pieces together that Katherine bargained the moonstone with George Lockwood. She tells him good job. Then, she tells Damon his obsession with her has been really inconvenient, he agrees. Stefan keeps trying to piece things together. He knows the moonstone wasn’t hers. Katherine tries to mess with Stefan’s head. Telling her about times when she watched him. She mouths “I love you.”

Bonnie searches for the other witch, Lucy, and finds her. She knows Bonnie’s a Bennet. She tries to threaten Lucy into stopping the spell on Elena. She explains Katherine saved her life and now she has to pay up. Lucy feels that Bonnie has the stone. Bonnie can feel Lucy is trustworthy.

Damon pours himself a drink and Katherine asks for one. Damon attacks Katherine, but doesn’t hurt her. Lucy comes in with the stone and gives it to Katherine. The stone starts to kill Katherine. Lucy explains Elena is fine and Bonnie is with her. She apologizes for her involvement. Katherine dies, I think.

Lucy apologizes to Bonnie again. Lucy explains she and Bonnie are related. She tells her she need to stop letting vampires control her. She tells Bonnie she needs to stay in the middle because unlike her, she’s one of the good ones. Lucy promises she’ll see her again. Jeremy comes asking Bonnie if she wants a ride. She’s surprised he has his driver’s license. He reminds her he’s not a kid anymore.

Stefan goes to check on Elena. She tells him she’s okay and that Bonnie took away the pain. He tells her to see a doctor. He goes to kiss her. She tells him she wants to be with him, but she needs to wake up know that the people she loves are safe. She needs to feel safe. She walks away. Will this lead to her being with Damon? Him with someone else, Caroline maybe?

Ugh! Really!? So, Katherine’s not dead!? I really need to stop watching shows where people come back to life and or just don’t die. Then again, that’s what keeps me interested. It’s some of the only suspense I can’t normally predict. Damon takes Katherine back to the church grave. Katherine tells her no. She can help them. Elena’s in danger. She needs to be protected. She’s the doppelganger. “Why do you think I haven’t killed her?” Emotion floods Damon’s face.

Some masked dude comes and kidnaps Elena. Ugh! So Katherine was telling the truth? I also really need to stop thinking once one problem seems solved the episode will have a good stopping point. No! These ones leave you on the most intense cliffhangers, dang it!

Jenna

Damon and Matt help carry Jenna into the house after her hospital stay. Jeremy asks Elena what they’re going to do about Katherine. Elena says they’re not going to do anything. Jeremy tells her she’s being naïve. She’s being human. Season 2 and she’s still being mostly sensible.

Matt and Werewolves

Elena invites Matt to stay, but he can’t stay. He has to do something he can’t talk about at the masquerade ball. He and Elena talk about her and Stefan. Elena is convinced she won’t be able to be with Stefan again, Matt thinks otherwise.

Jenna tells Elena Jeremy went to the ball. She asks Alaric why everyone has been avoiding her all day and why Jeremy and Stefan are suddenly going to a party neither of them normally go to. Elena says she’s going to bed, but she really leaves.

Matt is drunk and starts pouring alcohol on the picture of Tyler’s dad. He reminds him how his dad used to slap him around. He throws the picture on the ground. Tyler tries to calm Matt down and says he won’t fight him. Caroline hears them fighting from downstairs. She jumps between and knocks Matt out. That other girl has been compelled too. When she stabs Tyler, he reflexively pushes her. She hits her head on a desk and dies. Tyler starts freaking out. Caroline confirms Tyler’s fears. He starts turning. He tells Caroline to get away.

Caroline feeds Tyler’s mother a story about how Matt and Caroline were fighting and the girl just tripped. Tyler asks why Caroline’s doing this. He tells her she doesn’t know what him killing that girl means. She assures him she does. She asks if his wound has healed. He asks how she knows. She doesn’t answer.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 6 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 6

Salvatore Lovers

Elena wakes up with Stefan. They make out. She gets up to get ready for their next day of pretending to fight. She pricks her finger and he drinks to make himself stronger. She says I love you and they kiss.

Jenna invites Stefan over for dinner. He tells her they’re taking a pause. She says that’s not what it sounded like this morning. She’s a light sleeper. “You know what? I heard nothing.” And she walks away smirking.

Damon startles Elena. He’s there looking for his baby brother and she needs to tell hers to stop following him.

Elena goes to the estate and talks to Stefan. They were stupid thinking they wouldn’t get caught because they pretended to fight. She breaks up with Stefan. They know they have to be over. They love each other and they kiss one last time while crying and Elena leaves. She holds her stomach while she walks away. Damon tries to apologize to Elena for riling her up and not thinking. “It doesn’t matter, Damon. Katherine won. She won.” She leaves and he chokes back tears.

Katherine and Werewolves

Katherine and Mason make fool around. She asks him where the stone is and he won’t tell her. He doesn’t trust anyone. She says she loves him, he’s surprised but says it back.

Mason is surprised to see Stefan. Bonnie and Mason bump into each other and Bonnie sees him kissing Elena. Stefan realizes it’s Katherine.

Stefan tells Damon about Katherine and Mason and he can’t believe it. He’s a werewolf and a surfer. She thinks he’s using her for the stone.

Jeremy asks Tyler about the stone and spins a story about being curious about the folklore. Tyler tells him he gave it Mason. Elena texts Stefan to see if everything is okay. He tells he’s with Bonnie and Damon. They ask her to touch Mason again to see if she can see where the stone is. When she says it’s not her choice what she sees, Damon asks her to make his brain go “pop.” She tells him it’s aneurism. Since his brain heals quickly, she can do it over and over again. She doesn’t want to do it. Damon reminds her Mason and Katherine are the bad guys and they’re putting Elena in danger.

Bonnie pretends to need help with something and Mason helps her. She does the brain thing and Damon kicks him in the face to knock him out. They take his truck and drive away.

Bonnie and Damon lock Mason to a chair and Bonnie touches Mason’s head to find what she can about the stone. It’s in a well. She quickly leaves.

Stefan comes back inside and Tyler asks about Mason. Stefan tells him he left and wasn’t sure when he’d be back. Stefan gets a text from Bonnie about the well. Elena tries to go with him. He says no. Matt sees. Elena follows Stefan anyway.

Damon sticks a burning sword through Mason’s chest. He heals quickly but still feels pain. He spits out when Damon asks about Katherine. He runs him through again.

Stefan gets to the well and looks through its covering. Elena catches up to him. He tells her she shouldn’t be there. She knows, but she is. He tells her Bonnie thinks the moon stone is down there. He rips the cover off and jumps down into the well. It’s full of something, probably vervain, and it quickly burns him. Elena tries to throw the chains down the well, but it’s too heavy. Caroline arrives right on time and throws the chains down to Stefan.

Damon confirms supernaturals can’t be compelled. Jeremy comes in. Damon tells him he’s not supposed to be in there, but he has news. Some kind of plant that is a werewolf’s version of vervain. Damon uses it on Mason and Jeremy doesn’t like it. When Mason still won’t answer straight, he feeds it to him.

Bonnie shows up at the well wondering why Caroline took off in a blur. She heard Elena screaming. Caroline lowers Elena down the well to help Stefan. Elena wraps the chains to Stefan. Bonnie and Caroline pull him out. Elena waits to be pulled up until she finds the stone. When she thinks she finds it, a bunch of snakes start coming after her. As soon as she’s up, she runs to Stefan who is very badly burned. She cuts her hand and feeds him. The other girls turn away.

Jeremy basically tells Damon to stop torturing Mason. Before Damon goes to burn his eyes, Mason tells Damon it’s in the well, he’s getting it for Katherine, and she’s going to use it to lift the curse. Damon asks him why a vampire would help a werewolf lift a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want. He says so he won’t have to turn anymore, because she loves him. Damon looks at him pitifully and laughs. “Katherine doesn’t love you, she’s using you, you moron.” Mason says he’s done talking. Damon agrees and tells Jeremy to go for a walk. Jeremy says no. Mason’s had enough. Mason asks Jeremy to just help Tyler from turning. When Jeremy still won’t leave, Damon chokes him saying it’s either kill or be killed. The werewolf would kill him the first chance he got. “So you suck it up or leave.” He lets him. “HE wants me to kill him anyway. It really is a curse isn’t it?” He says Mason reminds him of himself. Mason says he loves her. Damon knows. He’s been there, but Katherine will just rip his heart out. He does it for her.

Damon sends a text to Mrs. Lockwood with Mason’s phone. Then, he calls Katherine and taunts her. She says for once he’s surprised her. He tells her Mason hid the stone at the bottom of a well full of vervain. He tells her he loved her. She reminds him that she has a plan for every letter of the alphabet. She sends her love to Stefan and hangs up. He knows he’s been foolish.

Elena goes down stairs and subtly tells Alaric everything went as planned. Katherine calls. She knows about Elena and Stefan not really fighting. Katherine was able to convince Jenna to stop wearing her vervain perfume and drinking her vervain tea. When the vervain was out of her system, Katherine made Jenna her spy. She makes Jenna stab herself with a knife. She puts it in her gut. Alaric and Elena both freak out, Elena dropping the phone.

Tyler gets home and asks about Mason. His mom tells him Mason went back to Florida. He doesn’t seem surprised.

Katherine compels Matt to go after Tyler until he kills him so she can have a new werewolf. Why does she need a werewolf?

Jeremy

Jeremy goes to talk to Damon about Tyler, Mason, and the moonstone. Damon asks Jeremy told Elena. He hasn’t.

Alaric comes by the estate and asks if Elena knows Jeremy is there. Alaric tells Jeremy about the Aztec curse. Then, he keeps telling Damon and Jeremy more. Apparently, the moonstone is the seal to the curse. I guess Mason and Katherine think they can break the curse.

Bonnie

Bonnie comes to the Lockwood house to help set up for the masquerade party. She hasn’t been around much and she thinks Caroline has picked sides with Caroline. Elena tells her it’s not about picking sides. Elena asks Bonnie to go somewhere quiet with her to talk.

Elena tells Bonnie everything about and relating to Katherine. Elena hasn’t told Bonnie much because she doesn’t like vampires, so she hasn’t been sure how much she wants to know or hear. She tells her Caroline needs her. Bonnie says she’s not ready yet.

Before Bonnie can leave, Caroline stops her. She asks Caroline about her mom and Caroline asks about the stone. They talk about a well they used to play in as kids and Bonnie thinks that’s where it is. Caroline offers to help Bonnie find it. At first she declines, but then she agrees.

Caroline

Caroline goes to check on her mom. Her mom won’t talk to her. Caroline asks if she’s really going to pretend she doesn’t against. “As usual, you don’t care. Just like before I was a vampire. It’s not like I died or anything.” She asks if she’s really dead. “Yes and no.” She wonders how it’s possible.

Matt talks to Tyler about Caroline. Tyler talks about Caroline’s insecurities being from a good place.

Caroline tells her mom everything including that she’s better than Stefan who’s basically a bloodaholic. While they’re talking, she tells her Damon’s home.

Matt asks Elena where Caroline is. He can’t believe she’s not there. He asks if she’s seeing someone. Elena assures her she isn’t.

Caroline tells her mom about the day. Her mom is impressed with the strong and confident person Caroline has become. Then, she tells Caroline she doesn’t have to take away her memories. She’ll never tell her secret. If she’s worried about the others, she can tell them she compelled her. She tells her mom she’s grateful for the day and that she trusts her, but she’ll never trust the vampires. Caroline compels her mom into believing she’s been sick, not remembering about the vampires, and believing her daughter still hates her.

Jenna

Alaric is at the house with Jenna. She’s in the kitchen and he goes to the dining room to get salt. He sees Elena sneak in, mouths if everything is okay, she nods her head, shh’s him and tells him she’s going upstairs.

At the hospital, Elena tells Jeremy the doctor said Jenna got lucky and missed all her major insides. Jeremy tells Elena Katherine is going to pay. He doesn’t know how, but she is. He holds her comfortingly. For once, Elena doesn’t warn him to be careful.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 5 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 5

Werewolves

Mason is at the Grill with a friend. The friend is angry and either drunk or turned. He thinks Mason is messing with his girlfriend. He’s not.  Mason accidentally kills the guy and that’s what triggered his curse. He warns Tyler to be careful, even a car accident, any death at his hands could change him. Tyler wants to know why Mason wants the moonstone and he won’t give it to him, at least not until  he knows why it’s important.

Stefan offers Mason an apology. He asks Mason to call it a truce. Mason says he offered that to Damon, but he turned it down. When Mason won’t agree, Stefan threatens him, reminding him he’s only strong enough to really fight them on a full moon. They shake hands.

After Mason walks away, Damon comes up behind Stefan and tells him he doesn’t want peace with Mason. Stefan thanks him for adding one more problem to their list.

Damon and Mason talk about him talking to Stefan. Mason walks away. Stefan comes up to make sure everything’s good with Damon and Mason

Tyler asks Jeremy how he knows about all this. He says it’s the diaries. Tyler confesses Mason is a werewolf and that he’s not yet. He tells him how to trigger the curse. He shows him the moonrock. Mason takes the sheriff to the cellar and they put the Salvatore’s in there.

Jeremy has his sketchbook in his bag and the girls asks to see it. It’s full of werewolves. Tyler offers to show Jeremy his art. He says it’s on his desk and starts to walk away. When Jeremy looks for it, he comes back and chokes him asking what his pictures are about. He answers truthfully that he knows what he is.

Tyler says it’s a natural stone that’s supposed to have supernatural powers and he won’t give it to Mason because he doesn’t trust him. The girls come back and take the rock. I wonder if Tyler’s actually going to kill one of them. She falls down the stairs and it seems like he does, but she starts laughing.

Tyler tells Mason he almost killed a girl today and for a split second he wanted to. He doesn’t want to be a part of this. He can’t. He won’t. He gives him the moonstone.

Jeremy

Elena told Jeremy about Tyler and Mason. She tells him to stay out of it, he says he will, but will he?

At the Grill, Jeremy tries asking Tyler how he’s doing. From a distance, some girl comments that he’s suddenly cute and Amy tells her to stay away from him. Tyler rejects his effort at first, but then apologizes. The girls come up to them and they plan a double date at Tyler’s house.

Salvatore Lovers

After Jeremy leaves, Stefan comes to the house to kiss Elena and have a moment with her before they have to pretend fight in public. She begs him to promise her Katherine won’t actually get her way. They make a deal that when he says, “I can’t do this anymore, Elena,” it means I love you and when she says, “Fine, Stefan, whatever” it means she loves him.

Caroline notices Stefan and Elena exchanging longing looks. Elena says she’s going to go talk to him. Caroline says it’s a bad idea. Damon comes up and asks what’s wrong with Elena. Elena asks Stefan if he still cares about Katherine. He tells her not to turn it into something it’s not and they won’t talk about it while Caroline and Damon are listening. She asks how he can hate Katherine and love her. He says she’s reaching. He’s not Damon. She says not to bring Damon into it. They exchange their secret “I love you’s.” This is not going to end well.

Damon asks about the faux drama. They don’t fight, especially not over him.

Elena sits alone outside by the water. Caroline checks on her. I’m pretty sure Elena is truly upset with the whole situation. Caroline starts to tell Elena the truth, but then notices her mom leaving.

Stefan looks at his bloodstock. Elena catches him. He tells her Katherine took a little vervain every day and built up a tolerance to it. He thinks he can do the same with human blood. She says he can’t. He doesn’t have to. He tells her it’s the only way to beat Katherine. Right now she’s stronger than him. If he drinks the human blood he’ll be stronger. She asks to talk about this later. Stefan gets mad. “He can hear us wherever we are, because he drinks this. This is the only thing that can help me.” Elena asks if he’s serious or pretend, because she can’t tell. “No, this is serious. No more pretend.” She walks away.

Damon checks on Elena. She tells him Caroline is sleeping on the couch. He says he heard and asks what she’s doing. She says she’s going home. “What you did for Caroline’s mom. That’s the Damon who was my friend.” He tells her Stefan didn’t drink the people blood, but he needs to and deep down she knows he it.

She goes to talk to him, asking if he really thinks he can control it. He doesn’t know, but he needs to try. Just a few drops every day. She agrees it’s worth a try, but she doesn’t want him to do it alone. She cuts her hand. “It’s you and me Stefan. Always.” He drinks and turns, but stops. She kisses his vampire face and he turns back. The kiss more passionately.

Mason goes out to a black car that Katherine’s driving. And now we know part of her plan. I had a feeling it had to with werewolves. Mason’s flashback continues and Katherine was there. I guess they had a thing. She must have compelled the friend to jealousy and provocation so Mason would turn. He goes to kiss her. She asks him what the stunt was with Stefan and Damon. She told him to stay away from them. He asks why she cares. She says she doesn’t want him to get distracted. He needs to find the moonstone. So, she’s why he wants it and won’t elaborate further to Tyler.

Caroline

Caroline and her mother are going to spend their whole day together. She warns her mom she’s in a mood. Apparently, Katherine was there late at night and her mom noticed, assuming it’s Elena. She’s also noticed Caroline has been acting different. They fight.

Caroline complains to Elena about her mother. Then she asks about Stefan. She puts it on that Stefan’s worried if they’re together, Katherine will hurt her and her loved ones.

Elena checks on Caroline and asks if she can take her home. She says she can’t go home. She confesses she’s scared because Katherine will be there. Elena tells her she knows and she’s been so mad at her, but then she put herself in her position trying to understand. She asks who Katherine threatened. Matt. Elena tells her she should be afraid of Katherine. They all should be. Caroline asks what she wants. Elena says that’s the million dollar question.

The Council

Mason tells the sheriff Damon and Stefan are vampires. She refuses to believe it because of all the things she’s seen Damon do to help, including walking in the son. He says he’ll prove it.

Damon asks the sheriff about her conversation with Mason. She says she asked him to clean up in the woods. She also tells him about her fight with Caroline

The sheriff watches as Damon tries the lemonade—vercain laced lemonade. He chokes on it and Stefan worries about him. He tells him it’s vervain.

Caroline gets mad at her mom who just got off a call asking her team to bring a weapon.

Damon’s mouth is still burning. Stefan agrees they need to take Mason down. He’s making threats and running his mouth.

Caroline listens for what’s wrong and Elena waits.

Damon and Stefan go to the woods with Mason. They get shot several times, probably with wood bullets and they get ejected with vervain. Caroline hears it and tells Elena.

The sheriff tells Mason she’s going to kill them. Mason knows Caroline is a vampire too. She goes to attack him, but he grabs Elena. She’s fast enough to take him. She kicks him a few times and they run off. Caroline starts asking Damon questions. He begs her to stop. She swears she’ll drag it out painfully. He says they were friends. Caroline listens to them say she’s going to kill both. Elena tries to run down there. Caroline tries to stop her so her mom won’t find out. Elena runs down. Caroline falls at super speed and attacks one of the officers. While another officer tries to shoot at Caroline, he shoots the other officer instead. When her mother sees her, she freaks out. “Hi, Mom,” she says as she unvamps. Damon drinks from one of the dying guards to strengthen himself. He tries to tell Stefan to do the same, but he doesn’t want to. Caroline tries to encourage him too. Caroline begs her mom not to say anything. Her mom doesn’t say anything. She tells her Damon will kill her. She accepts that she’ll be killed. Damon says he won’t kill her because she’s his friend.

Caroline comes to talk to Stefan and Elena about her mom. The plan is to let the vervain drain from her system and then compel her to forget. She wants to forget. It should take about three days. Caroline comes up at the same time her mom asks Damon to keep Caroline away. Caroline listens from outside the door. Damon reminds Liz that Caroline is her daughter. She says not anymore, her daughter is gone. Damon tells her she has no idea how wrong she is about that. He knows she’s there. Caroline runs away and Elena follows.

Mason calls Liz to check on the vampire situation.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 4 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 4

The Salvatore Lovers

Flashback. Katherine and Stefan are dancing. Damon is dancing with Elena. I guess it’s a dream or something. Elena and Damon are at the Grill kissing and playing pool. Katherine is there again. Oh! It’s that mind control thingy that Damon did to Elena in the beginning. Stefan wakes up with Elena sleeping on his chest. Except it’s not Elena. He quickly realizes it’s Katherine. She continues to tell him he’s the reason she’s back and tries to remind him he loved her once too.

Elena is reading at the Grill and Damon comes to sit with her. She leaves. Jenna’s having a barbeque; it was Damon’s idea. He wants to get to know Mason and put some silver in him to prove he’s a werewolf.

Katherine reads Stefan’s journal and drinks Damon’s blood stock. She mentions the werewolves and the Lockwoods were the ones who rid the town of vampires.

Katherine asks why he kept the picture of her. “You came back here to fall in love with me all over again, didn’t you?” He doesn’t say anything. He touches her face. “What is it about you that makes me still care…” They almost kiss and he stakes, but doesn’t kill her when they do. Ooh! He’s putting her in the cell. He asks her again. She came back for him. He puts gloves on and touches her face with vervain. He still doesn’t believe she came back for him.

Katherine asks Stefan if he pretends to be human with Elena. He says that’s the point. He doesn’t have to pretend with her. “Does she know that you love me?” He says he doesn’t. “That’s where you’re wrong Stefan.” I don’t think Elena compelled Stefan, at least not all the time. Maybe she compelled Damon or at least more. She flashes back to Stefan telling her when he looks at her, he sees an angel and that he’s in love with her. They kiss and she says goodnight because he doesn’t know she’s a vampire yet. When she goes to her room, Damon is there waiting for her. He worried his love isn’t enough. She compels him to leave. She touches her lips after Stefan’s kiss. “Go ahead Stefan, torture me. Keep me captive. Drain me of my blood until my body turns to dust. It’ll never change the truth. I never compelled your love. It was real and so was mine.” He looks at her with a tortured look on her face.

Damon goes to the kitchen with Elena. She asks him how operation Lockwood. He says he’s his new BFF. Jenna comes in. Damon thanks her for inviting him. She asks if she had a choice. He says he knows how she must feel about him. She says, “No. No you you don’t. You have never dated you. I have dated many yous.” “I’m a work in progress.”

Stefan says it wasn’t real. He remembers her compelling him. She says only after she revealed who she was. He was so afraid of her she had to take the fear away. He says whatever feelings he has now is hate. “Love. Hate. Such a fine line. I can wait.”

Elena asks if it would make her a bad friend leave Caroline at the house to go check on Stefan because she worried about him. Caroline thinks it’s a bad idea. Caroline suggests she drive Elena to the house. I think she knows about Katherine being at the estate. I mean, Katherine did tell Caroline they would have fun together. She drops her key and breaks the air line on her tire.

Stefan suspects Katherine was running from something. “Everyone has a past, Stefan.” He tells him he and Damon nearly ruined everything. “So Damon and I died for nothing!” “No, you died for love.”

Stefan asks Katherine again why she came back. Elena is exasperated. She’s always answered five times. He tells her to make it six.  She has no problem adding one more name to her list of victims if means getting what she wants. He thinks if she wants Elena dead she already would have done it. She reminds him she still can. He breaks the wooden chair and charges her, but he can’t do it. He can’t stake her. “I don’t want you seeing Elena anymore. If you don’t remove her from your life, I will kill everyone she loves while she watches and then I will her while you watch.” He chokes her, threatening her again. She busts out of her chains. He’s shocked. “I have been sipping vervain every day for 145 years. You caught me by surprise once. I wasn’t going to let it happen again. It doesn’t hurt me Stefan.” Elena shows up and Katherine stabs him in the knee. When Elena turns around, Katherine is there. “You must be Elena.” Elena wonders how it’s possible that they look exactly alike. She stands there, trying not to breathe. Katherine tells her she’s asking the wrong questions. Stefan comes running and Katherine disappears. “Are you okay?” “Not really.” They both say.

Elena is upset Stefan spent the whole day with his jealous ex-girlfriend. She’s worried Stefan wants to do what Elena says. Caroline listens while they talk. They acknowledge it’s the reality of their situation. Elena says Katherine wants them to fight. She wants to get between them. Stefan says she already has. Elena gets up and walks away. Caroline is about as heartbroken as either of them are. Damon is also there listening. He kind of smirks. So did it happen? Did Stefan and Elena break up?

Damon leaves the Grill and there Katherine is. She asks if he’s jealous she spent the whole day with Stefan. He says he’s pouty because he tried to kill a werewolf and failed. She tells him to ask Stefan about what she knows about werewolves. She tells him not to try to be the hero. He’ll be dead. “Been there. Done that. At least this time it’ll be worth it.” He walks away. She’s left annoyed.

I guess they didn’t break up. Stefan is in her room again. They feel bad about their fake fight. They kiss. Elena knew something was up with Caroline. Katherine got to her and it won’t be long until Katherine gets a play by play. Elena thinks Damon was listening too. She asks if Stefan’s gonna tell him the truth. He says the best way to make sure Katherine believes it’s true is everyone believes it’s true. I bet this is going to go on for a while, Elena’s gonna end up spending more time with Damon, sparks will fly, and things will be even more complicated than before. I was wrong last season though, so who knows. Stefan still doesn’t believe Katherine is there for him.

The Lockwood’s

Mason tells Tyler he won’t turn too because he won’t trigger the curse. He refuses to tell him what the trigger is, because ignorance is bliss. Tyler asks if he ever found the moonstone even though he has it.

Katherine flashes back to the ball again. Someone told her the attacks weren’t from vampires. She assures him he won’t let anything happen to the vampires. “The werewolf gene runs in their family. Their not all wolves.”

Katherine keeps telling Stefan further details about the ball. She tells George Lockwood she’s a vampire, because she knows he knows. She also tells him she knows who he is. Stefan pulls up a chair.

Damon notices fancy silverware in the kitchen. Jenna confirms it’s silver. A look of concern floods Elena’s face.

Katherine continues her story about George Lockwood. George told the council all about werewolves so he could cover his own tracks. And he allied with Katherine to keep her safe. “You knew the vampires were going to be burned at the church. They were your friends. Your family. And you just sold them out.” “I practically lit the match. Without blinking.

Damon asks Mason to cut the pie. He sees the silver knife and takes his slice without touching the silver. Damon and Alaric both look at him knowingly. He apologizes for being an animal. Alaric asks Mason if he and Jenna ever dated. Damon makes a lone wolf comment. Mason makes a lady killer comment. I think he knows about Damon.

Stefan wants to know what George got out of protecting her. The vampires gone.

Mason calls Damon out his innuendoes about wolves. He swears he’s not his enemy. He says he’s only there for his family. He sees no point in an age old feud being sparked between them for no reason. Damon shakes hands, but doesn’t believe him.

Damon follows Mason and stabs him with the silver knife. “You know I think it was werewolves that started the silver myth…. Now you’ve made an enemy.”

Mason gets home and asks Tyler if he’s still mad. Tyler asks if he’s still keeping secrets. He says yes, so Tyler is still mad. He gets to Mason and Mason tells him the truth. You have to kill somebody to trigger the curse of being a vampire.

Flashback: George helps Katherine escape. She’s the one who gives him the moonstone. Before she leaves, Katherine runs back and tells Stefan’s dead/sleeping/will-be-vampire figure, “I love you, Stefan. We will be together again. I promise.” And she kisses him. Present day Katherine touches her lips while she thinks about that night.

Jenna

Elena thanks Jenna for letting her invite Caroline. She comments about Damon and him keeping his hands off her. Mason shows up, then Alaric, then Damon, and Jenna leaves the room. Mason and Damon greet each other. Mason has heard great things about Damon who says, “Really? Cause I’m a dick.”

They play Pictionary and Damon draws a wolf dancing. Mason guesses it.

Mason suggest they take their party to the Grill, but Jenna and Alaric say no. “It’s like I’m with a bunch of adults.” “I prefer role model.” Damon tells Jenna she’s a wonderful hostess. She tells him he’s a terrible artist. He wonders if that’s the only terrible thing about him. She’s still decided. “That’s good enough for me.”

Caroline

Elena calls Stefan but he doesn’t answer [because he’s with Katherine, but she doesn’t know that]. Caroline comes in talking about her munchies. Elena mentions Stefan hates that part. Caroline mentions he said he hates that she’s a constant temptation. Elena is surprised. “Trust me it’s there. That’s why I had to break up with Matt.” Elena looks down at her phone.

Caroline goes over her own relationship failure with Elena trying to make her see her relationship with Stefan probably isn’t going anywhere. Can vampires compel each other?

Caroline and Elena wait  for the tow truck, but I’m not convinced Caroline actually called since she’s trying so hard to keep Elena away from Stefan. “What part of I’m worried about Stefan didn’t sink in?” “What’s the rush? Why are you hurrying into a relationship that will never work?” Elena tells her to projecting her relationship with Matt on her and Stefan. “I’m not. You’re going to be 70 and in diapers. He’s still going to be smokin’ hot. You are never going to have his children Elena. You are too maternal not have children… I’m just trying to be your friend.” Caroline is worried about being left alone. Elena leaves and walks to the house.

Katherine finds Caroline in the bathroom at the Grill. Katherine did threaten Caroline into spewing that stuff at Elena. She thinks she got to her.

