The Vampire Diaries Revisted: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot (Review)
Note: This review may contain spoilers for future The Vampire Diaries episodes.
When The Vampire Diaries first came out in 2009, I was all over it. Which makes sense because, at the time, I was the target audience for the show. I was about fifteen years old, I had read Twilight, and I was definitely part of the pop culture craze for moody, vampire dramas.
For me, The Vampire Diaries instantly became appointment viewing. Every Thursday night at eight, I made sure to be in the living room with the TV tuned to the CW (remember when you actually had to watch things at the time they aired to see them? Crazy, right? It makes me wonder how anyone ever followed a TV show, but I guess I managed it).
Anyway, I watched The Vampire Diaries religiously for a couple of years, and then slowly started to lose interest. I probably made it through the first three seasons before I decided it was too much teen *drama* for me and lost interest (or maybe I just couldn’t get to the TV at eight o’clock anymore; I don’t really remember).
Either way, when I recently noticed that The Vampire Diaries was on Netflix, I was intrigued. I remembered loving the first few seasons as a teenager, and I thought it would be fun to rewatch it from an adult vantage point (I’m twenty-six now, in case you want to know). So, in this series of reviews, I will be reviewing a show I’ve already seen from the point of view of someone ten years older (and maybe wiser).
Without further ado, let’s get into the review!
First of all, I have to say that I was struck by how completely and utterly DRAMATIC this show is. We had fog (by the way it looked so fake), conversations in graveyards, evil birds, and dramatic, moody voice overs all in the first half hour!
I particularly liked when Stefan did his brooding introduction: “I am a vampire, and this is my story." If that doesn’t hit you over the head with the word DRAMA, I don’t know what will. Also, if you started watching a show called The Vampire Diaries without knowing it was about vampires, that sentence would explain things to you pretty well.
Speaking of the title of the show, I had forgotten that the main characters *actually* wrote in journals. How beautifully cliche is that? Like, nothing says teen show on the CW then a character popping on the screen to actually write the words “Dear Diary.” No shade to people who keep journals. I’ve kept journals at various points in my life, but I don’t think I ever once wrote the phrase “Dear Diary.” It’s a bit much. Writing in the journal in a cemetery with obviously fake fog rolling around Elena’s feet is definitely too much (although I loved the drama of it all). Fortunately, if my memory serves, the show drops this whole journaling thing pretty quickly. I guess even for a teen show it was a trope they couldn’t sustain.
In that vein, I was also pretty shocked by how YOUNG all the characters are. I don’t mean that the actors look particularly young; I was just struck by the fact that they were all high school kids. Don’t get me wrong, I remembered that it was a high school show, but when I was watching this first episode, I kept thinking to myself “where are your parents? You’re too young to be out all night! You have school in the morning.” (We can leave Stefan and Damon out of this conversation because I’m not concerned about the education of ancient vampires).
Like, at one point towards the end of the episode, Bonnie and Caroline go to the Grill after their big, beginning-of-school party, and I was like “wait a minute? You didn’t go home after a girl was attacked at the party you were at? Don’t you have a curfew? Aren’t your parents wondering if you’re okay?” Maybe it’s just me, but there’s no WAY I could have done something like that in school. Basically, these Vampire Diaries high school kids just behave like they’re adults.
And, now that I’m an adult, it seems pretty weird! The other thing that’s weird to think about is that Stefan is like 150 years old, and he’s interested in a seventeen year old. Of course, when I was a teenager, it seemed perfectly normal that the ancient vampire would fall in love with the protagonist because, well, that’s what happens in every work of vampire fiction.
However, when you really think about it, it’s really, really WEIRD. Like, I’m in my twenties, and people in high school seem like tiny children to me. I have absolutely nothing in common with and nothing to say to high school kids. How is it possible that Stefan is even remotely interested in anything going on in Elena’s life? It must be so profoundly boring for him. I guess the obvious answer is that he’s interested because he finds her attractive, which is also creepy because—although they look like they’re the same age—Stefan has decades and decades of life experience and maturity on Elena. (Well, I guess he should be more mature. In fairness, he really does act like a teenager. Maybe being a vampire halts your emotional development too?)
The other answer to this question, of course, is that Elena looks like Katherine. Which is a good excuse for Stefan to be obsessed with Elena for absolutely no reason. It certainly makes more sense than most vampire shows, where the protagonists have some mystical, love-at-first-sight connection out of the blue.
Damon, on the other hand, is so far the only character who really seems to be an adult (Aunt Jenna aside; and, speaking of Aunt Jenna, I really identified with her in this episode. I can’t imagine how I would cope if I suddenly became the guardian of two teens in my mid-twenties). Anyway, back to Damon. I was always a fan of Damon, and I think I like him now because he’s the only character who seems to be above the high school BS. However, I did forget that he started off the show biting random people and throwing Stefan out of windows. He really is kind of horrible person, although a charming one. Damon’s character redemption in later episodes and seasons truly is remarkable.
Speaking of hard to like characters, I really need to call out Vicky, Jeremy, and Tyler. They are all INCREDIBLY obnoxious. Each of them represents one of the worst stereotypes of teenagers in their own individual and annoying way. Plus, I’m already completely sick of the weird love triangle they’ve created. None of them are mature enough to be in a real relationship, okay? However, on the plus side, they really do act more like teenagers than any other characters on the show.
Anyway, setting all of that aside. Do I love the drama? Yes. Do I love the over the top vampire nonsense? Of course. Am I going to watch the next episode and continue the series? You betcha!
