Vampire Diaries fans?

[Worldbuilder]

I got bored a few episodes into season one of Vampire Diaries and stopped watching, but then some friends told me it picked up the pace midseason and convinced me to give it another shot. I've been hooked ever since. I can't think of any show I've ever seen that packs more major plot developments in per episode as consistently as TVD. I enjoy the grey-and-grey morality, too - there's very few characters who are purely good or purely evil. I do think the acting and dialogue sometimes leave a bit to be desired, but so far it hasn't bothered me enough to make me stop watching again. And of course, the eye candy doesn't hurt either.

Anyone else like the show?

 

[Abomination]

Embarrassingly, yes. However, though I started watching it because I ran out of other stuff to watch, I continued watching because I came to believe--and I assume you all understand the weight of this--it's the best Vampire story (TV, movie...) since Buffy.

The first half of S1 is pretty dull and typical high-school-pretty-people-hooking-up type episodes. That seems to be where the entire Vampire genre is headed (and actually where the Vampire Diaries books got stuck.) Vampires aren't scary. They're sexy, pretty, protective, and romantic. I don't want to knock anyone's preferences here--if that's what you like, it's fine. But I like my vampires scary. Killers should not be glossed over--they should be horrifying and ugly and gross, at least in some aspect.

Somewhere halfway through the first season Vampire diaries seemed to remember the genre's roots. It got scary and ugly and unpredictable. And yeah, I like the grey morality, too. I don't want to post spoilers, but there are some points that go a lot farther towards the horror end of the spectrum than any other vamp story has in the last 10 years.

So it's still a little of a high-school-pretty-people-hooking-up type of show, but there is more to it.

 

[Abomination]

I can't think of any show I've ever seen that packs more major plot developments in per episode as consistently as TVD.

Addendum:

I think the pacing is one of the major things that draws me to the show. It seems to me that many of the shows I've watched recently have adopted the Soap Opera style of pacing where they draw everything out, in an attempt to create suspense but then fail miserably. (To of the biggest offenders that come to mind are/were Lost and Stargate Universe. Supernatural also started moving in that direction a while back.) They have the long plots and "mysteries" that stretch out over several episodes, which is fine, but then they neglect to create engaging individual episodes. What ends up happening is by the time anything big actually happens, you've had a few weeks to mull it over and figure it all out anyway. Or you just don't care anymore because you're bored.

Vampire Diaries has a pacing style similar to Buffy or Farscape (best fantasy and sci-fi, respectively) They have large story arcs that get pieced together through the season, but also swiftly moving self contained episode arcs. The result is that you are drawn along because stuff just keeps happening, and you know it's building to something awesome.

 

[Worldbuilder]

I continued watching because I came to believe--and I assume you all understand the weight of this--it's the best Vampire story (TV, movie...) since Buffy.

Indeed I do.

But I like my vampires scary. Killers should not be glossed over--they should be horrifying and ugly and gross, at least in some aspect. Somewhere halfway through the first season Vampire diaries seemed to remember the genre's roots. It got scary and ugly and unpredictable. And yeah, I like the grey morality, too.

Yup, exactly. I think a lot of people - teenage girls especially - get a bit distracted by Damon's charm and hotness, but the dude's a murderer, rapist, and general psychopath and that is as it should be. Stefan has a reputation as the good guy of the two, but he's proved himself no less a cold blooded killer when he thinks murder is justified and some of the flashbacks to his early days as a vampire have been almost as gross as True Blood.

It seems to me that many of the shows I've watched recently have adopted the Soap Opera style of pacing where they draw everything out, in an attempt to create suspense but then fail miserably. (To of the biggest offenders that come to mind are/were Lost and Stargate Universe. Supernatural also started moving in that direction a while back.) They have the long plots and "mysteries" that stretch out over several episodes, which is fine, but then they neglect to create engaging individual episodes. What ends up happening is by the time anything big actually happens, you've had a few weeks to mull it over and figure it all out anyway. Or you just don't care anymore because you're bored.

