Emily Watches Too Much Television

Like the previous recap, I'm just going to jump on in, but I just wanted to say WOO FREYA MIKAELSON, because she is seriously the best, am I right? And I am so excited for Rebekah to actually have a mostly-nice sister to support her, because being the lone girl (and the youngest  girl/sibling, which is like a double-whammy) in a family full of boys probably gets old very quickly, wouldn't you say? So yay, she and Rebekah are finally out of the damn Fauline asylum, and it's time for a family reunion! Also, sorry for the lateness-- I was doing so well, but then a bunch of unexpected distractions ended up making me behind, so hopefully the rest will come quicker than this one! Let's talk "Sanctuary," yeah? Previously, on The Originals :  After a day spent on the astral plane with his brothers, Finn figured out that Elijah and Klaus are hiding something major from him (*coughHopecoughcough*) and decided to take Marcel and his vampires prisoner in hopes of someho...

Like I said at the end of the last recap, I absolutely ADORED this episode. First of all, any TV show that sheds light on a historical topic that most high schools have erased from their curricula is amazing, and something not enough people know about are the African-Americans/black Americans who fought in World War I, despite the fact that they were barely treated like people in the country for which they were fighting in the war. Plus, something The Originals does really well is taking historical events and people (like the casquette girls, for example, which was covered in the aptly named The Casket Girls ) and weave it into their own mythology. Rebekah Mikaelson ended up freeing a bunch of casquette girls and turning them into vampires so they could never be hurt by men, and as we learned in this episode, Marcel turned his entire all-black regiment, the Harlem Hell Fighters, an actual regiment of black infantry soldiers who fought in World War I, into vampires to ensure their sur...

So, imagine that you're a vampire and you're trapped inside a house with your mortal enemies, the werewolves. Probably not a fun time, right? Well, add in the fact that your vampire bloodlust has been magically increased to unbearable levels, and you're still a newbie, so you barely have control over your hunger, and, oh!-- one of the werewolves you're trapped with is your boyfriend, and he's starting to look mighty yummy, and not in the sexy way. Well, this is pretty much the plot of what happened in this episode, most particularly to Josh, and as you can probably guess, it was really not the best day, to be honest. Finn apparently has developed a hatred for werewolves that equals his already-super-strong hatred for vampires, so he got the brilliant idea of locking the two communities in the compound with a boundary spell in the hopes that the vampires' magnified thirst for blood would result in the two groups fighting amongst themselves until they all killed e...

Hey guys, it's been two whole years since I started this blog! WOO! Can you believe it? Where has the time gone? When I first started, I was only recapping Season 3A of Teen Wolf , and I had 99 page views in the first month. Since then, I've had almost 160,000 page views for over 110 recaps of Teen Wolf, The Originals, The Vampire Diaries , and a few episodes of Suits , which is pretty incredible for a nobody like me! So, thank you all so  much for sticking around, reading my recaps, and leaving comments about what you think! Since there are over a hundred posts now, I thought I'd start an archive page in order to make it a little easier to find what you're looking for. I know that Blogger is pretty great about making all of the blog posts accessible on the right-hand sidebar, but I figured since they're all kind of scrambled up-- thanks to juggling several shows at once and my laissez-faire attitude regarding my own self-imposed deadlines-- that it might be he...

Welp, we had Thanksgiving in May a couple weeks ago, and now we get Christmas in June, because in this episode of The Originals , the Mikealsons (Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, Hope, and Hayley) are finally all reunited for the first time in ages at their new safe house, and it is MAGICAL. Photos are taken, bonfires are had, and tons and tons of scheming and plotting go down, reminding us that when the four of them put their heads together, they're pretty amazing and unstoppable. Not to mention that Kol gave them an assist, though his good deed is a liiiiiiiiittle less impressive when he gets even with Rebekah regarding a grudge he's been holding since 1914. The best news to come out of this episode is that, for now, Esther has been de-powered, because her daughter managed to turn her into a vampire without her even suspecting it, proving once and for all that Rebekah is as devious as her brothers and does not get the credit she deserves. But, why summarize everything in the introdu...

