TV Review: Smash

In short, I'm in love.

I watched the pilot for Smash (free on iTunes), NBC's latest attempt at dragging the network out of the gutter, and I have to admit, it's also their greatest attempt. While past Hail Mary passes have died ignominious deaths at the hands of the network that was, Smash is far and away their best effort and has the best chance of subverting my expectations for the network.

I should start off with a full disclosure of biases. The premise for this show is pretty much tailor-made for me and my artistic sensibilities. I'm a sucker for serialized dramas, musicals, dance, Broadway, and Jack Davenport. Honestly, it could have been half as good and I'd still be giddy with anticipation for more and clutching my pearls that NBC will blow it. Again. Unhealthy love of musicals aside, I've never been a fan of Marilyn Monroe or her brainless cupie doll routine, at all, so in my own particular brand of flamboyant mathematics, I think my biases may have cancelled each other out. As such, prepare yourselves for a completely unprejudiced and unconflicted review. Huzahh!

A lot of television viewers and critics have been quick with the snap judgments about Smash, assuming it was NBC's attempt at a Glee-style hit, but rest assured, rather than a derivative knock-off of a show that has spun into a full disaster, Smash is everything Glee wishes it could be, but isn't. Rather than setting up a faulty framework whereby actors can sing a million song covers that are vaguely adjacent to whatever contrived moment it happening on air, Smash embraces the ages-old theatrical conceit of a show within a show and makes it sparkle. Yeah, yeah, they're both shows with songs and... no, actually, that's about where the comparisons stop. Watching Smash didn't at all feel like watching some iteration of Glee, and if you've watched Glee over the past two seasons, you know there's no possible way that isn't a compliment.

Smash tells the story of the making of a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe, using the songs within the musical that is being writing as the primary songs for the show. It forges a compelling blend between the real world and the stage adaptation in much the way the film adaptation of Chicago did (I kinda want to say that Rob Marshall is involved with this show somehow, but don't quote me on that), shifting from reality to fantasy from breath to breath. Other songs elucidate character moments and plot developments as well, but it all blends together nicely and doesn't feel like, "Awh hell, it's been 7 minutes, we have to put another song in no matter how much it doesn't fit." The musical numbers were all completely organic to the story and felt like, well... like I was watching a good musical. For those of you out there who've seen good ones and bad ones, you know what I mean. In the best musicals, the songs simply flow through the narrative like all other storytelling elements. In a bad musical, well, you can feel the number coming from a mile away and can't believe you have to sit through an entire song about postage stamps. It helps that Smash has a hell of a pedigree going into it, not only with an amazing cast of onscreen talent, but actual Broadway writers and choreographers working behind the scenes. These people know how to put on a show and I know how to sit on the edge of my seat clapping my hands together and grinning.

Katharine McPhee stars as Karen Cartwright, budding ingenue and corn-fed Iowan who dreams of making it on Broadway. With her primary credit being "former American Idol contestant," I was understandably concerned about her ability to carry a series. Her acting resume is pretty slim, but at the end of the day, she did a really lovely job, allowing her inexperience to make her performance better, not worse. McPhee is green and unpolished, but so is the character she plays. The very quality that makes her an appealing and refreshing choice as Marilyn makes her an appealing actress overall. Every slightly awkward moment comes off as genuine and disarming. I wouldn't say that every second was a home run, but I found that I connected with her character instantly and found myself rooting for her from the get-go.

By intentional contrast, Karen's rival in the race for the lead is a Broadway veteran named Ivy, and is played by Megan Hilty. Maybe it's humanity's knee-jerk sympathy for the underdog, but neither I, nor the producers of the show within the show were as drawn to her as they are to Karen. She actually did a very nice job embodying Marilyn and she's a force to be reckoned with onstage, but there was something forced and almost disingenuous about her portrayal. Whether this is chalked up to the actress, the character design, or both, is anyone's guess, but it made for a noteworthy juxtaposition. I assume she'll grow on my over time, but as is, one of my very few quibbles with the show was that McPhee's character is so obviously the star of the show (although after talking to Annie, it seems some people were more divided than I). Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine any universe in which she doesn't get the lead role. It appears that the bulk of the first season will focus on the contest for the role of Marilyn, so unless they flesh out Ivy in more substantial ways, I think the winner is a bit of a foregone conclusion. I think the reason I struggled with Ivy is that she went whole-hog with the Betty Boop Marilyn persona that I've long despised. McPhee's character gave Marilyn an actual personality, a heart, a brain, (da noive?) and my attention. She made her more than the dingbat, and that instantly wins her a lot of points.

