We have high hopes for Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries, but there are a few fixes we think the supernatural drama could make in their transition from last season’s uneven storytelling. Here are five changes we hope TVD makes in the upcoming season.
Fewer, more relevant antagonists. TVD tends to break its season into several story arcs, and that’s cool with us, but we think the show works best when they narrow the antagonists to a chosen few. Last season, the initial story arc especially was plagued by too many antagonists working at cross purposes with only a periphery relation to our heroes. And we would argue that, throughout the entire season, there were no villains (save for quasi-villain Enzo) who had any kind of personal relationship with any of our main characters. Villains tend to have a greater effect on us when they mean something to our gateway characters.
A total abandonment of the love triangle. We think TVD might be one step ahead of us with this particular suggestion, having wrapped up the Stelena storyline (for now) in the second half of last season. Still, we’re worried the show might fall back into old habits with Damon gone and Elena left to deal with her grief. Please, show, resist. Love triangles only work when they make sense for all of the characters involved in them and the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle did damage to its respective characters when it was forced.
Some grounding in setting. We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: TVD has lost its sense of place. This started before the last season, but it was exacerbated with the show’s dual settings last year in Mystic Falls and Whitmore College. With the value that Mystic Falls has been given as a home our heroes can no longer live in, we have high hopes for this show’s potential return to place as another character of on the show. We miss the days where Mystic Falls town gatherings and flashbacks to this town’s supernatural history were common place. This shows needs a sense of community past the social group it focuses on.
More time for the ensemble. Though we adore Stefan, Elena, and Damon, this show’s strength lies in its entire ensemble (especially now that the love triangle has played itself out). We hope to see meatier storylines given to the supporting characters who were somewhat neglected last season: Matt, Jeremy, Tyler, and Caroline. We’re also hoping to see these characters interacting with one another and new and interesting ways. For example, seeing a friendship form between Damon and notoriously neglected character Bonnie would be great.
Slow-burn emotional arcs. TVD excels at fast-paced plot, but it only works when it is underscored by slower-moving emotional developments for our favorite characters. Otherwise, it feels a bit like narrative spaghetti being thrown at the wall, with only some of it sticking. At its core, drama is about character growth (or, alternatively, regression). If these characters aren’t being changed by the fast-paced plot in compelling, interesting, and realistic ways, then what’s the point? There were times in Season 5 when it felt like TVD lost sight of this.
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