Was "The Vampire Diaries" Too Harsh on Vicki Donovan?
The first season of "The Vampire Diaries" had a super intense, exciting story with a ton of great characters. But it seems the creators really went hard on Vicki Donovan!
How'd They Screw Up Vicki?
She got vampired by Damon, because he was being a bit of a jerk (which was a super common thing back then! They really should have kept her around longer to explore her character! It would've made a lot of sense, as they focused on those other characters, too!
Why Didn't They Keep Vicki?
- We saw that she came from the “wrong” side of Mystic Falls and had to deal with those rough, rough days.
- But she wasn't getting any love. They basically gave her the boot after just a few episodes. It kinda felt like the Vampire Diaries TV show was sending the message that Vicki, because of her struggles, couldn’t actually get a break and wasn't good enough! This actually was super common for how a lot of "The Vampire Diaries" characters were treated! The show was not afraid of death - with everyone being ready for a showdown. It was high stakes.
Was That the Right Thing to Do?
- Yeah, the co-creators did say they didn’t want things to get stale. This decision actually made sense! It’s true that a lot of "The Vampire Diaries" characters never came back to life - especially since they kept those stakes super high.
- Vicki being turned into a vampire was pretty interesting - she got this weird second chance! Her story could have actually become something more. Maybe they could have shown a little more empathy - that she had some strengths that actually made her a compelling character.
- It is strange how they made Vicki a villain at the end! It almost felt like they were trying to be super intense. Instead of showing what happens to those people trying to survive after they turn into vampires - she basically went crazy!
- They also went back on this with Vicki. She did pop back in Season 3 to play some havoc on everyone. I am pretty sure it wasn't exactly a huge hit with the fans. They probably could have made her a much stronger character from the start!
- And we’ve got a lot to talk about. The whole world of "The Vampire Diaries" had some really serious themes! What really made this show work? They gave it that super exciting, dramatic spin with vampires who're still trying to get a grip on who they are!
- I am totally not blaming them for being inspired by "The Vampire Diaries" books - I've read them and they are really, really good - and if you liked the show, you should definitely give them a shot!
So What's It Like Now?
We have to think about it like this, if we want to understand what went wrong. They really made a lot of mistakes. I totally know "The Vampire Diaries" was an awesome series for a long time, with those epic storylines! It even went on for eight seasons!
But there's definitely more to be said about what was wrong with their characters. It could be why fans have really taken to all these great theories and even those behind-the-scenes videos and stuff, trying to piece together what happened and figure out the rest of this amazing "The Vampire Diaries" legacy.
