High highs and low lows! Fadzai and Sandile claw through the dark era of The Vampire Diaries' fallen angel, Stefan Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the first season and encounters Elena Gilbert, with whom he begins a passionate romance despite his secret vampire nature. As they fall for each other, though - and the town is plagued by the antics of his villainous brother, Damon - Elena discovers his true nature, and learns to accept him in his entirety. Now allied with her, and along with some friends and family, they band together against the threat of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, Stefan endeavours to protect his town and loved ones, maintain his relationship with his brother in spite of his antics, and battle against his troubles with human blood. Though he goes through a few periods of being off the rails, and loses a few people from his life along the way, he always returns to trying to be better, and finding humanity in those around him. As such, Stefan ends off as one of the better vampires by the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Stefan in seasons 3 and 4.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, emotional abuse, euthanasia, gore, mass murder, mental coercion and manipulation, physical abuse, racism, serial killing, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide and suicidal ideation.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

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Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

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Fadzai and Sandile put on their shining armour with the knight of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan Salvatore.

One of the lead characters of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls at the beginning of the first season and encounters Elena Gilbert, with whom he begins a passionate romance despite his secret vampire nature. As they fall for each other, though - and the town is plagued by the antics of his villainous brother, Damon - Elena discovers his true nature, and learns to accept him in his entirety. Now allied with her, and along with some friends and family, they band together against the threat of the supernatural.

Over the course of the series, Stefan endeavours to protect his town and loved ones, maintain his relationship with his brother in spite of his antics, and battle against his troubles with human blood. Though he goes through a few periods of being off the rails, and loses a few people from his life along the way, he always returns to trying to be better, and finding humanity in those around him. As such, Stefan ends off as one of the better vampires by the show's conclusion.

(This episode focuses on Stefan in seasons 1 and 2.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, emotional abuse, mental coercion and manipulation, physical abuse, racism, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide and suicidal ideation..

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Check out "Call to the Dark", Sandile's supernatural horror fiction podcast, wherever you listen!

Podcast: Call to the Dark

Twitter: @calldarkpod

Instagram: @calldarkpod

Spin-off! Your hosts talk about the struggles of CW's Arrow in its later seasons, the very many supernatural love triangles of the 2000s and 2010s, and how TV/movie writers just cannot capture how young people text. Also: the origins of Buffy's Angel, and a tangent about English linguistics.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of ephebophilia (and pedophilia), and toxic relationships.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Chapters:

(00:05) - Ricardo Diaz aka Richard Dragon, of Arrow S6

(01:30) - Arrow's tone vs the greater Arrowverse

(03:10) - The untimely death of Laurel Lance

(04:45) - Vampire love triangles (but mostly Twilight)

(06:00) - Edward Cullen is a terrible partner, actually

(07:30) - Jacob Black: a character assassination?

(08:50) - Angel's origins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

(11:11) - Teen text speech in TV and movies

(12:17) - Gambling, I guess? Are we that hard up on tangents?

(14:10) - Why do Americans speak the way they do?

Sandile and Fadzai are blasting in from the past with the first of the Heretics, Valerie Tulle.

Introduced as one of the antagonists in the seventh season of The Vampire Diaries (though first appearing towards the end of the sixth), Valerie was a witch from the Gemini coven in the mid-1800s - a siphon, born without magic of her own, only able to take it from other sources. She and five other siphons were taken in by Lily Salvatore after being exiled by their coven, and through differing circumstances they were all turned into witch/vampire hybrids known as Heretics. After drawing too much attention to themselves with their feeding habits, though, they were imprisoned along with Lily in a prison world in 1903 by the Gemini coven.

Once back in the real world in present day, Valerie is loathe to adjust to the modern world, and along with her family becomes at odds with the Mystic Falls Gang as they begin causing trouble in town. Amidst the conflict is also her lingering care for Stefan Salvatore from their past relationship in the 1860s, cut short when she was kept from returning to him by Lily's manipulative partner, Julian. Despite her many complex dramas, though, Valerie handles herself with a cool and calculated energy that makes her one of the more fun parts of the season.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of domestic violence, familial abandonment, feticide (intentional causing of a miscarriage), mental coercion and manipulation, physical and mental abuse, racism, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, and suicide.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Check out "Call to the Dark", Sandile's supernatural horror fiction podcast, wherever you listen!

