I know what you’re thinking… I thought the same thing when the CW hit series Vampire Diaries premiered in 2009: “I hate Twilight, I REALLY HATE TWILIGHT! and this looks like Twilight, so I almost filed Vampire Diaries to ‘file 13’ (the bin for those who don’t know the term).” The drippy, melodramatic pilot and the almost too pretty for words cast photos did little to alleviate those fears. However, a few episodes into the first season, I got hooked! And I wasn’t the only one, even critics actually liked the show!
I picked up the show a couple seasons in, so the first two seasons were already on Netflix, so I binged the first two seasons in a few days. Yeh, you can say I got hooked! By the end of season two, the spin-off show Originals starts to be set-up with the addition of Klaus Mikaelson (one of the original vampires), and by season three Klaus’s character really get cemented into the storyline with his mission to create an army of Hybrids (a cross between Vampire & Werewolf), and by Season 4, the spin-off Originals launches, expanding the Vampire Diaries Universe.
So here is my ‘Top 5’ reasons why you should check out Vampire Diaries this Halloween, no better time of year to check it out!
1: Vampire Diaries is not Twilight!
Vampire Diaries was created by Scream writer Kevin Williamson, so straight away that should put in your head thoughts with a great mix of humour and horror! It’s that simple!
Expect drama, gore, violence, horror along with the humour you got from Scream.
2: Elena is not Bella, and Stefan is not Edward!
Just as I briefly explained in my introduction to this, Vampire Diaries is definitely not Twilight!
I CANNOT stress this point enough. Why I cannot stand Twilight is, I’m a 50yr old guy and not a 14yr old girl. It was written for teenage girls, its about fluffy romance that just happen to be in a world of Werewolves and Vampires, bland, boring and even the main characters have no substance! More Disney than rip throat out vampire vibe!
In contrast, Vampire Diaries, not only give substance to the main characters, but the whole supporting cast and even guest characters have substance and back stories. Unlike Bella, Elena has her own identity, she has no desire to become a vampire, and doesn’t want her existence defined by her relationship with Stefan either.
She’s not perfect, Elena has a flawed character who doesn’t always make the right decisions, but easy at the same time to feel affection for her character. You really buy into why the rest of the cast repeatedly work to save her from harm, even by putting themselves in harms way.
Stefan’s character is well rounded, he is the one that tries to keep his older brother on the straight and narrow, the one that has a moral code, but fights a dark side (The Ripper) at the same time. His relationship with Elena is chocked full of emotion, with plenty of ups and downs, a likeable couple, and probably the best supernatural pairing since Buffy & Angel!
3: Damon
You could be mistaken that the show is all about Stefan and Elana’s love story, but you would be wrong…
We all need a smart-arse villain on the screen throwing insults from the sidelines, stirring trouble, and doing whats needed to be done when no one else is prepared to, whatever the cost, even when it makes them the villain! Thats Damon…
Stefan’s older, vampire brother Damon brings much of the series humour, he is both ruthless and romantic. Melodrama’s pomposity needs to be punctured occasionally in order to be effective, and Damon serves that purpose perfectly. He is driven by emotional impulses, allowing him to shift from sarcastic observer to third point in a vampire love triangle with great ease. He’s a wonderfully, refreshing, complex, ambiguous character and a major reason the series works as well as it does.
4: No One-Dimensional Villains Here!
Vampire Diaries has given us some of the best villains on TV! There is not a single one-dimensional villain in the show, they are all extremely complex characters who seem to be irredeemably evil, however you cant help but side with them and love them!
The show thrives on moral ambiguity with its characters and loves to make the audience initially hate the villains before making you completely side with them within just a few episodes, something that Buffy never managed, as great as it was. Even the lead characters frequently switch between good and bad, making them more believable and grounded.
5: The show takes more twists and turns than the Spaghetti Junction!
Vampire Diaries keeps you thinking about whats going to happen next, with what would normally be a whole show’s season, can take place within a whole episode to underlying plots that run throughout multiple seasons. This ability gives the show to be fast paced, but still have moments of calm and longer storyline plots to resolve major conflicts in a matter of episodes, forever changing allegiances of characters, giving us more betrayal than Dallas or Dynasty and leading to new threats!
The show is not shy about killing off even main characters either! Expect unexpected moments of much loved main characters being killed off when you least expect it in a brutal, visceral, twisty maze of a show that is one of the most binge worthy shows on any streaming platform!
Where to Watch Vampire Diaries and the Extended Vampire Diaries Universe of Spin-Offs: (As of publishing this article).
Vampire Diaries:
- Amazon Prime Video – Season 1-8 (Full Series).
- ITV X – Season 1-8 (Full Series).
- Netflix – Season 1-8 (Full Series).
The Originals:
- Amazon Prime Video – Season 1-5 (Full Series).
- ITV X – Season 1-5 (Full Series).
Legacies:
Amazon Prime Video – Season 1-4 (Full Series).
Entertainment Swindon 
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