Pop culture has devised two types of vampires for us. The first is that of the over-romanticized Edward Cullen and Bella Swan Twilight love story. The second takes the form of the hyper-sexualized fanged fiends on HBO’s True Blood. So where does the CW’s The Vampire Diaries fit in?
When the show first premiered in fall of 2010, I was of the mindset that the world’s obsession with vampires was only acceptable if it came along with excessive nudity.
The adult subject matter and surprisingly philosophical plot points of True Blood made it less of an embarrassment to watch than the Stephanie Meyer series.
A network television show couldn’t possibly hope to portray the often-hokey titular theme of vampires in an entertaining manner. Or could it?
However, from a promising first season, The Vampire Diaries has developed to become one of television’s most addicting series.
While its ratings indicate that The Vampire Diaries is safe for a third season renewal, I have rarely found any peers who are fans of the show. I have to attribute this to the show’s name, which was admittedly off-putting.
After all, with a name that sounds like a bad tween book and an initial premise that sounded like the television version of Twilight, The Vampire Diaries didn’t seem to offer much originality.
My not-so-firm anti-Vampire Diaries stance wavered when I learned that Ian Somerhalder would be starring as the bad boy vampire. Television buffs may recall Somerhalder from his short-lived role as Boone on Lost. Remember the guy who was obsessed with his step-sister and then got crushed by a falling plane? That was him.
I will admit that some shows I follow simply for the good fashion (Pretty Little Liars), character chemistry (Blair and Chuck in Gossip Girl) and melodramatic story lines (90210). And with a laundry list of shows like those, some may say that my opinion isn’t very reputable.
Now, I love me some Mad Men and Dexter just as much as the next intellectual, but sometimes you just need a mindless show in between Orgo and International Politics. This column is to convince you that The Vampire Diaries can be that show.
The premise of the show is as follows: high school student Elena (Nina Gobrev) falls in love with a hot, brooding male (Stefan, played by Paul Wesley) who turns out to be a vampire. Too Twilight for you? The setting of the show, Mystic Falls, Va., propels the storyline from trite to a little more innovative.
Early on, it is introduced that Elena is the doppelganger of Stefan’s ex, Katharine, whom he dated in post-Civil War era Va. Katharine is also Damon’s ex. They dated at the same time. It’s a problem. While Stefan insists that he isn’t interested in Elena because of this connection, Damon becomes interested for precisely that reason. And so a love triangle is presented.
Let’s fast forward to the second season where the love triangle has now turned into a love rhombus. Katherine has made a reappearance, attempting to seduce both Stefan and Damon while trying to kill Elena. What saves this plot from being comical is Dobrev’s performance as both Katherine and Elena.
As Elena, she carries herself assertively, but with an air of innocence and humility. Conversely, with Katherine, Dobrev portrays the character with pathological manipulation and deceit. Even the camera follows her differently as Katherine, catching on her angular features which personify her hardened character.
The series combines past and present, wedding the town’s history with its present and its founding fathers with its current residents. In this, the series examines lasting repercussions of one’s actions in a fantastical way: if one were to never die, how far reaching would his or her actions be?
On a lighter note, the show revels in sexual tension, and its actors are certainly adept at playing it up. From Elena, Stefan and Damon to all of the show’s minor characters, The Vampire Diaries does exactly what is expected of a 9 p.m. melodrama: it has every character date every other character.
These minor characters are another aspect of The Vampire Diaries that allows it to succeed. No matter how stereotypical each character appears, by the time you reach the second season, these molds have been shattered.
Caroline (Candice Accola) turns from a cheerleader-peppy homecoming queen to a heartbroken teenager to her current role, a new vampire. Elena’s brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) changes from drug addicted angry teen to a functioning member of society trying to deal with his attraction to his sister’s best friend.
Bonnie (Katarina Graham), the best friend, has evolved from a level-headed lady to a witch with unbalanced emotions.
The Vampire Diaries is at once a typical CW drama and one of the more unique shows on television. Of all the shows I currently watch (and the number is more than 18), it is the only one that leaves me waiting week after week.
Attractive people, magical circumstances and weekly cliffhangers make The Vampire Diaries easily one of the most underrated shows on television.
