100 Happy Days 2: Day 1 – 10

Hi guys! Alright, I did this 100 Happy Days challenge over a year ago, and I quite enjoyed it, and thought it was quite a positive experience. Things have been a little bit hectic lately, and I thought it would be a good time to do this again, as it worked really well last time, and I do need to look on the bright side again. So without further ado, welcome to Round Two of the 100 Happy Days challenge!

Day 1:

My husband bought me a box set of The Mentalist for Christmas, and I got all over it the moment I got the opportunity to. The show is a load of fun, and really great.

Day 2:

I recently scored some great books. I have read Manson’s The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell before, but now I own it, and I was beyond stoked – it’s a really good read. I wasted no time getting to it, and again, it did not disappoint.

Day 3:

I topped up my snack drawer at work again, and even though I don’t consume as much junk anymore as I used to, it is nice to know that there is something yummy in my drawer whenever I want it!

Day 4:

Ah, time to relax. Coffee, apple crumble, starting a new knitting project while finishing up Alias? I don’t think that’s too bad.

Day 5:

Ah man! A student brought us the best peppermint crisp tart ever when he wrote his final exams to thank us. I think it’s a damn fine thank you!

Day 6:

There are truly few things I love as much in my life as reading the Harry Potter books. I am all over this series again, and it remains as phenomenal as always.

Day 7:

My husband recently went on holiday to the United States of America, and brought me an adorable little turtle home. I call it the Love Turtle. It’s so beautiful and super cute.

Day 8:

So my favourite sea salt spray was discontinued ages ago, and I have been struggling to find a replacement. The Lee Stafford one that I tried last time was terrible – my hair went crunchy and sticky, so not what I was looking for. Bought the Fudge Urban one recently and so far, so good, perfect beach hair with no effort. Loving it!

Day 9:

So The Mentalist is over, and I am dead sad about that. I have moved on to a rerun of The Vampire Diaries – don’t even judge me monkeys. Picked the box set up recently for a damn good price, so I am pretty stoked about that!

Day 10:

Yes, I love purple. A lot. It’s a standing joke when I order something that people are “sure it is purple”. Well, lots of times they are right. My new little purple lighter makes me happier than I can say.

Sporadic Scene: The Vampire Diaries (Season 3×11) – Klaus Heals Caroline

This scene… was beautiful. Unexpected. Up until this point, Klaus had just been a crazy, psychotic killer Original. Heck, he was even the one that sent Tyler out to bite Caroline, so I was really surprised to see him show up on her doorstep, and more than a little wary. Then he sits there and has the sweetest, most touching conversation with Caroline and I was amazed. What a beautiful side. He owed her nothing, and there was nothing here to indicate it was a romance, it was just a selfless moment where Klaus shared something, inspired something in Caroline – he stood to gain nothing, and yet he still did it. I didn’t trust the turn in character one iota initially, but it was the first time we got a look at something genuine within Klaus, and it really is stunning. It turned me into a fan. I liked him well enough before, but he was never really a layered character, and this single scene changed my entire opinion of him. From here on out he just grows. Well played, writers, well played.

The Vampire Diaries: Season 7 (2015 – 2016)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked:

• KLAUS! While only a momentary appearance (sadly *sniff sniff*), it was so rewarding, so beautiful, and that phone call he had with Caroline? CRUSHED ME. See, still super duper keen on these two, they are destined for each other.
• While I was not a fan of the story jumping from the present to the future, the present to the past was just fine, it explained a lot of how things changed, etc. without boring us to tears setting everything up.
• Bonnie and Enzo. Initially when it happened, I was like what?! But when you see how it comes to be, it is a beautiful thing.
• The soundtrack improving – Manson being used twice in one season? And properly, at that? Score!

This had me squealing in delight, and it was so short lived. However, I will take whatever I can get.

And obviously I was desperately hanging in there to see when Klaus and Caroline would chat. CRUSHED.

What I didn’t like:

• The relationships in this season! I mean, come one! Caroline and Rick? Enzo and Lily? Stefan and Valerie? What the heck is going on?!
• Jumping between the present and the future. It meant that whatever perils were faced in the present meant nothing, because it is evident in the future they are still alive, etc.
• Where the heck is Jeremy while all this is going down? No return for Elena (which I get), but no vampire hunting, no assistance, no outrage over Mystic Falls? Really?
• The whole Heretics taking over Mystic Falls thing. Seriously, that got old, fast.
• Lily Salvatore. Yes, she still irritates the crap out of me, nothing has changed there. Meh.
• Another hunt(ress) story line? Really. I thought we had done the whole thing already, and here we are, hashing it out. Again.

