The Vampire Diaries Spin-Off -- Ding Dong The Originals Are Gone...FINALLY!
And maybe Julie Plec, too!!
It was like manna from heaven when I heard there was an Original spin-off in the works. Oh, by all means CW, do green light it. Then we may finally have the real Vampire Diaries back and be freed of The Originals at long last.
Since The Originals have invaded the show, it's taken a decided nose dive. It was no longer the show it was for the first two seasons, which were it's best seasons. And the ratings have reflected that despite the claims of the fans of The Originals declaring there would be no show without The Originals. Never mind there was a very successful one two seasons before they even invaded the show and took it over.
The Originals have caused for a lot of the original characters to get the shaft while they took over the show. Both Tyler and Jeremy got sent off the show for huge chunks of time as The Vampire Diaries became The Originals Soap Opera.
Jeremy was supposed to have this big story about seeing ghosts that sputtered into nothing as it was dropped for several episodes as the show explored Klaus and his mission to make hybrids. When Klaus turned Tyler into a hybrid, they didn't show him struggling to adjust to what he went through. Even the three main characters got it.
Season three was supposed to be this big exploration of Stefan as The Ripper, which never really happened as Stefan was nothing but a second banana to Klaus. The one flashback to Stefan's Ripper past was all about how he met Klaus and his sister, Rebekah. They even attempted to have Klaus replace Damon as Stefan's new brother. He and Stefan were supposedly brothers of the soul. I'd hoped The Originals would only be around for one season, but Julie Plec listened to the Original fans claiming there's no show without them, and kept them on for another season to pollute the show.
Do I think a show about The Originals will be a success? No, I think it'll sink like a lead balloon. I think the Original groupies are over-estimating their popularity. But if giving them a show of their own is what it takes to get them off of The Vampire Diaries, by all means give it to them.
The problem is none of the characters are that good. Klaus has never been played as well by Joseph Morgan as he was played by Matt Davis when Alaric was being possessed by him. It's only gotten worse since they tried to make Klaus a sensitive artiste whose crushing on vacuous teen twit, Caroline. Rebekah had potential in season three, but this season she's a pathetic love stalker to a guy who has made it clear he doesn't even like her. Kol is a violent rabid dog psychopath that Original fans are dubbing as Prince Charming. Elijah likes to sing the song of how honorable he is, but he throws that supposed honor out the door when it suits his needs. He also seems like an obedient lapdog when it comes to dealing with his brother, Klaus. And these are the characters this show will be built around.
It could even be better in that Julie Plec might follow her beloved Originals out the door to head the new show. Not only will we get a show free of The Originals, we could also get one free of Julie Plec's tainted touch. The Vampire Diaries could get someone in charge that won't cater to shippers at the expense of stories.
So for The Vampire Diaries, the Originals getting their own show and getting out of Mystic Falls can only be a win-win for the show. So do green light it, CW, and give The Vampire Diaries a chance to recover from all the damage inflicted on it by The Originals and Julie Plec, too.