Podcast: Call to the Dark

Twitter: @calldarkpod

Instagram: @calldarkpod

Out the back door! Fadzai and Sandile close out with final appearances of The Mikaelson siblings, aka The Originals.

Introduced over seasons 2 and 3 of The Vampire Diaries, the Originals are the children of Esther (a witch from 10th-century Norway) and Mikael (her Viking husband), who brought them to far-back America in hopes of a better life. After their youngest sibling dies in an accidental werewolf attack, their parents make the fateful decision to turn them into the first ever vampires, from which all others would thereafter be descended.

In present day, the Originals become antagonists to the Mystic Falls Gang - primarily through Klaus Mikaelson, and his pursuit of Elena Gilbert as a magical doppelganger - and are further embroiled as more powerful figures come along. On the back of their immense popularity as characters, they exit the show by the end of its fourth season to star in their own eponymous spin-off series.

(This episode focuses on Elijah, Rebekah, Klaus, and Kol in season 4.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of emotional abuse, ethnic erasure, homophobia, mental coercion and manipulation, misogyny, misogynoir, physical abuse, racism, sexual abuse and assault, stalking, suicide and suicidal ideation, supremacy, and torture.

Audio Note: Slightly lower quality to Fadzai's audio, with occasional drops that have been artificially amplified, but still audible for most of the episode. For a partial transcript of the key moments that may be difficult to hear, scroll to the episode 18 section of our Refs and Links page: IWAA S1

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Check out "Call to the Dark", Sandile's supernatural horror fiction podcast, premiering 6th April @ 6PM SAST wherever you listen!

Podcast: Call to the Dark

Twitter: @calldarkpod

Instagram: @calldarkpod

Spin-off! Your hosts talk boy bands of the '90s and 2010s, the storied career of Sebastian Stan, and Franchesca Ramsey's musical takedown of bigots. Also: comics Captain America's gay best friend, music genre revival, and a looot of Game of Thrones.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of homophobia and queer erasure, Nazism and supremacist ideals, pedophilia (and ephebophilia), racism, and sexism.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Chapters:

(00:05) - Boy bands of the '90s and 2010s

(03:40) - Sebastian Roche, Fringe, Once Upon a Time

(04:40) - The storied career of Sebastian Stan

(07:05) - Captain America's gay best friend, Arnie Roth

(08:45) - Franchesca Ramsey and the "Leopards" song

(10:32) - Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Heads Will Roll"

(13:43) - Jessica Jones, CA: Winter Soldier, enchanced people in the MCU

(15:21) - The Drifters' "Save the Last Dance" and musical genre revival

(17:22) - Doctor Doom and Kylo Ren unable to keep a disguise

(18:59) - Game of Thrones: Race and Ethnicity

(20:12) - More Game of Thrones: Infidelity and Nobility

(22:08) - Even more Game of Thrones: Layers of Evil

(23:30) - Game of Thrones for the last time but it's just Cersei slander

(24:30) - The CW and relationships with a concerning age dynamic

(25:30) - Pretty Little Liars' various imported actors

(26:30) - Shay Mitchell, Trese, and the Hi Nay Podcast

(27:30) - Covers of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

(28:38) - Southern African names in Western context

(30:44) - Daniella Monet's "Chicago" and North American geography

All in the family! Fadzai and Sandile peer into the reunion of The Mikaelson siblings, aka The Originals.

Introduced over seasons 2 and 3 of The Vampire Diaries, the Originals are the children of Esther (a witch from 10th-century Norway) and Mikael (her Viking husband), who brought them to far-back America in hopes of a better life. After their youngest sibling dies in an accidental werewolf attack, their parents make the fateful decision to turn them into the first ever vampires, from which all others would thereafter be descended.

In present day, the Originals become antagonists to the Mystic Falls Gang - primarily through Klaus Mikaelson, and his pursuit of Elena Gilbert as a magical doppelganger - and are further embroiled as more powerful figures come along. On the back of their immense popularity as characters, they exit the show by the end of its fourth season to star in their own eponymous spin-off series.

