Review: The CW’s “Vampire Diaries”

By Amanda Pendolino on September 11th, 2009

OMG. I. Seriously. Love. This. Show. Vampire Diaries, that is. You might argue that the whole vampire thing is getting kind of old with Twilight and True Blood around, but I think it’s safe to say that the new teen drama has carved its own special niche in the vamp genre.

It stars my Degrassi fave Nina Dobrev as Elena, a high-school girl who is still struggling with the death of her parents. She has a tendency to sit among gravestones and write in her diary – though it’s pretty healthy compared to her brother Jeremy’s (Steven R. McQueen) more medicated approach to grief.

Elena’s not excited about the school year - until she meets newcomer Stefan (Paul Wesley). He’s hothothot and brooding, but not like emo-skinny-boy brooding; he’s all chiseled and manly and I-have-deep-secrets brooding. The couple has a compelling chemistry; feelings are intense but never over-the-top. We quickly learn that he’s actually a vampire, but determined to fight the urge to feed on people – unlike his somewhat evil brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder, the dark-haired Chace Crawford lookalike from Lost).

The show is a romantic, coming-of-age throwback to the WB dramas of the late 90s, combining sweetness and sarcasm. I could do without the voiceover, but I realize the CW doesn’t trust its audience to be intelligent.

Vampire Diaries is a little Dawson’s (but not as earnest), and a little Buffy (but not as mythological). The golden hues are also reminiscent of the O.C. – a huge compliment in my book.