So...betcha didn't know that I knew a Vampire Diaries expert? Well I do (you know your OMFG gossip grrrl won't let you down) & now you can feast on her knowledge too. Delve a little bit deeper into your understanding of the show:
The Vampire Diares: The Books vs The Show
“The book was better.”
How many times have we heard that? And how many times have you been left
wondering if the makers of a movie had even bothered to pick up the book before they
converted it to the big screen? Adaptations from book to film or TV are always tricky,
and some things are changed for dramatic effect, while others are changed for…well,
we’re not sure why, exactly.
The following is a quick list (and it’s by no means complete) of the major
differences between the Vampire Diaries the show, and The Vampire Diaries the books
(“The books” being the original four, not the new ones L.J. Smith has been pounding out
in the wake of the show).
Ten Things The Show Got Wrong
Ok, well, maybe not wrong, but…different.
10.Where the heck is Meredith?
Those of you who haven’t read the books are asking, “Who?” Exactly.
In the books, Elena has two best friends: Bonnie, and the quiet and
reserved Meredith. Meredith apparently got sacrificed to the television
gods along the way.
9. Elena has a teenage brother, Jeremy.
In the books, she doesn’t have a brother at all. In fact, she has a 5 year old
sister. Damon threatens her at one point to get Elena to do what he wants,
which in this case is drink Elena’s blood.
8. Matt and Vickie are siblings
Matt and Vickie don’t even like each other, and they definitely aren’t
related.
7. Caroline is friends with Elena
She used to be, but at the beginning of the books she’s been thoroughly
converted to enemy. She spends the entire time spiteful and angry, trying
to backstab Elena and steal Stefan at every turn.
6. Bonnie’s a Witch
As she states repeatedly in the books, she’s not descended from
Salem witches, she’s descended from Celtic Druids. She’s also a
short, shy, sweet redhead, and her magic tends more towards psychic
visions rather than floating feathers and starting fires with her mind.
5. Elena’s parents died in a car crash on Wickery Bridge
Though they did die in a car crash, it doesn’t give specifics. Elena,
however, has her car run off Wickery Bridge much later in the books.
4. The Salvatore Brothers are from Civil-War Era Virginia
They were born during the Italian Renaissance, in Italy. For those of
you who haven’t had History in a while, that was from the end of the 13th
century until about 1600. Think Machiavelli andLeonardo Da Vinci.
3. Stefan and Damon died trying to save Katherine from the church fire
Not even close. In fact, they killed each other, furious at one another over
Katherine’s suicide, which she staged in order to get the brothers to stop
hating each other.
2. Katherine is an evil, conniving bitch
In the books, she is blonde, sweet, and innocent. She falls in love with
both Stefan and Damon, and harbors a naïve dream that the three of them
can be happy together, forever. As if.
1. The Plot
At this point, the entire plot itself only bears a passing resemblance to
the books. There were no Tomb Vampires, no secret society of vampire
hunting townsfolk,
Ten Things The Show Got Right
10. Elena likes to mope in the cemetery by her parents’ grave
At least, she did in the first episode.
9. Elena keeps a diary
And in the show it came back to bite her, with Jeremy finding it and
discovering she’d been lying to him. In the books, it’s stolen by Caroline
who plans on using it to reveal Stefan’s secret to the town, but it’s
recovered at the last second by Damon.
8. Stefan only feeds from animals, and is weaker because of it
Damon often likes to gloat over his brother’s weakness of drinking
only animal blood, often tossing Stefan around to rub in his physical
superiority.
7. If you die with vamp blood in your system, you become a vampire
Though it happens with much less frequency in the books.
6. Vervain protects you from vampire influence
Matt and Stefan even go on a special road trip south to find
the plant, which Stefan does NOT cultivate in his basement.
5. Stefan’s Bedroom
An attic room in the local boarding house, the room has all the spirit of the
one in the books. Except, in the books, Stefan kept only a few things to
remind him of his past, not stacks upon stacks of journals.
4. Tyler’s a werewolf
Though he’s not the mayor’s son, simply a jerk. The werewolfism (shut
up, it’s totally a word) has been dormant in his family for generations,
and he has to kill an innocent to reawaken it and “reclaim” his family’s
birthright.
3. The Salvatore Brothers have special rings to protect them from the sun
Katherine had one too, but when she staged her death she left near a
pile of ashes in the garden, making it look like she’d done into the sun
without it. Stefan ends up with it, and later gives it to Elena. Classy.
2. Elena and Katherine look exactly alike
Though in the books, Stefan never knows why. He speculates that the two
women probably have a shared ancestor, but tells himself he doesn’t want
to know.
1. The Salvatore Brothers
Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder have done a spot-on job of nailing
Stefan and Damon’s personalities, from Stefan’s brooding, tortured
expressions to Damon’s arrogant attitude. They couldn’t be more perfect.
By Guest Contributor/Vampire Diaries Expert - Sarah Madsen
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