Elena and Stefan walk into the Grill. Caroline apologizes about earlier. She doesn’t know what came over her. “It’s okay Caroline. Everything you said is right. It’s just hard for me to hear… You’re just being a good friend, in your own way.” She apologizes again. She wants to tell her about Katherine, but I assume Katherine threatened her not to tell.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 3 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 3

The Lockwoods

Elena asks Alaric to come to the Salvatore’s to help them find out more about the Lockwood’s. He tells them Isabelle not only studied vampires, but also werewolves. They ask him if they can get access to her office. Damon is skeptical of werewolves. He’s been alive for 160 some odd years and has never seen them. Why not? Where are they? He’s also concerned if it is true, then he’s screwed.

Tyler follows Mason to hidden cave or something and finds claw marks in the stone.

Tyler asks his mom about the property and the old cellar. She gets an intense look on her face and briefly comments they don’t talk about those places. This is the south. We don’t talk about where slave quarters. Mason comes in.

Alaric, Damon, and Elena go into Isabelle’s office. It’s weird for all of them. The woman who let them into her office comes back with a crossbow and shoots it Elena, but Damon jumps in the way and gets shot himself. Alaric goes after the woman. Damon tells Elena to “pull the damn thing out.” Elena tells Damon not to kill her. She tells him if he does it, she’ll never talk to him again. He says she overestimates herself.

The woman tells Alaric she freaked. Katherine and Damon are supposed to be dead. “I read Isabelle’s research. It’s not possible.” “Then you should now just how possible this is.” Elena comes out and explains who she is. Damon tells her to be extra nice to him right now.

Tyler asks Matt about Caroline. Mason tells Tyler they need to be away from the watering hole ball dark.

Some girl mentions there’s a full moon tonight.

She says werewolves and vampires date back to the Aztecs. They were plaguing them, so the Aztecs cursed them. Making Vampires enemies of the sun and werewolves slaves to the moon. Werewolves prey on vampires, but hundreds of years ago, vampires hunting werewolves almost to extinction, which is why Damon knows nothing about it. “Legend has it the werewolf bite is fatal to vampires.”

Mason is preparing to lock himself up at night.

The party isn’t over at nightfall.

Mason takes off most of his clothes and chains himself up to a wall and drinks a weird concoction. He hears people and is annoyed. Tyler takes some girl to the cellar like an idiot and he unlocks it. Mason runs away and ties himself to some trees instead. I wonder if Tyler is going to turn tonight.

The girl, Amy I think, tells Tyler she’s not really into this. She likes Matt. I still think he’s going to werewolf up.

Stefan tells her they have to leave. They’re gonna lead the werewolf away from Matt. Tyler intercepts them and the wolf comes to them. Tyler yells no. The wolf listens and runs away. Tyler finds Mason’s truck and chains. Mason comes up all muddy and naked. Tyler knows he was the wolf.

Caroline

Matt goes looking for Caroline. She wants to let him in, but she can’t because the sun is shining through the windows. She had told him she was at home and he wants to spend the day with her, but since her phone is going to voicemail, he doesn’t know where she is.

Stefan takes Caroline hunting. She jokes about how killing cute defensive animals is the first step to becoming a serial killer. He tells her she skipped serial killer and jumped straight to vampire. She goes off about how she hasn’t been in the sun in days and she’s missing out on being at the swimming hole with everyone else and Matt finally told her he loves her, but she’s been blowing him off. He laughs because when someone’s natural tendencies become amplified. “So, you’re saying I’m basically an insecure, neurotic control freak on crack.” That’s hilarious! He agrees, but says he wouldn’t have said it like that. He promises after hunting, they’ll go to the swimming hole.

Caroline asks Stefan why he gives Mason the “serious vampire look… It’s different from your worried vampire look. Neither of which are much different than your “hey, it’s Tuesday look.”

Some girl flirts with Matt. Caroline comes up just then and compels her to “go find someone single to stalk.” Matt gets upset with this comment. He tells her it’s lame. She’s been dodging his calls all day and now she can’t come play the jealous girlfriend. Stefan tells Caroline she can’t just compel people for shallow reasons. “Great now I have amplified jealousy too. Maybe I should have stayed dead. My entire personality is basically killing me.”

When Stefan and Caroline are getting ready to leave, Stefan tells Caroline to go talk to Matt and Elena calls to fill him in. Matt is tired of the insecurity. She promises shew won’t be insecure anymore. While talking to Elena, Stefan loses Caroline because she goes off with Matt. He tries to call her, but she left her phone in the truck. He goes looking for her.

Stefan listens. He hears growling. He finds Mason’s car. He sees him in werewolf form in the car.

Alaric asks the girl not to say anything. She tries flirting with him. He tells her she doesn’t want to be a part of this and shares the truth about Isabelle.

Matt takes Caroline to the woods. The start making out. She gets a little rough with him and pushes him against a tree. He cuts his hand. She kisses it and then starts licking it. He’s weirded out. He bites him and feeds. She vamps up. Stefan stops her. Caroline compels Matt to forget everything and to remember the animal attacking him. She can’t believe she hurt him. Stefan tells her it’s not going to get any easier. She asks if she should be with him. Stefan says he’s the last person to help make that decision. If he took his own advice he wouldn’t be with Elena. He should’ve walked away, but he can’t.

Caroline goes to the grill to talk to matt, but Amy’s talking to him. Matt gets annoyed again. She says she lied about no more drama. He breaks up with her. she’s sad, but she also knows it’s for the bets. I think she might have done it on purpose.

Katherine shows up in Caroline’s room. She hopes it’s Elena. Ugh! Chills man! The fact that Nina Dobrev can play both Elena and Katherine so well is frightening and impressive.”

Salvatore Lovers

Stefan asks Elena if she’s sure about going to Duke with Damon and digging through her birth mother’s life’s work. She’s sure about the digging, not so sure about going to Duke with Damon. Then again, Alaric will be there, so they can bond over their mutual anti-Damon feelings. She wants him to go too, but he can’t because someone has to take care of Caroline. She asks if it’s okay that she’s going. He assures her it is. He wants her to be able to find some of the answers she’s looking for and he won’t let Damon keep her from that. I have to wonder if this will be the start of Elena and Damon reconnecting again. She knows he hates it; he agrees.

Damon taunts Stef by apologizing that he can’t come too and saying he’ll take real good care of her. Elena shoots him a look that could kill and then passionately kisses Stefan with a look that says she’s trying to make Damon jealous.

Damon tells Elena her pretending to hate him is silly. Alaric doesn’t think she’s pretending. He did kill her brother, but he came back to life. Thanks to a ring he didn’t know he was wearing. He claims he knew he was wearing it. She doesn’t believe him. “It’s a big ugly ring. It’s hard to miss.”

Elena gives the woman vervain. She asks if it really works, Damon lies and says it doesn’t. She’s surprised he can hear them, so she asks if he can read minds too. “No, but he is capable of being a first rate jackass.” Damon smirks at that comment.

Damon asks Elena if she’s found anything. He taunts her and says it’s too bad they’re not friends anymore or he’d share his findings. The woman and Alaric find something on werewolves.

Elena asks the woman about research on doppelgangers. There isn’t any information so far that they don’t already know. Normally doppelgangers torment those who look like them to undo their lives. Damon makes a snarky comment. Elena snaps back. ““if” I know anything, I’m not gonna tell you. Not with that attitude.” Alaric sort of smirks over them. “And this is coming from someone who wants to be my friend. Friends don’t manipulate friends. They help each other.” She walks away.

The car is locked and Elena can’t get in. Damon unlocks it and gives her a book. It says “Petrova.” Petrova was her original last name. He asks her to let him know what she finds. “You have every right to hate me. I understand. But you hated me before and we became friends. It would suck if that was gone forever, so.. is it? Have I lost you forever?” She doesn’t answer. She just thanks him for the book.

Just like I thought, Damon trips work well for them. It broke some of the hatred from her wall. She asks for the truth. Did he know Jeremy was wearing the ring? He confesses he didn’t. Katherine really pissed him off and he snapped. “I got lucky with the ring. I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t wearing it. Elena I’m sorry.” She nods and thanks him for his honesty. She tells him yes, he has lost her forever. “But you knew that already, didn’t you? You used me today. I thought friends don’t manipulate friends. You and Katherine have a lot more in common than just your looks.” He walks away and she is incredibly hurt by that statement.

Jenna

Jenna thanks Alaric for being Elena’s connection to her birth mother. Alaric apologizes for the distance lately. Elena asks if she’s okay. She plays it off.

Jenna is about to pour some wine when Alaric comes inside and just kisses her.

Bonnie

Stefan asks Bonnie to create a day walking ring for Caroline. She doesn’t think she can do and she’s worried it’ll make it easier for Caroline to kill someone else. He tells her the more she’s cut off from her friends and Matt, the harder it will be for her to hold on to her humanity. He says they might as well stake her now if they don’t help her hold on to her humanity.

Bonnie explains to Caroline the witch who spells the ring has the power to despell which means she hurts anyone, Bonnie will despell it. Caroline swears she won’t. Bonnie reminds her of her vampire urges. She says she didn’t mean to kill the guy, but Bonnie says he’s still dead. She silently casts the spell and gives her the ring. Caroline doesn’t believe it worked because there wasn’t a scene, so Bonnie throws the blinds open. Bonnie leaves Stefan to deal with her.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 2 -Recap and Reactions

Episode 2

Caroline

Caroline wakes up and leaves her room wondering where everyone is. The nurse says it’s late at night. Caroline is hungry. She wants something to eat. She smells something. She’s not sure what it is. Someone’s heart monitoring is beating. She smells the blood being given to the patient. She tries to drink it, but the nurse catches her. She was able to get the blood pouch. She drinks it and gags. She drops it, but then picks it up again and drinks all of it.

Caroline puts her hand out in the sunlight and burns. Matt comes in to check on her. He goes to kiss her, but she turns away and fakes a cough. He tells her she get’s to get out tomorrow morning. She freaks a tiny bit. Matt opens the blinds and she shies away from them, ordering him to close it back.

Caroline puts her jewelry on and when she tries to put on her vervain necklace from Elena, it burns her and she throws it. She drinks more blood and her face and teeth start to vamp up freaking her out. The nurse comes to check on her. She compels the nurse into not telling anymore. She feeds on the nurse.

Caroline compels the nurse to say her neck is because “her husband likes to get kinky.” She calls her mom to say the doctor signed her out.

Caroline shows up at the school and tells Damon she’s starting to remember everything about him. He doesn’t believe her. it’s impossible unless… “I have a message from Katherine. She says Game on.”

Caroline shows up at the carnival and flirts with Matt. When he hugs her, she’s enticed by him and quickly walks away.

Caroline walks out of the carnival crying. The guy is out there nursing his wounds. She finds him, apologizes, and goes to town on him. Poor guy. First he’s attracted to a witch. Then, he fights two werewolves. Now, he’s being eaten by a vampire.

Matt talks to Bonnie about Caroline.

Damon pulls a stake from one of the tents.

Elena asks Stefan if he agrees with Damon. Damon doesn’t agree with Damon about what they should do but what will happen.

Stefan worries that he can smell blood, but Damon finds her first. “He’s dead. I killed him. What’s wrong with me?” He tries to comfort her. She knows he’s going to do something to her. He tells her he’s going to kill her. She begs him not to. She begs him to really help her. He hugs her with the stake in his hand. When he goes to stake her, Stefan stops him. Caroline freaks out at the sight of Elena and asks why she looks like her and why she did this to her. Stefan tries to take her inside. Damon goes to stake her again, but Elena jumps in the way. “Damon she’s my friend.” They stare each other down. “Whatever happens. It’s on you.” He walks away and in comes Bonnie freaking out; denying the truth. Bonnie walks away. Stefan takes Caroline away. Elena goes to comfort Bonnie.

Caroline is worried Bonnie hates her. Stefan tries to assure her she’s in shock. He assures her about her heightened senses are normal right now. He encourages her to fight it. He helps her take deep breathes and make her vamp face disappear. She asks why Katherine did this to her. Stefan promises he won’t let anything happen to her. He holds her. I wonder if they’re going to have a thing later on.

Matt climbs through Caroline’s window. She tells him to leave. He tells her almost dying really freaked him out and he’s pretty sure he’s in love with her. Now it seems like she doesn’t feel the same way. She passionately kisses him and when they hung, her face vamps up. She practices the breathing trick Damon taught her.

Bonnie

Bonnie and Elena talk about how creepily alike she and Katherine look. They’re helping setting up for a carnival. Bonnie asks if she’s talked to Damon. “No, Bonnie, I haven’t. And I won’t. And I don’t want to talk about Damon or anything else that’s vampire related. Okay? I’m human and I have to do human stuff. Otherwise, I’m going to go crazy.” Yay! Second season in and she’s STILL handling most of this vampire stuff in a sensible, realistic human way!

Bonnie and Elena talk about how the Carnival is a success and Elena is surprised she can do more than wreak vampire havoc. Some guy starts flirting with Bonnie when they ask him for help.

Damon comes back. He tries to get Elena to help bury the body. Bonnie does the brain thing on Damon. She tries to light him on fire. “I told you what would happen if someone else got hurt.” Damon and Elena both say this wasn’t his fault. “Everything that happens is his fault.” Elena begs her to stop. He gets lit on fire. Elena shakes her free of trying to kill him. “Why did you stop me?” “Because this isn’t us. Bonnie this can’t be us.”

Jeremy

Stefan explains vervain and other ways to kill a vampire to Jeremy. He asks him to try to forget about Damon, because he’s 100x stronger than him and currently unpredictable.

Damon tells Jeremy it’s good to see him alive. Jeremy threatens to blow the whistle on who Damon really is. Damon threatens him back and takes his ring off to prove he could really kill him if he wanted to.

When Damon goes to the parlor, Jeremy is there waiting for him. He stops him from drinking the alcohol, because he laced it with Vervain so he could stake him. He tells Damon he figured he should stand for something like his father and uncle did. Damon tells him his father hated vampires too.

Lovers

Elena tells Stefan this carnival is about being normal teenagers. They are not allowed to discuss the v-word or the d-word.

Damon pours himself blood in the parlor and offers Stefan some. Damon thinks it’s funny Stefan is trying to be so careful with him; he wonders if Elena is worried too and assumes he’s their every conversation. Stefan asks if Damon’s seen Katherine again. Damon talks about the Lockwood’s. Stefan claims they don’t know why Katherine came back. Damon says it’s because of her undying love for Stefan, so he’s gonna let him deal with it.

Damon goes to Elena. Elena tries to ignore him. But he’s urgent.

Damon tells Elena and Stefan about Caroline. Stefan wants to find her. Damon wants to kill her. Elena says no. Stefan agrees. Damon reminds them of Vicki and that Caroline’s mom is the captain of the vampire hunters. Stefan is silent as Damon and Elena go back and forth. Stefan is aware this might be bad, but he agrees not to kill her.

Elena worries about Damon being right about Caroline. Stefan promises to make him wrong. “I don’t know why I thought it could be [normal]. My best friend’s a witch. My boyfriend’s a vampire. And I have a doppelganger who’s hellbent on destroying all of us.” Stefan apologizes. She assures him, “It’s no one’s fault. It is what it is. It’s just… you know what, I’m okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She walks away to go home.

Stefan wakes Elena up with a kiss at dawn. He wants to give her the normal experience she wanted to have before. She hesitates. He reminds her they have to take their moments when they can. When she asks him how they’re going to get to the top, he tells her to hold on tight and jumps to the top of the Ferris wheel so they can kiss like she wanted to.

The Council

Mrs. Lockwood tells Damon she’ll be acting as interim mayor until the elections and she needs someone to spearhead the council. She wants him to do it.

The Lockwood’s

Damon listens in as Tyler and Mason talk about his aggression asking if he has episodes and if it gets better when he works out. He says he blacks out. He wants to know if there’s a pattern. Once a month? Only at night? Yup. A werewolf!

Mason goes in the office looking for something. Tyler catches him. Mason says he’s looking for an old family artifact, a moonstone. Tyler says to ask his mom.

Damon and Stefan watch Tyler in an arm-wrestling competition. He takes on Mason who wins and takes on Stefan. Mason beats him, and he actually tries to win. Stefan jokes about them being ninja turtles or werewolves. Damon says there’s no such thing as ninja turtles or werewolves. Damon compels the flirty guy to pick a fight with Tyler.

The guy does pick a fight with Tyler. Stefan watches as Mason jumps between them. All three of them fight. Mason’s eyes go werewolf and he jumps like crazy. Stefan runs after the guy to make sure he’s okay when Tyler and Mason run off.

Tyler questions Mason about his eyes. Mason tries not to tell him. “You saw me get pissed off that I had to pull your delinquent ass out of a fight.”

Mrs. Lockwood tells Mason she’s glad he’s in the house. She thinks he’ll be good for Tyler and she’ll try to dig up the moonstone. I wonder if the moonstone is what keeps them from wolfing up?

Tyler goes looking through his dad’s valuables and finds the moonstone under a floorboard.

TVD: Season 2 Episode 1 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 1

Lovers

Damon tries to talk about the kiss without actually saying it. Elena of course has no idea what he’s talking about. Damon starts to piece things together as Elena is adamant the kiss didn’t happen and that she doesn’t remember talking to Jenna about going to the fire department. He doesn’t tell Elena what he’s realized.

“Elena” goes home, but I’m pretty sure it’s Katherine. Yup! She goes to kiss Stefan and he knows it’s Katherine. Elena and Damon show up just in time. This means Katherine at some point has been invited into the house. Elena tells Jeremy about Katherine and Damon admits he kissed Katherine thinking she was Elena. Stefan gets mad and tries to fight him. Elena steps in saying it was Katherine he kissed, not her. “I wouldn’t do that,” she says point blank to Damon. Elena and Stefan plan to try to get info about Katherine. Damon plans to ignore her. If she thinks she’s being ignored, she do something. Then, he’ll “stake her, rip her head off, something poetic. We’ll see.” Gotta say, I’m liking Damon hating Katherine. Ha, ha.

Elena and family show up. Elena sees Damon and checks on him. She still doesn’t know Jenna saw Damon kissing “her.” Damon doesn’t admit how he’s feeling, she thinks he’s hurting. He acknowledges she’s afraid Katherine is going to send him off the deep end. “Why is it such a surprise that I would kiss you?” “That’s not a surprise. It’s a surprise that you thought I would kiss you back.” “Now, I’m hurt.” Bonnie comes running in at that moment.

Elena begs Stefan not to fight Damon. He’s not the problem. Katherine is. He’s unstable when it comes to her.

While Stefan and Katherine are talking, Matt comes up and she plays the part of caring ex-girlfriend. Katherine tries her mind tricks on Stefan reminding him how happy Damon was to see her, though he thought she was his ex-girlfriend. Stefan tells Katherine he hasn’t spent the last 145 years obsessing over her like Damon has. She states his taste in women tells a different story. He threatens her. She says she came back for him. He says he hates her. She stabs him and runs off.

Elena cleans Stefan’s wound and asks if he’s going to be okay. Damon comes up and says he tried to track her but couldn’t. He tells Elena, “You better watch out. Looks like she’s going after your guy. I mean it’s only fair since I went after your girl.” Stefan denies this. Elena goes to check on Jeremy and Jenna. Stefan tells Damon he’s not going to fight him because they need to stay united as Katherine tries to pit them against each other. “I kissed Elena.” “Because you feel something for her. Because you actually care. And I’m not going to let Katherine come in here and destroy that part of you that has finally after all of this time is willing to feel something. She’ll try to break you. She’ll try to break us. And how we respond to that will define us. It’s our choice. So no, I’m not gonna fight you.” He stands there in dismay.

Katherine shows up at the estate with Damon. She claims she’s there to say goodbye. She knows when she’s not wanted. “What no goodbye kiss?” He says he’d rather kill her. “Which will it be? Kiss me or kill me? we both know you’re only capable of one.” He attacks her, but then they start intensely making out. “Wait. Brief pause. I have a question. Answer it and it’s back to the fireworks… answer it right and I’ll forget the 145 years I spent missing you. I’ll forget how much I loved you. I’ll forget everything and we can start over. This can be our defining moment because we have time. That’s the beauty of eternity. I just need the truth just once.” She tells him to stop. She already knows the question and the answer. “The truth is. I’ve never loved you. It was always Stefan.” You can hear is heart break. Her eyes actually show emotion before she walks away.

Elena finds Damon in her room sitting on her bed. She knows he’s been drinking and he’s upset. “You’re the liar Elena. You know there’s something going on between us. You’re lying to me and you’re lying to Stefan and most of all you’re lying to yourself. I can prove it.” He kisses her. She tries to fight it. She keeps telling him she cares about him, but she loves Stefan. It’s always going to be Stefan. Jeremy comes in at that moment asking if everything is okay. Elena says it’s okay, but Damon says it’s not. “He wants to be a vampire. Turn off the pain. Just flip the switch and it’s gone.” He snaps his neck. Elena cries over his body and Damon tries not to care as he walks away. Elena notices Jeremy is wearing his father’s ring.

Stefan comes by. He thinks Damon saw the ring and that’s why he did it. Elena doesn’t think he saw the ring. “It’s Katherine. She got under his skin and undid everything good about him.” “There’s nothing good about him,” Elena says. “Not anymore. He made his decision. He doesn’t want to feel. He wants to be hated. It’s easier that way. He got his wish. I hate him Stefan.” Damon is in the parlor drinking. Angry with himself. Jeremy comes back to life. He knows what happened.

John

Elena enters the kitchen to find John dying. She goes to help him and call an ambulance, while Katherine stands behind her. John tries to warn her, but she disappears. She goes looking for her and then she leaves.

Stefan and Elena go to talk to John. He freaks out, thinking she’s Katherine. Elena gives him his ring back as a sign of trust. John starts running his mouth about Elena being with a vampire and how she should’ve already staked him. Elena walks away saying such hatred is going to get him killed. After she walks away, Damon feeds his blood to John. He threatens to turn him into a vampire. If he doesn’t leave within 24 hours, he’s going to turn him into a vampire. Stefan tells Elena he asked him to leave town. She knows he threatened him.

John tells Jeremy he’s leaving. He tells Jeremy he was raised to hate vampires. Jeremy asks about the ring. John explains the ring protects you from supernatural stuff. It doesn’t work for accidents and things.

Bonnie

Bonnie and Damon talk about the Lockwood men and how she doesn’t trust him even if Elena is fooled. She does the witchy mind trick on him. Bonnie goes to talk to Elena, but it’s Katherine. She knows this when she touches her. She calls Elena to see where she is. Katherine introduces herself. Katherine starts recapping Elena’s life. Bonnie tries to do the mind trick on her. It doesn’t work. She attacks her back. Stefan shows up.

Humans

Bonnie tells Elena Caroline might not make it. Damon is standing their listening. Elena asks if she can do anything to help Caroline. Damon offers to give her just enough blood to survive. Elena doesn’t want him to do it, but Bonnie tells him to do it. “If I do this, you and me, call it truce.” “No, but you’ll do it anyway, for Elena.” Elena just nods her head.

Bonnie goes to check on Caroline. Matt says Damon stopped by late last night and now Caroline is mostly better.

Caroline wakes up in the hospital. “Elena” is there. Katherine confesses who she is. She asks Caroline to give the Salvatore brothers a message for her. She suffocates her and walks away. I wonder if she knows Damon gave her blood. I have a feeling she doesn’t, but it’s Katherine. Katherine is unpredictable.

Tyler and Family

Bonnie asks Matt about the accident. When Matt tells her about the noise Tyler heard, she immediately knows something is wrong. I’m convinced he’s a werewolf or something and that the vervain or whatever has kept him from turning or something… it would explain his and his father’s aggression.

Sheriff calls Damon to ask his help in talking to the Lockwood’s about the Mayor being dead. Damon talks to the sheriff and Mrs. Lockwood about the mayor.

Tyler’s uncle Mason shows up after what happened to his brother. Damon asks about him. Tyler thinks Elena has come by, but it’s really Katherine.

Jeremy apologizes to Tyler about his dad’s death. He reminds him he knows what it’s like to have strangers telling him how great his dad is. Tyler reminds him the difference is his dad was great, Tyler’s wasn’t. Jeremy agrees. They share a drink. Mason comes in, basically tells Jeremy to leave, and shares the drink with Tyler.

Tyler gets mad in his dad’s office. He tells his mom he hates his dad. She doesn’t believe it. He gets aggressive and Mason has to calm him down.

Mason and Tyler talk about the aggression being the curse of being a Lockwood.

Jeremy and Jenna

After Katherine slams the door shut, Elena rushes to make sure Jeremy is okay. He quickly wakes up. She calls Stefan to make sure Jeremy isn’t really a vampire. He’s not. Stefan tries to get ahold of him by telling him with Anna’s blood passing through his system, if he tried to die right now, he might actually die. Stefan tells Elena to go to the hospital and he’ll watch Jeremy.

TVD – Season 1 Overall Review

I went into this show hesitantly. I try to be careful with what I watch. If I can’t watch it with my teenage siblings, then I shouldn’t be watching it at all. After watching the first season of The Vampire Diaries, I am so far pleasantly surprised with it’s use of language, violence, and sexual content. It gets a little too sensual for my preference sometimes, but for the most part it’s fairly appropriate. I approve of season 1 of The Vampire Diaries to watch with my teenage siblings. Even with the occasional witchcraft, it’s not too heavy on occult practices and is not disrespectful of Christianity which is always my biggest concern with shows like this. I will continue to watch this show with caution, but less worry.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 22 (Season Finale) Recap and Reactions

Episode 22

Flashback to Katherine and Stefan getting dressed up for something… or not… it’s Elena and Stefan. Jenna helps Elena get ready. They’re dressing up for the 150^th Founders Day. Damon shows up and jokes about stealing his girl. “Elena is not Katherine,” Damon says. “You’re right, she’s not,” Stefan agrees, only for Elena to walk toward them looking exactly like Katherine. Honestly, I won’t be surprised if Katherine takes Elena’s place by the end of this episode. Stefan tells Elena about John. Even though there’s no proof, it seems likely. Her whole life she’s hated John. She talks about how she has enough issues with her actual family, let alone with John. She tries again with Jeremy, but Jeremy tells her it’s not going to be fixed easily.

While Jeremy is getting ready, Anna comes by. Jeremy feels about that his uncle killed her mother. He understands where John is coming from. Anna tells Jeremy she’s leaving and asks him to come with her. He asks her to change for her. She gives him a vile of her blood. He’s shocked. She tells him he can turn off the lonely as a vampire. He doesn’t know if he can. Anna finds Jeremy and drags him into the bathroom. Jeremy holds Anna’s vile of blood and Damon comes to tell him she’s dead. He figured that when they took her away. “I know you cared about her. I saw her killed and all I could think about was I wanted to help her. but I couldn’t… I took away your suffering once before. I can do it again, but it’s your choice.” “I know you think you took it away, but it’s still there even if I can’t remember why. Making me forget won’t fix it.” “What I did to Vicki was wrong. I’m sorry for my part.” “Anna said that vampires don’t have to feel pain. They can turn it off. They don’t have to feel the pain. Is it easier that way?” “Life sucks either way. I did it for a long time. And life was a lot easier.” Jeremy takes his Anna blood to bathroom, opens it, drinks it, and pulls out Elena’s pain meds. He dumps them all out and takes them before bed.

Tyler tries again to make things better with Matt. He tells Caroline he apologized. “You made out with his mother and you beat him up. It doesn’t get fixed that easily.”

On the float, Elena waves to Bonnie and Bonnie waves back. Then, Damon steps in the way and waves flirtatiously at her. She rolls her eyes in the flirty way she does with him and then looks up Stefan to make sure he’s okay with his brother’s ridiculousness. Damon turns around and sees Bonnie. She starts to walk away, but he stops her thanks her. “Thank you. I don’t take what you did lightly. The device could have killed me. Thank you.” Bonnie says she did it for Elena. He knows, but he’s still very grateful and he owes her.

