Emily Watches Too Much Television

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...

Eeee, so this episode of The Originals explains SO MUCH about EVERYTHING. About why Marcel never went looking for Klaus and Rebekah after Mikael showed up, why Klaus and Rebekah thought Marcel was dead until they came back to New Orleans a century later, and why Rebekah, Klaus, and Elijah are SO. FUCKED. UP. Because basically, Mikael is the fucking WORST, and not only did he quite literally create the monsters his children became by abusing them physically and emotionally and then forcing them to become vampires, but he also proved to be even more cruel and monstrous than even Klaus, of all people, could never possibly be. He's like the Gerard of this universe, willing to do whatever it takes to get his revenge, anyone or anything else be damned, and it's awful, awful, awful. I just got talked about how flashback episodes when I talked about Teen Wolf the other day, and how they can be really good, or really boring, and while Teen Wolf leaned toward the latter, "Le Gra...

This was a pretty exciting episode, right? It's sort of a continuation of the themes we talked about in "The River in Reverse."  With the Originals being pretty much truly immortal (unless you just happen to have some ancient white oak wood laying around), it's easy to forget that they aren't completely invulnerable--if you've got enough smarts, patience, and and nerve, as well as some magic on your side and plenty of desire for revenge in your heart, it is possible to torture them in one way or another. We have Klaus being physically tortured, Rebekah psychologically tortured, and Elijah emotionally tortured, all in one episode. Man, Genevieve is about as bonkers as they come, isn't she? I don't know whether to be impressed by her nerve and rationale behind her actions, or terrified. She's almost giving me Victoria Argent from Teen Wolf vibes, though that might just be the redheaded similarity. Also, can we talk about how amazing Claire Holt wa...

Man, I never expected that I would eventually grow to enjoy The Originals over The Vampire Diaries , but here we are, halfway through TO's first season, and I am totally hooked. I've been super intrigued by the new werewolf story line that has been developing over the last dozen episodes, between Hayley and her miracle devilspawn and Klaus' biological father's werewolf clan, and this episode definitely has me asking TONS of questions! Also, we finally got an answer regarding Hayley being pregnant and what happens to her during full moons now, so that was cool. So yeah, basically, this episode was an awesome addition to what is shaping up to be an amazing season, so settle in, gentle readers, and let's talk about "Crescent City!" Previously, on The Originals :  The Mikaelsons used to rule New Orleans, once upon a time, so Klaus decided he wanted it back for himself. Elijah learned that his former lover Celeste, whom everyone thought died two hundred ye...

Blogger's note: So, you've probably noticed how swamped I've been lately, judging by how behind on recaps I am. You may have also noticed the fact that I've been increasingly displeased with the way The Vampire Diaries is going this season. Compound this with the major funk that I usually fall into during the winter, and I am really struggling to get everything done right now, recapping included. So, with that in mind, I am going to put my TVD recaps on hiatus for the time being. As of now, I still intend to write them, even despite my unhappiness with the show's direction. I'd be lying if I said the thought of writing them felt like a chore, but it was also just way too ambitious for me to try to consistently write three recaps a week on top of full-time school and general life stuff that I have going on right now. So, yeah, I will still be recapping Teen Wolf and The Originals (more or less) on time, but TVD will be on hold for now. I'm really sorry ...

HOLY. SHIT. This week's episode seriously left me breathless through the entire thing. This season of The Originals started out pretty slow, but I've slowly come to enjoy this show so much that I usually look forward to it more strongly than I do The Vampire Diaries , which makes me happy and sad at the same time. Anyway, there were so many twists and turns, I was completely dumbfounded. Between the fact that I am a TV junkie and have quickly learned to figure out what's about to happen before it does, and the fact that I am also a spoiler junkie, it takes a lot to really surprise me, and this happened TWICE during "Après Moi, Le Déluge," so this episode definitely gets an A++ from me! Let's get started, shall we? Previously, on The Originals :  New Orleans used to be Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah's home, over a century ago, and once he returned, Klaus decided he wanted it back. Now that he finally obtained it, he and Marcel agreed to rule the city toget...

Man, I didn't really realize how much I missed The Originals until I saw that new promo for the post-hiatus episodes! And now that it's back, I am super excited to see where all of this goes. Klaus was still a whiny baby this week, but, to fit with the "Casket Girls" theme and title of the episode, the majority of the ladies, Davina, Rebekah, and Cami, rose up against the men who had been oppressing them and fought back, and wow, was it glorious! We also got to return a bit to Hayley's determination to learn more about her family, and what she's willing to do to get that information, which was a nice touch, no matter how awful she may have fucked things up. Finally, how amazing is Josh? I am so worried that he's going to die, because that's what happens to all the tertiary characters that I love, but if it happens, I will be SO SAD. Alright, enough summarizing, let's get to it! Previously, on The Originals :  Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah Mikaelson b...

This is already way later than I intended, so I'm just going to get right to the point and talk about "Reigning Pain in New Orleans," 'kay? Let's do this! Previously, on The Originals :   The Mikaelson siblings were the first vampires in the history of ever, the Original family of vampires, and they built New Orleans from nothing three hundred years ago. Klaus finally succeeded in taking down Marcel's empire as the self-proclaimed "King of New Orleans." He got in a bit of a hissy fit with Elijah and Rebekah, and basically told them to fuck off, leaving them at their plantation house to live by themselves while Klaus moves back into the Abbatoir. He also forced Hayley to come with him, despite her protests, and tells her that anyone who tries to get between him and his child will surely lose. DRAMAAAA.

