Just like vampire stories, love triangles are a tale as old as time, made even better when the two tropes are put together. Many television shows implemented these devices, but The Vampire Diaries was one of the best. Adapted from L.J. Smith’s popular book series, the horror-romance was a resounding success on The CW. The Vampire Diaries was co-created by Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson and continued his legacy of meta-horror.
At the heart of the series, however, were the relationships surrounding Elena Gilbert. A teenage girl wallowing in the depths of grief, she was figuratively brought back to life by the affection of the compassionate vampire, Stefan Salvatore. Their dynamic was completed by Stefan’s brother Damon in a love triangle that has since become a classic. For all its strengths, however, The Vampire Diaries faltered because of one weakness in the storytelling.
Elena Was Not the Character From The Vampire Diaries Books
Image via Bob Mahoney/©The CW Network/courtesy Everett Collection
When it comes to television adaptations, it is natural for some aspects to fall by the wayside. Not everything from the subject material works well on screen. Game of Thrones was famous in its later years for getting creative with George R.R. Martin’s books. The adaptation of The Vampire Diaries was even more creative.
L.J. Smith’s books worked more like a guideline than an actual blueprint to work off of. Characters were more of a source of inspiration than a strict adaptation, starting with Elena. The oldest Gilbert sibling has been remembered for her exhaustive devotion to doing the right thing, but this was not the case in the book.
Elena’s character was closer to that of Katherine in the television show. The selfish leader of her high school clique, Elena, was always accustomed to getting her way. When Stefan first showed up at school, she was determined to have him. Stefan actually tried to keep his distance from her in the book canon, despite her obvious similarities to Katherine.
Elena took it as a personal challenge to get into Stefan’s good graces, and he eventually folded, allowing the relationship to start before she knew that he was a vampire. The Elena from the book and the television series was as different as night and day, which Kevin Williamson defended.
He reasoned that The Vampire Diaries production wanted its lead actor not to subscribe to “mean girl” ideals. Their main character should be more traditionally heroic, unlike Elena in the book. In many ways, they overcorrected, and Elena’s character arc suffered because of it. While she certainly wasn’t mean or selfish, Elena still had no momentum as a character.
She exhibited no change throughout the series, while all the surrounding characters had phenomenal development. Caroline found her best self after being turned into a vampire, while Damon became the best version of himself by the end of the series. Elena fell into a stereotypical trap where she always needed to be saved, even when she turned into a vampire. She had no progression to speak of and became the weakest character in the series.
Elena’s Character Could Have Had a More Interesting Arc in The Vampire Diaries
Elena wearing her vervain necklace in The Vampire Diaries.Image via Warner Bros.
Even in a teen romance, there is room for more emotionally complex female characters. The Vampire Diaries creators were hesitant to follow someone any less than morally right, but that doesn’t always make the best character. If Elena had been closer to her book counterpart, she could have had more room to grow.
When a character is already the shining example of compassion, there is nowhere to go with the character. Had Elena been more vapid and shallow, the series could have spent time developing her and showing her becoming a better person. This is similar to what Caroline experienced through her tenure on the series, but that is why she became beloved to the audience.
Becoming a vampire made Caroline embrace self-acceptance and overcome her neurotic behavior. Even Katherine had a better character arc than Elena. On top of the world, there was no one more cunning than Elena’s dopplegänger until she was given the cure for vampirism. This took away everything she believed about herself and even drew her closer to her birth daughter.
Elena was rigid in her character progression and will not be remembered for being the pinnacle of female empowerment. Her only real change was getting over her parents’ death, which more than likely would have happened on its own without the interference of two attractive vampire brothers. Elena was necessary to the plot, and there obviously wouldn’t be a show without her. However, The Vampire Diaries’ strengths had always been in the surrounding characters and the immersive lore and twists it delivered.
Release Date
2009 – 2017-00-00
Showrunner
Julie Plec
Directors
John Dahl
Writers
Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, L.J. Smith
Paul Wesley
Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder
Damon Salvatore
