I don't know why I started watching this show, but here I am. This was not a terrible pilot episode, and I think it could get really good depending on what direction that they take it. However, this one episode had almost everything wrong with it that you expect from a CW show.
One of which was that literally every character looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch model. I also had this problem with Arrow and the problem remains here. However, I was kind of expecting this going in so it didn't stop me from taking the rest of the show in.
Another thing I had a problem with was the soundtrack and the score. Did we need either a pop song or a lovey-dovey Nicholas Sparks-like score in the background of each and every scene? There were some scenes where they probably would have worked better emotionally had they not had some OneRepublic song in the background. I now have Never Say Never by The Fray stuck in my head because of this episode.
Another thing I have to pick on is that there was some REALLY cheesy dialogue in some scenes. However, this is another thing that I kind of expected going in because of it being on The CW.
But I didn't give it six stars for no reason. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the execution of the storyline. Yes, there are vampire clichés in it, but they are introduced with a self-awareness that I kind of liked. I was afraid they would make it a world where nobody has ever heard of a vampire, but they didn't, which was nice.
I also didn't mind the acting by the main characters. They didn't completely suck, and they didn't go the Stephen Amell route, where everything you say is spoken in a seriously low and over dramatic voice.
This is a line spoken in this episode: "I'll give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised." That quote happens to exactly sum up my thoughts on this show.
I give The Vampire Diaries Season One Episode One 6/10 stars.