I Need Another Fandom Like I Need A Hole In The Head: Vampire Diaries EP 1-8 & V Pilot Reviews
You know I really wasn't looking for a new show to watch. What with Smallville, Supernatural, Dexter, Doctor Who, Project Runway (Don't judge me), and the eagerly anticipated V (more on that below) my dance card was more then full.
However I've been a fan of LJ Smith since I was a teenager and even though VD is not her best work (The "Forbidden Game Trilogy", and "Nightworld" are a thousand times better) it does have a plotline and characters that lends itself well to serial televison. Add two main male leads being played by Ian Somerhalder who was I'dHitThatEvenIfHeWasMyBrother Boone on "Lost". And Paul Wesley (whose probably best known as Lex Luthers younger brother Lucas on SV) who I remember best as sexy, bad boy, Luke Cates from "Wolf Lake." A.K.A one half of Luke/Sophia the only good thing to come from that show. And I figured I'd watched the first 2 or 3 eps for the pretty before dropping what was shaping up to be another "Twilight" doppleganger. Never mind, that VD (way too easy) was written at least a decade before. It didn't help that Nina who played Elena the female lead came off in the promos as a particularly dull shade of CW bland.
After seeing the first and second episodes I was still less then enthused. There didn't seem to be much of a plot, the dialogue was less then stirring (unless you were Daemon), Daemon/Stefan were conspicuously too old for high school, and Elena our protagonist had all the appeal of curdled milk (I was sure she had non-fat, fat free, soy stamped on her ass somewhere after the first 2 eps), and the main relationship between Stefan/Elena was a zero chemistry zone that would cause the libido of the hardiest rake to shrivel and die. And yet...............There were aspects of the show that kep pulling me back. Ian playing the hell out Daemon. All swagger and bravado, with an amoral twinkle in his eye to let you know that Daemon enjoys what he's doing (whether killing, wenching, or torturing his brother Stefan) and what he is. This is a vampire who revels at being a vampire and you can't help but love him for it. That he manages to layer into his performance subtle hints of old hurts and, vulnerability without woobiefying Daemon, makes him the most fun villain on TV. There was also the Hoyay between Daemon/Stefan and the hints of a deeply complex sibling relationship. Then there was atmosphere that the production team created. "The Vampires Diaries" opening scenes and over all tone was surprising suspenseful and even scary. I also kinda loved Bonnie.
All of which pulled me into ep 3 but wouldn't have kept me much further except Elena actually started to develop a personality with a side helping of spunk, while the Elena/Stefan show developed some heat (as if the actors just needed some time to get used to each other before they started to sparkle). Also Stefan stop resembling a block of wood and started to show a personality, even some humor . Granted there was still no plot but I did get sucked into watching another episode. And so we come to eps 4, 5, 6, and 7, or the point where "The Vampire Diaries" went from a show that I was on the cusp of dropping to quickly becoming "Must See TV." That's when I started to realize that VD was the type of show that started with a slow burn and ended like a house on fire.
We actually start to get hints of an overall plot and an overall mythology for the show. The dialogue for everyone became better, while the characters started developing layers. The pace of the show went from 0-100 answering questions while posing new ones. What really struck me about "The Vampire Diaries" was how it seemed to turn all the usual conventions of shows like this on its ear. Like the ex jock boyfriend who instead of being a jerk is the nicest guy on the show. Or the blond, bitchy, cheerleader, whose actually rather fragile. Or the best friend who is just as hot as the female lead, and is also the one with all the powers.
Then there's Elena herself whose grown on me. Mostly, because because the writers have shown her being a loving sister, a caring best friend, and an all around good person instead of telling us.They made her intellgent and fiercely protective of her loved ones. And when she encounters clues that tell her that her boyfriend Stefan is lying. She goes searching for answers, and then confronts him with what she finds. No sitting on information for half a season for no good reason while passive agressively ignoring him. Then when Elena does discover his secret she does the intelligent thing. She lets hims go. Even though we no that her choice won't stick, the fact that she made the choice to stop hanging around with the dangerous to be around vampire is no less awesome. In fact it was wholly unexpected since VD seemed to be following the "Twilight mode. Which sums up VD nicely. Plots are introduced that on most shows would take whole seasons to come about. Characters who you presume are series regulars get killed off in a couple of episodes only for new ones to take their place. "Expect the Unexpected", should be the motto of the show.
