If you’re anything like us, you live for the frenzy of Vampire Diaries recaps that emerges every Thursday night/Friday after the show airs. We decided it would be fun to ask some of our favorite Vampire Diaries recappers to share their top three moments of Season 3 so far – oh, and we were right! It is fun.
In this Top 3 Moments installment, Emma Fraser is giving some much-deserved props to some of the TVD ladies. You can check out her TVD reviews at TV Overmind.
Check out previous Top 3 Moments: Thomas C. Galvin, Dianne Sylvan, Erin Frazee, Jessica Rae, and the ThinkHero team.
And don’t forget to vote in the Mid-Season Finale Poll: Your 3 Favorite Episodes of Season 3 (So Far)?
Picking top three moments from Season 3 so far is a hard task (it would be hard to have a limit of top three moments from one episode alone) and so I decided to focus on the female characters of TVD. The guys have definitely had plenty of exceptional moments but I figured a theme would help narrow the field and the women of this show really are resplendent.
*Disclaimer: I wanted to pick moments that the other recappers hadn’t chosen, so even though Elena going all Buffy on us was a fantastic moment for her, this has already been discussed and so doesn’t make my list.
Vampire Barbie vs. Barbie Klaus (EP306 – Smells Like Teen Spirit)
Caroline is a self-confessed control freak so the introduction of the stubborn and sometimes bratty Rebekah was always going to ruffle feathers: those proverbial feathers belonging to Caroline of course. Things are provoked further when Tyler (who also happens to be Caroline’s boyfriend) is turned into a hybrid. This battle of wills is ready to begin when Rebekah is tasked by her brother to keep an eye on things and joins Stefan in going back to school. Rebekah and Caroline are similar in several ways; not just with the charming nick names that they have been given but also with their obvious competitive streak. We are also quick to learn that Rebekah might have been in a coffin for the past 90 years but she is more than perfect as an insecure and bitchy high school girl.
When Rebekah rocks up to cheerleading practice she makes it clear that she is more than happy to challenge Caroline in her existence and that she is only interested in Caroline in this moment: “Your spunk, your popularity… maybe even your boyfriend.” Rebekah may have been dead through Mean Girls but she sure knows how to act like one. The exasperated and shocked look on Caroline’s face says it all and this only grows when Tyler not only finds the whole thing amusing, but is also less than subtly checking out the new girl. Not a way to win boyfriend points. Caroline’s reaction may seem over the top to Tyler – who is feeling high on the hybrid ‘gift’ that he has just been given – but really her concerns over her boyfriend’s state of mind are warranted. Her jealousy of Rebekah is amusing though and I hope to see these two pitted against each other when Rebekah once again has the dagger removed, giving her a new lease of bitchy and bratty life.
Caroline is a character that just gets better and better and when you throw in a rival with similar personality traits this; is a fierce battle of wills being laid out and how better to do it then at cheerleading practice. The introduction of Rebekah this season added yet another antagonist to the mix who happens to be more than a 1000 year old monster and is just as fearless and fragile as her high school counterparts, despite her age. This conflict with Caroline really highlighted these similarities.
Elena tells Lexi she can be free after trying to help with Stefan’s humanity problem (EP307 – Ghost World)
This is only the third episode that Lexi has actually appeared in but she is a character that has had a lasting impact because of what she represented to Stefan. It is perfect timing that when Lexi is needed most the “door” to the other side is cracked open enough so that she can not only appear but physically help Elena with Stefan and his humanity problem. This is a different scenario for Lexi, who has never had to deal with Stefan when his emotions have been compelled off, but it sounds like Ripper Stefan was rather unpleasant in these previous detox sessions.
Stefan tries many a tactic to get out of his imprisonment, switching from cruelty to kind words targeted at both Elena and his oldest friend. The moment that really sums up the sadness of it all is when Stefan mocks Lexi for her devotion to him during her life and death, but like any good sponsor Lexi is unfazed by these words of hate. Lexi knows that Stefan is still in there despite his cruelty during her 12-step program and she in turn gives Elena the strength she needs to carry on. In return Elena tells Lexi that she can be free because she knows what to do now, but in my own selfishness I hope this isn’t the last that we will see of this fearless character. (I still want that flashback of Lexi and Stefan rocking out 80s style at the Bon Jovi gig.)
Despite Lexi failing (for what appears to be the first time) with Stefan, she reinforced Elena’s hope that has been guiding her for most of the season. Lexi’s freedom is well-deserved after years of de-Rippering Stefan, and hopefully Stefan’s cruel words about her life lacking meaning beyond this were just taunts and not the truth. The smile of freedom that Lexi gives during the montage of all the ghosts disappearing is poignant and emotional and is accentuated by the marvellous and tear inducing song choice of Greg Laswell’s cover of the Kate Bush classic “This Woman’s Work.”
Katherine tricks Bonnie (EP304 – Disturbing Behavior)
This moment is not the most spectacular in terms of a big story this season, but this relatively short scene at the end of Disturbing Behavior highlights the brilliant work that Nina Dobrev does in her portrayal of both Katherine and Elena. It also demonstrates nicely how this show still manages be full of twists and turns even in the most simple fashion.
Sometimes it is more obvious when Katherine is “playing” Elena, such as in the mid-season finale, but in this scene it was so subtle that when Katherine left halfway through the conversation I was left with the similar “huh” expression as Bonnie. It was only when she turned up on Damon’s doorstep that it truly clicked that it was Katherine and not Elena and she also fooled Damon momentarily. The switch from playing Elena to revealing her true Katherine self is a matter of body language and tone; it may sound like a simple change but it is much more complex than that. I often find myself forgetting that Dobrev is playing both parts which means that she is doing something very right.
This is one of several times that Katherine has pulled this trick and by playing the good friend card as well as her own “sad” Elena part this was really convincing. It is only the line about the necklace being important because “of the Stefan of it all” that sounds unlike Elena, that had me saying “duh doi” when I watched it for a second time.
The other brilliant thing about this scene is that Katherine not only got what she was looking for but got some bonus information as Bonnie spills the Jeremy ghost secret, and Katherine uses this to her advantage in the following episode. Katherine then uses the necklace to get Damon on side and entice him to go on a road trip with her. Katherine’s timing couldn’t be more perfect as Damon has just shown in the most dramatic fashion that he doesn’t like being told what to do – by breaking Alaric’s neck. There are definitely more subtle ways to go about this but Damon really is the impulsive one and so Katherine’s offer suits him perfectly.
Really what this moment represents is how convincing Nina Dobrev is in this dual role and how this show is constantly surprising even with a simple trick like this. This is one of many twists in this one episode and throughout the season and it is constantly impressive how the writers and actors continue to keep the viewers on their toes.
Emma Fraser writes about all kinds of TV for TVOvermind from The Vampire Diaries to Mad Men. Great story is what matters to her, along with some kickass characters and, failing that, some exceptional clothes. She always has a stack of reading as the allure of a new book or magazine is too tempting, but she is easily distracted by the internet and you can find her on Twitter and Tumblr talking about all things TV, film and more.
Emma Fraser writes about all kinds of TV for TVOvermind from The Vampire Diaries to Mad Men. Great story is what matters to her, along with some kickass characters and, failing that, some exceptional clothes. She always has a stack of reading as the allure of a new book or magazine is too tempting, but she is easily distracted by the internet and you can find her on Twitter and Tumblr talking about all things TV, film and more.
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