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TV week #2 - Have yourself a CW Christmas
Well the time has come: my CW shows had their Christmas episodes, and I got at least a virtual present from the writers. Spoilers ahead!
Arrow – 1x09 – Year's End
After the previous episode, I was a little bit afraid that this show would go down on the soap opera thingy, and it'd completely ruined it for me, but now, I feel ashamed that I dared to doubt the writers. They made an outstandingly good episode with the right amount of action and family drama. It is Christmas after all, and we have a broken family in the focus, and one in the background, so it has to be heavy on them. Btw, IRL I hate Christmas, simply because there is a pressure to be happy and grateful, you see all these joy around you, and look at your life, realizing there isn't much to celebrate there. And this was the main focus on this episode, and they did it surprisingly well, not too cheesy, like with the Helena parallel.
So I could gush over all the Oliver and Thea interaction, and not just because I ship them. It was so heartbreaking to see, that Oliver went into Hood-moody mode, bury himself in work after the fallout with Helena - and as stubborn as Oliver is, he isn't gonna ask for help from his family *but I'm looking at you, you silly man, YOU HAVE YOUR SISTER!* So the point is: he's working like hell, and he forgets about Christmas. It was so sad to see, he was surviving mode and doesn't really got back into the human-living-social things.
Most favorite Oliver/Thea scenes: ALL OF THEM! Really. We got overprotective big brother Oliver, which just fueled my incest yay radar, because when Laurel was talking about their romantic involvement, and been left alone (he pushed Laurel away), there was a nice shot, showing Oliver utterly alone in the midst of cheerful people, and his first thought - FINALLY - 'where is my sister?' And let's mention the whole awkward walk in to your sister's room when she's practically half-naked (on this channel, we only got to the bra scene, so I utterly cherished it xD). Then the fighting, - oh my shipper heart, be still, - Oliver says he did this all for Thea, because he doesn't really know how to reach out safely, but wants her to be happy on Christmas. It's just heartbreaking on so many levels, they have history, so many happy memories, and they just can't go back, they both grow up, but apart, and they are both broken.
And the whole Christmas party was this big Oliver/Thea thing, I loved how important it was to Oliver that Thea agreed to his plan, that Thea was happy, that Thea doesn't get together with some random dude. He was in a Thea mood, for sure, see, Oliver, you have a way to channel your emotions.
I know the show is not all about this, but we had the hospital scene, a typical fanfiction trope, yay! Where they admit they have to accept each other, but they still can have good things about the past, they changed, but their connection doesn't.
Other parts of this episode include Oliver training IN SHIRT. (It was a shocker for me, what a plot twist.) And we had the usual 'we don't know about each other's secret identity, so let's have a dinner with awesome and hilarious innuendos. It worked well, so I liked it. As I liked Quentin in this episode, he didn't let his emotion cloud his judgment yet again, so it was good to see, he know from the start it's a copycat. Though the other archer's identity is not much of a surprise, I squeed, it was refreshing to see a villain that can take on Oliver. And yet again I absolutely loved Felicity with her adorkable attitude and Walter and Moira's relationship was also interesting. Though I don't particularly like Moira her 'You're my salvation' line just hit me right in the feels. :D
It was a very well written episode, and I do hope my luck with this series will continue, especially because two of my all time favorite actors will guest starring next year. I CAN'T WAIT!
Episode Rating: ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!
The Vampire Diaries – 4x09 – O Come, All Ye Faithful
This show, oh, this show. S4 is a serious letdown for me, and I'll be blunt: I watch it only for Klaus. And I always hope for more interaction between Elena and the Originals (any Original, really), because she and her bloodline have history with them. Yet the writers only focus the Originals and Klaus only to Stefan, occasionally Damon (that can be hilarious, btw), and now Caroline. It seems to me Klaus is just painting snowflakes and bats his eyelashes at Caroline. And that's not very interesting. But at least we had Klaus murdering - the oh, so hinted - Carol (I think this is her name, right?), it was really fun to watch our favorite batshit crazy Original smeared with blood and murdering people TO A CHRISTMAS SONG! Because this is Mystic Falls, that's what you get, blood and violence. (I'd like a bloodstained Klaus under my Christmas tree, btw.)
