The new vamps in town
9.0
I love vampires. Being a die-hard Buffy/Angel fan, that's a given, but that was more about the action and horror/suspense and not really the whole romantic notion of the drama. Although that got very intense and complex, too, and I enjoyed it so much. Yet, I've never read or seen the "Twilight" series or even this, "The Vampire Diaries" - a new drama/horror series based on the popular novels of the same name. Romance is not really my thing, believe it or not, even though I adored "Dawson's Creek" and still watch "One Tree Hill". Go figure. But this new show, based on the premise of a heroine who is torn between 2 vampire brothers, offers considerable promise. I watched the premiere and was instantly hooked. Maybe a complicated romance mixed in with some (hints) of chilling horror and dabs of history? Could be a hit.....
So this new show is based on a series of novels, therefore labeling it as not an entirely original idea, and since I haven't been privy to said novels, I can really only treat it - from my own personal perspective - as just another new original series. Much like I did with "Smallville". And since a lot of the mythology regarding that show has been changed and played around with throughout its run, I'm guessing - especially if this series plans to be on the networks for a while - the writers, creators, and such will more than likely do the same, which will ultimately allow this show to become its own piece without straying too far from remaining loyal to the novels, yet also letting it expand into its own universe. And speaking of writers, creators, et al, I noticed one of the crew is our old friend Kevin Williamson, who was the creator for "Dawson's Creek". That said, it's a sure bet that along with some dramatic storytelling, we'll get a plethora of witty dialogue thrown about in the mix. And some of that was shown on this premiere episode, which was one thing that got me hooked.
As with any new show, the Pilot ep is obviously the set-up, most important of which are the characters and stories introduced. We actually have quite a few people here to work with. A very hot young cast consisting of a few REALLY sexy young guys and the girls look very beautiful and elegant for their style. Our main heroine, Elena, has a uniquely Old World kind of sophistication and has a maturity that seems a tad high for the age of the girl she is portraying. It's a gorgeous detail. Anyhoo, Elena has recently lost her parents in a tragic car accident and is still distressed over it. She has her best friend, Bonnie, to lean on for support. Also, Bonnie just happens to be psychic, a fact which she denies - or at least wants to. Elena also has a younger brother, Jeremy, who seems so distressed at the loss of his and Elena's parents, too, that he has decided to relieve his pain via substance abuse. Jeremy also has the hots for Vicky, Elena's very hot ex-boyfriend, Matt's, sister. Poor Vicky has also - for whatever reason - turned to a life of drugs and evident sexual promiscuity. Leading us to Tyler, Vicky's current boyfriend who is friends with Vicky's brother, Matt, and the rival for Jeremy over Vicky's affections. Tyler comes off as sort of the school jerk, so I can't wait to see more development to this character. Rounding out the group of 'normals' is Caroline. She appears at first as a good friend of Elena's but later into the episode we see she's more of a competition. She will be another interesting character.
Now for the not-so-normals, we got the actual stars, vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore. And oh mama!! Two hot brothers....followed by two more hot brothers ("Supernatural", of course!) on Thursday nights, along with all the hot guys listed above?? Oh my.... what IS a gal to do with all that manliness in a 2-hour sitting? *Ahem* Anyway, back to what I was saying, Stefan and Damon will be the most complex and interesting of characters. First off, Stefan appears to be the good one, with Damon undoubtedly taking the role of villain. We gain much 411 about each in the ep, more than what I would normally expect, especially with Stefan, who was featured more prominently than Damon anyway. Stefan is apparently way older than he looks, which is evidenced by his fixation on a centuries-old picture in a journal of some chick named Katherine - who just happens to be a dead ringer for Elena, hence Stefan's instant attraction/obsession toward Elena. Also, we learn Stefan has learned to curb his vamp ways throughout the years by weaning himself off the human blood. But this is something that has obviously not been easy for him, as shown in the graveyard scene with Elena - she shows him her cut leg and he fights his reactive instinct. So far it's clear why he and Elena share an attraction. Each have lost very important people in their lives, and more interestingly, each keep a diary (a journal, in Stefan's case). These little diary scenes make for some actual touching moments. It gives us deeper insight into the characters.
As for Damon, well....let's just say we get that he's gonna take on the main villain role, but there's still so much more to him than meets the proverbial eye. Basically, a lot of what we saw with him in this ep gave us more insight into how the vampire lore will be handled on this show. Seems some of the old traditions will stick, such as vamps not being able to enter a house unless invited first - which Elena promptly does for Stefan at ep's end. Also, it seems sunlight will kill them, but only if they're wearing those really pretty rings. After all, Stefan had no problem working that "hot back" of his around in the sunshine. Now, I wonder if stakes through the heart or vamp decapitation will figure into the mythos here? Time will tell, I guess, but other than all that, we still get some more personal stuff with Damon. There appears to be some major sibling rivalry between these two. Damon clearly shows he can be a challenge: he managed to swipe Stefan's ring off his finger (something that will for sure figure importantly in the future) in their little struggle out the window, and has shown he can to some extent manipulate nature (the crow, the fog). So it will be very entertaining to watch how Damon will unfold, shaking things up. He was obviously the one stalking Elena at the graveyard, and I now assume he's the one who attacked the couple at the beginning of the ep, as well as Vicky at the party, conveniently trying to set Stefan up for a fall. It's actually very exciting, now that I think about it! But the history is the biggest part to me. What happened to these brothers? How did they become vampires in the first place? What made them turn on each other? And how does this past woman, Katherine, figure into it? Was she a love interest for one of them, or both? So many questions to answer and give us loads to look forward to seeing explored.
Speaking of, other story plots abounded to set up various seasonal arcs. Aside from the main story with Elena and the vamp bros, we also have Jeremy, whose drug addiction and (obvious) dangerous infatuation with Vicky will cause friction with Tyler. And after Vicky's attack by Damon, she utters the word "vampire" to Matt, which I'm hoping will start the obligatory witch hunt. We have Bonnie and her psychic thing, which she says she isn't - but she saw something about Elena at the party, so she ain't getting off that easy. Then there's Caroline, who's clearly jealous of Elena because Caroline took an instant liking to Stefan (can you blame her?) but since Stefan told her that there would be nothing between them, she ends up making goo goo eyes at Damon at the end of the ep, who seems to be prepared to make her his next target.
Really, loads to look forward to watching unfold and play out. I'm actually very intrigued. Odds and Ends:
- For secondary characters, Aunt Jenna and Uncle Zach seem to be of fair importance, particularly Zach, since he's involved with/related to the vamps. Can't wait to see what his part is in all this.
- As far as special effects go - this is part horror and action, after all, so it's gonna have them - very subtle, nice effects. SO FAR. This is only the pilot ep, so we only got to see some little stuff, mainly on Stefan's facial features turning, but nothing over the top.
- Very nice music soundtrack throughout. On shows like these, always a good. Seriously, loved all the selections, especially the one in the end scene. Still humming it. I'm gonna start this ep out rating it a 9. Like I said before, regardless of my affinity for vampires, things like this aren't really my thing, but judging from everything I saw, I reiterate: it has potential. DEFINITE potential, and I have some really high hopes for it. And as long as people watch and ratings are high, and the stories and characters continue to improve, I believe this is a series that will go far.
