Staying In

The Vampire Diaries is the CW’s highest rated new show, but the network thinks there may be some viewers who haven’t bitten into the series yet.

The Vampire Diaries will take over the CW’s whole schedule with a weeklong marathon Dec. 14-18. All ten episodes of the series will air across five days, with two episodes airing each night in the order they were originally broadcast.

If this Thursday’s episode, which is the last original episode until January, has a cliffhanger on par with some of their previous episodes, fans are going to need more than a marathon to make it through the holidays.

Any newbies out there who will be tuning into the marathon to see what all the fuss about it? I do think there may be potential new viewers out there who wrote off the series as a Twilight ripoff. I was skeptical myself, but my friend and I were recently talking about how The Vampire Diaries has turned out to be the most pleasant surprise of this TV season.

There are many new shows I like, but I had a feeling whether based on casting, the creative talent involved or premise that I was going to like them. Then there are shows that I was excited about when I saw the pilot, but have let me down in subsequent episodes.

The Vampire Diaries has been a different story. I went into it thinking it wasn’t for me and that I’d had my fill of vampires. But week after week, the show has managed to throw out my expectations and surprise me. My friend agreed with me, but I still felt the need to list my evidence to her:

1. They killed Vicki barely halfway through their first season. Bold move.
2. Lexi. I was expecting her to be bitter of Stefan’s feelings for Elena and be the stereotypical secretly-in-love-with-him best friend, but instead we got something much better. Lexi was completely cool — cool with herself, cool with Stefan’s feelings and even cool to Elena. Fun, sassy and powerful enough to put Damon in his place. Sadly, Damon got the last stake and killed her.
3. Really interesting supporting characters like Bonnie and Caroline, who I like even more than the main ones. Though she may think she’s shallow, I think Caroline has unexpected depth and that’s thanks to Candice Accola, who plays the character with such aplomb. She keeps her from becoming a one-note bitchy cheerleader, revealing little pieces of vulnerability, and has great chemistry with everyone. I loved her and Damon in all their twisted glory, but I also love…
4. Matt and Caroline. I didn’t see this unexpectedly sweet pairing coming. Matt’s just such a refreshingly nice, decent ex-boyfriend for TV. I think he may have picked up some tips from Zach Gilford’s Matt Saracen while guesting on Friday Night Lights last season.
5. A really rich town history. When I first read about the show, it wasn’t the teenagers and vampires that interested me, it was executive producer Kevin Williamson saying that they were going open up the world of the show, so that it would be more about the town. I’m a sucker for mythology.
6. Elena and the rest of the females on the show are no wilting flowers. Though they may be under the control of Damon’s mind control stare or Stefan’s dreamy gaze, these girls take action. They’re in the action. They fight back. In Bonnie’s case, they’re powerful. As Caroline told Matt, she may be pathetic and insecure, but she’s no pushover. And although a triangle is no doubt inevitable, I love that Damon’s bay boy charm has failed to woo Elena so far. It’s nice to see a female character concerned for her friends and family and not just about which boy she’ll take to the dance.
7. Speaking of the female characters… Strong, complicated, messy, caring female friendships! They’re not perfect, but they’re not out to stab each other in the back. The exchange between Bonnie and Caroline about listening and taking each other seriously in the last episode was wonderful. Damon’s necklace may have brought it on, but the fight wasn’t about a boy when you got down to it. It was about wanting your best friend to be there for you, to get you, no matter what.