Episode 1X08 162 Candles is no different. Stefan's BFF Lex is town for his birthday. Instead of being a jealous harpy who wants to drive a wedge between Stefan, and Elena she's an ultra cool, rocker chick who loves Bon Jovi (love her), thinks Katherine's a bitch (so true), thinks Daemon's a dick (and since she's older will hurt him if he doesn't keep it in the closet during he visit), and does her best to facilitate the reunion of Stefan/Elena. She also doesn't hunt her prey but knows a guy who gets her human blood packs that she drinks like a Capri Sun. She also makes Stefan smile and laugh, so of course she must die. Surprisingly, its Daemon who did the deed. By staking Lexi, Daemon ingratiated himself to the vampire hunters, got them off his, and Stefans trail, and perhaps served a bit of payback to Lexi for being immune to his charm, while still being able to kick his ass. Well, he did say he had a diabocial plan. For me this the point where Daemon really became scary. All great villains, and morally ambiguous characters have such a moment. Angelus setting up a seduction scene with a dead Jenny Calendar in BTVS, Eric dismembering his basement prisoner in "True Blood", The Joker doing his pencil trick in "Dark Knight".
As for V I found the Pilot to be decent, but it didn't wow me. Too much in too little time. I'm hoping it will find it's groove after a few episodes.
What I Liked
* I Put the name of the character from the Nu!V next first next to the name of the character he or she represents from Old!V in all my comments below
-Erica/Julie: I adore Elizabeth Mitchell in everything she's done, and V looks to continue that streak. She brings a cerebralness, along with a natural toughness, and aching vulnerability to all her characters. These are qualities that a re-imagining of Julie needed to have. Even though her partner being a V was a bit cliched (I called that almost from the beginning) it was a cliche I believed thru the sheer fore of her pain and disbelief. I can absolutely see her as not only the head but the driving force of the New York resistance.
-Anna/Diana: I've always found Morena Baccarin stunningly beautiful. In V they took her warm, earthy, lushness, and transformed it to an cold, androgynous that works wonderfully for the character. Her round, voluptous, tamed by simple yet rigid clothing that conceal and emphasize. Her color palette a wash of whites and bluish-grays. The color of ice or steel, a subtle nod to her inner nature. And speaking of nods I loved the rapid blinking that MB was doing. It was very reminiscent of the reptile we know her to be. In fact as soon as she pawned Scott Wolf and made him her personal bitch in that interview, I knew she could handle the reigns of one the progenitor alpha bitches of sci fi
-The Independence Day shout out where its hinted that ID4 stole the whole spaceships over world cities from V.
-Ryan/Martin: Morris Chestnut is fine to the 10th power so just for the view alone I'm glad he's on the show. The fact that he's a good actor is icing. As Ryan he has the needed presence to play the new version of Martin (who was one of the leaders of the fifth column the resistance group among the Visitors). He was rather badass in the fight and I like that his girlfriend is the new Robin, since she seems way less annoying then the old one.
-The V Terrorist Cells: Because it makes sense before you invade to first do reconnaissance and even set up spies.
-The Look: The spaceships look better especially the shuttles. The uniforms are a vast improvement over the red monstrosities we had to suffer thru in the eighties.
-Lisa/Brian: Granted we didn't get much of her but what I saw I liked.
What I Didn't Like
-The Length: The original V TV movie took 4 hours to cover what the New!V Pilot did in one hour. This is not a good thing. To say the Pilot is rushed is an understatement. To do the subject matter justice Nu!V should have been at least a 2 hour movie. There was just too much crammed in that one hour. Most of the characters introduced got short shrift, and plot points were just thrown out. Sure there was plenty of action but the viewer was left feeling rather unconnected to any of the characters. Which brings me to my next problem.