YES! I don't watch Lost or Stargate, but Supernatural used to be one of my favorite shows and somewhere in season three they definitely lost the ability to move a plot forward. I sometimes wonder how long TVD is going to be able to sustain its headlong gallop, but I'm certainly enjoying it while it lasts!

 

[Meg the Healer]

I have not been able to watch this. I have found that I am one of those people that can't separate books from movies/TV if I've read the books first (for whatever reason I have no problem with watching the show/movie and then reading the book). I read the series when it first came out (LJ Smith has since made a revival of sorts). Secret Circle was my favorite series she wrote (as I am more fond of witches than vampires) followed by The Night World and The Forbidden Game. Vampire Diaries and Dark Visions each had some interesting things going on, but I just wasn't as attached to them as the other series.

I watched the first episode of this series and was just horrified by what they had done. I felt "they" (the show creators) just took a couple of the character names and the name of the series and ran with it. Stefan and Damon were made during the Italian Renaissance not the Civil War. Elana was the Queen Bee of her school and a classic blonde beauty. Bonnie was a red-head with curly hair and a decendant of the Druids and Meredith (who I don't think was ever on the series) was Elana's best friend. Caroline was friend turned enemy with brown hair. Matt was Elana's former boyfriend and not a vampire hunter and he was in no way related to Vicki (in fact I don't even recall him having a sibling in the books - but I could be mistaken). I could go on and on, but since I only watched the first episode and I don't know how far they really strayed from the books.

 

[Worldbuilder]

I watched the first episode of this series and was just horrified by what they had done. I felt "they" (the show creators) just took a couple of the character names and the name of the series and ran with it. Stefan and Damon were made during the Italian Renaissance not the Civil War. Elana was the Queen Bee of her school and a classic blonde beauty. Bonnie was a red-head with curly hair and a decendant of the Druids and Meredith (who I don't think was ever on the series) was Elana's best friend. Caroline was friend turned enemy with brown hair. Matt was Elana's former boyfriend and not a vampire hunter and he was in no way related to Vicki (in fact I don't even recall him having a sibling in the books - but I could be mistaken). I could go on and on, but since I only watched the first episode and I don't know how far they really strayed from the books.

Interesting! I've never read the books, but from what you say maybe they should have just changed some names and details and created an entirely new series! I knew about a few of these changes - Elena's hair color and Stefan and Damon being from Renaissance Italy in particular - but not the others.

 

[Meg the Healer]

Interesting! I've never read the books, but from what you say maybe they should have just changed some names and details and created an entirely new series! I knew about a few of these changes - Elena's hair color and Stefan and Damon being from Renaissance Italy in particular - but not the others.

Oh, and Elana was practically the doppleganger of Katherine - the vampire that made Stefan and Damon. Because Elana looked too much like her it was this reason that Stefan stayed away from her in the beginning and what drew Damon to her.

 

[Worldbuilder]

That's the same in the show. They talked about it a bit in season one, but in season two it's become a major plot point.

 

[Mdnight Falling]

I don't like the Vampire diaries I dunno it just rubs me wrong LOL I mean I'll watch it if there's nothing else on.. and I follow it pretty good too... but I dunno I'm a True Blood fan LOL maybe that's why

 

[dominiqueking]

I've watched all three seasons of the Vampire Diaries but it's just something about the show that I don't like, but another part of me that can't stop watching it. I think what irritates me the most about this show is the bad guy always wins. They kill a lot of characters and then it never fails that one of the main or supporting charters of will do something stupid and give the bad guy the upper hand. I compare it to Charmed although they are two totally different tv shows, but charmed is like a good vs. evil. The evil terrorizes them but at the end of the day everybody is okay. I get it though the Vampire diaries is more like Vampires trying to find and embrace their humanity but because of their basic nature it's close to impossible, and yes I love the fact the no person is either totally good or totally bad, but the characters irritate me, everything revolves around Elena sometimes i wish the switch it up and give the story a twist where everything isn't really about her survival, i guess maybe that might happen is season 4 since she's becoming a vampire but knowing her they probably will have to force feed her to complete the transition. In my personal opinion the show is kind of predictable and they need new bad guys or something, cause the fact that they can't get rid of Klaus is getting boring. You think he's defeated and then oh no, somebody helps him survive because of some stupid reason. On the last episode in season 3, i finally thought Klaus was gone and now everybody can move on to the next villain, and then Bonnie had to go and do something stupid and switch his soul into Tyler's body. Why??? I do like the show, but i think I only continued to watch it cause i secretly hoped Damon would win Elena over and forget about Stephan.

