If You Think The Vampire Diaries Was Annoying, Remember Elena Gilbert's Age

Summary:

• The Vampire Diaries is a vampire mystery television show on The CW that aired from 2009 to 2017.
• The show focused on a human teenager, Elena Gilbert, and two vampire brothers, Damon and Stefan Salvatore.
• Although viewers tend to criticize the main heroine for being irrational and emotional, many forget how young she is during the events of the show.

No matter how many years pass and how much the tastes of the general public change, some books, movies, and TV shows stay relevant for years, thanks to the many loyal fans who continue to talk about them. The CW, which once catered to a younger audience, is home to many truly iconic pieces like this.

From the unrealistic yet very real drama Gilmore Girls to the action-packed horror Supernatural, the network has produced so many shows that garnered so many fans in the '00s that they still trend on social media from time to time. The Vampire Diaries is no exception.

However, one of the main reasons the vampire drama series was so appealing at the time turned out to be its biggest flaw for those revisiting it years later. First and foremost, The Vampire Diaries was a teenage story, and that shone through in every single episode.

Why Was Elena Gilbert So Annoying

Although the show was based on the book series of the same name by L. J. Smith, the creative team took many creative liberties with the show. However, Elena Gilbert's age was not one of them, as she was first introduced as a student at Mystic Falls High School.

This is where the magic of the movie comes in and takes the viewer by surprise. Back in the 00s, it wasn't as popular to cast age-appropriate actors in the roles of high school students. Thus, Nina Dobrev was cast to portray Elena. Although the actress was very young at the time of season 1, she didn't seem like a teenager.

Neither did her co-star, one of the Salvatore brothers, Paul Wesley. If it weren't for the high school setting, it would be very easy to forget that you're not looking at two young adults trying to figure out their relationship and the horror that the supernatural part brings to it.

When many viewers first started watching The Vampire Diaries as teenagers, dreaming of their own vampire love story and secretly crushing on a Salvatore brother of their choice, they found Elena's character relatable. She was always meant to be the human girl next door, just like many of us were.

However, upon rewatching the show and not relating to the character as much and not falling under the vampiric spell, the pretty picture begins to shatter. In order to stay engaged with the plot and not have your eyes rolling permanently, you have to remember that Elena was supposed to be a girl being manipulated by two very old, competing men.

And suddenly her emotional outbursts, whining, irrational decisions, and selfishness will make a lot more sense.

If you are nostalgic for the hot mess that The Vampire Diaries was, you can stream all 8 seasons of the show on Peacock or Max.