If you’re anything like me, you fall for fictional characters easily – and I mean easily. When watching a tv show or movie you develop a close connection with these characters and ultimately when said show or movie ends it’s sad, BUT they also become a comfort show or movie you go back to from time to time. A great example would be The Vampire Diaries. There’s this sense of comfort to the show and the girls that get it, get it. Everyone is either watching it for the first time or currently rewatching it (I’m the latter) and if you’re not watching it; what are you doing?
The Vampire Diaries, based on the novels written by L.J. Smith, first aired on September 10, 2009. At the time, most people my age weren’t old enough to even know what the show was, but if you’re like me you eventually discovered the show back in 2013 on Netflix. This show has everything; love triangles, the coveted enemies to lovers trope – but, most importantly, it has hot vampires, werewolves, witches, hybrids, and more. When the pandemic started, my friend had started watching The Vampire Diaries for the first time, and I thought back to when I first watched it but stopped halfway. Hearing her talk about the characters reminded me of how I felt while watching the show so eventually I gave in and started rewatching it from the beginning. The first episode follows Elena Gilbert, the main character, going back to school after a summer of loss and heartbreak. The description of the first episode says, “Reeling from the death of her parents, 17-year-old Elena becomes interested in a handsome new student named Stefan, who’s hiding a dark secret.” We learn that Elena has a younger brother named Jeremy, two best friends named Bonnie, and Caroline, and her ex-boyfriend Matt. There’s this ongoing joke about Matt because as you watch the show you might think “Why is Matt there?” or “What is Matt doing?” and to answer those questions; I don’t know, I thought someone else invited him.
We see Stefan when Elena arrives at school with Bonnie and, of course, he’s wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses, because he’s the mysterious new guy. We finally meet him when Elena bumps into Stefan after leaving the men’s restroom– yes, the men’s room. If you’re wondering why she was in there, ask Jeremy, or watch the show to find out. Now back to Elena and Stefan. They meet, sparks fly (it’s like electricity), and when school ends Elena decides to go to the cemetery to sit and write in her diary. I don’t know either, but it gets good because a crow pops up and scares her and then fog just starts forming all around so she decides to leave, but you know the main characters when they leave they can’t just leave and call it a day. No, she has to run, trip, fall, and get hurt while simultaneously bumping into…. That’s right! Stefan! Cemetery meet-cutes, how romantic! Stefan asks if she’s hurt and he’s acting a little strange so she checks her leg and realizes she has a bad cut that’s bleeding and when she turns around Stefan is gone. Poof! Just like that. As Cardi B once said, “that’s suspicious, that’s weird.”
Now the first time around I ate this up for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner, but rewatching it this whole interaction could’ve gone down a different way. If I were Elena I wouldn’t even have gone to the cemetery, to begin with, but if I had I would’ve left as soon as I saw that crow. I wouldn’t have waited for the fog to start rolling in. No thank you. Also if a guy that I just met at school bumped into me at the cemetery, asked if I was hurt, and then disappeared into thin air it would definitely be a couple of days before I want to face him again. Yes, I would be intrigued, but very very wary. Fast forward to the second episode and we find out Stefan has an older brother named Damon who he hasn’t spoken to in years. Damon says his iconic line, “Hello brother” and from there on out the show progressively gets more dramatic, in a good way. When I first watched the show and Damon was introduced I won’t lie I was a Damon girl for a hot minute, but after rewatching the show, no. Absolutely not. No sir. If you really think about it Damon did some stuff that I don’t understand how they forgave him so easily, and so did Stefan. Rewatching the show made me realize that neither Stefan or Damon were good for Elena, but because of this whole “epic love” thing, it was fate that she ended up with one of them. I won’t tell you who because it’s a surprise and you should watch the show to find out.
All in all, once you get through the first season, the ball starts rolling, and the show gets good. Some parts are really dramatic and cringe, but that’s what makes the show so good. It’s a fan favorite and seeing people rewatching it or starting it for the first time is exciting because everyone should have a vampire diaries phase at least once in their life, if not multiple times. It’s a rite of passage.
If you’ve seen the show answer these two questions: Team Stefan or Team Damon? Stelena or Delena?