“For over a century I have lived in secret, hiding in the shadows, alone in the world, until now. I am a vampire. And this is my story.”
I am officially in my TV vampire obsession era, and I am not even sorry about it.
IMO, one of the most interesting and unique interpretations of vampire lore is (you guessed it!) The Vampire Diaries. TVD means a lot to me. To be clear, I am talking about the television series & not the books. For as much as I appreciate L.J. Smith (Goddess rest her soul) and the unique world she created, I’ve never really liked the books (you mean, I’m actually supposed to root for Blonde Elena when she’s such a spoiled twat?!).
The show, however, has been a favorite of mine from the very first episode. Not gonna lie, though. There were plenty of times when I shook my fist at the TV and screamed, “Why, dammit, why?”, as something terrible happened to one of my favorite characters (see 4x23 "Graduation" as Exhibit A), but I never threw my fan card away.
Anyhoo, I've started rewatching The Vampire Diaries from the very beginning & have decided to post commentary on each episode. Please indulge me. I would love to hear others' thoughts on the show, as long as comments are respectful. There is too much hurt in the world to argue over fiction. Let’s all be kind.
FYI: I am a major Stefan fan. He can do no wrong in my eyes. Same with Bonnie. I proudly admit I look at everything through Stefonnie-tinted glasses. As for who I ship on this show, I honestly ship everyone with everybody. I mean, have you seen these people?!
SPOILERS BELOW
(Avoid reading if you haven't seen the show.
But seriously, what are you waiting for?)
Episode 1x01: Pilot ~ Rewatch
Every time I rewatch this episode, I feel young again. All the things that concerned me way back when suddenly matter again. Well, for forty-five minutes anyway. It’s so surreal. Plus, each time, I discover something or multiple somethings I never noticed before.
Episode Thoughts:
Stefan's first line of dialogue (see above) is soulfully delivered. It pulls you instantly into the story. TBH, I wish it had stayed Stefan’s story. He was the perfect male lead: hot, broody and complicated, but also caring and strong. And hot. Did I mention hot?
The intro scene will never not be creepy. Like I Know What You Did Last Summer creepy (Kevin Williamson, is that you?). The poor couple is bantering about James Blunt (and ITA with Darren about James Blunt btw), and Damon just comes along and eats them without fava beans & chianti. What a fucking cruel fate.
Stefan saying he has no choice, “I have to know her”, and jumping off the roof is freaking beautiful, okay? (I am probably too Stefan-obsessed. Like he just twitches his fingers and I'm ready to call the Emmy Academy.)
Elena writes those iconic words in her diary: "Dear diary, today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable..." Who hasn't even given themselves a pep talk before?
I love Aunt Jenna. I really do. She’s a little zany and scatterbrained but sweet. I would be friends with Aunt Jenna. Aunt Jenna matches my freak.
Bonnie begins the episode acting high-key vapid (“look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beach”). It’s astonishing how quickly her airhead energy dissipates after that prophetic crow vision. The shock of it seems to jolt her hard enough to instantly transform her into the Bonnie we all know & love.
Tyler interrupts Jeremy and Vicki. Season 1 Tyler exhudes toxic masculinity. Tyler insults Jeremy by comparing him to Pete Wentz (but is that really an insult tho?). I fucking loved emo-Jeremy. Is it wrong to say I think the writers should have kept that Jeremy (a self-destructive, pill-popping loner with the most fantastic puppy dog eyes) indefinitely? Steven R. McQueen played that shtick brilliantly! Don’t get me wrong. I think he’s a great actor no matter what, but depressive Jeremy speaks to my (also depressive) soul.
Speaking of Elena’s little bro, he really cared about Vicki. Poor tortured Vicki. In my not-so-humble opinion, she is one of the most tragic TVD characters. I often wonder how the show would have been different if the writers didn’t kill her off so quickly. Creatively, I understand why the writers did it, but it still feels like a case of fridging.
