I've Been Hypnotized. By Vampires.

One of the character traits of vampires is their ability to draw their victims into a trance-- hypnotic, suggestive, or otherwise. Then the victims are at their mercy. 

I think I've been hypnotized by a vampire.


It all began so innocently.

Ian Somerhalder as Damon

My niece posts posts lots of photos from the TV show, "The Vampire Diaries" on Facebook, particularly of the actor Ian Somerhalder, who plays Damon Salvatore-- a vampire on the show. This is the actor who played Boon on the show "Lost" (which I consider one of the best TV shows I've ever watched, even moreso since I recently finished a complete re-watch with my family), and who is almost too good-looking. 

I love my niece and I wanted to take a look at the show that she is so crazy about, especially since I am fond of vampire stories. I even like the "Twilight" books. And "The Vampire Diaries" seems "Twilight"-esque, so I figured I would give it a look.

And in just a few days, I have burned through half of the first season already. When I go home from work, I watch an episode to "unwind". When I do the dishes and make dinner, I watch another episode on my laptop on the kitchen counter. And, if my husband has control of the TV, I might watch one more in the evening. But... WHY?

It's not that it's a television masterpiece. Some of the plotlines are contrived and gimmicky. And it's not that I have come to care about the characters, because mostly I don't. 

Take the main girl, Elena- she's gorgeous, smart, compassionate-- almost too perfect a protagonist. But she falls in love with this vampire, Stefan Salvatore, pretty much at first glance. They meet. They say about 4 words to each other and the next thing I know they're a couple. I feel like I missed an episode where they got to know each other. 

Maybe the writers assume we will gather that they spend time offscreen talking together. But I'm not really sure why she even likes him. Because he's good looking-ish? He doesn't talk! Maybe I'm too removed from teenage-hood to remember how those relationships work. Then again, I never had a boyfriend when I was a teenager, just multiple unrequited crushes, so what do I know...

And Elena's best friend just HAPPENS to be a Salem-era-descended witch. Uh-huh...

Paul Wesley as squinty Stefan

And then there's Stefan. He's decent-looking, but not compellingly so. He squinches up his eyebrows ALL THE TIME and it's giving me headaches-- I tend to mirror facial expressions and things (it's a bad habit), and I find myself scrunching up my eyebrows, too. And there's not much TO him.

But Damon? Yummy. I get why my niece is "in love" with him.

I do like Elena's younger brother and her long-time friend and current ex-boyfriend, though, sitting here writing this, I can't recall their names... 

I can be overly-critical. Often I don't like something that many of my peers or family and friends like. But this show? This teenage-romance high school nonsense? I can't stop thinking about it. I want to know what happens next. I'm not obsessed, but when I'm a little bored at work and looking to fill the time between groups of students, I sure do wish our internet didn't block Netflix. (Not that I would sit and watch TV at work. Not really.)

Maybe I just like vampires. Or maybe it's the fearless, gutsy, TV-gory approach. There's blood. Sometimes lots of blood. You can hear the teeth sinking into flesh when someone gets bitten. It's not cable-level graphic, but enough that I won't be showing my 11 year old daughter anytime soon. (Not that she's interested--in this area, she's the opposite of me!)

I'm not really sure why I like it. I don't know why I feel compelled to continue watching. But I do.

I did get a kick out of Damon reading "Twilight" and making fun of it in an early episode. That was a nice moment. Maybe that's the moment I realized I could like this show.

Would I recommend it? I really don't know. Ask me after I've watched a few seasons. My niece thinks Ian Somerhalder should rule the world.

Maybe she's the one who's been hypnotized!