The Originals, Season Three, Episode Six: Beautiful Mistake

Aurora is fast asleep in Klaus bed while he takes a call. When she wakes and asks him to come closer, he advises her to remain out of harms reach.  Aurora however promises to tell Klaus everything she knows.

Freya is busy working on a spell which  allows her to communicate directly with Rebekah in Morocco.  Freya updates Rebekah on what is going on with their infamous brothers and what is going on in New Orleans.  Rebekah reveals that she may not be in Morocco much longer because she has a meeting with a witch who may know how to bring back Kol.   Freya tells her little sister to stay safe and they take a drink to family before Freya disappears.  Rebekah gets up to leave the bar and has her throat cut from behind by Aya. Standing over Rebekah's body Aya informs her that the problem with a witch's body is that you cannot put up much of a fight when the real monsters come out.

Freya walks into the courtyard and notes the destruction from the fight Elijah and Klaus had.  Using her witch powers, she is able to see the fight in her mind.  Freya finds her bruised and blooded brothers in the dining room.  It seems that they have agreed that it is more important to stick together than continue to fight.  Freya questions what they determined and Elijah reveals that they are going to expose and destroy their first sire line.

Kinney brings Cami to the police station and she denies that she is not a serial killer. Will asks Cami to prove that she is the victim and promises to protect her.  Suddenly, the lights flash and Will finds himself pushed aside and Cami is grabbed by Lucian.

In the Quarter, Hayley calls Davina to say that she is running late and adds that she will be a little longer when she notes in a shop window that she is being followed.  Hayley leads the vampire into an alley and he cautiously enters behind her.  Hayley then attacks but finds that she is not able to make physical contact with Shin Minh who was following her. When Hayley is grabbed around the neck, she bites Shin Minh.

Elijah and Freya talk about Aurora. It seems that Elijah is concerned about Aurora's involvement despite Klaus's belief that she might be the key to ending the prophecy.  Freya argues that Aurora's loyalties are to her brother and questions why Tristan and Lucian are working together. Elijah suggests that a mutual lack of goodwill towards the Mikaelsons might not be unjustified.   Elijah reveals that he compelled Lucian to believe that he was Klaus, Aurora to believe that she was Rebekah and Tristan himself. Elijah justifies this by saying that Michael was  hunting them and Freya realises that he made them bait.  Elijah explains that Michael hunted their decoys for a century, allowing them to relax but they were  daggered the compulsion ended.  Elijah says that when they are under threat, the Mikaelsons do whatever it takes to protect their own.  Elijah confirms that their first sire lines are doomed if they are in fact working against them.  Freya's glass starts to shake in her hand and she tells Elijah that something is wrong and that they need to call Rebekah right now.

In the Quarter,  Aurora uses compulsion to force a woman into giving up her emerald necklace. Klaus sneaks up on Aurora from behind and asks Aurora to come with him.  Klaus reveals that he has cleared his calendar for the day and wants to show her his city.  Aurora questions if this is Klaus's way of finding out which side she is on and he agrees that he would love to know.  Ahh I see we are in for an episode of cat and mouse.  The two agree to have lunch together.

Cami awakes to find herself in Lucian's condo which is filled with boxes.  Lucian offers Cami a drink, saying that he cannot see a reason they cannot start again. Cami makes it clear that she doesn't like Lucian and turns down the drink.  Lucian tells Cami that he hopes later she will remember that this could have gone differently.  Lucian then calls Will into the room and informs Cami that Vincent believes that Cami is at home watching The Real Housewives. Lucian orders Will to throw his knife at Cami; however, Lucian catches the blade just before it can strike Cami in the eye.  Lucian then reveals that the reason for their little meeting is because Lucian is looking for a small medallion with runic markings. Since that Cami is on vervain, Lucian promises to increase his parlor tricks if she refuses to help.  Cami takes a lid off the first box and starts looking.

Freya tries to contact Rebekah and her hands become covered in blood.  Freya reveals that she cannot find Rebekah which means her witch body has vanished.

