I found this review and was struck by the smugness, dismissiveness, and yet the grudging admiration. Firstly, Katherine is spelled with a K. She’d old-school like that (holla to Katherine Parr and Katherine of Aragon). Yes, I will feel like a petulant, 14-year-old fangirl. But I am most certainly not. I am a petulant, 23-year-old, mature, very intelligent person who appreciates good TV when she sees it.
For some, the only way to confirm the real Elena is to call her on her cell phone. Others, unfortunately, don’t either have a phone at hand or enough time on their hands before the demonic Catherine lops off their fingers with a bread knife or decides to stab them.
I can’t tell whether this is some oh-so-subtle dig because it’s so convenient that someone could just call Elena’s phone to know who’s who (and they failed to use that when Damon was tricked by Katherine), or whether it’s glee at the fact that Uncle John got his fingers cut off.
vampire soap opera
It is not a soap opera. Period. It’s a supernatural drama.
The question, of course, for any TV soap opera, is how convoluted the plot can become before viewers get bored. Showing no inclination to drive a stake through a strongly beating ratings heart, The Vampire Diaries develops cautiously, with the introduction of villainous Catherine as the most significant new twist.
Whoa. Okay, way to imply that Vampire Diaries is a rating whore of a show (it’s not–it’s a good show that people watch because it’s a good show). Also, Vampire Diaries is just about the fastest-paced show on TV. It does not “develop slowly”. I could say that Katherine-with-a-K’s arrival isn’t the most significant twist in and of itself; I’d say the “death” of Jeremy and the “death” of Caroline count. Again, not a soap opera. And the plots are not convoluted. Complicated, yes, and layered, but let’s not slyly imply a show is convoluted just because we’re a little too slow to understand what’s going on.
After a century and a half of it, how much more abuse can a hot Prince of Darkness take?
This is amusing but again very snide. As if it’s some silly affectation. Damon is a wonderful character. And for the record, he can’t take much more. I think he’s hit rock bottom and hopefully things will only get better for him.
The Vampire Diaries, based on the books by LJ Smith, may allow the occasional bloodbath but maintains its tween audience appeal with dialogue such as “Don’t flirt with me, Catherine. I’m not Damon. I haven’t spent 145 years being obsessed with you.”
Yeah, it’s very violent for a TV show. It’s also NOT AIMED AT TWEENS, is NOT ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE FOR TWEENS, and is an amazing show for AN ADULT AUDIENCE. Just because it’s on the CW and its equivalent in the UK doesn’t mean that it can’t be enjoyed by adults. And what the hell is “tween” about what Stefan said? Is it the short sentences? The face that it has to deal with love? This isn’t cutesy “flirting”. There’s not much cutesy about this show.
And with its predominantly youthful, good looking and black-denim-clad cast, this show is still fun to watch in season two – especially if you’re too young to remember the mouldering, stone-cold, bloodless wretches that vampires are really supposed to be.
Dear writer of this article: That ship sailed in the ’70s with Anne Rice. Get over it. And it’s not denim, it’s leather.
