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shadowkatSlowly making my way through the television series finales. Watched Vampire Diaries and Justified series finales this week. The two series aren't comparable.
Justified
Blown away by the season finale. The final scene sent a shiver up my spine - which happens when a work of art hits all the right chords in me - like I'm a violin and the artist oh so gently played their hand across my strings. It was beautiful yet also chillingly sad.
Mags Bennet may well be amongst the best female villains and certainly most complex that I've seen in quite some time. Brilliantly portrayed by Margret Martindale...she makes you sympathize with her at the same time she scares you. In the final scene of the season finale, a perfect bookend to the event that starts the whole story rolling and yes, I saw it coming but that's only because it made such perfect sense. Mags shot in the thigh by Loretta at the same time or close to it as Raylin was shot in the thigh by Doyle, sits Raylin down at a table and pours him and herself a glass of her apple pie. The glasses - which are old jam jars just as the container with the liquor with the homemade brew is a huge jar - probably containing pickles at some point - remind me of my grandmothers. Raylin just talked Loretta, who Mags sought to protect and take on as her own daughter - to as Mags put it protect from this violent life, from killing Mags for killing her Daddy. Convincing Loretta that it would not bring her Daddy back and would only change her for the worse, as such violent actions have changed Raylin and Mags. Now, with Loretta taken away by the police back to social services, Raylin tells Mags what happened to her remaining sons, one is in custody and one is dead - shot by the US Marshal service. Mags pours the liguor, just as she poured it for Loretta's daddy and after each take a mouthful, she takes Raylin's hand - shakes on it, stating this is how we should have settled our war long ago. Mags, Raylin asks, what did you do? And Mags replies - she did what she did to Loretta's Daddy. It's too late. It was already in the glass NOT the jar. This is the worst part..She shakes in pain, and then slowly crumbles, stating as she dies...I can go now, see my boys again, see the mystery. Then just before the blackout - we get that last phrase..a musical lyric...about "I trace my bloodline back into the dark hills of Kentucky, where there's gravestone with the heading...you never can quite get past the Harlan County line". Fade to black.
Up to that point, we see the slow escalation to violence on all sides, each losing someone close to them. Raylin's ex-wife begging him not to go into Harlan, and when he does, begging the Marshal service to aid him - in some way. Boyd Crowder using violence to obtain power against the rival Bennetts, who retailate by shooting the woman he cares the most about. Boyd saving Raylin from
Dickie, because Dickie shot Ava. Dickie being saved by Raylin from Boyd because Dickie knows where Loretta has gone and can lead him to her. Raylin saving Mags from Loretta, only to get shot by Doyle and Doyle, Mags son being killed. The violence solves nothing. It doesn't change anything for the better. Yet the characters going down that road...feels inevitable somehow, as if they know no other way.
You have a choice, states Raylin to Loretta, you do not have to go down this road. Mags is right.
Please. Don't. It will not bring your father back and you will have to live with the consequences. It only hurts you. Perfect ending to an uneven yet incredibly rich Season 2.
Vampire Diaries
Sorry, no snark here. Not in the mood. ;-)
It occurs to me this morning thinking it over what the theme of this season to a degree was...and what the writers are playing with thematically here. And it is a rather intriguing one. It's about the futility of noble sacrifice. That the noble sacrifice which on the surface appears saintly and self-less is in truth the opposite and often makes everything worse. Far worse. Putting the lives of one's nearest and dearest over everyone and everything else...often does not end well. It is in a way another comment on a similar theme in Justified, which was about the futility of vengeance and how it just makes everything worse. There's something to be said for that line - change the things you can change, accept the things you can't change, and have the wisdom to know the difference. Or know what you can control.
Elena. Poor Elena. She has the best intentions, but as we all know the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. She sincerely believes that she can prevent bloodshed and save everyone she cares the most about by sacrificing herself to Klaus. So she dies, everyone she cares for most lives, and who cares about the rest. She doesn't think it through though - she knows next to nothing about Klaus, outside of the fact that Katherine has spent the last 400 years fleeing from him, and Rosamarie has spent even longer. Or that he killed Elijah's family and his own. Or that he and Elijah made up the curse of the moon and the sun over the centuries in order to manipulate everyone into helping them break the curse on Klaus who was vampire and werewolf and wanted desperately to awaken the wolf side of himself. Which should be more than enough to realize that sacrificing herself not such a good idea. But she also has few options. Does she sacrifice Bonnie? Would it even work?
What if Klaus killed Bonnie? Or the harnassed power Bonnie has did? Can she run? Can she become a vampire as Katherine did? Which resulted in Klaus hunting down and killing Katherine's entire family?
So she comes up with a plan - she decides to blindly trust Elijah, not completely understanding Elijah's motivations, and to trust Bonnie and Elijah's ability to kill Klaus and bring her back.
