Agreed. I spent the time Elena and Stefan were rooting around Alaric's loft shouting at the TV: "go back and save Meredith! Idiots!"

I completely agree with the rating and the review. What happened? When the first scene with Abby happened, my husband said "oh yeah, I forgot about her." And the wooden acting of teh the person who plays Sage… and the complete lack of chemistry with Damon…
Really lackluster episode. Surprising and disappointing after…

Band I wish I had neveer seen live: Sisters of Mercy. Saw them at the TLA in Philly in 2009… in fact, I'm not sure I saw them at all. The smoke from the dry ice was palpable and COMPLETELY obscured the stage. I'm pretty certain there was just a guy standing on stage holding a boom box playing selections from A Slight…

I've watched this episode twice now and both viewings left me, surprisingly, a bit cold. Surprising because, ostensibly, this ep has it all: fancy ball! D/E/S triangle! Elijah! Suspenseful magic-y stuff! But no, and here's why:
I agree with posters above who said that the writing really felt forced this time around……

I found the waitresses/Klaus’s Angels/Solid Gold Dancers to be a bit distracting…

I thought that as well, but the way Klaus and Elijah referred to her *after* the blood ritual (“she never chose between the two of us, and so we fought” or whatever they said) to me seemed to indicate that she survived the ritual. Maybe Mommy Original made Tatia into the first vamp and so all the Original Kids had…

I felt that Elena was being a bit selfish in asking Matt to stay, when he clearly (to me) wanted to go and comfort Caroline after hearing the news of HRG’s passing. Ok, Elena has been through a lot and probably should get a pass, but then I think about the wistful look she gave Matt when he embraced Caroline earlier…

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion

I was wondering if maybe one of the writers (or even Brad Dourif) was a big Jimmy Page fan…

This was the first episode I watched live, and unfortunately, it was the first clunker of the series for me. Definitely an episode which moved the plot along, but one that felt very much like a soap opera and less like the thrill ride I am used to with this show. 
I completely agree with Carrie about the scene with…

It’s right, just not right now”
True, but frustrating!
I feel that Stefan was Elena’s high school boyfriend. They are ostensibly the same age, and share things like journaling, reading, and shaping their hair. A relationship with Damon, on the other hand, represents a true adult relationship, complete with accepting…

Just catching up on this thrill ride of a show now. What struck me most about this episode (and those leading up to it): Stefan is a wussy bit of milquetoast compared to Damon. He take Elena for a nice little hike. He closes his eyes and lets her go. Meanwhile, Damon GETS SHIT DONE. He may not have the perfect…