by Shollette Rawls

Remember Twilight? Yeah, well, here are two shows that are much worse than that as far as vampires go. These blood-sucking creatures who show no remorse except only to the ones they love. Such hypocrites these characters are. One minute they’re complaining how they want to be good and the next they’re killing people again with no sign of remorse. So revengeful and careless. Vampire Diaries was directed by lots of people. One of them being Marcos Siega. Born on June 8, 1969, he produced and directed Vampire Diaries. After producing and directing two seasons, he left. Siega went on to produce three other popular shows – Dexter, True Blood and Cold Case. All mysterious and suspenseful. Another director was picked up, Chris Grismer, a Canadian director and producer, born in Regina, Canada, on September 25. He produced Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Grismer also produces/directs film and music videos. The Originals also was produced by Matthew Hastings, who was born on October 21, 1967, in New York. He too produced many other television shows, such as Shadowhunters: the mortal instruments and Eureka, along with music videos and films as well. He produced/directed Pretty Little Liars, Queer as Folk, and Playmakers, some of the most popular tv shows.

Producing Vampire Diaries and the Originals was smart but sort of not necessary. Vampire Diaries kicked off 3 years before the Originals had an air date. So the Originals feels like an afterthought . However the good news is that in the Originals it shows you where all Original Vampires came from, the Mikaelsons. In order to understand what is going on, watching one or the other is not necessary since in each show it tells you. However throughout the story line everything ties in nicely and makes sense as to why they’ve produced two different tv shows that has lots of crossovers. These two shows connect since The Originals is a spinoff of Vampire Diaries. It takes place in Mystic Falls and The Originals take place in New Orleans.

Starting with the Originals, Decades ago the first original vampires were created by a witch. A mother named Esther trying to save her kids from the danger that surrounds them. She gets betrayed by her son Niklaus when he kills her and when she returns from the dead she is still forgiving. This came as a surprise and tied up the story behind the Mikaelsons. She appeared in the family’s living room very remorseful and very much alive. The Mikaelsons family consist of Mikael, Esther, Rebekah, Niklaus, Elijah, Finn, Freya, Kol and Henrik. Mikael and Esther are the mother and father of the originals both very powerful. Esther is a witch who used dark magic on her family. After Mikael told her too when her son Henrik died from werewolves on a full moon. She is overprotective of her children and loves them very much. She tries to undo the bad that she has done by attempting to kill off her children. Her children are the first vampires made, hence the title “The Originals”. As vampires they kill and turn humans into vampires by sucking their blood. She feels she’s owed it to everyone to stop them from killing humans. If a original vampire dies it takes everyone they’ve created with them, erasing the whole vampire species. The only way an Original can be killed is by a wooden steak from a white oak tree. So the Originals burned all of them but there are a few left that no one really knows about. Mikael who hated his son Niklaus because he was a vampire/werewolf making him a hybrid. His wife cheated on him with a werewolf and when Esther turned them into vampires he became a hybrid. This is why Mikael has been trying to kill Niklaus for decades. He resents him. He is a vampire and a vampire hunter who thinks his children are an abomination. Niklaus is the hybrid of the family. He’s obsessed with power and betrays his family by daggering(pin through their hearts) them all. He is the main character in the Originals. Freya who is the eldest sister is a witch. She was held captive by her aunt Dahlia as a payment for her mother playing with dark magic to create vampires. Elijah who has the best role is known as the Noble man. He sticks to his word and is loyal to his family. He does not feed on humans or lashes out. He does everything for a reason. He’s remorseful and one of the main characters on two seasons of Vampire Diaries and the Originals. Kol is the third son. He is resented by his siblings and considered to be a nuisance. He lashes out for the attention of his sibling which I think is sad. Finn is the oldest sibling of the Mikaelsons. He hated being a vampire and thought of them as a disgrace. He hated it so much he was willing to sacrifice himself to his mother so that she could kill all of her children. Rebekah who was smart and loving was my favorite because she was so loyal to her brothers. If you turned your back on her she would end you. Rebekah has been hurt on multiple occasions. She only wanted to be loved and everytime she liked someone her brothers would kill them. They never thought anyone was good enough for her. Last there is Henrik, he died at the age of 10. He is the one who was killed by werewolves and is technically the reason all of his siblings are vampires. It is his death that sparked the anger in everyone (his family felt the need to become something that could stop werewolves).