The two leads do a very nice job, but it's the rest of the cast that really brings it together and creates the world of the show. The cast is replete with heavy-hitters like Angelica Huston, Debra Messing, and of course, my darling Jack Davenport who steals the show. Okay, I may be a bit biased, as mentioned above, but I think most viewers will find his prickly, sexy, brilliant director Derek Wills as delightful as I do. There are truly no serious weak links in the cast at all and I found myself believing the characters instantly and investing in them. To see the contrast between the two young women, pursuing their dreams in the face of parental opposition or apathy and the profession veterans who've seen a million girls just like them feels authentic and meaningful. We theatre buffs have seen this conceit before, to be sure, but there's a reason writers keep tapping that well. It's utterly compelling and unbearably brutal to watch. I've seen it a dozen times and yet I get sucked in every single time.

Indeed, the few weaker points to the pilot were some of the more staid story elements. While the performances made some of the more predictable plot points work, they were predictable nonetheless. As the season progresses, I'm hopeful the writers will play with expectations and take more narrative chances, but even if they don't, it all still works. More surprises would simply be icing on the cake. In terms of the smaller story elements, there were a few moments where the writers were clearly aiming for heart and depth, but slid into schmaltz instead. I'm not overly concerned here. Once the show really finds its feet, I'm confident these more heavy-handed beats will dissipate as the characters become fully formed. I realize that Ellis' monologue about his love of the theatre and Ivy's would-be heartbreaking phonecall to her apathetic mother were important character points, but this early on, they fell a bit flat. Those were the two primary instances in the pilot that didn't ring true for me and felt forced. The fact that these two moments came from the two characters I connected to the least is no coincidence, methinks.

Minor quibbles aside, the show really worked. The chemistry between all the actors made even the weaker beats worth ignoring. In particular, McPhee and Davenport sizzle onscreen. This is, of course, intentional, and it's a good thing it worked because the show would be far less without it. The story of an aspiring starlet facing the prospect of having to sleep with the director to get the gig is well-worn and familiar, but again, the actors make it feel fresh. Jack Davenport can do no wrong, really. His real strong-suit is the subtlety he brings to the story in the smaller moments. The look on his face and glint in his eye when McPhee performs for the first time had me sold on him as a character and on her as the lead. How that will all shake out in the long run, especially in light of the entirely too revelatory "this season on Smash" highlight reel, will be interesting to watch, even if not completely surprising. That said, the fact that Tom, one of the writers of the musical, and Derek, the director, hate each other (or at least feel a certain rivalry) will make the whole process twistier and murkier in all the best ways. Does Tom want Ivy for the lead because he thinks she's best for the part or because it's clear that Derek favors Karen? Will his loyalties to Ivy win out? Will Derek's bravado overpower him? When push comes to shove, who carries more weight in the decision? I kinda can't wait to find out.

All in all, this was an easy show for me to enjoy. My threshold for musicals is pretty low in general, but even if I weren't such a fan of the genre, I think there would be a lot to love about Smash. Was it perfect? No. Did I care that it wasn't perfect? No. The glitzy production numbers (I've watched the baseball number about half a dozen times now), Broadway caliber singing and dancing (was that Alex Wong I spied in the rehearsal for said baseball number? why yes, I think it was), fine acting, and wonderful cast were enough for me to casually ignore the flaws. Most musicals have issues, let's be honest, but if I can walk away with a smile on my face and a song stuck in my head, I really can't complain. In the end, I find that I'm more excited about this show than I have been about any other pilot this year. Whether or not it'll sink or swim is anyone's guess, but in terms of network TV in general, NBC might just sink or swim right along with it.

No pressure or anything.