Hooray, let's get ready for some quality Mikaelson sibling bonding time! In "The Brothers That Care Forgot," not only are Kol and Finn both still shackled with the cursed, magic-proof manacles that were procured by Cami via Father Kieran's secret apartment, but Rebekah, too, is back into the fold as well. Have I mentioned how much I missed Rebekah? Because she has been and always will be my favorite character in this show-- more than Elijah, more than Hayley, more than Davina, more than ANYONE. So, having her back has been wonderful, because Claire Holt is a phenomenal actress and Rebekah brings a balancing force to the boy's club that is the rest of her siblings. Anyway, since I'm still scrambling to catch up on these recaps before Teen Wolf starts, I'm just gonna cut to the chase, alright? Also, an update on scheduling and general housekeeping stuff before I begin-- I still have a Teen Wolf post-Season 4/pre-Season 5 write-up/meta thing that is almo...

Welp, so long, Ansel! We hardly know ye. I was a little disappointed that Ansel was taken out so early in the game, but weirdly enough, I kind of understand Klaus' motives? The more people who know about Hope, the more people who could potentially spill the beans, either voluntarily or under coercion, and Klaus is NOT taking any more chances where his first-born daughter is concerned. With both Esther and Mikael wandering around town with the foulest of motives, Klaus doesn't really have a lot of options. Werewolves can't be compelled, so there was no way he could mind-wipe him, and Esther is surely powerful enough to get into his brain for answers if she knows they're there. Still, Ansel died so Elijah could LIVE, and our favorite noble Mikaelson brother is finally conscious again, woooo! FINALLY. Plus, we've got some amazing Koleb/Davina interactions, yet another perfect team-up of Marcel, Hayley, Cami, Josh, and Aiden in order to fuck with Finn, and some quality ...

I have been so excited to write this recap since "Wheel Inside the Wheel" aired, because OH MY GOD, ESTHER FLASHBACKS! I'm pretty sure the flashbacks to 972 AD are officially the oldest memories of the characters that we've ever seen, and it actually gave us a ton of insight into why Esther and Mikael are the way they are. I'm even starting to sympathize with Esther (although only a tiny bit), but still not so much Mikael, because even losing your beloved daughter doesn't justify being an abusive dick with a burning desire to kill his children in the most brutal ways possible. Also, we know the identity of the Mikaelsons' oldest sibling, Freya! But I need some input from the rest of you readers out there-- are Freya and Finn twins? Because I could have sworn they were twins (with Freya being the oldest, obviously, just like how Liv is the oldest between her and Luke in The Vampire Diaries ), but now that I've gone back to look, there isn't really ...

I know pretty much every introduction to my recaps of The Originals  ultimately turns into me talking about how amazing this season is going and how impressed by all the characters I am, but SERIOUSLY, THIS SEASON IS SO AMAZING AND THE CHARACTERS ARE SO GREAT. In "Red Door," we got to see Elijah's interactions with his mother, and got a LOT of insight into how he became known for being noble, impeccably dressed, and nearly always in control. And, the best part about all of these insights is that we 1) got flashbacks to the late 10th century/early 11th century Mystic Falls, which is always great-- the costuming is perfect and OG Esther is always delightful, and 2) WE FINALLY GET TO MEET TATIA. We first heard about Tatia in Season 3 of The Vampire Diaries, when Klaus mentioned her to Stefan and Damon to remark on "the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger." Tatia was a great love of both Klaus and Elijah, not unlike Stefan and Damon's love triangles with both ...

In what is yet another amazing episode in a streak of fabulous episodes of The Originals , we get even more development of the plot, including some more insight into Esther's plans and what they entail, Elijah getting more involved in the rebuilding of the vampire community with Marcel, more werewolf mythology, and an update on what Davina and Mikael have been up to since they fled New Orleans. Since I'm still ridiculously behind on recaps, way more so than I wanted to be by the end of my winter vacations, I'm just gonna stop wasting time and jump right in! Let's talk about "Live And Let Die!" Previously, on The Originals :  New Orleans was the Mikaelson children's home once, and they want it back. Even though Klaus has managed to kill both of his parents over the many centuries he's been alive, both Esther and Mikael still found ways to crawl their way back from the Other Side/ancestral witch limbo to torment their children once again. Esther hopped...

