The Vampire Diaries – Why I was so wrong
I never wanted to watch TVD. I was quite confident of that. I remember thinking at the time that it was a try-hard Buffy The Vampire Slayer and that it would never be as good as the real thing. I stuck to my guns for a while and it was only when TVD was nearing the end of its second season that I started wondering about it. It had survived for a while; could that mean that it was worth a look? Then again One Tree Hill lasted nine seasons…just saying…
I decided to take a chance and swallow my pride. I got my lukewarm little hands on the first couple of episodes and I guess you can say the rest is history. TVD has become my guilty little indulgent secret (although not too secret anymore). In preparation for writing this post I asked myself: Why? Why do I really love TVD and look forward to each new episode? It comes down to one word – romance. It’s not about the vampires, witches, werewolves, originals, hybrids and anything else the writers can dream up. It’s about the characters’ most basic and raw emotions – love, lust, jealously, longing and envy. TVD appeals to the romantic in me and I just can’t get enough.
For example:
- After four seasons I know I should have – but I am yet to tire of – the love triangle between Elena, Stefan and Damon.
- Can anyone explain to me why Caroline can’t be with Klaus? Oh yes, I know he is BEYOND evil but still…
- Does anyone else want Rebekah to find someone – anyone – who will actually love her? How many times can the poor original be staked with the white oak ash dagger? I mean, seriously…
An amazingly attractive and talented cast keeps everything looking very slick, along with the solid storylines. When Katherine turned up I started wondering how much Nina Dobrev I could take…but it seems like I can take a fair amount. They may look the same but Elena and Katherine are two very different women and it is to Nina Dobrev’s credit that she plays them both with such subtlety.
I was wrong about TVD for a number of reasons. Is it high quality in the same way that Homeland and The Good Wife are? No, it is not an intellectual drama. Is it the same as BTVS? No, BTVS was able to successfully cover a wider range of genres than TVD does. Why was I wrong then?
TVD excels in its created universe which lives within the genres of fantasy, romance, thriller, horror and drama. It is fun, engaging television with villains you love and survivors you empathise with. The complexity and growth of the characters is ongoing and with TVD being picked up for season 5 I look forward to many more shocks, revelations and sexy romances.
Do you have a secret indulgent TV show you just can’t live without?
Stay tuned for my next post ‘Game of Thrones, what’s stopping you?’…