John explains the device. It works only one time for approximately 5 minutes. He’ll set it off, it will release a high frequency sound to high for human ears and decapacitating to vampire ears. The sheriff’s office will inject all those affected with vervain and round them up so they can be killed. The evil vamps plan to attack during the fireworks show of the founders day. John knows this because someone confirmed it. Anna shows up at the meeting with the other vampires. John goes to the sheriff with plans to go after the vampires. She refuses, but her deputies have already agreed. He knocks her out, takes her belt, and handcuffs her to a heavy piece of furniture so she can’t stop the attack against the vampire attack. Anna tells Damon about the vampire attack. They think she’s with them, but she’s not. She tells him it’s supposed to happen when the fireworks go off. “Remember. A lot of them ingested vervain. It’s not about the feed, it’s about the kill.” They want to kill the founding families. Damon tells Alaric they need his anti-vampire kit. Then, he hears Elena laughing with Stefan and goes up to her, taking her other arm in his. “Tomb vamps are here. Founding families are here. Get her out of here, now.” The mayor shows up at the Grill where Caroline, Matt, and Tyler are. He tries to force Tyler to go home. Caroline and Matt jump to Tyler’s defense. The mayor tells them all to go home now. the vampires circle the crowd and Bonnie bumps into one and follows him. John turns on the device and it works. Damon is with John when it goes off. Anna is with Jeremy. And Stefan is with Elena. What’s really surprising is Tyler hears it too. And he’s driving. They get into a car accident. The Mayor goes down too. Alaric saves Stefan from being taken. Anna isn’t so lucky. Damon’s already where he’s supposed to be. Damon wasn’t injected. He and Anna start stirring. No no no no no! Damon watches as John personally stakes Anna. Hasn’t Jeremy lost enough!? John sets the place on fire. Alaric, Elena, and Stefan piece together that Bonnie didn’t despell the device. They’re surprisingly calm about it. Elena and Stefan go to find Damon. Damon finds the Mayor and tries to figure what he is. He’s clearly affected, but the vervain doesn’t affect them. I wonder if they’re werewolves. I know there are supposed to be werewolves in this show. Even if I didn’t know, it would make sense. You can only get so far with only vampires. This show has 8 seasons and 5 spinoff seasons. When the paramedics check Tyler’s pupils they look like animal eyes. Werewolf eyes if I know werewolves at all. He wakes up and is okay, but Caroline passes out. John explains he’s doing what should have been done 145 years ago. Elena tries to go after Stefan to save Damon, but John stops her. “Take one step closer and I’ll alert the deputies they missed a vampire.” “I’m asking you not to.” “That doesn’t mean anything to me.” “As my father, it should.” “You know.” “I wasn’t sure. Now I am.” Bonnie tries to keep Stefan from going inside. She doesn’t want him to burn. Elena comes running, she tries to stop her too. “I’m sorry I lied to you.” While holding Elena, Bonnie starts chanting to put the fire out so she can save Stefan and Damon. It works. Elena tells Stefan the story is a faulty wire set the building on fire. “I try so hard to hate him. I guess it’s just pointless.” “You care about him. So do I. But I love you, Stefan. I know you’re worried about that. She says it two more times while he tries to explain his insecurities. “You have nothing to worry about.” Tyler and Matt are finally sort of friends again. The sheriff says they’re going to do everything to make sure Caroline is okay. She tells Tyler to call his mom about his dad. Bonnie tells Stefan Elena is her best friend. She threatens Damon. If he drops even one drop of human blood, she’ll take him down, even if she has to take Stefan with him. Elena gets home and Damon is there. He says it’s a failed and feeble attempt of doing the right thing. “You know I came into this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight I found myself wanting to save it. How does that happen? I’m not a hero Elena. I don’t do good. It’s not in me.” “Maybe it is.” “No that reserved for Stefan and you and Bonnie even though she has every reason to hate me she still helped Stefan save me.” “Why does that surprise you?” “Because she did it for you, which means somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving. And I wanted to… thank you for that.” “You’re welcome.” He kisses her on the cheek and she thinks it’s weird. Then he slowly goes to kiss her kiss her and she doesn’t pull way. She kisses him back. Kind of passionately. Jenna opens the door on them. Shocked. Confused. Telling her to come inside. “What are you doing?” “I… don’t want to talk about.”

At the end of the day, Elena walks into the Grill looking like herself again. Damon tells her he likes her better this way. The period look did not suit her. She thinks it’s an insult, but he says it’s a compliment of the highest order. “I know Stefan is worried about our friendship.” “Did he mention something to you too?” “No, he did he mention something to you?” “No. Nothing worth repeating,” with that flirting smirk of his. “So I think she should stop with the flirty comments and that eye thing that you do.” “What eye thing?” he does the eye thing, the smolder. “Don’t make me regret being your friend, okay?”

She goes to Jeremy. “I don’t believe can’t fix this. I lied and I’m sorry. So tell me how I can fix this.” “You can go to hell Elena.” Damon watches the exchange and follows Jeremy, mocking him as he does. Jeremy calls him a dick. Damon tells him not to talk to him like that and not to talk to his sister like that either. Damon reminds Jeremy he’s the one who took his memory not Elena. Elena was worried and trying to protect him. Stefan comes up and talks to Jeremy too. “Don’t blame Elena. Damon turned her and I killed her. She was a threat to you and a threat to your sister. I’m sorry that it happened; I wish that it hadn’t.” Stefan gets upset that Damon is trying to help fix Jeremy and Elena’s relationship. He tells him to stop. It’s none of his business. It’s only good when you do it because you want to and not because you get something out of it.

Inside, John is in the kitchen when Elena goes in there. He tells her about Isabelle. Part of the reason he hates the vampire so much is because of what she became. How it ruined her. She was special. “I never would have sent her to Damon had I know she wanted to turn.” He hopes she understands. She looks at him with hate her eyes and a knife in her hand. He cuts off his fingers with the ring on, stabs his gut, and John asks, “Katherine.” “Hello, John.” What! Hold on, what!? I said I wouldn’t be surprised, and part of me’s not, but here I am exclaiming at the TV at 12:30 in the morning over Elena some how being replaced by Katherine! When did this happen? Before the kiss with Damon? It seems like it. But when? It had to have been after saving Stefan and Damon. Wait. Here she is. She’s on the phone with Stefan telling him someone took her stuff. She goes inside and… Oh my gosh! Are you freaking kidding me!? This is the end of the season! I knew I should have quit while I was head. I had a feeling this would leave me wanting more than the last episode did! Dang it! How do people watch these shows weekly!? This is why I wait to binge shows. My head is pounding with a need for sleep and I’m still considering staying up to watch the next episode! I mean, I know that will be foolish because every episode leaves me wanting more, but dang! Caroline is in the hospital, Jeremy is trying to turn himself into a vampire, and Katherine has traded places with Elena! Not to mention that Damon and Elena kiss wasn’t even real! ☹ I mean, good because now she didn’t cheat on Stefan, but bad because I’ve waiting all season for this love triangle to become a thing! It’s gotta become an official thing! But with Katherine back in the picture and Damon kissing her. I don’t know what’s coming now. I do wonder though if Damon kissed her because he was on to her… I don’t know. I have to go to bed… and tomorrow’s Saturday so it should be a busy work day, meaning I may not have much time to watch much TVD.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 21 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 21

Isabelle and Alaric sit together at the Grill. He asks where she’s been. She tells him she doesn’t have any answers that will satisfy him. She asks him to deliver a message to Elena so they can meet. He refuses. Isabelle follows him outside and threatens him. If he doesn’t do what she asks, then she’s going to kill everyone in town one by one and start with his students. Alaric gathers Damon, Elena, and Stefan in his classroom. He tells Elena and Stefan first and recaps Damon when he’s late. Damon is shocked and immediately looks at Elena to see how she’s doing.

Elena calls Damon to check on Stefan. They flirt like normal. Stefan’s standing at the door when Damon gets off the phone with Elena. Damon gives him his phone and tells him she called. Damon assures Elena she doesn’t have to go meet her mother if she doesn’t want to. Then they tell Damon about the killing spree threat. Stefan goes with her to Grill while she meets Isabelle. He sits away at a distance. Isabelle walks in like there’s no problem. She is shocked by how much Elena looks like Katherine. Katherine found her after she was turned. Elena starts asking Isabelle questions immediately. When she says not caring about human life is part of who she is, Elena contradicts her. Isabelle asks why she chose Stefan. Why not Damon? Or does she enjoy both? She is shocked by the question and doesn’t answer. Stefan looks down at his feet. Damon and Alaric are waiting outside talking about Isabelle. Alaric doesn’t understand. Stefan still has his humanity. Even Damon is a dick who kills people has something in him, but Isabelle is different. Damon tells him you can turn it off. Every instinct in a vampire is not to feel. Stefan doesn’t turn any of it off. Isabelle turns it all off. Damon only turns some of it off. Isabelle tells Elena to get the invention for her or it’ll be her fault people die.

Caroline and Bonnie discuss their float for the founder’s parade. Caroline doesn’t understand why everyone is fighting right now. Building the floats are supposed to be about friendship, but Tyler and Matt hate each other and Bonnie and Elena aren’t talking. Tyler tries to make amends with Matt or at least check on how he’s doing, but Matt won’t have it.

Bonnie walks in right as Isabelle leaves and sees Elena crying. She has an internal debate about whether to comfort her or not. When Stefan walks up, Bonnie leaves. Bonnie comes to Elena’s house before school and apologizes. She doesn’t want that to be their friendship. Elena tells Bonnie everything. Bonnie tells her Jonathan Gilbert never succeeded in inventing anything. Emily spelled all of his inventions including the mystery invention. Emily pledged her loyalty to Katherine, but she couldn’t stand by and watch innocent people die. Bonnie reads the spell book and tells her the mystery device is a weapon against vampires.

When John gets home, Isabel is watching two humans she turned into her puppets. She and John are in to together to get the invention. Damon is at Isabelle’s house and plays strip poker with her female puppet. Isabelle and Damon flirt and fool around. She says they have the same goal, working for Katherine. He attacks her. “Now that I have your attention, listen up. You do not come into my town and threaten the people I care about. Going after Elena—bad move. You leave her alone or I will rip you to bits because I do believe in killing the messenger. You know why? Because it sends a message. If Katherine wants something from me. You tell that little B- to come get it herself.”

Jeremy tries calling Anna again, but she’s not answering. Jenna likes her and her fire. John walks in and asks Jeremy about how well he knows Anna. He offers all his help, because his dad would want him to. While Elena is looking for Stefan, Jeremy asks Elena for advice or info on Anna and he tells her he knows what she is and that Elena knows. Elena really doesn’t know where she is. Elena turns around and Isabelle is there. She starts ticking off the people Elena cares about. Elena tries to tell Isabelle to leave, but Isabelle has friends around everyone Elena cares about. One of them hurts Matt and another takes Jeremy. Isabelle doesn’t believe how much Damon cares about Elena. She calls John over and John tries to get to the old friend he grew up with inside her, but she’s gone. She takes his special ring and has her puppets beat him. John tells Jeremy the plan is to get rid of all the old vampires and that his dad is the one taught him about the family history. Jeremy doesn’t believe all vampires are bad. John and apparently their father didn’t agree. He believed all vampires were bad, or so John says.

Elena tries to convince Damon to give her the device. He tries to argue, but he gives in. Bonnie can take the spell away to keep the device from working. That’s the plan. Take the spell away and give it to Isabelle. The all meet in a public place. Isabelle brings her puppets and Elena brings the Salvatore brothers. Elena refuses to give her the device without knowing Jeremy is okay. Isabelle tells her to call home. She does and Jeremy is safe with Jenna and John. “How did you know Damon was going to give it to me?” “Because he’s in love with you.” Shock on Elena’s face, an attempted straight face and side eye toward Stefan on Damon’s, and somber acceptance on Stefan’s. Elena gives Isabelle the device and thanks her for being a monumental disappointment so the memory of her real mother stays in tact. “As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you’re doomed. Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know that you’re not Katherine.” She turns away and watches Isabelle leave. Stefan and Elena hug and Elena looks at Damon before burying her face in Stefan’s chest. Stefan looks over at Damon after a moment. All the while, Damon is watching both of them before walking away.

Elena wants to talk to Jeremy, but Jeremy doesn’t want to talk. He does tell her he read her journal. Elena explains that when she had Damon erase Jeremy’s memory it was because it was like Mom and Dad all over again. She saw it in his face. He tells her to leave.

Isabelle shows up at the school with Alaric there. She wants to tell him goodbye. She wants him to hate her so it’s easier. He shows her that she’s wearing the ring. She’s shocked. Pretending she doesn’t care anymore. He gives her the ring back. He doesn’t believe she doesn’t care. So he gives her the ring back and drops her vervain on the ground. “I wanted this. I needed this. This was my mistake.  Not yours. You are not going to remember this. I did. I loved you. I did. And when I think about what I gave up, it hurts. It does. But now you let me go.” She gives him the ring back and walks away.

Jeremy goes to his room and Anna is there crying telling him about her mother. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Damon pours himself a drink in the parlor and offers one to Stefan. Stefan talks about what Isabelle said. He knows Elena cares about Damon and that he cares about her. Damon says they’re friends, in fact she’s like his only friend. He more or less threatens Damon. “This is not going to be like Katherine.” Damon puts two and two together about John being Elena’s father. John and Isabelle dated as teenagers. Isabelle confirms it. She calls John telling him she left the vampire stuff on his doorstep and tells him to kill Stefan and Damon. “I don’t want this life for her. She’s our daughter.” Oh snap! This show is getting crazier and crazier!

Without giving the details, Bonnie tells Caroline she didn’t remove the spell from the vampire weapon. She pretended to, but she couldn’t. Grams wouldn’t have done it, so she didn’t. “When Elena finds out, she’s never going to forgive me.”

TVD: Season 1 Episode 20 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 20

Stefan wakes up in the cell and has flashbacks to watching the vampires get caught. He acts as a distraction while Damon tries to set Katherine free. Damon gets shot trying to free Katherine. Stefan gets shot next. His flashback gets confused when Damon and Elena start trying to talk to him. He goes back and forth between seeing Elena and seeing Katherine.

Elena and Damon talk about how hard it is to see him locked up. Damon reminds her she did it. She reminds him he helped. He claims it’s for safety. She believes it’s because he kind of cares about his  brother. Stefan makes no effort to let Elena know he’s awake, but he does look at his missing ring and flashback again to the first time he noticed it. He wakes up when he knows he shouldn’t. Emily explains the rings were made for them weeks ago per Katherine’s request and that Katherine has been compelling him to drink her blood for weeks. Damon needed no such compulsion. He tells him he watched them take Katherine inside and burn the church.

Elena asks Damon if he’s figured out the invention yet. He hasn’t. He asks if she’s talked to John at all lately. She hasn’t. She’s been avoiding him and she’s been there most nights. Elena goes to school and Damon goes to check on Stefan. “The human blood should be gone by now. You wanna explain why you’re sitting in her feeling sorry for yourself?” Stefan refuses to drink his animal blood.

Anna surprises Jeremy with a class schedule. She’s officially a student now. He’s her reason for going. He’s in awe. They kiss. Anna and Jeremy discuss everything in his room. She tells him he’s her weakness. They get really sensual. He stops for a minute, saying he doesn’t want Jenna walking in on them. She uses her hearing to impress him and tell him what Jenna’s doing downstairs. At home, Pearl tells Anna they’re leaving. “There’s too many people here who know the truth. Too much  history.” She begs her not to leave. Pearl won’t force her. It’s her decision. Anna lets herself in Jeremy’s room and lays down with him. He’s only half away and quickly sleeps again. She was going to tell him she was leaving, but when he falls asleep again, she whispers goodbye and leaves. While Pearl and Harper are trying to leave, Pearl opens the girl and they get staked. Anna goes home and finds them. She breaks down.

Alaric calls Damon to let him know he’s been doing some digging on John. He found out he’s been contacting Isabelle a lot and that he’s found an address. He wants to go check on it together. Elena calls before Damon can agree or disagree. She asks how Stefan is. “Extra Broody. He won’t eat anything.” She asks about his favorite animal blood. Damon answers golden retriever flood and she knows he’s teasing her. John asks her to talk. He says he knows she knows. He asks what her mother would say if she knew she was dating a vampire. “Which mother,” she asks and walks away. Stefan tells Elena he doesn’t want to survive. He wants it over. She talks about it with Damon. He suggests she stay up here. She shouldn’t be down there by herself. He tells her he’s got an errand to run with Alaric. She jokes about them being friends now. He says he doesn’t have friends. Alaric and Damon are able to get into the house and find a vampire named Henry who was in the tomb. They talk to him about John and how he helps him keep an eye on the others. He says John is just trying to keep an eye on the others. John calls at that moment. Damon asks to answer the phone. When he doesn’t, Henry attacks and Alaric stakes him. Alaric and Damon joke with each other about looking for their vampire exes. He only looked for Isabelle for 2 years and now he says he’s done. He doesn’t want to look for answers he doesn’t really want to know. Damon is surprised it’s moderately healthy considering he’s been looking for Katherine for 146 years. He jokes he plans to stop at 200.

Flashback Stefan and Damon discuss whether they will or won’t drink human blood. Damon is the one who doesn’t want to do it anymore since Katherine is dead. Stefan isn’t so sure.

John and Pearl meet together at the Grill. John tells Pearl he was sorry for what he did to her. She believes he’s lying. He lies further. She gets emotional and he laughs saying his only regret was not staking her himself.

Stefan tells Elena Damon hasn’t fed him vervain in a while. He could be at the bars in a minute. He tells her to go away. He doesn’t want her there. She opens the door and walks in. He tries to scare her into leaving. She won’t back down. He unvamps and sits down. He tells her his choice about becoming a vampire. His father confessed to him that he’s the one who shot them. They were dead to him the moment they sided with the vampires. He goes to stake him and Stefan fights him. He accidently stakes his father and gets the blood on his hands. He can’t resist trying it even though he was going to let himself die. “How can you even look at me right now?” “You need to be able to talk about these things and I need to hear them.” She asks him to come upstairs. He’s not ready, but she is. She gives him his ring and tells him to come upstairs when he’s ready.

Elena is in the parlor when Damon gets home. They ask about their nights. She tells him Stefan is getting there, but he’s so full of guilt and Damon hasn’t helped that. She’s not blaming him, but she is pointing out he’s spent 146 years trying to make his life miserable, reminding him he’s the reason Katherine was caught. Damon gets upset. So far, Elena has only heard the sordid parts of Stefan and Damon’s story. Damon tells her the rest of the story. After drinking from her father, Stefan comes back feeling more alive than ever. He tells Damon he can now turn the guilt on and off. He brings a girl for Damon to drink from trying to encourage him to drink so he can turn off the pain. Stefan drinks from the girl and forces Damon to drink from her too. He doesn’t want to. He wants to die. Without Katherine, there’s no point in living anymore. “From his first taste of human blood, Stefan’s been a different person.” Damon calls him stupid if he decides to die. Elena tells him not to pretend like he doesn’t care. She goes down to Stefan, but he’s not there. His ring is, but he isn’t. He goes to the woods and flashes back to Damon’s promise of to make his life miserable. He doesn’t say it but he implies it’s because he didn’t want to live for eternity. He wanted to die. Emily tells Stefan that even death his heart is pure. She senses that about him. That’s what makes it a curse for him. Elena comes to him, telling him Damon told her the rest of the story. He feels so guilty about all the hurt and death caused by him. Elena tells him the reason she and her family were in the car that night was because she blew off family night to go to a party but got stranded so they had to come pick her up. “Our actions are what sets things in motion but we have to live with that.” He explains that pain is with him all the time. If he gives himself over to the blood, then he can make the pain stop. She reminds him that he’s made the decision to be good. She doesn’t believe he’ll give in to the blood. She kisses him, gives him his ring back, and walks away. “It’s your choice.” As she walks away, he says her name, puts the ring back on, and they kiss. Maybe this isn’t the temporary end of them and the beginning of Elena and Damon…? Elena and Stefan say good night to Damon. She goes upstairs and they talk. Stefan thanks Damon for helping Elena take care of him. Damon confesses the guilt is there if he wanted to feel it. He demands that Stefan not feel his guilt for him. And he tells Stefan he hates him not because he forced him to turn, but because Katherine turned him too. It was only supposed to be Damon.

Oh, snap! This show is freaking crazy! Isabelle is in Mystic Falls!

TVD: Season 1 Episode 19 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 19

Stefan drives to school in his car. Everyone stares. Elena is happy to see him at school again and asks if this means he’s okay now. A concerned look crosses Elena’s face when Stefan tells her he’ll catch up with her. He opens the trunk of his car and there are several empty blood bags there.

Damon has a meeting with the sheriff and John. Someone stole blood bags from the local hospital and changed the numbers to make it look normal. John suspects Damon, but Damon is confused. John volunteers himself and Damon to look into the matter. John shows up at the estate and tells Damon Jonathon Gilbert had an invention Pearl stole the plans too. He asks Damon if he knows who Pearl is. That’s what tips the scale for Damon. He tells him to get out. The only reason he was letting John use the blackmail scheme was because he thought he could lead him to Katherine. Because Katherine and Pearl were best friends and John doesn’t know that, Damon knows he doesn’t know where Katherine is. John threatens to tell the whole counsel about the Salvatore’s. Damon doesn’t care. He’ll kill the whole counsel, severe John’s hand, take his ring, and then kill him too. Anna and Pearl come to Damon with the invention Pearl stole. The problem is, she stole the wrong invention. She knew that when she saw the compass in Jonathan’s hand the night she was captured.

Bonnie is finally back in school after her grandma’s death. She avoids looking at Elena and gives Damon a weird look. When Elena catches up to her later, she says she didn’t really want to come back after learning the spell failed. Elena says she wanted her to know before coming back. Caroline comes running up and lets it out that she and Bonnie talked every day she was gone. Such is not the case for Elena and Bonnie. Caroline mentions the Founder’s court. Elena has forgotten about it. Caroline asks Elena if this means she’s dropping out. She can’t back out because her mom wanted her to do it. Caroline goes over her competition with Bonnie. When they go into the dance room, Bonnie ignores Stefan altogether and tries to avoid Elena who asks her to talk for just a minute. Elena asks what’s wrong. “You’ve barely said 10 words to me and you won’t even look at Stefan.” She admits everything Grams did was to protect them from the vampires in the tomb. Now that they’re out it means she died for nothing. She blames Stefan and Damon. Elena wants to know what she can do to make it better. She can’t. Bonnie doesn’t want to put Elena in a situation where she has to pick sides. She’s just having a hard time. Of course, Stefan listens in.

Anna shows up the estate. She apologizes for the stuff that happened with Stefan. Damon blames her for taking the blood from the hospital. Anna says she hasn’t been to the local hospital in a week and that the other vampires all left Mystic Falls except for herself, her mother, and Harper. Damon is concerned. Damon accuses Stefan of taking the blood from the hospital. Stefan denies everything. He swears he hasn’t been drinking human blood. Damon doesn’t believe him and catches him the act. Like the addict he is, he claims he has it under control. Damon calls him on his crap. He stole from a hospital. Stefan claims he’s fine, but Damon knows he’s going through the Jackal and Hyde phase of being back on human blood. He asks if Elena knows. Stefan says she doesn’t need to know yet. The first step to prepping for the Founder’s court is learning to dance. Elena and Stefan flirt it up. And Elena notices he’s in an unusually good mood. She’s not complaining. It’s just different.

While Stefan is walking past the basketball court, one of the kids falls and scrapes his knee getting bloodied up. Stefan struggles the urge to go after the kid. Alaric comes up to him and notices something is wrong. Stefan chokes him and then quickly apologizes, saying he’s feeling sick. Alaric is the chauffer for the Gilberts and asks Elena how he’s doing. Elena says he’s bouncing back. Alaric doesn’t push it further.

Anna shows up at the court. Damon talks to her about John trying to get the invention from Pearl. His reasoning for Anna is that she wants to stay in Mystic Falls if John is gone, because he’s making it hard for vampires to live there.

Jenna and Elena talk about how she’s not getting cold feet, but she’s not exactly having fun either. She feels like she would be having more fun if her mom were here. Caroline is sitting nearby and overhears their conversation. When Elena goes to change into her dress, Damon is there waiting for her. He tells her Stefan is still drinking human blood. He admits he would have rejoiced a month ago, but not now with the counsel breathing down their necks. Damon explains it’s so much worse for Stefan because he’s spent his entire existence denying his thirst, rather than learning to control. “It’s Stefan on human blood. He’ll say anything. He’ll do anything. Because he’s not gonna want to stop. Trust me.” Elena blames herself. Stefan comes in at that moment. Damon straight up tells Stefan he’s been filling Elena in and Elena says she knows about the blood. Damon excuses himself to go downstairs and drink. Stefan claims he was going to tell her. He swears he’s fine. She tells him it’s changing him. She calls him out on stealing and lying. He uses the guilt trip of “I thought you believed in me.” Stefan goes to the bathroom and breaks a mirror, furious about Damon and Elena. One of the other girls, Amber checks on him, and he vamps up. In the next scene, Stefan and Amber are missing. Elena tries to drop out because this isn’t who she is anymore, but Caroline stops her. She reminds her she’s doing this because it was important to her mom. Stefan is taking Amber outside and walking away with her. He compels her and rambles to her about everything. When Stefan doesn’t show up to escort Elena, Damon does it instead. Jenna and Alaric wonder what she’s doing with Damon. Damon and Elena have to do the dance with each other and Elena is very clearly feeling something with him. It’s in her eyes and small smile. It’s in his too. At the end of the dance, she looks away from him, trying not to feel whatever she’s feeling. Stefan tells Amber he wants to kill her. He speaks of feeding on humans as an artform. He knows if he gives in there’s no going back. Under compulsion, Amber encourages him. He does. He gives in. He feeds off her. Caroline wins. He asks why she’s not afraid. Because he told her not to be. He comes her further to be afraid of him and to run like hell. Damon tells Stefan about the struggle in the bathroom and that Amber is missing. Bonnie overhears and follows them to find him. He chases after Amber again. He changed his mind. The three catch up to him. Damon physically tries to stop Stefan while Elena begs him to stop. Bonnie uses a mind trick on him. It stops him, but he runs away. The sheriff says Amber doesn’t remember anything. The story is that Bonnie and Elena find her and called Damon. They claim they didn’t see anything. Elena begs Bonnie to talk to her. Bonnie doesn’t want to make Elena choose, but she does have to choose for herself. Alaric asks Elena what’s wrong. Elena is in Stefan’s room when he gets there, shaking. She tells him it’s not him. It’s what the blood brings out in him. He says it is him. It brings out what’s inside of him. If she thinks differently, she’s an idiot. “I wanted to drain every ounce of blood from that girl’s body. It’s who I am Elena.” “No, you can’t scare me off.” “Why would you risk this? Why did you come here?” “Because this is my fault. I did this.” “All you did was expose me to who I really am.” “This isn’t you.” “Stop saying that! Don’t get any closer to me.” “I’m not going to give up. I believe in you.” He slams her against the wall yelling stop. She shaking in fear. “I’m so sorry.” He leans against her. She stabs him with one of Alaric’s vervain darts. And, per Elena’s request, Damon locks Stefan in the same dungeon Stefan locked him in in the first episodes. She decides to stay outside the dungeon and he stays with her. Yup! This is officially the official unofficial beginning and Damon and Elena.

Jeremy asks John about Jonathan. Jonathan tells him there are more journals. Jeremy asks what he thinks of his writing and he claims he believes it’s all the crazy ramblings of a mad man. While talking to John, Jeremy spots Anna. She avoids him. He follows her. She’s hurt that he was using her to turn him so he could be with someone else. He compares it to befriending him to give his blood to her mom. She’s surprised he knows about that. He tells Anna he knows these things because of Elena’s journal. Part of him is angry she lied to him and erased his memory, but the other part is glad. He doesn’t want to remember Vicki as someone who wanted to hurt him. Anna confesses that after all the time they spent together, she would never do anything to hurt him. John asks Jenna about Anna. The foolish uninformed human that she is, Jenna gives him all the info he needs. She and her mother Pearl are new in town and trying to buy the Gilbert building.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 18 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 18

Stefan does pullups on the mantle of his room and pushups. He’s trying to detox himself of human blood. Damon tries to convince Stefan it’s okay to drink human blood from the blood bank. No one dies or gets hurt from the blood at the blood bank. Stefan lies and says he has his bloodlust completely under control. Damon leaves his cup of blood in the room, then runs back to get it claiming he almost forgot it. I think he left it on purpose.

Uncle John Gilbert shows up at the front door as the kids are leaving for school. Apparently, none of them like him. John is there to not sign the papers to sell the apothecary. It belongs to Jeremy and Elena, but because they’re minors, John has to approve. He says he won’t. He tells Jeremy he and Jenna used to sleep together.

Elena talks about it with Matt. Matt doesn’t like John anymore than the family does.

Tyler and Jeremy talk about Vicki’s death and how it doesn’t make sense she would be buried if it was just a drug overdose.

At the founders meeting, John is present and the sheriff doesn’t like him anymore than anyone else. He informs them all of blood bank break ins and missing people within 75 miles of Mystic Falls.

Alaric talks to Elena about Jeremy’s paper on vampires. He also questions her relationship with Stefan. She tells Stefan about Jeremy’s paper. He suggests she ask him about it. she asks him he’s doing. They talk about missing each other the few days he’s been away. They start fooling around. He’s gonna vamp up on her. And he does! They both freak out. He goes home and starts drinking excessively.

Elena calls Damon. Damon teases her while Jeremy is sitting at the dinner table. She takes him to her room asking how long it will take Stefan to get better because she’s worried about him. He reminds her deep down Stefan is just like him. She acknowledges the truth without saying anything.

