The journals of undead citizens are awesome...

[astri13]

I continuously marvel at Vampire Diaries ability to do pacing. You know, stuff that happens in ONE episode of this show? Other shows would fit in at least two Seasons.

And they manage to juggle a boatload of characters, giving them intriguing arcs and interesting developments. I can't believe that after the Pilot of this show, I wrote it off as Twilight Smallville with Elena = Lana, Stefan = Clark and Damon = Lex. And in some bastardized version - in a totallly good way - it is like that.

Only I find Elena to be actually portrayed as awesome as they always kept telling me Lana was. They might employ some of the same "most beloved girl at center stage" tropes with Elena as they did with Lana but it's a LOT more earned in VD. They show me Elena being strong. And ditto with Damon, they do some of the same bad boy woobie tropes with him that have been done to death a thousand times on other shows but I simply feel they work better here. They sure grant him more sympathetic writing than Lex got after Season 2 or so. Lastly Stefan who I figured would be the weak link along with Elena? I find what they're doing with him right now so much more compelling because they commit to it. At least right now I don't see the huge bucket of whitewash standing in the far back, ready for the character to jump in. Or heck, how I thought characters like Caroline would be just there to annoy the fuck out of me? Ha.

Maybe, unfortunately, the show is too good for me to get as emotionally - and thus fannishly - invested with it. Though I remember back in the day also being pretty happy with the writing of Buffy and still getting into it deeply. Who knows. Maybe it's also a blessing not to get too deeply into a show on this level.

I just miss being hip-deep in meta and fanfic and fandom within a show I also love. Though I'm also apprehensive about it these days because in every show I ever watched, I had at least one clear favourite character (and maybe two or so second-faves) and that worked out fine for freaking YEARS. Only lately, no matter which character(s) I really latch onto, I can be assured that the writing fucks them over ten ways from Sunday while hiking its tongue up the ass of characters I was heretofore okay with but wasn't gaga about.

So, pets little VD for all it is (and especially for all it isn't).

Comments

[mareen.livejournal.com]

Did you only just start watching the show? Or is this just the first time you wrote something about it?
I still continue to pimp it to other people, but there are so many who won't watch it just for the sake of it. Which just makes me sad.

[astri13.livejournal.com]

Way back when I watched the Pilot and maybe episode 2 and then wrote it off. I think I started watching/catching up for real between Seasons 1 and 2 since so many people gushed about it by then.

Not sure if I ever posted about it, though, maybe just a little drive-by post. But I'm totally watching now. It's also the one show I would really mourn if the CW croaked (even though on the other hand I wish it would so something would put SPN out of its freaking misery).

I still continue to pimp it to other people, but there are so many who won't watch it just for the sake of it.

I get being apprehensive about the theme - I was too - but I have no problem giving shows a chance, especially if people with likeminded taste pimp it.

Maybe the show is too good, though. The shows that catch on big fandom-wise - and then everyone and their dog starts watching them - seem to fall more into the mediocre to bad category.

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

elli and I pimped it to stabbim when we were in Scotland. We watched a few episodes, it got later and later, and when she asked if we had time for one more, I was all YES!!!! :D

[legoline.livejournal.com]

Yes. Thank God I had books with me and didn't have to watch it :D

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

I'm not sorry about that. You made me watch North & South. :P

[legoline.livejournal.com]

But N&S only has four episodes! By the end of the week I had to beg you guys to maybe not spend the entire evening watching TVD :p

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

But N&S only has four episodes!

That we watched on two evenings. Same as we did with Vampire Diaries. *shrugs*

[legoline.livejournal.com]

You watched TVD on three evenings, I'm fairly sure. And for a lot more than two hours per evening! :-) It's okay, though. I survived it, evidently, and it would have been nonsense if three people had missed out on it for the benefit of one. I'm mostly still baffled by the overall excitment over this show.

[legoline.livejournal.com]

I just don't get the appeal of this show. Like, I just don't. The girls watched it in Scotland, and every time I caught a few minutes or so of it (I spent the rest reading or writing) I could not help but giggle at the mere cheese and the OMGFORESHADOWING music. Doesn't help that the chick's got a face that I want to punch continuously :-)

Yes, yes. I know. Super awesome plots and pacing and whatnot, but at the end of the day it's a soap opera with vampires and a chick, no? (At which point you and everybody else will probably go, NO! IT'S SO MUCH MORE! :-)) Still. Don't get the fascination with it.

[astri13.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes. I know. Super awesome plots and pacing and whatnot, but at the end of the day it's a soap opera with vampires and a chick, no?

Nope, in this case I really have to disagree. A soap to me puts the emphasis on the emo drama, like love triangles and tired relationship woes. Whereas VD is in first place an intensely plot-heavy show. The genre plots about vampires, werewolves and witches take absolute priority and all the interpersonal drama comes in second at best.

I can understand not getting the appeal though it really isn't the kind of show that can appeal to you if you only get glimpses here and there, for the reason I stated above. It's 90% about the plots and to get into those, you need to watch a couple eps in a row IMO.

[legoline.livejournal.com]

The girls basically spent evening after evening watching the show, so while I only got glimpses (thanks to my iPod and the high volume music :p )here and there, I did see a good deal of the show on mute and there was nothing visually etc. that suggested it was anything other than a soap opera *shrug* It may be really plot-driven, I'll have to take your word for it, but I really can't see how this show could possibly be plot-driven. (People keep telling me it is, so I assume it's true but then again, soap operas have fast pacing, too :p )

Don't mind me. I'm not trying to spil your fun. It's just that week after week my flist is full of squee and excitment for this show and week after week I continue to be baffled about it, is all :-)

[astri13.livejournal.com]

I'll have to take your word for it, but I really can't see how this show could possibly be plot-driven.

I didn't wanna believe it either as I expected the show to be a soap, Twilight in TV show format but I was really surprised by the plottiness. The Seasons basically have a larger over-arching plot that then breaks down into smaller arcs spanning a few eps.

Now, again, I get not liking it but I do have to steadfastly defending it from being a soap. :) It doesn't fill any of the criteria, honestly.

And I know bad soap material right now. SPN? As bad as Season Sux was, this year is about a trillion times worse. They are not even going to their well of a million already existing issues anymore, no they are now making stuff up out of thin air to create bad soap drama for the characters. Well, for Dean, that is. Sam is this close to farting a unicorn out of his butt.

[legoline.livejournal.com]

I get not liking it but I do have to steadfastly defending it from being a soap. :)

Okay then :-) Not a soap.

See, I'm still glad I stopped at the beginning at season 5 (then caught up later after I went to Vancouver and everything looked like SPN but I never got past 5x20). I do read reviews occasionally and I heard that everybody's so excited because they might go and address the possibility that Dean has a drinking problem and I just go, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Don't you remember how poorly they treated the plot device of addiction last time???"

Oh. I bet Sam is. I couldn't take that show seriously anymore anyway because I've developed a sliiiiiight issue towards Jared and every time I see him I immediately translate everything he says into a dumb "Hulk" - voice. Ahem.