Yeah I know right? As a huge Buffy-geek I decided to give Vampire Diaries a try when Season 1 was out on DVD and while the show at the beginning stumbled a bit too much in Twilight territory and dragged a bit, it still was very engaging with a great mythology and with the 2nd half of Season 1 it really began to kick it up several notches. This is very common for a new fantasy TV series though since Season 1 is always that time where a series struggles to find its identity. neither Smallville, nor Buffy or Arrow were perfect from the start but had these "growing pains" as well in the first half of their 1st Seasons. Its pretty normal so I had no problem sticking with TVD even during the more dragging phases in the 1st season. You can see it with Agents of SHIELD as well, were the first 7-8 episodes were really struggling to find their ground but it got better and better and the last 2 or 3 episodes were really really great. You just gotta stick to your shows even (or especially) during those times in crisis and have faith in them.
My faith in TVD was definitely rewarded since ever since Season 2 the series has been phenomenal and has continuously improved itself and has crafted not just very layered , complex and powerful characters (Damon being my favorite) but also a really awesome mythology (The whole Originals mythology or werewolves and hybrids is just really awesome) and it really isnt the same series as in Season 1 anymore. It has immensely grown which is always good for a series. Thats what I want. And as a Buffy fanatic I am also happy that TVD has so much obvious similarities to Buffy (the Witch best friend, the bad boy vampire who becomes a hero out of love, the righteous vampire who has an evil side that can be unleashed etc.). The only thing that TVD seriously has to improve on is a sense of humor. there is almost zero humor in that world, its all drama, doom, gloom and life and death all the time and very little joy and humor in it. What made Buffy so special was the unique blend of drama, mythology, fantasy, romance and a great deal of fun. TVD is severely lacking the latter. TVD has more than enough awesomeness to make up for that but I often wished they would inject a sense of humor into that world. It also needs a stronger male character who is NOT a love interest for Elena. Jeremy is cool and Matt is nice enough but it just lacks a male character like Xander on Buffy who is not a love interest for the lead but really the heart of the group. TVD unfortunately doesnt have that. And they also need to stop with the constant killing and resurrecting of characters. TVD does it so often that it doesnt even emotionally affect me any more which is a really bad thing. When Bonnie died I was not heartbroken at all because I just KNEW she would return. They do this kind of thing too often. By this point death on TVD is simply a temporary illness that can get cured again later and lacks the strong and profound impact that death should have. I mean just look at the episode "The Body" in Buffy Season 5 where death is portrayed in an incredibly realistic, draining, lifeless way (That episode is actually considered one of Joss Whedons greatest works of all time). On TVD its rather "Oh she is dead? how terrible - well, lets just resurrect her in a couple of episodes". Dont get me wrong I really love that show and I have been sticking with it since the first episode but I am not without criticism.
The Originals was a series that I was curious about but to be honest I didnt think it would captivate me much - oh boy was I wrong. I thought the absence of Elena/Damon/Stefan would really not work but its quite the opposite. I actually love the Originals more then TVD by now. Unlike TVD this show wasnt dragging at the start and did something very rare - it was firing on all engines fright from the get go. Those first 10 episodes so far were fricking amazing and by now its one of my most favorite shows. Elijah and rebekah are my favorite characters but I also really love many of the new characters such as Marcel or Davina. In fact I love them more then many of the regulars on TVD (Marcel is exactly the kind of fun character TVD needs). Also whats fascinating is that I couldnt stand Hayley on TVD last year but on Originals I actually really like her now and am totally rooting for her and Elijah. Thats a testament to the quality of this series. I experienced something similar on Angel (the Buffy spin-off) where I didnt like Angel and Cordelia much on Buffy but I thought they were turned into really great characters on Angel.
Smallville is (besides Buffy) my most fav show of all time (am a huge comics and particularly Superman fan for over 15 years), I watched all 218 episodes more times than I could possibly count. That show was my soul, man. And the Season 11 comic series is even better than the show (it also introduced Batman and Wonder Woman and has Clark as Superman now)
But you should definitely check out Arrow, which is currently my most fav show on network TV. Its a very realistic almost Nolan-esque reimagining of the DC Universe with focus on Green Arrow but also featuring many characters and elements from other DC comics. In only 33 episodes they have already featured 17 villains from the comics and 10 hero characters. Thats more then Smallville had in season 1-7 combined. They also introduced Barry Allen (The Flash) recently who will get a pilotepisode for his own show soon. If it gets picked up the Flash series will be an Arrow spin-off and start airing this Fall.
Arrow is currently praised by viewers and critics alike as probably the best superhero show ever made in Season 2. Season 1 does have some dragging phases and several episodes (especially in the first half) that might turn you off with its slow pace and not so stellar storytelling but that show REALLY takes off during the 2nd half of Season 1 and Season 2 is just awesomeness incarnate. You should definitely check it out and stick with it - even if some episodes in season 1 might seem not so good. trust me it´ll be worth it.
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