It's not a competition, Caroline (yeah, it is)

[resnullius_bells]

I decided to watch The Vampire Diaries’ pilot today. I’m determined to watch that and The Originals before the next season of Legacies, though I don’t know if I’ll manage it ^^U. But specially now that they’ve given an important part (however long it lasts) to a TVD character I’d like to be better informed LOL.

-One thing about watching Legacies first: I suspected it, but I hadn’t realized how much they’ve cashed in TVD nostalgia LMAO, as different as the shows seem to be. It’s most obvious with the similarities between Hope and Elena, and especially between Caroline and the twins, though it’s the differences that stood out the most to me. Legacies starts with Hope having turned away from the world, and TVD starts with Elena trying to reconnect with it. Caroline is more passive-aggressive than Lizzie (there’s nothing passive about Lizzie’s snark LOL), and more clear-sighted and self-aware and than Josie (“it's not a competiton”).

-My favorite was Caroline, and I swear it’s only like 30% because she’s the twins’ mother xD. I like her bitchiness, and there’s something about her that screams Hitchcock Blonde to me (though the Hitchcock reference in the episode was actually made by Elena LOL). She makes me glad I’m only watching the show now that I more or less know how it ends, and that she ends in a good place, because loving characters in her position can be an exercise in frustration. This way I feel I can actually enjoy her relationship with Elena, for example.

-My OTHER favorite was Elena, and I wasn’t expecting that one! There was this… grounded cynicism/realism/acceptance of ugly truths about her I liked, with quotes like “when someone asks you how you are they don’t really want an answer”, “most people would’ve [read my diary]”, “people are going to stop giving you breaks […] they don’t remember our parents are dead because they’ve got their own lives to deal with”. And she’s charming; I liked the moment when she gave Bonnie a beer bottle as a crystal ball xD

-The only characters from the pilot that have appeared so far in Legacies are Jeremy and Matt (I had to look those up, I suck at names). I feel I’d be more interested in the first’s angst if I’d started the show on time, but I like Vicky, so there’s that. The second gives me douche vibes, but that might be what I remember from him on Legacies. Not much, because he appeared in one episode only, I think? And I don’t think he’s coming back, because this new season brought in a new sheriff with the excuse that they made Matt mayor (and don’t seem interested in showing that, just want to take him out of the way). I had to laugh at the scene where Bonnie tells him to give Elena time for her to appear with a new guy; or the one where he tells her he still “believes in them” xD

-Another area where my foreknowledge was fun was the Caroline/Stefan scenes hehe. “We’re having a June wedding” vs “you and me it’s not gonna happen”. You’re gonna eat those words, Stefan xD

-The Elena/Stefan scenes and whole Meet Cute thing are a lot more creepy when you know he purposefully sook her out. I don’t not like it?

-Those looks between Caroline and Damon piqued my interest, though I don’t see that going well... I have to say Damon’s actor kind of annoys me. IDK, something about his smirk or his eyes LOL.

-I can see what @wheatear meant by saying that Legacies vampires are tame in comparison LMAO. This one literally opens up with Damon eating two people. BTW, do they ever explain the fog and crow thing? Is it something Legacies’ vampires can’t do yet because they’re young and inexperienced, or because Alaric tricked them into drinking animal blood? Or something the show dropped?

Comments

[wheatear]

Oh my goddddd. I want to say so many things but I also don't want to spoil or influence your reaction so I'm sort of dying over here.

I do love the line you picked out in your post header: it's poignant and memorable and I think really sets the tone for Caroline as a character. (Glad you like both Caroline and Elena! They're both great.)

[resnullius_bells]

LOL. As long as it's vague I don't mind spoilers, and I more or less know all the main characters' endgames, but I get it about not wanting to sway my reactions.

I loved that line! "It's not a competition" is a nice sentiment, but the way high stakes canons like this one are set up... yeah, it is. Elena and Caroline will have to compete, and I want to see how that unfolds.

It's a parallel with Josie in Legacies' pilot too, where she says "it's NOT a competition" after talking about how the people she likes tend to go for her sister Lizzie, while clearly not fully believing it herself (in fact, she's the only one that sees it as a competition because more often than not Lizzie is too oblivious and unable to empathize with people to Josie likes the same person LOL).

[wheatear]

Yep, exactly, and this is a canon high-stakes enough that losing the competition can get you killed, so. Yeah.

Did you want an answer to your question about the fog and the crow btw?

[resnullius_bells]

Yeah, I'm curious because there's nothing close to that with Legacies' vampires (I'm blaming Alaric's subpar menu).

[wheatear]

Okay, so yeah, they basically dropped it. I think the crow hangs around for the first three episodes? After that they pretty much don't bother.

[resnullius_bells]

Thanks for the answer!

If they dropped it as a vampire thing, I'm going to picture Damon training his crow and carrying around a fog machine just for the drama xD

[wheatear]

lmao, well technically I guess it's still canon so we have to assume that most vampires don't bother with dramatic weather effects or pet birds, but Damon did because he's just that extra.