Elena tells Jeremy she’s adopted. He wonders why she was worried about telling him. It’s weird to grow up thinking someone’s blood related to you and then find out their not. No matter what. He’s her brother though. He tells her he wrote the vampire paper out of boredom and maybe just a little gilbert crazy. Elena tries to deny gilberts are crazy. He jokes its easy for her to say because she’s not a gilbert.

At the founder’s kick off,  Elena immediately notices something is off about him. He admits right off that he’s drinking to take the edge off. He asks Elena to dance. Then he says the music needs to change. Kelly walks up then and tells Elena it’s not going to work. Elena notices him compelling the DJ to change the music. He starts dancing with Kelly, so she agrees to dance with Matt when asked. When Stefan starts dancing with Elena, they bump into someone. The someone is a jerk and tells her to get off the dance floor. Stefan gets mad and compels the guy again. She asks Damon if she knows what his brother’s been up to. No, he’s been watching her brother. He’s been asking questions about Vicki Donavan and who might have buried her. He gives her a rose and walks off.

Tyler catches Kelly drinking and takes her to the bathroom. I think they’re about to have a cougar moment. Kelly admits she feels like she should be on her best behavior because of Vicki, but she doesn’t want to be. Tyler admits he feels like he doesn’t deserve to miss Vicki, because he was so horrible to her. Matt and Elena catch them making out when Matt asks her to walk outside with him to get some air. She hesitantly agrees. Matt punches him and Tyler starts choking Matt who is left a bloody pulp. His mom was knocked over in the scuffle. At home, Matt packs Kelly’s things and tells her to leave because he’s better of without her. She tries to refuse to leave. She apologizes for failing him and Vicki. He tells her to be out of the house and his life by morning

John comes up to Damon and tells him he knows he’s a vampire without actually saying he’s a vampire. Damon snaps his neck and knocks him off the ledge. I can’t decide if I think John’s a vampire himself or if he’s really dead now. Damon tells Stefan the council is back in full vampire mode and that he killed Uncle John Gilbert. Stefan starts to go after him, but stops when he hears and I think smells Kelly’s bleeding wounds. He starts messing with the blood on her forehead until she asks what he’s doing. He walks away and when he looks at the blood on his hand he starts to lose it. Then, he slurps the blood from his hand. Damon is shocked when he sees John Gilbert walk back inside. I knew he was a vampire! Or not… he’s got a ring. Damon suspects Isabelle gave John a ring just like she gave Damon one. John explains he and his brother inherited the rings. He says he wouldn’t have given Isabelle his if he knew she was going to give it Alaric. He also says he sent her to Damon when she wanted to become a vampire. He’s surprised. John knows he thought maybe it was Katherine who sent her to him.

Outside, the jerk starts pushing Stefan and tells him he’s making a mistake. Stefan vamps up on him when he goes to punch him. Elena goes outside looking for Stefan, but Stefan disappears. She notices the jerk on  the ground, asks him what happened, and he answers he fell and hurt his arm. When she’s in her room, Stefan nearly gives her a heart attack when he shows up behind her. He tells her he tasted Kelly’s blood, that he wanted to kill the jerk, that he has a pounding headache and a hunger in him he’s never had before, that he’s telling her because he promised her he wouldn’t keep things from her and that he doesn’t want her to see him like this. He doesn’t want her to know this side of him exists. She promises she’ll help him get through this. He’s afraid of what he might do to her. She’s not. She kisses him and they hug. The exchange, “I love you’s.”

Elena checks on Jeremy who thinks someone killed Vicki and buried her. Elena can’t look Jeremy in the eyes as he asks her what she thinks happened and he starts suspecting she knows more. He goes into Elena’s room, looking for something, anything to explain why she’s acting like she knows more than she does. Her diary. He finds her diary and starts reading it. He finds everything he suspected and more. Elena goes to check on Jeremy who claims he’s fine.

Damon tries to tell Stefan about John Gilbert, but all Stefan can do is think about the blood in Damon’s cup. Damon deliberately leaves the cup out for Stefan. He stares at it trying to resist but failing. All that time without human blood made the temptation so much worse this time. Part of me wonders if Damon and Stefan are going to have like a roll reversal or something. Damon is slowly becoming more and more… careful and caring, while Stefan is now slowly losing it. It also makes me wonder if this is going to be what really pushes the love triangle I’ve heard so much about.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 17 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 17

Elena freaks out when the storm slams her back-porch door open.

Anna tells Jeremy she won’t turn him. He wants to know why he wants to be turned. He doesn’t answer. Anna asks Jeremy about his vervain bracelet. She offers to give it to her. She says he should wear it. Jeremy tells Anna he wants to be turned because he’s alone. She says there are only four reasons why vampires turn others. Boredom. Dirty work. Love. He’s none of those yet. They flirt over text message when she gets stuck at the grill with her mom. Pearl notices Anna and Jeremy flirting and asks the mayor who he is. When he answers, she’s quietly upset. She goes to the bathroom and talks to her. she’s still mad that his family is the reason she was stuck in the tomb for 150 years. “When he finds out, he’ll turn on you too.” “He already knows and he likes me.” her mom slaps and she leaves. As she does, she texts Jeremy that she’ll turn him. After learning about Vicki, Jeremy goes to his room and starts destroying his articles about animal attacks. Anna shows up and learns she’s the reason why he wanted to be turned. He admits it and she disappears before he can apologize. She’s hurt. He betrayed her not unlike Jonathan betrayed Pearl.

The vampire wants to kill everyone. Pearl says they have to be patient. These people aren’t their enemies, even though they are the same families. Pearl runs into the mayor at the Grill and starts chatting him up. When Anna and Pearl get home, they find most of their coven dead and the other obedient.

Caroline and Matt talk about his mom and Vicki. She tries to encourage him. Caroline’s car gets stuck in the mud on a back route. Her phone doesn’t work when she tries to call someone. She sits in her car until nightfall. Then finally gets out of her car and goes to look for a signal, alone, in the woods. She finally gets a signal at the tops of a hill, but slides when she stops pay attention. She grabs some vines and finds someone’s arm.

Damon, Elena, and Stefan discuss the other vampires and how Damon made a deal with Pearl. Stefan says Elena is going to sit and wait while he handles everything. She doesn’t argue, but I don’t think she agrees. Stefan goes hunting. Three vampires stake him in the gut. Damon calls Elena and she ignores him six times. He comes to the house, worried about Stefan. They go to Pearl’s. The vampire answers the door saying Pearl isn’t home. He shows Stefan weak and tortured. They compel the woman not to let Damon in. Elena can get in, but Damon won’t let her go after him. Elena and Damon go to ask Alaric for help. Harper defends Stefan as the bully vampire tortures him. When he refuses to help, Damon tells Alaric Pearl can help him find his wife. He reluctantly agrees. Elena argues that she wants to help. He won’t let her go in the house. She claims he doesn’t understand. He does get it. He cares enough about her that he tells her he can’t protect her. Alaric watches them. Either trying to figure out if he does understand or if there’s a thing between Elena and Damon. Alaric plays the role of a stranded traveler. The vampires let him in and Alaric tries to get the woman to let Damon in. She can’t because she’s compelled. Damon has to kill her to get in. Alaric is concerned, but Damon doesn’t care. When Alaric goes back to the car, Elena is gone, trying to help save Stefan. She finds a basement and goes to find him. Damon stabs the vampire guarding him and asks her if she’s insane. Stefan thinks Harper for trying to help him. When Elena and Damon come to help him, Damon can’t because of the vervain on the ropes. Elena has to help Stefan get to the car while Damon and Alaric act as distractions. They fall and she starts bleeding, making him weaker than he already is. Fredrick is waiting by the car when they get in. He starts beating Stefan more. Just before he stakes Stefan, Elena stakes him. Stefan passes out. Alaric and Damon finish off the vampires in the house, but there are still several outside. Elena realizes she can save him with her blood. She puts her cut palm in his mouth. When he wakes up, she tells him to take her wrist. “I trust you.” He drinks enough he can and does beat Frederick, but he kind of loses his mind. She’s freaked out. At the house, he says she could have been killed. He apologizes for making her see him that way. She apologizes for it being her fault. Alaric asks Damon if he lied about being able to find his wife. Damon confesses he did. Later at the grill, Alaric punches him.

Matt gets home and Kelly has made dinner for him. She promises she’s really going to try this time, but he has to bear with her. Caroline and the sheriff show up telling them the body was Vicki’s. Jeremy calls Elena about Vicki. They all gather together at Matt’s house. When Caroline tries to comfort Matt, he tells her needs to be alone. When Elena gets there, she and Matt hold each other. Of course, Caroline is jealous.

Damon finds Stefan in the parlor with a bunch of his blood pouches emptied. He sits there sipping like an addict. He tasted human blood again and it won’t be easy for him to go back.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 16 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 16

Pearl, Harper, and Anna live in a coven or something with a bunch of people. Vampires? They live with a human who lets them feed off her because they’ve compelled her. Anna seems to feel bad about it. Even after Pearl reminds them several times they have to keep a low profile, a couple vampires leave the coven and go to the grill where they run into “Katherine” only to know it’s a mistake. Elena sends Stefan a text message about the man thinking she’s Katherine. The vampire disappears. Elena asks Stefan to forget about it just for the night. Jenna breaks her heel and the vampire sees. He asks about Damon and where he lives. The vampire flirts with her. He tries to compel her, but can’t because she’s wearing vervain. She does tell him where Damon lives though, assuming they’re old friends. He shows up and watches from a distance. He and another vampire chick jump through the window right before Stefan is going to give him a lecture about being with Matt’s mom. Stefan stakes the girl, but the guy gets away. Stefan remembers them from 1864. Damon tells him what’s going on. The vampire dude tells Pearl she was right. They shouldn’t have left. She acts okay with it, but then she stakes him in the gut.

Matt tells his mom about a position at the Grill and he’s surprised she says she’ll look into it. He doesn’t expect her to stay long. Caroline shows up and his mom doesn’t act nicely about it. Matt tells his mom how he feels, ticking off the ways he’s had to be responsible for her.

Elena asks Stefan about Damon. Stefan asks her if she’s thought about what she’s going to do. “About what? Isabelle, my vampire birth mother who’s related to my vampire ancestor, Katherine, who screwed over your vampire brother? Nah, haven’t thought about it at all.” Seriously! More than halfway through the first season and she’s still responding like a normal human being! I’m loving this show if for no other reason that Elena is kind of normal.

Caroline asks Stefan and Elena to double date with her and Matt so the humans can get over the awkwardness between them. When he shows up at the house, Stefan has flowers for her. He tells her he came back to mystic falls for a normal life. Elena and Matt talk about the old days. Their moms were best friends when they were kids. Caroline is a little jealous. After more stories, Caroline takes Elena to the bathroom to talk. Matt confesses to Stefan that he seems like the guy who has everything, so those who don’t kind of go the other way. This surprises Stefan. Caroline tells Elena to try less. The point is to show Matt how much she cares about Stefan, not take a trip down memory lane. Stefan invites them all over to his house. Caroline feels like she’s been here before, because she has, but doesn’t remember anything. Stefan has a collection of car pictures. Matt loves cars. Stefan takes him to see his car. Matt loves it. Caroline doesn’t. He mentions Elena’s dad’s old Camaro. Then, like an idiot, after Caroline comments she doesn’t like sports cars because they’re too hard to make out in, he says, “It wasn’t that bad.” Elena gives him the look, he realizes his mistake, and Caroline walks away. Elena follows. He apologizes to Stefan. Stefan’s okay with it. Caroline is upset about being the backup. She’s Matt’s Elena back up and Elena’s Bonnie back up. “You don’t understand. You’re everybody’s first choice.” Stefan lets Matt and Caroline takes his car for a spin. Matt asks if he passed the double date test. She doesn’t know. He admits it’s his fault that Elena still means something to him. “Tonight wasn’t about me and Elena. I was there because I wanted to be with you… You’re the only one I want to be in this car with right now.” They make out.

Anna and Pearl show up at the estate. Damon tries to attack them, but can’t. They want Damon to help them take over the town again. All the vampires have come out the tomb. Many of them have come to the coven. She attacks him after he tries to deny helping them. She has 400 years on him. She offers to find Katherine for him. He claims he no longer has any desire to find her.

Jeremy is still skimming the web for info on vampires. Anna and Pearl buy an apothecary from Jenna. Anna shows up to see Jeremy. He’s a little shocked and not entirely happy to see her. I think he thinks she’s a vampire. He tells Anna that he’s kind of a believer now, but he might think they’re different, better than people think. He purposely cuts himself, trying to make her vamp up. She does. He lets her drink it. Jenna shows up and Anna leaves. Anna goes home and Pearl is upset with her for being with Jeremy. He walks into his room to find her. He tells Anna he knows because of Vicki. Why didn’t you kill me? “Maybe I’m a sucker for boys like you. Lost.” He tells Anna he risked it because it might be true about Vicki and because he wants her to turn him.

Matt’s mom flirts with Damon at the bar. She thinks the manager blew her off because last time she was in town, she slept with her boyfriend. Jenna shows up and the three start drinking together. Stefan, Matt, and Elena notice Damon, Kelly, and Jenna drinking together. They spot the kids and try to keep a low profile. When Damon and Kelly start flirting again, Jenna leaves. Damon takes Kelly home with him. They start fooling around. he goes to bite her neck, but tries to fight it. Matt, Damon, Elena, and Stefan walk in on them. Elena gives Damon the look. Stefan wants to drive them, but Elena refuses to live afraid that someone is going to come after her. She calls him saying she’s home safe and that she had a really nice time on their date.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 15 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 15

The vampire comes out asking what year it is. 2010. “You seem like a very nice person. I’m sorry.” Then attacks the random dude and takes his clothes. The human’s phone starts ringing and the vampire freaks out. In the park, the vampire notices someone he seems to know. In the final scene, he goes to her house. Anna and Pearl are there. Pearl calls him Harper.

Elena sits on the porch leaving a message for Bonnie and writing. Grams’ funeral brought back memories of her parents’ funeral. Jenna shares what information she’s found about her birth mom and that Alaric’s dead wife was also called Isabelle. Elena tells Stefan and he keeps from her the information that Damon is the one who killed Alaric’s wife. Elena goes to meet Trudie, Isabelle’s best friend from high school. She hasn’t seen her since she left 17 years ago to have her. They talked off and on but eventually grew apart. Trudie claims she doesn’t know who the father is. She sends someone a text message saying, “She’s here.” She shows her pictures of them as kids. But, she also serves Elena vervain tea and Elena realizes Trudie didn’t invite her in. She knows about vampires. Elena’s realization causes Trudie to ask her to leave. Some guy is waiting in a corner like a vampire. The guy comes to Trudie’s house. She doesn’t know who he is, but he thanks her for the text. Someone must have threatened her to keep Elena off the trail. She assumes he’s a vampire, but he’s not. He comes in and kills Trudie by throwing her down the stairs. He shows up in Mystic Falls and tells Elena to stop looking for her mother. She doesn’t want to know her he says. Then, he steps in front of truck to kill himself. Stefan tells her first that he’s under compulsion. I wonder if this means Isabelle is a vampire or if another vampire just wants to keep Elena on her toes. Is Isabelle really alive? Did Damon turn her if she is? Did he leave her somewhere and someone else turned her? Did he ask her to turn her? Were they having an affair?

Stefan leaves to check on Damon who is dealing with his feelings about Katherine with a bunch of compelled college girls dancing half naked with him as he drinks from. Stefan questions Damon about Isabelle, but he doesn’t care to remember. “Nothing matters anymore.”

Matt’s mom shows up while he and Caroline are fooling around on the couch. Matt’s mom doesn’t like Caroline because she went to school with her mom and she was fake. Matt takes his drunk mother home.

Jenna shows Alaric the picture of Elena’s birth mother. It was in fact his wife. The wife Damon fed off of and probably killed. Alaric and Stefan talk and Stefan explains he didn’t want to tell Elena about Damon without knowing for sure. Alaric gives him a picture of his wife to try to jog Damon’s memory.

In a flashback, Alaric and his wife talk about research she’s doing about Mystic Falls and vampires. Alaric asks Isabelle to give up her obsession with vampires. She’s hardly ever home and she doesn’t want kids. He just wants to be normal. She wants more. More suspicion that maybe Isabelle wanted to be a vampire and that Damon might have turned her.

Alaric and Damon drink next to each other at the Grill because they’re both depressed. When Alaric leaves, the sheriff comes by and asks Damon to be a Bachelor at the raffle. Damon agrees and asks for information about Alaric. She agrees.

Elena goes to the house looking for Stefan. He’s not there. Damon is. Still drunk and getting ready for the fundraiser. He’s too drunk to button his own shirt, so Elena helps him. She tells him she found out who her mother is. He doesn’t care, because she left her. There’s some chemistry between them and Stefan comes in telling her Alaric’s wife is her mother. He asks her to wait to ask him about her.

Damon asks Stefan, “Where’d our girlfriend go.” Stefan shows him the picture of Isabelle and he claims he doesn’t know her. Then at the fundraiser, the sheriff jogs his memory with a picture and mentioning North Carolina when giving him the info he asked for about Alaric. Not knowing Alaric’s wife is Elena’s mom, Damon taunts Alaric with double meaning comments about how “delicious” she was. Obviously, this all tells Elena what she didn’t already know. Damon killed her mother. Stefan follows after her. She’s mad about Damon, but still feeling sorry for him, even though she doesn’t want to. They both are hoping the lose of Katherine will change him.  Elena runs into Damon at the Grill and asks him if he enjoyed hurting Alaric and that saying she was just starting to think there was something redeemable about him. Stefan tries to stop her from telling Damon about her mother. She says her mother’s name was Isabelle and regret shines in Damon’s eyes.

Damon leaves the auction. Alaric notices and goes to the estate trying to attack Damon. Damon is drunker than ever. He confirms she came to him begging him to turn her. He slept with her because he liked her. He turned her because he begged her too. Damon stabs Alaric and watches him die. He sort of feels like it’s a shame since they’re kindred spirits, abandoned by the women they love. Stefan comes and Damon tells him Isabelle came to him. Then, he theorizes Katherine sent Isabelle to him since they must be related. After Damon leaves, Alaric jerks awake. Apparently, Isabelle gave him the ring and I guess it keep you from dying or something. Neither he nor Stefan believe it, but there it is in front of their eyes.

Elena sits in her room looking at a picture of her and her parents. Then, she calls Trudie’s number, wanting to talk to her, but getting Isabelle on the line instead. When she says her name, she hangs up.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 14 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 14

Elena finds herself in Anna’s hotel bed being babysat by someone—Ben, but he’s sleeping. She tries to quietly slip away, but he catches her when tries to open the door. He compels he not try to escape or move and she fools him into believing it worked. When he turns around, she opens the door to leave, but Anna is there. They throw her in the bathroom where they have Bonnie. She tells Bonnie she hasn’t told her about Emily’s spell book because she hoped it wouldn’t come to this—they need a witch to open the tomb. Ben comes in and explains Elena is only there as bait. Then, he tosses Elena in the room with Anna. Anna taunts her with information about practically dating Jeremy and how she really is Katherine’s doppleganger which most have the boys reeling. Elena asks Anna who she wants out of the tomb. She says only the idiot Salvatore brother would Katherine out. She wants her mom. She uses Elena’s phone to call Stefan for the spell book. Damon says he still doesn’t care. She leaves to meet the boys in a public place. Ben gives Elena water and she gives it to Bonnie who sets Ben on fire with the water. While he taunts the girls, Ben starts getting set on fire by the sun Stefan lets in with an open door and blinds. Anna comes back to the hotel to find Ben cowering in the shadows.

Stefan talks to Damon about Elena being missing. He begs him to tell him where she might be. He refuses. Stefan apologizes for being the reason why Katherine was taken from him. “Come on, Damon. It’s Elena.” “I mean this sincerely. I hope Elena dies.”

Tyler, Matt, Caroline, and Jeremy sit at the Grill talking about a party thrown by some dude who calls himself Duke. Caroline gives Matt a speech about how the right here and right now because he doesn’t think this is going to work out. She gives him an escape clause in case he wants out after kissing her.

Damon goes to the Bennet house and asks for Bonnie. Grams tells him to leave. He is no friend of theirs. She uses witchy powers to hurt Damon.

Jeremy stops Anna while she’s running to the boys. He invites her to the party. She gets kind of excited about it, but decides to go, because the party is out by the old church graveyard. Damon meets Anna at the park, plays up the loner vampire act, but then Anna threatens to kill Elena and he gives in.

Elena, Stefan, Bonnie, and Grams discuss working with Damon. It’s the only way to end everything. Giving him Katherine and destroying the other vampires with fire. Stefan doesn’t believe Damon will agree to work with them again. Elena thinks she knows what to do to convince him they really are working with him this time. She goes to him and tells him she’s not sorry. She tells him they’re on the same side. He asks her why he didn’t use his compulsion on her in Atlanta. They have something. An understanding. He doesn’t believe her. she takes off her necklace and tells him to compel her to find the truth. He doesn’t try. He puts her necklace back on. “I didn’t compel you in Atlanta because we were having fun. I wanted it to be real. I’m trusting you. Don’t make me regret it.”

The vampires, witches, and Elena work on bring Elena back. They open the tomb. Stefan runs off to get the gasoline and runs into Ben and Anna. Ben is going to make a main course of Jeremy if Stefan tries going after her. Stefan sets Ben on fire and goes after Anna. Damon pulls Elena to go in the tomb with him so they don’t lock him in. He wants leverage. Elena agrees to go with him. Elena starts panicking in the tomb with all the vampire corpses because she can only see what the flashlight shows her. then, she runs into Anna. Grams explains to Stefan that vampires can’t get out of the tomb, but Elena can. When Anna bites Elena and makes her scream, Stefan runs into the tombs knowing he can’t get out. Anna feeds Elena’s blood to her mother. Enough that she can move and talk again. Bonnie and Stefan explain they don’t know if Stefan can get out. Elena has Stefan go back for Damon so they can both come out when the Bennet’s get the spell up. Damon is mad and screaming about Katherine not being there. He throws the blood supply he had for against a wall. Elena lets Anna come out with her mom, because that’s all she wanted. Damon won’t leave with Stefan, but Elena comes back in begging him to come with her, he listens. They barely make it out as the Bennet’s lose their strength. Elena and Stefan go after Jeremy to make sure he’s okay. Then, Elena comforts Damon with a hug and an, “I’m sorry.” Stefan looks at them in jealousy. Bonnie is worried about Grams after the spell took a lot out of them. Jeremy says he doesn’t remember anything. When Elena leaves, Jeremy looks up vampires online. When Bonnie goes to check on Grams, she’s dead. Elena calls for an ambulance. Bonnie tries to fix it by looking up a spell.

Tyler asks Jeremy for drugs. Jeremy says he doesn’t party anymore and even if he did, he wouldn’t do it with him. Then, Anna comes up as Tyler walks away. While they’re walking around the graveyard, Anna and Jeremy talk about how he doesn’t really know what his scene is anymore. Anna tells Jeremy she’s leaving. They’re both bummed about it and they kiss. Anna turns and Ben hits Jeremy over the head.

Damon and Elena go to the woods and run into Matt and Caroline at the party Elena forgot about. Caroline holds Matt’s hand, Elena and Matt feel a little weird about it. Damon pulls her away from them and they watch in slight dismay. Caroline gives Matt another speech, explaining she grabbed his hand because she wanted to show off to Damon that she’s with the good guy now. She apologizes for not caring about his feelings or Elena in that moment. matt asks if they’re for real. She wants it to work, so she’s trying to be cool, open, and honest. He doesn’t want to mess it up either.

When Anna and her mother get to the hotel, Damon is waiting for them. He chokes Pearl, wanting to know why Anna gets the happy ending when she knew Katherine wasn’t in the tomb. Pearl explains the guard let her go, because he was obsessed with her and she promised to turn him. Last time Anna saw Katherine was 1984. She was in Chicago and knew were Damon was, but didn’t care. Damon goes back to the house. Elena calls Stefan to tell him she got to Bonnie’s and to ask about Damon. He says he’ll call her back.

In the final scene, a vampire is able to reach for the blood pouch and get enough to wake up and open the tomb with his bare hands. I’m surprised I didn’t see that coming. It should have been obvious when Damon threw the blood, but I didn’t see it coming. I’m also surprised I didn’t see it coming that Katherine wasn’t in the tomb.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 13 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 13

Another flashback. Katherine pretends to be a damsel in distress whose husband has been hurt. Then, she attacks the men who come to help her. Her “husband” is Damon. She’s showing him what it’s like to be a vampire, because he wants her to turn him. She goes to kiss him with her mouth covered in human blood. He hesitates, but then turns away.

Elena and Stefan wake up together all cutesy. Damon is sitting on the foot of the bed and interrupts their cutesy talk. He gets straight to business on planning with them. They start fooling around.

It flashes into a scene of Katherine and Damon fooling around. Emily comes in to let Katherine know someone is waiting for her. The “someone” must be Anna’s mom, or someone she calls “Momma” because she’s there.

Anna and Ben are in the hotel together. He asks why she chose him. Because he was a sad bartender who could be his eyes and ears.

Elena and Stefan talk about Damon. She feels sorry for him, believing everything he’s done, however sick and twisted, has been for love. Stefan explains every time he’s let his guard down, Damon has done something to make him regret it. Jeremy walks into the kitchen while they’re looking for the journal, Jeremy tells them he gave it to Alaric. He tells Stefan Damon killed his wife and disappeared with the body. Stefan tells him not to tell Damon why he’s there and offers to keep him safe.

Alaric is at the school reading the journal. Anna is there looking for the journal. This may not end well for her, what with Alaric being a wannabe Vampire Slayer. She draws him into the hallway so she can get the journal from his classroom. He knows it’s a vampire, so he gets a stake gun from his locker. When he gets to the classroom, it’s Stefan. Stefan takes the gun from him and says he won’t hurt him. Then, in a sign of faith, gives the gun back to him. He starts questioning him about who he is. He explains a vampire killed his wife. He tells him the journal is on the desk. It’s not. Anna took it.

She reads it and finds that Jonathon had a thing for her mom.

Stefan and Damon speak with their father about the founding anti-vampire team. What dad doesn’t know is Damon and Stefan already know about vampires.

Damon is in the kitchen chatting it up with Jenna about exes. Elena comes in. Damon flirts with Elena. Then, he asks if he can really trust his brother. She hesitates and says yes. He flashes over to her, not really believing it. He looks intently in her eyes, reading them, and she assumes he’s trying to compel her, so she reminds her she’s wearing vervain. He gets confused, “I’m not compelling you. I just want you to answer me. Honestly.” She answers of course. He talks to her about how there was a time when he would always trust Stefan. He asks if she understands why he wants to bring Katherine back. She understands that he would do anything for her. He sort of threatens her saying, “You can imagine what I would do if anyone got in my way.”

Dad and Katherine play croquet together. Stefan and Damon watch, talking about how he would stake her if he knew the truth. Stefan wants to tell him the truth, believing if he knew he’d keep her safe. Damon doesn’t believe he would.

Damon and Jeremy play video games in the living room and talk about Anna who is hot but weird according to Jeremy. Elena and Jenna talk about Damon in the kitchen and he listens. “He is ridiculously hot,” Jenna says and Damon smirks. “Shh,” Elena says, knowing he’s listening. “He’s an ass.” He rolls his eyes.

Stefan finally shows up and Elena and Damon both go to the door. He looks at them weird. “Well,” Damon asks. He tells them someone else got it and that it couldn’t be the teacher, because he knew where the teacher was. They go ask Jeremy who else knows about the journal, he’s weirded out that everyone is obsessed with it. He tells them Anna wants to meet him at the Grill and Damon jumps at the opportunity to drive him there. Damon sees Anna and immediately knows who she is. He flashes back to her.

Ben and Bonnie talk about her bond with Elena. “I’d die for her.” Bonnie calls Elena and Ben listens in. Elena makes the mistake of calling her a witch on the phone. Bonnie kisses Ben and discovers who he really is. She tries to leave, but he stops her.

Stefan shows Elena a copy of the journal they didn’t tell Damon about. While they read it, they find out his father was the one who protected it. “I’ll carry it with me to the grave.” Stefan flashes back to a conversation with his father. He asks him if they should really be so quick to judge the vampires. What if they aren’t as evil as everyone says they are? Dad talks about how vampires can control your mind and are of the darkest of evils. “Those who stand with them, who bring shame to their family’s names, will die with them.” Stefan tells Elena he knows where the spell book is. They go to his father’s grave and start digging it up. They both have reservations. Stefan asks Katherine about the necklace, assuming it’s from Damon, but of course it’s from Emily. She tells him not to be jealous of them. She’s spoiled and selfish and can make the rules through seduction and blood. When she bites him, she weakens with vervain he didn’t know his father fed him. The father comes in quickly and tells him he knew she was a vampire. They finally open the casket and do in fact find the spell book.

