A teenage Vampire show… I think we can skip the usual intro because we all know the plot. Vampire lore has become so ubiquitous in our culture that you know the story even before it begins; which is why when The Vampire Diaries first aired on the CW I didn’t get past the first episode. The pilot was everything I expected it to be and did nothing to lead me to believe there was any originality coming down the pike – boy was I wrong!

Yes, the show begins with a lonely sad girl falling in love with a brooding mysterious boy who turns out to be a vampire but that’s just the beginning of this story. The Vampire Diaries has a plethora of main and recurring characters each with their own storylines that keep the show fresh and interesting. This is NOT Twilight on the small screen. In fact the show directly references how lame the Twilight movies are in a couple of episodes; which was a great nod to the audience. It’s them saying, ‘we know they got here first, but we are going to do this better.’

One of the great things about the show is how with each episode the story gets deeper, more involved and way more complicated. Something that I thought was going to be one predictable note after another turned into surprise after surprise.

They don’t waste too much time in bringing our two leads together which I appreciated because we all know it’s going to happen so it’s nicer to just cut to the chase and get them there and see what happens.

Paul Wesley as our hero Vampire Stefan Salvatore has a very ‘if James Dean were a vampire’ look to him. Thankfully they don’t make the Twilight mistake of going super pale so they look sickly and they don’t over do it with the antiquated mannerisms and speech patterns the way they do on True Blood. This is a very modern take on vampires so thanks to things like his magic ring Stefan can hang out in the sun, look hot and even feel hot thanks to a coffee addiction that keeps him warm to the touch to forestall any suspicions.

I first noticed Paul years ago in a guest spot on Law & Order SVU and then interviewed him for a small horror movie he did called Killer Movie; I knew immediately that he could be a new breakout star. He’s got the looks, the acting chops and the disarming personality needed to make sure that people don’t resent him for those good looks. He’s not the cocky type even though he could easily be. He’s very much like his character – the shy good guy that everyone wants to get to know. He’s definitely found a role with this show that highlights him in the best possible

way. So even if the show eventually gets staked, he’ll be just fine.

His brother Damon, on the other hand, is a little harder to label. Of course initially he’s painted as nothing but the bad guy of the show. He’s completely selfish and has no regard for human life but every now and then when no one is looking Damon betrays his ‘evil’ nature by doing something kind or heroic. This doesn’t detract from the fact that he is a killer with no remorse, but it does make him a much more interesting, complex character to watch evolve. And Ian Somerhalder plays the role beautifully. There’s something about his post-pretty boy narcissism that easily translates into a vampiric holier than thou attitude which is very convincing. The audience knows they should hate him but he’s so charming and attractive that you almost can’t hold him responsible for all of the things that he does.

The weakest link in our top three is of course the girl, Elena played by newcomer Nina Dobrev. Now don’t get me wrong, she is infinitely better than Kristen Stewart as Bella in the Twilight series. She’s not some love sick puppy willing to do anything to keep her man and who is completely destroyed when he’s not around. In fact, she’s the exact opposite of that. She’s strong willed, independent and not all starry eyed in love. The problem is the relationship between Stefan and Damon has so much back story that still needs to be discovered that we spend all of our time waiting to learn more about them and see more of their interactions. Elena is mostly just the observer, the audience stand in, and so we initially don’t really care about what happens with her.

She’s also more compelling and believable as the 19th century Katherine than she is as the 21st century Elena which is odd considering how much additional work goes into playing a period character as opposed to a contemporary one. I’m not saying she’s bad she’s just not as interesting as I think she could be.

Speaking of the period nature of the show it’s important to mention that The Vampire Diaries has two storylines happening simultaneously; one in present day Mystic Falls and also the events that led up to the Salvatore Brothers feud and what actually turned them into Vampires which took place in 1864 in the same small Virginia town. The occasional flashbacks to the 19th century definitely inform the events of the present and they add a nice texture to the show overall as it keeps it from being just another exclusively contemporary teen drama like One Tree Hill or The O.C.

