Introduced as the total opposite to Elena-brash, sexualised and insecure -Caroline was separate from the main story for most of its first season. With a story that runs parallel to Elena’s, Caroline Forbes should be remembered as the bigger-than-big swing that the show took in season two, and one of its most enormous achievements. That’s the story The Vampire Diaries wanted to tell, and Elena’s arc demonstrated it beautifully. Love, family, friendship, the chance for redemption-by not feeling anything at all, you don’t just miss out on the bad stuff. Then somewhere along the way you realise that the heartache is just a byproduct of all the good things about being alive. Your early twenties are hard, and more often than not life finds a way to break us down until we’re tempted to stop caring about anything at all. The first was always the most interesting, with Elena flipping the switch after Jeremy’s death and Caroline doing the same when her mother died from cancer.Įlena turned into a vampire at just the point where adulthood was threatening to become not just something she could watch from afar, but something that would bring more pain and heartbreak into her life than she knew how to handle. After straddling the line between both worlds for years, the show’s heroine was thrown headfirst into one full of misguided passion, hedonism and murderous impulse – as good a metaphor for adulthood as any.īut where Buffy may have used its supernatural elements to explore the horrors of experiencing high school, The Vampire Diaries was a little more nebulous with its metaphors.Īt any one time the show could use a vampire’s ability to turn their emotions off at will as a metaphor for numbing depression and grief, falling off the wagon or just giving up on humanity entirely. ![]() In sharp contrast with the Bella Swans of the literary world, Elena remained adamant throughout the first four seasons of the show that she didn’t under any circumstances want to become a member of the undead herself. After becoming a vampire she decides that Damon’s more her speed, but then an ancient prophecy pulls her and Stefan back together. After years of indecision, we’re told that Elena chose Stefan in the season three finale because she’d met him first, but then we discover that a prior meeting with Damon had been wiped from her memory. So the love triangle itself was never the issue, but the lengths to which the show went in order to leave it unresolved bordered on the ridiculous after more than five seasons. The love triangle was baked into the premise, but somewhere along the way the writers realised they could play around with expectations and play the long-game with its heroine’s affections. ![]() Damon, meanwhile, was redeemed enough by his own love for Elena that she started to have feelings for him also. In a sped-up version of Buffy’s own arcs with Angel and Spike, the first 22-episodes featured Stefan falling in love with Elena, revealing that he had a bit of a problem with blood, turn dark, be forced into “rehab,” and then return to his hero status. Both of these character types are quickly ‘woobified’ (adopted and endlessly apologised for) by the fandom, and battle lines will be drawn over who the heroine should ultimately have her happy ever after with.Īll of this happened in The Vampire Diaries’ first season. The second was Buffy‘s Spike-type, a more dangerous vampire who takes gleeful pleasure in killing his victims but had a certain smoulder that’s impossible to resist. He probably struggled with his true nature, and intense self-flagellation would follow the occasional binge. The first was the Edward Cullen-type, dark and broody but also incredibly endearing and romantic. Let’s start where the show itself started: with Elena Gilbert and her two vampire suitors.īefore The Vampire Diaries, teen bloodsuckers tended to fall into two categories. We end up as a platform making these shows popular and they have increased value across the multi-platform system.Torn between two brothers (feeling like a fool) ![]() "It's important to note that The CW is a vital part of their ecosystem. "We have a very strong brand, and it is really up to our studio partners to decide where the past seasons of our programming goes," he told Deadline. We're not privy to the inner workings of Netflix's business (frustratingly), but it's likely that it was The CW's decision not to renew the deal judging by previous comments made by Mark Pedowitz, the president of The CW Television Network. But when contracts run their course, there's every chance the streamer could lose those titles because they don't belong to Netflix. The streaming giant acquired the series, as it has done and continues to do with myriad shows. The Vampire Diaries, which originally aired on The CW in the States, belongs to Warner Bros and CBS, not Netflix. Related: The Vampire Diaries - 14 things you didn't know about the supernatural series
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