Vampire Diaries Review (Spoilers!)

Watch out Twilight, there’s a new vampire series in town.

Vampire Diaries, based on L.J Smith’s young adult series, is set in Mystic Falls, a few months after, heroine, Elena’s parents die in a car crash that left her the sole survivor. Her younger brother is a drug dealer and her best friend is a maybe psychic, and then there’s an ex-boyfriend who still holds a flame for her. But, let’s face it, this isn’t really about her, it’s all about Stefan. Stefan is a vampire who comes back to Mystic Falls, where he was raised a century ago, to follow Elena whose doppelganger, Catherine, was a girl from Stefan’s past. We don’t really know much about Catherine, but one can assume she was a very important part of his past. His troubling past doesn’t stay far for long, as we come upon his brother, Damon early in the episode. They haven’t seen each other for fifteen years, and it seems no love is lost between these two. Maybe one of strongest characters in the show, Damon is wicked evil. Unlike Stefan, who has given up feasting off humans, Damon is still killing humans for his survival and pleasure. He comes to ruin his brother’s life, which why not, right? At a bonfire both Elena and Stefan are attending, Damon puts his plan to action almost killing Vicki (who happens to be Elena’s ex-boyfriend’s sister). The killer line from the whole episode is when she says, in a strained voice, “Vampire.”

What surprised me most about last night’s episode is that I didn’t care for it. I loved Dawson’s Creek, falling in love with Kevin Williamson’s quick wit and melodrama. But, there’s just something missing. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m no longer fourteen years old and going through my “teen angst” period. Or maybe it’s because the sappy emo music in the background is a little grating and the acting isn’t top notch. The story has its ups and downs, seemingly “borrowing” certain aspects of different vampire myths (Stefan has to be invited in (Buffy, anyone?), the ring he has to wear in order to not burst into flames in the sun (anyone remember Angel?). But, I think they will find their stride in the coming episodes, especially if they feature Damon more. I’m willing to give it another chance, if only because of my stubborn, don’t-want-to-be-wrong nature.

Apparently, though, nobody else shared my disappointment, because Vampire Diaries received the highest ratings of a new show on the CW network, with 4.84 million viewers. I can hear the fan girls organizing their clubs already.