Why I Despise Alaric Saltzman from "Vampire Diaries"

By: Riley Buckingham

Disclaimer: I have only finished the first season of the show “Vampire Diaries”. Therefore, I cannot attest for how plot-accurate the following statements are in later seasons. 

One thing I can attest to, however, is my complete and utter dislike for the character Alaric Saltzman. 

From what I’ve gathered, this character is nearly everyone’s favorite. He is viewed as the character of the show; the one you are supposed to get behind and support, following them throughout the show and anxiously waiting for them to be involved in another plot point. 

Everyone I speak to has nothing but praise for Alaric. I, however, have many things to say that are not praise. 

I keep being told to wait until later seasons, that I’ll come around to Alaric’s character and he too will become a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, I do not care about how Alaric is developed in later seasons or how I will feel about him in the future.

These are my opinions now, and everyone is going to get the pleasure of hearing about them. 

When I first began the show, I was instantly not a fan. It seemed like your usual, run-of-the-mill early 2000’s vampire show. Only this show has bad characters.

From the very first episode of Vampire Diaries, I didn’t like any of the characters. I thought they were all too one-dimensional, and you could just tell where their story was going from the get-go. They were too obvious, and each one of them fit into a box of overused-tropes.

The classic “immortal 100+ year old boyfriend dating the 16 year old high school girl”. The two token best friends, the oblivious sheriff who happens to be working with someone she’s against. The dead parents, the cool aunt who stepped in to raise the kids. The despised uncle, and the evil ex-girlfriend.

They’re all so predictable. 

I will admit, as season one progressed, some of these characters became more complex. A few broke out of their trope-boxes, and I began witnessing twists that I didn’t see coming. I began liking a few of the characters more. My favorite character is Damon, one of the main characters of the show. 

And Alaric tried to kill him. 

Alaric did so only a few episodes after being introduced. Why? What is the reasoning? Damon is extremely important to the plot of the show, and Alaric tried to kill him. I don’t think it was very cool of him to try and do that. 

Given that this scene happened shortly after Alaric was introduced, it seemed very rushed. I think Alaric’s character needed more development (good development) before he tried to alter the plot of the entire show. 

You may be thinking that’s all I have to say about Alaric Saltzman. And oh, dear reader, how naive you are. I have more bones to pick with this man.

One being that Alaric is too plot-convienent. He was introduced and just dropped into the plot without any real introduction or development. 

He’s a high school teacher who suddenly knows all of the plot-relevant characters and happens to know about vampires. He has hints of a romantic relationship with the main character’s aunt. His previously dead wife (who he thought was killed by one of the main characters) just happens to be the birth mother of the main character and- oh wait! What’s this? His ex-wife is also a vampire! Seems awfully convenient for the writers, if you ask me. 

I think Alaric’s character was written for the sole-purpose of knowing everything and connecting characters that were previously unconnected. He was thrown into the plot as a way to move the plot along. Now the plot is moving along too quickly, and Alaric’s character is still lacking introduction and good development. 

Alaric appears on screen and I groan. He only appears when he’s conveniently needed, like some sick early-2000s version of a fairy godmother. “Bibbity bobbity go away,” I say. 

I can hear you now, reader. “This seems like you just don’t like the way the writers wrote his character, not that you don’t like the character himself! Alaric did nothing wrong!”

And you are correct. I don’t like the way Alaric’s character was written. Once again, with good writing and good development, I think that Alaric would be a much better character. Despite trying to kill my favorite character, I also don’t think he’s done anything wrong.

So why do I have so much hatred for him? 

I’ll tell you why.

Because his name is pronounced incorrectly. 

I’m sure you are confused for this reason. If I was not myself and I was reading this story, I would be bewildered as well. 

“Riley, this show came out before you were even born. What do you mean his name is pronounced incorrectly?” 

Well you see, esteemed reader, I do not like being told I’m wrong. I have, what we call in the business, a bit of a “god complex”. 

I am writing a book. In my book, I have a character named Alaric. No, not Ah-lar-ick from Vampire Diaries. I pronounce my character's name Al-a-rick. I began this book in mid-2020. I started watching Vampire Diaries late-2021. Therefore, I had my character’s name picked out and pronounced before I even knew Ah-lar-ick existed. 

In my mind, that makes me right. 

One of Ah-lar-ick’s first lines in the show was clarifying that the pronunciation “Al-a-rick” was wrong. I immediately knew this character and I would never get along. He has wronged me from day one. 

My parents laughed at me when I told them. I was being mocked. Everyone I speak to says I am the one in the wrong; that Ah-lar-ick is correct. And I strongly disagree. 

While I do note that Ah-lar-ick is a fictional character from an early-2000s vampire show, I still despise him for telling me I’m wrong. Let me have my moment of rage.

In conclusion, since the moment Alaric first stepped on screen, he has angered me time after time; from telling me I’m wrong to attempting to kill my favorite character, and everything in between. 

I deeply despise this character, and believe that the show “Vampire Diaries” (and my life) would be much better off without him in it. I hope you have been enlightened by my sheer rage for Alaric Saltzman, and have enjoyed my hissy-fit of an essay.