So the plot moves on, we have now this Silas thing again, we don't really need the sword. Yeah, right. IT'S NOT SUSPICIOUS OR ANYTHING AT ALL. But the other things? The sacrifice and the whole April thing was very predictable and also, very boring. I shuddered when Caroline was so busy being self-righteous that she forgot to check April for vervain. Smooth move, Caroline. I don't know what I want from the April storyline, maybe a real bonding time with her and Rebekah. That would be fun.
Tyler and Caroline are having relationship issues (TRUST. IS. EVERYTHING.), Bonnie and Jeremy are having relationship issues (Are we gonna make out again in this season?), Damon and Elena are having relationship issues (your love is absolutely not real, and I'm being a martyr, also very misunderstood and broody), Caroline and Stefan has a revelation about Klaus not being bad (fanfic much?), meanwhile he slasher kills a dozen people, because he's really lonely. You know, I'd buy it, and I have my headcanon about Klaus, that he's damaged, that he'd love real company, but he just can't. HE'S TOO EFFING BROKEN. And on the show it depends on the writer what mood Klaus gets in. Will he be a drawing, painting, horse-ing, brooding prince or a sociopath serial killer. I do love complex characters, but they tend to soften their big bads, and it's not a problem, but we saw this on other shows much more believably done. (I'm looking at you, Once Upon a Time.) So yeah. It was a teen drama, with brother issues (I loved the Jeremy-Elena thing, but come on, writers, why is Bonnie the solution? Because one memory didn't work, why skip Elena all together? I'm mad because of this, that they ruined the family issues again with the romantic ones. Yes, I'm talking about the Salvatores problems too.)
It was too heavy with soap opera elements for me, but I enjoyed the good old Klaus. I'm still waiting on Klena. Or Elejah. Or Kolena. If I can believe the next ep's promo, it says the Originals are back, but I think it'll only Rebekah. Which I don't mind, she's my second favorite female character on the show.
Episode Rating: It was okay.
Overall week rating: 5/4
Arrow – 1x09 – Year's End
After the previous episode, I was a little bit afraid that this show would go down on the soap opera thingy, and it'd completely ruined it for me, but now, I feel ashamed that I dared to doubt the writers. They made an outstandingly good episode with the right amount of action and family drama. It is Christmas after all, and we have a broken family in the focus, and one in the background, so it has to be heavy on them. Btw, IRL I hate Christmas, simply because there is a pressure to be happy and grateful, you see all these joy around you, and look at your life, realizing there isn't much to celebrate there. And this was the main focus on this episode, and they did it surprisingly well, not too cheesy, like with the Helena parallel.
So I could gush over all the Oliver and Thea interaction, and not just because I ship them. It was so heartbreaking to see, that Oliver went into Hood-moody mode, bury himself in work after the fallout with Helena - and as stubborn as Oliver is, he isn't gonna ask for help from his family *but I'm looking at you, you silly man, YOU HAVE YOUR SISTER!* So the point is: he's working like hell, and he forgets about Christmas. It was so sad to see, he was surviving mode and doesn't really got back into the human-living-social things.
Most favorite Oliver/Thea scenes: ALL OF THEM! Really. We got overprotective big brother Oliver, which just fueled my incest yay radar, because when Laurel was talking about their romantic involvement, and been left alone (he pushed Laurel away), there was a nice shot, showing Oliver utterly alone in the midst of cheerful people, and his first thought - FINALLY - 'where is my sister?' And let's mention the whole awkward walk in to your sister's room when she's practically half-naked (on this channel, we only got to the bra scene, so I utterly cherished it xD). Then the fighting, - oh my shipper heart, be still, - Oliver says he did this all for Thea, because he doesn't really know how to reach out safely, but wants her to be happy on Christmas. It's just heartbreaking on so many levels, they have history, so many happy memories, and they just can't go back, they both grow up, but apart, and they are both broken.
