10 Reasons Why The Originals Is Awesome

I spent my winter break forgetting all about work, and that involved a fair amount of TV. One of the shows I finally caught up with was The Originals! While The Vampire Diaries is having a mediocre season, The Originals has been shining and it has become one of my new favourite, must see shows. I've been reading too much Buzzfeed and Cracked this holiday too, so I thought I may as well try to make a list of why this show is so great. Oh, and don't worry, I won't be spoiling much as long as you've seen the first few episodes.

1. Family

If the root of The Vampire Diaries was a romance, the root of The Originals is, well, the original family of vampires, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Their relationships define the show, and frankly, I love it. Family is so underrated in TV, where it's all about romance, and a show about relationships that will last forever with beings that will last forever (or so we think...) is perfect. 

2. The Villains

I've grown to love and hate Klaus, Rebekah (although these days it's all love) and now we meet Marcel, who is amazing as well. The great part is all of their anger and issues stem from different parts of themselves. Marcel built New Orleans into what it is after being freed from slavery by Klaus, Klaus has daddy issues, and Rebekah has never had a romance work out for her. 

3. New Orleans

New Orleans is rich in history and culture, and it provides a great background for The Originals, just because the town is full of so many different types of people. From the bayou, to the French Quarter, there is a lot of fun to be had in New Orleans. 

4. The Romance

Or maybe the lack of romance? I love that romance isn't that big of a deal. I mean, there are sparks of relationships, but they seem to be moving slowly and aren't that serious. Which is actually pretty amazing, compared to the eternal angst of TVD. 

5. Elijah

I adore Elijah. 

No really. He's almost a simple character, because there is one thing he can be defined by: his unconditional love for his family. Elijah will give up anything and everything for his family. He has unwavering commitment and belief in them, and he's somehow one of the most noble characters on The Originals. That's not to say he won't kick some ass viciously, he will, but he'll do it for his family, which makes him a refreshingly simple, yet complex character. He's the good guy, and I'm getting sick of bad guys. 

6. The Witches

I can not wait for them to become an even larger part of the storyline. To this point, there's not really a witch character the show has been following too strongly, but that's due to change. The witches in The Originals belong to covens, and have been repressed for years. They have a pretty great backstory, and I can't wait to see what comes of it. 

7. Davina and Josh

I love them. No really, they are so cute! They're just friends, not lovers, but they're both so lonely and need s a friend. I can't help but root for them. Davina is adorable in every way, and I feel bad for her but I can't wait to see her grow into her own. Josh... well, I loved him from the moment he quoted The Lord of the Rings. He's nerdy, and he's gay, and he loves clubbing, and he likes house and techno, and ahhh I love him. He's adorable. Davina's adorable. They're both adorable. 

8. The Plot

So much of the awesomeness of this show is the characters and the world building, and maybe I haven't given the plot the respect it deserves. It is fast paced and introduces us to every character slowly. It's fresh and exciting, and so far there have been a delicious amount of deaths. While TVD took a while to build the body count, The Originals is much more vicious (predictably) and it frankly feels more mature at this point. 

9. Rebekah

From this Tumblr blog.

I'm a huge Rebekah fan at this point. She is a strong, kickass, unapologetically bitchy Original and her's is my favourite storyline to follow. I think what's so appealing to me about Rebecca is that there's so much vulnerability to her, and she's not afraid to show it. You can see her desperately trying to make things right, and it never works out for her. Rebekah has to reconcile the fact that she will live forever, and that has given her a different perspective than others. She's capable of letting go if that's the right thing to do in the long run. 

10. Collaborations

I promise not to spoil here, but we all know that The Originals is a spinoff from The Vampire Diaries, and although not every Originals fan has to be a fan of The Vampire Diaries, there is certain room for collaboration. Both shows have mythology that has intertwined in the past, and it's exciting to see characters make a guest appearance on the new show! For now, The Originals is focused on differentiating themselves (a good strategy, imo) but in the future, I think we'll definitely see some mixing. 

I tried my very best not to list all the characters are reasons why to watch the show (although they're very fun) but frankly, I enjoy the show. It is fun, with lots of action, and there's not much more you can ask from a tv show. If you haven't already, check it out. If you have seen it, did I miss something from the list? 

-P.E.