The Vampire Diaries, Take 2
Now that I've doubled the number of The Vampire Diaries episodes I've seen (yes, since yesterday!), let's expand on my thoughts:
I just finished watching "Unpleasantville" (or S01E12) a few minutes ago, and I have to say that I haven't felt this compelled to fall headlong into a television show since Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the entirety of which I watched in just a couple of months back in 2005).
There are definitely shows I've fallen head over heels for in the past few years - my love for True Blood is one such, and GoD knows I mainlined that series 3-4 episodes at a pop when I started watching it in S2 - but I was able to restrict myself to viewing it once a week, teasing out the enjoyment.
I'm also heavily into The Big Bang Theory, and zoomed through its first 3 seasons pretty quickly as well. But, again, I was able to save that for once- or twice-a-week viewings and it lasted me a few months. (Also, my relationship with that show is fraught: my love is tempered by my heavy criticism of the writers.)
But I haven't felt this overwhelming need to immediately consume the text as quickly as possible, to revisit it as soon as possible, to start analyzing and drawing parallels and writing notes as I watch in quite some time. (I'm not counting Doctor Who in this statement - that's a very old romance.)
I have criticisms. The text is nowhere near perfect, nor would I want it to be. That would make it much less interesting. Sometimes I think things move too quickly to reach their full thematic resonance, but I also thrill with how quickly everything can completely change. Fully embracing the ephemeral nature of life - and of a human life compared to savage, immortal monsters and a hidden supernatural world - well, that's thematically resonant in itself.
I want to write about Vicki and Lexi and Bree. I want to write about how stoked I am that they're pulling no punches with Damon's characterization. I want to write about how they're not depicting Stefan with an Angel syndrome, nor hiding from Elena that he's not a good person in the everyday moral understanding of the word. I appreciate that Elena is changing, clearly yet subtly (much like Sookie Stackhouse evolves in the Harris books, which is something that Paquin and Ball haven't managed to convey well in True Blood). I'm delighted with how they work in all those pesky questions about vampire mechanics, and I guiltily (yet gleefully) admit that I'm really down with Elena/Damon. (Yeah, I was much more Buffy/Spike than I was ever Buffy/Angel too.)
I love the dialogue quips. I respect that they don't flinch from convoluted back story, and expect their audience to keep up with bombshells conveyed in dialogue. I'm incredibly pleased with the direction of the episodes, and the directors' abilities to invoke a menacing atmosphere in such comparatively little space (since they're generally juggling teenage drama intercut with life-and-death games on the supernatural front).
I even really dig the music, though I must add to my earlier definition of "CW Land": not only is it the land of the incredibly good-looking and trendily-dressed, it is also the land of the constantly-swelling pop or indie music.
Anyway, I'd really like to go into further detail about a number of the things I mention above, but it's already half past ten and I need to be getting some work done before bed.
I can't believe that I already want to rewatch this series.
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comments.
I just finished watching "Unpleasantville" (or S01E12) a few minutes ago, and I have to say that I haven't felt this compelled to fall headlong into a television show since Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the entirety of which I watched in just a couple of months back in 2005).
There are definitely shows I've fallen head over heels for in the past few years - my love for True Blood is one such, and GoD knows I mainlined that series 3-4 episodes at a pop when I started watching it in S2 - but I was able to restrict myself to viewing it once a week, teasing out the enjoyment.
I'm also heavily into The Big Bang Theory, and zoomed through its first 3 seasons pretty quickly as well. But, again, I was able to save that for once- or twice-a-week viewings and it lasted me a few months. (Also, my relationship with that show is fraught: my love is tempered by my heavy criticism of the writers.)
But I haven't felt this overwhelming need to immediately consume the text as quickly as possible, to revisit it as soon as possible, to start analyzing and drawing parallels and writing notes as I watch in quite some time. (I'm not counting Doctor Who in this statement - that's a very old romance.)
I have criticisms. The text is nowhere near perfect, nor would I want it to be. That would make it much less interesting. Sometimes I think things move too quickly to reach their full thematic resonance, but I also thrill with how quickly everything can completely change. Fully embracing the ephemeral nature of life - and of a human life compared to savage, immortal monsters and a hidden supernatural world - well, that's thematically resonant in itself.
I want to write about Vicki and Lexi and Bree. I want to write about how stoked I am that they're pulling no punches with Damon's characterization. I want to write about how they're not depicting Stefan with an Angel syndrome, nor hiding from Elena that he's not a good person in the everyday moral understanding of the word. I appreciate that Elena is changing, clearly yet subtly (much like Sookie Stackhouse evolves in the Harris books, which is something that Paquin and Ball haven't managed to convey well in True Blood). I'm delighted with how they work in all those pesky questions about vampire mechanics, and I guiltily (yet gleefully) admit that I'm really down with Elena/Damon. (Yeah, I was much more Buffy/Spike than I was ever Buffy/Angel too.)
I love the dialogue quips. I respect that they don't flinch from convoluted back story, and expect their audience to keep up with bombshells conveyed in dialogue. I'm incredibly pleased with the direction of the episodes, and the directors' abilities to invoke a menacing atmosphere in such comparatively little space (since they're generally juggling teenage drama intercut with life-and-death games on the supernatural front).
I even really dig the music, though I must add to my earlier definition of "CW Land": not only is it the land of the incredibly good-looking and trendily-dressed, it is also the land of the constantly-swelling pop or indie music.
Anyway, I'd really like to go into further detail about a number of the things I mention above, but it's already half past ten and I need to be getting some work done before bed.
I can't believe that I already want to rewatch this series.
You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth, where there are currently
comments.