Happy Halloween! 'The Vampire Diaries'

Let me admit, this is a special Halloween post.

Today is Halloween, and I seek to celebrate the ghouls and the ghoulish,

and all things supernatural, as they fascinate me since childhood,

for purposes of entertainment, nothing else though......

no serious spooky business here,

but just doffing my hat to the television series which I've been hooked to, of late:

The Vampire Diaries.

Frankly speaking, the series did not quite grab my eyeballs when the First Season was aired.

I thought it catered more to the sensibilities and tastes of the teenagers, and that too mostly the girls, who can't have enough of the love-related complexities along the soap-fodder lines.

I did skip most of the episodes therein. However, as the Second Season started airing (the deferred telecast in India, on Zee Cafe), I had to revise my initial reservations on the content.

I am not going to delve into the details of the storyline or the numerous sub-plots, because I expect this post to be read and appreciated only by the afficionados of the series. For the uninitiated: It's a supernatural series which primarily is about a high school girl who's loved by two vampire brothers, who are about 150 years old.

The characters go through more than the usual share of thrills and chills that are expected in a tale of this genre. The complications in love take a backseat in the Second Season, thankfully, as it concentrates more on the digressions and the twists & counter twists that involve the heroine's doppelganger and her machinations, and also reveals, purportedly, the main villain.

Elena - the heroine - as well as Katherine, the doppelganger, are played by Nina Dobrev. While the vampire brothers Damon and Stefan are played by Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley respectively. Jeremy, Elena's brother, is played by Steven R. McQueen. Some of the other interesting members of the cast are: Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Kat Graham, Matt Davis and Taylor Kinney.

The actors have become hugely popular, endeared by millions of fans worldwide.

Expectedly so, as that is exactly how television makes people famous overnight.

Anyways, today, I'd like to say a few words just about my favorite character from the series: Mason Lockwood, played by Taylor Kinney. In fact, I started watching the series (later I caught up with the earlier episodes online though) because of him.

Mason's character isn't even a pivotal one, though he plays an integral role in the progression & turn of events. Taylor Kinney had, in fact, just a string of guest appearances. Yet, I loved the depth in the character, the potential that had probably been unleashed by the actor and not so much by the script.

When Mason dies in the series, I felt shattered. Well, almost. A case of suspension of pure disbelief, I guess. 

Mason was Tyler's uncle (Tyler being the high school football jock and Elena's friend). He has been described as Tyler's 'cool' uncle; sexy, athletic and with an easygoing charm.

He returns to Mystic Falls (where Elena and his friends live) after seven years. He reveals to Tyler the Lockwood curse, which had been kept a secret from him; he does so after a dramatic confrontation.

Mason flips in an instant if crossed; it struck me as an interesting character trait.

He is in love with Katherine; eager to do anything for her......

.......yet he does not trust her in a blindly. He's torn by his own demons.

Mason genuinely shows concern for his nephew, Tyler.......

.......but he has his own agenda too, which he's focused on.

Truth be told: Mason's a werewolf!

Mason finds himself vulnerable and insecure because of his cursed identity.

He finds in Damon, his biggest enemy...... his nemesis.

After all, vampires and werewolves can't expected to be friends!!!!

A bite from a werewolf can be fatal for a vampire, hence the persecution.

It is Damon who finally captures him and kills him by ripping his heart out.

Surprise, suprise: Mason returns as a ghost in Season Three (it shows how Taylor Kinney cannot be ousted from the series, his fans won't take it lying down..... hahaha) and he is determined to make Damon pay for killing him.

And, spoiler alert for the ones who are yet to catch the goings on in Season Three,

Mason tortures Damon much in a way that he himself had been tortured but he lets him live.

Mason reveals that, among the Lockwood family's dark secrets, was a way to kill an Original vampire. Mason and Damon head to the Lockwood cellar where they break into a hidden part of it. Damon still refuses to trust Mason but when Mason saves him from the vervain spikes that pierce Damon, he tells him that he doesn't care about revenge: he wants redemption and he wants to help Tyler.

Happy Halloween!!!!