The first Stelena interaction is a solid 10 on the meet-cute Richter scale. They’re adorable and pretty, their heart eyes shining like the North Star. It’s surprising how well they vibe considering how much the actors openly despised each other at the time lol.
“Pardon me”. Those words should have clued Elena in that something was off about Stefan. High school students don’t talk that way. At least I never did.
Mr. Tanner, you are a mega-douche. Plain and simple. Let’s not waste another moment talking about your pathetic ass.
At the cemetery, we are treated to some more Stelena flirtiness. Stefan realizes Elena is bleeding (she fell running from a strange man lurking between the headstones. Gee, I wonder who that man could be?), and he starts to vamp out, so he hides his face. I've always loved that cool veiny-eye thing the show did with the vampires.
Caroline spouting off Stefan’s deets (that she got before 4th period) is funny. “We’re having a June wedding”. It’s even funnier when he tells her at the Falls, “Caroline, you and me, it's not going to happen”. Famous last words, Stefan Salvatore. Famous last words.
We get a nice Matt/Bonnie scene at the Grill that helps establish their bond. She’s clearly loyal to Elena first (sometimes I don’t understand why tbh), but she is still kind to him. Matt is all bummed out about the breakup with Elena (he's the “listening to Air Supply’s Greatest Hits” kind of bummed). I love Bonnie. I love Matt. They’re both such quality humans. I am glad they always kept each other in the friend zone though, even when everyone else was busy partner-swapping left and right.
Tyler trying to rape Vicki (against a tree no less) is such awful behavior. Seriously. Jeremy breaks it up, but as appears to be typical with sexual deviants, Tyler doesn’t take it well (“Vicki Donovan said ‘no’. That’s a first!”). Wtf, man? Tyler leaves, Vicki chews out sad-eyed Jeremy, and runs off, proceeding to be attacked by Damon. He is racking up quite the body count, and we haven’t even seen the guy yet.
We finally do meet Damon (“Hello, Brother”). He arrives at the boarding house, preceded by a crow. Why did they drop that crow and fog stuff? It was really interesting and different. No bats (the typical vampire creature) needed.
Damon taunts Stefan about Elena, saying how good her blood will taste. Stefan drives him off the balcony for it. Then Damon plays hide and seek with Stefan’s daylight ring. Damon was so cruel to Stefan sometimes. It’s truthfully OTT, but I guess we wouldn’t have a plot without the brothers' initial antagonism.
Caroline and Bonnie are at the Grill. Caroline lets the facade slip for a minute, and we get a glimpse of her soft, vulnerable underbelly. She laments to Bonnie that no one ever picks her. Wait and see, Carebear. Just wait and see.
At the hospital, Matt is watching an unconscious Vicki intently with those amazing blue eyes of his. I am a sucker for blue eyes, and Zach Roerig’s baby blues are especially beautiful. But I digress. Vicki wakes up terrified and whispers the word “vampire”. Oh snap.
Back at the Grill, Caroline zeroes in on fresh meat: Damon. Though more accurately, he zeroes in on her. She’s the prey, he's the predator, and he’s about to wreak a little havoc (okay, a lot) on her life. Forever altering it in ways she can never dream of.
We end the episode with Stefan showing up at Elena’s door again. He asks if she’s okay. Her ending reply: “Ask me tomorrow”. Earlier in the ep, he told her, “You won’t be sad forever, Elena,” and I think that really affected her on some level. She invites Stefan into the house and the credits roll. The writers probably want the audience to think he's going to sink his teeth into her neck, but spoiler alert: She's alive and mostly well in Episode 2.
Rating: 4.25/5. The episode is a really solid introduction to the series & is still one of my favorites. Season 1 had a sort of sweet innocence about it that still captivates me today. I love the idea of vampires in high school: prepping for tests, going to football games, and racing to get to homeroom on time. It’s all so … human!
