Vampire Diaries Rewatch: The Good, Bad, & Plot Holes

I'm currently sitting at home, trying to ignore the fact that I have a ton of bills piling up, and distracting myself with Season 4 of The Vampire Diaries. My husband and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary back in November, and he's been a good sport about me hogging the TV. Although, I think even he is getting invested in the drama, even if he won't admit it. I’m surrounded by my zoo of pets, and it's chaotic here, but honestly, it’s nothing compared to the chaos in Mystic Falls.

Since I am rewatching this in my 40s, I am noticing so many things that went right over my head years ago. I have a lot of feelings, and most of them are frustration. When I watched this show originally, I just went along for the ride. Now? I have questions. I have complaints. And I seriously need to talk about how the writers treated some of my favorite characters. It's a mix of nostalgia and pure annoyance, and I can't look away.

⚡ Key Takeaways

• 🧔 Alaric Saltzman deserved a break instead of constant trauma and possessions.
• 👱‍♂️ Matt Donovan is actually the most realistic person in the entire show.
• 🐺 Tyler Lockwood’s character arc gets ruined by the arrival of Hayley.
• 🏹 The Hunter storyline in Season 4 had potential but ended way too fast.
• 🕳️ The show has a bad habit of rushing plots and leaving massive plot holes.
• 🧛‍♂️ Klaus is still the best villain, even if he makes questionable choices.

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Alaric Saltzman Deserved So Much Better

I have to start with Alaric because I'm currently watching him go through the wringer again, and it's exhausting. I love Alaric. He started off as this mysterious vampire hunter who just wanted to find out what happened to his wife. That was a solid storyline. But then, the writers just decided to use him as a punching bag for the rest of the show.

They did him dirty so much. The man is always dying. I lost count of how many times he died and came back to life thanks to that Gilbert ring. It got to the point where his deaths didn't even feel sad anymore because I knew he would just wake up on the couch ten minutes later. It took away the emotional impact.

And can we talk about Season 3 when Klaus possessed him? Why, though? I mean, Matt Davis (the actor) did a great job acting like Klaus, but the plotline itself was just weird. It felt like they didn't know what to do with Alaric, so they just made him a vessel for the villain. And then, right after that, they gave him that psycho alter ego because he died too many times? It became too much. The poor guy just wanted to be a history teacher and drink bourbon at the Grill. He didn't need to be a super-vampire hunter ghost with a split personality. It was overkill.

In Defense of Matt Donovan

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I'm going to say it: Matt Donovan gets too much hate. I see people online dragging him all the time for being boring or useless, but watching this now, I have a totally different perspective. Matt is literally the only normal person in this entire town.

Everyone else is a vampire, a werewolf, a witch, or a hybrid. Matt is just a guy working at the Grill trying to pay his bills and not get eaten. Isn't that what any of us would do? If I lived in Mystic Falls, I wouldn't be fighting Originals; I would be hiding in my house with my pets and hoping no one knocks on the door.

Matt represents the human cost of all this supernatural drama. He loses his sister, his girlfriend turns into a vampire, and his best friends are constantly putting him in danger. Yet, he stays loyal. Sure, he isn't the most likable guy every second of the day, and he can be a bit whiny, but sheesh! Give the guy a break. He is trying to deal with chaos that is way above his pay grade. He grounds the show in reality, and I think we need that balance.

The Rise and Fall of Tyler Lockwood

Tyler had such a good character arc in the beginning. In Season 1, I hated him. He was a jerk, a bully, and treated everyone poorly. But then he triggered the werewolf curse, and we got to see him struggle with that pain. I genuinely felt bad for him. Seeing him bond with Caroline and break his sire bond to Klaus was compelling television. I was actually rooting for him.

But then Hayley came along. I recently watched the episodes where Hayley shows up (Season 4), and she just came out of nowhere and ruined everything. I know people love Hayley in The Originals, and she is okay in that show because she has her own story. But in The Vampire Diaries? I don't like her at all.

She manipulates Tyler, drives a wedge between him and Caroline, and gets 12 hybrids massacred just to find her family. It made me not like Tyler again because he was so blind to her manipulation. It felt like the writers built Tyler up just to tear him down again so they could push the Klaus and Caroline drama. It was a waste of all that development he went through in Season 2 and 3.

The Hunter Storyline Was Wasted Potential

I just finished the episodes with Connor, one of "The Five" hunters. I thought he was genuinely scary. He was human, but he was skilled, smart, and had those cool tattoos that only potential hunters could see. It added a layer of mystery that the show hadn't had in a while.

But they killed The Hunter way too quickly! He was in town for what, a few episodes? Then Elena snaps his neck, he explodes, and he's gone. I felt like that could have been an interesting storyline to continue a bit further. Imagine if he had actually stuck around and caused real, long-term problems for the vampires instead of just being a plot device to get to the cure.

