Amid the current vampire craze, it is becoming increasingly difficult for a creative piece to differentiate itself from the masses. Yet "The Vampire Diaries" achieves just that. Falling somewhere between the Mormonism of "Twilight" and the vampire porn of "True Blood," "Diaries" consists of an hour of teen angst fused with supernatural fantasy.
The entire cast — an assembly of incredibly attractive actors — works hard to stretch within the confines of the stereotyped roles to add depth and dimension. And the script is not entirely unhelpful — Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola), the dumb blonde, has issues with her overprotective mother, while the Edward Cullen of the show, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), suffers from much more than mere sibling rivalry.
The story's plot is fueled by the tension between Stefan and his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) as they compete for the love of both Katherine Pierce, the vampire who turned them both into blood−suckers, and the orphaned human Elena Gilbert (both played by Nina Dobrev). Stefan and Damon take the roles of good cop and bad cop, respectively, making Damon much more enjoyable to watch.
As is common in many popular television shows, the secondary characters become more engaging than the primary ones. Despite having just met, Stefan and Elena resemble an old married couple, while the supporting cast, which includes the witch and best friend Bonnie Bennett (Katerina Graham), engages in all the fun. With every character, romances brew and rivalries are encouraged.
The show had a somewhat weak beginning. Starting off with a clichéd pilot — new and mysterious hot boy in town intrigues emotionally tortured pretty girl — the show appeared to be nothing more than a half−hearted effort by The CW to jump on the vampire bandwagon and attract more viewers. Granted, this strategy was a success, with the show scoring 4.9 million viewers for its series premiere — the most−viewed series premiere for any show on the network.
Over time, however, the writers have worked to redeem themselves and turn the series into more than a flashy promotional ploy. The plotlines have become increasingly complicated and the characters progressively more complex. What started off as an unnecessarily scary show has slowly transformed into one with more depth and substance.
This amelioration of quality has carried over to the second season, in which we see the return of Katherine and the introduction of more mystical characters to Mystic Falls, Va. Dobrev continues to have a juicy double role to play, as whatever Elena lacks, Katherine makes sure to compensate for. She is evil, manipulative, alluring and insane. While Elena seeks to make everyone happy, Katherine appears to crave everyone's misery. Her destructive nature provokes Damon's evil side and weakens Stefan's will power.
The series creates a carefully crafted balance between humorous and serious, often leaning more toward the somber side. It also approaches the mystical elements from a new angle: Vampires are more vilified than glorified, resulting in a setup that causes them to be ostracized from the community.
"The Vampire Diaries" has become more than just another self−indulgent show, obsessed with satisfying the current craze. Based on a popular book series by L. J. Smith from the early '90s, the show has the depth and detail to make it through several seasons. Though it may not receive many critical accolades, it should remain a reliable treat for those eager to satisfy their gossip and mystical cravings.
