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Post by Slash on May 10, 2014 23:23:08 GMT -5
It's a matter of if they'll go with what works for the story/characters or what works for more viewers. If DE is toxic as characters at this point but brings in viewers, I can see them changing it to be 'healthy' for the 2 just to have a 'win-win' (viewers and a 'working' relationship) by show's end. Has Smith released any of her stuff? Smith has released the first 2 of a trilogy but I haven't gotten my hands on them yet. I always expected the show would have Damon redeemed toward the end of the series thus making it a difficult choice for Elena because both brothers would be worthy. At this point Elena isn't even worthy of either brother. Having the writers change the storyline based on fan service is horrible unless the fan service is to bring KW back. Elena is a mess of a character. But, the boys want what the boys want...-_- I would be amazed if either one showed some common sense on that front. "Hey, I love you but you're not good for me and likewise. We can still be friends and I'll always be there to help/support you but romantically, I'm stepping back/off." Brother of the F'ing millennium if one decided to bust out that line. But alas...would be amazing growth for said brother. And they'll do what brings in viewers. I think to a point, they've screwed themselves in how they've written both mediums. They don't know how to write a functional triangle. A lot of the stuff they have Elena do on the show to make the triangle work is part of the reason fans are annoyed/fed up and why her character is all over the place/so inconsistent. It's just not believable at all, not just for her, but all 3 of the involved. Damon and Stefan are gluttons for punishment in this regard and I have to believe they enjoy living in this personal Hell of being at each other's throats over the same girl. Katherine was a different circumstance but still destructive. Elena is a whole other ball game. |
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Post by demetra on Jun 10, 2014 22:48:45 GMT -5
jennifer, here is the thread for TVD books. Sorry, the list of books went into a second page. I didn't see it first time.
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Post by jennifer on Jun 11, 2014 12:52:05 GMT -5
jennifer, here is the thread for TVD books. Sorry, the list of books went into a second page. I didn't see it first time. Wow, didn't see this category at all! Thanks for the heads up. So what did you think about the last Salvation book? I don't think it's the last one, but I haven't verified that. My reasoning, without getting spoilery, is there was one big character loose end, right?!? I'll look up the spoiler rules then post more. What did you think of the original 7 books? I liked the first three and last two, but found Dark Reunion and the first Return book odd and sometimes not well edited. Once the first Return book moved into the Dark Dimension, the story improved dramatically imo. |
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Post by demetra on Jun 11, 2014 14:39:52 GMT -5
The only books that are "original" in my mind are the first four, written before the Twilight Saga, and -- one might say -- that are the source of the whole Twilight narrative. I found the most recent three books (Salvation Series) to be written (and edited) hastily. It's all fine if you just white-out one name in the last sentence and insert the name that should be there.  |
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Post by demetra on Jun 11, 2014 20:45:02 GMT -5
It's actually not fine. The Salvation series is sheer Delena revisionism. It is no mistake the books were published along Season Five.
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Post by jennifer on Jun 13, 2014 17:16:38 GMT -5
The only books that are "original" in my mind are the first four, written before the Twilight Saga, and -- one might say -- that are the source of the whole Twilight narrative. I found the most recent three books (Salvation Series) to be written (and edited) hastily. It's all fine if you just white-out one name in the last sentence and insert the name that should be there. The Salvation series was more of a marketing tie-in than a book series, with the twitter hashtags after each chap. A promotional series for S5 like you said demetra. Although the last book has me wondering about time travel as a device to change an event. I don't think the show will go there. So did you like the Return series even though you don't count them as the original series? I was surprised to like all the fantasy elements in that trilogy. Typically I'm drawn to stories set in the real world but with supernatural elements, not all out fantasy world. I definitely saw Twilight moments when reading the first trilogy; it's hard not to since both are high school romances with the supernatural twist. TVD is inherently darker though, and goes where most YA stories today wouldn't go with a romance that's almost a threesome rather than a triangle! |
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Post by demetra on Jun 14, 2014 10:13:36 GMT -5
jennifer, I like the first four books, The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury, and Dark Reunion. All are copyrighted 1991. There are a few magnificent scenes from the end of Dark Reunion that are really cinematic, and I haven't given up hope that the series writers will go back to those books for inspiration for Season Six. There are several key complications that the TV series has introduced. First, the rehabilitation of Klaus, who is the main engine of evil and dark energy in the original novels. Secondly, Elena's name means "light" and that is her primary role in the books, a force of light and love that empowers the Salvatore brothers to fight for light against darkness. Elena makes an enormous sacrifice -- as a vampire -- in the third book, a sacrifice that arises from her own agency. By the end of Season Five, our Elena has been removed from the symbolic role of light-bearer, and even the showrunners and actors see the character of Caroline in that role. The third major issue is the character of Katherine, who in the books is gifted with a great deal of dark supernatural energy and Power, connected to Klaus. This is an important contrast to Elena's character/role. The characters of Stefan, Damon, and Matt are still more closely allied with their book origins, altho the domestication of Damon as we've seen it on TV is a major variance, I might say. In the books, when Elena becomes a vampire, she is drawn to Damon immediately, so what we've seen in Season Five has its origins in that book.
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Post by jennifer on Jun 16, 2014 18:24:16 GMT -5
Nice Analysis, demetra. Thinking about Elena's role in the books vs. show, the show doesn't provide her character the structure that the Guardian role provides in the seven books written by L.J. Smith. Elena has a role and a power no other character has. In the show, she's just another vampire, and one who falls slightly below the other female vampires around her in terms of power. The added doppelgänger role in the show could've provided her a needed character boost; instead, Elena's victimized as the doppelgänger, first by Katherine, then Klaus, and finally by Markos, et. al. Her main role in S5 was to act as one-third of the sputtering love triangle, and to play the role of victim to various villains. What a step down for the original Elena! |
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Post by demetra on Jun 16, 2014 22:10:43 GMT -5
And the name Stefan is a noble one, a variant of the Greek Stefanos
It means: Wreath, Crown, Honour, Reward.
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Well if you do somehow get a chance to watch it later, let me know what you think. 
Hope you're doing well. 