Damon waits in Anna’s hotel room for her and they both choke each other until they both give in. Anna tells Damon she’s been around forever, but quietly. Then, she shows him the journal and that his father had it the whole time. He asks him to help her, but he works alone. Damon shows up at the grave and finds Stefan and Elena there. Damon admits he never trusted Stefan and with tears in his eyes tells Elena she had him fooled. He flashes over to her and feeds her his blood, saying he won’t kill her, but turn her. It’s the one thing that gets Stefan to give him the spell book. Damon flashes back now and watches himself fight with his father over Katherine. Stefan flashes back to the same night moments later, believing it’s his fault. He put his faith in his father, even after promising he wouldn’t, and Damon put his faith in him. Right or wrong, Stefan knows he broke Damon’s trust in him.

Stefan goes downstairs to get aspirin for Elena after consuming Damon’s blood. He finds out Anna is there with Jeremy. He speeds upstairs to make sure Elena is okay, but she’s gone, out the window.

In Anna’s flashback, her mother, Pearl, tells her to go find Emily so they can try to get away from the vampire hunters. When she goes to speak with Jonathan, he has the vampire compass in his hand and it points to pearl. Having previously cared about her, he turns quickly and Anna, Stefan, and Emily watch as Anna’s mother is taken away.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 11 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 11

Stefan calls Elena begging her to let him explain the picture of Katherine. She doesn’t get it because she’s driving and about to be attacked by vampire. The vampire doesn’t attack. Instead he flees and Damon shows up to save the day. “Can you stand. Is anything broken?” She shakes her head. He tries to let her stand, but she can’t. He checks her eyes and she cries, “I look like her.” “What,” he asks as she passes out. I wonder if this is going to be the start of Damon and Elena romance. He’s slowly becoming more humane and seems to truly care for Elena, whether because she looks like Katherine or not, I’m not sure. Elena wakes up in a car next to Damon. When she asks where they are, he says Georgia. She begs him to stop the car because she can’t find her phone and no one knows where she is. She gets out and can barely stand. He flashes over to her before she falls over. She’s being her stubborn self and he sort of threatens to make her more agreeable. Stefan calls at that moment and he phone is in his pocket. He answers it when she doesn’t want to. When Stefan asks to talk to her, she still says no and Damon keeps talking to him. He tells her to just give her problems a break for a while. “Am I going to be safe with you? Will you promise not to use that mind control thing on me?” He says yes. She asks Damon about Katherine. They discuss vampire procreation not being possible, so Katherine would have had to have a kid before being turned. They also discuss the eating thing. As long as they keep blood in their systems, their bodies act normal. Then, she questions his nice act, wondering if any of it is real. Elena decides to start drinking. I do think this is going to lead to the Damon and Elena thing. She claims to have a high alcohol tolerance level. Except when Jenna calls, she’s definitely tipsy enough to fall.

Damon takes Elena to a bar owned by his lady friend, Bree who is a witch. She knows he’s come for help. He wants another tip on how to free Elena from the tomb since he doesn’t have the crystal. Some random dude comes in, the guy Bree called, and he takes Elena after she stumbles over outside. Damon freaks out and goes looking for her. This dude, a vampire, uses Elena as bate. Apparently, this vampire has a score to settle with Damon. He starts beating him up and pouring gasoline on him. Oh! The vampire is Lexi’s boyfriend. She starts asking him questions, knowing he’s the human. She begs him not to hurt Damon. He lights a match. “Lexi was good. And she loved you. That makes you good. Be better than him. Please.” He doesn’t set him on fire; he just throws him against a wall and runs off. Damon goes to kill Bree for sticking Lexi’s boyfriend on him. She tells him he can reverse the spell by getting her spell book. Elena asks Damon why he brought her with him. She’s not the worst company in the world. She was there in the car. He knew it would piss Stefan off. She reminds her she saved his life and not to forget it. They flirt a little.

What!? Vampire teacher may not be a vampire… he’s writing about how after years, he’s finally found and staked it. He flashes back to a memory of his wife. I guess now we’re going to get his story, or at least part of it. So, he really isn’t a vampire? Jeremy finds him searching his car in daylight for his ring.

At school, Stefan finds Bonnie to help him make sure Elena is okay. He powers aren’t working though. She can’t do it. she goes to see her grandma who says the only problem is fear in her mind. Bonnie goes back to the old church to face her fears and tries her powers again, but she’s still afraid. She hears someone or something. Then, she falls into a hall. She calls out to someone for help. Then, she turns around and sees that witch symbol. Stefan goes to check on Bonnie. Her grandma knows what he is and trusts him enough to keep Bonnie safe. He doesn’t know where she went, but she knows he does. Bonnie puts her ear to the wall and hears the souls. Stefan finds Bonnie in the middle of the night gets her out. October 1969. Stefan and Bonnie’s grandma know each other. They’re allies to the extent they protect their own first and foremost.

In the school library, Jeremy meets a new girl named Anna. Anna is homeschooled and starts talking about vampires and journals. Anna suggests they go watch vampire movies together as friends. Anna googles proof about vampires. She finds articles as far back as 1942 and there are regular “animal attacks” periodically every few years for 75 years.

Elena calls Jenna and lies about where she is. Then, Stefan calls and asks Elena to let him explain. She wants to know how she’s connected to Katherine. She doesn’t believe him when he says he doesn’t know. Damon listens into the conversation and races out to her when she hangs up, asking if she’s okay. She doesn’t believe he really cares.

Bree makes a phone call to someone, “You’ll never guess who walked into my bar.”

Elena goes straight to Stefan and says the one thing in her freaky world right now that she can’t handle is the lies. She wants to know who she is to him. He says she’s everything Katherine wasn’t. “When did you find that out? Before you kissed me? Before we slept together?” “Before I met you. The first day of school when we met it wasn’t for the first time. May 23, 2009. The day your parents’ car went of the bridge.” He heard the accident, all of it. He was fast getting there fast, but not fast enough. Her dad was still conscious but refused to let him help him until he helped Elena. When he went back to save her parents it was too late. When saw her face, he was worried it was her. So he started watching her to make she wasn’t Katherine. He got to know her and the more he knew her the more he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to know her. “It didn’t make sense to me. You were a Gilbert. She was a Pierce… You were adopted Elena.” He knows this because there’s no record of her mother ever being pregnant or being admitted into the hospital, even though her birth certificate says otherwise. He tells her he loves her. They kiss. Elena goes home and Jenna says she doesn’t set many rules for Elena because she trusts her and expects the truth from her. Elena turns the tables on her and asks about her adoption. Jenna explains they asked her not to say anything.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 12 – Recap and Reactions

Elena asks Stefan about the man in the road. He gives her vervain for herself, Jenna, Jeremy, and other friends. The pizza guy who shows up is in a black hoodie and is pretty obviously the vampire Elena hit.

Damon searches their library for the spell book. Damon taunts Stefan about having fun with Elena in Atlanta.

Jeremy gets an A for his essay, but the teacher tries to make sure Jeremy doesn’t actually believe in vampires.

Elena gives Caroline a vervain necklace and they talk about Matt. Elena tells Bonnie about her adoption.

Damon stops to talk to Bonnie at the Grill. He wants to start fresh. Bonnie threatens to kill Damon with fire. Ben, the bartender, comes to her defense.

The vampire calls and taunts Elena. Elena tells Stefan about it. He gives her the vampire compass.

Matt and Caroline flirt until he mentions he’s got a job as a busboy at the grill so he’s not going to the dance.

I wonder if Anna is a vampire or knows about vampires. She gets a bit defensive when Jeremy says he doesn’t believe in vampires. Oh, she is a vampire! She starts asking Jeremy about the journal and gets mad when he says he gave it to his teacher. She vamps up and the other vampire is in the hall. Apparently, they know Katherine too.

Elena asks Jenna about the adoption. “One night, your dad was about to leave the office when a sixteen year old girl showed up about to give birth. He helped her deliver, gave her a place to stay, and a few days later she disappeared with her. They were trying so hard to have a baby, but it just wasn’t happening. They kept it quiet, told as few people as possible, and put their names on the certificate in case anyone asked for proof.” Her mother’s name was Isabelle.

In the Parlor, Stefan brings dad’s journal to Damon. He assumes he’s looking for it to look for a way to release Katherine. Stefan offers to help Damon, but only to get Katherine out of the tomb, not the other twenty-six vampires.

While Elena is getting ready for the dance, her vampire compass starts freaking out. When she notices, she calls Stefan. He doesn’t answer, but Damon answers. Damon tells her Stefan is on his way to her, she immediately lets her guard down, assuming he’s already there. She’s wrong. He attacks. He was invited in. Damon comes to the house and they discuss how he got in. He posed as the pizza guy. She trusts both of them enough to agree to be bait at the dance so they can take him down. At the dance, she stays pretty much between both of them.

Alaric spots Damon with Elena and very clearly has a look of vengeance run through him. He talks with Jenna about his wife and stares at Damon. Alaric introduces himself to Damon, asking questions about his life. Damon gets suspicious. I wonder if he thinks the teacher is the vampire.

At the dance, Bonnie and Caroline asks why Damon is there. She lies, since Caroline is there, saying if she’s going to be with Stefan, then she has to learn to tolerate Damon. Damon asks Bonnie and Caroline to dance and they walk off. Then, he asks Elena. “I would love to,” and turns to Stefan. “May I have this dance?” That’s so mean and hilarious!

Elena and Stefan dance. She begs him to show her some authentic 50’s dance moves. He refuses. After a few dances, she turns to walk away, but then he shows her a few moves before saying he’s never doing it again.

The vampire pizza guy is at the dance.

Anna shows up at the dance to talk with Jeremy.

Caroline and Bonnie go to the Grill. Bonnie wants to sit at the bar with Ben. Matt overhears Caroline telling her she could do so much better. Caroline wants to talk to Matt. Bonnie goes up to talk with Ben. She asks him out. When Caroline talks to Matt, he tells her she heard the comment she made about washed up jocks working at the bar. Caroline admits she knows she messes up and is kind of horrible, but she’s working on it. He tells her he doesn’t know if he’s over Elena yet, but he’s not ready to try for more with her. She says it’s too late. He’s already taken the next step in his head, ruined it, and now this only good thing in Matt’s life is over. He chases after her in his truck then kisses her. “This’ll never work.” Then, they kiss again.

Elena spots the guy in the hoodie. When Stefan goes after him, it’s not him. He calls Elena and threatens Jeremy if Elena doesn’t leave the gym and go to the hallway. Of course, she does what he says and he chases her, abusing her. She grabs a couple pencils and tries to stake him but misses his heart. Stefan and Damon come to save her and stabs him with a broken broomstick. They torture any information out of him and when he refuses to say who he’s working with, they stake him. He has to die because he’s been invited in and there’s no getting out of that. He does tell them the answer to getting Katherine out of her tomb is in Jonathan Gilbert’s journal. He also tells them he’s torturing Elena because she looks like Katherine. They weren’t the only one’s she played with. Damon agrees to let Stefan help him.

Damon runs into Alaric in the hallway. He tries to compel him, and he acts like it works, but he has vervain in his hands.

Alaric walks Jenna home and mentions his wife’s name is Isabelle and that she’s from Virginia. Jenna immediately assumes it’s Elena’s birth mom.

At home, Elena tells Stefan she feels good after fighting back. Stefan tells Elena he told Damon he’d help, but lied about it. He was worried about telling her, because of her recent bonding with Damon.

Oh snap! Ben is a vampire too and he’s got a thing with Anna. He’s trying to seduce Bonnie because she’s a witch and Anna just wants to get to the journal.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 10 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 10

Jenna argues that she won’t invite Logan in. He tries to persuade her by implying she has no self-control. With no other choice, he walks away, then he attacks a stray runner. The sheriff shows up and tells Damon about Logan’s attack. Damon uses Caroline to track the new vampire. When he finds where he’s staying, Logan shoots Damon several times. Logan blames Damon for turning him, but it couldn’t have been Damon, because he didn’t give him blood. Logan has a pile of people. Logan tells Damon the founding fathers past down journals to their children.

In the last episode, Jeremy found an old journal and starts reading it. He finds some sketches and gets his own sketchbook out again. Elena and Jenna are surprised by impressed. Jeremey shows Jenna his new sketches and mentions the guy who wrote the journal, someone from the original gilbert family. He wrote and drew about monsters, vampires, and werewolves. He just assumes he’s crazy or drunk, but Jenna says he was a fiction author, but he is a gilbert, so he was probably a little bit of crazy and drunk too.

Stefan and Damon discuss where they might be going now. Both Damon, and Stefan who is secretly looking, are both shocked. After talking to Damon, Stefan knows he can’t leave now. So, he goes to the school and tells Elena, because he promised her the truth.

At school, Elena notices Matt and Caroline together. Bonnie says Caroline needs a nice guy after a psychopath vampire like Damon. Elena doesn’t disagree.  Elena and Matt talk about Stefan and Caroline. Then, Stefan shows up. He’s there to watch out for her. He wanted to be a doctor, but then he turned into a vampire. They discuss how he always leaves. He starts asking about her future and she doesn’t want to talk about it because he won’t be in it. Later, she offers him a ride home, even though she knows he can get home himself. She tells him she wanted to be a writer because of her mom, but not she can’t see herself as one. She talks about how she already had bad crap in her life before him. It’s different, but it’s no less painful with him. He swears he’s doing it for her. She calls him out. “No! You don’t get to make that decision for me. If you walk away, you’re doing it for you, because I know what I want. Stefan, I love you.” Pained brooding look from the vampire and then a passionate kiss shared between star-crossed lovers. They take their kissing inside. He starts to turn and looks away. She tells him not to hide from her. And like every cliché vampire-human love story, she touches his vamp face, then kisses him, and the dark brooding looks turns to brooding disbelief. Things get super sensual and they sleep together. They talk about his room and how it’s the one thing in his life that has stayed constant. He gets up to get her a drink, so she starts looking around. Oh! I bet she’s going to find the picture of Katherine! Ooh… and she does! When she does, she leaves. Stefan comes back to find Elena’s vervain necklace with the picture of Katherine. She drives away trying not to cry. She gets into a car accident after hitting a vampire in the middle of the road. Of course, the last moment is of her screaming.

Jenna shows up while Stefan and Elena are talking. She’s trying to hide from Logan. Stefan, who knows Logan is supposed to be dead, freaks out. He threatens Stefan saying he’s quite the celebrity in their town and he can expose them. Naturally, Elena understands immediately that Logan isn’t normal anymore. Logan runs into the sheriff and threatens her. Then, he lures Caroline into his car and snaps her neck. Stefan and Elena find out she went with him from asking Matt. Stefan and Damon stop the car. Stefan takes Caroline home and likely gives her his blood to survive. Damon is supposed to kill Logan, but Logan says all the right things. He wants to get into the tomb under the church too. He claims he does actually know who turned him. He’ll tell Damon at the church. The vampire teacher shows up to see and threaten Logan. Logan doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. Vampire Teacher stakes him.

Tyler and Jeremy get in a fight. The mayor, Tyler’s dad, takes them outside and orders them to fight. Then, the teacher comes outside and threatens him to stop. Jeremy tries to befriend Tyler after seeing what his dad is like, but Tyler won’t have it.

Matt defends himself to Tyler about Caroline and admits he likes her.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 9 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 9

While she’s in math class, someone named Emily draws Bonnie from class and asks for help. Then she wakes up in the same class and it’s nightmare only to wake up in the woods again after seeing Emily in class. Emily says they’re family. Bonnie rushes into class slightly unhinged explaining the dream. At lunch, Bonnie explains everything to Elena and asks if she believes in ghosts, “Two weeks ago I would have said no, but now…” Bonnie thinks Elena, her great, great grandmother who originally owned the talisman is haunting her.

Caroline walks past Matt who acts like nothing happened between them. She goes off on him after the second “hey.” He explains he left because he heard her mom and didn’t want to get her in trouble.

In history class, the students get a new teacher. I have a feeling he’s going to play an important role in what’s to come. He tells Jeremy about a “jackass file” the old teacher had, mostly it was him. He offers an extra credit project to catch him up. Jeremy notices a ring he’s wearing! He says it’s a family ring. Ha! It’s gotta be like the Salvatore rings. Jenna and Jeremy have dinner at the Grill and see the new teacher. She’s interested, but not. At the Grill, the teacher and Jenna flirt. She shares her story about Logan. He shares his story about a young marriage and early death. Yup! Definitely a vampire! He doesn’t come into the house without an invitation. When she does she won’t invite him, he leaves.

Damon wakes Stefan up and offers coffee. They banter as usual. Stefan shows up at school and explains he didn’t kill his brother because of her and that he won’t be coming to school anymore, putting distance between them. She’s mad, he’s glad. It’s easier if she hates him.

Damon comes to the school and threatens Bonnie after explaining he knows she’s a witch, he knows about the dreams/haunting of Emily, and that apparently he and Emily had some kind of a deal. Maybe she gave him the crystal? Time will tell. She tells Elena and Elena tells her to stay away from him and to stay with her tonight. She gets out of the car and throws her medallion out into a field. Caroline goes to Elena’s house for a girl’s night too. Bonnie tells Caroline she tossed the necklace and Elena confirms it, but Caroline finds it in Bonnie’s bag after being given permission to look through it. Bonnie tells her she’s a witch, but Caroline doesn’t listen at first. She says she doesn’t believe in that stuff, but if Bonnie does then she will too. Then, they summon Emily who freaks them out and takes the necklace. Emily walks through the house and leaves the medallion on the ground to trap Bonnie. Emily messes with the lights, seems to be torturing Bonnie in the bathroom she’s trapped in. Then, all of a sudden, she says she’s fine. I’m pretty sure Emily must have possessed her. Oh, and she did! It’s her reflection in the mirror, not Bonnie’s!

Elena tells Stefan about Damon’s threat. The medallion belonged to Katherine. Emily, her handmaid and witch, gave it to her. Stefan finds Damon at the Grill. They play darts and Damon asks what Stefan’s game is. Stefan laughs because he’s been asking him the same thing for months. They go to the football field and play football together. He knows he’s trying to get something from him. Stefan talks about how their love for Katherine wasn’t real. They were compelled to love her. Damon always thought he was the last to see her, but Stefan tells him it was really him. Damon confesses he wants the crystal because he’s going to try to bring Katherine back. Damon begged Emily to save Katherine. She did. She trapped her in a grave or something under the church. The downfall was that it only worked with the comet, so to free her from the grave, she’d have to wait until the next comet. 150 years later. That’s why Emily is haunting Bonnie. She doesn’t want to keep her end of the bargain. Damon preserves Emily’s lineage for her saving Katherine. When she doesn’t answer, Elena knows it’s Bonnie. Elena calls Stefan and Damon listens to the call. They know she’s going to the church. Emily uses her powers to keep Damon from following her. He gets almost staked by a tree. Stefan lets him down. Emily explains in order to save Katherine, she had to save all the vampires in the church. That’s why she won’t keep her end of the bargain. She can’t bring all those vampires back. Damon attacks Bonnie’s body. Stefan saves her by feeding her his blood, because she’s only barely alive. Damon tells Stefan Katherine never compelled him. He knew every step of the way. For him it was real. And now he’s going to leave. Bonnie keeps asking questions. Elena tells her she’ll explain everything. Stefan doesn’t argue. She tells him she can do this. She doesn’t have to stay away from him, but he can’t. He has to leave. It was a mistake for him to come home. She begs him not to walk away. He does. through tears, Elena tells Bonnie everything, even that he’s leaving.

After Caroline goes home, Matt comes by her room. He confesses it creeped him out that they cuddled, because he’s never liked her, but it felt nice. He wanted her to know he stayed because he felt bad for her, because he knows how it feels to feel alone. He spends the night with her again.

Oh, snap! Logan isn’t dead! He’s a vampire now! He shows up at the Gilbert house and asks, “Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”

TVD: Season 1 Episode 8 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 8

Creepy vibes. A woman laughing. Stefan sitting in his room or parlor and starting to freak out a little. At first, he thinks it’s Damon, but then he’s jumped. It’s some girl named Lexi who’s come to wish him a happy birthday. Lexi tries to encourage Stefan to leave, but he explains he’s there for Elena. He’s 162 years old.

The sheriff questions Elena, Jeremy, Matt, and Stefan about Vicki and her whereabouts. They all seem to give the same story, but the sheriff seems to suspect vampires. After the questioning, Elena asks Stefan to stay away from her because people get hurt around him.

Damon tries seducing Lexi, but Lexi is only there for Stefan. When he doesn’t give it a rest, she chokes him and reminds him she’s older and therefore stronger than they are.

Damon takes the vervain to the sheriff and asks questions about their plans. She says they’re now looking at anyone new to town since the deaths began. He offers any help he can provide.

Bonnie shows up at Elena’s house and she asks why Elena is so down in the dumps. “Stefan and I broke up.” Bonnie apologizes for being MIA. When Elena asks Bonnie to take her mind off it, she sort of makes it worse by sort of better on accident. She shows Elena her witch powers which only adds to the supernatural secrets Elena has to keep. She’s amazed by the witch powers—making down pillow feathers float around the room. She asks why she told her if her grandma asked her not to. “I can’t keep a secret from my best friend.” Of course, that makes Elena feel guilty.

Damon compels Caroline to throw a party at the Grill and to get the crystal back. Damon tells Stefan and Lexi to come and she tries to convince him to go. While she’s drinking human blood, but donated human blood. While they’re getting ready for the party, Elena shows up and Lexi starts to freak out about her looking like Katherine. Elena leaves. Lexi makes him explain why her. He explains she’s basically the opposite of Katherine except in looks. “When I’m around her I completely forget what I am.” He confesses he’s in love with her. She draws the parallel that they must be related. Stefan claims he doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t to draw the connection to them.

Lexi shows up at the party by herself and tells Damon Stefan said he’d be by later. He shows up at Elena’s to check on her. She mentions “the girl in the towel” and he explains she’s his oldest friend—350 years old. Elena feels uncomfortable knowing she’s a vampire. She needs to talk to someone, but the only one she can talk to is him. He promises always to be there for her. She thanks him for coming by and he starts to leave, but then turns around, asks if she needs a ride to the party, and tells her it’s his birthday. She says she’s going to stay in tonight. Part of me believes her, but the other part doesn’t.

Caroline asks for the necklace back and Bonnie says she can’t give it back. She works out that Damon is the one who really wants it back.

Stefan apologizes to Matt, explaining he “went through something similar once.” He understands. He realizes his mom is just like their mother. Unreliable and always leaving.

Damon emotionally abuses Caroline, again. Calling her stupid, useless, and shallow. All because she can’t get his crystal back and because he’s confused about why people can’t touch it. Then, he goes out and attacks someone. When the sheriff shows up she asks the girl what happened. Seems like she’s probably going to feed them a Damon induced lie.

Elena does show up and jealously watches Stefan and Lexi shoot pool together. Damon comes up to her and asks what it’s like to be so righteous. She says it flares up around psychopaths. Then, she asks him what he did to her brother because he’s so different. He says he took away his suffering. I wonder if he fed her his blood like with Vicki. Lexi “buys” drinks for her and Stefan, then sees Elena and buys one for her. She tells Elena that the love of her life was human and he went through similar emotions Elena’s going through. She encourages her not to let him go, because it’s real and when it’s real, you can’t let it go. Elena says it was really nice meeting her. After a moment, Elena goes up to Stefan.

Caroline gets hammered and asks Matt if she’s shallow. He asks if it’s a trick question. She says she doesn’t want to be. She wants to be deep. Abyss deep. Then, she asks him to take her home. Her mom is outside and asks if she’s been drinking.

Lexi goes to ask Damon why he’s really in Mystic Falls. He says he has a diabolical plan and that he can’t tell her. The sheriff comes in with the girl and asks her if she sees anyone who attacked them. She I.D.’s Lexi who Damon then stakes. She asks why and he explains it’s part of the plan. Throwing the police of his trail now that he’s decided to stay in town.

At her house, Caroline asks Matt if he ever feels like there’s no one in the word who loves him. He agrees life can be rough. Then, he gets up to leave and she asks him not to leave. He climbs into bed with her and holds her. I bet they’re going to be a thing.

Stefan plans to kill Damon and Elena tries to stop him. She’s worried about what this will do to him. She begs him to talk to her and let her be there for him. He says she was right to stay away from him. They fight and she stakes him in the gut, “You saved my life. I’m sparing yours. Now we’re done.”

Bonnie has a nightmare or something about her running through the woods and someone saying, “It’s coming.”

TVD: Season 1 Episode 7 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 7

Vicki is still being looked for and she shows up in Tyler’s car. She’s afraid. She tells him how hungry she is; how she can’t control it. Then, she attacks him. Stefan and Damon show up just in time. Damon compels Tyler to believe he didn’t see any of them. Is this going to be what slowly brings him to humanity?

Elena wakes up quietly freaked out. She tells Jeremy he should go to school and wait for a call.

Damon and Stefan are playing the angel and devil on Vicki’s shoulders to help her decide who/what to feed from. “We choose our own path. Our values and our actions define who we are,” Stefan says. Damon decides to leave, while he walks away Elena rings the doorbell looking for Stefan. She calls Damon arrogant and glib, he calls her brave and stupid; and she calls him out. “If you wanted me dead, I’d be dead. I’m not.” She asks Stefan about Vicki. He explains that it may take longer for her since she’s a drug addict.

At the Grill, the Mayor and his wife talk about the vampires, how Logan let them get the compass, and how they should be worried that he apparently knows the town history. Damon is sitting there listening.

Stefan explains to Vicki she’ll have to live with the urge to drink human blood and that he isn’t proud of having drank it in the past. Elena makes a face that says she’s trying not to freak out about him drinking human blood. He also tells Vicki caffeine keeps them from being too cold to touch. Stefan leaves Elena to watch Vicki while he gets her more animal blood. She tells her she doesn’t want Jeremy apart of this. Vicki chokes her and threatens her, she strung her brother along for 15 years and then dumped him; that’s all she sees in her. Stefan agrees that Vicki shouldn’t see Jeremy.

Vicki asks Damon why he did it. He says he was bored. “One of the pitfalls of eternal life.” He and Stefan show her the perks of being a vampire. Speed. When she tries, she shows up home, but finds she can’t go in without an invitation. Matt is there and says the right words to get her inside. He gets mad about her “drug trip.” She starts complaining about her headache. Then, Stefan shows up and asks to come in, she says don’t let him in, so Matt tells him to leave.

Elena tries again to encourage Jeremy to let Vicki go so she can heal. He explains Vicki has been for him what Stefan has been for her—a bright spot in the darkness. She texts him, saying she’ll be at the high school party.

At the Grill, Damon tries to compel the Mayor’s wife, but she’s wearing vervain in her bracelet. They flirt with each other. She tells him about the counsel and asks for more vervain.

At the Halloween party, Matt tells Elena Vicki is there dressed as a vampire. She’s trying to fight her urge, but she’s starting to lose it. Stefan gets there and drags her to a classroom. Vicki tries to get Matt to believe Stefan won’t leave her alone. Elena tries to assure Matt everything is ok. Matt tries to fight, but Stefan urges him to believe he’s trying to help her.

Damon tries to take the jewel form Bonnie who is wearing it a part of her witch costumer per Caroline’s request. She burns him.

Vicki asks Jeremy to leave with her. She bites his lip while they’re making out and she tastes his blood. He sees her vamp up and watches her use her super strength on Elena and Stefan. Stefan stakes Vicki after she feeds from Elena. She cries over Vicki’s body after telling Stefan to take Jeremy away. Stefan calls Damon for help with the corpse. When he shows up, Elena starts hitting at him, accusing him of caring when he says he doesn’t. He warns her that she needs to leave. “Your wounds are bleeding and you need to leave.” She does leave, blames the blood on an “idiot with fake blood” when Matt asks about it, and lies about not knowing where Vicki is. After walking away, she starts crying in the car. She doesn’t want to lie. She doesn’t want to be a part of any of this.

At home, Stefan is waiting for Elena and Jeremy is in his room crying. She goes to comfort him. Asking if she understands what happened. He knows what he saw, but he doesn’t understand. Stefan sits outside listening to the emotional battle. “Why does everyone have to die on me,” Jeremy asks. Elena goes to check on Stefan and asks him to make Jeremy forget. Stefan explains he can’t do it right because of how he lives. Damon shows up and says he can do it. He just asks what she wants him to believe. “She left town. She’s not coming back. He shouldn’t look for her or worry about him. It’s going to hurt, but he’ll move on.” When Damon goes inside, she tells Stefan she wants to forget everything, but she can’t. She can’t forget how she feels about him.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 6 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 6

Flash back to 1864 when Stefan is either human or barely not human. It’s the first official sight of Katherine.

“What are you? What are you?” Elena demands. “You know,” he tells her. “You wouldn’t be here if didn’t… Everything you know. Everything you believe is about to change. Are you ready for that? …I’m a vampire.” She says she’s shouldn’t have come. Then she freaks out and tries to leave. He flashes in front of her, begging her to let him explain. She leaves and he lets her, but then shows up in her room while she’s on the verge of a full-blown panic attack—aka the only sensible reaction to finding out your boyfriend is a vampire that I’ve ever seen! Ha, ha. She tries to run from him, but he stops her from opening the door. He begs her to let him explain, that he’d never hurt her, that it’s been Damon attacking people. She says that if he really won’t hurt her, then he’ll leave. She literally begs him.

