'The Vampire Diaries' Premiere: Meet the vamps!

The newest entrant to our recent obsession with all things blood sucking is 'The Vampire Diaries'. How does its premiere hold up to all the others?

First, let me come clean: I've read Dracula and seen nearly every film version, I grew up with Anne Rice, I love True Blood and Twilight makes me giggle what with the sparkles and fresia scented blood. So there's my nosferatu vitae. This show takes place in Mystic Falls high. Elena and her brother Jeremy now live with their college aged Aunt Jenna because their parents were killed suddenly when their car went over a bridge. P.S., Elena was in the car too. Survivor's guilt? 

Elena's BFF is Bonnie, who's her grandma told her she's psychic and descended from Salem witches, not that she believes it. There is also Caroline, who is blonde and perky and a bit air headed. Elena used to date Matt, all American jock and a childhood friend who she decided to date to see if they could be more. They couldn't. Matt's sister, Vicky, took Elena's brother's virginity and that's a little....odd. Jeremy still wants to get together with Vicky, but she's more interested in Tyler. Tyler, Jeremy and Vicky are all "stoners", much to Elena's chagrin.

In sharp contrast to Matt's jockiness is Stefan. He's the mysterious and hot new boy at school who reveals to Elena that he lives with his Uncle because his parents were killed. In truth, He's the uncle, though his nephew Zach looks older than him. Ah, the eternal youth of being a vampire. Stefan enrolls in school, where he is quickly entranced by Elena and Caroline is quickly entranced by him. Zach is less entranced by any of it when the local news reveals a couple was killed in a vicious "animal attack". Stefan assures him he has it under control, but Zach is convinced Stefan shouldn't be in Mystic Falls.

And Elena doesn't think he should be in the cemetery, despite how he helps her up from a fall after she was running from a crow and some fog. Fog in the middle of the day. Which seems pretty weird. He admits that he's visiting family and Elena notes the first connection. Later that evening he shows up at her house to return the diary she dropped, revealing he also keeps a journal. Connection number 2. She invites him to to meet up with her friends and in the course of getting to know each other, he reveals his parents are dead. #3! Stefan soon gets an invitation to a party. His only concern is whether or not Elena will be there - a fact that makes sense when he goes home and gazes at an old journal from 1864 to reveal a picture labeled Katherine. Who looks just like Elena.

At the party, Matt moons after Elena, Caroline moon after Stefan, Bonnie has a psychic connection with a beer bottle and Jeremy interrupts Tyler not taking no for an answer from Vicky. Irritated with both of them, Vicky decides to walk in the woods, by herself. Elsewhere, Stefan's eyes go dark and he excuses himself from Elena's company, saying he's going to get a drink. Fog swirls around Vicky, a crow lands nearby, she she's attacked by a figure in the dark. Stefan returns to Elena just in time for her to see her brother stumble off into the woods drunk. She follows, but not before he stumbles over Vicky's body. She's still alive when they get her back to the party, but barely. Matt runs to his sister's side and begs someone to call for help, glancing up just in time to see Stefan making a hasty exit.

Stefan goes home and tells Zach there was another attack - and it wasn't him. He goes upstairs, where a crow flies into his room as fog collects in a corner. Stefan is not the only vamp returning to Mystic Falls - his big brother Damon is also back. He teases Stefan about Elena and her resemblance to the long lost Katherine while trying to goad him into drinking her blood instead of the squirrels he feeds on. They get into a fight, but Damon easily bests his brother before announcing his plan to stick around and make him miserable. His first order of business is apparently catching the eye of Caroline, broken hearted by not measuring up to Elena yet again and ripe for the picking. Meanwhile, in the hospital, Vicky wakes to whisper one word to her brother Matt..."Vampire".

What we learned about these particular vamps:
They can be out in sunlight.
They can fly.
They have super hearing and can smell blood.
The can exert a form of mind control (glamouring?)
They must be invited into any home.
Damon is handy with crows and fog.

Questions:
What's with the ring? Will Vicky be tied to Damon in some way? Will she become a vampire slowly as if infected with a virus or become a more zombie like minion? How many kids will be turned before the end of the season?  

I realize this is another show based on a series of books. But True Blood and Dexter have proven that the two are not necessarily identical. That said, if you've read the books and want to voice when something is different or which you prefer more, that's fine - but I ask that you stay away from spoilers in the comments section. Thank you, and comment away - tell us all what you thought!