Rebekah wakes up in her old vampire body, tossing the lid off the coffin.  Aya enters the room and Rebekah questions if Aya killed her witch body because she couldn't find the original body. Rebekah tells Aya that she needed her witch body and is now owed more than an apology.  Rebekah quickly finds herself surrounded by vampires but she is not the least bit intimidated.

Lucian eats the meal that Will cooked and Will threatens to stab him in the heart the moment he is free. Cami explains compulsion to Will but when she brings up vampires despite what he has seen, Will isn't buying it.  Will questions what else he and Cami will be forced to do and Lucian says that Cami is on vervain but if Cami finds the medallion, the bloodshed will stop.  Cami reveals that she has cataloged everything and what Lucian is looking for is simply not there. Lucian however is insistent that the medallion is there and Cami asks if he is going to use it as revenge against Klaus. Cami snarks about this being all about Klaus stealing his girl.  Lucian however says that Klaus stole 100 years of his life and then orders to slice open an artery on his leg.

At the little lunch Aurora asks Klaus what he wants to know.  Klaus claims that being around Aurora is intoxicating and questions if she feels the same.  Aurora declares that she is not his enemy or Rebekah's, but that she hates Elijah.  Klaus questions if Aurora is allying with the brother who imprisoned her and the stable boy she believed was beneath her. Aurora points out that the three of them spent 100 years working together and hiding together believing they were the Mikaelsons. When the compulsion ended, they lost everything and Michael was still after them. The three of them swore a pact of vengeance. Klaus points out that if his family dies, so do all of them but Aurora calls it a beautiful mystery.  Aurora then requests desert and a walk.

Sleepy Hollow,Season 3, Episode 7: The Art of War

Sun Tzu and chess and dramatics from Ichabod while Abbie effortlessly wins because she’s Abbie and made of awesome. We get the prequel to this episode’s theme – overthinking vs “feeling your way.”

There’s also a recap on just about everything going on so far, albeit quite neatly done so hats off to it.

Reynolds drops in because he’s heading to DC – and wants to leave Abbie in charge while he’s gone.

On one of the bad guy teams, Atticus seems quite agitated about losing the Shard of Anubis – since someone contracted him to get it and he only has 12 hours to do it. Sophie wants to help but Attticus is bringing in the big guns – norse poetry. He uses bad poetry to raise up pandora’s box, open it and call forth something norse involving berserkers – monsterous bald things he dispatches to hunt his prey.

Jenny and Joe are sparring, recapping (this show does like its recaps) and debating what to do about the two bank account numbers they have that Joe’s dad, the mysterious Sheriff August Corbin, left for them to find. There also follows some flirting – and the Shard which Jenny absorbed suddenly taking over and Jenny dropping Joe hard. She glows reds and has disturbing visions – Joe realises something is wrong – and they decide to consult Abbie and Ichabod

Of course this does mean explaining to Abbie that they went after Atticus after she expressly told them not to. They realise that only Jenny touched the shard and absorbed it. Ichabod thinks it’s a bad idea for a human to have something that powerful inside them.

So they need to get the shard out of her, Joe and Abbie argue when Jenny’s super-hearing hears the norse monsters attack. Bullets do nothing to the creatures – but Jenny does, fighting with immense strength and skill. Though even her super powers only slow it down (and impress/scare the others)

They run and hide in a convenient tunnel system and Abbie acknowledges Jenny’s awesomeness – and that the monsters are hunting the shards. Abbie suspects Atticus, Ichabod suspects Pandora and they realise Pandora and Atticus are working together. To reinforce that super-power Jenny isn’t all good, she feels all woozy and nearly faints

To the archives! There Abbie and Jenny have a nice bonding moment which they needed because they were angry before and I do love them re-bonding after a fight. Jenny pokes Abbie’s control-freakness and futile attempts to compartmentalise her life.

Joe and Ichabod talk Joe’s love life and Ichabod “losing battles on many fronts” which has Joe advising he speak to Abbie – suggesting he sees Ichabod and Abbie heading for a romance too

The Vampire Diaries, Season 7, Episode 6: Best Served Cold

And Bonnie finally finished her ultimate act, using Elena’s freshly crushed heart as an ingredient for the spell that killed every last member of the cast but her. And lo there was much rejoicing, considerably less death and an end to the global whiskey shortage

…damn I fell asleep and started dreaming while recapping Vampire Diaries.

