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shadowkat[As an aside, I'm sick and tired of people in our society telling us all there is something wrong with us for not being in a romantic relationship, being single, and not having fallen in love recently. As if being single was horrible or something. First of all - at least 50% of romantic relationships end badly - and are often abusive. Every day, a woman/man is beaten to death by their spouse. So hello, dangerous. Second, I've lost count of the number of friends, associates, acquaintances who went through nasty divorces, or were in abusive relationships either mentally, physically, or emotionally. Years ago, I was told by a friend of my mother's that most people had the relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Bridge - which was sort of distant and cold. My parents and brother's marriage are rarities - which is true, I've seen that first hand through friends and extended family members - few of which are happily married or in a romantic relationship at all. In the US alone, single women outnumber men and married women 10 to 1. We are in the majority, unfortunately. Quite a few are clustered in Chelsea, NY and Wyoming... So if someone asks you why you haven't fallen in love yet or aren't in a romantic relationship? Tell them the odds frankly are against you. And ask them if they've been out much? As Bridget Jones once related there's nothing worse than the smug self-righteous marrieds. But rest assured of one thing - sooner or later one of them will die, and hello widowhood. I say this after watching various family members go through it. Don't take it for granted. Don't brag. And don't be smug. And if someone is? Remind them that widowhood is just around that corner. Eh, I probably shouldn't have tried to watch Hart of Dixie tonight or read certain things online. Back to abusive erotica novel (don't ask) and Dance of Dragons.]
Vamp Diaries rocked tonight..it surprised me. I didn't expect to like it. Spin-off's rarely work for me. And they were interrupting the flow of the series to do a pilot for the spin-off. But this episode rocked. In some respects it's even more interesting than Vamp Diaries.
Niklaus is an interesting character and the Originals is an interesting family dynamic. It sort of reminds me a little of the idea behind Angel the Series, but a whole lot more interesting and far gritter, not to mention riskier. It's not episodic. Also it would be like giving Angelus his own series...except a more complex and integrated Angelus. Plus it takes place in New Orleans and has a nice racial/ethnic mix. Nice thing about today's tv shows is the diversity in the casting. It's the major difference between 21st Century TV and 20th Century TV - 21st Century is more ethnically diverse.
This was essentially a pilot for the new spin-off series.
The set up for the series is Niklaus, a 1000 year old vampire-werewolf hybrid, decides to move back to New Orleans and reclaim his power. His protegee, a street-kid that he turned 100 years ago, named Marcel, has taken over the town and claimed it as his own. He's king. He rules everyone. It's his playground. And Marcel has power, love, loyalty, respect and family - everything Niklaus lusts after. Also, oddly, the fact that Niklaus somehow managed to knock up one of his vampire-werewolf hybrids - Hayley. At least I think she's a vampire-werewolf hybrid. She may just be a werewolf. During a one-night stand. Apparently the fact that he is half-werewolf makes it possible for him to get someone pregnant. His first response is to not give a damn. But as Katherine tells Rebekkah, Niklaus will eventually care because he is a lot like Katherine - "we both manipulate, punish, and love power - but mainly because we are both alone and we hate it." She used Hayley to distract Niklaus, but it back-fires on her - because it results in distracting Elijah as well. Elijah has decided this is yet another opportunity to redeem his brother - and maybe find the man he once loved again. So he joins Niklaus in New Orleans. Niklaus has decided to stay not for the kid, so much as his desire to have everything Marcel has...to reclaim it as his own, and well he could always use an heir. He's already intrigued by the blond bartender, who is a tough and interesting character. Actually might prefer this series to Vamp Diaries - it's much older in tone.
The writer's appear to have a lesson from Secret Circle - in that they should go older, instead of younger. And darker. Also they picked up one of the more interesting cast members from that series - the one who is playing Hayely now.
Some good lines in the episode as well..
Hayley: I know it is impossible.
Niklaus: You're lying, how do I even know it is mine?
Hayley: After spending the last several weeks holed up in the bayou as a prisoner of a bunch of witches, don't you think I'd have fessed up by now?
Or...
Elijah: Nikalus is in New Orleans hunting the Devereaux witches..
Rebekkah: You aren't going to help him?
Elijah: I might help him or work against him...depends on my mood.
I rather like the Originals. It's like having three snarky Damons. And no waiting.
Meanwhile...Damon and Stefan are attempting to starve Elena into turning her emotions on again. It's not working. They are moving to stage 2 - scare tactics.
Elena: Oh so you want to play games now? Let's see who wins.
I have this feeling Elena might. Katharine pops up briefly to tell them that she may have found a way to finally get Niklaus out of their lives for good. Unfortunately it costs her Elijah in the bargain, who she'd gotten close to again and wanted to run off with. She's probably cursing Niklaus right and left at the moment. She's stuck with Rebekkah. She's probably thinking - why couldn't Rebekkah have decided to join him instead.
Speculation for the finale - according to the teasing show-runners, (who live to tease audiences - it's the most annoying thing about this genre actually) - three things are happening, 1) one person will ingest the cure and it will affect the Elena, Damon, Stefan dynamic and shake it up considerably, causing people to go off on separate pursuits and shake up the show, 2) 10 people will come back (yes, we are apparently having a zombie apocalypse after all or at least a solid ghost one, seriously no one really dies on these shows), 3) Silas will continue to wreck havoc into S5? Or is it 6, I've lost track. He's apparently taking the place of Niklause as the resident villain. We do need at least one after all. First it was Katrina, then Elena's biological parents, then Niklaus...and now, Silas. I hope he's cast well. Niklaus was. Casting is important in regards to villains, otherwise they are boring and you need to kill them.