The fact that it's on NBC is actually quite the double-edged sword in terms of it's prospects. On the one hand, NBC has hardly a feather in its cap these days and hasn't launched a huge hit since The Office. When there aren't any solid lead-ins to help with new start-ups, it's much more difficult to find traction with viewers. On the other hand, NBC's standards for "good ratings" have gotten so low that shows have to be complete, total, and utter flops to get cancelled. What this means for Smash is yet to be seen, but the good news is that I think it will do at least well enough that NBC will keep it around for a while. They can't really afford for it to flop... In my heart of hearts though, I think it will do well, NBC notwithstanding.

Pilot Grade: A-

TV Review: Alcatraz

When the fall slate of shows was announced, I was pretty underwhelmed, finding a lot more to salivate over for midseason than for September. That's still mostly true, what with Revenge being the only real new love of my life, but in fall's defense, midseason is losing a bit of its luster as well.

When I first heard that JJ Abrams had a new show about prisoners disappearing from Alcatraz prison in 1963 then resurfacing 50 years later to cause mayhem and whatnot, I was pretty excited. JJ has a pretty good track record (Undercovers notwithstanding) and although Lost eventually devolved into a total mess, that was long after JJ's involvement had ended. It was with this pedigree that I happily looked forward to Alcatraz as, I hoped, my new obsession, bringing a glisten and cache to midseason that we'd never seen before.


Yeah, not so much.

Awh, best laid plans. Yeah, I think with Alcatraz we have a tragic case of a great, high concept idea that's been weighted down by network TV. What could have been a gripping serial drama full of mystery and intrigue has been revised and diluted into a standard network crime procedural. Ugh. It wasn't a total disaster or anything, and I really do think it has potential, but at the end of the day, it appears to be way more baddie-of-the-week than I expected. In my book, I'll take a decent serial over a good procedural any day of the week, so such a realization was quite a letdown.

The basic gist of the show is interesting and different. When Alcatraz prison closed in 1963, the prisoners were supposedly transferred to other prisons. In the show's mythology, however, they were taken by unknown forces for unknown reasons. In present day San Francisco, these long-forgotten prisoners are resurfacing, having hardly aged a day, with vengeance on their minds and mysterious puppet master pulling the strings. Interesting, right?! Wow, that sounds like a hell of a concept for show! That's something I've never really seen before! I can hardly wait for the awesome web of awesomeness to unfold before me!!

In actuality, the base mythos for the show's conceit acted merely as a framework for a quirky buddy cop crime procedural. Yeah, that's the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. That said, even that could have really come together in fabulous ways. It didn't. Problemo numero uno? Sarah Jones. Good lord, you've got to be kidding me. When I first heard she'd been cast as the female lead, my expectations for the show diminished by half. Quite rightly, I was disappointed to find. Sometimes I really hate being right. Jones plays Rebecca Madsen, a tough, no-nonsense detective who rose through the ranks at a young age, having learned everything she knows about detectiving from her father. Okay, seriously? How many times do I have to see this character? Your show is about ghosts from Alcatraz wreaking havoc and yet you couldn't come up with something more original than that for your primary character? Such laziness does not bode well for the show as a whole. But, again, even such a hackneyed character model can work when placed in the right hands. Sarah Jones' hands ain't them.

In truth, I've only ever seen her on a few episodes of Sons of Anarchy and an episode of Justified. I wasn't particularly impressed by either, but all in all, she did a serviceable job with the roles she was given (that of the daughter of a white supremacist and very pregnant Kentucky prisoner, respectively). While she managed okay with those, at no time did I think to myself, "You know, she's make a hell of a supernatural detective." I was hoping I'd be wrong, but no. She was terrible. Not for one second did I believe she was a police officer of any stripe, let alone a badass detective who chases down bad guys. First of all, she's not old enough to be a detective. But, then again, no one on these shows ever is. The real problem is that she looks about 14. The flippy blond bob and matronly shape did not help. To boot, her manner, her demeanor, the way she carried herself, everything, struck me more as any random woman at a grocery store than as a ballbusting maverick. With a capable actress, her appearance wouldn't have mattered, but Jones couldn't sell the part even if she looked it, so to not look the either was the death knell. She commanded no authority and at no time did I feel she was actually capable of much of anything. She truly brought nothing to the table and left the audience with a bland, forgettable performance. Seriously, if I had to think of 5 words to describe who she is a as a person, I doubt I could get to 3 before giving up and saying things like, "Uh... punctual? And, um... loves Eggos?" for personality traits 4 and 5. A great actor can make even the weakest of material sing. Alcatraz has problems, but it's by no means the "weakest of material," and yet she still failed. The first outing for the show consisted of the pilot and second episode, of which she was front and center and yet I'm still left with nothing but cliches to hold onto. Maybe that's why they stuck to the cliches... they realized she couldn't bring anything special, so they just put a cookie-cutter out there and hoped the audience would fill in all the blanks. Man, I think back to the Veronica Mars pilot. With Kristen Bell as the lead, I left the pilot knowing who she was, how she operated, and most importantly, that I liked her and wanted to know more. Sarah Jones is not half so capable, and Alcatraz suffered as a result. Honestly, with another actress at the helm, I'd probably being singing the show's praises. As is, I'm left wondering what idiot thought she could anchor a show.