They fail her. Neither is able to kill him - Bonnie only weakens him, and Elijah pulls out when Klaus states he can reunite him with the rest of his family. Ironically, it is Damon and John that help the most - the two people she trusted the least, Damon brings Bonnie there and takes out Klaus witch helpers, he also removed both Elena's friends Caroline and Tyler from the fray, getting bit in the process. And he provided her with a way to survive - vampire blood, granted against her will and eww, vampire, but still. John - provides her with a way not to become a vampire - he saves and revives her so she doesn't come back as a vampire, sacrificing himself instead.
Unfortunately her decision to protect Bonnie at all costs, results in Jenna and Jules deaths, not that there's any guarantee that Bonnie could have taken him out earlier. Just as her decision to go willingly into that dark night...results in those deaths.
Her noble sacrifice feels rather empty, with Elena herself being the only one left unhurt physically from it.
Damon. Damon in contrast actually tries to save people he cares nothing about and aren't nearest and dearest. He saves both Tyler and Caroline and Matt. He tries to save Jenna, and fails. He also aids Katherine - by giving her vervain. He doesn't nobly sacrifice himself - although he does make an attempt but it's too late. In some respects his actions are more productive than Elena's were.
Stefan. Stefan puts his nearest and dearest first and for selfishly motivated reasons. He respects Elena, and her decisions - and the desire to protect Bonnie. He places his trust in Elijah.
And then when things go kablooey, he stupidly tries to exchange himself for Jenna, which does not work. Then when Damon gets bit, he decides to sacrifice himself to Klaus for a cure. But as noble as this sacrifice feels on the surface - the consequences to those outside of himself, people he does not know, is tragic. He has to kill lots of people, go on a rampage, fall off the human blood wagon, to save his brother. By making this choice - he hurts everyone, including his brother - he did not get a choice. He did not ask Damon. It's ironic in a way - Stefan who got so upset at Damon for not respecting Elena's choices, does the same thing here. Damon - most likely - would have preferred to die than to have Stefan do what Stefan chose to do. That's a hell of a thing to make someone live with. But Stefan does it because of his own guilt regarding Damon becoming a vampire - I made him become one. But as Damon states - no, he didn't. I chose it freely. I chose to drink Katherine's blood, she didn't compel me. I knew what she was and what I was getting into. I have to live with that. Stefan did not do it to me. Stefan's choices are on Stefan. Damon's on Damon. Noble sacrifice - leads to innocent ones.
And finally Bonnie - who oh so nobly takes on more power. Yet at what cost? She decides to save Jeremy, to bring him back from death. He has died trying to help Damon, caught finally in the cross-fire between Sheriff Forbes and Damon. Ironically, Forbes's gunshot would not have killed Damon.
But it does effectively kill Jeremy and she takes it without regard to Jeremy or Jeremy's life.
Which makes sense - vampire, shoot. (Stakes work better or wood bullets, assuming she used wooden, not clear). And Bonnie against all advice - with Alaric's help takes Jeremy to the witches grave site and resurrects him using their power. The consequences...are unknown. I love him, I sacrifice. But what and is it really yours to sacrifice? Is it what Jeremy wanted?
It all reminds me oddly of a Buffy episode - Bargaining I&II - where Willow decides to bring Buffy back, regardless of the potential consequences. Buffy didn't want to come back, but Willow brings her back anyway. It's arrogant as Giles states. Arrogant show of power and will.
In some respects they aren't that different from Klaus and Elijah - who do horrible things for their own benefit, either family or their continued survival. To save another is good, but to do it at the expense of others lives?
It's murky. The morality here. But then we live in a murky world.
Personally? I was rather disappointed in this year's season finale, it was a bit over-the-top in places. Not quite as much fun as last season's. But thematically, it got the job done.
On next year's tv pilots...they've released the pickups from CBS and NBC. Oddly CBS didn't pick up Ringer, the new SMG drama, instead the CW did. Which doesn't bode that well for Gellar's career - she's stuck on the cult teen channel again. That's why ABC pulled out of developing it. Although I get why CBS stuck it there over placing it on CBS. Demos are different. CBS demo skews older, while CW skews younger. (ie. CBS =35-70 while CW =18-34, according to the evil marketing people that rule the world. We all know that's not true - since there's several people online who are above the age of 34 and watching the CW and can't stand most of the shows on CBS and vice versa. Data and statistics lie? Shocking!) NBC did not pick up Wonder Woman (which surprised me) nor did it pick up 17th Precinct. Instead it went with yet another remake of Prime Suspect (we had one in the 1980s/1990s as well...can't accuse NBC of playing it safe and repeating itself can we?). Actually from the pickup orders looks like most of them are playing it safe with tried and true formulas, just a few risks here and there.
