Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 10: "50 Shades of Grayson"

Thumbs down, Damon, for that shitty episode title.

Damon and Enzo's fight is short-lived. (Also both their quests to be the lead actor of the 50 Shades of Gray movie?) I would've enjoyed watching them battle it out for the whole episode. Seeing Damon not really fight Enzo showed just how much he's grown through the years—and he did a lot of growing up. Strongest evidence of that: the breakup.

More. More. More!

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 9: "The Cell"

Look at that Enzo 

He reminds me of the Damon I used to know—the Damon he would've been, if and when he'd straighten up a little, but still "medyo bad boy". Now, he's just the underdog of sorts. Part of me roots for Enzo more in the event that he faces he-who-left-him-to-burn. Because he's still alive! Giddy!

I wonder why he never managed to escape.

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 8: "Dead Man on Campus"

Elena's extra-credit college project: Aaron

We're off to college to flesh out the story of the Augustine vampire since, you know, the 2,000-year-old shadowselves are dead. Jesse is one of the numerous experiments of the Augustine Society, and guess what? Damon was, too, in his past. TVD pulls off a new one and it's interesting at least.

Oh no, you don't. 

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 7: "Death and The Maiden"

Stop crying. Die now.

Finally, death finds Silas and Amarra. Qetsiyah/Tessa follows them as well. Amarra, an ordinary human, is sent to rest in peace, and while Silas, now a witch, is in supernatural limbo, so is Qetsiyah/Tessa─and the scorned woman gets what she wants after all. I hope that's the last we see of them.

Don't ever come back, please.

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 6: "Handle With Care"

You've got to be kidding me.

Good fucking gracious! Nina Dobrev is playing three doppelgangers now—one a little bitchier than the other and the next one. The original one, Amarra, is a bit more gutsy, though, because of her overwhelming desire to be human and to die. She's a little croo-croo though. Props to Nina!

Best one-liner episode so far, too. 

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 5: "Monster's Ball"

James Dean, I get. Henry VIII... um, maybe just for the man-cleavage.

Yes, they also have those kinds of parties in that college. Har.

So, Silas is human/witch now? Did he really need to drink all of the cure (Katherine's blood) to be human again? But Elena survived Klaus in Season 2, so I'm not surprised Katherine made it through Silas. I wonder if another Stefan/Silas look-a-like shows up before the season ends. Please don't tell me Aaron (the new college guy, who's not too hot, but mysterious and cryptic) has a doppelganger, too.

"My bad taste in men has affected my choice of jewelry."

Micro: The Originals. Episode 5: "Sinners and Saints"

It's complicated.

It's time for a twist, and so comes the reveal of the backstory of "a witch in New Orleans is conspiring against Klaus..."—and we find out (through stories and flashbacks) that it's really about the witches' harvest and reaping ceremony, and how that all that ties to Marcel and the vampires, and also to Father Kieran and his niece and nephew, Cami and her twin brother. And not too long ago, I should add; just eight months prior.

Sophie got to enjoy a little of the bad boy.

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 4: "For Whom the Bell Tolls"

Something tells me Bonnie's not going to stay dead for long.

This show really does funerals so well that they can just pull it off even without having a body to bury. Kidding aside, this is Bonnie's funeral, as the gang discovers her fate after she brings Jeremy back to life. Please do not make Jeremy her translator all throughout the season!

Even with Tyler, the gang's getting smaller. And where's Stefan? 

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 3: "Original Sin"

"Come on, I just got the girl!"

I agree with Damon, let's dial down the destiny talk. I love that Damon is still fighting the odds, still the underdog even if he already got the girl. But I miss Damon on a rampage.

"No, she's destined to be mine."

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 2: "True Lies"

"Hello, brother—Not!"

Lying to the one you love can backfire on you big time. Silas/Stefan gets to Elena and spills all her boyfriend's boo-boos. I'm not sure if the dorm room drama is meant to turn you on or make you vomit dinner, but leave it to Caroline to ease up the situation.

"Argggh. Ahhh." Ewww. What the?

Micro: The Originals. Episode 1: "Always and Forever"

Just because it's a pilot.

We've already seen this one roughly, actually, but there's a lot in this version that, I think, made it feel more like a proper beginning for our dear Original vampires' own show.

