Vampires fascinate people. Is immortality the thing that fascinates people? One of our vampire fanatic friend James, thinks they’re the coolest supernatural creatures. First Kill’s first eight episodes hit Netflix few days ago. Should you watch? Will it satisfy your vampire programming needs? While the stakes are high, let’s play First Kill.
First love starts the story.
Sarah Catherine Hook’s Juliette Fairmont is happy. She has great grades, supportive friends, a loving family, and a four-times-larger house than mine. Juliette’s clothes and car belie her shy, quiet, and good nature. Oh, I forgot something about her. She’s a vampire.
Juliette and her family are legacy vampires who can walk during the day, see their reflections, and change without being bitten. Having a lineage from the Garden of Eden must have its perks. Juliette is fighting her lineage and instincts in episode one, hoping to be human. This makes dating difficult.
Calliope Burns is Juliette’s worst crush (Imani Lewis). Cal is descended from monster hunters. The Burns are top-tier monster hunters. Cal needs her first kill to be recognized as a monster hunter. Cal is hard and distant, unlike Juliette. She initially. The two fall in love and may start a war to be together.
It’s a typical Romeo and Juliet story. Star-crossed lovers destined for family greatness who throw it all away for love. I wanted more at the end of this old, tired story. Juliette and Cal’s mythologies intrigue me. I need to know if their love can overcome their trials. I want more time.
Attractions
I loved how this story reimagined Romeo and Juliet as a same-sex relationship. First Kill’s normalized relationship surprised me. The discovery of dating a vampire/monster hunter could be seen as a coming-out moment for the characters. This is a huge step forward because neither character’s sexuality is questioned.
Many characters acted well. Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis were great as the leads. Excellent portrayal of love versus family. Elizabeth Mitchell as Margot Fairmont and Aubin Wise as Talia Burns give standout performances.
Wise has few acting credits, but she rivaled Mitchell’s talent in every scene. These two matriarchs struggle to balance lineage and family. Mitchell and Wise’s talent was on full display in episodes 7 and 8.
Things I Disliked
Inconsistent CGI throughout the series confused me. The CGI was sometimes amazing and sometimes subpar. Without any indication that the CGI wasn’t finished, I assumed it was. The CGI didn’t ruin the show, but it did raise my eyebrows.
I didn’t like Gracie Dzienny’s Elinor. Elinor, Juliette’s older sister, is her complete opposite. She embraced the vampire lifestyle with cockiness. Elinor, played by Dzienny, was full of tired tropes. She seemed like she belonged on Pretty Little Liars, and I had to double-check that she hadn’t. Lazy character development added drama to the show.
Conclusion
I didn’t expect to enjoy this show so much. It wasn’t the silly supernatural romance I expected. First Kill reminded me of a high school show I loved. I may have wanted more because of this.
I knew I’d have a good time when I saw Emma Roberts as producer. If you love vampires like Vin, watch this show. This show is for those who miss high school shows like The Vampire Diaries. Vin’s Future Vampire series has updates on upcoming vampire movies and shows.
