The Vampire Diaries Midseason Report Card: C
The long, cold winter hiatus season is upon us.
So with many TV Fanatic favorites on a break, we're looking back and evaluating their runs so far... report card style!
Click the links to read our Sons of Anarchy Season 5 report card, along with our Walking Dead report card, and then scroll down to see how we feel so far about The Vampire Diaries Season 4...
Best Episode: "Memorial." One of my favorites in series history. It featured a tensely-filmed church showdown, he delved into the new Elena, every main character was given something important to do and that ending with Alaric... oh, that ending with Alaric. Tear.
Worst Episode: "O Come, All Ye Faithful." One of my least favorites in series history. A jumbled mess of two non-sensical storylines: 1. Tyler volunteering to case himself in concrete for some inexplicable reason; 2. Elena and Damon continuing to debate the absurd sire bond.
Best Character: Elena. Her transition has driven the season, with the character's changes affecting everyone around her in the especially intriguing early episodes. Nina Dobrev has been outstanding in her portrayal.
Worst Character: Bonnie. I'm sorry, but it's always Bonnie. She's putting every ounce of trust into this Professor Shane guy simply because... he took over teaching for her grandmother? NOTE: if Damon continues to be as irritating has he has been, when it comes to the sire bond and doing the "right thing" and all that nonsense, I may change my vote.
Best Storyline: Jeremy, his transformation into a hunter and the mark that can only grow when he kills vampires.
Worst Storyline: The sire bond. Need I explain why?
Biggest Waste of a Guest Star: Phoebe Tonkin. Perhaps we'll learn a lot more about her now that she's turned on Tyler, but Hayley just showed up out of nowhere; the audience was simply told of her connection to Tyler; she uttered a few snarky slams; and then proceeded to play a major role in the winter finale. In other words: she was nothing more than a plot device.
Most Impressive Wife-Beater-Wearing Physique: Jeremy Gilbert.
Hopes for 2013: Get Elena and Damon together. Period. I'm not a Delena shipper, I'm only a storyline "shipper" and this sire bond is flat out ridiculous. It's totally contrived and plays like an excuse to extend the love triangle infinitely. Let's turn the focus back to the hunt for The Cure, the mystery of The Council death and how The Five plays into all this. I want mythology, not romance.
Overall Grade: C (NOTE: It would have been an A after the first four episodes.)
Your turn, TVD lovers. What grade would you give Season 4 so far?
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Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.
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February 1st, 2013 8:37 PM
I gave it a D. This is the least coherent, least exciting season so far.
I get that they're playing with the idea of free will and mind control. The problem is that those themes don't translate to the screen very well. The destiny of the hunters, the hallucinations that result from killing hunters, the sire bonds of the vamps (Elena to Damon) and the hybrids (to Klaus), Professor Shane's hypnotizing of Jeremy and Bonnie, the continued use of compulsion... all of these (and probably more) are examples of characters struggling against outside forces that attempt to control their actions and feelings. With Elena transitioning and the cure finally getting closer, it might tie into some idea about identity. Unfortunately, all of these internal conflicts are a little lacking in ACTION. My favorite part of the show has always been the action. The lack of blood in this season is a big disappointment.
Best Episode: Umm... they've all been a little boring so far.
Worst Episod
Rank: Regular Character
January 7th, 2013 10:24 AM
The season is kind of turning out wrong but I'll still be on an eye out for the latest news of the season throughout the time. =|
January 2nd, 2013 8:40 AM
Let Elena FINALLY tell Damon that she loves him, rather than show scenes where it is hinted; it would be nice to see Elena fight for Damon this time. Make Bonnie a proper witch again! Get to the point regarding the “We are the beginning” storyline. Get Klauroline together. At least for a little while. Please, eventually get rid of Shadypants.
January 2nd, 2013 8:39 AM
Worst storyline: I would name the sire-bond twist if I was sure of the end result intended by it. I am undecided regarding this plot. If its aim is to make Elena truly express her feelings for Damon and prove her love to him then I'm all for it, but if it's going to cause Damon to distance himself indefinitely from Elena and cause them to break up due to a contrived reason then it's an atrocious storyline.
Best guest star: Alaric's short but poignant appearance at the end of "Memorial".
Worst guest star: Hayley. I feel that TVD could have done without this character in season 4.
