Always and Forever: The Relationship Thread

[blixie]

Okay we didn't have one of these and mods feel free to change up the title, but after the last episode and the reunion of my favorite Originals ship Klebekah, as well as my fangirling Kol and Davina (for the blinding pretty alone), I just had some thoughts!

 

 

The only bummer is that she still can't be with Klaus...sorry. But seriously, why does JM have so much chemistry with both versions of Bex?

 

 

 

while we are on the inappropriate, I'm really hoping Rebekah and Klaus just hook up.  I think it would be great for a mainstream show to address consensual incest.  Not likely to happen, but I still want to see it on tv.

 

 

think Klaus and Rebekah would also be a good one to explore because neither of them are dealing with the issue of unrequited love towards the other.  It gets weird when one sibling is pining and the other is all 'nope, totally my sibling'.

 

 

So yeah some of us were discussing in the Sanctuary thread about the persisting chemistry between Klaus and Rebekah, with now two different actresses, and how we kind of wish the show could/would just go and make it text, instead of merely subtextual canon.

 

rue721 reasonably countered:

 

 

I don't know guys -- given how controlling and horrible Klaus has been to Rebekah in the past, and that she's his little sister and physically weak compared to him (especially now), it just still seems too rape-y to me.

 

It got me thinking about why I personally don't think it's "rapey" (I don't think birth order here is relevant when discussion 1000 year old vampires), but also that it's hard to deny that Klaus is problematic as hell in ALL his relationships, not only because every other being super or human in the world appears to be weaker than him (except Silas? IDEK what they established about that on TVD), but because he's you know a perpetually juvenile sociopath.

 

Controlling and abusive is his MO with almost everyone he interacts with, and it occurred to me that the TVD/TO universe has handled this pretty well all things considered in that we have infrequently seen Klaus IN a ( heh non familial) romantic relationship. He had some sparky chemistry with Bonnie, and obviously Klaroline had potential, but for the most part Caroline rejected him, he uncharacteristically respected her decision, and then they banged once in the woods to get it out of their system. Then he banged Haley after they killed a bunch of wolves in the woods. The woods clearly turn Klaus on.

 

Before that the only hint we've had that Klaus ever loved anyone (besides Rebekah) is Tatia, and as he reiterated to the Salvatore's he and Elijah got past that because to Klaus family is the all governing primacy. I just find it odd that of the core trio of Originals we know Elijah loved Tatia, Katerina, and Celeste, and certainly seemed to dig Elena, and seems to have fallen for Haley.

 

Rebekah falls even more frequently and more completely: Alexander the Hunter whom she wanted to become human for and marry, Emil, Marcel,  and Stefan. I do think some of that lack is about the fact that Klaus is a "monster", and unapologetically glories in the suffering he doles out to those he hates and to those he loves, which he invariably justifies as reasonable due to disloyalty and betrayal.

 

But that lack of distinct big loves, either in the characters past, or in the characters contemporaneous storylines coupled with his obvious fixation on Rebekah, most specifically with her love life, makes his feelings for her pretty unambiguously romantic IMO. I've read it that way since practically the second she woke up, and he interacted with her. It was even more obvious when the only relationship either show really tried to sell is with Caroline who was incredibly similar to Rebekah in both disposition and looks. 

 

But yes, it's hard to imagine that even a largely unwatched netlet would let a consensual incest storyline, even between vampires, get a green light, and it's also impossible to deny that he's been a controlling abusive bastard to Rebekah. I think for me the vampire thing enters into mitigating that, as does the fact that that treatment isn't unique to Rebekah, and that Rebekah is much more his "equal" than any other woman will ever be. Klebekah is obviously fucked up, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested and entertained by the idea of seeing this very clear subtext play out and be dealt with, even if only to acknowledge they've gone there in their storied past, or that it's very much a part of their present relationship. 

 

Man, TL:DR, sorry!

[bluebonnet]

Klebekah!  Love it!  

 

I also don't immediately see the rapey aspect of the potential relationship.  However, it's too easy for me to see it that way so it's hard to argue against it, especially because I'm not a great wordsmith and so some of the arguments in my head start sounding a bit like victim shaming/blaming.  