Jones was the real problem here, but honestly, the rest of the cast wasn't given much to work with. Hurley is playing Hurley. Straight up. Even his quips and turns of phrase are the same. His manner, tone, reactions, everything. Don't get me wrong, I love Hurley, but I already know Hurley. He's as warm and convivial as ever, having a lovable chemistry with just about everyone. Having never seen him in anything besides Lost, I can't vouch for his range, but I would have loved to have seen him given something a little different. In this, I'm met with a female cop stereotype and a character I already know. On the one hand, it grounded the show in familiarity, but on the other hand, it grounded the show in familiarity. I'm always looking for something new, and when I run across a ballsy high-concept, I expect it to follow through in all aspects, not just the background conceit.

Sam Neill and Parminder Nagra round out the supporting cast and are both fine, but I kept feeling like they were being wasted in favor of watching Jones awkwardly run after criminals. I'm hopeful the writers will realize what they've got on their hands and shift the focus, but as is, they provided the mysterious people behind the curtain, the bosses, the ones in the know, but didn't get to show much of it. Here's hoping for more. The end of the second episode opened a lot of possibilities for Nagra and I'm hoping they make the most of them. That she, apparently, hasn't aged either, existing in flashbacks and modern day, is genuinely intriguing and automatically makes her character far more interesting than the actual leads of the show. It also helps explain how she could have been shot straight through the heart with a huge rifle and managed to survive. I just hope they actually have a plan for the long term and figured out their own mythology before jumping int with both feet. As with Lost before it, I'd hate to see "the island is magical" become a common refrain for this show... (I just barely finished Lost and can I tell ya? Majorly disappointing. That whole last season was a snooze. I had three eps to go and I simply didn't care. Finally watched said eps, and still didn't care. Ugh.)

While the show definitely has some procedural elements to it, what with a ghost from the past seemingly being tracked down week-to-week and pairing between a cop and an unconventional partner, but its ongoing story seems to hold together better than most. I expected the prisoner in the first episode to be a one-off, but it appears that they'll be making appearances for the long run. This gives me hope for the series. With the leads being as lackluster as they are, I found myself instantly more interested in the prisoners, wanting to learn more about their stories, their histories, and their personalities than in Jones or Hurley. For the one-off characters to outshine the stars is a very bad sign, but the underpinnings of the show allow for a more serial arc than expected. I really hope the writers make the most of that and eschew standard procedural elements for something much deeper than they've given us so far. The mysteries they've laid out are genuinely compelling, but having been burnt so many times before, and by several of the same people, I'm reluctant to trust the writers to payoff their setups. Seriously, is it worth feverishly discussing the many possibilities if you can't be sure the writers themselves have figured anything out? Ultimately, probably not. Lost raised so many questions and opted to answer them poorly or not at all that viewers felt cheated. If you're ever looking for a good time, play the "Wait, how did that happen? Uh, the island..." drinking game. You'll be soused in no time. I'm more than a little concerned that this will be the same situation, slightly different island.

