Vampire Diaries - Review Pt. 2

Elena and bad vampire Damon

Ok, so remember how I reviewed this show already? Well, at the end of the review I was lamenting that main character Elena hadn't figured out Stefan's undeadlyness. I believe I said something like if she didn't find out in the next episode, I'd probably not stick around. Well, she heard me because by the next episode, she was researching and finding the evidence she needed to confirm what she knew in her heart. Her new boy is all secretive and broody because he's a vampire.

So I stuck with the show. The cons I mentioned in the last post, well, they are still cons.

• Bad, bad historical accuracy in the representation of Civil War-era Mystic Falls.

• Grodyness surrounding the attraction Stefan has for a 17-year old girl. I think in the last episode, Stefan says he's been 17 since 1864. Which made me laugh because the actor is 27 and looks it.

• It's a show about high-school in a small/insular town, which just sucks as a premise for me.

• The heroine is a young girl - I like my heroines to be older, or at least not naive. My typical heroine's sexual awakening happened years ago and she's not about to fall for someone just because he finds her attractive.

But now it's time for some of the pros, which after a few episodes, I think it deserves:

1 - Elena's Un-Bella-like Response

I liked that Elena did a bunch of research (on a computer!) in order to confirm her suspicions about Stefan. And, when she did find out, she confronted him, was angry, and made it pretty clear that she couldn't be with him until she figured some things out. Namely whether or not he has ever killed anyone before. He might be a vampire vegetarian now, but was he always? She's surprisingly cautious, and she likes to be adequately informed before making decisions. She's just getting used to the idea of vampires and her initial reaction seems to be disgust. That's more of a normal response.

2 - Elena's desire to be in control

Both vampires are fascinated by Elena's resemblance to Katherine, the vampire who turned them both (and had affairs with them as well). I thought this would lead to one of those tug-of-war type story lines where Elena is kept in the dark about their natures while they woo her and fight over her. She ultimately is a prize, not a person. And coveted only because she resembles a bigger prize that is no longer available.

So far, what has happened is that they are both interested in her, but thanks to a magical herb called "vervain" in her necklace (which Stefan gave her), she is resistant to vampire mind-control. It's nice to know the choices she's making are her own and now that she knows they are vampires, I'm interested to see how she deals with them. Already she's managed to throw the legend of Katherine in Damon's face, making him leave her doorstep in a huff. He's the baddie and he got totally faced by a human. She knows who Katherine is and that she turned them into vampires. I don't know if she knows how much she resembles her. And I so want to see her get pissed when she figures it out. Please, show, if you love me, make her go dark for a time when she figures it out. Please?

3 - Elena's concern for her friends, and their concern for her

Bonnie & Caroline, Elena's friends

I like that Elena shows concern for her friends, and even for people who aren't close to her. When she thinks that Caroline is being brutalized by Damon, she tries to get her to leave him and doesn't let up. Bonnie senses something weird about Stefan and cautions Elena, but instead of ignoring her or distancing herself from her friendships, she encourages Bonnie and Stefan to get to know each other. Her support structure doesn't seem to suffer as she enters the relationship. She still lives with her brother and aunt, all of whom interact with each other (even though everyone is distracted by their own drama).

Ex-boyfriend Matt tries to make nice with Stefan and gives him pointers about dating her. Namely that he be up front about his past, because she will find out whatever it is he is hiding, indicating that Elena is no shrinking flower.

Even though she has lost her parents recently, her support structure is there. She's not as disconnected as I had initially thought.

Vampire brothers Stefan & Damon Salvatore

4 - Hello, vampires eat people. People!

This show doesn't shy away from the dark side of vampirism, namely that people are like sandwiches. Stefan may have qualms about killing for dinner, but Damon does not. His lack of regard for human life is powerfully represented. He manipulates and glamours his way into the lives of several people in Mystic Falls. He brutally kills people on screen. Stefan's humanity is a great counter-balance to Damon's inhumanity, but at the same time, Damon has a soft-spot for his brother. He had the chance to let Stefan die and he saved him instead.

I'm hoping Damon's character gains some complexity, because if they stick to this white-hat/black-hat dynamic, it will be very tough to rationalize Stefan's reluctance to kill his brother. I want to hear more about Damon's relationship with Katherine. Maybe he has a reasonable beef with humans?

We also need to meet more vampires, or learn something more about vampire culture. Maybe Elena will do some more research? A gal can only hope.

Final Decision:

Not much new on the vampire mythos front, but an interesting look at vampire-human romance that (so far) hasn't compromised the self-esteem of the heroine. Even though my Thursday evening is pretty packed, I'm going to DVR Vampire Diaries and watch it during the graveyard that is Tuesday night (no pun intended).