 

There has always been a power imbalance but not all power imbalances are automatically dub-/non-con.  I think the supernatural world tends to blur the power lines, at least in this universe.  Rebekah has the tools to defeat Klaus if she wants -like when she had Mikael summoned- but she often backs out of it or purposely defends him.  She can leave him but she always returns.  Yes, this is where the argument sounds blamey/shamey and gets a bit gross.  In real life it would be, but in this universe where they have lived 1000 years, which is a long damn time to have potentially explored all sorts of things.  

 

I think now that NuBekah is a witch, the power imbalance has shifted such that Rebekah is potentially the more powerful one of the relationship.  Klaus can't just dagger her away in a storage unit when he gets jealous.  She's a witch and we've seen witches best vamps, even originals, so many times on this show.  She can lock him away in a small room.  She can remove him from his body and place him in a human body.  She can give him a brain aneurysm any time he even thinks of being a jealous jerk.  Obviously, she has to learn more about the craft to get to this, but the power is still there.  She also has so many more potential allies.  Girl power!

[Carrie Ann]

Ha, yeah, I basically don't ship Klaus with anyone because he's awful, and has too much work in front of him in order to be worthy of anyone. Rebekah least of all. Incest issues aside, I don't see it as rapey, but the dynamic of their relationship is absolutely typical of domestic abuse. I mean, that's actually what it is, just in a sibling capacity instead of spousal. Ditto with Elijah.

 

So I wouldn't actually want the show to go there with Klebekah (despite what I said in my quote up there)! I just think it's kind of cruelly ironic that he really has no chemistry with his two ostensible love interests (Cami/Hayley), but DOES have chemistry with both versions of Rebekah. Booooooooooooo. No fair.

 

But Kolvina, I am HERE FOR. Well, the Daniel Sharman version of Kol, anyway. Not sure what the chemistry would be like with NB.

[blixie]

 

But Kolvina, I am HERE FOR. Well, the Daniel Sharman version of Kol, anyway. Not sure what the chemistry would be like with NB.

 

Yaas, let's be here for that! There we're only dealing with a creepifying metaphysical age difference of epic proportions.

 

 

Edited February 6, 2015 by blixie

[bluebonnet]

I have to admit that Kolvina is really cute.  I wish Davina had been aged up a bit so that it wouldn't be so disturbing but at least she's the age of consent for Louisiana.  I actually think Kol might truly be into her.  I think it might have moved him quite a bit that Davina didn't tell anyone where Rebekah is.  She could have used it as a bargaining chip at some point, but she didn't.  And the best thing is that no one even suspected that she might know, which probably also further illustrates that Koleb might truly care for her since she seems more special than other women he's had in his life.  

[blixie]

Oh Kol is totally into Davina, but he's also...Kol. I think, he was always a drift in the Mikaelson clan and that meant he always had to look out for #1 because literally no one else cared, so yeah I think there's always the potential he will do something selfish to save his own ass at the expense of Davina and or the things/people Davina cares about (protecting Marcel/Josh, killing Klaus).  But yes I think he's been consistently surprised by how much he cares, I love that dynamic when someone who doesn't trust and therefore love easily, starts to actually care, and kinda of hate and kind of love it all at once. His diverting Finn was a good example, he tries to argue and convince them not to go, but he does it anyway, but he can tell himself he only did it to keep her on the hook. 

 

The age thing doesn't bug me much, because Sharman IS a few years younger than Nate but he could pass for at least ten years younger, I mean he's 28? No way I thought he was that old, therefore no way I thought Kaleb was that old. And Danielle is 20 even if she's playing 17, they definitely LOOK like contemporaries, even though obviously Kol is 1000+ years old in all the maturity and experience ways that matter in a relationship. My bigger oog related to his age, is that he was probably dating her ancestor. Which..ugh.

 

Mostly I'm just happy to gaze on the pretty, and appreciate the sparkly chemistry, so many shows have tried for spells = sexing and Davina and Kol are the first to really sell me on that being HOT and translating.