-The Lack of Emotional Connection: The 2 TV movies (and even the laughably bad TV series) managed to forge an emotional connection between the viewers and the characters. I adored Mike/Julie, hated Diana, and despised Daniel. From the very first scenes of each character I was never indifferent which is sadly what I feel with the Nu!V. The acting is 10 times better in Nu!V but the emotional heart has been jettisoned in favor of action sequences which is a bad move on the writers part. I also miss the everyday people who made up the resistance in Old!V. The old man, or lady down the street, the neighborhood gang banger, and the innocent medical student, all just everyday people. By using such people the writers really brought home the reality of their struggle. An FBI Agent, financier, and priest, just don't have that same resonance. In fact the one problem I have with Erica as the Nu!Julie is her job. I really wish the writers had kept her as a scientist or doctor. Seeing Julie's journey from naive, but determined medical student, to BAM resistance leader was one of the highlights of the TV mini series.
-The Corruption of V Tag: In the original V those against the Visitors spray painted V as slap against the propaganda posters the Visitors were using. The resistance used it as a V for victory against their oppressors. To see that sign of hope copted as a sign representing the Visitors really bothers me.
-The Voice: I miss the old voices of the original V. In fact I miss the whole puzzle of figuring out just who or what the Visitors are.
-Tyler/Daniel: I didn't like the little cretin in the original V and I can tell I'm not going to like him now. Not even having the awesome EM as a mother helped.
What I Hope They Include:
The Conversion Process: Where basically the Visitors brainwash select individuals into thinking and acting how they choose. I especially loved Julie's attempted conversion. Julie refused to give in and Diana's rage and obsession with breaking her was awesome. I really hope they continue this at a later date between Erica/Anna.
Diana/Julie Subtext: Diana was played with a certain amount of Hoyay most notably around Julie. I would really love to see this carried over in the interactions between Erica/Anna.
The Eating Scene: Come on you know you want to see a Visitor detach its jaw to eat a live animal.
The Unmasking of the Vistors: The unmasking of the Visitors to the world was epic and deserves to be re-created.
However I've been a fan of LJ Smith since I was a teenager and even though VD is not her best work (The "Forbidden Game Trilogy", and "Nightworld" are a thousand times better) it does have a plotline and characters that lends itself well to serial televison. Add two main male leads being played by Ian Somerhalder who was I'dHitThatEvenIfHeWasMyBrother Boone on "Lost". And Paul Wesley (whose probably best known as Lex Luthers younger brother Lucas on SV) who I remember best as sexy, bad boy, Luke Cates from "Wolf Lake." A.K.A one half of Luke/Sophia the only good thing to come from that show. And I figured I'd watched the first 2 or 3 eps for the pretty before dropping what was shaping up to be another "Twilight" doppleganger. Never mind, that VD (way too easy) was written at least a decade before. It didn't help that Nina who played Elena the female lead came off in the promos as a particularly dull shade of CW bland.
After seeing the first and second episodes I was still less then enthused. There didn't seem to be much of a plot, the dialogue was less then stirring (unless you were Daemon), Daemon/Stefan were conspicuously too old for high school, and Elena our protagonist had all the appeal of curdled milk (I was sure she had non-fat, fat free, soy stamped on her ass somewhere after the first 2 eps), and the main relationship between Stefan/Elena was a zero chemistry zone that would cause the libido of the hardiest rake to shrivel and die. And yet...............There were aspects of the show that kep pulling me back. Ian playing the hell out Daemon. All swagger and bravado, with an amoral twinkle in his eye to let you know that Daemon enjoys what he's doing (whether killing, wenching, or torturing his brother Stefan) and what he is. This is a vampire who revels at being a vampire and you can't help but love him for it. That he manages to layer into his performance subtle hints of old hurts and, vulnerability without woobiefying Daemon, makes him the most fun villain on TV. There was also the Hoyay between Daemon/Stefan and the hints of a deeply complex sibling relationship. Then there was atmosphere that the production team created. "The Vampires Diaries" opening scenes and over all tone was surprising suspenseful and even scary. I also kinda loved Bonnie.