This is my biggest issue with the show on this rewatch: The Vampire Diaries has a habit of rushing things. They introduce a cool concept, and then they burn through it in three episodes. It leaves plot holes everywhere. Like, how did Connor know so much? Who sent him exactly at that moment? The show glosses over the details to get to the next big shock value moment. It makes for exciting TV, but the story suffers because it doesn't have room to breathe.

The Toxic Love Triangles

I touched on this before, but being halfway through Season 4, the "Delena" versus "Stelena" drama is at its peak. And I am tired. I can't stand Elena right now. She's so annoying! I'm also so annoyed and disgusted by how obsessed Stefan and Damon were with her.

When I was younger, I thought it was romantic that these two guys were fighting over her. Now, living in the real world with a husband for 20 years, I see it for what it is: unhealthy obsession. Damon literally refuses to let her make her own choices. Stefan is a bit better, but he’s still a gloomy 160-year-old hanging out at a high school.

The show tries to paint their love as epic, but it just looks like codependency to me. Elena loses her entire personality the moment she becomes a vampire, and everything becomes about who she is sleeping with. It frustrates me because there are so many more interesting things happening in Mystic Falls, but we have to spend 20 minutes of every episode watching Elena cry about which brother she loves more.

Bonnie Bennett Deserved the World

Every time Bonnie disappears for three episodes, I wonder why. Well, I don't really wonder; I know it's because the show didn't know how to value her. She was definitely mistreated and used for her magical abilities, which annoys me so much.

Bonnie only shows up when someone needs a spell. "Oh, we need to open a tomb? Call Bonnie." "We need to trap Klaus? Call Bonnie." And usually, the spell hurts her, drains her, or kills her grandmother. She sacrifices everything for her friends, and they barely even ask her how she is doing.

In Season 4, she's dealing with dark magic and Professor Shane (who is super creepy, by the way), and her friends are too busy worrying about the cure to notice she is spiraling. It makes me want to jump through the screen and give her a hug. She's the strongest character on the show, and she gets zero respect.

Klaus Is Still The Best Part

Despite all my complaints, I still love Klaus. He really isn't that bad. Okay, he murdered Aunt Jenna, which was terrible, but he's so entertaining. I still love Elijah too! The Originals bring a level of class and history to the show that the Mystic Falls gang lacks.

Rebekah got daggered so much, it’s ridiculous! Every time she tries to be happy, Klaus sticks a dagger in her chest. She was a spoiled brat, though, so sometimes I didn't feel too bad. But watching the Mikaelson family dynamics is way more interesting than the love triangle. I'm glad I know The Originals spin-off is coming (in my rewatch timeline) because they outgrew this show fast.

Final Thoughts on the Rewatch

I'm sure I’ll have more feelings as I continue. I still have the Silas storyline and the Travelers to get through (ugh) along with the prison world. But even with the plot holes, the rushed storylines, and the annoyance I feel toward Elena, I'm still hitting "Next Episode" every night for a few hours.

There's something comforting about the chaos of Mystic Falls. It’s a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, even when it tries to. And honestly, yelling at the TV about Alaric’s bad luck or Matt’s boringness is a great stress reliever after a long day of feeding community cats and worrying about bills. If you haven't watched it in a decade, give it another go. Just be prepared to roll your eyes a lot more than you used to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Alaric Saltzman die so many times?
Alaric wore the Gilbert Ring, which protected him from death caused by supernatural beings. This allowed the writers to "kill" him repeatedly for dramatic effect without losing the character. However, in Season 3, it was revealed that dying so many times chipped away at his sanity, leading to his dark alter ego. Eventually, he became an Original Vampire before dying "permanently" (for a while) in the Season 3 finale.

Is Matt Donovan important to the story?
Yes, even though he doesn't have powers. Matt serves as the anchor to humanity in Mystic Falls. While other characters deal with bloodlust and magic, Matt deals with real-world problems like grief, bills, and staying alive. He'soften the moral compass, reminding the vampires that human lives actually matter.

What is the Hunter's Mark in Vampire Diaries?
The Hunter's Mark is a tattoo that appears on members of "The Five," a brotherhood of vampire hunters. The tattoo is invisible to normal people and only visible to other hunters or potential hunters. As a hunter kills vampires, the tattoo expands, eventually revealing a map to the Cure for immortality. This was the main plot device for the first half of Season 4.

Why do fans dislike the Travelers storyline?
The Travelers storyline in Season 5 is often considered one of the weakest arcs. It introduced a group of witches who could possess bodies, but their motivations felt vague and their leader, Markos, wasn't a very charismatic villain compared to Klaus or Kai. The lore became very complicated and many fans felt it dragged on too long without a satisfying payoff.