In the Originals Klaus(Niklaus) returns to his hometown in New Orleans which his family had built. Only to find that Marcel (like a son to him) has taken over. Niklaus made Marcel who he is, he took him in and turned him into a vampire. Tension arises in Niklaus since he loves power especially in his home town that his family built. He feels it is only right. Niklaus and Marcel go to war over who will control the town but Marcel backs down and hands over his power. Niklaus is way to powerful and could kill everyone in two seconds. Upon their return Klaus finds out one of his hookups is pregnant which means a hybrid baby. The Mikaelsons do everything to protect the child and the mother. Since Klaus wants to create an army of hybrids, this is the main focus of the Originals.

Vampire Diaries is more of a romantic triangle where everyone loves everyone and dates each other. Every season there is a new source of trouble where they have to save Elena’s life. It does contain more doppelgängers and keeps the show interesting by seeing the characters play double roles.

Romance between brothers and one girl each willing to die for her on numerous occasions, how amusing. She has no screws in her brain, as in clueless and everything is about Elena Gilbert(main character). She was a normal human girl just trying to get through life, Until season 4 where Damon turned her into a vampire. How non predictable was that. She fell in love with a vampire named Stefan Salvatore. The Salvatore brothers who actually were human in the 1800s and were in love with Elena’s doppelgänger(her look alike from the 1800s) named Katherine. Which is why I think there in love with her now. Katherine is the one who turned Stefan into a vampire. He wanted it and when an attack on there town took place she turned him. Along with that he turned his brother Damon Salvatore. Damon hated him for over 50 years for the way he was and for turning him. In Elena’s present time Stefan is the good brother. The caring and considerate one who protects Elena and beats around the bush. Damon is the crazy one who I like because he’s bad but he does it for his own reasons. He loves Elena and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty to protect her. Often times Elena mistakes his behavior as bad and mean. He also met her first but compelled(took away a particular memory) her not to remember so she thinks she met Stefan first. Plot twist she did not. Elena was actually adopted, her real mother was a vampire and her dad is her uncle. Crazy! Her parents that adopted her were killed is a car accident that landed in the lake, she was in it. Stefan saved her but he doesn’t tell her until season 3. Her aunt that she lives with, her vampire mom and her human dad all die along with her adopted parents. Leaving her with no one but her brother (Jeremy) and friends. Jeremy Gilbert is caring but careless of how it affects him. He’s constantly almost getting killed and is actually been brung back to life twice, by Elena’s best friend and his ex girlfriend Bonnie. Bonnie is a witch and is often caught up in vampire business. She eventually gets the hang of the witch stuff and learns control. Caroline is the sweetest character on the show. She is always happy and fashionable. She’s smart but always gets hurt. She was turned by Elena’s doppelgänger Katherine because Katherine wanted someone she could control and who was close with Elena. Caroline is constantly used as bait or getting snatched by someone who wants Elena killed, how sad.

In the Originals  and Vampire Diaries they are all similar with different motives. Klaus is worried about hybrids and power. The Salvatore brothers are worried about protecting Elena at the cost of others. Their constantly being reminded of their past and making enemies. The Original Vampires are much stronger and powerful because their the first vampires and their the oldest. Yet they all kill humans and feed on their blood. Vampires all have power, speed, and the ability to compel humans. So I find it funny when the director lets them drive, as if they couldn’t just run to their destination.

The Originals doesn’t contain as many doppelgängers as they do on Vampire Diaries making it even simpler to understand what’s going on. The show is more adult. Vampire Diaries is about 17 year old teenagers in high school and then move on to them being in college. The villains are better in the Originals, one of them being Niklaus. The Originals also gives the background story for all vampires. The show is less romantic and focuses more on the action.

At times Vampire Diaries makes me angry and I scream at the tv. Elena can be so uneducated on life but I guess that plays into being 17 years old. Even though the Originals is a good show Vampire Diaries is better for me it draws you in. Since every season there is something new you never know what you’ll get or who will die next because of Elena’s stupidity.