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Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.

True Confession of a Netflix Addict: Vampire Diaries Edition

Published: October 25, 2013
Section: Arts, Etc.


Every month, there is a charge on my debit card of $8.64 from a website that most college students are quite familiar with. A website that has a subscription base of 29.2 million people in the U.S., according to The Business Insider. A website that last year’s revenues for the quarter grew to $1.10 billion, as reported by RTT News. This little website is known as Netflix.

For those who do not know, Netflix is a website where you can watch television shows and films instantly, for a monthly fee. This is what Netflix is for normal people. For me, Netflix is a magical portal to happiness. My name is Sophia Baez, and I am a Netflix addict. I constantly log on to the magical site from my laptop, phone or iPad. I am delighted every time it gives me a suggestion. To this day, my Netflix has never been wrong. The website can read my soul; it understands my likes and dislikes. I ingest show after show. I fall in love with characters, cry when they die and rejoice when they find true happiness. My Netflix addiction has fed my already obsessive personality. After finishing “New Girl” in less than a week, I started watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender” religiously (yes, this was my first time watching the show, and yes, I did pretend I was an earth bender). After which, I started and finished “Breaking Bad.” As you can see, I have a very eclectic taste in shows, seeing as a kid airbender and a middle-aged Chemistry teacher and meth cook do not have much in common. I know this, but Netflix understood my craziness and recommended my latest show: “The Vampire Diaries.”

Now, before you judge, I was in the same boat. While I was part of the vampire craze in high school, I thought it ended after Kristen Stewart’s performance in the first “Twilight” film. I did not know it at the time, but this show has brought back all my vampire-related emotions. This show has everything. It has witches, werewolves, ghosts, drama and comedy all wrapped in a 45-minute package. But one of the most addicting aspects of the show is the romance. There is a love triangle between the girl-next-door character Elena Gilbert, played by Nina Dobrev, brooding good guy Stefan Salvator, played by Paul Wesley, and his enticing bad boy brother Damon, Ian Somerhalder. Stefan, who is a 150-year-old vampire, returns to his small hometown of Mystic Falls, which has a history of vampire hysteria. When he returns, he sees and automatically falls in love with Elena. The audience later discovers that Elena is more than just an ordinary high school sophomore. She is a doppelganger of Stefan’s love Katherine. Centuries ago, both Stefan and Damon fell under Katherine’s spell and were turned into vampires. As a consequence of their past love of Katherine, they are now even more drawn to Elena. While Nina Dobrev is not the most interesting character, I was completely enthralled with the story. Especially when it came to bad-boy Damon.

Damon is the older brother who seems to have no problem killing innocent people to get what he wants. After some time, he realizes that his brother’s girl is who he truly desires. For the past week and a half, I have been immersed in this show. My behavior was a bit outrageous. I ate, walked and went to the bathroom with these characters. My boyfriend and friends were frustrated when I would rather watch Damon trying to win Elena’s love than talk to them in Sherman. This is my life, my burden as a Netflix addict. I have accepted my fate, and I will continue to accept these characters into my life. In regard to “The Vampire Diaries,” if you want a show where you will laugh, cry and feel deeply connected to characters, this is the show for you.