Reviewer: Charity Bishop
     

In the early nineties, a book series by L. J. Smith became popular that featured a young woman caught between two immortal brothers. The series introduced witches, vampires, and werewolves onto bookstore shelves and inspired some of the plot twists in the Buffy series, as well as the Twilight saga. While many changes have been made from the source material in bringing the series to the small screen, it maintains the creepiness and romantic edge of the books.

It has been six months since the Gilberts’ car plunged through the railing of a bridge outside town and the parents drowned in the river. Elena (Nina Dobrev) was pulled free of the wreckage and managed to survive, but has been left orphaned along with her brother Jeremy (Stephen R. McQueen). Living with their aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) and struggling to keep her brother out of trouble, Elena soon encounters the handsome and mysterious Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Tall, dark and charming, it doesn’t take long for romantic sparks to ignite between them, much to the envy of her friends Caroline (Candice Accola) and Bonnie (Katerina Graham). What Elena does not realize is that Stefan is a vampire who abandoned the region years earlier and has returned to watch over her since Elena reminds him profoundly of Katherine, a woman he loved and lost during the Civil War. But her presence and his attentiveness have brought another immortal to town: his older and far more ruthless brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder). Having feuded over Katherine more than a century earlier, Damon has sworn to make Stefan “suffer for all eternity,” and to do that he intends to corrupt Elena. Seducing Caroline into a relationship and injecting himself into Stefan’s world, Damon is a growing threat and his brutal behavior around town sets off warning bells to those old enough to remember the last time the local vampires were out of control. In the meantime, Bonnie is dealing with the realization that she has magical powers, and all her instincts are warning her that Elena is not safe – especially around Stefan.

When I first heard about this series I was not impressed, but the strength of the season as it gained momentum convinced me it is one of the most well thought out and paced shows on television. The writing is tremendous, full of constant twists and turns and minor revelations that build toward an intense finale. Fans of the book series should be forewarned, however, that only minor similarities to the novel remain. The characters are much altered in significant ways and other individuals are simply excluded altogether. Most of the history of the Salvatore brothers remains somewhat intact but the differences are noticeable. However, it does maintain the strength of the book in the fact that it accurately represents the creepiness of the original works. Everyone is great in their respective roles, but Somerhalder is particularly good as Damon. We are never quite certain if he is trustworthy but at the same time our interest in him continues to expand. Later on, two notable regulars join the cast -– Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) as a professor with a dark secret, and Elena’s sinister uncle (David Anders).

There are several underlining mysteries that surround the town and its unusual heritage, and flashbacks provide an excuse to show off lovely Civil War costumes, but the series is not for everyone and two aspects in particular will disconcert Christians: witchcraft and sensuality. An attempted rape is shown in the pilot; other episodes feature passionate making out in a bedroom context (“Night of the Comet,” “The Turning Point,” “Children of the Damned,” “Under Control,” “Blood Brothers”).  Elena and Stefan eventually sleep together; other references are made to teenagers being intimately involved. An older woman kisses a seventeen year old boy. Girls are shown in skimpy clothing and/or underwear many times (including an extended scene in which Vicki dances around only in a t-shirt and panties in “Lost Girls). We learn a female vampire is controlling the actions of a gay man and a woman, who are shown seductively dancing together clad only in underclothes.

Violence consists of people being brutally attacked by vampires; some survive and others do not. Blood often drips or is shown glinting on flat surfaces. The relationship between Damon and Caroline has an eerie vibe to it that resembles physical abuse (she is afraid of and nervous around him; he manipulates and controls her, and “punishes” her misbehavior by violently biting her). Damon’s preferred method of killing people is by snapping their necks, which he does frequently. Vampires are staked through the heart. A man has his fingers graphically severed. We see vampires being burned alive. Bad language is infrequent (though does include “d**k” and “douche bag”), but “magic” features prominently in some of the episodes. Bonnie’s grandmother reveals to her that she is a descendant of the Salem witches, and teaches her how to control her powers; most of the time, this is limited to lighting candles with her thoughts, setting things on fire, taking spells off antiques, and causing feathers to float in the air, but one episode (“History Repeating”) includes a séance. Bonnie becomes possessed by the spirit of a dead witch and performs a dark ritual before she is “released.” In “Fool Me Once,” she and her grandmother perform a complicated spell to temporarily open a tomb with vampires inside. There’s an enormous amount of underage drinking and some drug abuse (Jeremy early on struggles with addiction, but eventually overcomes it). One character attempts suicide.

This is a series that promises a twist ending every week and more than delivers. It features wonderful performances, a terrific soundtrack that includes a lot of popular songs, and immense creativity in its characters. It pays homage to the original books but strikes out in a new direction that leaves its audience hanging. It’s too bad that it’s a bit forward in its approach toward sensuality, and that at times an uncomfortable amount of witchcraft is present, because otherwise it’s a great alternative to True Blood. If you need something with more bite than Twilight, I would recommend this over HBO’s blood-and-sex-soaked series any day.