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.
Wow, I was pretty whatever about this show, but I have to say, you put up a pretty convincing argument. Guess I’ll have to catch at least one episode now before I can completely dismiss it.
From the rolling fog to the laughable diary entries, I was amused the whole time because the show is attempting to be serious. Full review of the episode on my blog.
http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/09/cws-vampire-diaries-cheesy-likely-to.html