The Vampire Diaries Season Three: Episode Fifteen All My Children

I hope that you enjoyed Thursday's episode, because that it's until March 15th folks.  This series seems to have one long hiatus after another.  At any rate, shall we jump right in?

Elena immediately starts her day with angst after calling Stefan, only to have him not answer the phone.  She then turns to Damon, who shows little patience for her, and even makes a point of telling her that everything is not about her.  I could not have been more thrilled with that line.  In fact, the writers could have had Damon say that line 15 times, and I would not have been bored with hearing it.  As protagonists go, Elena is pretty wretched. 

It seems that Elena has gotten it into her head that Elijah should not have to die with all of his siblings, because he is the honourable one.  She cannot forget how he tried to help her, when Klaus was attempting to break the curse of the sun and the moon.  As far I remember, Elijah left them high and dry and broke his word to her, but yeah, accuracy is unimportant when the angst needs to be driven up a level.

Elena trots over to Damon's, only to find cheerleader vampire [read: Rebekah] leaving.  She is of course upset that Damon slept with her.  How could he not spend every moment tortured over his unrequited love of her? She is after all the doppleganger.  What is this world coming to? 

When she returns home, who should show up at her door but Elijah.  He tells Elena that he wants to show her something and so she gets in his car.  Does this woman even have a modicum of sense?  Elijah has already betrayed her once, but hey, a drive sounds nice right?  They get to where the old encampment used to be, and Elijah tells her that he knows that she is lying about Mommy Dearest's [read Esther] plans.  When Elena denies the truth of this, Elijah tells her that he can hear her heartbeat, which speeds up every time she lies. Finally, Elena tells him of Mommy Dearest's plans and expresses sorrow at not being able to help.  Elijah responds by jumping into the underground tunnels trapping her with Cheerleader vampire as a guardian.

Elijah then goes to the Salvatore abode to once again use Elena as leverage.  It seems that the only way to stop the spell is to get rid of the source of Mommy Dearest's power.  Did I not say when Bonnie's mother arrived that she was dead witch walking.  The only character of colour that they have allowed to live in three years is Bonnie, and that is because Elena needs a perpetual servant. Bonnie's family has after all been in servitude to the White folks for a 1000 years, so why stop now right?  Elijah gives Damon and Stefan until 9:06 to kill the witches, because at 9:07, the moon will be high enough for Mommy Dearest to return the balance to nature [read: kill her kids]


Damon and Stefan try the nice approach first, now that they know that all the originals are linked.  Cole and Klaus are at the local watering hole and coincidentally so are Dr. Fell and Alaric.  They talk Caroline into distract Klaus long enough for Alaric to stake Cole, knowing that once he is staked, that this will neutralize the rest of his siblings.

Caroline does her pied piper routine, and Klaus follows her out of the bar.  He tries to woo woo Caroline, claiming that he is over their little spat.  He begins by saying that he wants to know about her hopes and her dreams.  Caroline has grown a lot of three seasons of The Vampire Diaries, but I still do not buy into the idea that a 1000 year old vampire, is crushing on an 18 year old girl.  What could they possibly have to talk about?  It's bad enough when their is a huge difference between humans, but I am supposed to buy the idea that a 1000 years is not big deal? Though this is just a ruse for Caroline, it also served as yet another opportunity for the writers to rehabilitate Klaus. 

The Secret Circle, Season 1, Episode 15: Return

So we have a new episode of Secret Circle and Gale Harold has new hair and… hmmm… ok, I won’t be distracted, I must pay attention to the plot. Wait, must I? Gah I suppose I must.

So after many episodes of absence, Cassie’s grandmother, Jane (also known as The Only One With Sense) is actually coming home. So Cassie returns to the house to find it all open, someone’s there! She bravely grabs an umbrella and announces she has already called the police! Rather then, y’know ACTUALLY calling the police, or her magical coven, or her dark magic. That would be sensible. Sadly, it isn’t an axe murderer waiting to chop Cassie up into teeny tiny pieces, it’s Jake (Evil Scooby). Oh and the witch hunters are back with their crafty trick to kill witches – ash and salt.

Ok, mini break for a rant. Dear Witch Hunters, I’d like to introduce you to a concept. GUNS. One bullet, one witch, one ex-witch. C’mon you already figured it out with knives.

