"The Vampire Diaries" Season One Talkback (Spoilers)

[Old Guy]

Vampire Diaries, a show made to cash in on the success of Twilight and True Blood, will premiere in 15 minutes on the CW.

Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, "DeGrassi: The Next Generation") and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, "Everwood"), are still adjusting to their new reality. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her grief from the world. Elena and Jeremy are now living with their cool-but-overwhelmed Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning, "Smallville"), who is doing her best to be a surrogate parent.

Elena manages to find some comfort with her familiar social circle – best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham, "17 Again"), frenemy Caroline (Candice Accola, "Juno"), and former boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig, "Friday Night Lights"), but Jeremy is on a more dangerous path, hanging out with the stoners and using drugs to hide his pain. Jeremy is also trying to figure out why Matt's sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell, "The Bold and The Beautiful"), is suddenly rejecting him and hanging out with Jeremy's rival, Tyler (Michael Trevino, "Cane").

As the school year begins at Mystic Falls High, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Fallen"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, although Elena is puzzled by Stefan's increasingly bizarre behavior when he appears suddenly at the cemetery where her parents are buried. What she doesn't realize is that Stefan is hiding a dark, deadly secret of his own – the fact that he's a vampire. At a bonfire party the next night, Elena and Stefan are just getting to know each other when chaos erupts after Vicki is attacked and left bleeding from a savage bite to the neck.

Fearing that he knows who is responsible for the attack, Stefan returns home and finds his older brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost"), whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. Damon is also a vampire, and the two brothers have a long and bitter history. Damon ridicules Stefan for rejecting their legacy of violence and brutality, but he understands his brother's obsession with Elena, since she looks exactly like a woman Stefan loved more than a century ago; a woman that Damon tried to make his own. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek"), Julie Plec ("Kyle XY," "Wasteland"), Leslie Morgenstein ("Gossip Girl," "Private") and Bob Levy ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged"). Marcos Siega ("Dexter") directed the pilot.

Tonight's episode...

"Pilot" - Series Premiere
Thursday, September 10, 2009 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
Four months after a tragic car accident killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, "DeGrassi: The Next Generation") and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, "Everwood"), are still adjusting to their new reality. Elena finds comfort with her best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham, "17 Again"), frenemy Caroline (Candice Accola, "Juno"), and former boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig, "Friday Night Lights"), but Jeremy is trying to figure out why Matt's sister, Vicki (Kayla Ewell, "The Bold and The Beautiful"), is suddenly rejecting him and hanging out with his rival, Tyler (Michael Trevino, "Cane"). As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Fallen"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, but Elena doesn't realize that Stefan is hiding a dark, deadly secret – the fact that he's a vampire. At a nighttime bonfire party, Elena and Stefan are getting to know each other when chaos erupts after Vicki is attacked and left bleeding from a savage bite to the neck. Fearing that he knows who is responsible for the attack, Stefan finds that his older brother, Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost"), has returned to town. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Sara Canning also stars as Aunt Jenna. Marcos Siega directed the pilot written by executive producers Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec.

CWTV.com - The Vampire Diaries

Mod Note: Post edited.

[The Penguin]

Please to keep in mind is that this is a talkback for the show. If a poster has not seen the show and never will see the show, there would be no reason for that person to post here.

[JasonFox]

I was never a Twilight fan and an occasional True Blood watcher, but this really got my eye.. FINALLY a show I can follow on The CW since EHC got cancelled

[NewcomerDC]

Originally Posted by JasonFox

I was never a Twilight fan and an occasional True Blood watcher, but this really got my eye.. FINALLY a show I can follow on The CW since EHC got cancelled

What's EHC?

[Chibi Kageboshi]

I really liked the pilot! it's not the best I have ever seen, but it was pretty good for what it's ment to be. I think the acting and story are better than Twilight.

[Mala Loba]

Mmm. Doesn't really have me yet.