Damon eats the stoners but leaves Vicki alive. While burning the corpses, he calls Stefan, begging for his ring. He waits outside her house for a while desperately wanting her to let him in.

Elena asks Stefan to meet her in daylight at a coffee shop so she can separate fact from fiction. Mirrors are myth. He can eat garlic. Crucifixes are decorations. Survives the sun because of the rings. The mind manipulation. He asks for the day so he can explain everything to her before she makes a decision.

Damon takes Vicki home and leaves her on the couch. He drinks, begs Stefan for his ring because he’s bored, and then appears to turn Vicki into a vampire.

Stefan takes Elena to the middle of the woods where his home used to be. It’s now in ruins. She notices how old it looks and asks how long he’s been… He’s been 17 since 1864. “OMG…” “You said you wanted to know. I’m not going to hold anything back.”

Damon and Stefan used to be best friends until Katherine came into the picture. While they’re playing the new game of football, Katherine asks to join in, takes the ball and runs away, begging him to chase her. Damon was in the confederacy but left right before the founder’s ball. The conniving and manipulative Katherine pits the boys against each other. While fooling around with each other, Stefan says he’ll love her forever, she says forever is very long time, he says not long enough, and she vamps up and bites him. Then, persuades him never to tell anyone. She does the same with Damon. She wants to be with both of them forever.

Stefan hid Damon’s ring at the ruins of their old home. He explains to Elena that if doesn’t give it back, then Damon will retaliate in the only way he knows how to hurt him, by attacking her.

At the estate, Vicki and Damon are partying. She’s going on about being over Tyler and being into Jeremy, because he’s always seen something more in her. She asks why he doesn’t have a girlfriend because he’s hot. He does the cocky, I know thing. Then, says, “I’ve been in love, it’s painful, pointless, and overrated.” They spend the next while just dancing around the house. They trash someone’s bedroom, probably Stefan’s, maybe his. She pours her heart out to him, and he decides to “help” her. Then, he kills her by snapping her neck. When she finally wakes up, she’s dead and a vampire. At first, he tries to persuade her to let him go with her, because she doesn’t believe it. He warns her she’s about to go crazy. Then, he lets her go, telling her to go to the Gilbert’s house. She does and that’s where she starts to freak out. He head is killing her, the sun bothered her, and she’s got the major munchies.

Elena asks if Stefan’s ever used the persuasion power on her. He explains the necklace and tells her to keep it on so she always knows she’s free to make her own decision.

Jeremy calls Matt to come over. She freaks out about the quiet speaking being too loud and her mouth hurting where he fangs will be coming in. They become mesmerized by the TV. Then Elena and Stefan show up. He explains what’s going on and that if she doesn’t choose to feed, once she remembers what’s going on, then she’ll die. Elena freaks out again realizing Stefan had to make the choice. Upstairs, she almost bites Jeremy but fights it and runs away. Stefan informs Elena that he can track Vicki. Without hesitation, she tells him to go after her. She tries to keep calm and convince herself and Jeremy that everything will be okay. While they’re talking, there’s a ring at the door. It’s Damon. She tries to block him from coming in, but he overpowers her. She orders Jeremey to go upstairs. He takes note of her fear, knows Stefan’s told her the truth. He claims he’s just looking for Stefan. He claims Vicki is going to thank him some day and she asks if he thanked Katherine.

Stefan finally finds Vicki in the wounds. She’s starting to remember everything. She asks what happens if she doesn’t feed. “It’ll all just be over.” She wants to know if she’ll be better, he doesn’t answer. She asks him to take her home. And that’s when reporter boy comes in after tracking the vamps. He shoots Stefan with a wooden bullet which hurts, but doesn’t kill him. Damon shows up just in time and attacks the guy. “If anyone’s gonna kill you; it’s gonna be me.” Then, Vicki, not necessarily by choice, feeds off reporter boy and officially changes.

Elena waits on her porch for Stefan. She worries about his injury. Then, Stefan tells her he tried to stop her, but he couldn’t. He is going to do everything he can to show her she can live on animal blood. Elena gave him the day, believes he won’t hurt her, and promises to keep his secret, but officially breaks up with him. Then, she goes inside and breaks down crying. It’s heartbreaking and I want to hurt for her, but mostly I’m just really pleased that her reaction to everything is so sensible. She hurts so much to say she can’t be with him, he’s the only thing that has helped her feel more than sadness since her parents’ death, but right now she can’t be with him. Eventually she will be, I know. You don’t get to eight seasons and a five season spinoff without the original romance lasting at least a while, but still. It’s not happening just yet. I hope it takes a while for her to give in to her love, or lust or whatever, for him. This thing needs to continue to be sensible! As is, just for her reaction to him being a vampire, it is the superior vampire drama.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 5 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 5

Stefan leaves Damon in the basement with the vervain. His plan is to leave him weak and let him go without blood until he mummifies and becomes a living corpse. So far, his plan is working. Elena worries about Stefan’s secrets and lies after disappearing for three days.

Caroline tells Bonnie that she has a bunch of gaps in her memory and that for all she knows she let him bite her. When Stefan shows up at school, Elena is shocked and Caroline asks when Damon will be back. Stefan says in his dark and mysterious manner that Damon won’t be coming back.

At the bar, Elena shoots pool with Matt and talks boy problems with him because they were best friends before dating. Stefan shows up an hour late and still refusing to give Elena any kind of answer. While there, an older man recognizes Stefan who freaks out and asks Elena to leave with him. She refuses and walks away.

Stefan shows up at Elena’s to make her dinner and says that if she’s going to break up with him, then she needs to know him. He starts with information about Katherine then proceeds with random facts about himself. She offers to take over slicing the cheese for their dinner. I bet she’s gonna cut herself. Oh, and she does! He gets her blood on his hand, turns vamp, she sees it in the mirror reflection, and… he manages to change back before she makes him turn around. Dang it! I want to know her reaction when she finds his secret!

Oh, snap! Damon has a power to call people without being with them? Is it the crow? He calls Caroline’s name and after a few calls, she hears him and the crow appears. She freaks out a bit, but tries to calm herself.

He taunts Stefan about how the only thing to get between him and Elena now is the truth. He just walks away.

At the “sexy suds” car washing event, one of the cheerleaders is very rude and Bonnie makes the water attack her.

While washing a car together, Elena starts questioning Stefan about his ring. It’s a family crest for the Italian renaissance. She suggests he take it off for protection and he tries to keep his cool while denying it.

Okay, so now Damon projects himself into the presence of Caroline?

The older man shows up at the car wash. Elena asks him about why he thought Stefan was the same guy from a while back. He explains he thought he saw him in early June 1953. He was passing through to see his uncle Joseph who was killed in an animal attack at the same time. He knows Stefan because of his ring and his brother. Elena asks her aunt Jenna’s sort of boyfriend for help finding info on the incident the old man mentioned.

Ooh, the summoning is working. Caroline is at the Salvatore estate and she’s about to let Damon out of his cage in the basement… Zach gets to the basement just in time to keep Caroline from completely opening the door, but she opens it enough for Damon to break free. Sapped of his power, he’s not strong enough to fight both of them, so she’s able to escape.

Bonnie tries to dry water from the ground with her powers, but accidently sets the street on fire instead. Then she finds herself in a trance that Stefan is able to break her from. Only he notices, because like her, he’s supernatural. She goes to her grandma for help and answers.

Matt, for Elena’s sake, warns Stefan that she’s big on trust, so the more he tries to hide something, the more likely she’ll be to push for more information until she finds her answers.

At the house, Jenna’s boyfriend and news reporter sneaks through Jeremy’s room and finds the Gilbert watch and takes it.

Elena tries to convince herself through her diary that she doesn’t believe in anything. She believes in birth, life, and death. But, she’s finally starting to understand who or what Damon is. Un-aging men. Men who don’t get hurt and change unexpectedly. Women bitten on the neck. People drained of blood. Vicki calling it what it is… a vampire. She knows, but she doesn’t want to believe it.

Damon shows up in the graveyard to attack Vicki. Stefan finds Zach dead and Damon escaped, so he gets a stake and plans to attack Damon, but is stopped when he finds Elena at the door as he opens it. “What are you?” Yes! Finally! Ugh, but I’m supposed to be going to bed… Guess not yet! Haha

TVD: Season 1 Episode 4 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 4

Elena wakes up to freaky noises and shadow movements. I’m sure it’s Damon, but who knows. The lights won’t come on, but the TV does, saying Elena Gilbert has been the most recent attack. Damon shows up and attacks her. The next scene has Stefan waking up from a nightmare that has apparently been induced by Damon. Stefan attacks him with a knife, but of course, Damon is fine. After explaining he plans to stay a while, Damon retaliates and stabs Stefan with the knife.

Stefan shows up at Elena’s house and they start making out in her room. When his lust turns to blood lust, Stefan pulls away and waits for his face to go back to normal. Elena invites him to go to the Founder’s Day party with him. He agrees and explains the Salvatore’s don’t get invited anymore. I’m assuming because they probably caused all the attacks back in the day. But, we shall see.

Caroline tries to say Damon can’t go with her to the party, but he persuades her to let him go. Then, he comments, “What’s so special about this Bella girl? Edward is so whipped.” She says he needs to start from the first book. I laughed because it’s hilarious. The evil vampire reading Twilight. Uh, oh. Caroline knows he’s a vampire and doesn’t care, I guess because of the persuasion thing. He asks if he’s going to kill her; he says he will, but not yet, because he needs her for something—digging into someone’s life. He explains becoming a vampire means getting bitten, drinking a vampire’s blood, dying, and then attacking another human.

At the Salvatore estate, Damon attacks Zach for questioning him. Stefan walks in and starts to plot with Zach who says Vervain can help him stop him. Damon made sure vervain hasn’t been grown in Mystic Falls since the 1800’s. Zach shows Stefan a secret garden deep in the depths of his basement because he trusts him.

Caroline shares information with Bonnie about Stefan saying Damon told her not to tell. Perhaps he did, but I’d believe it more likely he planted the info on Caroline to tell Bonnie so Elena would inevitably find out. Allegedly, Katherine picked Damon and that drove Stefan mad so that he manipulated her, filled her head with lies, and turned her against Damon. It’s possible Stefan did do that, but it’s just as possible that story is more about Damon.

Stefan and Damon were at the first Founder’s Day Party and go through the motions of a brotherly banter. Stefan took Katherine to the first Founder’s Day Party. He took her home, kissed her cheek, and said good night. Then, went inside to Damon. Maybe it is true? Maybe Stefan did go crazy? Maybe this is another case of dark, brooding vampire trying to make up for his past mistakes.

At the party, Damon does seem a bit jealous of a kiss on the cheek shared between Elena and Stefan. At the party, the original guest list is hanging on the wall with Damon and Stefan’s names on it. Another clue for Elena’s growing suspicions. Caroline asks Stefan to dance, likely per Damon’s orders, which leaves Damon and Elena alone to discuss family history. They play off the names on the list being “the original Salvatore brothers.” Damon shares a history lesson with Elena. A church of civilians was attacked by confederate soldiers during the civil war. Damon says the civilians weren’t there on accident. They were there because they were Union sympathizers who the confederates wanted rounded up and burned alive. “Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much inside that church. When they went to rescue them, they were shot. Murdered in cold blood…” A woman who they loved was in the church. He gives her the smolder and she says she doesn’t want to get between them.

A candle on Bonnie’s table goes out and she lights it again with her mind. Freaked out, she quickly blows it back out.

While Stefan and Elena dance, Caroline comments about how cute they look. Damon snaps at her to stop talking.

Stefan apologizes for if Damon drove her crazy while they were together. She tells him he was on his best behavior, apologized about his past, and explained his behavior all goes back to Katherine. She asks him to talk about Katherine and he gets defensive. She says she wants him to open up, he assumes this is because of something Damon said. She denies it and asks him to say anything about himself. Anything at all, but he won’t. He thinks it’s Damon’s fault; but it’s sort of because Bonnie mentioned she doesn’t know him at all.

While with Caroline upstairs, Damon finds a very important crystal he apparently hid upstairs a long time ago, probably 145 years ago.

When Tyler’s mom, the mayor’s wife notices all the candles are out, she rudely tells the staff to light them. When she and the staff are gone, Bonnie lights the candles with her mind.

In the bathroom, Caroline and Elena run into each other in the bathroom. She notices the bite mark on Caroline’s neck and finds another on her shoulder. She immediately suspects Damon who Caroline swears didn’t do it. Elena storms outside and threatens Damon if he doesn’t stay away from Caroline, whose mother is the sheriff. She finds Stefan and apologizes for listening to Damon, telling him he’s left bruises and bite marks all over her and that he’s got her “all messed up in the head.” When Stefan doesn’t react, she gets upset and says he should be calling the police on him. He asks her to trust him, saying there are things she can’t understand, and he wants to tell her but can’t. She tells him trust is earned, not just handed over. Damon gets pissed off and drags Caroline away from the party. She swears she didn’t say anything except that he doesn’t mean to hurt her. He calms down a bit, but still bites her, saying he’s done with her. Then, he starts to weaken, because Stefan spiked Caroline’s drink, knowing he would drink from her. Then, he takes him and locks him the secret garden. Caroline finds the crystal on the ground when she wakes up.

The final scene is of the mayor, sheriff, and other important people who need special artifacts from various founding families to keep the vampires away.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 3 – Recap and Reactions

Season 1 Episode 3

Caroline wakes up with Damon still in her bed. She finds her neck wound and tries to sneak away from him. Of course, she doesn’t succeed. He acts cool, but when she starts throwing things at him, he moves to attack her again.

When Matt and Tyler see Elena and Stefan walking together, Tyler throws a football at the back of Stefan’s head. Of course, Stefan turns around and catches it before it hits him. Then throws it back to Tyler with an impressive pass. Elena tries to convince him to join the team. At first, he refuses but then asks the coach for a try out, while Elena gets back to her first cheer practice because “can’t be sad girl forever.”

Caroline and Damon show up to a dinner Elena has planned for herself, Stefan, and Bonnie. He plays on the charm for Elena. He purposely mentions having watched most of the people they love die, including Katherine. Elena correctly deduces that apparently both of them loved Katherine. He implies he loved her first when asked, but doesn’t actually say it. She apologizes for his lost, because he “loved him too.” He suggests she give up on cheerleading, because she doesn’t seem to like it anymore. They have a moment, but then Bonnie interrupts.

Stefan speaks with Caroline in the living room, questioning her about her scarf, knowing full well Damon has fed off her. Damon comes in and persuades Caroline to go help the girls in the kitchen. Then, he threatens Elena who has now welcomed him into her home.

Elena has a dream about Stefan. They start making out. When she pulls off her shirt, he does too, but when his comes off he turns into Damon. She freaks out and wakes up with a crow secretly watching her from the window.

Tyler and Jeremy get into a fight and Stefan stops them. He gets cut pretty badly and Elena notices. When it goes away, Elena is freaked out. He claims it’s nothing, that it wasn’t his blood. Knowing something is off about him, she goes to ask Bonnie what she saw when she touched him. Death. She saw death.

While Elena is at her car, Damon sneaks up behind her and starts talking smack about Caroline who is a close friend of hers. He apologizes for making her feel uncomfortable. She calls him out on her crap. He starts suggesting she’s been attracted to her, that he bets she even dreamt about him—secret powers to make her dream about him?—and tries to persuade her to want to kiss him. It doesn’t work. She slaps him and says, “I don’t know what happened in the past, but I am not Katherine.” Then, she walks off like the badass she apparently is.

Matt befriends Stefan. Damon watches and mentions that a necklace Stefan gave her was full of some herb that I guess keeps the persuasion from working. He threatens to eat her again, but Stefan knows he won’t, because somewhere deep down he has feelings for her. He swears he still has some shred of humanity left in him. To prove he doesn’t, after he comes out to get Stefan to come in for the game, Damon attacks him. After 145 years, there must not be any humanity left in him. I assume there is, but I could be wrong.

Elena is seriously trying to figure out what’s going on in this town. She doesn’t buy it’s just an animal attacking everyone. She’s not convinced Stefan didn’t get cut. She’s slowly pieces the puzzle together. I can’t wait for her to find out who Stefan and Damon really are. I want to know what her reaction will be.

Perhaps there is a shred of humanity left in Damon, love or obsession or something. He shows up in Elena’s room while she’s sleeping and gently strokes her face in what seems to be a loving embrace. Only time will tell what lies ahead.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 2 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 2

Another opening scene with stranger victims. Another couple. First the male and then the female are attacked.

The starting diary scene has both Elena and Stefan pining over each other and being happier than either of them remember being in a long time. In history class, they get caught staring at each other. After class, Stefan gives her an authentic edition of Wuthering Heights with Bronte’s real name.

In the courtyard, Matt is talking to Elena about Vicki. Stefan listens in and when he hears the words, Vampire, he bolts. He gets to the hospital about the same time Matt does. Vicki freaks out and attacks Matt. When he goes to get the nurse, Stefan mesmerizes Vicki into believing she’s fine and she doesn’t remember anything other than an animal. What I want to know is why she isn’t a vampire. She’s been bitten, but not killed. How does one become a vampire in this world?

Elena goes to visit the Salvatore estate. She doesn’t find Stefan, but she does find Damon, and Damon’s crow. The Salvatore home is very old school. Damon purposely brings up Katherine and makes it awkward for everyone. Stefan pops up behind them in the living room. The anger in him is palpable and uncomfortable. But he and Damon are both incredibly hot. Back at home, she discusses the issue with her aunt who jokes about it.

At the hospital, Vicki freaks out with nightmares about Damon. I’m not sure if they were just nightmares or if Damon really did show up. He does show up at the high school though. He teases Caroline who he met in the last episode at a café.

There’s a comet that falls over Mystic Falls every 145 years and tonight’s the night it comes. Bonnie seems to think it brings evil with it. Elena tries to push Stefan away because they both have complicated relationships with their brothers and their exes.

At a bar or café or something, Vicki runs into Damon. She says, “I know you.” He replies, “That’s unfortunate.” She can’t figure out why she knows him, but she starts to have a panic attack. She runs to the bathroom and pops some pills. He attacks her in the bathroom. When Matt asks if Stefan has seen her, he listens for Damon who is emotionally torturing her on a roof. He tries to stop him, but he can’t. So, Damon persuades her to believe Stefan did it. Then, he rips her bandage off to tempt Stefan into feeding. When he refuses and swears he’d rather be staked alive, Damon gives in for now and persuades Vicki to believe nothing happened.

When Stefan goes back to the café to look for Elena, Bonnie and Caroline tell him she went home. Bonnie gives him her number and email. When she touches him, she has a vision about him. Apparently, it was freaky, but we don’t know what she saw. All we know is that her gran says she’s a witch related to the witches of the Salem trials or something.

Once again, Damon follows creepily behind Caroline as she walks to her car. He pretends he didn’t mean to scare her, but of course, he did.

Elena shows up at the Salvatore estate again. This time to watch the comet with Stefan. She confesses she was about to write in her diary at the end of the day like she always does, but then she realizes everything she would have written was something she should just tell him. So, she showed up and told him that she is scared of what could be between them. He says that he would write in his that this reality with her is good. Then they kiss and it’s beautiful, perhaps too soon, and a little unnerving since I’m still not sure why her? And what happened to Katherine? I’ve seen spoilers over the years, but I don’t tend to remember them if I know I want to watch it eventually. So far, I only know a few spoilers and none of them seem too big to matter much. Either way, I knew Katherine was a character, but that’s been the extent of it. I think she might be an evil vampire character, perhaps the one who turned Stefan, but that’s just speculation based on knowing she broke his heart and having a vague knowledge of spoilers that may or may not be accurate.

The final scene shows Damon and Caroline in bed together. Halfway through their make-out, or sex, session, he vamps up and apparently attacks her. It’s left on a cliffhanger though, so I’ll have to wait to see what happens when I watch the next episode tomorrow.

TVD: Season 1 Episode 1 – Recap and Reactions

Episode 1

I’m not sure why, but I really have a thing for vampire stories. Especially when those vampire stories involve actors that I really like. So, of course, I’ve finally started to watch The Vampire Diaries. I’m going to attempt to recap as I watch it. So far, we’re off to a great start. Cindy Busby, aka Ashley Benson from Heartland, was the first victim. This vampire character, Stefan, really is kind of hot. And the creep factor vibes are on point already. So far, that’s just from the creepy raven or crow or whatever this bird is and the fog.

I like the mesmerizing eye powers vampires apparently have in this show. He doesn’t seem to be trying to use them on Elena though. It seems she’s using her “powers” on him. Not to mention he smells her blood and almost loses it on her. She falls near him in the cemetery where she’s visiting her dead parents and before she even realizes she’s been hurt, he smells the blood and loses it. Before that, she notices a random ring he wears.

Both of them keep a journal full of memories. Ha, ha. He shows up at her house to return her journal after picking it up. When she says, “You don’t have to stay out there,” it’s not enough of an invitation for him to come in so he kind of has to just stay there. He plays it off with an, “It’s okay.”

Stefan claims he lives with his uncle, but he really lives with his nephew. I guess Stefan grew up in Mystic Falls, but when he was turned a hundred or so years ago, he had to move. Now he’s back. At his house, he looks at a picture of someone named, Katherine from the late/mid 1800’s. Katherine looks identical to Elena. In the next scene, they’re in history class and Stefan educates everyone on a past historical event. I guess he’s one of the original settlers for Mystic Falls.

When he shows up at the first high school party of the school year, he uses his enhanced hearing abilities to find Elena who is talking to her friend, Bonnie, about him. Bonnie jokes about his romantic novel stare and he smiles. He meets up with her in the sneaky vampire speed kind of way and while they’re talking, his romance novel stare starts to turn into a creepy-eyed vampire stare. He disappears and the next scene shows a vampire attacking a high school girl, Vicki, who Elena’s brother Jeremy likes. Once again there is fog and a bird. Naturally, we’re left to assume it’s Stefan. I assume it’s his brother, Damon. When Jeremy is drunkenly walking through the woods, he lands on her. She’s lost a lot of blood, but she’s not dead yet.

Yes! It is his brother, Damon. I guess Stefan is the good vampire, the vegan vampire. Damon is clearly the evil vampire. He keeps killing people for the sake of messing up Stefan’s life. Then, he takes Stefan’s ring and we learn he wears it because it protects him from the sun. Good to know, because I was wondering why he wasn’t burning, or at least sparkling in the daylight. I’m assuming Katherine was Stefan’s true love or something and that he killed her or something, because he gets all fired up when Damon starts talking about her and comparing her to Katherine.

In the hospital, Vicki says one word to her brother Matt, aka Elena’s ex-boyfriend. “Vampire.”

It seems like this is going to be a show like One Tree Hill in that various scenes will have voice overs from at least Stefan and Elena as they write in their diaries, which makes the title of the show make sense. I never questioned the title until they started writing and they I realized it made sense. In the final scene, Stefan shows up at Elena’s house and she invites him in. The relief on his face when he says yes is almost tangible.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about any of this yet. I mean, it’s certainly intriguing. Stefan specifically says he has to get to know her. Probably because she looks like this Katherine person.

Episode one review of The Vampire Diaries. So far, so good. The violence isn’t too much. Sex is discussed, but so far at a sort of minimum and not spoken of or shown in too much detail. Language hasn’t been used at all yet. So, in terms of appropriateness, I’ll give it a three. We’re only two episodes in, so we’re still establishing relationships and they’re still in high school. I’m sure by the end of the series they won’t be in high school which, as with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will probably mean less subtly with the TV-14 stuff. I cautiously approve of this show so far. Hopefully it remains at three stars so I can get to season 3 and 4 when Claire Holt (Emma Gilbert from H2O: Just Add Water) and Phoebe Tonkin (Cleo Sertori from H2O: Just Add Water) come in and eventually The Originals where Phoebe is in almost every episode and Claire is in about half the episodes. We shall see how it continues tomorrow.

This IS the Greatest Show – Review of The Greatest Showman

This is the message I sent my best friend as soon as the movie was over! No regrets!

I was twelve years old when High School Musical (2006) came out. I was fifteen when the third and final movie came out. Naturally, I was in love with Zac Efron. I fell more in love with him in Hairspray (2007) and 17 Again (2009). Several years later, he starred as the male lead in the Nicholas Sparks movie, The Lucky One (2012). While it was neither Efron’s best role nor Sparks’ best story, I was still in love with Zac Efron. Then, came This is Awkward (2014), Neighbors (2014), Dirty Grandpa (2016), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), and Baywatch (2017). To each their own when it comes to taste in movies. I’m not a fan of raunchy comedies though. I like movies with substance. With each empty movie, came more disinterest from me for Zac Efron.
When The Greatest Showman (2017) came out, I was wary. I didn’t know what the movie was about and I was growing more and more skeptical of Efron’s movie choices. I only knew Hugh Jackman from X-Men (2000) and Les Miserables (2012), so I was indifferent toward him. As for Zendaya, I wasn’t a fan, and I didn’t know the other actors.
Two weeks ago, I learned The Greatest Showman is a PG-rated movie. Because Efron is in it, I had assumed it is at least PG-13, but I was happy to be wrong. Last week, I watched friends from church fangirl over the music from the movie and learned it was a musical. Cool, it was a rated-PG musical! I was a little more interested than before, but I was still kind of indifferent. When my high school best friend asked me to go see it with her, I knew I had to go see it. Within seconds, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it.
Hugh Jackman is PHENOMENAL in this movie! I’ll be honest, I don’t care that much about Logan/Wolverine. When I watch X-Men, I’m more a fan of Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Rogue, Bobby Drake/Iceman, and Scott Summers/Cyclops! Even in Les Miserables, I didn’t watch it for Jean Valjean. Yes, I loved him in that movie, but I watched it for Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and Eddie Redmayne.
Today though, I fell in love with Hugh Jackman as he became P.T. Barnum! I am a dreamer through and through. I never give up on my dreams, and yet, Hugh Jackman made me believe in my dreams today! P.T. Barnum showed me that dreams can and do come true! As much as I believed in dreams, love, and family before watching this movie, it’s like I started from ground zero! The Greatest Showman made me believe in dreams, love, and family today! Before watching this movie, the size of my dreams was nothing in comparison to how big they are now!
Phillip Carlyle! What can I say about Phillip Carlyle? Phillip Carlyle is a rich boy turned family man. He finds acceptance, love, and joy in the heart of a performer and her family of choice. Then, against his own expectations, he becomes a performer himself. The duet between his character and Zendaya’s is so beautiful it might have turned me into a Zendaya fan! It’s also a big part of the reason why I’ve fallen in love with him again.
This role shows how much Zac Efron has grown in the twelve years since his debut on High School Musical. In the first movie, his acting was a little forced and he didn’t even sing his own songs. He lip-synced through the entire first movie. As the trilogy progressed, so did his talent. By the end of the third movie, he was singing all his own songs. He had even played an important role in a remake of the musical movie Hairspray. Between Hairspray and The Greatest Showman, Efron has one other singing credit to his name as Ted in The Lorax (2012). With each singing role, he has honed deeper and stronger skills. Singing alongside Hugh Jackman can’t be an easy task, but he seemed to hold his own in their duet, “The Other Side.” Granted, even I wouldn’t say Efron is quite as talented as Jackman, but he did hold his own.
Then, of course, there was the female lead Michelle Williams as Charity Barnum. Being that she is a fairly established actress, one would assume she would deliver in this role. I didn’t know who she was before this movie. After viewing her filmography on IMDB, I know that I have seen her one role, as Annie/Glinda in Oz the Great and Powerful. Now that I am familiar with her, I can say I’m a fan. Williams plays well as the supportive wife, mother, and co-dreamer. Her love for Jackman’s Barnum is believable and her voice is beautiful. To be honest, I actually enjoy her singing more than the supposed greatest opera singer in the world. Loren Alfred is very talented, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t prefer her to Williams.
Who can forget the darling daughters, Caroline and Helen Barnum played by Austyn Johnson and Cameron Seely? These sweet faces and beautiful singers may be my favorite part of the movie! What can I say? I love children! Okay, maybe they’re not my favorite part, but they were great in their roles! I’ll be looking forward to seeing them take on more roles as they grow older!
My goodness! Can we talk about that opening scene? I doubt I have ever loved a movie so much in the first five seconds. That’s coming from the self-proclaimed obsessive girl. This movie though immediately drew me into the plot and setting! Needless to say, I was invested from that point forward! If I had the money, then I would definitely sit and watch The Greatest Showman over and over until I’m sick of it. Is that even possible? I don’t know, but don’t take my word for it! If you haven’t seen The Greatest Showman yet, then drop everything and go watch it now! Seriously, even if you have already seen it, then drop everything and go watch it again! It has love, dreams, passion, family, friends, music, and people who rise above the status quo! If you don’t love this movie for at least one reason, then I have to question your taste in movies! Sorry.