Anyway, Jake turns all he-man protector but Cassie shows an astonishing amount of sense and independence, kicks out Jake (he who, we have to remember, repeatedly consorts with said Witch Hunters because, alas, he has as much sense as the rest of the inhabitants of Chants Harbour) and makes it clear with her power she can defend herself.

Clearly, this display of independence and kick arseness has over-taxed Cassie’s quota, so we fast forward to Cassie’s new job (and plot distraction, after all, since when have any of these kids had less than infinite funds?) as a server in a coffee shop where Adam (the Wet Lettuce) shows her how to do it right. While, yes, Adam has been serving in his father’s bar for a long time, the whole scene reminded me of those skeevy men who try to teach women how to play golf by virtually groping them.

And it turns out that the Single Sensible Person is not returning home and Cassie just wants to go home to sleep in her own bed (reasonable) so she can be all alone at night when the Witch Hunters attack (less reasonable). But don’t worry, Adam will drop round (go Wet Lettuce) wow, it took all of, what, 5 minutes to undermine Cassie’s independent kick-arseness? That could be a new record.

And then daddy shows up – Richard Blackwell. Cassie’s second question? “Are you actually alive?” Uh-huh. And Cassie makes a start of being tough and resistant – but daddy was just keeping her safe! And he wants to meet her alone with no-one around! Wet Lettuce Adam is quick to try and point out some sense to her Spunkiness. But no, Cassie is determined to go and we have a big emotional scene on the pier. Of course he wants the medallion and Cassie, rather belatedly, tells him off and storms off into the hands of the Evil Black Witchunter. Yes, she’s been kidnapped. Thankfully these are witchunters so rather than stabbing her while she was unconscious, they surround her with special powder instead.

Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan, Book 2 of the Firelight Series

After the events of the last book, Jacinda is now returning to her Pride under the shadow of having completely revealed herself to hunters. They now know draki can appear as humans and they know what Jacinda looks like. All because she loved Will, one of the hunters, and couldn’t stand to see him die.

But a brief reprieve is realised with Tamra’s draki finally manifesting and limiting the damage. But all is far from good – the leader of the Pride has greatly tightened security and limited the freedoms of the draki – he’s also definitely gunning for Jacinda to force her back into line and make her compliant, and cutting her off from any support network she could have. Jacinda finds herself widely reviled and certainly far from her old, special status.

And maybe she could have assimilated back into the Pride – especially with Tamra’s manifesting meaning she is now holding a coveted position. Maybe she could have learned to love Cassian as he continued to hold onto his affection for her – except she still loves Will. And he has found the camp.

This leaves Jacinda caught between her love, her friends and an increasingly hostile Pride – and that’s before she loses someone to the Enkos, the people who fund the draki hunts.

Let us start by saying that this book has a truly great world. The concept of the Draki, with their myriad powers, their hidden society and the very concept of these dragons masquerading as humans is a fascinating one. Not only that but there is clear evidence of a well built culture and some fully developed world building. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Sophie Jordan actually has a massive tome of world building notes behind this series.

Unfortunately, this is pretty much the end of what I enjoy about the book.

I find the characters, in general, to be overdone. Severin, the boss man, is dictatorial to an extent that is almost at melodrama villain levels and he continually makes decisions that have no real purpose beyond simple cruelty and power tripping. It’s like someone sent down to central casting for a cartoon villain. Corbin is completely unnecessary to the story and exists only to add to Jacinda’s pity-fest without actually being around enough to be an issue. Cassian just lives to serve Jacinda, no matter how far she goes or what she does, he’s part punching bag, part servant, all by the power of his love-struck puppiness.

Alcatraz: Episode 1-6 Recap & Catch Up

In the year 1963, suddenly with no explanation, all of the prisoners and guards residing on Alcatraz suddenly disappear without warning or explanation. The government of course creates a cover up to explain the disappearances and no one is any the wiser until the prisoners start coming back and resuming their criminal activity in the present day.  The project to recapture the prisoners is highly classified and the government still has no idea who or what is behind the disappearances.