One episode in particular that incorporates the two timeframes beautifully is towards the end of the year called Blood Brothers. Of all of the flashbacks this episode has

the most important, most eye-opening moments of the season and they all flow together seamlessly.

One great thing that I love about this show is its unpredictability. Most series have what I call the ‘hero shield.’ Lead cast members can never be in any real jeopardy because we know they are integral to the show and won’t be let go. In Vampire Diaries no one, save the top three, are irreplaceable. A character could be here one minute and gone the next. Or they could be here as a human then killed and then return as a vampire; the possibilities are endless and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The down side to this is that the show gets a bunch of exciting guest stars that end up only being around for a couple of episodes or even just one and then they’re history. Flashbacks can help with some but not all of them. Sean Faris in particular was a big loss for me. I think he’s a great actor and super nice to look at so seeing him go so quickly was disappointing to say the least.

The supporting characters in the show that actually make it through the entire season are all pretty fantastic. The one that surprised me the most was Katerina Graham as Elena’s best friend Bonnie. She begins the season as the ‘cardboard cut out best friend’ with no depth, no story and no will of her own; by the end she is entirely her own person with a fascinating back story. Sure, she’s a ‘witch’ which is cool, but she takes it to a whole different level by seasons end.

22 year old Steven R. McQueen as Elena’s 15 year old brother Jeremy is a stretch to begin with. There is no way this full grown hot man could ever pass for 15, but it’s The CW so we let that slide. His character has some interesting unexpected growth and is finally able to get in on the action a bit towards the end, but I see a big shift in his character coming for season 2 that will hopefully let him become more of the hero that I think he truly is.

Equally gorgeous and waiting for his chance to shine is Jeremy’s rival and school bully Tyler Lockwood played by Michael Trevino. His secret potential is perhaps the most obvious of the group both because of how he is presented and also because we all know that where there are vampires… well I won’t ruin it just in case you haven’t figured it out yet. I’ll just say Twilight did it, True Blood did it and I’m sure Vampire Diaries will get to it soon enough and when they do it will be amazing.

Special features on the set include the Into Mystic Falls

featurette which is an extensive well produced behind-the-scene with cast and crew. It’s basically a mutual admiration society meeting where we get to see what went into making the show but also hear how much they all love each other. It gets a little nauseating after a while but the information is great and again, it’s well produced.

There’s also the When Vampires Don’t Suck featurette with further cast and crew interviews about the fan craze that existed around the book series upon which the show was based and also the evolution of the vampire legend over the years. There’s some great B roll footage of a mall appearance the cast did in Georgia that helps to paint a more accurate picture of how much fans love this show.

The Vampire Diaries: A Darker Truth feature is actually 4 webisodes that are pretty lame and totally skippable. The Gag reel has a couple of funny moments but not many, Vampires 101 teaches us what the Vampire rules are for this show in a very clever little high school quiz way and finally A New Breed of Vampire goes behind-the-scenes of the casting process for the show; which is a great feature for any auditioning actors out there.

As far as the Bluray presentation I have to say I didn’t see much difference over a standard DVD. In fact, the load time for the disc because there is so much information packed onto it is much longer and annoying than a regular DVD would have been. That being said I don’t see the sense in anyone investing in DVD’s anymore. Bluray’s have already become the new standard so to ignore that at this point makes no sense. The quality may only be slightly better, but a couple years from now people will be laughing at your DVD collection the way we now laugh at people with extensive Laser Disc collections from the 80’s.

Overall this is a great show that is definitely trying it’s best to stand apart from all of the other Vampire entertainment that’s out there today. The way that the show is able to explore things like drug addiction, depression, feelings of isolation and of being the outsider makes it the perfect show for anyone in their early to late teens. I don’t think there’s a single American teenager who couldn’t identify with a lot of what happens in Vampire Diaries. The fantastical nature of the show is just the icing on the cake to keep viewers tuning back in over and over again.

Personally, now that seen I’ve seen the entire first season I’ll be setting my DVR immediately for the Season 2 Premiere on Thursday, September 9th!