Continuing on the streak of amazing episodes of The Originals in this fabulous second season, this particular episode features an awkward family dinner (which are the best kind, let's be real), some awesome chemistry between Elijah and our newest baby vamp, and an introduction to a new witch Lenore, who lives and works across the river in Marcel's new neighborhood, and who, for reasons that will become obvious as I get into this recap, we will probably be seeing for quite a while. Considering this is the third episode out of EIGHT that have aired as of my writing this introduction, I'm just going to cut the chit-chat and just dig in, because I have a LOT of words to write. So, vamanos, babies, because "Every Mother's Son" is fantastic! Previously, on The Originals :  New Orleans used to be the Mikaelsons' home, and Klaus wanted to get back control over it like he had from the 1700s to 1919. Unfortunately, all his scheming and power-grubbing resulted i...

Could this season of The Originals be any better? If anyone was to tell me before this show started that I would end up loving this show more than pretty much any other show on television, I probably would have laughed. I liked Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah just fine, but I figured it would basically be exactly like the Vampire Diaries , only with a baby that nobody wanted. I am very glad to be wrong on this, because this show is seriously great, between all the battles between supernatural factions and the politics involved, the emotional growth of these Mikaelsons and their allies, and the complicated relationships between them, there is SO MUCH TO LOVE ABOUT THIS SHOW. Anyway, I'm still ridiculously behind, so I'm just going to plow into the recap so we can talk about the shenanigans that have been happening in the French Quarter, 'kay? Kay. Previously, on The Originals : New Orleans was the Mikaelsons' home once, back from the early 1700s to 1919, and last year, K...

Welp, if this premiere episode is any indication, I have very high hopes for how The Originals is going to be this season, because "Rebirth" was an absolute delight of an episode. All of the actors did some of their best work yet, and it's set up lots of threads that could lead to some very interesting story lines. Not to mention the fact that I assumed the Guerrera plot would last at least through the first chapter of the season, but it was wrapped up all in one episode, so at this rate, we'll have plenty of exciting stuff to talk about! And that reveal at the end? BEST THING EVER. Basically, there aren't enough nice things to say in the English language to describe how much I loved this episode, so I'm just going to stop dawdling and get started. Settle in, babes, we have a LOT to discuss. Previously, on The Originals: In lieu of a "Previouslies" this week, we got Rebekah, who has her own home where she lives with Hope, tells a story (that just...

HOLY. SHIT. I am a TV nut, so I have seen quite a few season finales in my day, but I cannot for the life of me remember a time that I felt SO SATISFIED with an ending. Like, seriously, this neatly tied up all of the dangling threads in the most perfect way possible. Remember how when we first learned that Hayley was pregnant, and then we were all angry, like, "WHY WOULD THEY PUT A BABY ON A SHOW ABOUT MURDEROUS MONSTERS?" And then, sometime during this season, I actually got ATTACHED to that little demon child, and the thought of her being killed by Genevieve (or worse, MONIQUE) was absolutely devastating. But, at the same time, nobody actually WANTS a little baby on a supernatural drama, because while Klaus changing diapers would be pretty hilarious the first time, it would get super boring after like one episode. So, this ending was the perfect way to remedy that-- the newborn Baby Mikaelson gets to go live with Auntie Beks and have the white picket fence they both deserv...

This episode was seriously BANANAS, you guys. I have to say that it is probably one of my all-time favorite episodes EVER, which is a pretty high bar, considering the vast amount of television I have consumed over the years. Seriously, though, literally everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in this episode, and I was NOT expecting any of it. First, we're given a bunch of blows to the gut just in reveals alone--Genevieve tricked Klaus by using his blood in the moonlight stones as a power source, which means the moonlight stones that will actively be used by werewolves on a full moon will be drawing on HIS strength to control their transformations. And, to make matters worse, she had secretly made a plan with Francesca to rip off the Crescents and give HER the moonlight stones, because get this, THEY'RE FUCKING GUERRERA WEREWOLVES, who have not only been pretending to be human this whole time, but specifically waited until they had the means to control their transformat...

