{"id":2110,"date":"2014-05-03T12:03:17","date_gmt":"2014-05-03T16:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~reviewing\/?page_id=2110"},"modified":"2014-05-03T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2014-05-03T16:05:06","slug":"originals-stirs-up-vampire-craze","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=2110","title":{"rendered":"‘Originals’ fires up vampire craze"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted May 3, 2014<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By MELISSA MALLIN<\/p>\n

Stephanie Meyer\u2019s 2005 series \u201cTwilight\u201d sparked a national, if not global, phenomenon. Even if you\u2019ve never read the books, you\u2019ve at least heard of the movies. All of a sudden, the world seemed to have this \u201cteenage obsession\u201d over vampires and the supernatural.<\/p>\n

Vampire, werewolf, witch and supernatural stories aren\u2019t something new. But, the \u201cTwilight\u201d saga essentially took the notorious \u201cDracula\u201d and turned him into a sparkly yet sexy, over-aged, teenage boy with an overload of emotional issues. What\u2019s worse is that many other movie and TV producers soon began doing the same thing\u2014taking vicious, human-killing supernatural creatures and turning them into whiny, sappy, teenage love stories.<\/p>\n

For example, in 2008, HBO came out with the series \u201cTrue Blood,<\/em>\u201dfollowed by the CW\u2019s, \u201cThe Vampire Diaries\u201d in 2009, and even MTV joined the craze by creating \u201cTeen Wolf,<\/em>\u201d the summer of 2011.<\/p>\n

Known for its intense drama, jaw-dropping moments and very good-looking actors, \u201cThe Vampire Diaries\u201d remains one of the CW\u2019s best-hit TV shows that continues to thrive.<\/p>\n

Now that Elena Gilbert is a vampire and no longer a helplessly annoying human being stuck in the middle of a love triangle between two brothers, things have finally gotten interesting. Even more impressive is how successful the producers have turned the show from revolving around high school teenage love drama into a more mature college setting.<\/p>\n

Many hoped that the last \u201cTwilight\u201d atrocity in 2012 would put an end to the whole vampire, supernatural nonsense. It appears as though the whole high school teenage love portion of the craze has died down, especially with \u201cTrue Blood\u201d in its final season, however, \u201cThe Vampire Diaries\u201d new spin-off show, \u201cThe Originals,<\/em>\u201d illustrates that the whole vampire phenomena has only just begun.<\/p>\n

If you think watching \u201cThe Originals\u201d is anything remotely similar to \u201cThe Vampire Diaries,\u201d then you are severely mistaken. In a land where witches, werewolves, vampires and humans all live together \u201cThe Originals\u201d centers around an impossible pregnancy, a curse on werewolves, witches brewing evil, and epic battles between all kinds of supernatural creatures.<\/p>\n

Yes, the original vampire family is back, but this time with much darker and more intense drama, twistedly sinister plots and psychopathic storylines.<\/p>\n

Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Rebekah (Claire Holt), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and the rest of the 1,000-year-old Mikaelson family were introduced in season 2 of \u201cThe Vampire Diaries.\u201dThe ever-so dysfunctional family once consisted of seven siblings\u2014the oldest, Aaron, was killed by a plague and the reason for the family moving to the new world; the youngest, Henrik, was later killed by werewolves.<\/p>\n

It was because of Henrik\u2019s death that led their mother, Esther, the original witch, to use dark magic in order to protect her family from any future harm and thus, creating the most powerful and most dangerous, first-ever original vampires from which all others descended.<\/p>\n

But when Klaus turned into a vampire it was discovered that he had been the result of an affair his mother had had with a member of the werewolf clan. Because of this, his father Mikael grew to hate Klaus, always tormenting, torturing, and tracking him down in order to kill him. Instead of just becoming a vampire, Klaus became an abomination and the most powerful, immortal creature to ever walk the planet\u2014a hybrid (half werewolf and half vampire).<\/p>\n

Two of the Mikaelson members \u2014 Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and Finn (Casper Zafer) \u2014 were killed off in \u201cThe Vampire Diaries, \u201cthus, never making it over to The Originals <\/em>(but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t hope for flashbacks!).<\/p>\n

The backdoor pilot, airing as season 4 episode 20 of \u201cThe Vampire Diaries,\u201d revealed that the she-wolf, Hayley Marshall (Phoebe Tonkin), in search of information regarding her family, is now pregnant with Klaus\u2019s child (Remember the hot, steamy, yet shockingly unexpected hookup on \u201cThe Vampire Diaries?\u201d). Hayley is captured by a coven of witches in order to lure Klaus into the city in order to stop the \u201cevil\u201d Marcel.<\/p>\n