Det. Rebecca Madsen of the San Francisco police is drawn into the mystery first when her partner is killed and then again when she surreptitiously runs a finger print from a murder scene in which she had been removed, only to discover that it belonged to a man once housed at Alcatraz and had since been declared legally dead. To fill in her knowledge on Alcatraz, she contacts Dr. Soto, who has written a book on the infamous prison. Together they stumble upon the secret that the government has kept hidden for the last 49 years.  Emerson Houser, the leader of the top secret government task force, decides to bring Madsen more firmly into the case, and when she chooses Dr. Soto for her partner, he becomes her civilian advisor.

It turns out that Hauser might actually need Rebecca far more than she needs him.  It seems that her grandfather was once a prisoner at Alcatraz, and at one point, Hauser had even tried to hire her uncle, who was also a guard at Alcatraz to aid in the search for these returned prisoners.  There is definitely a connection between the Madsens and the mystery that is unfolding.

Lost Girl: not as Gay Friendly as it Seems.

Editors Note: For some reason, many of the comments in the last few days have ended up in the spam cue.  I have just released all that I found there.  If your comment is still not appearing on the site, please send us a short note, and we will attempt to look for it.  This was in no way an attempt to stifle disagreement or conversation.  We apologize for the technical difficulties. 


There has been a lot of talk about how progressive the Showcase/Syfy show Lost Girl is.  What stands out to many is the fact that not only is there a same sex relationship, there is even a same sex love triangle. There is a ton of GLBT erasure in urban fantasy, even when a show is set in a city like San Francisco, (yes I am looking at you Charmed) gay people are erased.  When they do appear, they often fall into the trope of a bff, and they are decidedly celibate.  Considering this, at first blush, it makes Lost Girl appear to be positively transcendent, and this is specifically why we must take a critical look at the same sex relationships.  Just  because Lost Girl  has one bisexual character, and two lesbians who actually engage in sex, does not make the portrayals perfect. In other words, faulty inclusion does not make up for erasure.

From almost the very beginning of the show it was clear that Bo and Lauren had some pretty heavy chemistry.  Because Bo is a Succubus, she was extremely worried about draining her lovers to death, and it was Lauren who taught her to control this.  These lessons in control included some extremely sexy kisses, and it wasn’t long before fans were beginning to wonder when and if Lauren and Bo would consummate their relationship. Sadly, it was not to be the great scene we imagined and problems abound. The very first time that they had sex, though Lauren claimed to care about Bo, it was because she was ordered to so by the old Ash as a distraction.  The fact that their first sex act was forced, tainted their interaction.  It also fed horribly into the meme of women having sex at the behest or benefit of a man, because sex between two women is only acceptable if it benefits a man in someway.

In fact, the foundation for Bo and Lauren’s relationship from the very beginning has been fraught by deception. Bo didn’t even know Nadia existed for a very long time setting the whole relationship up on a very dubious foundation. There has continuously been something deceptive about Lauren and yet we are supposed to be excited every time to the two of them get it on. The second, and last, time Bo and Lauren have sex, is when we learn that Lauren has a girlfriend - yet more deception. Bo and Lauren have not been allowed to have a moment of intimacy without there being something dark and deceitful casting a shadow over it.

When it comes to Bo having sex with women other than Lauren, I can recall 2 incidents.  In the first she had a threesome with a man and a Fury. And why does she go have sex with them? Why because Dyson (the real relationship) just turned her down. And it all ends up with everyone but Bo dead.

And then Ryan gets her a woman as a gift (do we even have to say how wrong that is?) for her to perform with in front of him (more on this later). These are what we have for same-sex relationships.

Compare this with her relationship with men. Bo/Dyson has been written in the stars since the very first episode. They have definite attraction - and affection - for each other. Dyson cares so much for Bo he is willing to sacrifice everything for her to the Norn - and from that we have proof of his love - because he cannot love anyone else. From the very beginning their love has been dramatic, epic, star-crossed and based on deep mutual love, mutual desire with nothing bringing them together but their love for each other. In essence, this big dramatic love makes it clear that it is primary and any others are just distractions from the true, real opposite sex relationship.

Even Bo’s relationship with Ryan is based on greater honesty than her relationship with Lauren. Ryan may be irresponsible, selfish, reckless, immoral and deceptive - but he has never been anything but honest with Bo about his intentions. Their relationship may have problems but it has always been honest and based on mutual attraction and desire; not the deception and secrets that Lauren and Bo had. Or, for that matter, that lie between Lauren and Nadia since Lauren cannot tell her about her relationship with Bo or about the fae, working for fae or being owned by the Ash.