So it’s to the actual show beginning with another 3-years-in-the-future scene – Damon is visiting Rick and warning him that his fiancée will be used as bait for Stefan – that fiancée being Caroline (uckies – that’s technically a teacher/student romance) and they’re already too late as she’s already blood stained on TV with a message for Stefan

To the present and Stefan dreaming about the kid he ever had and waking up to the awkwardness of Caroline learning Valerie stayed the night. Stefan explains why he is trying to protect Valerie – Caroline sees absolutely no reason why this is their problem, even a little. Valerie likes the idea of escaping because the Phoenix stone has another downside – it turns people mad which makes Julian scary

Julian and Bo are playing with swords at the mansion and Lily is all love struck. She warns Julian they have enemies – her sons – and decides to deal with that by inviting Damon and Stefan to a little party (they’ve already completely written off Valerie).

Meanwhile Rick is still all sad panda, Jo is still possessed and Bonnie isn’t happy being recruited to play stalker and watcher over the who-ever-it-is possessing Jo. Bonnie being dragged into a menial unpleasant task that she has no motivation for? Surely not!

Stefan wants to go to party, Damon doesn’t. Stefan wants to kill Julian right now. Damon wants to wait until Lily has got used to him being back so he can then crush her heart with his death.

Personally I think killing either of them while surrounded by beings that are immensely more powerful than Stefan and Damon is a bad idea which needs a bit more planning – but they’ve always thrown themselves hopelessly against powerful enemies (if it weren’t for plot armour, both Stefan and Damon would have been killed by Katherine, Elijah or Klaus several seasons ago).

Clearly this needs more relationship drama so Valerie pokes Caroline about the big-secret of being pregnant with Stefan’s child that Stefan is keeping from her.

American Horror Story, Season 5 (Hotel), Episode 6: Room 33

Los Angeles, 1962 and the Countess – under a different name – approaches THE MURDER HOUSE. Yes the house from season 1

I suppose if I regarded the first season nostalgically rather than treating the memories of it as proof that I haven’t drunk enough booze to kill off those brain cells, I’d be happy about this.

As we know from season 1, this house was run by a doctor who practiced back alley abortions. “Mrs. Johnson” claims to be 3 weeks pregnant while obviously much much further along. They operate on her and remove… a ravenous demon foetus which kills his nurse. This doesn’t put off the doctor who is happy to deliver the boy (and say congratulations and hand it over to the mother – I think he rather forgot the purpose of an abortion somewhere along the way.)

In the present little vampire Holden enjoys playing mind games with his dad Detective John and show him to the glass cousins. Where he sees Alex.

Cut to Liz and Tristan having sex. Afterwards Liz has also got him books – appreciating Tristan for more than being beautiful and realising he can appreciate books. Tristan asks Liz if she loves him – and Liz says she doesn’t now while Tristan says he’s certain. They’re very very romantic together. Finn points out he’s not gay and Liz makes it clear he’s not – and nor is she: she’s a straight woman. But Liz has the guilts over the Countess.

Who is busy having sex with Will – an actual gay man who is not sexually attracted to women. So she invites Tristan to come join. She wants Tristan to help “fluff” him and isn’t taking no for an answer.

Alex has dealt with her soon-to-be-ex husband finding her playing Goth Snow White by drugging him and appealing to Liz for help. Liz agrees despite not being a big fan of Alex – and they dispose of the coffins so Alex can pretend it was another of John’s many many dreams/visions/hallucinations. He insists on go checking. Naturally he finds nothing.

This requires more random – Countess saying goodbye to her baby in a crib in room 33. A baby we don’t see and, frankly, the mystery better be that it’s NOT the evil demon foetus from the opening because what is the point of this mystery? Anyway she’s off to France

Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 6: Our Little World

Amarra’s out making friends again – friends with tasty tasty souls. Crowley disapproves of the rapidly aging Amarra vanishing to snack on humans. He decides to ground her – and uses his power to make it stick. She’s powerful but he is the King of Hell and, for now, that makes him stronger

Sam and Dean are hunting Amarra by looking for soulless people. Unfortunately there are plenty of unpleasant people in the world who still have their souls. Sam also wants to get Castiel back in the game – interrupting his tv marathon and is steadily devolving from Netflix to… talk shows.