When The Vampire Diaries first came out in 2009, I was all over it. Which makes sense because, at the time, I was the target audience for the show. I was about fifteen years old, I had read Twilight, and I was definitely part of the pop culture craze for moody, vampire dramas.
For me, The Vampire Diaries instantly became appointment viewing. Every Thursday night at eight, I made sure to be in the living room with the TV tuned to the CW (remember when you actually had to watch things at the time they aired to see them? Crazy, right? It makes me wonder how anyone ever followed a TV show, but I guess I managed it).
Anyway, I watched The Vampire Diaries religiously for a couple of years, and then slowly started to lose interest. I probably made it through the first three seasons before I decided it was too much teen *drama* for me and lost interest (or maybe I just couldn’t get to the TV at eight o’clock anymore; I don’t really remember).
Either way, when I recently noticed that The Vampire Diaries was on Netflix, I was intrigued. I remembered loving the first few seasons as a teenager, and I thought it would be fun to rewatch it from an adult vantage point (I’m twenty-six now, in case you want to know). So, in this series of reviews, I will be reviewing a show I’ve already seen from the point of view of someone ten years older (and maybe wiser).
Without further ado, let’s get into the review!
First of all, I have to say that I was struck by how completely and utterly DRAMATIC this show is. We had fog (by the way it looked so fake), conversations in graveyards, evil birds, and dramatic, moody voice overs all in the first half hour!
I particularly liked when Stefan did his brooding introduction: “I am a vampire, and this is my story." If that doesn’t hit you over the head with the word DRAMA, I don’t know what will. Also, if you started watching a show called The Vampire Diaries without knowing it was about vampires, that sentence would explain things to you pretty well.
Speaking of the title of the show, I had forgotten that the main characters *actually* wrote in journals. How beautifully cliche is that? Like, nothing says teen show on the CW then a character popping on the screen to actually write the words “Dear Diary.” No shade to people who keep journals. I’ve kept journals at various points in my life, but I don’t think I ever once wrote the phrase “Dear Diary.” It’s a bit much. Writing in the journal in a cemetery with obviously fake fog rolling around Elena’s feet is definitely too much (although I loved the drama of it all). Fortunately, if my memory serves, the show drops this whole journaling thing pretty quickly. I guess even for a teen show it was a trope they couldn’t sustain.
In that vein, I was also pretty shocked by how YOUNG all the characters are. I don’t mean that the actors look particularly young; I was just struck by the fact that they were all high school kids. Don’t get me wrong, I remembered that it was a high school show, but when I was watching this first episode, I kept thinking to myself “where are your parents? You’re too young to be out all night! You have school in the morning.” (We can leave Stefan and Damon out of this conversation because I’m not concerned about the education of ancient vampires).
Like, at one point towards the end of the episode, Bonnie and Caroline go to the Grill after their big, beginning-of-school party, and I was like “wait a minute? You didn’t go home after a girl was attacked at the party you were at? Don’t you have a curfew? Aren’t your parents wondering if you’re okay?” Maybe it’s just me, but there’s no WAY I could have done something like that in school. Basically, these Vampire Diaries high school kids just behave like they’re adults.
And, now that I’m an adult, it seems pretty weird! The other thing that’s weird to think about is that Stefan is like 150 years old, and he’s interested in a seventeen year old. Of course, when I was a teenager, it seemed perfectly normal that the ancient vampire would fall in love with the protagonist because, well, that’s what happens in every work of vampire fiction.
However, when you really think about it, it’s really, really WEIRD. Like, I’m in my twenties, and people in high school seem like tiny children to me. I have absolutely nothing in common with and nothing to say to high school kids. How is it possible that Stefan is even remotely interested in anything going on in Elena’s life? It must be so profoundly boring for him. I guess the obvious answer is that he’s interested because he finds her attractive, which is also creepy because—although they look like they’re the same age—Stefan has decades and decades of life experience and maturity on Elena. (Well, I guess he should be more mature. In fairness, he really does act like a teenager. Maybe being a vampire halts your emotional development too?)
The other answer to this question, of course, is that Elena looks like Katherine. Which is a good excuse for Stefan to be obsessed with Elena for absolutely no reason. It certainly makes more sense than most vampire shows, where the protagonists have some mystical, love-at-first-sight connection out of the blue.
Damon, on the other hand, is so far the only character who really seems to be an adult (Aunt Jenna aside; and, speaking of Aunt Jenna, I really identified with her in this episode. I can’t imagine how I would cope if I suddenly became the guardian of two teens in my mid-twenties). Anyway, back to Damon. I was always a fan of Damon, and I think I like him now because he’s the only character who seems to be above the high school BS. However, I did forget that he started off the show biting random people and throwing Stefan out of windows. He really is kind of horrible person, although a charming one. Damon’s character redemption in later episodes and seasons truly is remarkable.
Speaking of hard to like characters, I really need to call out Vicky, Jeremy, and Tyler. They are all INCREDIBLY obnoxious. Each of them represents one of the worst stereotypes of teenagers in their own individual and annoying way. Plus, I’m already completely sick of the weird love triangle they’ve created. None of them are mature enough to be in a real relationship, okay? However, on the plus side, they really do act more like teenagers than any other characters on the show.
Anyway, setting all of that aside. Do I love the drama? Yes. Do I love the over the top vampire nonsense? Of course. Am I going to watch the next episode and continue the series? You betcha!
Comments
Post a Comment