Here we go again....
Welcome to the latest one of Katie's new obsession posts. This one has to be one of my strangest....or at least how it came about.
Two years ago when this show first aired I watched the first episode and thought it was possibly the worst show I had ever seen (nope take that back... it is still and always will be Glee, which is by far the worst thing ever to hit the air and this is from a person who loves soaps and showtunes).The first episode was way to melodramatic and the romance that the show was basing itself was so nauseating it made me physically gag. I couldn't get past the concept that the whole show was based on and therefore I was done.
However I do have a 3 episode rule. I give every show 3 episodes to impress me or build a great/compelling story. So about 4 days ago I thought I would give this show another chance to prove it wasn't gag worthy. I watched episode 2 and 3 and still couldn't stand the show as a whole, but I found one character that was worth watching some clips of to see where the show was going. I found an entire site that was devoted to said character and started watching small segments of the show. (I mean seriously I only think I watched maybe 10 clips.... it was nothing, because I still couldn't stand the show) But the character was so damn compelling I couldn't stop until I saw an episode that came highly recommended) I skipped the rest first season and jumped in halfway through the second. The scene that finally hooked me came in Season 2 Episode 12. I was done.... and resorting to cliche.... hook, line, and sinker. I then watched the next 10 episodes in somewhat complete form... I skipped a lot of stupid teen drama, but the show finally got to me. Never have I actually had to force myself to watch that much of a show before I could definitively give an answer to its overall appeal. Of course since then I have now seen every episode, because I have no self control and while the teen angstiness is still there making me gag overall I finally gave in and enjoyed it almost the whole thing. I still maintain that the first 3 episodes are god freaking awful.
I am sure by now you have either gotten incredibly bored or extremely frustrated because I haven't written what show has taken over the bulk of my free time. Maybe because I am still a little reticent in writing it down for all to see or really it is more likely that I can't admit that I like this show with a bunch of 14 year old girls, but I Katie Phillips love Vampire Diaries. Ugh. That was painful.
Ok what brought this all on was HBO had a marathon of True Blood which I like a lot, but I am still very leery of.... but I will get to that in a moment.
It is no hidden fact that I have a thing for vampire shows. My second favorite show of all time is Angel, which is just about as darky and twisty as you can get (bonus points to anyone who recognized that as a BtVS quote). I love the struggle against humanity and the search for it at the same time. It is a gorgeous conundrum which is extremly powerful to watch play out on screen. After watching season 2 and 3 of True Blood I still wanted a new vampire show and I have seen them all I was about to pull out the Blood Ties DVDs when the idea of watching Vampire Diaries popped in my head. Didn't want to, but hey I was bored and thus my decent began.
I've been trying to analyze what makes me like these types of shows. My friend had a very interesting theory as to why the bulk of teenagedom has become ragging fangbangers. He says the idea of the forbiddeness coupled with the idea of a lost lonely girl (which most teenage girls would qualify themselves as) coupled with the idea of being loved forever is irrestible to most girls. I do not put myself in this category, because the love lasting through the ages crap is the only thing that drives me nuts. To say that a 160 year old vampire is in love with a 17 year old girl is hard enough, but the thought of it lasting forever is downright ridiculous. What I enjoy is the fact that a person has two sides battling eachother for control trying to figure out which one will finally get out, which of course is what the basis of 90% of literature is about. Yes it is Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde just amplified to an even more supernatural point of view. Really the vampire stories I enjoy are always about redemption, which is why I can't stand Twilight.
Angel searches for absolution for his soul. Mick St. John is seeking redemption from the child he hurt in Moonlight. Henry Fitzroy didn't want his humanity taken away in the first place and has rarely killed in 500 years in Blood Ties.
Eric and Bill from True Blood both are trying to find something is Sookie... is it exactly redemption? No, but you can tell that Sookie brings them both closer to humanity... Sookie is the catalyst for their reactions to situations. Bill is clearly trying to become more human and searches that out in Sookie, while Eric does things for a human he would never contemplate. Still they are both very much evil. (and no one can give me that but Bill's good and protecting Sookie crap... I read the books he is an ASS. Just because 90% of True Blood viewers have never read the books doesn't give them the excuse to go on standing up for Bill)
Stefan and Damon in Vampire Diaries want to be human again, but they can't fight there nature.
Humanity is the driving force rather than a high jumping vampire who eats bears and remains abstinent. In Twilight the love story is the driving force while in every other vampire show/movie humanity is the driving force with some love stuff on the side. I still haven't figured out why all the redeemable vampires are men while the women are pretty much just plain evil, that is for another post.
Back to some vampire diaries deliciousness. This is the scene that hooked me... I promise really no spoilers. You don't have to know what is going on the show to understand it either. Damon is just making the most basic choice anyone or well any supernatural being on a television show can make... good or evil.
http://youtu.be/tsim3TBlQDM and yes the irony of it being hosted by a person named Twilight Freak is not lost on me.
Ian Somerhalder is pretty much the only reason to watch the show. (I know, I know... imagine that Katie likes the dark and broody one) That scene shows his struggle in remaining true to his humanity or giving up completely to the evilness inside and gawd he does it well. I honestly watched that scene 5 times in a row. I mean what show actually shows one of the main characters kill innocent people and yet you still like him as a character???? I didn't think it was possible. Damon kind of kills a main character, but you still are able to see past that...as soon as it happened I could care less about the character I just wanted to know what Damon's reaction was to the whole situation. It is crazy.
Angel killed innocents, but it was while he was Angelus. No Vampire show has ever shown the true darkness of what it would actually be like to be a true Vampire and have a human soul at the same time. Without Damon this just becomes a melodramatic teen drama with no vampire/human/werewolf love triangle.
I think I really like this show because it doesn't do the traditional route. The vampires have their human soul, human memories... they are just living with a demon. It is refreshing. I'm not saying it is mindblowing or ground breaking but it feels real, which is strange to say about a supernatural show. I'm not going to say that the show as a whole is a fantastic show; there are way too many characters and the show does not do justice to them all; coupled with the amount of nauseating hand holding and posturing Stefan (and yes even Damon) does it is more than enough to alienate any teen angst non-aficianado.
It isn't the best show ever or even the best show on the 4 main networks currently, but it was definitely worth the second, third, fourth, fifth, so on try.... cuz sooner or later the show will sink in and you will bite...hook, line, and sinker. *oh so lame*