The Gates

Okay I'm old and can remember the original Dark Shadows. The Gates is similar in that it has a wicked blond witch. Dark Shadows had the beautiful Angelique who Devon really looks a lot like and their level of evil seems about the same. The main vampire in Dark Shadows was certainly not handsome but was a sympathetic character who did not want to be a vampire and spent most of the show's run trying to find a cure. Dylan is a very likable vampire, not as hot as Bill Compton but okay. I love Claire his wife. The only character I dislike is the Chief's wife. Anyway I would like to see this series return, there are so many different story lines possible and the season finale certainly contained many possibilities for next season.

The Gates is a great adult soap style series like Desperate Housewives with a twist. If you like supernatural story lines and upscale settings in today's world then this is a great place to spend and hour enjoying a little mystery. Definitely a keeper. Too many peoples expect a big bang on the first few episodes instead of giving characters time to grow and develop relationships within the story. I can see potential for all the characters to grow and give lots of entertainment to all the fans of this genre of show. What is considered original these days? How can any show be condemned as unoriginal when television is bombarded with spin off crime dramas. I think this show has a lot of originality and hopefully will stay around for more seasons to come.

Vampires have always had one thing in common, from their darkest days in Romania, to the Meyers chronicles of today: They are what we fear the most--us dead. You can coat them with glitter, you can make a soap opera out of them; but in the end they are us dead. That has to be the main conflict of the story. What makes the Vampire really interesting, to me, is not the Vampire themselves; but the living humans who are forced to deal with the consequences of the living dead among them. A story line, is just a story line after all: 'A police office and his family move into a gated community where many are denizens of the supernatural world'.What the writers do with plot and conflict will make the difference of whether this show is worth the investment of your time. Here Nick, a police officer --with a past-- is conflicted to begin with. Underneith the professional exterior he is driven to make up for sins of his past. It doesn't take long before he is confronted with the fact that he murdered a suspect in cold blood, and due to this, he is forced to make an allegiance with darkness. This, so far, is the main storyline.

There are werewolves teens (for the tween crowd) and there are other fringe supernatural characters (R.H. Macy's always said you must diversify if you are going to succeed at selling anything over a long period of time) even a succubus (perhaps she can eventually find a nice incubus, settle down, and buy a house in "The Gates"). They will, no doubt, be forced to jump the shark eventually, but for now it is great fun.

It is a beautiful cast and I have yet to see an unattractive person walking the streets of "The Gates". It is the Melrose Place of the supernatural. We carry a lot of baggage with us about Vampires and their kin the Werewolves. I like The Hammer Films of the 1950-1970's. I like the Werewolves of "The Howling" or even "American Werewolf in London" best. The egocentric evil of the Vampire or the Jekyll and Hyde conflict of the Werewolf is my genre home, but it is alright to leave the safety of your home and visit someone else's imagination for a spell. In the end, "The Gates" is summer fun and has something for every generation. A distraction from the heat of this summer. I plan to enjoy it for what it is.....

I've watched all current seasons of Moonlight, Blood Ties, True Blood, Vampire Diaries & Being Human. If you are a fan of any of these shows you will most likely enjoy 'The Gates'. The first episode sets up the story (which seems a little dull) but progresses quickly as episodes two and three roll along. Hang in there and you might be pleasantly surprised. Viewers who appreciate the 'in your face', slick blood and sexually driven 'True Blood' type of stories may be a bit disappointed here. The tone of this show in comparisons is very light. It focuses more on drama then on suspense, thrills and horror. I'll give you a spoiler free summary of the show if you have not yet watched it. It's a story of an enclosed community (surround by a gate ...surprise!) of super natural beings hiding their real identities from those who are human. Normal stuff (drama) of everyday human life takes place. Work, school, stress, love, hate and romance. The town sheriff (human) helps unravel the story as unexpected events require investigations. Through this slow process the secret identities of the characters are revealed to the viewer. There's much room for development so the possibilities are endless. I hope the writers can take it to the next level.

Seriously, this show is not the trashy, sci-fi, comedy, over-the-top, fantasy type supernatural shows that are usually served up. It's soap opera with a bit of supernatural thrown into the various plots. Pure and simple! And it actually works for those who are fans of soaps. I wonder why this show wasn't pitched as a daytime soap given the various plots and numerous characters. Nevertheless, I like that it doesn't have a lot of blood and gore but has a lot of plot and mystery instead! Great job allowing Nick to find out that Dylan is a vampire. This completely changes the dynamic between them. How exactly will the chief maintain his will to do his job knowing that he's surrounded by a creature who has committed murder? Dylan saved Nick's life but still........ Nick has a job to do! Nick and Dylan will have a tempestuous relationship from here on out for sure.