Justified
Blown away by the season finale. The final scene sent a shiver up my spine - which happens when a work of art hits all the right chords in me - like I'm a violin and the artist oh so gently played their hand across my strings. It was beautiful yet also chillingly sad.
Mags Bennet may well be amongst the best female villains and certainly most complex that I've seen in quite some time. Brilliantly portrayed by Margret Martindale...she makes you sympathize with her at the same time she scares you. In the final scene of the season finale, a perfect bookend to the event that starts the whole story rolling and yes, I saw it coming but that's only because it made such perfect sense. Mags shot in the thigh by Loretta at the same time or close to it as Raylin was shot in the thigh by Doyle, sits Raylin down at a table and pours him and herself a glass of her apple pie. The glasses - which are old jam jars just as the container with the liquor with the homemade brew is a huge jar - probably containing pickles at some point - remind me of my grandmothers. Raylin just talked Loretta, who Mags sought to protect and take on as her own daughter - to as Mags put it protect from this violent life, from killing Mags for killing her Daddy. Convincing Loretta that it would not bring her Daddy back and would only change her for the worse, as such violent actions have changed Raylin and Mags. Now, with Loretta taken away by the police back to social services, Raylin tells Mags what happened to her remaining sons, one is in custody and one is dead - shot by the US Marshal service. Mags pours the liguor, just as she poured it for Loretta's daddy and after each take a mouthful, she takes Raylin's hand - shakes on it, stating this is how we should have settled our war long ago. Mags, Raylin asks, what did you do? And Mags replies - she did what she did to Loretta's Daddy. It's too late. It was already in the glass NOT the jar. This is the worst part..She shakes in pain, and then slowly crumbles, stating as she dies...I can go now, see my boys again, see the mystery. Then just before the blackout - we get that last phrase..a musical lyric...about "I trace my bloodline back into the dark hills of Kentucky, where there's gravestone with the heading...you never can quite get past the Harlan County line". Fade to black.
Up to that point, we see the slow escalation to violence on all sides, each losing someone close to them. Raylin's ex-wife begging him not to go into Harlan, and when he does, begging the Marshal service to aid him - in some way. Boyd Crowder using violence to obtain power against the rival Bennetts, who retailate by shooting the woman he cares the most about. Boyd saving Raylin from
Dickie, because Dickie shot Ava. Dickie being saved by Raylin from Boyd because Dickie knows where Loretta has gone and can lead him to her. Raylin saving Mags from Loretta, only to get shot by Doyle and Doyle, Mags son being killed. The violence solves nothing. It doesn't change anything for the better. Yet the characters going down that road...feels inevitable somehow, as if they know no other way.
You have a choice, states Raylin to Loretta, you do not have to go down this road. Mags is right.
Please. Don't. It will not bring your father back and you will have to live with the consequences. It only hurts you. Perfect ending to an uneven yet incredibly rich Season 2.
Vampire Diaries
Sorry, no snark here. Not in the mood. ;-)
It occurs to me this morning thinking it over what the theme of this season to a degree was...and what the writers are playing with thematically here. And it is a rather intriguing one. It's about the futility of noble sacrifice. That the noble sacrifice which on the surface appears saintly and self-less is in truth the opposite and often makes everything worse. Far worse. Putting the lives of one's nearest and dearest over everyone and everything else...often does not end well. It is in a way another comment on a similar theme in Justified, which was about the futility of vengeance and how it just makes everything worse. There's something to be said for that line - change the things you can change, accept the things you can't change, and have the wisdom to know the difference. Or know what you can control.
Elena. Poor Elena. She has the best intentions, but as we all know the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. She sincerely believes that she can prevent bloodshed and save everyone she cares the most about by sacrificing herself to Klaus. So she dies, everyone she cares for most lives, and who cares about the rest. She doesn't think it through though - she knows next to nothing about Klaus, outside of the fact that Katherine has spent the last 400 years fleeing from him, and Rosamarie has spent even longer. Or that he killed Elijah's family and his own. Or that he and Elijah made up the curse of the moon and the sun over the centuries in order to manipulate everyone into helping them break the curse on Klaus who was vampire and werewolf and wanted desperately to awaken the wolf side of himself. Which should be more than enough to realize that sacrificing herself not such a good idea. But she also has few options. Does she sacrifice Bonnie? Would it even work?
What if Klaus killed Bonnie? Or the harnassed power Bonnie has did? Can she run? Can she become a vampire as Katherine did? Which resulted in Klaus hunting down and killing Katherine's entire family?
So she comes up with a plan - she decides to blindly trust Elijah, not completely understanding Elijah's motivations, and to trust Bonnie and Elijah's ability to kill Klaus and bring her back.
