The show first aired in 2009, and at the time, I was thirteen years old. It debuted during the height of the vampire craze and like many other teens, I fell in love—and yes, sometimes the embarrassment does set in, but we’ve all had weird interests! Almost everybody was reading the Twilight series, talking about the Twilight movie or whatever other vamp related series was out at the time, so when the announcement came for a new television show about vampires and based on a book series, I was a little more than interested.

This is one of those rare cases where the adaption surpasses the original. The books were okay, and I believe I read about 5 out of 100 (that’s what it felt like as they kept releasing more and more), but the show became incredibly different and much more interesting than the source material so I stopped reading them.

The Vampire Diaries had all the essentials. From the love triangle featuring a gorgeous human girl and two vampire brothers—one brooding and the other your typical bad boy, to the quaint little town plus a high school setting, it created the perfect blend for a new addiction. I remember watching the very first episode and thinking, this is so good. This was more than likely my youth talking as I was the audience The CW was after, but my small interest in other successful CW shows, such as Supernatural, Smallville and Gilmore Girls, may have helped to fuel it as the network seemed to only every produce quality shows.

In a way, I think this series helped to shape the network into what is today. After TVD‘s release, they had some misses with other shows which aimed for the same audience (e.g. The Secret Circle and Starcrossed), but The Vampire Diaries helped to draw in a new crowd which were hungry for a ‘supernatural meets high school’ world. While writing this, I’m viewing other past shows by The CW and it’s interesting to see all the other shows they’ve created and what was on around the time of The Vampire Diaries premiere. It’s sort of surprising as it doesn’t feel as though the show has been running for eight years, but that becomes obvious where you compare the cast from back then to now, oh how they’ve aged. Perhaps it’s a new experience for me as I think this is the first long-running show where I’ve watched from the beginning to the end while it’s still going whereas other shows may be new, cancelled or I’ll be playing catch up.

But looking back now, the pilot episode of the show was beyond cheesy, except that’s not something which really stood out to me at the time. Speaking honestly, the entire first season is mostly cringe-worthy and if you’re watching it as a new fan, it does get better. The show develops substantially in the second season and almost everything about it just becomes better. The characters developed significantly in one season, which isn’t always something you always see in shows.

Take Caroline’s character, for example. Her vampire transformation at the start of the second season changed her from a bitchy high school girl and forced her to become something else entirely. The actors also developed significantly in the second season as the acting really wasn’t great at first. It becomes quite noticeable when you’re watching a new show as the actors may be new to the biz or still ‘finding’ their character, it can come across poorly.

Don’t get me wrong, each show experiences downfalls. Sometimes it could be from a long-running show not feeling as ‘fresh’ anymore, or the plot becomes ridiculous or boring (see Supernatural which lost its mojo more than a few times). For me, I felt the show lost its spark after the Originals left to venture on to create their spin-off show. This happened in season four and while Elena finally became a vampire which was an exciting development, we had to watch the doppelgänger plot unfold and it just went a little downhill.

Ever since then, I never really felt the same about the show. This may have been because I was getting older and was losing interest in the allure of vampires or the show never found its spark again, maybe it was a combination of both. It still had some high points every now and then such as when Chris Wood joined the show as Kai Parker and any scene with the big bad bitch Katherine helped to pique my interest once more. Personally, I knew the show would never be the same when Nina Dobrev left at the end of season six, even though many fans were beyond elated to finally see her go. The following season was the worst season of them all as it felt as if the show was scrambling to hold their world together by coming up with an elaborate story featuring vampire heretics and whatever else they thought could work in order to keep their viewers.

So why did I keep watching? I have no idea. Maybe it’s because I held an interest all those years ago and like some others, I just wanted to know how it ends. While the final season was like a rollercoaster of both up’s and down’s, I finally found myself reacting to scenes once again. I found myself gasping as Enzo was killed, shedding a tear for Bonnie who can never have it all, and then smiling as Stefan and Caroline said I do. The show seemed to find its roots once more which helped to deliver an epic series finale which did justice to the show no matter what other’s may say.

You’ll never have the perfect ending for a show, it’s impossible to satisfy millions of fans, but for The Vampire Diaries they did the best they could and I am damn happy about how it ended.

5 Favourites from The Vampire Diaries

1. The Lore: While every vampire series is different, the lore for The Vampire Diaries was fascinating. Albeit some parts of it led to the downfall of the series, overall it was quite fascinating.
2. The Flashbacks: We’re talking all the Katherine and Salvatore brothers flashbacks, especially the ‘We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street’ set in 1942 New Orleans.
3. Every Single Dance: From when the Mikaelson’s threw a ball to the high school decade dances, any time there was a dance or function, you knew it was going to be a good episode.
4. Katherine: Katherine had her moments and while I didn’t like her all the time, I think I just enjoyed seeing Nina Dobrev become another character and do it so well. All her doppelgänger performances were all pretty amazing.
5. The Originals: The Original vampire family was one, if not the most, favourite plot of the entire series. While their spin-off show was interesting at first, it lost its way (or maybe it’s just me again) and I can’t see it lasting much longer on the network.