Rating:
How did I get to the place where I am  hopelessly addicted to this show? It should be shameful, but I can’t help it. I freaking love this stuff! I thought it was really ballsy that they left Elena in the coffin this whole season, really rolling with the whole concept of her being in a Sleeping Beauty state. It made things feel like something was missing, but on the other hand gave the show time to explore other characters and relationships, and that I quite enjoyed.

One thing about this season is that it carried a ton of relationships, and plenty of them were terrible pairings. I mean, Caroline and Alaric? Creepy! Valerie and Stefan? Didn’t dig it. What was that crazy pairing of Lily and Enzo? Not cool man. However, then there was Bonnie and Enzo, and while it came out of nowhere, I loved it. They had some really grand chemistry together, and had some moments where I truly swooned.

There were not too many crazy plots in this season, and I think it was pretty well balanced. I was not a fan of skipping from the present to the future, it took all sense of dread away when you knew how things were later on, but I did like it when the show flipped from the present to the past, to fill in some gaps (the whole story with Matt Donovan and Penny was dreadfully sad). I am glad that this season was not dedicated entirely to waking Elena up, as that would have annoyed me. As for the Armory as the next ambiguous bad? Not sold. It was just not a really strong organisation.

Then, let’s get to Klaus and Caroline. When I saw Stefan heading to New Orleans, I damn near jumped up from my couch, and was beyond stoked when he made his appearance. I have missed the guy! Luckily for me, he got to share one crushing phone call with Caroline, which still confirms for me that they are like my favourite ever pairing in this show, and probably most other shows. Everything just works when they are together. Argh!

I was so glad that Alaric was still around, and I was even happy for him still getting his babies, even though the method was crazy. The Julian storyline had a lot more potential than was ultimately realised, and the Phoenix Stone turned out to not be as a big a deal as was expected. Anyway, a pretty decent season, and definitely helped me with my unacceptable withdrawals, but now I gotta wait for more. Plus the next one is apparently the last one 😦 Yes, I know, it is just one of those things. But I have always liked this, even when it got bad.

Season seven, while flawed, is still an enjoyable watch and a breakneck journey to undertake. There were some major changes to get used to here, what with Elena being gone, but it was definitely not a bad thing. The story was not as tight as the last two seasons, and the latest villain is pretty meh, and there was so much going on (but not as cluttered as some earlier seasons), but it is entertaining and well worth the watch.

I know this one took me by surprise, but Bonnie and Enzo have fantastic chemistry, and I am actually quite the fan of them together!

The Vampire Diaries: Season 6 (2014 – 2015)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked:

• Having Alaric back, whoop! Although, it did suck while he was out and Damon was gone, I just wanted to see them drinking together again. Luckily, I got that eventually.
• The friendship that developed between Damon and Bonnie. It is too damn sweet and I loved every minute of it! I actually squealed when Bonnie and Damon were reunited – they were like super happy children, so I was like a happy child!

• Damon and Elena still kicking it together – I am a massive fan of these two together.
• The prison world – I found this to be fascinating and super interesting.
• Elena was far less annoying this season. She was just a bit much the last two seasons.
• Alaric and Jo were so freaking adorable together!
• The mockery Stefan went through concerning Caroline, it was really funny that to see how blind he had been about the whole situation, and how nobody was going to let him rest easy about it.
• The friendship between Damon and Liz that was highlighted, once again, while she was dying. It was so sad to see, but they actually got along like a house on fire, and Damon really has such a sweet, soft side.
• The show finally really acknowledging that Stefan has moved on, and that he and Elena are over, it really let the Damon and Elena thing explode, and that was great.
• Kai. This guy was annoying but really entertaining at the same time. I enjoyed him, when he was being a dweeb, when he was trying to make good, always.
• Gosh, this season was so emotional – and I am not saying that in the bad way! It just keeps hitting you in the feels, it never lets up.
• The last few episodes – like how nerve wracking could that possibly be?!

Two moments to explore the total illegality of Damon’s lip biting… like oh my gosh hot *fans self*. Not to mention the perfect rain kiss.

