The Vampire Venn Diagrams
As a self-professed Buffy addict and reluctant reader of Twilight, it was only a matter of time before I gave in to the multiple recommendation of trusted friends to watch CW's hit series The Vampire Diaries. Thanks to Netflix watch instantly, I've quickly made my way through the first two seasons and I'm enjoying the guilty-pleasure indulgence. I am hooked by the story of feuding Salvatore brothers Damon and Stefan as they vie for the affections of human teenager Elena. There are also witches, wolves, and evil doppelgangers to keep things interesting. My initial assumption about the series was that it was for pre-teens too young to watch True Blood and needing something to follow-up their Twilight binge, but I now appreciate the show for what it is: a love letter to the teen horror romance genre. The writers of the series have seen what was done before and have upped the teen high school dramatics to the max. One may mistake the obvious influences as proof of lacking originality, but I suspect the similarities are not beyond the show's creators. It is more likely that they are fully aware of the borrowing and use it as a way to hold a mirror up to the genre's more ridiculous (and frequent) aspects. The original Vampire Diaries books were written by L. J. Smith in the early 90's, and though much has been changed for the television adaptation, the main concept is still pre-Buffy, pre-Bella, and pre-Sookie. That makes this teen protagonist vampire story ahead of its time. Since good artists borrow and great artists steal, here is a quick guide to all of the best overlaps from TV's hottest teen-vampire-romance-high-school-drama-horror-fantasy series.
Love Triangles
We'll start with the most obvious thing that Buffy, Bella, and Elena share: complicated relationships. Each story has a love triangle that features one human girl caught between two supernatural suitors, usually against her own common sense. Each possess a dangerous element, whether it's Buffy's Angel who could turn into evil Angelus, Twilight's Edward finding Bella both attractive and appetizing, or Stefan who has an unstable ex-girlfriend and equally unstable brother Damon. None of these relationships scream "healthy" but the alternatives usually aren't much better. Former companion to Angel's evil Angelus, the vampire Spike is literally soulless. Vampire Diaries' Damon is manipulative and quick to murder. Bella's Jacob may be the only sane alternative, and considering he is a werewolf he still doesn't fall in the realm of "normal". One thing is for sure, no ordinary human is much competition for the affections of the women in these vampire franchises.
Broody Beaus
The furrowed brow. The piercing eyes. The hair. These guys have a lot more in common than a weakness for underage girls. Each one carries around the same amount of guilt for being a vampire, and this quality seems to make them irresistible. Did I mention each has had 100 years to brood? They have been miserable for most of that time until meeting their mortal mates. They also pull the same "I am too dangerous, I must leave" routine at one point (or more). Dangerous and controlling? Winning combo! Though she later forgives him, at least Buffy sends Angel to hell for his lapse of morality.
Bad Boys and The Women Who Love Them
Damon and Spike. So many similarities. Both are ruthless killers, quick tempered, and each has an insatiable thirst for human blood. So why are they so damn attractive? These boys are damaged goods, but they are convincing at hiding what lies beneath the surface. The heartbreak they felt as humans manifests in their sadistic behavior as vampires, their rage inspired by their loss of love. Rather than self loathe, they self medicate. This makes it all the more moving when they attempt to change their ways for the love of a human. But 100 years of murderous habits don't go away over night, ladies.
Mystical Small Towns & Their Unwitting Inhabitants
Where there are vamps, crazy stuff goes down. The local communities seem none the wiser in Mystic Falls (Vampire Diaries), Sunnydale (Buffy), and Forks (Twilight), though each town has a long history with the supernatural beings that frequent their villages. Animal attacks are popular explanations in all three series. Angel, the Buffy spin-off, is the only series that keeps it real in Los Angeles where crazy stuff goes down and no one notices because "Hollywood!"
Veggie Vampires
Every girl that dates a vampire has to tell themselves the same lie: He's different cause he only eats animals! And each one of these vamps falls off the wagon at some point. This adds to the appeal of the "bad boy" character. Spike and Stefan are inspired by their love to fight their murderous nature; Angel and Edward were already yearning to retain their humanity before falling for a human.
Yes, Sire!
Behind every brooding, reluctant vampire, there is usually a sexy, manipulative vampire that sired them. Darla (of Buffy) and Catherine (of Vampire Diaries) each created their vampire companions out of a twisted sense of love, but mostly because these guys were hot and could prove useful. Being a vampire also allowed these women to amass great power when the era of their births (the 15th / 16th centuries) would have denied them opportunities as humans. These vindictive creatures come to discover that their self-serving habits don't prove effective in protecting them from feelings of abandonment when their creations eventually spurn their love.
Witchy Best Friends
Bff's that can hold their own in a fight with vampires? Kind of handy to have around. Buffy's trusted friend Willow is loyal no matter what, even when Buffy makes questionable decisions. Bonnie on the other hand has a much harder time accepting Elena's choice of companions, and for good reason. Her family history keeps her from ever fully trusting the vampires and this makes her a valuable person in Elena's life. It would be nice to see her struggle with the responsibility of her Wiccan gifts as Willow does in season 6 of Buffy.
Vamps vs. Wolves
 Image courtesy of Draw For Me |
| by Jeremy Kron |
The vampire / werewolf rivalry is not a new concept to the horror genre, but it is one that is reinforced by these three series. Both Twilight and The Vampire Diaries make these creatures natural enemies that are deadly to one another while Buffy portrays werewolves as cursed humans rather than soulless demons. Since the Buffyverse is inhabited by many more demonic creatures, there is a a much greater spectrum of moral ambiguity amongst them (especially in the Angel series).
Strong Female Leads That Aren't Entirely Defined By Their Relationship
Whoops. Guess Buffy kind of has a monopoly on that one! I felt the need to point this out since this is one area where Twilight and The Vampire Diaries fall short. Buffy isn't even the only strong woman in the series either. Willow, Faith, Cordelia, and Anya each have distinct character arcs that do not begin and end with "meets boy, falls in love." Though Bella and Elena do exhibit admirable qualities, they play the damsel in distress a little too often, nor do they make great role models for how a teenage girl should organize her priorities (aka dangerous vampire boyfriend above all else). I'm hoping The Vampire Diaries will surprise me, but that will only happen when I ask more questions of Elena besides "Which vampire will she choose?" Buffy may have super slayer abilities, but she's the only female lead that makes being a human girl look bad-ass.
Not every Buffy fan will love Vampire Diaries, nor will every Twi-hard be bowled over by the Whedonverse. But I do believe that these series share enough similarities to check them out if you are a devoted fan of one (or possibly two). Buffy fans will love the over the top relationship drama of The Vampire Diaries, and if you are team Spike, you'll love Stefan. Twilight fans will enjoy Buffy for the element of forbidden love, and they may be pleasantly surprised by how much a strong female lead can add to the story. And lastly, if you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries, consider this series a gateway to a whole world of horror / fantasy genre television shows, books, and comics. Vampires are just the start as you may find yourself watching Dr. Who and reading Sandman sooner than you think.