(This episode focuses on Elijah, Rebekah, Klaus, Finn, and Kol in season 3B.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of emotional abuse, ethnic erasure, homophobia, mental coercion and manipulation, misogyny, misogynoir, physical abuse, racism, sexual abuse and assault, stalking, suicidal ideation, supremacy, and torture.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Fadzai and Sandile embrace immortal family dysfunction with The Mikaelson siblings, aka The Originals.

Introduced over seasons 2 and 3 of The Vampire Diaries, the Originals are the children of Esther (a witch from 10th-century Norway) and Mikael (her Viking husband), who brought them to far-back America in hopes of a better life. After their youngest sibling dies in an accidental werewolf attack, their parents make the fateful decision to turn them into the first ever vampires, from which all others would thereafter be descended.

In present day, the Originals become antagonists to the Mystic Falls Gang - primarily through Klaus Mikaelson, and his pursuit of Elena Gilbert as a magical doppelganger - and are further embroiled as more powerful figures come along. On the back of their immense popularity as characters, they exit the show by the end of its fourth season to star in their own eponymous spin-off series.

(This episode focuses on Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus in seasons 2 and 3A.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of emotional abuse, ethnic erasure, homophobia, mental coercion and manipulation, misogyny, misogynoir, Nazism and supremacist ideals, physical abuse, racism, sexual abuse and assault, stalking, suicidal ideation, and torture.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Spin-off! Your hosts talk The Substance, Hollywood ageism and body standards, selling Superman and Clark Kent, and Doctor Who and its treatment of Martha Jones. Also: Korrasami discourse, South African villains on The Flash, the casting of Scream 7, and She-Hulk's most iconic episodes.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of ageism, body image, homophobia, racism, and violence against women.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod

Chapters:

(00:05) - The Substance (2024), Hollywood, and ageism

(02:54) - Male body standards in film and television

(04:58) - Superman and actors that can sell Clark Kent

(06:17) - Doctor Who and the mistreatment of Martha Jones

(10:32) - Did YOU see Korrasami coming?

(12:04) - Kendrick Sampson, The Flash, Kim Engelbrecht

(14:04) - A Saltburn (2023) that actually makes sense

(15:14) - Actors who chose to sign on for Scream 7

(16:14) - Scarlett Byrne and her Harry Potter feature

(17:14) - Rich white authors holding onto teen BS

(18:20) - Teen drama obsession with student/teacher relationships

(20:15) - Are they really talking about the legal status of polygamy?

(22:03) - Twilight's weird vampire baby nonsense

(23:27) - She-Hulk's most iconic episodes

(24:29) - Angela Bassett in American Horror Story: Coven

(25:29) - Check out the local production of Dear Evan Hansen!

(26:29) - Sandile gets a bunch of classic literature wrong

Hold on tight! Sandile and Fadzai careen into a distant and different future with Caroline Forbes.

A main character of The Vampire Diaries, Caroline is introduced as one of Elena Gilbert's best friends, though slightly removed from her as compared to Bonnie Bennett. Her time in the show's first season largely deals with her insecurity around Elena, and with others' opinions of her, as well as her pursuit of romance while ignorant of the supernatural goings-on in Mystic Falls.

The second season begins with her transition into a vampire, which transforms Caroline both as a person and as a character becoming more involved in the main plot. She quickly becomes the most well-adjusted of the vampires in the Mystic Falls Gang, shedding a lot of her past issues and growing into a stronger, self-asserted, and caring woman - rivaling few as the best character on the show.

(This episode focuses on Caroline in seasons 7 and 8.)

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child endangerment, grief and loss, homophobia, mass murder, mental coercion and manipulation, miscarriage, physical abuse, racism, sexual abuse, assault and related victim blaming, suicide and suicidal ideation, and torture.

Questions, queries, or just to say hi!

E-mail: [email protected]

Refs and Links: IWAA S1

All our online stuff!

Podcast: It Was an Animal Attack

Twitter: @animattackpod

Instagram: @animalattackpod

Tiktok: @animalattackpod

YouTube: @animalattackpod