And the whole Christmas party was this big Oliver/Thea thing, I loved how important it was to Oliver that Thea agreed to his plan, that Thea was happy, that Thea doesn't get together with some random dude. He was in a Thea mood, for sure, see, Oliver, you have a way to channel your emotions.
I know the show is not all about this, but we had the hospital scene, a typical fanfiction trope, yay! Where they admit they have to accept each other, but they still can have good things about the past, they changed, but their connection doesn't.
Other parts of this episode include Oliver training IN SHIRT. (It was a shocker for me, what a plot twist.) And we had the usual 'we don't know about each other's secret identity, so let's have a dinner with awesome and hilarious innuendos. It worked well, so I liked it. As I liked Quentin in this episode, he didn't let his emotion cloud his judgment yet again, so it was good to see, he know from the start it's a copycat. Though the other archer's identity is not much of a surprise, I squeed, it was refreshing to see a villain that can take on Oliver. And yet again I absolutely loved Felicity with her adorkable attitude and Walter and Moira's relationship was also interesting. Though I don't particularly like Moira her 'You're my salvation' line just hit me right in the feels. :D
It was a very well written episode, and I do hope my luck with this series will continue, especially because two of my all time favorite actors will guest starring next year. I CAN'T WAIT!
Episode Rating: ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!
The Vampire Diaries – 4x09 – O Come, All Ye Faithful
This show, oh, this show. S4 is a serious letdown for me, and I'll be blunt: I watch it only for Klaus. And I always hope for more interaction between Elena and the Originals (any Original, really), because she and her bloodline have history with them. Yet the writers only focus the Originals and Klaus only to Stefan, occasionally Damon (that can be hilarious, btw), and now Caroline. It seems to me Klaus is just painting snowflakes and bats his eyelashes at Caroline. And that's not very interesting. But at least we had Klaus murdering - the oh, so hinted - Carol (I think this is her name, right?), it was really fun to watch our favorite batshit crazy Original smeared with blood and murdering people TO A CHRISTMAS SONG! Because this is Mystic Falls, that's what you get, blood and violence. (I'd like a bloodstained Klaus under my Christmas tree, btw.)
So the plot moves on, we have now this Silas thing again, we don't really need the sword. Yeah, right. IT'S NOT SUSPICIOUS OR ANYTHING AT ALL. But the other things? The sacrifice and the whole April thing was very predictable and also, very boring. I shuddered when Caroline was so busy being self-righteous that she forgot to check April for vervain. Smooth move, Caroline. I don't know what I want from the April storyline, maybe a real bonding time with her and Rebekah. That would be fun.
Tyler and Caroline are having relationship issues (TRUST. IS. EVERYTHING.), Bonnie and Jeremy are having relationship issues (Are we gonna make out again in this season?), Damon and Elena are having relationship issues (your love is absolutely not real, and I'm being a martyr, also very misunderstood and broody), Caroline and Stefan has a revelation about Klaus not being bad (fanfic much?), meanwhile he slasher kills a dozen people, because he's really lonely. You know, I'd buy it, and I have my headcanon about Klaus, that he's damaged, that he'd love real company, but he just can't. HE'S TOO EFFING BROKEN. And on the show it depends on the writer what mood Klaus gets in. Will he be a drawing, painting, horse-ing, brooding prince or a sociopath serial killer. I do love complex characters, but they tend to soften their big bads, and it's not a problem, but we saw this on other shows much more believably done. (I'm looking at you, Once Upon a Time.) So yeah. It was a teen drama, with brother issues (I loved the Jeremy-Elena thing, but come on, writers, why is Bonnie the solution? Because one memory didn't work, why skip Elena all together? I'm mad because of this, that they ruined the family issues again with the romantic ones. Yes, I'm talking about the Salvatores problems too.)
It was too heavy with soap opera elements for me, but I enjoyed the good old Klaus. I'm still waiting on Klena. Or Elejah. Or Kolena. If I can believe the next ep's promo, it says the Originals are back, but I think it'll only Rebekah. Which I don't mind, she's my second favorite female character on the show.
Episode Rating: It was okay.
Overall week rating: 5/4