Man, this episode was kind of terrifying, wasn't it? I have to admit that Mikael has kind of always scared me, because he's one of those characters who has literally no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and as a result, will nearly ALWAYS end up fucking over the heroes in the most horrible yet spectacular fashions. So, the fact that Mikael was totally willing to kill a more-or-less innocent pregnant girl and her unborn child is not really surprising, but still disgusting as hell. There were a WHOLE lot of other exciting developments in this episode, too, from Francesca getting fleshed out as a Stone-Cold-Bitch, Cami dealing with Kieran's death, with a little help from Marcel, a greater peek into Genevieve's character and willingness to stay alive, and the ancestors in general. Plus, y'know, the HAYLIJAH KISS that I feel like I've been waiting for for at least eighty-four years and Klaus once again showing that there may just be a shred of humanity left in him. A...

Well, we've reached the point in the season where every single plotline is hurtling full-throttle towards the finale, and not only can I not believe just how fast this season flew, I am also shocked at just how amazing this show has become since it first started last fall. I've already talked a bit about my disappointment in the majority of this season of The Vampire Diaries , but the Originals , on the other hand, has kept my attention since the very beginning. I think part of the appeal has been the fact that everyone in the show (save for Davina) is a grown adult, so there's no bothering with school, and really, there isn't that much focus on work, either. The Originals is focused solely on the relationships between the characters and the politics between the constantly warring factions in the French Quarter, which has resulted in a lot of drama that seems so much more mature in comparison. So, to say that "An Unblinking Death" was intense is a HUGE und...

Alright guys, before we dig into this recap, I just wanted to update you on what to expect over the next couple weeks! Now that I'm out of school for the summer and my main job is just studying for my nursing license exam, I have WAY more time to catch up on these recaps! SO, I'll be knocking out the rest of this season of The Originals first, and then I will be starting a new thing I'd like to call "Emily Re-watches Season 5 of TVD," because it would be silly at this point to pretend like we all don't already know what has gone down on the show ever since I took my sabbatical from writing  TVD recaps. So, I'll be revisiting the last half of this season of TVD , only instead of my usual recap format, we're going to be looking back on what happened in terms of everything we know as of the show's finale, "Home," which is due to air this week. THEN, hopefully, I'll be done catching up on both those shows by June 24, which is when Teen...

Sigh, I miss Rebekah, you guys. Even still, "Moon Over Bourbon Street" was full of all kinds of drama that has been simmering over the last couple episodes and is no doubt about to boil over as we fly toward the finale. And I, for once, am forever thrilled to watch all of the political posturing on the parts of the various supernatural factions. I've always been interested in politics in general, so to see it in The Originals , with the five factions of witches, werewolves, vampires, Originals and humans pushing and pulling for power with their various magical abilities has been PRETTY amazing. Basically, I am loving the shit out of this show, so much that it has almost made me forget how much I miss Teen Wolf . So, let's dig into the pieces of this game that are slowly but surely being pushed around the board, yeah? Previously, on The Originals :  Rebekah and Klaus finally came to a truce over their epic throwdown while locked in the cemetery, and Rebekah rode o...

As much as I loved this episode (and there was a lot to love!), I am still SO SAD about losing Rebekah, you guys. It's possible that it's just the timing, because I have lost a shitload of my favorite female badass characters in the last couple of weeks/months--it started with Ziva being written off of NCIS when Cote de Pablo decided to leave, and then went to Katherine being killed on TVD , and as I type, I already have my HUGE recap of  Teen Wolf' s "Insatiable"  started, so losing Rebekah on top of all of that was just especially hard for my fragile, little heart. On a happier note, Claire Holt absolutely rocked her performance in this episode, so she definitely went out with a bang. And thankfully, it seems as though this is just a temporary break so that she can get out of Atlanta and back to LA/Australia for a while to see her family, so with any luck, maybe Rebekah will be returning to help the gang out next season! I'm keeping my fingers and toes cr...