Hang on, brother. There's more...

Micro: The Vampire Diaries. Season 5. Episode 1: " I Know What You Did Last Summer"

Hello, college!

The Vampire Diaries is not the show to come in strong on season openers (I still remember the Season 1 opener─just meh), but I believe it has the capacity to improve as they move from one episode to another; yes, even with the "Stephan is Silas' Shadow self" shit, let's hope.

Let's see what they did last summer...

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 23: "Graduation"

Slow clap for finally finishing Season 4 micros a day before Season 5 starts. 

I was pretty much satisfied with all aspects of Season 4's finale; some events I was not so agreeable to, but I have no serious objections—except for one. So, on to my favorite parts, in no particular order.

Let's get this out of the way first. 

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 22: "The Walking Dead"

"Didn't you get the invite that it's Season 5 already in four days?"

Yes, I know, this is super late. Anyway...

Just as the title suggests—dead walk the earth... again, a.k.a. the veil has been dropped by Bonnie. It sort of feels like, was that last season, when Anna finally found her mom after the ghosts came back? That means a reunion for Damon and Alaric (how I missed this bromance!), Stefan and Lexi (she approves of Caroline in more ways than one), Jeremy and Elena (finally, the chance to say a proper goodbye), Bonnie and Grams (helpful as ever), and Kol and Rebecca (not exactly a jolly one).

Woot-woot! *wink*

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 21: "She's Come Undone"

To prove to you she's scorching hot 

Alas, the episode where Elena turns her humanity back on, thanks to Matt's sacrifice and the Salvatore brothers' not giving up on her. If there's something I'd miss about no-humanity vampire Elena, it would be her matter-of-fact, direct, honest, and no-nonsense speeches that never fail to hit the bulls-eye and strike a nerve. That's a different kind of bitch. I am assuming they are keeping the curls and highlights here.

Nina Dobrev is earning my best actress nod.

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 20: "The Originals"

"Finally, brother, we get our own show."

At last, we get to see the backdoor pilot of the spin-off entitled, well, The Originals. I can't say I hate it, nor do I love it. But I'm quite optimistic. I remember the The Vampire Diaries's first four to six episodes were slow and boring before the story picked up tempo and the dead bodies have been falling left and right almost every episode since.

"Let's take a rest first before we slaughter everyone."

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 19: "Pictures of You"

Miss Bitch-Elena won't linger on any photograph.

The title is basically referring to the pictures of our gang at prom, where the theme is sort of a trip down memory lane because they're hoping to "kill" Bitch-Elena with  kindness and nostalgia. Others have other reasons, of course, like Rebecca's attempt as a human for a day, which she fails because of kindness.

Agree or Disagree: Matt is too naive to think humans are kind.
Agree or Disagree: Rebecca is a desperate brat.

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 18: "American Gothic"

Pucker up, Elijah. I've missed you.

Oh, please. As much as I love seeing Elijah again, if all he's working at is a happily-ever-after with Katherine, somebody please just put him out of his misery now! Please, God, no, not with Katherine! Why does every boy get a hard-on with Katherine?

"Maybe I do because she's in love with me, too" NOT!

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 17: "Because The Night"

"Because the night belongs to lovers!" Like this orgy blood feed.   

As much as I'd like to say that song was used in this episode, sadly, it wasn't. "The night" probably refers to the allure of darkness, in which Caroline self-righteously tells Klaus there is none. And yet she's the one who completed the expression triangle—killing twelve powerful witches linked together, with one stroke of her own hand... to save Bonnie. Yeah, it still doesn't change the outcome.

So, should we now prepare to see all of the supernatural undead?
Note: This photo isn't upside-down just to scare.

The Vampire Diaries. Season 4. Episode 16: "Bring It On"

Look at these two stare. 

Elena is differentiated from Katherine again. The doppelgangers are now both vampires, one more manipulative than the other. The less manipulative one is spiraling down the non-feeling staircase, even sliding on the rails. Elena is doing what she wants and even tries to kill Caroline! And it turns out she's not sired to Damon anymore because she turned off her humanity, ergo, she's not feeling it. So how does one turn on humanity again? How do you make someone care?