I don't even know how times I've watched The Vampire Diaries at this point, in fact i stopped counting after a while because it stopped feeling like something I need to keep track of, it is like a show I return to , the way you return to a favorite meal knowing exactly what you are getting but still enjoying every bite like its the first time.
That's the part about this show for me, Most things lose their magic after the second or third watch, the fact that you already know what happens , you already know who says what and somehow that knowledge kills the whole excitement , with The Vampire Diaries it doesn't work like that, every time I press play I feel the rush that I felt the very first time I saw it some years ago even when I had no idea what I was even getting into.
I think a big part of it , is the whole mess Elena mess with Stefan and Damon. I know, I know, everybody talks about that love triangle like it is the only thing the show has going for it, but honestly it earns the hype, Stefan is the careful kind of guy who thinks before he acts ,always trying to do the right thing even when it costs him , Damon is the opposite reckless sharp tongued doing whatever he wants and dealing with the consequences later, and watching Elena stuck between the two of them never gets tiring because The Vampire Diaries doesn't rush it, It lets you sit in the tension.
Then there's Mystic Falls itself, A small town that somehow has supernatural drama happening in it than should be legally allowed, Vampires, witches, werewolves, hybrids, doppelgangers you name it , this town has seen it, it should feel ridiculous honestly when you list it all out like that. The show makes it work because it never takes itself too seriously in the wrong way, It knows what it is.
What really gets me though is how show handles loss, this is a series that's not afraid to kill off characters you love and when it does, it actually makes you feel it, I know I have felt emotional many times especially rewatching certain episodes than I probably should admit, You would think knowing its coming would soften the blow, nope , It never does, If anything, watching it again just makes you appreciate the character more because now you know everything they were going to become everything that gets cut short.
Damon Salvatore deserves his paragraph honestly, He starts off as someone you are not even sure you are supposed to like and somewhere along the way without you noticing when he becomes one of the most compelling characters on television, His growth throughout show , from someone who barely cared about life to someone capable of real love and sacrifice is one of the best character arcs that I have seen, every rewatch I catch something about him that I missed before.
I think that is really the secret behind why show holds up well, there is always something to notice even in scenes you have watched a hundred times. A look, a line, a moment between characters that you didn't pay attention to before because you were too focused, on the main plot the first time around.
So yes I'll probably watch The Diaries again in a more few months, and I already know I'll feel the same way I always do, some kinds of shows you outgrow, but this one I don't think I ever will.
Rating: 95/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/tv.