Seriously, I’m currently listening to the soundtrack for the tenth time since the movie ended at 3:30 this afternoon. And, because I can’t go rewatch it again right now, I’m settling for getting my Efron and Jackman fix by watching each High School Musical movie, Hairspray, and Les Mis! Don’t judge me!

Reputation

 

For many people, Taylor Swift has carried a reputation of relatable, inspiring, and dreamy. To many others, she has carried the reputation of a boy crazy girl who dates too much. To me, the best part of her reputation is that she turned country into her own genre. Then, she broke every record she possibly could! Her country crooning, singer of love songs reputation continued to flourish and grow throughout her next four albums. Then, she released 1989. It was a decent album, but it wasn’t the Taylor Swift her fans knew and loved. That didn’t stop us from buying the album and shouting the lyrics at the top of our lungs or using them as captions to our social media pictures though.

I have always been a hardcore Swiftie. I own every single one of her CD’s, including her EPs. I have a collection of Taylor Swift guitar picks and music books. I can even sing 98% of her songs perfectly as they play and a decent number of them from memory. Taylor Swift and her music got me through a very tough time in high school and I will forever be grateful for that. I even gained a dear friend because of a conversation we had about Taylor Swift. So to me, Taylor’s reputation has always been great!

When Little Big Town came out with “Better Man,” many fans had mixed feelings. It was exciting, because it meant Taylor Swift was still writing country music. But it also probably meant she wasn’t going to record country music for herself. Then, “Look What You Made Me Do” came out and we knew, at least for now, we won’t be getting any new country music from Taylor Swift. Personally, I was super bummed. I miss the Taylor Swift I know and love! Discouragement didn’t keep me from driving to Target and buying a physical copy of Reputation though!

“…Ready for It”
Actually, no, I wasn’t ready for it. What is this song even about? Is it like “I Knew You Were Trouble?” Is she falling for someone that isn’t the best for her? Is it like the counter reply to “Wildest Dreams?” Instead of begging him to remember her, is she telling him he’s the one she dreams of? I don’t know. By no means is it my favorite, but I do like it. I won’t listen to it in my spare time, but I won’t skip it. When I’m listening to my music on shuffle or when I’ve got this CD playing in my car I will listen to it. Who knows, maybe I’ll even dance to it every now and then. It’s got a nice beat and could be fun to jam out to when I’ve had a long day. And, in the middle of the night in my dreams, I’ve already found myself singing it when I wake up.

“End Game (featuring Future and Ed Sheeran)”
This song is kind of annoying, which is a bummer. I expect more from both Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. I love listen to “Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran).” The lyrics have the potential to be a cute love song. Instead it’s poppy, loud, and not something that works well in a playlist of love songs. Some of the lyrics could be perfect as background music in a cheesy chick flick. The music doesn’t work, though. I suppose it could be a song playing in the background at a club when the main couple meets. Even then, it doesn’t quite work.

“I Did Something Bad”
I get that half the point in this album is to be petty, but I’m so over petty Taylor! On albums of Swiftness past, the best thing was listening to the petty songs between her cute, lovey songs, and her heartbreaking, sad songs. On this album, it’s all their is and it’s tiresome. The majority of the album is petty and meaningless. I know she’s trying to make a point, but she could make a point without having such annoying music and lyrics. They say Taylor did something bad? I know I did something bad! I listened to this song! **01/18 update** I still don’t like this song, but I don’t hate it as much as I did on 11/11/17 when I wrote this review.

“Don’t Blame Me”
I actually like this song. In general, I like music that compares love to addictions though, so that’s probably why I like it. But it also has a few old Taylor vibes. It’s barely there, but it’s like the haunting of a ghost; you can feel it when you’re not looking. It helps that it’s the first song on the album that uses real instruments for the music. Sure, you can still hear synthetic music, but at least some of it’s real.

“Delicate”

The song is far from being old Taylor. The lyrics are reminiscent of the young Taylor though. The old Taylor was always so cautious, yet fierce in her love. She wants to make sure she’s not coming on too strong, but she also wants to be the girl he remembers more than anyone else. This is the Taylor we know and love. The lyrics aren’t the cleverest or deepest lyrics she’s ever written. They’re relatable though, especially in the chorus. “Is it cool that I said all that?” Who hasn’t lain awake at night wondering if they said too much?

“Look What You Made Me Do”
Look what you, Taylor Swift, made me do! This was the first time that I’ve ever given a bad review for Taylor Swift. She’s had a few songs that I haven’t been the biggest fan of, sure. I haven’t been silent about it either, but I hadn’t ever actually disliked any of her songs. There’s a first for everything though. “Look What You Made Me Do” is a beyond annoying song. I thought it would grow on me, but I’ve only grown more annoyed by it.

“So It Goes…”
I’m kind of tired of Taylor Swift’s “I’m not a bad girl, but I do bad things with you” thing. At this point, I’m pretty sure if she does bad things with as many guys as she claims, then she’s either a bad girl or a poser. I do like the bit of the song where she sings about being his to keep or his to lose. She’s more or less telling him it’s his move. She’s decided what she wants; now he needs to decide.

“Gorgeous”

She’s having an internal battle with herself over how she feels about this guy. She wants him, but she can’t have him. She wants him to be single, but she’d rather he not be single. He makes her happy, and sad. And she’s arrogant about it. She thinks she’s worth it, but more than anything, he’s so cool, she can’t bear to look at or talk to him. I don’t hate this song. I don’t even dislike it. The lyrics aren’t my favorite, but I can relate to some of the lyrics on a personal level. Most of us have all had someone we both wanted to be with, but knew it we should be with.

“Getaway Car”
This might be my favorite song on the album. She says the old Taylor is dead, but that can’t be 100% true. She’s resurrected her for the writing of some of the best lyrics on this album. None of the songs on this album are Taylor Swift’s best work, but some of them are reminiscent of her best work. This is one of those songs. It takes me back to the era of Red. It was still poppier than her first three albums, but still country enough to play on y100 and KJ97. This song isn’t country, but the lyrics could be.

“King of My Heart”
Thanks, but I’ll stick with the worship song by Bethel of the same title. It’s not that this song is bad. It’s not even that if I’m going to have a king of my heart then it’s going to be the Lord. It’s just that it’s yet another annoying song. Taylor Swift is too talented to have everything synthetically programmed. I don’t even know if the lyrics are good, because I don’t want to listen to it long enough to decide. **01/18 update** I still agree with my original review, but I like the lyrics a little more than I thought.

“Dancing with Our Hands Tied”
Why does Taylor Swift feel the need to repeat herself so much? Why on this album does she feel the need to reference sex and drinking so much? What many of her lifelong fans have loved so much about her in the past is that her lyrics make no reference to any of these things. I get that this is what normal twenty-somethings do and talk about, but what about the fans who don’t? What about the young fans? The references are subtle and easy to miss, I’ll give her that. I still miss the Taylor who sang about fairy tales and dreams though.

“Dress”
Here it is; the song inspired by endless desire. It equates to the songs of Swiftness past that I want to listen to while feeling a longing desire to find true love. or that is appropriate for young fans to listen to. I get it, I’m weird. I’m an almost twenty-four-year-old girl who doesn’t want to listen to love songs about sex and lust, but is that so wrong? Why does every artist my age have to reach a point in their career where they stop singing cute love songs and start singing lusty sex songs? It’s ridiculous! **01/18 Update** Okay, I confess. I love this song! And that’s exactly why I hate it! I’m an old-fashioned Christian girl who believes sex is for marriage. This song goes against everything I believe in as a single twenty-four-year-old, and yet… I can’t help but love it. Stupid Taylor Swift! I hate you for writing such a good song about a topic I disagree with!

“This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”
Okay, we get it! You’ve got beef with several artists, especially Kim and Kanye! You don’t have to sing about it so much. Your fans used to come running to your defense, because you didn’t run toward the drama, but instead away from it. You would write one song about the situation, but it was also subtle enough, that it left us guessing. Is this song about who it seems to be about? *shrugs shoulders* We don’t know, but that makes it better. Now, we do know what these songs are about and it’s tiresome. **01/18 update** I still agree with what I wrote before, but I also kind of like this song. It’s fun to listen to, because it’s so ridiculous it puts a smile on my face.

“Call It What You Want”

Yes, Taylor! Yes! More old school Taylor vibes! Again, it’s not country and that’s what I want, but at least it’s got some vibes! You reference the drama briefly, but otherwise, this is just a cute song. I’ve got to ask though. What the heck is “it?” What “it” are they calling what they want? I’m so confused! Are they calling the relationship something that it’s not? I don’t know, but I like this song!

“New Year’s Day (Secret Session Version)”

Ah, Taylor’s natural voice! This is the Taylor we all know and love! This is the Taylor we miss! When 1989 came out, my best friend pointed out that she sounds a lot better acoustic. I hadn’t thought about it until she said it, but now I realize that, as usual, she’s totally right! Taylor needs to stick to what she’s good at! She needs to be the girl with the guitar or the girl at the piano! She sounds so much better and her songs are so much more enjoyable! So much so that listening to a piano performance can transform my opinions for her music. “Out of the Woods” was my least favorite song from 1989, but it became one of my favorites after she explained it and performed it on piano. I watched the secret sessions video before buying the album, and now I can’t listen to the album version without wishing it was the acoustic version. Why, oh why, Taylor must you edit your songs so much now?

“New Year’s Day (Album Version)”
Even on the album version, this song is the closest thing to the old Taylor that we get from this album! When played acoustically, it might be my favorite song from the album. More than any song on the album, it’s the rawest and truest recording. It’s the most stripped down and enjoyable to listen to. It’s the song that I will listen to over and over again and I’ll it sing with glee. I might even actually decide to cover this song on my YouTube channel! I don’t know, but I’d at least consider it! Listening to her harmonize with herself is a little odd though. *shrugs shoulders*

As I write this review on 11/11, I wish that the album had been recorded without so much heavy editing. I wish that it hadn’t been so petty. I wish that it had at least one or two inspiring songs like the songs of Swiftness past. But if I wish in one hand and spit in the other, guess which one will fill up faster! So, I’ll let go of my wishes. This is by far my least favorite Taylor Swift album and I only like a small portion of it. Still, I’ll always be a Swiftie, even if the old Taylor really is dead and gone. If nothing else, at least I’ve got the songs and albums that helped me get through the toughest years of my life—high school. If this new Taylor is going to be the forever Taylor, then I’ll wear out my old Taylor Swift albums. And I’ll keep listening to the new country music princess, Kelsea Ballerini, because I definitely won’t be listening to this album over and over again! **01/18 update** At the end of the day, whether I love or hate this album, one thing is true. It’s actually a pretty great album to listen to in the car. It’s not about much and that makes it perfect for a car ride to work or road trip to somewhere fun.

PLL – Final Theory

Here’s my list of who will be declared as Uber A in tonight’s final episode of Pretty Little Liars. This is in no particular order.

1. Wilden – Because, who in Rosewood has ever hated the Liars as much as he did?

2. Toby (or a Toby Twin) – Of all the significant others, he’s the only one who hasn’t been around much this season and who has not had his story wrapped up yet.

3. Twincer – Because the last time I refused to include the theory I didn’t want to be true, it was true.

4. Mona – Just because I still think it’d be brilliant, especially now that she’s broken down.

5. Jason – His story still hasn’t been really wrapped up either.

6. Wren – Why was he so prominent all the time only to be swept under the rug never to return?

7. Melissa – Only because, her motive could be that since she knew about Spencer being a product of Peter’s infidelity, she wanted to get revenge on her.

Only 2 PLL Episodes Left!

We only have two episodes left until PLL is over forever! When Mona was revealed as A, I thought it was brilliant. Pretty much everything after that has been exactly the opposite of what I want to happen, especially the whole CeCe/Charles/Charolette plot. Keeping that in mind, I’m going to predict the possible end of Pretty Little Liars based on what seems plausible even though I really don’t want it to happen! These next theories are based on posts found and thoughts shared by my roommate and our friend.

Wilden is still alive. Wilden played a very important role in Charolette’s confession to the Lairs. Wilden’s face was also used as a mask. Is that relavent to the truth? Or was it just a scare tactic to throw off the Liars? It seems that no one in the history of Rosewood has hated the Lairs as much as Wilden did/does. Therefore, it could make a lot of sense if he were Uber A.

Spencer has a twin. How often do things happen with Spencer that don’t entirely make sense? Or that are just kind of weird? Hanna thought she dreamt of Spencer helping her. Why did Spencer care so much if Ezra said anything about her being seen with Wren? Why would anyone care if she was seen with him? It doesn’t seem to add up. Spencer’s scene with Toby, though it breaks my heart to say it, seemed a little too much like it could have been a copycat of Jessica, Peter, and Mary. Also, Marlene said she didn’t plan on the show ending like the series. All that means is that Ali doesn’t have a twin. That doesn’t mean another Liar can’t have one.
Mona is going to die. We all know this show is big on death, but not redemptive death, because everyone on this show has pretty much deserved to die or just got way too close to the truth. Mona on the other hand has done everything she can to redeem herself and also seems to be getting incredibly close to the truth! As far as redemptive deaths go, you really can’t get someone better or more fitting than Mona!
Here are my personal thoughts on Mona though: I want to say Mona is just trying to redeem herself by figuring out the game, because the girls don’t trust her, so she had to go behind their back. At the same time though, I still think it would be brilliant if it’s her as Uber A! She’s in our face! She was in our face the first time and and CeCe was in our face too! That or maybe, if there is a second set of twins, it could be Mona? Hanna did say she seems different… though that could just be the crazy shining through….?

Miss Aria You’re a Killer; Not Ezra’s Wife

What do we know about Aria?
2×22 – She’s good at keeping secrets.

3×07 – We’re pretty sure this was not only an acronym.

5×07 – Eddie Lamb recognized her and she freaked out.

7×15 – A has something BIG on Aria!

Based on the above information, let’s assume the following: Ezra Fitz got his under aged girlfriend, Aria Montgomery, pregnant, but she didn’t tell him, because she got an abortion. She got an abortion, because Ezra was under enough heat just for dating her, let alone getting her pregnant. To get the abortion, Aria went to Radley, because it’s basically a don’t ask, don’t tell kind of place where she knew secrets could be kept. Of course, she wouldn’t know for a while how many and dark of secrets Radley could keep, but she knew Radley could keep secrets. After her abortion, Mona found out; or CeCe found out and told Mona, because well they were both A at one point. Mona used this information as a scare tactic for Aria. A few months later, Eddie Lamb noticed Aria at Radley and she pretty much immediately freaked out. Let’s assume Eddie Lamb, who was a nurse at Radley, was there when Aria got her abortion. As Aria and Ezra started to work closer with Eddie, he disappeared. Let’s assume that’s for two reasons. 1) CeCe didn’t want him telling her secrets. 2) Uber A was saving Aria’s dirty little secret for a special occasion. Now, of course, we know that that special occasion was to get Aria to work with him/her. Maybe Uber A would have drawn Aria in sooner, but didn’t have the necessary evidence to reel her in? Idk, but he/she did wait. Of course, because Aria is the liar with the biggest heart–Emily is the most loyal, but Aria feels most deeply–A knew that with the right evidence, he/she could get Aria to do almost anything.

Or, we can get even darker…. what if Aria and Ezra really did kill someone? What if Eddie knew and she killed him too? Probably not, but you know… it is Rosewood!

CeCe Drake…Charolette DiLaurentis… Whatever her name is!

I haven’t watched the episode from 5/30 yet, so Idk what happens in it, but I just have to say that I still think that even though she was Big A, that CeCe was just trying to protect Ali and probably her friends too! She lived in Radley for years, so of course she was psychotic and misguided, but I still think her ultimate goal was to protect the girls from Uber A…

💓 Jess and Rory 💞

Good girls love bad boys. It’s in our nature. We want to help them find their true potential. It’s not that we like troublemakers, per se, but rather that we like troubled souls. And as much as we want prince charming to ride in on his white horse and protect us from our own demons, we also want to be the nurturing hand that helps guide the leather clad Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious with a troubled soul into the light of his bright future. We can’t really help it; nurture is in our nature. Heaven knows it’s in my nature, that’s why pretty much every show I can think of that I’ve obsessed over has had a lead guy who makes everyone sing, “I knew you were trouble when you walked in.” And, that’s why Rory Gilmore fell for the likes of Tristan Dougray, Jess Mariano, and Logan Huntzberger. She was a good girl with a good life and she wanted to help them find their true potential. It’s also part of the reason why she and Jess were so perfect together!

The story starts when a fatherless boy named Jess moves to a small town to live with his Uncle Luke, because his mom just can’t handle his troublemaking ways anymore. Luke drags Jess to a dinner at the house of his favorite girls, Lorelai and her daughter Rory. Rory, who is a well-behaved private school student, is Jess’ age and Luke believes that introducing them will be good for his nephew. Right of the bat, Jess is secretly impressed by Rory, but attempts to hide it by encouraging Rory to join him in his troublemaking ways. She’s stubborn, and obliviously naive though, so it doesn’t work. Still though, she does befriend him, because he’s interesting and much different than most of the other people she knows in Stars Hollow, or even in Hartford where she goes to school.

As their friendship progresses and they realize how much they have in common, they start to fall for each other. That’s when Lorelai Gilmore starts singing “I knew you were trouble when you walked in,” or at least she would have, had Taylor Swift been around at that time. Anyway, Rory starts to fall for Jess and everyone around her can see it, especially her boyfriend, Dean, and her mother. They don’t want to believe it though, not Lorelai, not Dean, not even Rory wants to believe she’s falling for Jess. So, instead of taking a step back to prevent herself from falling hard for Jess, she takes a step closer and builds her relationship with Jess into something more—so much more that when he takes off to New York without saying anything, she—a girl who hasn’t even been late for school before—skips school to spend the day with him in New York City. Even after this, and after missing her mother’s/best friend’s college graduation, she still denies her feelings for Jess until denying it for five minutes straight causes her to breakdown and cry to her mother about how terrible she is for falling for someone else when she has a perfectly kind and patient boyfriend already. Then, things go from bad to worse when Jess shows up at a wedding where Rory is a bridesmaid. To both of their surprise, she kisses him and he kisses her back before she runs off, realizing how not okay it is to kiss him when someone else is her boyfriend.

Flash forward to the end of a summer trip she takes right after kissing Jess and Rory is more confused than ever. She has all these letters from her boyfriend, Dean, but all she can think about is writing a letter to Jess. Back in Stars Hollow, Jess is kissing someone else and Rory can’t stand it, even though she’s still with Dean. At this point, you can’t even excuse Rory’s actions based on the premise that she doesn’t want to fall for Jess, because she already has and she’s taking action to keep him from being with anyone else, because she wants to be with him. While Jess is a jerk to Rory, Dean, and his own girlfriend Shayne during this time, he gets some points for at least trying to stay away from Rory while she’s with Dean. I mean, yeah, he’s only with Shayne because it makes Rory crazy, but at least he’s not trying to steal her from Dean anymore. After a while, Dean can’t take it anymore and publicly breaks up with Rory, because she refuses to make up her mind between him and Jess. This, of course, breaks her heart, but it also relieves her from the stress of choosing who to be with for herself, because Jess breaks up with Shayne and he and Rory pretty much immediately get together and that’s mostly the end of the toxicity of their relationship.

Once they get together, Jess and Rory start to be really good for each other. Since he moved to Stars Hollow, Rory has believed that Jess can do so much better than he does. She knows how smart he is and she believes in him, even though he doesn’t believe in himself. Even though he still slacks off in school, Jess slowly starts to become a better person because of Rory’s (and Luke’s) influence on his life. Rory, who was hidden in her shell before meeting Jess, also becomes a better person because of Jess. As much as Lorelai, Emily, and Richard Gilmore believe in Rory and as much as Luke believes in both Rory and Jess, no one believes in them more than they believe in each other. They know each other like the back of their own hands and often better than either of them knows his or her own self. From the moment he moves to Stars Hollow to the moment she tells him she’s written three chapters for her book, they believe in each other and encourage each other more than anyone else. When something good happens in their lives, they tell each other, and when they need inspiration because life is beating them down, they always have each other.

Eventually, because she believes in him so much that he feels guilty for not living up to the potential she sees in him, Jess disappears again and this time, Rory doesn’t go looking for him. In fact, when she receives a ghost call from him, she informs him that even though she thinks she was in love with him, she’s not going after him again. This time, she’s moving on with her life and as mad as she is with him, she still hopes for the very best for him. Because of this, he doesn’t return to Stars Hollow for a long time and when he does, it’s only to get back his car from Luke. He tries to avoid seeing Rory, because he knows he hurt her, but is forced to stay a few days while Gypsy works on his car. He almost makes it the whole visit without seeing her, but he does run into her. Then, he chases her down so that he can tell her he loves her. Afraid of what she might say, he drives off in his newly repaired car and doesn’t return until Luke hunts him down and demands that he return for his mother’s wedding.

After confessing to Luke that his proclamation of love to Rory was why he didn’t want to come for the wedding, Luke encourages Jess to work on his communication skills. Taking Luke’s advice, Jess visits Rory at Yale and begs her to run away with him because, he’s “ready now,” he “wasn’t ready then,” but he is now. He’s ready to be the man she needs and deserves, but she turns him down flat and he respects her feelings while walking away with one of the most heartbreakingly dejected looks on his face that I’ve ever seen.

Approximately two years later, Jess surprises Rory while she’s living with her grandparents in Hartford and explains to her that he wrote a book because of her belief in him. Per Jess Mariano style, he plays it off like it’s no big deal, essentially claiming it’s nothing to be proud of, because he’s it’s not that good. Of course, Rory is more than ecstatic and beyond proud of him, exclaiming that she knew he could do it. “I know you did,” he tells her, letting us see a little peek of how proud he is that he was motivated enough to write a book and prove to himself and Rory that she was right for believing him in no matter what.

This time, while he’s in a very good place in life, he observes that Rory is not. She’s dropped out of Yale, is fighting with her mom, and dating a jerky rich boy that she would have used to mock with Jess. He calls her out on how unlike her she’s behaving and she nearly falls to pieces, but is unwilling to admit to him that he is right about everything and that he does still know her better than anyone. Not wanting to fight her, Jess suggests that they catch up at a better time and leaves after wishing her a belated happy birthday.

Several months later, after Rory has mostly cleaned up her life, she receives an invite from Jess to come to the opening of a business he has started with a couple of other guys. As usual, they are both quietly thrilled to see each other. After taking the time to catch up, Jess kisses Rory and she kisses him back before pulling away confessing that she’s being unfair to him, because she’s still with the guy she was with last time they saw each other. As brokenhearted as he is to know this, he’s also beyond understanding and tells her that if it helps, she can tell him that she cheated on him with him. He seems to be touched by the fact that when she was in trouble with her boyfriend, she ran to him for comfort. This moment shows how much they’ve both grown. Before, Jess would have given into his own feelings for Rory and ignored the fact that she had a boyfriend, but he didn’t. This time, all he cares about is Rory, who also would have given into her feelings for Jess before, but doesn’t this time. However, it also shows just how much Rory has actually lost some of her maturity as she’s grown older and since starting to date Logan. With Dean, she at least tried for a while not to allow her feelings for Jess to grow, but with Logan, she runs straight to Jess for comfort when there’s trouble in paradise. Mature or not, right or wrong, it still is kind of sweet that Jess is where she ran to when she needed comforting.

Finally, over ten years later, when Rory is failing in pretty much every area of her life and Jess is succeeding in pretty much area of his life, he shows up again at just the right time to give her the support she’s always given him. Jess has become a very well-rounded and successful man, largely in part because of Rory’s (and Luke’s) constant belief in and support of him. Rory, on the other hand, is currently at rock bottom. There are very few ways in which she could sink any lower in her life than she is right now and yet, Jess believes in and supports her anyway, because he’s seen her at her best and knows she can be even better than the best he’s seen her. He also knows that she just needs to believe that herself, so he encourages her to write a book about her life with her mother. Rory realizes that this is a brilliant idea and, after some fighting and thinking, Lorelai agrees, so Rory sets to work writing “Gilmore Girls” and excitedly rejoices to Jess once she’s written three chapters and has received Lorelai’s full blessing. Luke is present during this brief rejoiceful moment between Rory and Jess and questions Jess’ feelings about Rory. Jess claims to be over it, but longingly looks through the window at Rory after Luke walks back inside shortly after she does.

By the end of the series, Rory finally seems to be on a healthy path in life—even though it’s possible she may not know who the father is of the baby she’s carrying—and she can thank Jess for that, because he’s the one who reminds her that she can and will make something of herself if she’ll just stop fooling around and set her mind to it. Throughout their whole relationship, even during the toxic moments when she’s emotionally cheating on her boyfriend with him, Jess and Rory are as good for each other as two imperfect human beings can be for each other. Through thick and thin, they believe in each other and encourage each other to be the very best versions of themselves that they can be. I’m no fool, I know good and well that neither of them are perfect, but I also know that “love keeps no record of wrongs.” Both Jess and Rory have screwed up a lot, but they’ve also succeeded a lot and many of their successes have come from the encouragement, belief system, and love they have for each other.

Also, at the end of the day, Rory has succeeded in every good girl’s dream–she’s helped a bad boy see that he can be good. She’s helped a troubled soul see the light. And she’s helped a slacker become successful. Despite all her personal loses, I’d call that a win!  😉 Plus, he becomes her Prince Charming who swoops in on his white horse to save her from demons too! 😁

These Boots Were Made for Stalking – Recap and Review

Okay, I finally watched Pretty Little Liars. I must admit, it’s getting better. I mean, it’s not as great as I once thought it was, but it is getting better. So, let me recap and review!

The episode starts with Emily and Hanna discussing how tired they are of playing A’s games, while Aria and Alison are still in it to win, and Spencer just feels super guilty for playing the board game in the first place. After explaining that this is all so ridiculous because they’re not in high school anymore, Emily storms out of the barn. Hanna complains that they’re all supposed to be in this together and Spencer assures her that they are.

Throughout the episode, Emily and Paige are hit with one dramatic play after another as if they were still high school students instead of teachers. While Emily and Paige are discussing Paige’s Alison drama, a young trouble student named, Addison, overhears them. After Paige leaves, Emily finds Addison and confronts her about skipping swim practice the day before. Addison just mouths off at Emily. Later, Emily confronts Addison again in Ali’s classroom and threatens that she will be out of the competition on Friday. Addison mouths off again and leaves Emily and Alison alone. They discuss the A drama, baby drama, and how much worse Addison is than Ali was in high school, not knowing that Addison is listening to them from the hallway and taking pictures of Emily giving Ali a comforting hug. She uses this picture to try to get Paige to believe Emily has been being really inappropriate with her and the other students. Of course, Paige smells the BS from a mile away and takes the info to Emily, telling her that she’ll take care of it. She does this by forwarding “an email from Addison to a friend” to the principal and her parents. Addison 0 Emily and Paige 1.

While leaving Ezra’s apartment above the Brew, Aria is stopped by a journalist asking about Ezra and his reunion with his long lost fiance, Nicole. Furious, Aria sets the record straight and informs the journalist that she is Ezra’s fiance before storming off. “I didn’t realize there were two of you,” the dude shouts after her. Aria meets with Holden to discuss wedding menu plans for her wedding, but instead helps him with a meal that was doubled at the last minute for another wedding. While she helps him, she vents about Nicole and later receives a notification on her phone with pictures and a news article for Ezra and Nicole’s reunion. She plans to confront Nicole, but Holden stops her just in time and they go to eat together.

In the family home, Spencer confronts Veronica again about Mary Drake and Peter Hastings. She mentions how ironic it was that she was placed in Radley so many years after she was born there and asks if Melissa knew. Veronica seems to inform her that Melissa didn’t know enough to know. Later, Spencer tells Veronica that she’s not going to be working with her anymore and she tells Spencer that they’ll be selling the house as soon as possible, because it will be healthy for all of them to sever ties with Rosewood. The following, rather heartbreaking conversation took place next.

With a sad fury in her voice, Spencer said, “Fine. Sell it. It’s just a house.”

“No, it’s not,” Veronica replied. “It’s a home. It’s your home. It’s the only home you’ve ever known.”

To which Spencer says, “It feels different now.”

“Not to me it doesn’t,” Veronica disagreed with a voice full of feeling. “Spencer, it’s not about walls, and a roof, and a staircase. It’s about a family that lived here. A family that I tried to keep together despite all of the lies and losses and the crap that life’s thrown at us. My children made even the worst moments bearable. We got through them together. Not because we have the same blood flowing through our veins, but because we’re a family. All I wanted to do was to make you feel safe and nurtured and… and loved. That’s what made it a home for me.”

Spencer cried, while turned away from Veronica, but quickly wiped her tears and said, “We should go. We’re gonna be late.”

