Writers: Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Grade: B+
I initially gave up on this show after two episodes, for reasons I’ll get into later. I’ve since given it another shot, and while I still think the first two episodes kind of suck, it gets considerably better from there, and I found myself with things to say about it. It’s coming back from hiatus in about two and a half weeks, so I might as well try to catch up and write about the episodes that have already aired. I’m a completionist, though, so I can’t just skip these early shitty episodes…
I should probably also mention that I read the books as a teen, more than once. More than twice, even. I’m not sure if I read them more than thrice, though. I skimmed through the books yesterday, and lemme tell ya, they’re a bit moldy in terms of style and culture. Overall, I think this show is a great update on the books. It manages to modernize them fairly well, clean up some of the questionable narrative choices, and do away with a lot of the cornier aspects of the books while maintaining the best parts of the cheesy melodrama. But enough rambling and on to the (unfortunately somewhat sucky) episode itself!
The beginning of the episode, with the fog, and the happy couple hitting the vampire in the middle of the road, and the checking on him and getting their throats ripped out? Completely and utterly cliché, but deliberately so, because this show doesn’t take itself too seriously. I’d also like to point out that while we’re clearly supposed to assume that it was Damon who attacked the couple, there’s no proof that it was him, and as we later learn, there is an another unaccounted for vampire on the loose. In fact, the fall finale ended with said vampire causing Elena to crash her car in exactly the same manner. Just something to keep in mind…
There are also some nice nods to the books in the first few minutes: the diaries, Elena having coffee for breakfast, Bonnie’s psychic powers, Stefan hypnotizing the school secretary, Stefan taking Mr. Tanner down a few pegs in history class, the stalkery crow.
Jeremy is an interesting addition to the cast, and I feel like I should hate him, because he’s a sullen little jerk. Thankfully, Baby McQueen has acting chops, so I don’t hate Jeremy.
In fact, the entire cast has acting chops. I haven’t heard a single line delivery that made me cringe, and the actors seem like they’ve already settled into their characters. Often there’s a bit of an adjustment period where the actor is still clearly feeling out the role, but these characters feel very well-defined even in the first episode. The real standouts to me are McQueen, Candice Accola as Caroline, Ian Somerhalder as Damon, and Zach Roerig as Matt, but they’re all great. And the physical casting for Stefan is just astonishing. Paul Wesley matches L.J. Smith’s description of Stefan almost perfectly: the cheekbones, the straight nose, the shape of the lips, the “lean, flat-muscled body,” even the average height (at least I assume he’s average--IMDb says Nina Dobrev is 5’ 6 1/2” and he doesn’t exactly tower over her).
Some of the female characters seems to have been swapped around, as if Caroline has become Bonnie, Bonnie has become Meredith, and Meredith has become Elena. I think I read somewhere that Meredith was going to be introduced later, though, so maybe it’s not as simple as that. Whatever the case, I don’t really have a problem with the switcheroos, other than feeling that this Elena Gilbert is a bit of a Mary Sue compared to the fierce, self-centered, and very much flawed Elena from the books. Nina Dobrev is far from unlikable in the role, but this new Elena has no edge, which makes her charming but a bit dull (and if they ever want her to get romantically involved with Damon, the writers have their work cut out for them).
The new Caroline is a much more welcome change. I remember loathing Caroline in the books and pretty much equating her with all the girls who were mean to me at school. This Caroline, however, is vulnerable, insecure, damaged, and weirdly adorable. Damon is also different, a bit more animated and sparkly than I imagined him, but Somerhalder is having so much fun with it that it’s contagious. I keep expecting him to whip out the jazz hands or something, and he’d probably pull it off, too.
In the end, this is a very decent pilot with some great actors and some great lines, but the budding romance between Elena and Stefan is so painfully serious and melodramatic that it almost completely overwhelms the good things. The two of them making super-sincere puppy dog eyes at each other again and again (and again!) was almost enough to give me hives.
Quotes
Bonnie: “But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama, and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands.”
Stefan: “I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier; I know it was… strange.”
Elena: “No worries. I get it, blood makes you squeamish.”
Stefan: “Something like that.”
Vicki: “I didn’t need your help.”
Jeremy: “Seems like you did.”
Vicki: “He was just drunk.”
Jeremy: “I’m drunk, am I throwing myself at you?”
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