All of which pulled me into ep 3 but wouldn't have kept me much further except Elena actually started to develop a personality with a side helping of spunk, while the Elena/Stefan show developed some heat (as if the actors just needed some time to get used to each other before they started to sparkle). Also Stefan stop resembling a block of wood and started to show a personality, even some humor . Granted there was still no plot but I did get sucked into watching another episode. And so we come to eps 4, 5, 6, and 7, or the point where "The Vampire Diaries" went from a show that I was on the cusp of dropping to quickly becoming "Must See TV." That's when I started to realize that VD was the type of show that started with a slow burn and ended like a house on fire.
We actually start to get hints of an overall plot and an overall mythology for the show. The dialogue for everyone became better, while the characters started developing layers. The pace of the show went from 0-100 answering questions while posing new ones. What really struck me about "The Vampire Diaries" was how it seemed to turn all the usual conventions of shows like this on its ear. Like the ex jock boyfriend who instead of being a jerk is the nicest guy on the show. Or the blond, bitchy, cheerleader, whose actually rather fragile. Or the best friend who is just as hot as the female lead, and is also the one with all the powers.
Then there's Elena herself whose grown on me. Mostly, because because the writers have shown her being a loving sister, a caring best friend, and an all around good person instead of telling us.They made her intellgent and fiercely protective of her loved ones. And when she encounters clues that tell her that her boyfriend Stefan is lying. She goes searching for answers, and then confronts him with what she finds. No sitting on information for half a season for no good reason while passive agressively ignoring him. Then when Elena does discover his secret she does the intelligent thing. She lets hims go. Even though we no that her choice won't stick, the fact that she made the choice to stop hanging around with the dangerous to be around vampire is no less awesome. In fact it was wholly unexpected since VD seemed to be following the "Twilight mode. Which sums up VD nicely. Plots are introduced that on most shows would take whole seasons to come about. Characters who you presume are series regulars get killed off in a couple of episodes only for new ones to take their place. "Expect the Unexpected", should be the motto of the show.
Episode 1X08 162 Candles is no different. Stefan's BFF Lex is town for his birthday. Instead of being a jealous harpy who wants to drive a wedge between Stefan, and Elena she's an ultra cool, rocker chick who loves Bon Jovi (love her), thinks Katherine's a bitch (so true), thinks Daemon's a dick (and since she's older will hurt him if he doesn't keep it in the closet during he visit), and does her best to facilitate the reunion of Stefan/Elena. She also doesn't hunt her prey but knows a guy who gets her human blood packs that she drinks like a Capri Sun. She also makes Stefan smile and laugh, so of course she must die. Surprisingly, its Daemon who did the deed. By staking Lexi, Daemon ingratiated himself to the vampire hunters, got them off his, and Stefans trail, and perhaps served a bit of payback to Lexi for being immune to his charm, while still being able to kick his ass. Well, he did say he had a diabocial plan. For me this the point where Daemon really became scary. All great villains, and morally ambiguous characters have such a moment. Angelus setting up a seduction scene with a dead Jenny Calendar in BTVS, Eric dismembering his basement prisoner in "True Blood", The Joker doing his pencil trick in "Dark Knight".
As for V I found the Pilot to be decent, but it didn't wow me. Too much in too little time. I'm hoping it will find it's groove after a few episodes.
What I Liked
* I Put the name of the character from the Nu!V next first next to the name of the character he or she represents from Old!V in all my comments below
-Erica/Julie: I adore Elizabeth Mitchell in everything she's done, and V looks to continue that streak. She brings a cerebralness, along with a natural toughness, and aching vulnerability to all her characters. These are qualities that a re-imagining of Julie needed to have. Even though her partner being a V was a bit cliched (I called that almost from the beginning) it was a cliche I believed thru the sheer fore of her pain and disbelief. I can absolutely see her as not only the head but the driving force of the New York resistance.
