Vampire Diaries stood out from other YA dramas in one huge way (and it was great)

The Vampire Diaries It ran for eight seasons, and part of the reason it was so beloved by audiences was that it stood out from other YA dramas in one big way. The Vampire DiariesBased on the '90s book series by LJ Smith, was an instant hit when it debuted in 2009. Coming one year after the release of Twilight. THe Vampire Diaries Caught the wave of supernatural romance and a renewed interest in vampires And blew up, with the show immediately gaining a large following and the books experiencing a resurgence of popularity. Seven years later The Vampire Diaries'Finally, people still miss it.

however, The Vampire Diaries Was much better than these Twilight series for a few reasons, not the least because The Vampire Diaries' Characters are much better developed. TVDThe main protagonist and love interest, Elena Gilbert, played by Nina Dobrev, Also improved on Twilight Through a real personality and claim agency in her lifeRather than a limping dishrag with few friends and no character development outside of her boyfriend. Elena's character and story are a microcosm of the larger way that The Vampire Diaries Improved on not only TwilightBut yes paranormal romance as a whole and, in doing so, set itself apart.

Vampire Diaries often gender-flipped the damsel-in-need trope

These men were the damsels - or dudes - in distress

Too often in YA dramas, and especially those that lean heavily on romance or supernatural aspects, Female characters are subject to the lady-in-need trope. Too many storylines with female characters involve them being unnecessarily frigid to advance the plot. This tendency gets even worse when the male love interest is supernatural or superhuman in some way and the female love interest is a normal person. It's an ever-present trope; Lois Lane always needing to be saved by Superman was such a regular occurrence that it became a running joke, but this is just one example of many.

In an unusual twist, The Vampire Diaries Constantly gender-flipped the situation, With its male characters needing to be saved just as much as or arguably even more than its female characters. in retrospect, Vampire Diaries was a pretty brutal show, with its teenage characters constantly witnessing (or committing) murder and death. Torture was a common occurrence, and it happened across the board to all characters, but, interestingly, it was often the male characters who were tortured and required saving by others. In one memorable plot, Stefan was completely frozen — or rather, stuffed into a safe — to advance Elena's plot. While he wasn't killed off, it was a horrific storyline usually reserved for the female love interest.

While the rescues usually involved, of course, the Salvatore brothers, Elena, Caroline and even Catherine are just as involved in the rescue. Despite being the male romantic leads, Damon and Stefan both have many episodes where they are captured and tortured, only to be saved by one of the women in their lives. All of them, especially the people, are constantly saved by Vampire Diaries Hero Bunny; Entire plotlines and seasons would have collapsed without Bonnie pulling one of her witchy tricks and saving the day. It was a really refreshing watch, one where the female romantic interests weren't reduced to waiting for their boyfriends to save them.

Male main characters are the only ones who stayed human

The only main character to never be supernatural was a guy

In a long-running show rife with supernatural characters, Most of the human characters will inevitably be supernatural by the end. This was certainly the case The Vampire DiariesWith most of the main characters undergoing a supernatural transformation and remaining so until the end. Caroline and Elena became vampires, Taylor succumbed to his family's werewolf curse, Bonnie discovered she was a witch, etc.

yet, There were several main characters who either remained human throughoutLike Matt, or who are temporarily supernatural before reverting to human at the end of the series, such as Alaric. Matt was the one character on the show who never became supernatural, even temporarily. The only reason he didn't die a thousand times over was because he was saved by the resurrection powers of Gilbert Ring, and the same goes for Jeremy. In fact, one could argue that Matt and Jeremy are the damsels of the show - both of them are constantly in danger when they are not wearing the ring or Jeremy is not in possession of his questionable inconsistent hunter powers.

Supporting and recurring characters also remained human during their time on the show, Such as frenemy John Gilbert and villain Wes Maxfield, even poor, doomed Aaron Whitmore. Interestingly, the only main characters to remain human or return to humanity are the humans, further subverting the trope of female characters tending to remain human while the male love interests or friends gain supernatural powers.

The Vampire Diaries does not condone toxic male behavior

Damon's actions are never painted in a positive light or excuse

There is no denying that The Vampire Diaries had a lot of problematic elements, but that can be said of almost every yes drama. This goes double for supernatural dramas, especially when predatory monsters like vampires and werewolves are involved—it's not in their nature to be nice, ask for permission, or back down indiscriminately. Even as one of the main protagonists, Damon Salvatore was arguably The Vampire Diaries' Worst in this regard, constantly fighting between self-destructive villains and the better angels of his nature. He often had problems with consent and boundaries, With no act more horrific than when he force-fed Elena vampire blood before her impending deathThus, she was deprived of her ability to die on her own terms.

However, in a decision that made The Vampire Diaries get out Damon's actions and other troubling character actions are never excused or framed in positive terms. Damon's destructive spirals are the biggest thing holding back his growth, and the other characters are more than happy to tell him so. Even Elena, who loves him, realized that there was something very unhealthy in her permissiveness and ability to forgive some of his most terrible acts and was open with him about his self-destructive spirals. To his credit, Damon also apologized often, an act that never excused what he did, but showed that he was also aware that his actions were inexcusable.

The Vampire Diaries never had a problem with gender equality

The women threw down with the men

In all the morally questionable decisions made by the characters, though, One thing The Vampire Diaries Never fumbled was its gender equality. Female characters were central to the story and had some of the most interesting arcs. Caroline Forbes' arc from a flighty, insecure teenager to a strong and selfless friend is arguably the best on the show, and she was a fan favorite—maybe even the fan favorite. The Vampire Diaries You could have easily kept her as a throwaway, shallow character, but it chose to deepen her in a realistic and meaningful way that isn't always guaranteed in YA shows.

Female characters have agency, especially once most of them become supernatural creatures themselvesAble to fight and serve as protector just like the boys. None of them had a problem calling out the men in their collective lives when they got upset, instead of making excuses like a typical yes heroine. best of all, The Vampire Diaries It was never preachy about it, and this change of pace made it one of the best supernatural dramas ever aired.