I do like the evil vampire brother though... I think I'll stick around.

If only 'cause I need an hour to kill before Supernatural.

[JasonFox]

Originally Posted by NewcomerDC

What's EHC?

Everybody Hates Chris

[Lightning Tiger]

I heard this was the CW's best series premier ever, lol.

Anyway, so far to me it feels like itl just be something to watch before Supernatural airs, its sort of interesting, but it dint blow me away, hopefully itl get really good or something, like with some badass vampire fights or something.

[Shawn Hopkins]

I'm tired of goody goody, mopey vampires. That even got old with Angel after a while. Also, this setup seems a bit limited. Two vampires are fighting over a girl. Wouldn't that end when one of them kills the other? This premise would work for a book or a movie but it's going to get ridiculous stretched over a whole season.

But I might still watch it eventually. I really like Supernatural from what I've seen so far.

[suss2it]

Originally Posted by Shawn Hopkins

I'm tired of goody goody, mopey vampires. That even got old with Angel after a while. Also, this setup seems a bit limited. Two vampires are fighting over a girl. Wouldn't that end when one of them kills the other? This premise would work for a book or a movie but it's going to get ridiculous stretched over a whole season.

But I might still watch it eventually. I really like Supernatural from what I've seen so far.

When one kills the other another plotline could easily be thought of. That's generally how TV works, when one story arc ends, another begins...

[Hey_yu]

I was surprised this took Smallville's timeslot. So out of curiousity, I saw the 1st episode and man oh man, I really felt like I was watching a TV version of Twilight. They really played up the similarities. Even the town looked the same.

[The Penguin]

It was on again tonight at 8, so I don't know if anyone new watched it.

I decided to check it out at kind of that last minute just to see what it was like and I would have to say I liked it. I'm not prepared to declare it a great show and add it to my personal line-up for the rest of the season, but it did do big numbers for The CW, becoming the most-watched premiere in the network's history.

In general, I found I have enjoyed series where one of the main characters has lived a long time. The guy wasn't a vampire, but I really enjoyed New Amsterdam and went in and out on Moonlight a couple seasons ago. Their perspective on things is always interesting and I'm interested to learn about Katherine and what went on in Mystic Falls years ago.

So I liked it, but I'll have to see if I am overly interested in keeping it on. As the TV season gets going, I find my time to be a premium very quickly.

Originally Posted by Shawn Hopkins

Also, this setup seems a bit limited. Two vampires are fighting over a girl. Wouldn't that end when one of them kills the other? This premise would work for a book or a movie but it's going to get ridiculous stretched over a whole season.

At this point, I wouldn't really declare they are fighting over the girl (Elena). Stefan wants Damon to stay away from her so she is not hurt. Stefan has an interest in her, but right now anyway, I would say that Damon's only interest would be in getting to Stefan through her, not actually in her. And it's funny you mention a book because this is actually based on a book series of originally four books (which predate Twilight for those who don't know) and a new trilogy of books is now being release by the same author.

[silvanoir]

At first I too thought it was a lame Twilight cash-in.

But then I saw the name L.J. Smith... and I know that name. The books actually predate Twilight quite a bit. 1991. Though I never read them. I read other books by her.

What kills me is that THIS got a TV deal instead of The Forbidden Game, one of my most favorite book series of all time (also by L.J. Smith). Although, ideally, it would be a trilogy of movies (1 movie for each book). Doesn't an evil board game that sucks the players into a nightmare realm where the have to play against their fears sound more unique?

[NewcomerDC]

Originally Posted by silvanoir

Doesn't an evil board game that sucks the players into a nightmare realm where the have to play against their fears sound more unique?

We had something similar to it and it was called Dungeon Dice Monsters. LOL

[cohenmarioman]

Yeah, True Blood kinda makes this look bad. The video that Bl00dBlitz made on that video site explains it all.

