The CW

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.) Continue reading →