Ian Somerhalder Makes Direct, Odd Plea to ‘Vampire Diaries’ Fans to Watch Season 7 Premiere Live
The Vampire Diaries returns tonight for its seventh season and the first episode without Nina Dobrev, whose Elena was at the apex of the epic love triangle that’s always been the center of the show. Now that the show’s leading men, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, are the focus of the series, they obviously want to make sure viewers stick around (especially Delena fans, who will have to wait a long time for Somerhalder’s Damon to be reunited with Elena).
To that end, Somerhalder posted the following the message on Instagram today:
These two guys are on TV tonight.Watch live with us! I’ll be live tweeting and answering your questions! Do this with us please… Listen, I get it, it’s hard to schedule sitting in front of the television and watching live TV with all the commercials and the poor quality of the color of the show (b/c broadcast changes the color and makes it brighter) We can all improve greatly and we will-but I need you watching this with us. Let the network know that you still love our show-and that you’re happy to be back in Mystic Falls with us. You can always later, go on to iTunes and watch the episode much darker and more true to the way we shoot it. But I’m asking you, to sit with me and go through this story together this season. Are you with me? CW 8PM TONIGHT! Yes?
Love,
Damon, Stefan, Ian and Paul
Related: ‘Vampire Diaries’ Season 7: Seven Things to Know
Yes, a show that was once the toast of The CW but has lost that mantle to Arrow and The Flash needs to remind the network its fans are still invested and loyal as the series successfully shifts gears. To spoil the opening of my Season 7 premiere recap: “Elena is gone but not forgotten. … But she also isn’t exactly missed: The hour moved quickly as the series was rebooted and simplified with the Heretics becoming the Big Bads (for now).”
And it’s great that Somerhalder is using his powerful social media presence, which he routinely mobilizes for the causes he cares about, to engage with fans about the show. But what’s with the odd comment about “the poor quality of the color of the show (b/c broadcast changes the color and makes it brighter)”?
Having recapped this series from the beginning, I have never once thought, “If only the color quality of this show could be better. I wish I could see it darker.” Fans have expressed their issues with storylines (warranted or not), but is this a complaint they’ve listed? Are there people who actually pay to watch a show on iTunes that they could watch/DVR for free because of this? Or is this Somerhalder, who directed his first episode of the show last season, filing his own complaint about the color quality passive-aggressively? Since the show has always looked great to me, the iTunes plug kinda feels like another, more subtle request for fans to prove their devotion to the show.
If I’m wrong, and the color difference is huge, tell me. What have I been missing?
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
