Assignment One Observation of The Vampire Diaries

Description of Location The Vampire Diaries takes place in many different places, but the main setting is in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Mystic Falls is a small historic town that has been around since the Civil War times. In this town, the main hang-out spot is The Grille. It is a restaurant and bar where everyone hangs out with their friends. Another important location is the Salvatore home. In season 5, this home is inhabited by Damon and Stefan Salvatore, Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, and also Katherine. Because of this, the house is the focal point of a lot of action.

Rules and Behaviors Accepted Since this is a show with vampires, killing is expected to happen. It is acceptable to kill vampires, werewolves, witches, or supernatural beings that pose a threat to the lives of the main characters and humans. The murder of innocent humans, however, is not accepted. It is only expected because some of the vampires feed off of humans. When it comes to communication, any present day technology is acceptable because the show is set in present day. This includes cell phones, emails, and social media. Face to face communication is also utilized during the show. The concept of sharing a lover is also accepted in this figured world. In the series, Stefan and Damon both have a relationship with Katherine and Elena. In reality, this behavior is not accepted at all because it is disrespectful. However, it is the main conflict during the series.

Actors Elena Gilbert: A teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire, and eventually becomes a vampire herself. Jeremy Gilbert: Elenas brother, vampire hunter, boyfriend of Elenas best friend Bonnie Stefan Salvatore: Vampire, ex-boyfriend of Elena, ex-lover of Katherine, Damons brother Damon Salvatore: Current boyfriend of Elena, Stefans brother, ex-lover of Katherine Katherine Petrova: ex-lover of Damon and Stefan, Elenas doppelganger Caroline Forbes: best friend of Elena, vampire, sheriffs daughter Bonnie Bennett: Elenas best friend, Jeremys girlfriend, witch

Aaron Whitmore: Elenas college friend, owner of Whitmore University, nephew of a vampire hunter Wes: uncle of Aaron, vampire hunter/torturer, college professor Enzo: friend of Damon, vampire who was tortured along with Damon, was left to die in a fire in the 1900s

Artifacts Vervain: the most prominent artifact in the show, used as a tranquilizer for vampires and can burn their skin to the touch. Safe: Stefan was locked in this safe by his doppelganger and drowned at the bottom of the quarry for 3 months, its the source of his PTSD. Enzo: Damons source of sanity while they were imprisoned, he is also the reason for Damons guilt since he left Enzo to die.

Discourse Communities Elena and Aaron: This discourse community works because both of them have had familial losses. This commonality makes it easy for them to talk to one another. Stefan and Katherine: Stefan and Katherine used to be lovers, so there is a strong connection between them. Vampires: The vampires have to work together to help defend the humans that share the town with them. Humans: They are living in a town that is constantly plagued with tragic events, so they must keep calm and think straight in order to save their town.

Observation One: The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Episode 9 Time: 2:00pm 2:42pm

2:02- Vervain is used on Damon. Vervain is a major artifact in the series. This herb is toxic to all vampires. It can be used as a tranquilizer, and it burns their skin whenever they touch it. This is the best way to get the upper-hand when dealing with vampires. In this episode, it is used on Damon and Elena to transport them to a facility where they will be tortured by a vampire hunter named Wes. 2:05- Elena and Aaron: One of the discourse communities in this episode includes Elena and Aaron. Aaron is the nephew of Wes. He and Elena are similar because they have both lost most of their family, including their parents. They have only one relative that they interact with, Aarons uncle Wes and Elenas younger brother Jeremy. Elena uses this similarity to befriend Aaron so that she can gain information about Wes and her father, who worked with Wes. 2:10- The safe: This safe is an artifact because it has a powerful control over Elenas vampire ex boyfriend Stefan. He gets locked inside the safe by his doppelganger Silas and placed at the bottom of a quarry, where he drowned over and over for three months. After Stefan is found, he begins to suffer from PTSD and have dreams about him drowning in the safe. In this episode, Elenas best friend Caroline uses the safe as a tool to cure his PTSD. 2:14-Enzo and Damon: Another discourse community found includes Enzo and Damon. This episode provides a flashback as to how they met. Damon and Enzo met in the 1900s after Damon was captured and placed in the vampire torture facility. They had cells adjacent to each other. Enzo helped Damon maintain his sanity and survive the 5 years he spent there, which is why Enzo is also an artifact. However, Enzo is also significant because he was left to die when Damon escaped. Damon felt guilty about this and never told anyone about it until he ended up in the facility again with Elena. 2:29- Stefan and Katherine: Katherine is Elenas doppelganger and she used to be Stefans lover. In this episode, Katherine is the person that gets through to Stefan to help him with his PTSD. She has a closer connection to Stefan than Caroline does and Katherine also has no problem telling others what they need to hear. In order to get through to him, Katherine locks herself in the safe with Stefan to show him that the safe isnt the problem. His real issue is the fact that Elena broke up with him.