The Originals rewatch, continued

Sep 03, 2014 12:39

I just realized my Klaus icon is the only Originals icon I have. I will have to rectify that.

So I got to the point in my Vampire Diaries rewatch where the backdoor pilot of The Originals cuts in, and then I just jump shipped to The Originals lol. I don't think I'll finish my TVD rewatch. The Originals is just so much better, at least to me.

I think it's because The Originals is not necessarily geared at a teen audience, whereas TVD, with its high school setting, definitely is (even in Season 5, when the characters start college). There is much more emphasis on romance and school life, as opposed to The Originals, which is less focused on the romance and is really about family dynamics, and all the political maneuvering between the various supernatural factions to gain power. Of course, there's nothing wrong with TVD's high school approach; it's a show for teens, and that's okay. But, as someone who is technically not a teen anymore and just likes to read a lot of teen books, I prefer The Originals' setting.

I think that's why I like the characters of Haley and Rebekah so much more on The Originals, because they're allowed to act like adults, which really fits their characters better - especially Rebekah, who's been around for 1000 years. They really are both written very differently on the two shows, and in the case of Haley, I feel like the actor even changed the way she played her character when she came onto The Originals. (Possibly because of all the hate Haley got on TVD.) She's much less pouty, much less self-centered on The Originals, and her toughness is more understated - more show than tell. She had a lot of attitude on TVD, and I felt like she was supposed to seem tough because of it, but she just came off as kind of a mean girl. She seriously became my favorite female character of the show, and that's saying a lot, because I really hated her on TVD.

I like Rebekah a lot more too, though I still never warmed to her quite as much as I did to Haley. I'm only five episodes in on my TO rewatch, but I kind of remember being annoyed with all the scheming she does against Klaus. The thing is, I really do sympathize with her - Klaus has treated her, and continues to treat her, abominably. The way he tries to exert control over her - in a way he doesn't try to do with his brothers - is really not okay. But her plotting against him still comes off to me as kind of juvenile and petty. I guess I just didn't understand why she didn't just leave, leave Klaus and all his nonsense behind to go live her own life. Which is maybe why I wasn't too upset when she did just that, halfway through the season - it was the right move for her character, even though it meant losing her on the show.

the vampire diaries, the originals, rewatch, television

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