With The Vampire Diaries being rehomed last month, fans are catching their rewatch marathons on HBO Max and Peacock. The show premiered over a decade ago to fanfare, and much has changed since 2009, which means that viewers have different opinions about some of the storylines and foundational characterization of The Vampire Diaries.
Back then, Stefan Salvatore was considered the better brother, and romance was the fulcrum of the show, but all of it looks different in hindsight. The reality is that parts of the show appear changed through a modern lens, which includes the writing and in-universe lore.
Neither Of The Salvatore Brothers Were Good
Even though the brothers were portrayed as distinct personalities, Damon and Stefan had more similarities than differences. Damon was the bad boy, while Stefan was the good brother, but revisiting the show proves that they were both people who had committed horrific crimes.
Damon had assaulted people, murdered pregnant women, killed his own family and others for fun. Meanwhile, Stefan had pillaged whole villages and ended the lives of children. They were both flawed, and most importantly they were vampires, who were hardwired to kill.
Damon And Elena Were Not An Ideal Relationship
Delena continues to be a massively popular ship in every season of TVD, but there is no denying that they were in a toxic and controlling relationship. Damon had forced his will on Elena several times, not respected her choices, and even killed Jeremy when she rejected his advances.
He was particularly shady in the romance department, but Elena chose him to be a life partner. She, too, erased his memories when he went to the Other Side, which made them a volatile and unstable couple. It was not a great example to set to young, impressionable viewers.
Bonnie Was Heavily Sidelined
There was certainly a diversity problem on the show, and while Bonnie was the only POC in the main cast, her character was given the worst storylines, and she never even got a happy ending. She was painted to be an all-powerful witch with a savior complex, so she almost always ignored her own needs to help Elena and co.
The entire plot of TVD was dependent on Bonnie's witch powers, so she should have been given more screen time. Instead, she was put in prison worlds or the Other Side for several episodes at a time, and had her only good love interest killed off for no real reason.
Stefan Enrolling At School Was Weird
Not only did Stefan utter some of the cringiest TVD quotes that fans can't get over, but also admitted to stalking Elena and enrolling at Mystic Falls High School to get to know her better. For a vampire who was about 160+ years old, this was weird behavior.
In fact, Stefan and Damon both chose to regularly hang out with 17-year-olds, when they could have indulged in the company of other vampires who were more on their wavelength, in terms of age and abilities. Nobody questioned this the first time around, but fans realize this as they binge-watch the series again.
There Were Too Many Retcons
The Vampire Diaries is famous for retconning things, but the magnitude and frequency of change in lore and characters' lives were dizzying at times. At first, it was smaller moments shared between characters, but then the show started reversing the deaths of the Salvatores' mother and their first loves, which was quite disconcerting.
By virtue of the universe being a vast one, these changes were inevitable, but almost everything was in flux and up for changes in the show. It was hard to keep up with just the changes to the doppelganger origins, let alone all of it.
Tyler's Ending Was Abrupt
The werewolves were an important part of TVD, and Tyler was the flag bearer of the lycanthropes, as well as a main member of the Mystic Falls gang. He was well-loved by the community, but his ending was unceremonious and hurried, which fans disliked.
He should have been given a more respectful exit since he hadn't been seen on TVD for a while. Even his funeral was oddly disconnected, since it had nothing to do with his character at all, and it became all about Elena.
Elena Was Too Young To Know Better
Elena is the focus of The Vampire Diaries, and it all began when she got mixed up with the Salvatore brothers, but the harsh truth is that she was way too young and vulnerable when she got involved with vampires who had over a hundred years on her.
She had just lost her parents, had no support system, a friend who was envious of her, and was only a teenager trying to get through school. It seemed wrong that she took such a big step by herself and got in way too deep. After all, she was a teenager who didn't know any better.
The Originals Were The Best Villains
Klaus Mikaelson and his siblings Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and Finn were the most formidable villains on The Vampire Diaries, and upon rewatch, it's easy to see that their successors could never match up to their deceit and cunning. They were the ultimate nemeses to have, but when they migrated to The Originals, TVD lost out.
The Travelers, the Heretics, the Sirens nor Silas could ever match up to the charisma of Klaus. Only Kai Parker managed to make a niche for himself, but the Originals were unmatched.
The Delena Reunion Was Awkward
Fans had waited for years to see Elena and Damon reunited, but after watching the finale a few times, it was obvious that they lacked chemistry. There was more joy in Elena's interactions with her friends and ex-boyfriend, than there was in the stunted hug and kiss fans got for her and Damon.
The show could have moved forward without Elena at all, instead of a rushed reunion with Damon in the finale. The reality was that they had been away from each other, on-screen, for too long and probably lost their appeal.
The Mental Health Of Every Character Was Dismissed
After viewing the show again, one thing was painfully obvious: every character had mental health struggles. Almost all of them had suffered the loss of loved ones and seen too much death and were constantly being chased by some menacing entity or the other.
The Salvatore brothers had seen abuse since their childhood which contributed to their convoluted adult lives. At the time, this concept was unheard of, which was why it was non-existent in the show, but looking back it's hard not to feel that the show should have addressed this, and also showcased or cared for the characters' mental state.