What I didn’t like: 

• Caroline switching off her humanity – highly functional, but vampires turning off their humanity always just irritates the crap out of me.
• Matt Donovan is seriously starting to get annoying as hell. More so than usual.
• The whole pointless storyline with Trip. Really, filler much?
• Enzo turning that new girl Stefan was seeing. Luckily this story line didn’t last long.
• How all these stories and events just happen to be super connected. Examples? Alaric’s ex-wife is actually Elena’s birth mother and she so happened to be turned by Damon (granted, this was back in the day, but it is stuff like this). Now it just so happens that Enzo was turned by Lily, and he happened to meet Damon later, and she just so happens to be tied to the Gemini witch coven, and Kai just so happens to be Bonnie’s mortal enemy, and Luke and Liv happened to be the witches the Salvatore’s work with, who happen to be Gemini witches. Do you see where I am going with this?
• Mama Salvatore coming back. It is just getting too much man.
• The immense amounts of storylines they are cramming into this show now is getting a bit much. At least they don’t go on forever, but there is constantly a new drama to deal with, meaning a ton throughout the season, and no real central focus anymore, like their used to be.

• Elena having her passionate love for Damon compelled away, so when he made it back to her, his heart was broken. But then they just so happened to start kicking it shortly after that and all was well again?
• That stupid, godforsaken cure coming in again. UGH.
• The Mystic Falls “magic boundary” that was in place for way too long. When it disappeared? What happened to those Travelers man? Come on.
• The Jeremy leaving to be a hunter and Bonnie returning thing – nothing was addressed or resolved here, and that pissed me off no end.

Rating:
Obviously I was quite attached to this season for a ton of reasons. Alrighty, so when this season started, I was stoked to see Damon and Bonnie just fine, even though they were in a weird place. The constant bickering between them is just how they roll, but to see the beautiful friendship that comes from that is also awesome, and it just works on so many levels.

I am really pleased that this season really got into the meat of the Damon and Elena relationship. I have complained for a few seasons now that the show is really good with having Elena and Damon together, but it always feels temporary, like a placeholder for Stefan. Well, folks, season six dispels that belief completely. Why? Even when Elena could have been with Stefan, she wasn’t, and he was totally not interested; when Damon came back and Elena didn’t remember him, they still ended up together; through thick and thin, things are happening for them. It also helps immensely that Stefan has moved on to other pastures, and I think he and Caroline are great together, BUT THEY ARE NOT KLAUS AND CAROLINE (read here, it’s a really personal thing for fans). I mean, Stefan deserves his happiness, but I swear, if Klaus reappears, I will be Team Klaus all the way for Caroline.

The feels. Oh my gosh. I just can’t. 

I was quite irritated with the humanity switch being flipped with Caroline after her mom. Look, I understood it, but it was long and tedious (for me) to watch, so it annoyed me. I was also not a fan (at all) of Lily Salvatore and her story. Come on, people, really. These stories are way too interlinked to be taken seriously.

Alaric Saltzman returning was something that was immensely welcome. I missed him, and I missed him and Damon together. They are like besties forever man. That being said, they both suffered immense and crazy heartbreak. Like sure, Damon got the girl this time, but Alaric? He got and lost the girl. Their wedding? Screw that shit, Game of Thrones level betrayal and hurt there. Stefan endured so much torture this season for being blind about Caroline, and he deserved it. He can’t really be that thick, can he?!

I was a particular fan of watching Damon and Bonnie stuck in the 1994 prison world. I know it sounds so silly, but just watching the way they clicked and found this seep and enduring friendship was worth every second of it. Then there was the whole Jeremy being broken about Bonnie thing, and it was sad, but it also got old, and fast. Probably because he was overly whiny, and dealt in the worst way. Alaric and Jo? Loved that. Alaric deserves his happiness, but apparently not according to this darn show. My heart was shattered by the end.

This season also had the better villain than we have seen in a while – Kai was such a mixed bag, but I enjoyed that SOB. Seriously, he was entertaining as hell, and I was so interested in just seeing what he was going to do, etc. It was crazy, and better than we have seen since the Originals left town, albeit still a flawed villain. Certainly stronger than Lily, of course, and he is diverse. Plus interactions between him and Bonnie? Priceless.

Anyway, the interactions between the characters was really good this season, and I was hooked every step of the way. I reckon this is my favourite season since season two, there was just so much going on that I liked, and even though I had niggles, I had a blast. I suppose that is what this show is. It’s stupidly addictive, and has like, no right to be so good. The season finale for this was hectic – well, the last few episodes, to be sure. They were a crazy, painful joyride that had you hooked, whether you liked it or not. Obviously there is much to be said about this season, but I will stop now. Just know it is well worth looking into, of course, especially if you are up for a fun guilty pleasure.