When Mona showed up at Hanna’s place giddy with excitement because Katie really loves all of her work, but really, really loves one dress in particular, Hanna reacts defensively and says that Katie can’t wear that dress. In typical Mona fashion, she won’t take no for an answer and tries to encourage Hanna to reconsider. Later, when Caleb reluctantly admits that he agrees with Mona, Hanna informs him that it’s not only her design, because she took tips and pointers from her former dragon lady of an employer. Caleb tries to remind Hanna how terrible she was and that she had taken enough from Hanna, including their relationship. While discussing the matter with Mona at The Radley, they find Jenna wearing the exact design that they’re discussing. When Mona confronts her about it, Jenna refuses to answer where she got the design.

Spencer calls Marco to come over and he shows up, in his running outfit no less, as soon as he finds her message. After some cooing from Marco, Spencer gets to the point of her call and shows him the letter from Mary, asking him to make finding her his top priority. Of course, he does and she goes down to the station with him. While there, Jenna shows up with a sob story about how Noel told her that CeCe had left a large sum of money for her to get another surgery on her eyes. She claims that Sara was Noel’s first victim and that she was next, so she played along with his game to find the money CeCe left her, so that he wouldn’t kill her. He wanted the money for himself, because his parents cut him off, so he was poor.

Hanna and Emily both receive messages from Spencer about Jenna showing up at the station, while Aria gets some quality Team Sparia time as Spencer recaps in person while Holden is off getting tomatoes for his dish. The two girls discuss the possibility of Spencer getting to know Mary about maybe forgiving her. Unable to get a hold of Spencer, Hanna calls Emily and they discuss the message from Spencer.

While on the phone with Hanna at the Brew, Jenna walks behind Emily with a couple of body guards, so Emily hangs up the phone, telling Hanna she has to go. As Jenna is leaving, Emily catches Jenna sending a message that she hears Addison receive nearby. Tripping over that sketchiness of Addison receiving a message from Jenna, Emily goes to Alison to beg for her spare key to Spencer’s barn so she can try to get answers from A. A makes Emily blackmail Addison with security footage of Addison in a car with her boyfriend behind the Brew when she should have been at practice. After she confronts Addison, Emily receives a text message from A saying to “confront your darkness” and another puzzle piece in her teacher’s mailbox.

Caleb goes with Hanna to spy on Jenna who ends up going to the same place where Hanna is having shoes fixed for Katie to wear with her dress. Hanna wants to confront Jenna, but Caleb does it instead and she basically tells him that her sob story about Noel was a lie. While Caleb is confronting Jenna, Hanna sneaks behind them to go inside the shoe store and of course, she ends up locked in a cage thing that nearly takes her out all thanks to A. Caleb finds her having a panic attack in the cage. Why is that she’s always the one to get trapped, tortured, and threatened nowadays?

When Emily tells the other Liars about her turn with the game and place her puzzle piece where it belongs, Spencer discovers that it’s a map and they realize A is trying to lead them right to him/her. “Game Over.”

Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen–PLL Characters

 

Once upon a time, Aria Montgomery was my favorite of the Liars. Now, I know that’s probably because I just really liked Lucy Hale and because I am pretty much always immediately drawn to the characters with tragic back stories and or love stories. Now though, Aria is my least favorite of the Liars. In fact, she and Ezra are now my least favorite characters, period. I may even like Jackie and Meredith more than Aria and Ezra, which is saying something because Jackie and Meredith were awful. Through seasons one, two, and parts of three, Ezria was my favorite and they were my favorite characters. Through seasons three and four, they started to lose their appeal, but I longed for they days of season one and two. Plus, if there’s anything I had learned from my original binge-watching obsession, Heartland, it’s that some relationships are worth shipping even if they break up, fight, and or face ridiculous obstacles in nearly every other episode. Obviously, I was hoping Ezria would be one of those couples. Unfortunately, seasons four and five showed me they weren’t one of those couples. Still though, I kept on holding onto hope that maybe true love would prevail for Aria and Ezra. When seasons six and seven came around, they put nails in the coffin of my love for Ezria. I tried to keep hoping, but all hope has been lost. I don’t really care if they end up together or not. In fact, I really don’t care what happens to either of them. They both annoy me now.

Emily and Alison are close seconds on my list of least favorite Liars. They’re just kind of boring. Throughout the whole series, I have felt little to know emotion for Emily. Actually, the only times I’ve ever felt anything for Emily were in the moments with her dad. I didn’t even care when Maya died. I am just completely unaffected by anything in PLL related to Emily Fields. As for Alison, I liked her more when she was dead and missing. I’ve tried to empathize and sympathize with Alison and I do feel for her, but I just don’t like her as a character. She has as a character has added nothing to the show. She couldn’t have stayed dead or missing and it would have been fine with me. Let Charles DiLaurentis be Spencer’s secret brother/sister earlier than the season 7B premiere and let someone else fall in love with a doctor who isn’t really a doctor. That’d’ve been fine with me. at least I would have had stronger feelings about it as time passed. Sure, in the moment, I totally felt for Alison in every one of her tragic reveals, but now that time has passed, I just don’t care.

After Emily, Alison, and Aria, I find it hard to choose my favorite Liars. Even though Mona isn’t included on the official list of Liars, anyone who has read previous PLL posts knows that she’s on my list of Liars right beside Spencer and Hanna. I suppose, these three are my favorites because they are the most relatable, even if I did used to say Aria was the most relatable. They’ve all three felt what it’s like to be rejected. They know how it feels to feel unloved and unaccepted. They know what it’s like to find that one person who looks past all the negative and loves you for the positive anyway.

Even though Mona hit Hanna with a car and tortured her and her friends for years, Hanna has still always loved and mostly accepted her. Does she trust Mona? “Sometimes.” She always loves her though. Even when Mona was in Radley right after confessing to being A, Hanna went and visited her, despite Caleb and the other’s wishes that she not. That’s true friendship. That’s what I want in a best friend—someone who loves me no matter how crazy I am. Thankfully, that’s exactly the kind of best friend I do have. I know good and well that my obsessive tendencies sometimes border, if not cross the line of crazy. And yet, my best friend loves me anyway. She lets me send her excess amounts of posts about my obsessions, she has long, detailed conversations with about my obsessions, and she even joins in on many of my obsessions, sometimes before I’m supposed, sometimes without knowing I’m obsessed, and sometimes after I’m obsessed. That’s true friendship—loving your best friend even if they’re insane. Hanna loves Mona even though she was clinically insane. And Mona? Well, Mona—I think—has and is doing everything she possibly can to prove to Hanna that she loves her too. She’s trying very hard to atone for the sins she committed as A and just as a mean girl in general. Anyway, I love a character who is the redemption character—someone who spends the majority of their time in the story becoming better than they were before and if she does end up being on the A Team or evening being Uber A herself, then that’s even better, because as a story arch, I just thing that would be absolutely brilliant.

As for Hanna, she’s the realest character of all. She doesn’t have any deep dark secrets. Her skeletons are those of a broken family and a broken self-image. She acted out because her parents had marital issues and thus she had daddy issues. She developed an eating disorder because the popular girl told her too. She became the popular and kind of mean girl, because she was bullied and all the other things she has done have either been on accident or with an accomplice. To quote the song “Nervous Girls” by Lucy Hale, “Hanna in her skinny jeans is too damn scared to eat.” That was Hanna Marin for several seasons and long before we even met her. All she cared about was looking good, being popular, and getting the guy, because those were the things she thought she needed to be loved and accepted. Then, Caleb came to town and slowly showed her that none of that stuff was when made her beautiful, loved, or accepted. Of course, she didn’t actually believe that until he left for Ravenswood and came back, but she is finally too that point where she knows Hanna Marin is all she needs to be. Of course, she still struggles, but that’s why she’s such a great character, so yeah, actually, Hanna may be my favorite character of them all. One thing is for sure though, Haleb is definitely my favorite couple!

Finally, there’s Spencer Hastings. She has been rejected time and time again by her various family members. She just learned she was adopted by her mother (which by the way makes all of the other Spencer and Veronica scenes make so much more sense) because her biological mother was in a mental institute. Throughout the series, she has discovered that her father cheated on her adoptive mother not once, but twice and got both women pregnant. Her half-sister Melissa and half-brother/cousin Jason are two of the sketchiest people ever to live in Rosewood. Her ex-boyfriend once made her believe he was working with A and made her believe he was killed in a motorcycle accident. She’s been being stalked for a decade. One of her best friends made her believe she died, then that she was kidnapped, only to confess that she really just ran away. She was placed in the same mental hospital that she would later find out is the same place where she was born because it’s the same place her biological mother and half-sister, or brother, I’m still not too clear on that, was locked up for who knows how long. Spencer Hastings has been a mess throughout the whole series and it’s only becoming more and more clear with every episode as to why it’s totally okay that she’s a hot mess 98% of the time. In fact, it’s basically a miracle she’s not truly insane by now. Actually, at this point, Spencer could end up being A and I wouldn’t blame her in the slightest, because half of Rosewood is related to her and has done tragic things to her anyway, so why not? Then of course, there’s Spoby, who just needs to get back together already, because they’re breaking my heart and I don’t even care half as much about the show anymore as much as I once did.

Anyway, this post was written mostly just because I was reading some of my old posts and couldn’t help but laugh at myself for how much I loved Ezria only to get to a point where they are my least favorite characters! Then, I decided I might as well write about how I feel about the other Liars too while I’m at it.

PLL 7×11 Recap/Tiny Theory Session

Okay, so I watched Pretty Little Liars today! As I stated, I’m going to try to write at least one blog post a week for the rest of the series, since this is what really got me into blogging and since it’s going to be really the last chance I get to theorize while PLL is still airing new episodes. Who knows, maybe I’ll come back and write more once we know who Uber A is so I can try to fit all the pieces together. That’s what my best friend and I joked I would do before the show started its downhill spiral. Anyway, I must admit, I did like today’s episode! It wasn’t one of my favorites of the series, but it wasn’t a bad episode necessarily either. I took notes while watching it, and basically, I’m just gonna share my thoughts of the episode today with a little bit of theorizing as I go.

Ezra’s back. We knew he would be from commercials and teasers, but I do have a few thoughts about him. Does anyone else think he might just be back because Nicole didn’t want him? Or simply because he doesn’t know what he wants? I got that vibe in his first scene with Aria and I got that vibe again when he told her had to go to New York because Nicole’s parents asked him to go. I also get a super weird vibe from him and the fact that he’s always conveniently not around when Uber A stuff goes down. I mean, we know he’s got the tech savvy to potentially build a high-tech board game. Could he be Uber A? Or A.D.? Whatever we’re calling our torturous stalker these days? I would say I think not, since there’s supposed to be a wedding this season and that a little birdy (IMDB) told me his mom is supposed to be another episode, but I just don’t know. I don’t know who to trust anymore! At this point, of the regular characters, Ezra is definitely up there on the “Do not trust” list! Maybe it’s just his acting, I don’t know. I’m just saying, he always seems super sketch.

HALEB! Let me repeat, HALEB! ❤ I know we didn’t get a lot from them, but I don’t really care! I’m rooting for them! Not only because at this point they’re the only couple not having issues, but also just because I love them! That being said, I still haven’t completely ruled out Caleb in the “potential A” department, but that’s mostly just because A is a techy and so is Caleb. Other than that, I don’t really get any sketchy vibes from him, but I could be wrong. After my strong desire to rule out CeCe as A was crushed—even though I did mention she could be a hardcore suspect in past posts—I refuse to even think about not wanting someone to be A.

I do NOT like Paige! She gives me the wiggins (Yeah, clearly, I’ve been watching way too much BtVS, which as you can tell from other posts is my newest obsession)! I don’t know what it is about her, but she does! Again, maybe it’s just her acting—the acting from PLL isn’t as good as I thought it was eight months ago; maybe it’s just that they play better teenagers or something? I don’t know, but Paige just creeps me out! And what’s the deal with her and Alison? Like, I get that Ali was super horrible before disappearing, but once she came back she was fairly decent—at least, as decent as anyone in Rosewood is. Besides, Alison has been through A LOT! Give her a break if she is plays the victim a lot, it’s not like she’s faking—I mean, unless of course she is, but that’s a different story. Alison was forced into hiding by someone trying to kill her and her friends. She found out she had a sister who was originally her brother who was the one tormenting her and her friends and said sister ended up murdered after mending a relationship between herself and Alison. Then, Alison fell in love with and married a man who claimed to be a doctor but whom is really just someone entirely different! Speaking of, is Alison really pregnant? Is her baby really the “baby of a perfect stranger?” Or is the baby Emily’s? And Emily’s right. Why does she and the other Liars have to keep proving their love and loyalty for Alison? They’re only in this stalking/murder mystery mess because of her in the first place.

To be honest, I’m kind of digging this new board game A has for the Liars. I mean, it’s totally creepy, but it’s kind of cool too. Speaking of the board game, now we know Spencer is really Mary Drake’s daughter. That means Peter Hastings has three kids—Melissa, Jason, and Spencer, who are all half siblings, because Melissa is Veronica Hastings’ daughter, Jason is Jessica Hastings’ son and Alison’s half-brother, and Spencer is Mary Drake’s daughter and CeCe Drake’s half-sister. So in total that’s five siblings with Spencer coming in with the biggest family since she has three half-siblings, a biological mom and dad and an adoptive mom. Which, btw, answers question number thirteen of my twenty-one listed questions in first blog post of the season, so YAY! Maybe that’s what Maya knew? Maybe, after living in the DiLaurentis house, she learned that Spencer is half-Drake. Idk, but at least that’s one question answered. Oh, and btw, that letter from Mary to Spencer! ❤ 💔 I totally feel for Spencer and her anger toward Veronica for staying in a relationship with Peter after he cheated on her not once, but twice with two different women! And produced a child each time! Kudos to Veronica though for taking Spencer in! Knowing Radley, they probably would have done much worse than just give her up for adoption! Maybe that’s why she felt familiar in Radley? Maybe she visited Mary a bit before growing old enough to remember? I doubt it, since Veronica and Mary seem to hate each other so much, but maybe. Or, maybe it’s just another one of Peter’s lies? Maybe he secretly took Spencer to visit her birth mother?

Okay, and let’s talk about Mona and Hanna! I just LOVE them! And they’re chat totally summed up basically every relationship in Rosewood. Mona: “Do you trust me?” Hanna: “Sometimes.” Mona: “Make this one of those times.” That’s the show right there! They summed it up perfectly! haha. Anyway, I just love them. They are the ultimate screw up best friends! haha.

Spoby! ❤ 💔 We didn’t much from them either, but what we did get was just… ugh! Why didn’t she talk to him about Mary? I know they’re not together anymore and that she’s trying to be the noble ex-girlfriend, but dang it! He was always the one person there for her! I need him to be here for her now and vice versa! Maybe Spoby doesn’t end up together, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be best friends! I see nothing wrong with that as long as they’re not like locked up in a room or the woods somewhere by themselves, because stuff, both A stay and love stuff, happens when couples are alone together! Also, they totally summed up the whole show with that conversation! Spencer: “The world doesn’t work like that.” Toby: “Maybe not the rest of the world, but this is Rosewood.”

Finally, what is up with Jenna in that dark room with A? Is she really on the A team? Or has she been captured by the A team? Or do they have something on her? She smiled pretty hugely after she said, “You said you’d tell me today about the game” and then read that it said, “End game.” Maybe it was a sadistic smile, or maybe it was just a smile of relief. Maybe she’s tired of being one of A’s chess pieces. Only time will tell.

The Beginning of the End: PLL

I guess, since I’ve spent so much time blogging about Pretty Little Liars, I should post something about the beginning of the end. The first of the last ten episodes will be airing later this evening. I wish I could say I’m excited, but I’m really not. Do I want to know what happened to Spencer and Toby? Of course I do! By the end of the last episode, I was still shipping Spoby and Haleb, but now I couldn’t care less if Ezria ends up together or not. Ezria was my ship in seasons 1-3 and I still held out hope for them through seasons 4-6, but in 7 I realized they’re a lost cause. Not because they won’t end up together, but because they don’t have the same chemistry they had in the first few seasons. Honestly, I think I’d rather see one or both of them be Uber A than see them end up together at this point. That or Aria can just end up with Jason (assuming he’s sane and not A or a minion, of course) because as twisted as it may be, I always liked them together too. I mean, part of me will still be happy if in the end all three main ships sail off into the sunset (I don’t particularly like Emily or Alison with anyone. I kind of them like them both single), but I won’t be super duper excited like I once would have been.

As for Uber A, at this point I don’t really care who it is. They screwed up everything so much with the CeCe Drake is really Charles DiLaurentis thing that I don’t see how they’re going to be able to save themselves. For a stalker show, PLL had been fairly realistic in most aspects up until the Charles Reveal (except for the whole Ezra writing a book thing, but that’s whatever).  As much as I really didn’t want CeCe to be A, it would have been an EXCELLENT reveal if she had been–not as Charles, but as CeCe, the big bad older college girl that kind of dated Jason and got kicked out of school by Alison. That would have been GREAT! Combine the facts that the CeCe is Charles reveal was a huge let down for a lot of fans, that they jumped five years into the future, and dragged the wait time between 7A and 7B out eight months and you’ve got a huge mess of a series finale that even the most obsessive of girls is really only going to watch so that she can see the end results of a show that up to this point seems to have just wasted a bunch of time and energy.

Don’t get me wrong y’all. I may still theorize and get excited over certain events, especially if they make up for the past season and a half, but no matter how obsessed I may seem, I’ll likely still just be watching to get it over with. That being said, there are still some things that I fully expect to see and get answers for.

1. Who or what the hell is in the barrel!?
2. What’s the real story for Toby’s mom?
3. Why is Wren so relevant sometimes and so irrelevant other times?
4. ^^ Ditto for the entire Hastings and DiLaurentis family.
5. Is Mona on the A Team still or is she really one of the Liars?
6. What happened to Eddie Lamb!?
7. Why has Bethany been so freaking important throughout this series!?
8. Will Spencer, Toby, and Yvonne come out of their gun shot and car accident without too much damage?
9. Will we ever find out exactly what happened that night when Alison disappeared?
10. Will we ever find out exactly who Wilden is/was?
11. Who is Lesli Stone?
12. Why have the parents always been so close to the mysteries and yet so far away at the same time?
13. What was in A’s secret files for Mr. and Mrs. Hastings?
14. Why have Noel, Jenna, Andrew, and Lucas been so close to the mystery of A all the time?
15. What’s the deal with the NAT club?
16. “Miss Aria You’re A Killer, Not Ezra’s Wife” needs to be answered! What did Maya know!? And what really happened to her?
17. What really happened to Holbrook?
18. What happened to that Sydney chick who was close to Jenna?
19. Is Spencer really Mary’s daughter?
20. Who has a twin?
21. What was Ali really up to all those years between her “death and resurrection?”

And that’s really all I can think of right now, but I’m sure there’s other stuff too.

 

At this point, here’s what would have to happen for PLL to redeem itself for me:

1. Mona was Uber A all along! She only revealed herself in season 2 so that she wouldn’t be expected later on.
2. One of the boyfriends or Melissa is Uber A. Maybe even one of the dads? Byron, Peter, or Kenneth could make sense if the story is spun just right.
3. Neither Jason, nor Wren are Uber A, because at this point whether I always assumed they were or not, I’d hate to see either Jason or Wren be Uber A. If either of them is, then there needs to be this really intricate story that makes everything make sense. Even then though so many people have suspected them at this point that it’d be kind of lame.
4. There was never anyone named Charles DiLaurentis and if there was, then it wasn’t CeCe. She just pretended because of x, y, and z reasons.
5. The expected second twin is Spencer’s and not Alison’s. Or really anyone’s as long as it’s not Alison’s, because the show is supposed to be different than the book, meaning Alison can’t have a secret twin.

Fangirl Feels: Pretty Little Liars

If you haven’t been catching a case of the feels the past few weeks, then you must not have social media, or you at least must not follow any of the cast from Pretty Little Liars. If this is the case, then let me let you in on what’s been happening. It’s been a very bittersweet time for the cast, crew, and fans of Pretty Little Liars. Lucy Hale, Keegan Allen, Janel Parrish, and other such stars have been filming the last ever scenes of the show, which means their jobs of playing our beloved people of Rosewood, Pennsylvania are coming to an end. If that doesn’t hit you in the feels, then I’m not really sure why you’re reading this post or following this blog. While I write about many things, Pretty Little Liars has been the primary source of inspiration for this Obsessive Girl in blog’s past and now the PLL era is coming to an end. Sure, we still have until April before the final episodes start rolling out, but the goodbyes start now as the stars film their last scenes as characters they’ve played since many of them were teenagers themselves. In fact, when the pilot was first filmed, Sasha Pieterse aka Alison DiLaurentis was only twelve years old. That was eight years ago. Depending on the time of year when they starting filming, Ashley Benson (Hanna Marin), Lucy Hale (Aria Montgomery), and Keegan Allen (Toby Cavanagh) were likely 18 going on 19, Janel Parrish (Mona Vanderwaal) was likely 19, Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields), Ian Harding (Ezra Fitz), and Tyler Blackburn (Caleb Rivers) were likely 21, and Troian Bellisario (Spencer Hastings) was likely 22. Now their ages range from 20 to 30 years old. That’s a lot of time dedicated to a show, a character, and fans. It only makes sense that they’ve been posting incredibly emotional posts on Twitter and Instagram the past few weeks. Still, even though we’re expecting it and even though we still have 8 or so months until we have to watch the series finale, it’s been an emotional time for PLL cast, crew, and fans alike.

As fans, we know these stars about as well as we know most of our social media friends (I mean, seriously, we probably like, reply to, and keep up with more of these stars’ posts than we do the people we’ve actually met and spoken with in real life). They’ve become like extended family to us. We were their faces on our couple shirts (I own all three because at times each couple is my favorite), we hang their calendars on our walls, and faithfully watch their show at least every week if not every day (or every hour). We even spend hours upon hours reading, writing, and thinking about theories for who might be A, who might be working for A, who might be a double agent, and who might truly be on the Liars’ side. I personally have spent more time and put more effort into theorizing than I’m even willing to admit to myself. *hides face behind hands* I’ve even become known as the girl obsessed with Pretty Little Liars. I kid you not anytime anything even potentially related to Pretty Little Liars or obsessions is mentioned at work, someone points their finger at me. I can’t blame them honestly, I am “Obsessive Girl” after all.

I’ve got to be honest though, when Pretty Little Liars first came out, I wasn’t in the least bit interested in watching it. Granted, I thought it was just a show about a bunch of girls with names starting with “A” (Aria, Alison, Ashley–I didn’t know who was who at the time) who had killed or done something to a friend who wasn’t really a friend and someone had found out so they were afraid. I distinctly remember watching a preview of the scene from the pilot when Aria and Emily were walking into the school and Emily said, “We all know she’s dead” and Aria stops before saying, “I hadn’t heard anyone say it yet.” Then the preview showed the girls getting a text message from “A” and that’s what made me think it was just a bunch of friends who killed/hurt someone. When I eventually learned what the show was really about I spent a week catching up on four seasons only to realize the season four finale was coming out that week. Yeah, so I rushed and spent 23 hours straight one day watching it because I wanted to catch up with the series only to learn I had to wait three months until the next episode came out. I wouldn’t have rushed so much if I knew I would have to wait.

Now, we’re half-way through the seventh and final season and I kind of feel like crying. This is the first show since Lizzie McGuire that I’ve consistently watched as it aired until the finale. I kid you not, every other show I’ve ever watched I’ve either binge-watched or didn’t finish until well after it was over. I was ten when Lizzie McGuire ended. That means, by the time Pretty Little Liar ends, it will have been thirteen years since I had to endure the series finale of a show that I sincerely loved. Actually, now that I think about it, I watched the series finale of Ned’s Declassified in 2007 too, so if I consider that, then it will have really only been ten years, but still! That’s a whole decade in which I haven’t had to say goodbye to a beloved show and even more beloved characters that I have lived alongside for many years. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve binge-watched many, many shows in the past few years that I endured the series finale for, but I that wasn’t the same kind of commitment. It still hurts, hurts real bad, to say goodbye to shows I’ve binge watched, but it’s like the goodbye of a summer fling, whereas the goodbye I will endure for PLL will be the goodbye of a truly committed relationship.

I’m not quite sure I’m ready to say goodbye yet, y’all! I mean, I’ve definitely had a few fights with PLL and been fed up with the secrets and lies, almost to the point that I was done with the show, but I haven’t given up! I’ve endured the heartache and stress that comes with committing to a show like PLL. This show has made me sad, angry, anxious, and happy on many different occasions, sometimes at the same time, and it really is about time we know who Uber A is so that the Liars and their SO’s can finally live in peace, but I just… I’m not ready to say goodbye! I am ready to see the stars in new projects though, especially if that means we get more Lucy Hale music and maybe another Keegan Allen book! That I am incredibly excited for, but I’m certainly not excited about saying goodbye! While I’m incredibly bummed that we have to wait until April for the rest of season 7 to premiere, I’m also kind of grateful, because that means we have a little bit more time before we have to say goodbye!

Anyway, I just needed to vent to some people who understand what I’m going through. I’m gonna go back to binge watching my new obsession (Chicago Fire, PD, and Med–seriously, they’re amazing!), then I’m going to binge watch Gilmore Girls again before Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life comes out on Netflix next month and once I’m done watching Gilmore Girls, I’ll probably watch Pretty Little Liars again, because it’s been a while and I really want to figure out who A is before it’s finally revealed for real!

Kisses,

O.G.

MY FAVORITE PLL THEORY EVER

Okay, so, it’s been a while since I’ve posted about Pretty Little Liars and that’s because it’s broken me. I don’t even know how to theorize about PLL anymore! After the dollhouse… I don’t know man…. I guess I just feel like I was in the dollhouse with them and didn’t come out of it very well! But Y’ALL! I have a group chat with three friends and my roommate, Anicka Deese, came up with my favorite theory EVER! She gave me permission to copy and paste her theory and post it here. I’m also gonna post screen shots of our reactions to it, because we piece a few other things together, too!
“Theory… Very patchy! Just thoughts I came up with. Not fully convinced of it either but this is my first big theory so don’t be too hard on me lol.
I dig Courts Wilden theory. Them bringing back Wilden as the masked persons gotta mean something. Street Cred to you on the Wilden portion Courtney.
Mary has three kids: Spencer, Bethany and Wilden.
Spencer’s dad is her biological father and since Mary is seen as unstable, Peter Hastings got full custody of Spencer. This is whySpencer had that weird dream about being in Radly. She was born there.
The blond girl in Spencer’s baby book is Bethany.
Cece is actually a Dilarentis. When her parents put her in Radly,Mary Drake looked out for her which is why she called herself Cece Drake.she didn’t want the Dilarentis name anymore and took on Mary’s who was actually there for her.
It all started “That Night” when Bethany was killed. This made Mary Drake furious. On top of that, her daughter was dead and she was locked up in Radly while Mrs. Dilarentises daughter Ally got to live the perfect life. Mary wanted revenge and manipulated Mona into being her first A. Mona was so insecure and mentally unstable due to Alys bullying she was convinced. Mary invited her to be on the A team.
After Mona was locked up, Mary needed a new A. She had already had an A that bullied the girls, but she was wanting more. So she got Cece to start torturing the girls. Cece was easy to convince to be on the team. Cece felt like Mary took care of her and wanted to repay her for that. Cece always looked after Allison because even though she had so much anger toward her family, Aly was still her little sister. So as much as she tortured her, she also cared about her well being.
Wilden was so protective of Cece because that’s his cousin. So caught up in Alliso s disappearance because she’s his cousin and dead Bethany’s his sister. He was after the girls the whole time because Mary insisted they were guilty.
Cece was so emotional when she found Mrs D dead because she was her mom and she still loved her
Mary has always hated Mrs D because Mrs D wrongfully he her put in Radly after she was the one that let the baby die back in the day
Mrs D took everything from her. Her life when she put her in Radly, her kids because of it. And now Bethany is dead
Wren was hired by Mary Drake to be a spy and get info on her daughter Spencer. That’s why he met Melissa in the first place
Mary also created NAT as part of her A team to spy on the girls. Ian went rogue and tried to kill Mary’s daughter Spencer and in turn, she killed him.
Melissa knows more than she’s ever said but is being on the A Team to be a spy and protect Spencer. Wren let her in on everything after Ian’s death. Wren may or may not be on Melissa’s side and secretly working with Mary too. She cannot tell anyone what is actually going on at risk of being killed or framed.
Spence has mental issues from Mary.

“Maya Knew” maya found something in the house about Mary

Garrett was on the A Team but after giving Spencer a clue when she visited him in Jail, Mary wanted him dead too.
Eddie Lamb was at Radly all along and knows everything. Mary had him killed after he gave them the sketch book
Everyone that knows Mary, is scared of Mary
A Team is real, and Mary is the leader
People who got in the way – Ian, Eddie, Maya, Mrs. D., Garrett – They’re all dead.”

AND FOR YOU VIEWING PLEASURE–Something that very much seems to prove Melissa is not a villain but is DEFINITELY connected!