Klaus, Elijah, the oldest, and Rebekah, the youngest and only daughter, leave Mystic Falls (the setting in \u201cThe Vampire Diaries\u201d) in order to continue their long, disturbed and malfunctional story in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Klaus is brought to New Orleans in search of those supposedly conspiring against him, and good ole, moral Elijah only wants to protect and keep his vow that \u201cfamily is forever and always,\u201d and follows Klaus to assist.<\/p>\n

In New Orleans, Marcel rules the French Quarter and controls the vampires as well as the witches and the city. The werewolves (Hayley\u2019s family) were cursed by a witch (thanks to Marcel) and exiled into the Bayou. Marcel claims to have a \u201csecret weapon\u201d (a powerful witch named Davina), that tells him when and who is practicing magic. In admiration and jealousy, the un-killable hybrid Klaus, wants to take (back) the kingdom Marcel has created.<\/p>\n

Elijah only wants to keep his family together even if it means protecting Rebekah and himself from Klaus. Rebekah only wants to find love and have a family but has never been able too because of her strong bond and loyalty to her brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Originals\u201d aired its first official episode on Oct. 3, 2013, after \u201cThe Vampire Diaries.<\/em>\u201d Airing on Tuesdays, right after \u201cSupernatural,\u201d the complex dynamic between Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah contains history, betrayal, regret, anger, and so many other complex emotions. It\u2019s the elaborate character development and surprising relationships that compels viewers to these pernicious characters.<\/p>\n

Klaus has always been portrayed as the villain, especially in \u201cThe Vampire Diaries.<\/em>\u201d However, \u201cThe Originals\u201d portrays Klaus slightly different (at least for the first half of the season) but still remains sinister, psychotic, mentally disturbed and keeps his uncontrollable temperament.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Klaus has been shaped into being so mentally disturbed by the life he\u2019s lived, that Elijah\u2019s quest for redemption seems almost ridiculous. Unloved, tormented and hunted by his father, an abomination of nature, forced into believing that nobody would ever love him and doomed to live a life alone, help explain Klaus\u2019s transformation into the sinister, evil, psychopath we\u2019ve all grown to love and accept.<\/p>\n

Despite all the horrible things Klaus has done over the centuries (like daggering both siblings and locking them in a coffin for 70-plus years) both Elijah and Rebekah maintain this undeniable loyalty, love and respect for their brother. Although Rebekah\u2019s tolerance for Klaus has just about run it\u2019s course, she comes to New Orleans to help Elijah save their brother from himself and start a family with Hayley and the new baby.<\/p>\n

Each episode of \u201cThe Originals\u201d is packed with so much history, backstory, and clever mythology; it\u2019s no wonder \u201cThe Vampire Diaries\u201d producers made a spin-off show just for them. \u201c<\/em>The Vampire Diaries\u201d introduced us to the original family (and aren\u2019t we so happy they did!) and the \u201cThe Originals,<\/em>\u201dcontinues their journey, explaining the long family history, portraying shocking flashbacks that explain each character and their development, and unique, clever, and brilliant mythology, not to mention the thousands of \u201cOh, my God!\u201d moments in each episode.<\/p>\n

Although you\u2019d benefit from watching seasons 2, 3 and 4 of \u201cThe Vampire Diaries,\u201d to really dive into the history of the original vampire family, you don\u2019t have to keep up with one show to be able to enjoy the other. The short version of the backstory is explained via voiceover in the first few episodes.<\/p>\n

In all, if you\u2019ve been scared (like I have) from ever liking vampires due to the nonsensical movies of \u201cTwilight,\u201d then you must watch at least one episode of \u201cThe Originals\u201d to reiterate your love for the supernatural. If anything, \u201cThe Originals\u201d is the complete and total opposite of \u201cTwilight\u201d but it isn\u2019t anything like \u201cThe Vampire Diaries\u201d either. The plots are dark, twisted, clever and sinister with action, fighting, killing, cursing, and very little romance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Originals\u201d portrays vampires, witches and supernatural creatures, as they should be. If you love and miss the epic Dracula, then you will not just love, but will be addicted to, the calamitous, nefarious and malicious Klaus and the Mikaelson family.<\/p>\n

“The Originals”<\/p>\n