"Vampires" Series Review: The Bloodsucking Families Of Paris

Netflix's original "Vampires" first aired in March 2020. It is a French language series about a vampires living/hiding in Paris. The story focuses on a teenager named Doina Radescu (Oulaya Amamra). She lives with her mother Martha (Suzanne Clement) and three older siblings-- Rad (Pierre Lottin), Irina (Juliette Cardinski) and Andrea (Mounir Amamra) Doina and Andrea's father was a human geneticist named Reduouane. We're not initially sure what happened to him but he's MIA at the start of the series.

Doina has a genetic mutation. She must take pills so that she doesnt turn. She can also go out in the sunlight. Of course Doina is a teenager so she makes lots of bad decisions. First off, she stops taking her meds. She starts craving blood. She graduates from animals to humans. Can she control her cravings?

The Radescu family had a falling out with the other vampires (known as the Community) when Martha was pregnant with Doina. We see in the series opening scene Martha fighting with vamp Csilla Nemeth (Kate Moran). She apparently is the head vamp and tells everyone else what to do. Martha thinks Csilla killed her husband. She avenges him by showing Csilla into the sunlight (disfiguring her face).

Doina develops a relationship with a boy at school (Nacer). He's not so sure how he feels about the whole blood sucking thing. Later Doina has the hots for Ladislas (Aliocha Schneider). He is Csilla's son. Uh oh. Trying to hook up with the son of your mother's mortal enemy. What could go wrong?

I wont go into lots of specifics but the family attends a Community gathering. Doina continues to make bad decisions that puts her family in danger. Martha is almost killed. The family turns for help to a woman who used to work with Reduouane. You'd think with all this "bad blood" the Radescu's would just pick up and move... but I guess not.

Grade:4 Monsters (out of 5). This NetFlix original focuses on a teenage girl living in Paris. Doina is half vampire and half human. Thanks to medication, she does not crave blood and can go out in the sunlight. Doina rebels against her mother and goes off her meds. You can guess what happens next. With only six episodes, "Vampires' is a super fast watch. It may be most popular with the YA demographic but there's enough here for adults as well. Like many NetFlix shows, the season ends of a cliffhanger. A season 2 has not be announced so who knows if this is the end of the line for the Radescu family. If there are more episodes, count me in. I'd like to learn more about the larger vampire Community.