The show isn't without hope, but I'm proceeding with extreme caution and prejudice. I doubt I'll ever learn to love the bad acting and personality-lessness of the lead actress, but I'd like to think there's enough here that they could make it work. There are a lot of logistical elements of the story that I think will prove problematic for the writers down the road, but I'm crossing my fingers that they have a plan this time (having seen what a disaster not having a plan proved to be with Lost). At the end of the day, I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. My brother and I spent the whole time wishing it were written by Joss Whedon and starring... almost any other actress out there. Gina Torres was our top pick, but there's a bag of potatoes in my kitchen that's on the short list for the job (what with Jones being their competition). Even if the project ultimately falls to pieces, JJ can usually put together a hell of a pilot. With Alcatraz? Not even close. There are a number of amazing shows out there that had bad or mediocre pilots, but JJ's trajectory is almost always in the other direction. That does not bode well for Alcatraz.

I like to think that in its original iteration, Alcatraz was as badass as it should be and that it was the network that tied their hands and foisted mass appeal on them in the form of a crime procedural. Whatever the cause, that's far and away the show's weakest story element. It's weakest overall element, of course is the cast. Wow. I'm hoping the show starts to gel into more of a serial as they go along and that the overarching storylines take over as the season progresses. The concept of Madsen's grandfather being one of the prisoners who has come back, although hokey and predicable, opens some interesting doors as well. In a perfect world, the show would use the first few episodes to build a bit of an army of prisoners from Alcatraz and then stop having the baddie of the week elements for the most part. I realize that's probably not going to happen, but a girl can dream. Hey, they have middle America to appeal to, dontcha know, and they can't be confusing them with actual storytelling. Ugh.

Again, it wasn't a total disaster and it does have some things going for it. I just wish I'd gotten to see more of those things in the pilot. I also wish so many of those things weren't the same things Lost had (hell, even the music sounds exactly the same). As is, most of the show's assets are theoretical. In my mind, they have a lot of a good stuff to work with. On the screen, much less so. The production values are high and show is well-made, even if the talent onscreen and offscreen leaves a bit to be desired. Hopefully they'll settle into their roles and be more at home with who they're supposed to be... or, you know, Sarah Jones could get hit by a bus. One or the other, really. I'll give it a few more episodes to find its feet and establish itself, but after two episodes, I'm left with a "meh." And... more than a few unintentional laughs... My brother and I really had a field day with this one. They just made it too easy.

Pilot Grade: C+

TVD: Klausoline?

It's a rare show that can pull the rug out from under me, but The Vampire Diaries succeeds in spades. Sure, some of the more typical A-plot elements are telegraphed in advance and are easy to construct a probable path for, but it's the little things that they set up that I never saw coming (or never knew I wanted to see coming) that mean the most. In last night's foray (episode 3.11, "Our Town"), an excellent episode all around, the best and most intriguing development wasn't Elena's harrowing near death/near vamp thrillride with Stefan, it wasn't Stefan's casual assassinations of Klaus' hybrids, and it wasn't even the dead body at the end (jesus, this town has enough to worry about without actual humans killing people). No, the most compelling moment was a two minute scene with one of the unlikeliest pairings imaginable.

Not only did the tone and substance of Klaus and Caroline's conversation surprise me, but the implications thereof bowled me over. For as much as I enjoy the love triangle relationshippy stuff with this show, it's never been the primary reason for watching for me. It still isn't, but the writers keep finding more and more ways to make the inter-personal dynamics layered and intriguing, while generally shying away from the more tween-style romances. Sure there are elements here and there, but TVD always gives it something more. For example, a few episodes back, when Elena tells Damon that Stefan won't come back because he loves her, but because he loves Damon, the audience believes it. At its core, this show is about family and the writers keep finding more and more ways to explore that notion and punch you in the gut with it (in a good way). Klaus' emphasis on his family has been an overweening motivation since the middle of last season and has come to a head with Stefan's current casket-thievin' shenanigans. While Klaus has generally been painted as the uber-villain/the ultimate big bad, the show gives him moments of vulnerability that elucidate who he really is as a person. Though few and far between, their infrequency makes them really hit home. Our first glimmer of his long-suppressed humanity came with flashbacks to his human life and his reactions to his then current situation with his father, sister, and brother. In terms of Klaus' interactions with the citizens of Mystic Falls, his emotional range has been mostly limited to rage, vindictiveness, and frustration. Until now.