There is also a bemusing reluctance to actually use any of the language of GBLT people. In fact, in the Syfy interview the actors are proud that they have deliberately avoided using the words lesbian, gay or bisexual.:

Anna Silk: Yeah. And I love that on the show too, we don't - it's not talked about as a same-sex relationship.

Zoie Palmer: It just is one, yeah.

Anna Silk: It's not one could be - yeah, it's just - it's a relationship, and that's that.

Zoie Palmer: The Coke and gay thing or the - it's just the - there is - yeah, that's cool. It's that there's just in the relationship, whichever - whatever it looks like, however it...

Anna Silk: Yeah.

Zoie Palmer: ...in the way that Dyson and Bo are in one, and it's never discussed on the show...

Anna Silk: Yeah.

Zoie Palmer: ...which I love too. I think that's great.

Game Of Thrones Season 2: In Production - Iceland

Review of Killing Rites by M.L.N. Hanover: Book 4 in The Black Sun's Daughter Series

 

It took three books, but Hanover finally wrote a book that I enjoyed reading. Perhaps it's because Jayné [Gods above how I hate that pretentious faux French name] the protagonist seems to have finally achieved a level of maturity.  After killing an innocent man in Vicious Grace, she is haunted by her actions and questioning whether she is actually in control of her body. Because her powers seem to be increasing, rather than diminishing, Jayné determines that a rider has taken up residence in her body.  

Jayné and Ex head to Sante Fe, leaving Chogyi Jake behind to meet Father Chapin and a group of Vatican approved exorcists that Ex was formerly involved in.  Father Chapin immediately suggests that Jayné seek out psychiatric help.  He feels the fact that she had a controlled childhood, inherited a lot of money from her not gay Uncle Eric, lost her faith in God and Eric, as well as defiled the temple of her flesh [note: nice way to call her a whore for having two lovers].  Though slut shaming is disgustingly sexist, I was not surprised to see it in a Catholic priest. Jayné convinces Father Chapin to go through with the exorcism. She learns that her riders name is The Black Sun's Daughter and it seems as though the demon is somehow related to the desert.  At the moment when the rider is just about to be pulled from her body, Jayné feels another trying to slip in and calls a halt to the exorcism.  Father Chapin with Ex's support believes that Jayné has been overcome by the demon living inside her.

The rest of the novel is essential spent with Jayné looking to prove that another demon was indeed trying to take control of her body.  This however does not mean that it was free of problematic elements.  The following a quote from the book regarding Jayné's feelings on going for an exorcism.

Review: Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire, Book 4 of the October Daye Series

Before the first book, October was turned into a fish for trying to rescue Luna and Rosalyn from the clutches of Simon and Oleander. But now, Oleander is back. A master illusionist and poisoner and a brilliant assassin, she is hunting October and those she loves.

As people she loves and values are brought down, October has to find a cure for the poison and catch Oleander before more people are lost. Or discover whether Orleander actually exists and isn’t just a figment of her own breaking mind?

As if an arch enemy poisoning people weren’t enough, her rival and other enemy, Rosalyn, ends up with unprecedented power in the Shadowed Halls. And the unstable and dangerous Queen of Northern California has her own vendetta against October – and is determined to settle the score. And here are these murders, ideal for framing.

And in the process, October learns far more about Amandine and herself than she ever imagined

As far as mysteries go, it was an odd one. There wasn’t  choice of villains or really choice of methods. From almost the word go we knew it was Oleander, in the Knowe, with the Poison. There’s more detective skill goes into a game of Cluedo than that. However, I don’t think it was a mystery or a detective story per se – though there was a considerable amount of detection involved in finding the exact vector of the poison – so maybe it’s a different kind of detective story.

I think far more it counts as a part action book, part political intrigue. October doesn’t need to find out whodunit so much as howdunnit and how to stab whodunit repeatedly when we have Rosalyn and the Queen on her back and so little of her normal support network. And I liked it. I was curious as to what would happen next, I wanted to see how the political intrigue would developed and I was interested to see how they would actually find their way through the maze and actually resolve everything. I never really knew what was coming next or how the plot would resolve – and it was a fascinating trip to the end as October dodged the obstacles in her way to finally confront the big bad in true heroic fashion.