The Vampire Diaries: Season 4 (2012 – 2013)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked:

• Klaus being alive and well and with us. Seriously, we are attached to this guy.
• It is amazing when Klaus and Damon “work” together.
• Damon Salvatore. Yes, I am going to say it again. And again. And again. He always knows how to just make everything hilarious (refusing to take things seriously is totally healthy).

• It breaks my heart, but how Damon still considers Alaric his best friend, even though he is gone, and won’t let anyone sit on Alaric’s spot in the bar, and drinks at Alaric’s grave with him. So many feels!
• Klaus and Caroline’s date at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant – I swear, he was like a child. She unleashes a totally different side of him and I love it to bits!

• Damon and Elena finally kicking it together. We have been waiting for this for like… forever!
• Klaus returning for Caroline’s graduation, and his adamant attitude that Caroline might love Tyler now, he intends to be her last love. I want to see this happen. These two drive me freaking wild! Their chemistry is insane!

• The Originals pilot that was inserted in here – it was quite interesting all round.
• Getting to see some more Elijah this season. It has been a while.

What I didn’t like:

• How absolutely freaking annoying Elena became. I mean, I know I complained last season about jerking the guys around, but this incessant whining is super frustrating.
• All the characters are actually whining and bitching this season – Bonnie especially.
• How much more Elena can you squeeze into one show?
• Everyone is screwing each other over, but let bygones be bygones the moment it happens, right? Who needs drama?
• Damon finally getting a chance with Elena, and yet it is so cold, I haven’t seen the absolute passion she had with Stefan yet, and that crushes me.
• Stefan is so self-righteous in this season! I get it must seriously suck when your brother gets your girl, but do you have to be so nasty about how it is only because of the sire bond?
• Speaking of – Elena being sired to Damon was just so freaking uncalled for. It’s like nothing can happen for Damon without some hidden reason, without some other cause, it could never just be because he and Elena are clicking. It also totally undermined their relationship.
• The whole hunter story line had way more potential than was ultimately realised, which was disappointing.
• The cure story line also annoyed me. Endlessly.
• Elena turning off her humanity just got beyond annoying.

Rating:
This season lost a bit of the traction that the last few had built on, and that was pretty sad. Not that it was bad, it was just not as good as the last two. When it started with Elena being turned, I just knew that there were going to be dramatics I had no time for, and I sure as hell wasn’t wrong there. I was a big fan of seeing Alaric come back from time to time, I sure as hell miss the guy. Rebekah was also in full evil swing here, showing you that the whole Mikaelson family is not too healthy upstairs. Kol annoyed me, too (and there is actually potential here for other things), and the inclusion of Professor Creepy (Shane) also didn’t help – I was irritated whenever we had to deal with his character, even when it was to help Bonnie. A regular, functioning Stefan returning was really great though, and I thought that the show handled the tension between the brothers due to Elena really well. I was not impressed with the way that Elena is finally with Damon, and the show manages to make it all wrong, like he is forcing her, or she was compelled to because of a sire bond. Come on, man, is Damon not allowed anything? On the Damon from, of course, I just wanted to have his hair cut, and it was crushing to watch him drinking alone, missing Alaric, and being really lonely after his death, but it was also nice to see him with Elena, even though that came with a ton of guilt. Speaking of feeling bad, there is the Caroline/Klaus/Tyler thing to consider. I mean, I do like Caroline and Tyler together, I always thought it was as real sweet thing, but goodness, when Caroline and Klaus are together, it’s like the universe is in sync. Forever. She is a challenge for him, he finds a good place inside himself, and they just click like few others. I want to see more, even though I know it will crush Tyler, I just don’t care. I am so cold like that. I know Klaus is bad, but we all love him. Come on, we do. The hunter story arc was something that had so much more potential than was used, and that was a real pity. Instead, it was really just meh at the best of times. So flat. Jeremy and Bonnie dying (at different places, of course) was not cool, and the consequences because of both deaths was something else. I was not a fan of Elena becoming even more whiny than ever before when she turned off her humanity, and it was cool to see Damon track after her all the way to try and bring her back. He loves her, man, really. Bonnie dying means Silas got out, which leads to some horrible consequences for Stefan, whom I really just feel sorry for. He cannot seem to catch a break at all. Oh gosh, then, the pinnacle of this whole goddamn season? The fucking cure. Yes. That is how much is pissed me off. What a convoluted and annoying plot. I don’t even really want to get into it, but goodness, could we waste our time any more than we did?! WHY?! Anyway, a decent watch, but not as solid as the last two seasons, too many histrionics all round.

