The Vampire Diaries

I read the books 15 years ago, and I was a bit excited and apprehensive about it being made into a TV series with all the liberties that are taken these days. Last night, I watched the pilot. I have a few beefs (missing character and particular character interactions), but mostly I think I was alright with it. It has been update to fit with the times a bit more.

It appears that they are loosely following the story, and that is fine if they are making it into a series. To follow the books, they would have just needed to make a mini-series and been done with it. For a full-on TV series they needed to make many adjustments. I'm a little sad that they are aiming so very hard for the Twilight crowd by throwing the romance factor in right away, but it has the potential to be pretty good.

The acting isn't the greatest, but I have definitely seen much worse. This felt to me like actors that had not yet fit themselves into their characters. It will smooth out with time and become more comfortable for them and it will show through in the series. They have managed to obtain a bit of balance between the almost care-free world of high school and the dark gritty nature of what they can't see and don't know about. That was actually what I was most worried about.

So, from a MAJOR fan of the books (I rejoiced when I realized they were with me instead of another state and started reading them for the umpteenth thousandth time) to the CW....So far, so good. Let's see where they take this and hope they keep true to the feel.

Damon has the best chemistry with everyone. Ian Somerhalder (Damon) is the star of the show and should be expanded, along with Nina Dobrev as Elena.

Damon and Stephan are both great characters. Damon's emotion is most true, intense and believable. His relationship with Elena as opposed to Stephans seems more authentic and has the greatest potential.

Vampire Diaries has taken me by surprise. It is a great show with great characters. I was disinterested at first because it seemed like a cheesy high school soap opera with vampires or a wannabe Twilight. They have definitely proved me wrong. Damon's character has exceeded my expectations and surpassed similar characters on other series by far.

When I tuned in to "The Vampire Diaries" for the pilot episode, I expected to watch perhaps six episodes, grow bored, and then drop the show entirely. After all, I was only watching in the first place because it aired before my favorite show of all time, "Supernatural." I'd seen (and read) the "Twilight" series and found the teen vampire romance story lackluster and redundant. It's been done before about a thousand times, right? But I remember reading the original "The Vampire Diaries" books by L.J. Smith and decided it couldn't hurt to give this supernatural soap a try.

The most important thing to know about this show is the first four episodes are seemingly pointless; focused on cheap thrills, romance, and teen drama. Then something magical happens, creeping up silently and latching on without the viewer's notice: interest. By the end of the fourth episode the many story lines pick up and take off, and suddenly a silly or meaningless event becomes important. Things move fast in "The Vampire Diaries." This is a show that takes risks: people die without warning, stories that you thought could go on forever take only a few episodes, characters do and experience things you wouldn't have thought possible. Even better, there is no character who is wholly unlikeable. Everyone in the large ensemble cast has a story and a 3-dimensional structure, and even if the viewer decidedly doesn't like a character, the swing from one storyline to the next never lingers in one place for too long.

Some people have called this show their guilty pleasure. I refer to it as smart writing, good acting, excellent storytelling, and wonderful viewing. As of right now the second season is in the first few episodes of airing and the magic has not gone out. Far from it; this show only gets better. The lesser episodes are still fantastic, and the truly great ones are rich with everything an episode of television could possibly desire. I have yet to finish watching an episode without cursing the screen to give me more - my addiction to such a fresh show sometimes keeps me up at night.

For anyone (yes, even non 18-49 women demographic - we welcome the men!) interested in watching vampires, witches, and more, take the time to view beyond the first four episodes. I can almost safely guarantee anyone who likes vampires and horror (and a lot of dry wit) will not be disappointed.

This is no doubt one of my FAVORITE shows of all time. I can't believe that it's over! I will definitely miss my weekly doses of Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Enzo and Alaric and Matt! I would like to thank the whole cast for giving us one of the most amazing, gripping, unbelievably FANTASTIC shows ever to be made.

First Impression: Oh this is just some Twilight rip off.

The Truth: Twilight is the one ripping off THIS series.

The Absolute Truth: The Vampire Diaries is infinitely better than Twilight, and no I am not exaggerating.

The plot is as you would have guessed. Elena (Nina Dobrev) is a high school girl who captures the heart of Stefan (Paul Wesley) who of course is a vampire (sounds familiar right?). Later on we get introduced to Stefan's troublesome vampire brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder). Damon also happens to be attracted to Elena and this creates a love triangle that will follow for the remainder of the series.

Of course that's merely a sample of the entire story. There are werewolves, hunters, witches, and even stronger vampires waiting in future episodes to make this one nail biting show.

The acting is also definitely above average, however obviously not enough to make you believe the actors are high school "teenagers".

My advice: Give it a chance. The first few episodes are slow, but a lot of great TV series are. This show will have you on the edge of your seat each week as the plot thickens more and more.

Last Impression: This is one of my favorite shows on TV. 9/10