5 Dislikes from The Vampire Diaries

1. Bonnie: Before you jump the gun, Bonnie is on this list because I’m not happy that it took so many highs and lows for her to finally accept herself. She’s also on here because while characters don’t always have to have a happy ending, it would have been nice to see Bonnie end up with her man. In my mind, she’s back with Jeremy.
2. Matt: Eight seasons and he’s still human. I think he’s the only one who survived that long. Many don’t like his character and I was never entirely sure where I stood. On one hand, he balanced the supernatural but on the other, he could be really annoying…
3. Season Seven: Enough said.
4. Sybil: Many commented on her likeness to Dobrev, which was on purpose and even mentioned in the show but her character was insufferable.
5. Ghost World: The other side should have been left alone, and Bonnie and Damon should have never ended up there for so long either.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your The Vampire Diaries experience and highlights in the comments below!

The post Saying Farewell to ‘The Vampire Diaries’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Vampire Diaries premiered in 2009, which was right in the middle of the worldwide vampire craze and saw other book adaptions, such as Twilight and True Blood, satisfying the world’s love for vamps.

The series has definitely been a roller-coaster with many up’s and down’s, and it has also come a long way since the cringe-worthy pilot and first season.

Vampire Diaries has had all the essential drama elements from the love triangle between a human girl and two vampire brothers, to the suspense and shocking twists and turns including numerous deaths for the same character (yup, we’re talking Bonnie Bennett).

Of course we can’t forget to mention all the different supernatural creatures from doppelgängers and werewolves to witches, hybrids and sirens, just to name a few. Some we loved, some we loved to hate such as the original vampires, who ended up with their own spin-off series, The Originals.

So how will the series end? But more importantly, will it do the show justice? This last season has felt a little scrambled as the main plot didn’t feel present in every episode. Maybe it’s just the show is tired or they’re too busy wrapping everything up in a shorter season (16 episodes). They’ve brought back multiple characters such as Tyler Lockwood, only to have him killed off. In the previous episode, we saw Vicki and Kelly Donovan return to do Katherine’s bidding. It seems like the show and this season is all about giving each character once last hurrah before wrapping, especially with a few more people (Jeremy and Elena’s real dad) coming back in this final episode.

We know Elena is back for the final episode, which felt obvious as how could you not finish the show and bring back a main character from her two season slumber. Either that or they would have had to kill her off with one of the many attacks her coffin has faced. We also know Elena will be attending a funeral for a major character. Now many think it will be the obvious choice of being Bonnie, however, surely she’s had enough of death by now? Next up is Stefan and Caroline, and if it will be either of this pair, it has to be Stefan. Then there’s Matt Donovan, is he classed as a major character? I feel like it would be sad to see him go, as he’s the only human to have made it through eight seasons, so that only leaves Damon Salvatore.

Could they really kill Damon off just as the series ends and Elena finally wakes up? Will it be Katherine who delivers the final blow? If it is Damon, they’re taking a page straight out of True Blood‘s series finale where Sookie loses Bill and then a flash-forward is shown of her living a normal life. Perhaps Elena may just end up with her original beau, Matt Donovan. If this is the case, I can guarantee there will be many disgruntled fans, just as there was for the True Blood finale. Despite everyone’s reluctance over love triangles, you do want to see someone get the girl, especially after many years of watching them.

While my love for The Vampire Diaries has wavered due to both the story and myself growing up and losing interest in the vampire world, I feel obligated to see it through and learn how it ends. It used to be one of those shows were I adored everything about it and would devote my attention fully to it, but now it’s more so playing in the background while I do something else. Regardless of this, I’ll definitely be watching and posting a review of the series finale after it airs. I more than likely will shed a tear or two as well.

Here’s hoping somebody writes in their journal just for those ‘feels’. Stefan and Elena, we’re looking at you. So get ready to say goodbye to Mystic Falls. The two-hour event kicks off with an hour-long retrospective special about the series followed by the series finale.

How do you hope the series will end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Vampire Diaries: It’s Almost Time To Say Goodbye appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Today a new, and very brief, promo video was released of Damon and Elena finally seeing one another after two seasons apart and much longing on Damon’s behalf.

The series finale ‘Wedding Bells?’ airs March 10th on The CW. Check out the promo below!

A wedding is quickly planned in order for Damon and Stefan to lure a dangerous enemy out into the open. This looming threat puts the fate of Mystic Falls in eminent danger and must be destroyed.

Will Elena end up with anyone in the end? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Vampire Diaries: Elena and Damon Reunite! appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

It looks like Kelly Donovan (played by Melinda Clarke) will be making a short appearance. Known as Vicki and Matt’s mother, she was last seen in Season 1, but she must be back for some reason. Judging by the look on everyone’s faces, perhaps she is apologising or more likely, bearing some bad news about their plan to defeat Cade.

The synopsis for the episode could see their plan end in disaster.. Because when you plan a wedding in TV land, they never seem to go well, especially on The CW. Check out the synopsis below.

 A wedding is quickly planned in order for Damon and Stefan to lure a dangerous enemy out into the open. This looming threat puts the fate of Mystic Falls in eminent danger and must be destroyed.

The series finale airs March 3rd on The CW.

What do you think? Why is Mumma Donovan back? Let us know in the comments below!

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