My take on Carmilla S2

hotladypants:

themoviegeekstrikesback:

The good

• Laura and the human gang learning just how complicated it is to get good things done. I enjoyed the politics of it all and I wish there was more of it. Carmilla’s always been a show that’s reflected real life (S1 focused on rape culture, how women have been failed by the system, and how women banding together can be such a positive force) and I like that the show tackled the difficulties that come with enacting or at least trying to enact real, lasting change. 
  
  
• The Hollstein romance. Again, I wish we got more of them being girlfriends, but I liked the fact that the show actually showed them talking. The conversations that Laura and Carmilla had were just as intimate as the kissing (although, I do not object to seeing the kissing at all) and while it showed me their differences, it also highlighted the fact that these two love each other and are committed to making it work. Natasha and Elise’s chemistry is just lightning in a bottle and it’s one of the reasons why I keep coming back to the show. You can’t fake that, you can’t buy that. We are lucky to have the central romantic relationship on this show carried by these two talented actresses. 
  
  
• Mattie. I mean, c’mon. I can write an essay about Matska Belmonde and how she was the perfect addition to the show. She’s power and grace and politics and family rolled into one and I loved every single moment she was on my screen. I loved to hate her, I loved to love her, and I love that she’s back. I LOVE MATTIE SO MUCH. 
  
  I loved seeing her interact with Carmilla, Laura, and Perry, and she is easily one of the best things about this season. Sophia nailed her character and gave this amazing nuanced performance. I want to see her team up with Laura, Carmilla, and LaF next season to take down the Dean and save the world. I think that would be a team to watch. 
  
  
• Mel. The last few episodes makes me wish we saw more of her, because she could’ve knocked some sense into the gang. I love her and I hope we see more of her in S3. I hope the library becomes the new headquarters for all the students seeking refuge. 

The could-be-improved 

• Pacing. I felt like the action in some episodes could’ve been moved up earlier, like the events in 34 could’ve happened in 32. The show could’ve pushed up the Dean reveal earlier, especially since by the time episode 32 rolled in, practically everyone knew Perry was the Dean. The Perry as Dean talk started as early as ep 2 and waiting for that confirmation was a bit painful at times, especially since the theory caught on early with the fandom. I would’ve wanted to have confirmation on the VoS murders by the time this season ended, and while I’m assuming that the Dean did it, I wouldn’t know if Vordenberg helped or if something else happened.  
  
  
• Characterization. Not gonna lie, there were some instances where I felt that Laura wasn’t using her brain because the plot called for it and not because that was a decision she made. I would’ve wanted to see her and Carmilla and her and LaF do research, because that’s true to who she is and what kind of path she wants to pursue. She’s not the kind of person who’s going to keep on accusing someone of a crime without evidence. The show dedicated multiple episodes on the gang collecting evidence to prove that Laura was a vampire, but they couldn’t even spend half of an episode trying to establish where Mattie was during the time of the VoS murders? C’mon. 
  
  I’m also not a fan of how Danny became this sort of Nice Guy type. I didn’t like that she was just sitting there near the steps right after the break-up. I didn’t like that she still had feelings for Laura and that that would dictate why she did certain things (e.g. bring apples to Laura, pursue the student rep thing). I thought that Danny would do those things because she’s a natural leader and a good person (as we’ve seen in S1), not because she was still chasing after Laura. 
  
  
• Blocking, especially for the group scenes. Having a lot of people and only one camera sometimes messes up the action. Like with ep 36, it looked a bit weird that Vordenberg barely moved when he could see Perry moving over to Laura. Laura just got the Charter AND had enough time to kill Vordenberg. He didn’t even have Theo or anyone else with him. The blocking in 30 was a bit awkward too, like for a second I didn’t know if Mattie was breaking Danny’s arm or her ribs or her spine. 

Don’t get me wrong. Carmilla’s an amazing show and I have so much love for it, but this is why I feel it’s necessary to talk about how it can improve and to do so in a polite, civilized manner. It still has things it needs to address, and I hope that they do so in Carmilla Zero and in season 3. We want this show to get better, because it has so much potential. 

This is great. 👌