The Vampire Diaries: Season 3 (2011 – 2012)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* 

What I liked: 

• How close Damon and Elena have gotten, though it is just unfair on everyone. I mean really. All this means is someone gets hurt.
• Stefan going off the deep end and being all cuckoo crazy. Love. Really, so entertaining, considering how uptight he always is.
• The amount of Klaus in this season. The man is amazing. I mean, crazy and all hell, but gorgeous and solid in his convictions and always goes beyond what is required about everything. He is so unpredictable! Yes, that entertains the hell out of me. And Elijah, if only he got more screen time.
• Some Mikaelson history in this season, and that is always appreciated.
• Damon Salvatore. Oh. My. Gosh. That guy gets more and more amazing every time I see him, and his character development is insanely interesting, too.
• Klaus and Caroline. Oh. My. Gosh. He seems genuinely taken with her, and she is sassy enough to deal with his crap, which is fascinating to watch. And I just want to see this work hahahaha.
• The plotting, the scheming, all things fantastic!
• Damon and Alaric – that bromance is just so much fun!

• How tight the Salvatore brothers are – again, they might love/hate each other, but they are the only ones to have that right.
• Klaus’s hybrid army obsession, and then, of course, the meeting with Papa Mikaelson. Like whoa!

What I didn’t like:

• The sheer amount of insane plots that were squeezed into one season. It was heavy.
• Alaric going all cuckoo and being written off. Really, who do these people think they are? NOT ON.
• How convoluted some of the Originals plotlines are. I mean really, I was waiting on so much more potential here. I know I praised it above – it was a bit of a mixed bag. Also, I want so much more Elijah man.
• The love triangle. I knew that this was coming, but freaking hell, I hate these things. I think they are the ugliest and most unfair things in the world.
• Bonnie and Jeremy drifting apart – I know they didn’t really get a crap load of screen time, but they work absolute wonders together. Ugh. They just had to bring Anna back to throw a pin in that one.
• Rebekah was quite the annoyance, I have to admit. Okay, a really big annoyance.
• Caroline’s dad. Sure, steadfast in his beliefs and all, but come on dude!

Rating:
Back to another super busy season, that, while good, was not as good as the last season. I found it interesting to watch the lengths that Stefan would go to to protect his brother, and his unfeeling, nasty side was such a different, crazy character. This season spent a lot of time trying to get things cozier with Damon and Elena, and I don’t always think that worked too well, but the point was made – she was falling just a bit for him, but like I said, it didn’t always feel real. Elena was clinging to the old Stefan, which was actually painful to watch at times because it got really grating.

Then there was the whole Klaus thing. I like Klaus. He is crazy and insane, but he is incredibly entertaining to watch, and I think he is very interesting. I love the dynamics between him and Elijah, another thing that is great. I also truly did enjoy the concept of Klaus having a soft spot for Caroline – it is a creepily satisfying option I would like to see explored. It was with Caroline that we got the first real chink in Klaus’s whole facade, when he went to save her from Tyler’s bite, and had a real romantic outlook on the rest of her life. It was so beautiful it stunned me and I just didn’t trust it, but the more I watched, the more it seemed evident that it was a genuine thing for him, so wow. Just… Klaus and Caroline together is one of the things that makes me beyond happy. She is snippy and snappy with him, but he is endlessly fascinated by her, and that comes through in every scene. Let’s not even forget to mention the chemistry those two share – wow!

Now, the whole love triangle (Damon/Elena/Stefan) thing got annoying. We all knew it was coming, but I found it so unfair that when she was free to be with Damon, she didn’t do it, and when Stefan came back, she was all uhm and ah about them, even though Stefan didn’t want her. I think her and Damon could be great together. Stefan is the safer option, sure, but Damon is the one where you see passion igniting, and some danger, which was cool.

Naturally there are all the crazy plotsies around the Originals – fascinating at times, frustrating at others. I think this is because there is just so much more to their family dynamic than can be squeezed into one show where they are not the leads (lucky for us, there is a spin-off, and it’s great). I totally could have done with  more Elijah Mikaelson, the man is fascinating, but I was super stoked to have so much more Klaus in this season. The man is bona fide crazy, but so ridiculously compelling.

Anyway, the season finale really was depressingly sad. Damon had his heart wrenched out and stomped on, which was bad enough. But then he was was fighting the super creepy, dark, scary vampire hunter Dark Side Alaric, and when Dark Alaric was dying, there was a moment when Damon realised Alaric was really dying, and that meant that Elena was dying, too, and it just got so much worse. Like really. His face, his panic, his heartbreak? It was horrible. Like, I wasn’t even concerned about Stefan at that point. Overall, another really good, solid season, and worth a watch!