Once again, I have been swinging so violently between, "Ugh, I hate Klaus," and "Ugh, I love Klaus." How does that work? I do have to say, though, I am really enjoying how this show is more of an ensemble show, in the way that every week, we see the show through one of the Mikaelsons' perspectives. Obviously, they're all featured each week, unless they're daggered, of course, but each week, there is a special focus on one of the siblings, and this week, Rebekah is the star, from the opening voiceover throughout the action of the entire show. That isn't to say that Klaus and Elijah don't get some excellent time in as well, not to mention Hayley and Marcel, but in general, I have appreciated Rebekah's character development more than any other character! Elijah has always been amazing, and Klaus has always repeated his same mistakes, but Rebekah in this series is SO different from the Rebekah we met in Season 3 of The Vampire Diaries , don...

[2:26PM November 20, 2013--Screencaps and gifs finally added! Thanks for your patience. :)] HOLY SHIT, TYLER LOCKWOOD, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOU? This new Tyler was pretty fucking frightening. Michael Trevino said that he would be returning to his season one-'roid-ragey self, but this was actually way worse. Season one Tyler was a dick, for sure, but he wasn't cruel, not like he was this week. This is a man who literally has nothing to lose. Klaus wasn't exactly his best self this week, either, but Elijah was 100% flawless, and Hayley was pretty badass and smart, too. SO, let's get to talking about this episode, yeah? Because a LOT of shit happened that is going to be causing some serious problems in the future. Previously, on The Originals :  Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah Mikaelson are the first vampires in history, the Originals. Klaus is super special, though, because he is the first ever vampire-werewolf hybrid, due to his mother having an affair with a werewol...

This week's episode was a stunning example of how fucking AMAZING Elijah is. I mean, we've always known that, ever since we first met him on The Vampire Diaries and he fully decapitated Trevor by KARATE-CHOPPING HIM. It's always nice to be reminded of his badassery, though, and it was a wonderful reminder of the fact that 1) Elijah gets shit DONE, and 2) while Elijah might not be at Klaus-levels of sadistic, he can be chillingly scary when he wants to be! HOT DAMN. So yeah, if you couldn't tell, this episode was pretty much all about Elijah, even when it was supposed to be other people, like Sophie, Hayley, and Rebekah. Still, everyone was pretty amazing this week. I feel like we've seen centuries worth of character development happen just in this past year for Rebekah, and Hayley and Sophie are becoming more and more interesting every week. Even Marcel, who I love to hate, has shown a lot of depth this week. Anyway, let's get into what happened in the Quar...

Man, this show is BANANAS. I am loving it SO, SO much, easily as much as I like the Vampire Diaries, which I definitely wasn't expecting. This week had a lot of mythology and flashbacks and story-telling, like the first couple episodes, but UNLIKE the first couple episodes, it was still so dramatic that it was really difficult to be bored. The majority of my questions about Davina, her powers, and her animosity toward the witches were answered, as well as my questions regarding Davina and Marcel's relationship. Plus, we ALSO learned a lot about witches in general, Sophie and Jane-Anne, and Father Kieran! Klaus and Rebekah were perfect, and Hayley too. And, ELIJAH ELIJAH ELIJAH. If the show was just forty-two minutes of him just explaining basic shit in that awesome, formal way that he speaks, I would literally watch every week and soak up every word. Basically, I loved everything, and I have very few complaints! Now, let's get to it! I am bound and determined to crank out ...

The first couple of episodes of The Originals may have been a little slow, and full of exposition/flashbacks, but THIS episode was full of awesome, from start to finish. Like, I really don't know what else I can say about it, so I'm just going to let what happened speak for itself. Let's get moving! Previously, on The Originals : Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah are three of the first vampires of all time, and they pretty much built New Orleans by hand 300 years ago, blah blah blah. They returned to find Klaus' former protegee, Marcel, running the city as a tyrant with the back-up of an army of vampires and a baby witch named Davina, who is more powerful than anyone has ever seen. There is a coven of witches who are tired of being held under subjugation by these vampires, and want Davina for themselves. Also, Marcel and Davina are currently holding a daggered Elijah hostage, so Klaus is making a move to both free his brother and topple Marcel's regime from the inside so ...

This week was full of a lot of exposition, which some found to be a little boring, BUT, there was some action that was pretty neat to watch. We learned more about Marcel's particular brand of leadership, including more about the vampire hierarchy and punishments for those who break his rules. We also got to see more about Davina and how her powers work, which has only made me more curious as to who and/or what the fuck she is. Plus, it was nice to see Klaus back to his super-strategist ways, where he's got back-up plans for his back-up plans, as well as side plans that serve to better assure that his current plans will actually go successfully. It was pretty sweet! So, I'm going to quit summarizing and start discussing it. Let's go! Previously, on The Originals : Rebekah, Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson are the oldest vampires in history, "The Originals," and thus every vampire is somehow descended from them. Three centuries or so ago, they sailed back to the New...