Vamp Diaries rocked tonight..it surprised me. I didn't expect to like it. Spin-off's rarely work for me. And they were interrupting the flow of the series to do a pilot for the spin-off. But this episode rocked. In some respects it's even more interesting than Vamp Diaries.
Niklaus is an interesting character and the Originals is an interesting family dynamic. It sort of reminds me a little of the idea behind Angel the Series, but a whole lot more interesting and far gritter, not to mention riskier. It's not episodic. Also it would be like giving Angelus his own series...except a more complex and integrated Angelus. Plus it takes place in New Orleans and has a nice racial/ethnic mix. Nice thing about today's tv shows is the diversity in the casting. It's the major difference between 21st Century TV and 20th Century TV - 21st Century is more ethnically diverse.
This was essentially a pilot for the new spin-off series.
The set up for the series is Niklaus, a 1000 year old vampire-werewolf hybrid, decides to move back to New Orleans and reclaim his power. His protegee, a street-kid that he turned 100 years ago, named Marcel, has taken over the town and claimed it as his own. He's king. He rules everyone. It's his playground. And Marcel has power, love, loyalty, respect and family - everything Niklaus lusts after. Also, oddly, the fact that Niklaus somehow managed to knock up one of his vampire-werewolf hybrids - Hayley. At least I think she's a vampire-werewolf hybrid. She may just be a werewolf. During a one-night stand. Apparently the fact that he is half-werewolf makes it possible for him to get someone pregnant. His first response is to not give a damn. But as Katherine tells Rebekkah, Niklaus will eventually care because he is a lot like Katherine - "we both manipulate, punish, and love power - but mainly because we are both alone and we hate it." She used Hayley to distract Niklaus, but it back-fires on her - because it results in distracting Elijah as well. Elijah has decided this is yet another opportunity to redeem his brother - and maybe find the man he once loved again. So he joins Niklaus in New Orleans. Niklaus has decided to stay not for the kid, so much as his desire to have everything Marcel has...to reclaim it as his own, and well he could always use an heir. He's already intrigued by the blond bartender, who is a tough and interesting character. Actually might prefer this series to Vamp Diaries - it's much older in tone.
The writer's appear to have a lesson from Secret Circle - in that they should go older, instead of younger. And darker. Also they picked up one of the more interesting cast members from that series - the one who is playing Hayely now.
Some good lines in the episode as well..
Hayley: I know it is impossible.
Niklaus: You're lying, how do I even know it is mine?
Hayley: After spending the last several weeks holed up in the bayou as a prisoner of a bunch of witches, don't you think I'd have fessed up by now?
Or...
Elijah: Nikalus is in New Orleans hunting the Devereaux witches..
Rebekkah: You aren't going to help him?
Elijah: I might help him or work against him...depends on my mood.
I rather like the Originals. It's like having three snarky Damons. And no waiting.
Meanwhile...Damon and Stefan are attempting to starve Elena into turning her emotions on again. It's not working. They are moving to stage 2 - scare tactics.
Elena: Oh so you want to play games now? Let's see who wins.
I have this feeling Elena might. Katharine pops up briefly to tell them that she may have found a way to finally get Niklaus out of their lives for good. Unfortunately it costs her Elijah in the bargain, who she'd gotten close to again and wanted to run off with. She's probably cursing Niklaus right and left at the moment. She's stuck with Rebekkah. She's probably thinking - why couldn't Rebekkah have decided to join him instead.
Speculation for the finale - according to the teasing show-runners, (who live to tease audiences - it's the most annoying thing about this genre actually) - three things are happening, 1) one person will ingest the cure and it will affect the Elena, Damon, Stefan dynamic and shake it up considerably, causing people to go off on separate pursuits and shake up the show, 2) 10 people will come back (yes, we are apparently having a zombie apocalypse after all or at least a solid ghost one, seriously no one really dies on these shows), 3) Silas will continue to wreck havoc into S5? Or is it 6, I've lost track. He's apparently taking the place of Niklause as the resident villain. We do need at least one after all. First it was Katrina, then Elena's biological parents, then Niklaus...and now, Silas. I hope he's cast well. Niklaus was. Casting is important in regards to villains, otherwise they are boring and you need to kill them.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-26 11:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-26 10:31 pm (UTC)Niklaus is basically the villain from the original - think Angelus, but with a soul. He's an original, this means he and his family created the vampires.
And he's played by a hot Brit - so basically imagine James Marsters playing Angelus. Marcel is African American and hot.
It also has strong female characters. A tall and adult blond human bartender, who knows karate, a werewolf/vampire hybrid who is snarky, and a couple of smart witches.
So antihero show.
I think you can figure out what is happening without ever seeing Vamp Diaries. Actually the Originals is less connected to the Vamp Diaries, than Angel was to Buffy. Niklaus has a girlfriend on Vamp Diaries, but she hates his guts, she's a vampire in love with another vamp/werewolf that betrayed Niklaus and was sired by him. So no real ties.
So no, it won't matter. You can ignore Vamp Diaries and watch this. They are actually doing a better job of creating a spin-off than Joss did, by doing one that doesn't require you to have actually watched the original series.