Maybe she's bound to end up like Jonathan and Samantha Gilbert—batshit crazy and alone. I'd take a batshit crazy Elena over the one now, crying in an empty house. The thing is, I think Elena wants a family, badly, but her need to protect the family and friends she does have outweighs actually engaging them. I thought…

Takeda, Revenge Sensei. The best part of this episode has to be the interaction between Emily and Takeda. We see Amanda in full-force, and I appreciate it.

@avclub-71348decaf1df2bb85be2ece24cc2a1d:disqus , when Caroline was turned her role was expanded. She received not only more screen time, but her family was prominently featured and she interacted with most of the characters on the show.

Because the writers have gone there with everyone except Bonnie. If she is so powerful, if she means so much to Elena, then why is she written so badly?

You're not the only one who sees some racial issues with the show. Like you said, every witch save for Klaus's male witch has been black, and every one of them has died violent deaths save for Lucy and Bonnie. Any romance for Bonnie is doomed because, well, it is not serviceable to the overall plot. She has no…

Maybe they'll circle back to that human idea when the Deux Ex White Oak Tree explodes or something.

I agree with Carrie 100% about Elijah. He is exactly what I want a supernatural to be, hence I want Damon and/or Stefan to achieve this pinnacle of utter emotional stability. That show with Daniel Gillies walking around, being Elijah, kind of like a vampire "No Reservations" needs to happen.
 
I liked this episode…

I think that used to be the case before he showed Regina his weakness. And now that she knows what button to push, she has gained control over him.

Normally I watch whenever it is Mr. Gold-centric, and normally it's a passable hour of television, but damn. The chipped cup? The cane beating? Belle locked in a room beneath the hospital and some stereotypically creepy janitor/mental patient eyeballing Regina as she did her evil stalk? Mr. Gold letting Regina get the…

In an interview, Julie Plec stated Damon's outbursts have evolved as he comes to care. Once ago he would have killed someone close to Elena. Now he lashes out in more subtle ways, like sleeping with the person who wants her dead. When I read about character development like this, it inspires little confidence in the…

For a second I thought it was Katherine. The way Elena made her entrance kind of threw me, but then I wouldn't have liked it if it was Katherine. There would be zero reason for her to show up and put herself in danger like that. Though I do miss her and her leather.

On Damon's self-destruction: I don't find it attractive. At all. It's a telling moment when Elena tells Stefan he lets her make her own decisions out of trust. Stefan, for all his existential angst and brooding forehead, is miles ahead of Damon in the 'trust is also part of love' department. Damon has a hissy fit…

You know, I really like that nurse guy. Cool with the lines, hair never out of place, and very handy with a syringe. Plus, he has some chemistry with Dewey Crowe, so keep on with that.

It was Gavin Rossdale's top knot.

Because the Warden was the one who first instructed her on the art of revenge, she gave her pointers on how to use Emily, and Amanda called the Warden when Frank came to the facility. Just because Amanda initially believed her father guilty, doesn't mean she didn't form a connection with the warden, or the warden…

I like this idea. It would do two things: make Bonnie more interesting overall and create real conflict within the female dynamics of the show. She would become a serious player on two levels and we'd get to see whether it's the character that is fundamentally flawed or it's the actress.

I asked myself that question too, because it seemed completely random that Moms would just brush a thousand something years of vengeance with a Parenthood moment, but I'm hoping Moms is the real Big Bad. I mean, she defied TPTB in order to create vampires, why wouldn't she this time around?

It would be such an explosive development if Bonnie turned dark, and infinitely more interesting if she went dark and stayed dark. Plus, the writers can mine the obvious fact that Bonnie is, and I keep saying this, the magical, token, black stock character. Turn that into a motivating factor for her descent into…

Bonnie. Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie. It looks like the writers have given up on her, sticking her in the same damn nowhere storyline every season. Sigh. Seize the potential! Make her awesome. Make her badasssss. Speaking of…

Winona reminds me of a humorless, vacuous, live-action version of Luanne from King of the Hill.