Oh dear.

As Castiel tries to leave the bunker he is plague with flashbacks of him violently attacking Dean and other brutal violent images.

He returns to the bunker – but then sees Metatron in TV taking home video.

Also Len from last episode, the soulless guy, is now dead. That would be because Crowley is cleaning up Amarra’s discards. The Kingdom of Hell is also severely depleted after Amarra’s feeding binge – and they’re even down on recruiting souls.

Cleaning up hasn’t helped – since Sam and Dean go to investigate Len and discover a demonic murder – and another of Amarra’s snacks. The clean up has achieved exactly the opposite of what was intended. They happily catch the demon intended to kill Goldie, Amarra’s most recent soulless snack and take him to be questioned – to a room that is so appallingly decorated that I feel tortured just looking at it. That wallpaper breaks at least 3 international treaties.

They abuse this demon with the appalling décor and he tells them about Amarra eating souls and growing up – which isn’t much news. And Sam insists they exorcise the demon rather than killing him – actually saving someone for once. Except, of course, that lets the demon escape. The argument is settled when they see a bullet wound in the body – the man he’s possessing is already dead so Dean wins and they stab him.

And makes a joke about dumping the body at a school playground. Bad Dean! See this is why Sam gets to play the good (but less funny) one

The Failure of Female Leadership In the Walking Dead World

Both The Walking Dead comics and the television show begin with Rick waking up in the hospital completely unaware that his world has changed forever. Though Rick interacts with many characters, there is never any doubt that this is his story and that as readers and viewers, we are to identify with his struggle and empathise with the way he is forced to change, based in the circumstances which he is presented with. From almost the moment he reunites with Lori and Carl and becomes a member of a group, Rick takes on a leadership role (especially when Shane is… disposed of. The unfortunate fate of anyone who challenges The Almighty Rick). People look to him for guidance and are willing to risk their lives on just about any plan he formulates.  

Of course, it helps that Rick Is Always Right. Throughout the television show and in season six in particular, we have seen several examples wherein Rick makes a decision and then later on in the same episode, something happens in the plot to prove Rick right. In fact, simply challenging Rick’s ability or right to lead is enough for a character to end up dead, as we have seen with several Alexandrians in season 6 (I think Rick keeps a pack of pet Hit-Walkers to silence any dissent). Not only does Rick have plot immunity, he is in the enviable position of always being proven right. Rick isn’t just the leader, he is the alpha who makes the tough choices no one wants to make or is capable of making.

Strong White, straight, able bodied cisgender male leadership in a dystopian style show or book is absolutely commonplace. It seems that at the end of the world, writers and showrunners firmly believe that the White het, cis, guys will save world, whether they are competent enough to do so or not. This scenario necessitates the “depowering” of other characters, and especially marginalised characters. In the case of The Walking Dead, no matter who Rick interacts with, they will always in some fashion be less competent to lead.

A perfect example is Carol who, on the TV show, would be a terrifyingly excellent leader, a fact she has proven time and again. Yes, it seems the show is determined to present her as too damaged to lead: Carol being a survivor of domestic abuse and losing her only child, has been twisted in such a way that suggests that no matter how awesome her acts are, that damage outweighs her leadership. Having seen her daughter become a walker, it’s Carol. who takes it upon herself to teach the prison children how to protect themselves, even while mentally defeated Rick focuses on teaching Carl to farm. Carol’s interactions with children come to represent her damage. While Rick making similar ruthless decisions is seen as making necessary hard choices.

The Carol of the television show is quite different from the Carol of the comics. The Carol of the comics always remained dependent upon not only Rick, but everyone in the group.  Eventually, she succumbed to the pressure of the world falling apart and tried to hug a Walker. There was never any hope of this incarnation of Carol ever challenging Rick for so much as a slice of bread, let alone leadership of the group, the Carol of the television show is absolutely the antithesis of her comic book version. Carol is not only strong and capable, she has shown the ability to make the tough choices.  (“Look at the flowers Lizzie” has become infamous).  Unlike Rick, when she lost Sophia, she didn’t decide to stop participating in the group and instead used her loss to steel her determination to survive no matter what.

