Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev & Paul Wesley of The Vampire Diaries
We’re four years into vampires, werewolves, witches and hybrids making life very interesting for the residents of Mystic Falls on The Vampire Diaries. While the show is still undeniably strong, it does seem to be going through some growing pains both on the good side (Steven R McQueen regularly in wife beaters) and not-so-good side (Elena is sired to Damon? WTF?). We gathered a group of top TV Critics together to chat up the show.
For this Roundtable, we have Robyn Ross (Staff Editor, TVGuide.com), Matt Richenthal (Editor-in-Chief, TVFanatic.com) Brian Gianelli (Senior TV Editor, XFinityTV), Louis Peitzman (Associate Editor, Buzzfeed.com) and our own Jim Halterman.
After the years of build-up, is the Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) pairing delivering?
Robyn Ross: Yes! I wish we'd see more intense make out scenes like their first, but I love how genuine Elena seems when she tells Damon she really does love him.
Matt Richenthal: Not remotely. The sire bond storyline has ruined this relationship, if we can ever refer to it as such. Elena loves Damon. Damon loves Elena. These two should simply be together, but some contrived obstacle is keeping them apart.
Louis Peitzman: To some extent, sure. I guess I kind of wanted to see Elena and Damon painting the town red -- either literally or figuratively. They're supposed to be the fun contrast to the OMG so dramatic Elena/Stefan pairing, but I'm not quite feeling it. Maybe that pesky sire bond is getting in the way.
Assuming Elena sticks by Damon's side, is Rebekah (Claire Holt) just a rebound for Stefan (Paul Wesley), or is there something more there?
Brian Gianelli: Rebekah's middle name might as well be Rebound because there is zero chance her and Stefan's dalliance turns into something long term. I love the Rebekah character, I just don't see her and Stefan becoming the next power couple on TVD.
Matt Richenthal: There was something more there in the 1920s. I don't see why there can't be something more there now. Stefan has SEEN Rebekah, right?!?
Jim Halterman: I love me some Rebekah but, yeah, this is just a rebound. I can only hope she’s the one who comes out on top, so to speak, instead of being the wounded puppy when Stefan moves on.
So being a Vampire Hunter comes with an Equinox Membership, huh, Steven R. McQueen?
Usually more a supporting player, Steven R. McQueen has been stepping it up since Jeremy is now a Hunter. What’s working or not working by giving Jeremy a bigger story?
Robyn Ross: Well it's working in the sense that his character was becoming so secondary (and boring) so I'm glad they finally gave him a big arc to take on. And anything that shows more muscles is OK for me. But eventually the hunter plot has to come to an end and then what's left for him to do? I'm not sure.
Brian Gianelli: Steven McQueen has grown the most from Season 1 until now. He's developed (physically and as an actor) and I don't want to see any more "trips to Colorado" where he goes MIA for three or four episodes. He's now a vital part of the show and his added importance as a vampire hunter gives him great (non-forced) interactions with the regular gang. Plus, he's the only human left on the show pretty much, along with poor Matt, right?
Louis Peitzman: My main complaint is that his shirt is on more than it should be. That aside, I'm mostly OK with it. It was fun seeing Jeremy go dark -- like, try to kill his sister dark -- but now that he's softening up, I'm a little less invested. Is it wrong that I want to see Jeremy firmly on the bad side? I promise I'll stay tuned for the redemption arc!
Jim Halterman: I like that McQueen is finally being given something more heroic to do…but he’s lacking the chops to really make us believe in him.
A little bird tells me a BIG death coming on an upcoming episode. Who do you think it will be for story purposes, and who do you think has worn out their welcome in Mystic Falls?
Brian Gianelli: I would love to see Tyler (Michael Trevino) go – I just don't think he fits that well. Let's find someone more dynamic for Caroline (Candice Accola).
Matt Richenthal: Matt (Zach Roerig) has clearly worn out his welcome in terms of storytelling, but not in terms of sheer hilarity (case in point: his varsity jacket). I say Jeremy kicks it while saving Elena somehow.
Louis Peitzman: I've been ready to ditch Matt for a while now. I get it, he's the one human, but that just makes him dead weight. I mean, his primary characteristic is that he's average, and as well as that worked for Xander on Buffy, it never quite grabs me on The Vampire Diaries. Maybe kill him off gently?
Jim Halterman: I feel like if it’s Matt, that’s just too easy since we’ve all been expecting it for awhile. I’m ready for Bonnie (Kat Graham) to go, but if you really want to shock the hell out of us, let’s off Stefan.
How about a little game of Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, Damon?
There’s yet to be much of a gay presence on the show. (Sorry folks, Caroline’s deceased Dad doesn't cut it). Do you think a gay vamp making all sorts of snappy one-liners about the pretty boys in Mystic Falls would be a good thing?
Robyn Ross: I love that the show often blissfully ignores race, ethnicity, etc. because these kids have a lot more to worry about than those kinds of social issues. But sexual orientation (and sex in general) is such a huge part of the show that I think taking on a handsome gay vampire could add a lot to the mix. And let's be honest, the banter between him and Damon would be priceless.
Brian Gianelli: It'd be great to have a gay character on the show. Perhaps The Originals have a long-lost brother? Or a cousin of Jeremy and Elena shows up in Mystic Falls with a few deep secrets? He could be a fun foil.
