Summary
The Vampire Diariesgets off to a strong start in season 1, butthere are some harsh realities about the beginning of the series that remain difficult to digest.The Vampire Diariesis known for its complex characters, entertaining supernatural storylines, and compelling romances. However, the show has noticeable shortcomings, and it takes a while to find its footing in season 1.
This is true of most TV series, as they need time to sell their viewers on the storylines and characters introduced.The Vampire Diarieshas a few characters that take a while to come into their own, and season 1 also manages to waste some compelling characters in its earliest episodes. Certain storylines aren’t as strong as they should be, and these are all harsh realities aboutThe Vampire Diariesseason 1. Fortunately,most of them get better as the show continues.
10 The Vampire Diaries Moments That Made Viewers Quit The Show
Despite its popularity, The Vampire Diaries features some unpopular moments associated with bad storylines that led to people quitting the show.
10Damon Salvatore Is Pretty Terrible In Season 1
He’s Way More Cruel Than Viewers Give Him Credit For
Damon Salvatore is a fan-favorite character fromThe Vampire Diaries,and the show spends several seasons bringing viewers — and Elena Gilbert — over to his side. Damon starts to become a better person towards the end ofThe Vampire Diariesseason 1, but it’s only after he does a number of terrible things.A harsh reality about the first season is that Damon isn’t all that likableat first. While later seasons see his behavior falling into shades of gray, it’s much less morally ambiguous at the beginning of the show.
The later seasons ofThe Vampire Diariesmay explain why Damon acts the way he does, but it’s hard to justify his actions in the show’s earliest episodes.
Damon’s return to Mystic Falls sees him attacking and killing numerous people— and it’s made worse when you realize that vampires don’t need to kill to survive. He also torments Caroline throughoutThe Vampire Diariesseason 1, something the characters forgive him too easily for. The later seasons ofThe Vampire Diariesmay explain why Damon acts the way he does, but it’s hard to justify his actions in the show’s earliest episodes.
9The Love Triangle Between Stefan, Matt, & Elena Isn’t Believable
Matt & Elena Are Obviously Not Endgame
The Vampire Diaries’true love triangleis between Damon, Stefan, and Elena — butseason 1 tries to sell Matt Donovan as a genuine love interest for Elena. Unfortunately, he and Elena have little chemistry to speak of. It’s clear from the start that Elena views him more as a friend than anything else. This makes it all the more frustrating whenThe Vampire Diariesattempts to stir up conflict between him and Stefan. Of the two, Stefan is always the clearer choice for Elena, and Matt and Elena are obviously not going to wind up together.
The Vampire Diariesseason 1 later tries to work Caroline into this dynamic as well, which only makes season 1’s romance storylines more annoying. There’s no reason for Caroline and Elena to feel at odds over Matt, just as there’s really no need for Matt and Stefan to dislike one another. It’s a relief thatThe Vampire Diariesdrops this act, as it benefits none of the characters involved.
8The Vampire Diaries Tried Too Hard To Make Caroline A Mean Girl
Caroline’s Characterization Is Much Better In Season 2
Caroline Forbes becomes one of the bestVampire Diariescharacters by the time season 2 rolls around, but the show’s first outing doesn’t do her justice.The early episodes ofThe Vampire Diariestry too hard to make Caroline the queen bee of Elena’s friend group, often portraying her as something of a mean girl. She gives Elena a hard time over cheerleading and seems incredibly shallow. She also seems to add tension between Elena and Bonnie, with Elena not getting along with her as well.
By the end ofThe Vampire Diaries, it’s hard to look back at Caroline’s initial scenes, as she gets so much better over time.
Fortunately,The Vampire Diariesmoves away from this portrayal of Caroline, fitting her more seamlessly into the story and Elena’s life. Her friendship with Elena seems stronger in season 2, and she becomes a more compassionate and admirable character as well. By the end ofThe Vampire Diaries, it’s hard to look back at Caroline’s initial scenes, as she gets so much better over time.
7Stefan Salvatore Is A Little Too Perfect
The Vampire Season 1 Makes Him Seem Uninteresting At First
Stefan is one of the few characters to make a good impression when he’s introduced, butThe Vampire Diariesseason 1 makes his character a little too perfect at first. At the beginning of the show, Stefan barely seems to struggle with his choice to only consume animal blood — and though this changes later in season 1, his struggles only last a few episodes. In addition to being the perfect vampire, Stefan comes across as the perfect boyfriend. This spells trouble for him and Elena early on, as the show can’t leave them without conflict for the rest of its run.
It also makes Stefan seem like a less interesting character than someone like Damon, thoughThe Vampire Diaries’later outings rectify this. Without knowing Stefan’s backstory, the claim that he’s a “do-gooder” seems warranted. And even Paul Wesley’s performance can’t save Stefan from bland characterization inTVD’s opening episodes.
6The Vampire Diaries Killed Vicki Donovan Off Way Too Soon
Vicki’s Arc Is Too Short For So Much To Happen
Vicki Donovan seems poised to become an important character inThe Vampire Diariesseason 1, but the series kills her off permanently in its seventh episode. Prior to this, Vicki nearly dies once and is turned into a vampire. Needless to say, killing her for real feels like a bit much. In general,it feels like too much happens, too fast, in Vicki’s briefVampire Diariesarc. But even if Vicki’s story was spread out by a few more episodes, her character had too much potential to throw away like this.