That beautiful scene between Klaus and Caroline took me completely by surprise, but didn't feel forced or inconsistent at all. THAT is the hallmark of good writing. I never saw this coming, but now that it's here, it makes perfect sense. Beyond that, it's insanely awesome. I honestly had no idea what to expect when Klaus came to Caroline's door, intent on who-know-what. My initial thought was that he was most concerned with gaining an invitation into the house (but do originals need an invitation? I don't think so...), and then he'd bargain with the key players, twisting the knife until he was willing to save her (from the bite we all knew Tyler would impart). What I was met with, quite to the contrary, was an unexpectedly sweet, poignant, almost yearning discourse between two characters who've had only limited interaction thus far. Caroline's still-living, still-human friends tried their best to cheer her up on her birthday, but the life she had that had birthdays in it no longer exists. While Elena, Matt McCArdboard, and Bonnie von Needstodiesoon helped her mourn her old life, it was Klaus who really opened her eyes to the possibilities of her new life. "You can see the world, do everything you've ever dreamed. You can have a thousand birthdays." To hear Klaus, who understands what she's going through in a way that her human-friends can't, espouse the wonders of eternal life gave Caroline a new lease. For the first time in a long time, Caroline could relate. While Damon would never admit to his humanity or his occasional urges to let it all go and die the true death, Klaus cops to conflicted feelings about the whole situation. He tells Caroline he's considered dying a number of times over the centuries and knows exactly what she's thinking. Sometimes, when you feel all alone, there is nothing more comforting that someone knowing what you're going through and telling you it'll be all right. This episode was about moving on, about letting go of who you were and embracing who you are, and only Klaus could make Caroline see that.

Beyond what Klaus actually said, it was the way he said it that really hit home. No longer the mustache-twirling Evil League of Evil founding father, Klaus' interactions with Caroline was unbelievably soft and caring. It was as though he was tending to a sick loved one. Klaus has expressed his almost obsessive love for his family in a number of ways, but never before have we seen him interact with anyone in this way before. As it was happening, it not only gave Klaus a whole new layer to explore, but it made him sympathetic to the audience in a way I hardly thought possible. The fact that he saved Caroline's life, specifically, is important. She is inconsequential to his plans (as far as we know). Not only that, but she's been beat up and brutalized more than probably any other character, even Elena. I adore Caroline. Everyone does. And anyone who makes her see that her new life is one worth living, saves her life, and makes it all okay wins about a million points in my book. In a way, it's kind of like Jesse on Breaking Bad. He's so wonderful, and so mistreated, that I find my allegiances switching to whoever is treating him well at the moment. So let it be with Caroline.

Above and beyond all of that, that scene opened doors that I never would have thought could be opened and never knew I wanted them to be. I had never even considered a Klaus and Caroline pairing (whether romantic or not), but as I was watching that scene, not only did such a prospect totally work with the narrative, but it appealed to me on a number of levels. As I started to think about a relationship between the two, it struck me. Awesome. Simply awesome. I don't know how this will manifest or even whether Klaus' intentions are genuine (if this is all a big game, that would be amazing yet devastating), but I'm so, so intrigued to see it. That he saved her life was compelling enough, but that he gave her a beautiful bracelet (necklace?) for her birthday added that little something extra. Again, I could see where, eventually, this is an elaborate scheme to turn her against her friends (hell, that bracelet could be spelled or something), but I could see it going the other way entirely. Klaus is desperate for connection to people. Desperate for family. Desperate for love. He's been loathed and rejected his whole life and I can totally see where he'd find himself fancying someone as kickass as Caroline. The fact that she probably reminds him of Rebekah to a degree makes it all the more plausible. He just staked his one ally and now he's truly all alone. Could this be a scheme? Could this be genuine? Could this be both? I can't wait to find out.

In all honesty, the prospect of them as a romantic pairing is pretty fabulous. The thought of Caroline becoming a big bad in her own right is even more fabulous. Caroline got about 800 times better after becoming a vampire, so who knows how awesome she could become if she were a bad vampire. Hell, it did wonders for Stefan. This show burns through story faster than any other show on the air, and I keep thinking they'll run out of road, but they just keep building more and better highways to cruise down. Klausoline may be the best yet. I never even would have thought of them as a potential pairing before last night. Now, that's all I can think of.

