Playing Catch Up With The Vampire Diaries

Last week I was given the assignment of reviewing The CW’s latest hit, The Vampire Diaries, and needless to say I was a bit spooked. Hit is always a relative term when dealing with anything on The CW, but the show has performed well so far by network standards and seems to gathering a decent following so I sat down in front of my television this Thursday night with an open mind ready to be either wowed or bored to tears. The result was actually somewhere in the middle.

The series has already seen six episodes air since its debut last month but luckily for me this week was a rerun of episode number two titled, “The Night of the Comet.” The relationships and character ties are already so complex in this second hour that I didn’t even realize it was only the second episode until I did some investigating afterwards. That being said – if you intend to jump headfirst into this show as I have, grab some Wikipedia CliffsNotes first because the writers and producers of this series clearly have no time to play catch up for newcomers.

The plot of the series centers around two brothers, Damon and Stefan (Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, respectively), who also happen to be vampires. Damon is a full-fledged badass who embraces his blood-sucking self to the fullest and seeks to prey on the poor residents of Mystic Falls with a cocky glee and twinkle in his eye. Stefan, on the other hand, is more interested in getting in touch with his human side and playing nice. This is especially true now that he has found a romantic interest in the mortal Elena (Nina Dobrev). Episode #2 finds them trying to define a potential relationship despite Stefan’s mysterious behavior and Elena’s first encounter with Damon who she didn’t even know existed. It seems only natural that a love triangle will develop in the coming episodes although at this time I can’t imagine what would draw her to the abrasive Damon.

This particular episode had a lot going on as the series attempts to establish characters and storylines for the whole season. There are numerous family issues with multiple characters, a plotline following a vampire victim who appears to be on her way to becoming one herself, and Elena’s younger brother is getting involved with drugs after the death of their parents. This may all end up paying off as the show progresses but in future episodes I hope to see more complete stories in an episode rather than the soap operatic setting-up that clearly dominated this hour.

In the end, this episode may have been bogged down in exposition but the series itself shows potential. With some luck it just may prove to be something more than the usual CW series starring people in their late twenties and early thirties as high school students, but if not at least they’re all pretty.

Season 1, Episode 2: The Night of the Comet (originally aired September 17, 2009)

For more on The Vampire Diaries, click here.

Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW

Photographs courtesy of The CW and Bob Mahoney