They fail her. Neither is able to kill him - Bonnie only weakens him, and Elijah pulls out when Klaus states he can reunite him with the rest of his family. Ironically, it is Damon and John that help the most - the two people she trusted the least, Damon brings Bonnie there and takes out Klaus witch helpers, he also removed both Elena's friends Caroline and Tyler from the fray, getting bit in the process. And he provided her with a way to survive - vampire blood, granted against her will and eww, vampire, but still. John - provides her with a way not to become a vampire - he saves and revives her so she doesn't come back as a vampire, sacrificing himself instead.
Unfortunately her decision to protect Bonnie at all costs, results in Jenna and Jules deaths, not that there's any guarantee that Bonnie could have taken him out earlier. Just as her decision to go willingly into that dark night...results in those deaths.
Her noble sacrifice feels rather empty, with Elena herself being the only one left unhurt physically from it.
Damon. Damon in contrast actually tries to save people he cares nothing about and aren't nearest and dearest. He saves both Tyler and Caroline and Matt. He tries to save Jenna, and fails. He also aids Katherine - by giving her vervain. He doesn't nobly sacrifice himself - although he does make an attempt but it's too late. In some respects his actions are more productive than Elena's were.
Stefan. Stefan puts his nearest and dearest first and for selfishly motivated reasons. He respects Elena, and her decisions - and the desire to protect Bonnie. He places his trust in Elijah.
And then when things go kablooey, he stupidly tries to exchange himself for Jenna, which does not work. Then when Damon gets bit, he decides to sacrifice himself to Klaus for a cure. But as noble as this sacrifice feels on the surface - the consequences to those outside of himself, people he does not know, is tragic. He has to kill lots of people, go on a rampage, fall off the human blood wagon, to save his brother. By making this choice - he hurts everyone, including his brother - he did not get a choice. He did not ask Damon. It's ironic in a way - Stefan who got so upset at Damon for not respecting Elena's choices, does the same thing here. Damon - most likely - would have preferred to die than to have Stefan do what Stefan chose to do. That's a hell of a thing to make someone live with. But Stefan does it because of his own guilt regarding Damon becoming a vampire - I made him become one. But as Damon states - no, he didn't. I chose it freely. I chose to drink Katherine's blood, she didn't compel me. I knew what she was and what I was getting into. I have to live with that. Stefan did not do it to me. Stefan's choices are on Stefan. Damon's on Damon. Noble sacrifice - leads to innocent ones.
And finally Bonnie - who oh so nobly takes on more power. Yet at what cost? She decides to save Jeremy, to bring him back from death. He has died trying to help Damon, caught finally in the cross-fire between Sheriff Forbes and Damon. Ironically, Forbes's gunshot would not have killed Damon.
But it does effectively kill Jeremy and she takes it without regard to Jeremy or Jeremy's life.
Which makes sense - vampire, shoot. (Stakes work better or wood bullets, assuming she used wooden, not clear). And Bonnie against all advice - with Alaric's help takes Jeremy to the witches grave site and resurrects him using their power. The consequences...are unknown. I love him, I sacrifice. But what and is it really yours to sacrifice? Is it what Jeremy wanted?
It all reminds me oddly of a Buffy episode - Bargaining I&II - where Willow decides to bring Buffy back, regardless of the potential consequences. Buffy didn't want to come back, but Willow brings her back anyway. It's arrogant as Giles states. Arrogant show of power and will.
In some respects they aren't that different from Klaus and Elijah - who do horrible things for their own benefit, either family or their continued survival. To save another is good, but to do it at the expense of others lives?
It's murky. The morality here. But then we live in a murky world.
Personally? I was rather disappointed in this year's season finale, it was a bit over-the-top in places. Not quite as much fun as last season's. But thematically, it got the job done.
On next year's tv pilots...they've released the pickups from CBS and NBC. Oddly CBS didn't pick up Ringer, the new SMG drama, instead the CW did. Which doesn't bode that well for Gellar's career - she's stuck on the cult teen channel again. That's why ABC pulled out of developing it. Although I get why CBS stuck it there over placing it on CBS. Demos are different. CBS demo skews older, while CW skews younger. (ie. CBS =35-70 while CW =18-34, according to the evil marketing people that rule the world. We all know that's not true - since there's several people online who are above the age of 34 and watching the CW and can't stand most of the shows on CBS and vice versa. Data and statistics lie? Shocking!) NBC did not pick up Wonder Woman (which surprised me) nor did it pick up 17th Precinct. Instead it went with yet another remake of Prime Suspect (we had one in the 1980s/1990s as well...can't accuse NBC of playing it safe and repeating itself can we?). Actually from the pickup orders looks like most of them are playing it safe with tried and true formulas, just a few risks here and there.
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Justified
Date: 2011-05-15 08:42 am (UTC)I don't doubt that Mags loves Loretta or that she loved her own kin. She made choices that brought her to where she ended up. Life can be hard but to prey on others and gain through others suffering can't be excused.
I do have a question and that's how Winona convinced Art to save Raylan? Did she confess to the money she took?
Rufus