The Ghost-pire Diaries
Oct. 14th, 2011 12:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normalI'll probably have a more comprehensive reaction post later (because this ep was AWESOME, wasn't it? Though I do have one major complaint), but I just wanted to follow this train of thought while I was thinking it...
So, apparently, anyone who has died and come back to life can see ghosts now? Is that what's happening? Previously, I had thought that it was just the particular circumstances of Jeremy's resurrection - that Bonnie was accessing power she wasn't supposed to have to do something she wasn't supposed to do, and that was one of the "consequences" the witches mentioned. But tonight we saw Matt die a completely natural death, and more importantly, was resurrected in a completely natural way (CPR), and now he can see Vicki, too. Unless Bonnie herself is somehow connected to the ghosts, that sort of implies that it's the being dead that matters.
Does this mean that Elena can see dead people, too? She was also resurrected by Bonnie (if that makes a difference). What about Alaric with his ring?1 And now Tyler's also died. For that matter, why don't ALL THE VAMPIRES see dead people all the time (besides themselves, that is)?
And then it occurred to me... EVERYONE ON THIS SHOW HAS NOW DIED AT LEAST ONCE (except Bonnie, who only fake-died). So wouldn't it be AWESOME if the main characters could all see the ghosts, and Anna and Vicki2 are just treated like regular living people, and everyone's totally nonchalant about it? (Except for the rest of the population of Mystic Falls, who think they're all nuts for talking to thin air all the time.)
1 Of course, that raises the question of why Jeremy, Alaric, and John Gilbert couldn't see ghosts before this, since they've all died a few times with the rings. Which sort of punctures a hole in my theory, but I stand by the fact that Matt's completely non-supernatural circumstances logically ought to suggest that anyone who tried hard enough could sense the presence of the ghosts.
2 And hey, while we're at it, can we bring back Jenna? How hilarious would that be, for Elena and Jeremy to have a ghost for a guardian? It's a metaphor for her ineffectual parenting - now she's incorporeal! And Alaric/dead!vamp!Jenna? At the very least, this needs to be crackfic, STAT.
So, apparently, anyone who has died and come back to life can see ghosts now? Is that what's happening? Previously, I had thought that it was just the particular circumstances of Jeremy's resurrection - that Bonnie was accessing power she wasn't supposed to have to do something she wasn't supposed to do, and that was one of the "consequences" the witches mentioned. But tonight we saw Matt die a completely natural death, and more importantly, was resurrected in a completely natural way (CPR), and now he can see Vicki, too. Unless Bonnie herself is somehow connected to the ghosts, that sort of implies that it's the being dead that matters.
Does this mean that Elena can see dead people, too? She was also resurrected by Bonnie (if that makes a difference). What about Alaric with his ring?1 And now Tyler's also died. For that matter, why don't ALL THE VAMPIRES see dead people all the time (besides themselves, that is)?
And then it occurred to me... EVERYONE ON THIS SHOW HAS NOW DIED AT LEAST ONCE (except Bonnie, who only fake-died). So wouldn't it be AWESOME if the main characters could all see the ghosts, and Anna and Vicki2 are just treated like regular living people, and everyone's totally nonchalant about it? (Except for the rest of the population of Mystic Falls, who think they're all nuts for talking to thin air all the time.)
1 Of course, that raises the question of why Jeremy, Alaric, and John Gilbert couldn't see ghosts before this, since they've all died a few times with the rings. Which sort of punctures a hole in my theory, but I stand by the fact that Matt's completely non-supernatural circumstances logically ought to suggest that anyone who tried hard enough could sense the presence of the ghosts.
2 And hey, while we're at it, can we bring back Jenna? How hilarious would that be, for Elena and Jeremy to have a ghost for a guardian? It's a metaphor for her ineffectual parenting - now she's incorporeal! And Alaric/dead!vamp!Jenna? At the very least, this needs to be crackfic, STAT.
no subject
Date: Oct. 14th, 2011 01:51 pm (UTC)And wasn't Anna even corporeal? I could swear that she and Jeremy hugged. So they could totally just be normal people--the only difference is that they never change clothes. Or something.
Also, I hated that Matt just up and committed suicide. Show, death cannot be the answer to every problem. This must stop.
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Date: Oct. 14th, 2011 02:25 pm (UTC)But seriously, I do think the questionable value of martyrdom is an overarching theme of the show. How many people would've lived if Elena just offed herself as soon as she found out about Klaus? Or if Bonnie had died but taken Klaus with her? Death is the easy way out - and I don't mean that in a "giving up instead of facing your problems" sense, although that's also true - it is literally the most practical solution to a lot of problems. And yet these characters, though most of them are blatantly suicidal, will not let each other die, and so they go to extraordinary lengths to FIND ANOTHER WAY.
If Matt hadn't drowned, Elena would be dead. Tyler would be dead. Maybe Klaus would've killed the rest of them just for kicks. And yet Bonnie STILL tells him that it was an idiot move. Once again, it plays on that tension of the greater good vs. the value of individual lives.
And I thought Matt being so willing to commit suicide made sense for him, character-wise. He's lost pretty much everything over the last year - his sister's dead, his mom's MIA, two ex-girlfriends, and his best friend. And Bonnie's right that he's the lucky one, that he's the only one who can opt out of the supernatural stuff, but everyone he's ever cared about has been sucked into it. What good is there in opting out and being alone? I thought it was telling that Caroline got the whole gang together for the senior prank, and NOBODY TOLD MATT.
So, yeah, if dying is the only way to get to talk to his sister, I can see him jumping at that. Even if it doesn't work, what's he got to lose?
#everyone on this show is suicidal
#I wrote a whole meta by accident
no subject
Date: Oct. 14th, 2011 10:51 pm (UTC)I'm also WTF at the "seeing dead people" thing… Oh well.
So wouldn't it be AWESOME if the main characters could all see the ghosts, and Anna and Vicki2 are just treated like regular living people, and everyone's totally nonchalant about it?
OMG SHOW DO THIS.
Look forward to seeing more ~comprehensive thoughts.
no subject
Date: Oct. 14th, 2011 11:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Oct. 15th, 2011 03:35 pm (UTC)Maybe Matt can only see Vicki because her spirit was summoned by Bonnie's spell and he has a connection to her? Like, I don't think everyone who's died is just walking around. I think Vicki and Anna are back as a result of bringing Jeremy back. But Vicki was almost about to make contact with Matt before he died, because she was just trying that hard.
no subject
Date: Oct. 15th, 2011 04:19 pm (UTC)I don't know, Anna said something about how she's been all alone and no one could see her, which kind of made it sound like she's been there the whole time (i.e. since she died), but it's only now that Jeremy can see her, because of what Bonnie did. I'd have to go back and rewatch to be sure, though.
It probably also depends on what Vicki and Anna are up to. Like, with Vicki wanting to "come back" and Anna's warnings not to trust Vicki, it seems like it's bigger than just Jeremy. Hopefully they'll have more to do than just pass on messages to the living.
no subject
Date: Oct. 15th, 2011 04:30 pm (UTC)