The Geomancer (Vampire Empire series #4) by Clay & Susan Griffith

Adele and Gareth have successfully freed Britain from vampire occupation – and the Equatorian army is moving north into France. On every front humans seem to be winning the war against the vampires

Until vampires are, impossibly, seen again in Britain. The vampires have their own geomancer and the Witchfinder is not just content to protect the vampires from Adele’s powers – he may turn the terrible powers of the Earth against the Empire and humanity itself

Adele and Gareth must act quickly to stop his plan even as it takes them far from the lands they’re familiar with and challenges so many of their assumptions

I could say a lot about this rich world – but I’ve said that in other books. I could mention the fun plot – which is fun and swashbuckling – but I’m going to need all my space to talk about the characterisation of this book which was what really shone out.

I really like the evolution of Gareth in this book. Gareth is an interesting combination of self-loathing and arrogance. Steeped in human culture, he has come to hate everything vampiric, including himself. He hates the clans, he hates his species, he hates everything they do. He sees no value in their culture, their society – anything. He sees his species as not only doomed to extinction, but possibly even deserving of it.

But from that is also an incredible arrogance. He hates vampire culture and even himself – but he also puts himself on a pedestal – because he is willing to learn human language, use human tools, learn human ways. He is better than other vampires because he is willing to emulate humans – and he can’t accept that other vampires may be redeemable in anyway. When he sees other vampires using tools he simply cannot accept it, he doesn’t believe that anyone could mimic his own progress. Only he is special enough for that

Then we have Yidak who is even more unique – because he is a vampire through and through a vampire who is progressing and advancing through more than imitating human ways. I think the most powerful example is his “written” language. We see Gareth over and over trying to use human writing despite the difficulty of using a pen considering vampires’ limited manual dexterity – then we see Yidak developing a language based on sound (to fit their oral tradition) and with a writing system better suited to vampiric strength and claws.

iZombie, Season 2, Episode 6: Max Wager

Major is very very energised and may as well have “just had sex” tattooed on his forehead – Ravi and Peyton (eating breakfast and good people who don’t deserve jolly post-sex people inflicted on them at that time in a morning) definitely notice

Then Liv comes down stairs (though Ravi’s “if that’s Rhianna coming down stairs that would explain so much” is pretty on point) equally bouncy and happy. Ugh happy people in the morning. Peyton is happy for them, Ravi objects to the morning nausea.

Meanwhile we’re actually getting a continuation for last week’s case – with the murderer from last week, Harry Cole, getting a huge plea deal and bail. He’s so smug about it that I can’t be that sad when two people on a bike zoom past and gun him down (missing Clive just)

Back in the morgue Ravi and Liv address important issues - whether Liv and Major had sex and whether zombieness is transmitted and whether a condom can really make a difference.

Clive joins them to be hailed as a hero by the others (though he objects to “not being shot” being considered heroic. He also thinks that Harry was getting his plea deal by testifying against someone else who probably paid for the convenient death. To prove this he wants Liv’s psychic help in an interview. Now – before she has eaten brains because Clive is still on the dark about where her visions come from. She can’t, of course, tell him to wait while she eats brains

So they go to question Roger Thrunk, the “fixer” of the company. And a lawyer so is not that easily shaken.

It doesn’t help much and they can’t even assume he’s guilty because, as Clive points out, Harry was a gambler who owed a lot of people money. Which means Liv has to look forward to gambler brains.

This show needs to stop making brainy recipes that look kind of yummy

Liv begins gambling on just about anything and has a vision about who the guy who attacked Harry was collecting debts for – a book keeper called “The barber.” Because he’s a barber. Total waste of a cool criminal name.

They go to interview The barber who is just damn good at police interviews (and points for the whole room joining in). The Barber also points to another possible suspect – Harry’s widow. So, to the man’s funeral (happening at Blaine’s undertakers).