It was the little things that pulled me in at first. To begin with, I only tuned in to the series premiere because of a bizarre loyalty I have to a little Canadian show called Degrassi, which compels (little TVD pun there) me to watch at least one episode of every show starring an alum. (That’s right, I watched a show about teenage vampires because of teen mom-turned-threesome-having model Mia Jones, aka Nina Dobrev.) But when I did, I found myself appreciating all the little things that differentiated it from other similar shows. The way “the vampire rules” were subtly slipped in, the relationships given time to build and develop… and then I saw Ian Somerhalder. Have you ever involuntarily said “Wow” aloud in an otherwise empty room at the mere sight of a person? Uhhh, yeah, me neither.
And so, I stayed on for the next week, and the next, and the next after that, and slowly but surely, I came to realize the truth: What I’d thought was simply a guilty pleasure is actually one of the best shows on TV. (Vague spoilers to follow.)
I still remember when I made the leap. It was the middle of season one, an episode that had been no more hyped than any other, and all of a sudden–BAM! They killed off a main character. And this wasn’t like when Grey’s Anatomy killed off George, which was sad but not so sad because every one of the show’s 37 remaining fans knew T.R. Knight was leaving the show anyway; this was a straight-up, holy-crap, out-of-nowhere shock. And just like that, the entire show was elevated as viewers were taught that no one–short of human heroine Elena and the devoted vampire brothers Salvatore, of course–was safe. It was a ballsy move, but it upped the show’s fear factor and paid off in a big way. So much so that they did it again one season later.
As for the characters who live (or at least remain undead) to fight another day, they’re progressing into some of the most interesting teenagers on TV. I may have initially watched the show for Nina Dobrev, but let’s face it–her name on Degrassi might as well have been Meh-a. However, as both the rapidly toughening-yet-eternally hopeful Elena and the sultry, selfish vampiress Katherine, Dobrev is transformed into not just one but two completely different characters. And while it’s always fun to watch her play the immortal and amoral badass, it’s the evolution of Elena from the kind of helpless female we’re all sick of seeing to a gutsy and active participant in the chaos going on around her. It’s taken some time, but Elena’s finally becoming the antidote to characters like Heroes‘ Claire Bennett and True Blood‘s Sookie Stackhouse–chicks who talk big and somehow think they’re going to save the world despite the fact that their powers are at best defensive and they haven’t even bothered to learn how to throw a punch. In contrast, this season we’ve seen Elena get trained by her guardian, vampire hunter Alaric (played by the obscenely cute Matt Davis–that’s Warner Huntington III to Legally Blonde fans), and actually get her hands bloody. Very, very bloody.
But the award for the most interesting character development on this show goes to Caroline, played by the adorable Candice Accola. In fact, Accola is so adorable that it only heightens the scenes in which Caroline, who begins the series as that blond cheerleader type, finds herself raging and feeding in response to her having been turned into a vampire against her will. Despite everything that happens, and despite the fact that at times, all of the characters on the show act like they’re 150 years old (seriously, Bonnie, take a shot or something), Caroline cannot stop being a teenager, both literally and figuratively. She is so heartbreakingly seventeen, searching and confused and scared and desperate for love and acceptance, from both herself and her vampire-hating parents. In last week’s episode, as she beseeches her father not to hate what she can’t change, it’s hard not to want to sit her down in front of an “It Gets Better” video. (And, with Accola, Kat Graham (Bonnie), and Ian Somerhalder (Damon) all appearing in one, it feels safe to say that was the intention. Hey, remember when True Blood sort of did that well for five minutes of season 1? Good times. But I digress.)
Probably the most universally lauded virtue of The Vampire Diaries, however, is its pacing. While other shows are filling their seasons with a few exciting can’t-miss hours scattered amid episode after episode of filler, or promising game-changing scenes in their promos that turn out to have been some boring character’s dream, The Vampire Diaries makes every episode count, whether they’re taking place in modern-day Mystic Falls, VA, or flashing back to 15th century Bulgaria (and taking advantage of Nina Dobrev’s fluency in the language of her birth country). Every episode has some sort of major make-you-gasp moment, and the most miraculous part of all is that the rapid-fire pacing is never at the expense of character development.
Yes, it’s a show about vampires and other supernatural beings. Yes, it’s a show about teenagers. Yes, it’s on the same network that brings you programs like Haha, We Think We Can Make You Believe Summer Roberts is a Doctor and Everybody Loves Hates Sleeps With Serena. But it’s a diamond in the rough, a bag of O-negative in a vampire-themed metaphor I can’t finish. Do yourself a favor and sink your teeth into it.
Just don’t call it a guilty pleasure.
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursday nights at 8 PM EST on the CW. The first two seasons are currently available through Netflix streaming. You can also find Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder looking supernaturally hot on one of three versions of this week’s cover of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands Friday.
