**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

Much like zombie shows, vampire shows are always emerging, providing us with different takes on the legends we all know and enjoy.  While some shows are much better than others, casting a lead who has already stolen our hearts as a bad boy vampire is not such a bad idea…

While you may feel like the story behind V Wars has been done over and over again, it does have redeeming qualities that make it a somewhat entertaining watch.

The show began streaming episodes on Netflix as of December 5th 2019 and currently features ten episodes for season one.  It stars Ian Somerhalder (LOST, The Vampire Diaries), Adrian Holmes, Jackie Lai, Kimberly-Sue Murray and Laura Vandervoort (Bitten).

We follow Dr. Luther Swann (Somerhalder) after he is exposed to a virus, which surfaced from the ice after a climate change.  After being quarantined with his best friend, Michael Fayne, Dr. Swann starts to realize that a deadly infection has been released, turning people into vampires, or Bloods, as they like to be called.

If you are a fan of shows like The Passage and The Strain, you will most likely be entertained by V Wars, but if you are looking for a more romanticized view on vampires, you may want to pass on this one.  

The Pros:

Did I mention Ian Somerhalder?

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Somerhalder, but I was slightly worried that his character would feel like a ripoff of Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries, but this is a completely new character and role for Somerhalder.  Dr. Luther Swann is our main protagonist and I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with the glasses!

Overall, I thought that Somerhalder did an excellent job with the role.  There were times where I felt like his reaction was somewhat strange and repetitive, but as the episodes continued, he showed more and more potential.

More Laura Vandervoort please!

I am a fan of hers as well and I thought that her character, Mila, had the most potential.  She gave me a Buffy Summers vibe for a little bit, trying to even the score and possessing some bad-ass qualities of her own.

That being said, I’m not sure why we kept her story in the background for the majority of the episodes.  Somerhalder and Vandervoort stole the show for me and it looks like we are set up for a potential team up if we get a season two.

Violent vampires with some much needed gore.

I actually like that the show went in a different direction, focusing more on the Bloods having an infection.  This gave it a Sci-Fi feel, but I think this actually helped the show stand out a little bit more.  The connections to DNA were interesting and the paranoia and extreme measures from the government made you really think twice about things.

Plus, there was plenty of gore, although the vampires seemed to be all over the place and very messy!  Either way, I loved the gore!

The Cons:

Confusing setup for supporting characters.

The show actually has a talented and extremely attractive cast, which worked in its favor, but I was confused when new characters were introduced.  Other than the characters of Dr. Swann and Michael Fayne, I constantly had to check to make sure I was still watching the same show when we started following other characters.

I thought this was sloppy and careless.  These supporting characters actually had a lot of potential so this was frustrating, as I felt like I had to go back several times to make sure I didn’t miss something.

Soap opera nonsense.

I’m all for a guilty pleasure, but sometimes it felt like we just randomly started a sex scene to see Somerhalder with his shirt off (not that I’m complaining) rather than to advance a plot or to develop relationships and characters.  The plot and soap opera drama felt tiresome at times, but I think that the cast redeemed it as much as they could.

So am I in or out?

I’m in!  Let’s be honest, I was going to be in no matter what as soon as I saw that Ian Somerhalder was starring in this show.  That being said, I went into this show with very low expectations, fearing that we may have another I-Land disaster on our hands.  However, the show was surprisingly entertaining and fast-paced.

Yes, there were a lot of things that frustrated me and so much of it could have been presented better, but I thought the show was binge-watch worthy.  Is this the best show I have seen about vampires?  Absolutely not, but if you go into it ready for a watered down version of The Strain, you will be entertained.

Also, we are left with a major cliffhanger at the end and I would love to see Somerhalder and Vandervoort continue to team up for a season two if we get one!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on V Wars in the comments section below.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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