The CW Source

We'll admit it -- we're loving The Vampire Diaries. Yes, we were unsure at first -- another teen-vamps-in-love premise? Really? -- but you can count us as converts. Why? Well, let us count the ways:

The sexy
Check out the pic to the right. Yowza!

Angsty vamps with a sense of humor
Yeah, yeah, Stefan is all angsty and tortured and stuff. He's a good vampire -- it comes with the territory. But he sees the absurdity of the situation, and he's got a good, dry sense of humor about it. We're thinking of when he shrugged off Elena suggesting he was squeamish about blood, or when he sort of hovered on the threshold the first time he came to the door. Heh.

Kids who act like kids
We love Kevin Williamson, really we do, but if these kids started spouting Dawsons-esque SAT words, we were going to scream. Elena stumbled over her words, got flustered and didn't always know what to say. Carolin reacted in a very teenage way -- it's not a competition? Of course it is!

The Big Bad
Yes, Ian Somerhalder chewed the scenery. He chewed everything else, so why not? But Damon mocked and prodded and tormented with brother with such relish that we couldn't help but love it.

Bonnie rocks
We love Bonnie. We love her milking the psychic thing, and we love her reaction when she actually has a flash. It's good stuff. Plus, she has so many great lines! Some of our favorites:

• Bonnie, on her latent psychic abilities: "I predicted Obama, and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands!"
  
• Bonnie, on Matt: "That's not hate. That's 'You dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits.'"
  
• On the new guy: "He has that romance novel stare -- [in breathless voice] 'Stefan looked deep into her eyes, piercing her very soul.'"

Of course, there were a few things we weren't as thrilled about. Why the "Dear Diary" voiceovers? Will that stick around? We hope not. Pining Matt struck us as more annoying than romantic. Druggie Jeremy needs his butt kicked but fast. But overall? We think this is going to be a great addition to the CW's schedule, and we can't wait to see what happens next.

What about you? What's your take on the show? What did you love or hate? Will you keep watching? Talk about it in the comments!