[The Penguin]

After its popularity in week one, we're going to give this show a try with a new thread each week. We'll push them back together if needed. New episode tonight at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. There are no replays this week, so this is your only chance to see The Vampire Diaries on TV.

"The Night of the Comet"
Thursday, September 17, 2009 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
As Mystic Falls prepares for a festival to celebrate the passing of a comet, Vicki (Kayla Ewell) is in the hospital recovering from the attack she can barely remember. Stefan (Paul Wesley) goes to the hospital and tries to use his abilities to make sure Vicki doesn't remember what really happened, but his attempt is cut short when Vicki's brother Matt (Zach Roerig) arrives. Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) continues to struggle at school and with his feelings for Vicki. At a parent/teacher conference, Mr. Tanner (guest star Benjamin Ayres) makes Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) feel that she is failing as a surrogate parent, especially when it comes to Jeremy. Elena (Nina Dobrev) decides to go to the Salvatore house to talk to Stefan, but finds his charming brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) instead. Damon reveals surprising information about Stefan's past, and when Stefan arrives home, Elena is confused and embarrassed to realize that he isn't happy to see her there. Meanwhile, Vicki's memory of the attack begins to come back to her. Katerina Graham, Candice Accola and Michael Trevino also star. Marcos Siega directed the episode written by Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec.

CWTV.com - The Vampire Diaries

[The Penguin]

Well, so much for this show being worth a weekly thread. I've pushed them back together. New episode tonight.

This show is a tough one for me to decide on. With it being on Thursday at 8 ET it jams back my schedule on day I can't really have that. I like it, but I'm trying to decide if I like it that much. I quit the last vampire show, Moonlight, because it just didn't fit in my schedule.

One would have to think that Damon believe Stefan did something too him for him to make his life so difficult. Just leaving behind the "being a vampire" stuff would seems too minor of a thing. I would say there is some mystery here that we have yet to learn. Damon suggesting to Vicki that Stefan bit her was a game to him, but that was still a big risk.

Even if we don't here, The CW certainly likes the show. They have ordered nine more scripts for it.

[The Penguin]

The Vampire Diaries is not getting a lot of love around here, but there is a new episode tonight at 8 ET.

"Friday Night Bites"
Thursday, September 24, 2009 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
Elena (Nina Dobrev) tries to ignore Bonnie's (Katerina Graham) warnings about the disturbing vibes she got from Stefan (Paul Wesley). Tyler (Michael Trevino) tries to embarrass Stefan by throwing a football at him, but Stefan effortlessly catches and passes the ball back, impressing everyone with his skill. Mr. Tanner (guest star Benjamin Ayres) reluctantly lets Stefan join the football team. Elena invites Stefan and Bonnie to dinner, hoping that the two will bond, but the evening is disrupted by the unexpected and unwelcome arrival of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Caroline (Candice Accola). Finally, the town is shocked by an act of violence. Steven R. McQueen, Sara Canning, Zach Roerig and Kayla Ewell also star. John Dahl directed the episode written by Barbie Kligman & Bryan M. Holdman.

[The Penguin]

So I take it we're done with this show then? I don't dislike the show, but I don't know that I like it enough to keep watching it all season. I offer an interesting side note though, Elena's brother Jeremy is played by Steven R. McQueen, the grandson of Steve McQueen.

I find I don't have a lot of specific thoughts about this episode. I mostly wanted to see it because I was interested in how much of a football theme it would have. I liked some of the football stuff with Stefan showing up Matt and Tyler when Tyler tried to make him look bad by launching the ball at his head.

I would think Damon is going to have to be careful about killing too many people because otherwise the people of Mystic Falls are going to start thinking there is some dangerous animal out there that they need to hunt down and kill (which isn't too far from the truth).

[Old Guy]

No one may be watching here, but apparently the ratings are quite well. It's the only new hit on the CW. I watched the first episode, but was not impressed. I know that technically Twilight ripped this off and not the other way around but Twilight is kinda cheesy, so it's slightly more watchable cause you can get a laugh or two out of it.