The Vampire Diariesseason 1 acknowledges Vicki’s struggles with addiction and her lower class status, which makes the optics of killing her off so soon pretty terrible.
The Vampire Diariesseason 1 acknowledges Vicki’s struggles with addiction and her lower class status, which makes the optics of killing her off so soon pretty terrible. These aspects of her character could also have given the show more topics to explore. Ultimately,The Vampire Diariesopts to kill Vicki instead, one of its most questionable choices from season 1.
5Stefan & Damon’s Vampire Diaries Backstory Feels A Little Silly In Season 1
The Flashbacks Are Initially Jarring
The Vampire Diaries’central conflicts stem from Stefan and Damon’s history with Katherine, and the show conveys their backstory through flashbacks. This feels more fitting later on, butThe Vampire Diariesseason 1’s initial flashbacks feel a bit jarring. It feels a bit silly that Stefan and Damon both loved the same girl — who looks exactly like Elena — and are essentially repeating history. It’s also odd to see them in period garb, attempting to capture the mannerisms of the 1800s, after watching them in the show’s modern storyline.
Perhaps it’s easier to get used to such scenes as they appear more frequently, or maybe the actors become more comfortable stepping into the 1800s later on. Whatever the explanation is,The Vampire Diariesimproves season 1’s approach to showing Stefan and Damon’s history. In some ways, that makes it harder to watch the show’s earliest attempts.
4The Vampire Diaries Season 1 Wastes Lexi’s Character
Stefan’s Old Friend Only Lasts A Single Episode
IfThe Vampire Diariesseason 1 wastes Vicki Donovan’scharacter,it’s nothing compared to how it treats Lexi Branson. Lexi only appears for a single episode ofThe Vampire Diariesseason 1, and Stefan’s old friend is killed as quickly and abruptly as she appears. This is tragic, as Lexi makes a good impression with her little time on-screen. She and Elena get along well, and she gives Stefan a shoulder to lean on.The Vampire Diariesprobably should have capitalized on her charm further before taking her out of the equation.
The Vampire Diarieslikely realized its mistake with Lexi, too, as it brings her back for flashbacks and ghost appearances in its later seasons. However, the confirmation that she’s such a crucial presence in Stefan’s life only makes her treatment in season 1 worse. And it makes Damon killing her much harder to stomach.
3Mystic Falls Was Terrible At Covering Up Vampire Attacks
The Council Makes Ridiculous Excuses
Mystic Falls has an entire council dedicated to keeping the knowledge of vampires and werewolves under wraps, butThe Vampire Diariesseason 1 proves they’re something of a joke. Although John Gilbert has success rounding up the vampires at the end of season 1,the show’s early episodes see Sheriff Forbes and the mayor dropping the ball repeatedly. Damon exists right under their noses, and they make ridiculous excuses for all the deaths and attacks plaguing the town.
It’s comical how often the Council uses an animal attack as a cover-upfor vampire attacks. And it’s even more absurd that the inhabitants of Mystic Falls believe them. For a secret organization dedicated to keeping supernatural activity under wraps, you’d think they would have more experience with such things.
2The Vampire Diaries Never Properly Addresses Jeremy’s Mental Health
Jeremy’s Problems Get Brushed Under The Rug
Jeremy Gilbert struggles with his mental health throughoutThe Vampire Diariesseason 1, and the series never properly addresses it. Elena’s brother starts the series doing drugs, keeping his feelings inside, and chasing after a relationship that’s bad for him. His actions stem from the loss of his and Elena’s parents, butThe Vampire Diariesseason 1 hardly addresses them before Damon wipes Stefan’s memories. And Jeremy instantly drops his vices after this happens, relieving the need for him to work through his feelings.
Even after Jeremy gets his memories back,The Vampire Diariesleaves Jeremy in a much better state of mind than he started the show in. This doesn’t necessarily hurt his character, but it does raise questions about the show’s ability to handle such serious topics. It would have been more satisfying to see Jeremy work through his grief and mental health issues on his own. Instead, the series magically sweeps them away.
1The Vampire Diaries' Main Characters Feel Older Than They Should
Elena & Her Friends Don’t Act Like Typical Teenagers
The Vampire Diariesseason 1 introduces Elena and her friends as teenagers, yet they feel much older from the beginning of the show.This issue persists over the course ofThe Vampire Diaries’run, and it’s hard to ignore that the characters shouldn’t be drinking, staying out all night, and making life-altering decisions without consequences. While Stefan and Damon have reasons to seem older than they are, everyone else should probably feel like proper teens.
While Stefan and Damon have reasons to seem older than they are, everyone else should probably feel like proper teens.
Elena’s ability to sneak around and do whatever she wants could potentially be attributed to Jenna’s lack of parenting skills. However, all of Elena’s friends seem to benefit from the same freedoms that she and the vampires have. It’s easy to overlook when watchingThe Vampire Diaries, but it is a harsh reality about the show that begins in season 1.
The Vampire Diaries
Cast
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