Hopes: allow this sire-bond storyline to make Delena stronger and united and not tear them apart or prolong the "will they/won't they" storyline. 3 seasons of that has been enough torment. Elaborate and show more regarding the expression magic storyline. Stop killing Rebekah. She is too awesome to be dead. Bring Katherine back! Make Stefan mature and more manly rather than whiny and selfish. Let Elena FIN
January 2nd, 2013 8:15 AM
I agree with a lot of your review. Here are my thoughts:
Best Episode: Memorial and The Five
Worst Episode: O Come All Ye Faithful
Best character: Elena. I love the vampire Elena. Hopefully she can now discontinue to be the constant damsel-in-distress and protect herself or at least defend herself and be dangerous. I love her intensity and her strength, as well as being more lively and adventurous.
Worst character: I'm stuck between April and Hayley. For me Hayley is a waste of space without any significant role than to betray Tyler and align herself with Professor Shadypants. April's part has been pointless the entire season so far. However the ending of episode 9 with her not being compelled by Caroline and becoming privy to all the goings-on in Mystic Falls including Rebekah's death and so on could make me interested in her character, depending on how the writers choose to move April's storyline in future.
Best storyline: The Five hunters
Worst storyline: I would name
December 28th, 2012 6:38 PM
Her whole plan made no sense. Tyler is not immortal. He would probably die encased in that concrete. Only originals are immortal. Plus, she never even introduced her witch friend to Tyler. The plan made a lot more sense when Caroline was like: let's trap Klaus in Rebekah's body who is already daggered. Klaus problem solved! They wouldn't even need the concrete anymore. In any case, the failed unsired hybrid overthrow was still much more plausible and likable a story line than this vampire sire bond shit.
December 27th, 2012 2:36 AM
The only contrived thing is Elena's sire bond to Damon. I don't buy it at all and pretty much block out everything that has to do with it and fill in my own version instead.
Episode 9 was much improved. It returned to TVD form with lots of high stakes action and meaningful dialogue not related to the love triangle. Tyler's heart to heart with his mom was sweet. and her death was sad and unexpected (I don't see spoilers). The good guys admitting that maybe they're too hard on Klaus and that they aren't exactly role models was a nice touch. Everything involving Jeremy this episode was great and beautifully executed -him and Bonnie, him and Elena, nice stuff. The whole finding Caroline dead in the bathroom scene was HILARIOUS. I can't remember the girl's name, but then she freed Rebekah. AWESOME turn of events lol. Klaus killing his hybrids was sad; I thought they would put up more of a fight. seriously. I have to admit though Tyler was way too trusting of Hayley. Her whole plan made no
December 27th, 2012 2:35 AM
Look, Elena could be with either brother and it would work out well. They each offer something different. Which has been pointed out to us before. We get it. There's no point in dragging out a love triangle forever. It gets tiring. She finally picks Stefan at the end of season 3 by which time I didn't care anymore anyway, and then dies. whoop to do, and the writers reopen the love triangle again with her as vampire. BARF. I thought Elena's and Stefan's break up was handled right. Hell. If I knew my girlfriend was having commitment issues that only get worse, I would dump her too. Seriously, poor Stefan! Delena was making progress naturally. I don't think anybody felt it was rushed or forced! We all felt like yes this transition feels natural. Elena's feelings for Damon are just too pronounced for Stelena to continue. I don't know why the writers felt the need to throw in this sire crap. I haven't heard anybody complain about Delena being forced or contrived. The only contrived thing is
December 27th, 2012 2:34 AM
I give it a B. Everything was great until this sire BS. The WORST episode was "We'll always have bourbon street. I swear to God this season would have been so much better if it simply didn't exist. like seriously. Watch the whole season and skip that one. BAM much better. Then, in the following episode they (should have) shown how the sire bond WAS just BS, and Elena has total free will. She's just been crazy about Damon since she turned and nothing more. Damon was freakishly obsessed with Katherine for over 100 years. The writers aren't even following their own internal rules. Feelings get heightened, right? So what about Elena's intense feelings for Stefan? Those should have been heightened too. Why only the feelings for Damon? You know, I used to be a Stelena shipper. But after all this love triangle teasing I got really pissed and didn't care about picking a side anymore because clearly the writers didn't care either. I am now a storyline shipper. Look, Elena could be with either
Rank: Extra
December 26th, 2012 12:40 PM
Agree soooooo much with @overeastside
Hands down one of the best characters