 

[wordwalker]

I've watched all three seasons of the Vampire Diaries but it's just something about the show that I don't like, but another part of me that can't stop watching it. I think what irritates me the most about this show is the bad guy always wins. They kill a lot of characters and then it never fails that one of the main or supporting charters of will do something stupid and give the bad guy the upper hand.

I think there's a lot to that, though I wouldn't exactly say it's that "a character does something stupid" to let the bad guy keep winning.

To me, I think the show likes to keep things moving and at the same time draw them out. It's more rooted in ongoing plotlines than a one-week cycle (I don't think I've ever seen a villain appear and be beaten in one episode), and so they look for ways to give the villains complex schemes where they have the power to wipe out most of the heroes in a night but don't use it. A tricky balance, and a bit hard to maintain suspense within those rules-- useful lesson for all writers.

For instance, the show has its reputation as being willing to kill off its cast. But if you check, that came mostly from dropping one body in its second month and maybe one minor regular character in each season finale (both standard tricks for TV), plus defining a lot of its arcs as rotating in a new character or two to be part of a few weeks or months and then killing them. It works as well as it does because they manage to make most new characters interesting, and just central enough to the plot that they matter without stealing the spotlight. Again, useful, tricky, and can get a little old even though it works well.

Still, I agree, Vampire Diaries is probably the best vampire show since Buffy redefined perfection for us.

But it's not the best highschool/monster show since. That would be Teen Wolf.

 

[ChantyLace]

I have to say, I'm obsessed with this show. I don't quite know how to stop watching. It has so many crazy story lines that somehow always merge together, and I can never let go of the hope that Damon and Elena will end up together (I don't care if Stefan has to permanently die). It is a huge twist Elena becoming a vampire, and then Klaus losing all of his doppelgänger blood. I'm interested to know how he will make more hybrids.

but I dunno I'm a True Blood fan LOL maybe that's why

This can't be true, as I myself am an avid True Blood fan. VampD's has a more high school feel to it from the beginning, which is what I think turned off many people. If people got passed the high school, to the part where high school more or less becomes some fact that's irrelevant to the show, I believe they would enjoy it much more. Especially if you're older (late 20s+) it feels more awkward to watch high school students. How can one think Caroline is hot when she's portraying a 16 year old. Sometimes I feel like these shows cover material that is well beyond high school, and simply use it as a backdrop in their show. Is it so wrong to make your characters a couple years older and throw them into university?

 

[MystiqueRain]

I have to admit that I like this show too. A lot of my friends put it off immediately by the title simply because of the vampire stereotype these days, but VD has a lot more to it than what they think. One of the biggest things that attracted me to the show was round characters. There's very little black and white, and even someone as evil as Klaus has reasons for why he acts in such a way. And Damon ended by being my favorite character not because of how he looks, but how he's a terribly conflicted character that seems to always get the short end of the stick. There's a lot of inner turmoil and such in almost all the characters, which is the main reason the show is so interesting.

I've never read the books, but usually I can accept if they make things different in the TV series. It's usually movies I can't forgive for being so inaccurately made (ex. Percy Jackson >.>).

Plus, VD is able to stray away from those Twilight-esque stereotypes of a vampire story. There is blood, killing, gory bits, etc. Heck, at least the vampires in VD drink human blood (except for Stefan, but that's another story).