Matt Richenthal: Not really. That sounds more like a forced stereotype to me than a three-dimensional, realized character.
Louis Peitzman: In my mind, all vampires are bisexual. You live that long, you're gonna dabble. So sure, a gay character would be great, but I'm probably not going to be content until Damon makes out with a dude. (This is why I'm never satisfied.)
Jim Halterman: I’ve always appreciated that the show hasn’t added a gay character for the hell of it, but now in its fourth year it just seems like one of these vamps, wolves or hybrids would be spending his down time at a boy bar tipping go-go boys.
Should we finally get some pay-off to the Caroline & Klaus (Joseph Morgan) flirtation? Or is that never gonna happen?
Robyn Ross: Yes!!! But purely for selfish reasons. I get that for the story it makes no sense whatsoever to have Caroline give in to Klaus after all that he's done to her, her friends and her family. But even though I love her with Tyler I'm obsessed with Klaus and would be excited to see just one hot sex scene between the two. Perhaps in a dream sequence? (If vamps dream, that is)
Louis Peitzman: Eh, at this point, does it really matter? I liked the power Caroline seemed to have over Klaus, and their flirtation was fun. But after he went on his holiday rampage, it seems impossible there could ever be anything romantic between them. Besides, he's moving on to The Originals, and Caroline deserves something a little stabler.
Jim Halterman: Sadly, the time has passed but it was a huge missed opportunity that the door was opened but the promise of it was never fulfilled.
Bonnie is now a ‘ticking time bomb.’ Care or don’t care?
Robyn Ross: Don't care. Moving on.
Brian Gianelli: Don't care. Sorry. And enough with the dead grandma/mom coming back. Don't care!
Matt Richenthal: Don't care. Wake me up when Bonnie smiles.
Oh, Tyler, Tyler! Where for art thou, Tyler?
The show has a big cast and often transitions them out for several episodes (um, hello, where the f**k is Tyler and his shirtless hybrid rage?). Does this help or hurt the show in terms of storyline momentum?
Brian Gianelli: It hurts with some of the B storylines/characters. I get this might be budgetary, but it does hurt a bit.
Matt Richenthal: Tyler is a good example of how a large cast can hurt a show, seeing as his mother was just murdered and then we didn't even see him two weeks later. But, overall, I think TVD services its characters well. I'd much prefer to see a few sit an episode out rather than the series try to shove various arcs down our throat in just an hour. (NOTE: This does not apply to Caroline Forbes. Where is she?!?)
Louis Peitzman: It helps! While it's frustrating to not see your favorite characters for a couple weeks at a time, it's a lot better than the show trying to service all of them at once. That sounds filthy. What I mean is, you look at a series like True Blood, and you see how damaging having too many characters can be. The Vampire Diaries has somehow found the right balance.
With THE ORIGINALS spin-off coming, do you think having them gone from TVD will be a good or bad thing?
Robyn Ross: Ugh, I'm so torn about this. I love that this is a way to keep Klaus in our world but at the same time so worried because spin-offs are a hard thing to make successful. Ideally Klaus could still pop up now and again (or every other episode).
Matt Richenthal: A very good thing. I adore Joseph Morgan as Klaus, but that villain has run his course in Mystic Falls. There's only so much Originals' family strife and back-and-forth between him and Damon that we can take. Time for a fresh start.
Louis Peitzman: I'm ready. I enjoy Klaus and Elijah (Daniel Gillies), but this story isn't really going anywhere. They're enemies one week, allies the next -- and the back-and-forth has become so predictable it's no longer interesting. Plus, it'll be nice to see Phoebe Tonkin actually do something. Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) hasn't impressed me much as a character on The Vampire Diaries.
Jim Halterman: I’m all for it as long as it doesn’t just feel like an arm of TVD but is able to inhabit a world all its own. The actors – Morgan, Holt, Gillies – are all capable of being strong anchors for the show, that’s for sure.
Can we at least give Joseph Morgan and Daniel Gillies haircuts for The Originals?
Overall, how is The Vampire Diaries doing so far in Season 4?
Robyn Ross: It's showing that it has life left. [Exec Producer] Julie Plec has never been afraid to go with a bold and potentially polarizing storyline (aka killing off Jenna) and I think that as long as they continue to write stories that are the best for the series (and not necessarily catering to fans or execs), they'll continue to have more that are meaningful to tell.
Brian Gianelli: I think the show is still plugging along rather nicely. It seems to burn though more plot than any show on TV, but I'm still onboard and look forward to each episode. (And that's saying something with the amount of TV I watch).
Matt Richenthal: There are still interesting, broad storylines here but recent episodes have been bogged down in confusing concepts of siring and compulsion, while the dragging out of Delena has been an irritant. There's life left, however, as these aren't really signs of a series showing its age, just losing some focus.
Louis Peitzman: Both? Look, it's not as strong as it has been in the past, and maybe we're past that point. But it's still remarkably solid, with fewer missteps than most series like it would have made by now. It could definitely use some fresh blood, which is why I think the spin-off is such a great idea. We need to shake things up in Mystic Falls.
Jim Halterman: It’s season 4 so TVD is not quite the ‘must-watch-live’ show it once was but it still moves story at a terrific pace and I’ll be curious where the rest of the season goes to lead us into Season 5. Even when I find my attention wavering a bit, I have faith in the writers that there is more good stuff coming.
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursday at 8pm on the CW.