-Anna/Diana: I've always found Morena Baccarin stunningly beautiful. In V they took her warm, earthy, lushness, and transformed it to an cold, androgynous that works wonderfully for the character. Her round, voluptous, tamed by simple yet rigid clothing that conceal and emphasize. Her color palette a wash of whites and bluish-grays. The color of ice or steel, a subtle nod to her inner nature. And speaking of nods I loved the rapid blinking that MB was doing. It was very reminiscent of the reptile we know her to be. In fact as soon as she pawned Scott Wolf and made him her personal bitch in that interview, I knew she could handle the reigns of one the progenitor alpha bitches of sci fi
-The Independence Day shout out where its hinted that ID4 stole the whole spaceships over world cities from V.
-Ryan/Martin: Morris Chestnut is fine to the 10th power so just for the view alone I'm glad he's on the show. The fact that he's a good actor is icing. As Ryan he has the needed presence to play the new version of Martin (who was one of the leaders of the fifth column the resistance group among the Visitors). He was rather badass in the fight and I like that his girlfriend is the new Robin, since she seems way less annoying then the old one.
-The V Terrorist Cells: Because it makes sense before you invade to first do reconnaissance and even set up spies.
-The Look: The spaceships look better especially the shuttles. The uniforms are a vast improvement over the red monstrosities we had to suffer thru in the eighties.
-Lisa/Brian: Granted we didn't get much of her but what I saw I liked.
What I Didn't Like
-The Length: The original V TV movie took 4 hours to cover what the New!V Pilot did in one hour. This is not a good thing. To say the Pilot is rushed is an understatement. To do the subject matter justice Nu!V should have been at least a 2 hour movie. There was just too much crammed in that one hour. Most of the characters introduced got short shrift, and plot points were just thrown out. Sure there was plenty of action but the viewer was left feeling rather unconnected to any of the characters. Which brings me to my next problem.
-The Lack of Emotional Connection: The 2 TV movies (and even the laughably bad TV series) managed to forge an emotional connection between the viewers and the characters. I adored Mike/Julie, hated Diana, and despised Daniel. From the very first scenes of each character I was never indifferent which is sadly what I feel with the Nu!V. The acting is 10 times better in Nu!V but the emotional heart has been jettisoned in favor of action sequences which is a bad move on the writers part. I also miss the everyday people who made up the resistance in Old!V. The old man, or lady down the street, the neighborhood gang banger, and the innocent medical student, all just everyday people. By using such people the writers really brought home the reality of their struggle. An FBI Agent, financier, and priest, just don't have that same resonance. In fact the one problem I have with Erica as the Nu!Julie is her job. I really wish the writers had kept her as a scientist or doctor. Seeing Julie's journey from naive, but determined medical student, to BAM resistance leader was one of the highlights of the TV mini series.
-The Corruption of V Tag: In the original V those against the Visitors spray painted V as slap against the propaganda posters the Visitors were using. The resistance used it as a V for victory against their oppressors. To see that sign of hope copted as a sign representing the Visitors really bothers me.
-The Voice: I miss the old voices of the original V. In fact I miss the whole puzzle of figuring out just who or what the Visitors are.
-Tyler/Daniel: I didn't like the little cretin in the original V and I can tell I'm not going to like him now. Not even having the awesome EM as a mother helped.
What I Hope They Include:
The Conversion Process: Where basically the Visitors brainwash select individuals into thinking and acting how they choose. I especially loved Julie's attempted conversion. Julie refused to give in and Diana's rage and obsession with breaking her was awesome. I really hope they continue this at a later date between Erica/Anna.
Diana/Julie Subtext: Diana was played with a certain amount of Hoyay most notably around Julie. I would really love to see this carried over in the interactions between Erica/Anna.
The Eating Scene: Come on you know you want to see a Visitor detach its jaw to eat a live animal.
The Unmasking of the Vistors: The unmasking of the Visitors to the world was epic and deserves to be re-created.