This season has been about personal transformation and change. Stefan lost his soul (or did he?), Damon bared his, and Elena went from being a whiny damsel to actually pretty badass. Add Klaus and Caroline to that list. All these characters (and others as well) are on a journey of self-discovery and identity. Last night may have hit hardest with Klaus and Caroline, but a close second was Elena. I loved that scene at the end on the bridge. Caroline finally said goodbye to her old life and Elena is trying to follow suit. She doesn't have to be "that girl" anymore. She has taken charge of her own destiny in a way I never would have expected in the first two seasons. It's incredibly refreshing and makes me like her about 50 times more. In previous seasons, I've always kind of thought Damon could do a lot better. Now, Elena is finally becoming the person I always wanted her to be. Just in time to give up on vampires and Damon altogether. I think that kiss last week, a real kiss, rocked Elena to the core. I think she loves Damon more than she'd ever admit, but in her mind, that kiss was step one down the vampire-werewolf-doppelganger-hybrid rabbit hole and made her re-evalutate her feelings entirely. Meeting Stefan was the beginning of Mystic Falls' dubious honor of murderiest town on the planet, and in a number of ways, she can't imagine going down that road again. No matter how much she loves him. She's been loving blindly and entirely for year now and it's gotten about 13,870 people killed. I can see where that might cause someone to take pause... especially after her last vampire boyfriend just almost drove her off a bridge...

I'm not sure where we're headed from here, but I can't wait to find out. Although I can absolutely see where Elena would want to separate herself from all of this, the final scene with her and Matt opened a door that I wish would have stayed closed. Matt has always been a block of wood and the prospect of a rekindled romance doesn't excite me. But, I'm confident the show will make whatever happens as awesome as possible. Bring it.

Stray Observations:

• Jeremy needed some time off, that's for sure. It is very much to this show's credit that they realized he didn't have much to do and sent him on his way. I actually like Jeremy quite a lot, and they did a fabulous job of sending him off on a high note (ensuring we'll be happy to see him when he returns), but sometimes a character just isn't necessary. This show is very willing to kill off characters, but they know how to work around it as well.
• In that same vein, I love how if a character isn't needed in an episode, he/she simply isn't in the episode. True Blood could definitely take a page here. TVD's storytelling is tight and efficient and they know how to use their resources wisely. There are very few (if any, really) throwaway plotlines and it's very much appreciated.
• "Hey Jeremy, your suitcase looks a little light. How about you take some extra baggage in the form of the most annoying, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou witch in town?" Bonnie needs to go. Look, this show needs a witch. I grant that. But does it have to be her? She's not even a very good witch! Seriously, when lighting birthday candles takes that much effort, what good are you? What's worse, your friends, who've seen basically all manor of supernatural everything, were actually impressed by your candle-lighting ability. Come to think of it, for someone as inept as she, that was kinda spectacular...
• The Klaus and Caroline dynamic, whether potentially romantic, conspiratorial, or both, is intriguing enough on its own, but then throw Tyler and his sire-bond in the mix and things get even more twisted and fabulous. Can't wait to see how that turns out.
• Meredith Fell: "Some English guy just promised to match all the donations made tonight."
  Alaric: "Wait, what do you mean English guy?"
  (Ummm... a guy who's from England?)
• The woman who plays Dr. Fell is actually married to Paul Wesley in real life. TVD fun fact.
• Alaric: "Wait, you mean you actually care who lives or dies?"
  Damon: "I have a short list."
  ("Have you seen my list? It's a piece of paper that says 'Elena' on it.")
• Caroline: "Are you going to kill me?"
  Klaus: "Not on your birthday."
  (I loved how Klaus seemed genuinely offended that Caroline would imply he might kill someone on their birthday. Hehe. We all have a line we won't cross, even the baddest of the bads. Klaus' line is apparently covered in frosting.)
• Even though it appears that Elena may be moving toward living boyfriends, her sexual chemistry with Damon is scorching. Seriously, it becomes more and more apparent with each passing episode that Ian and Nina are a couple.
• I love that in Mystic Falls, vampires, werewolves, witches, and hybrids are par for the course in terms of murder, but a regular guy? THAT's the surprise. The fact that it looks like it could have been Alaric makes it the real cliffhanger (although I seriously doubt it was him... more like Meredith, methinks, but really, who the hell knows).