The episode Katerina reveals quite a lot of information. It begins with Katerina Petrova (a.k.a. Katherine Pierce, played by Nina Dobrev) giving birth to an illegitimate baby five hundred years ago. She pleads in Bulgarian with her parents to let her hold the baby, but, no, it must be given away and kept secret. Katherine was probably as promiscuous then as she is now, but she was possibly more soft-hearted.
The Salvatore brothers summon Elena (also Nina Dobrev) to tell her what Rose (Lauren Cohan) said to them. Apparently the oldest vampire of all time, Klaus, is after Elena. Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) seems strangely in denial. Elena takes in this information and takes off, rebuffing Stefan's offer to accompany her to school. In fact, she is not going to school - she plans to visit Katherine. She guilt trips Caroline (Caroline Accola) into keeping Stefan busy, reminding her that she kept Elena busy when Katherine was toying with Stefan.
Elena descends into Katherine's tomb. Katherine shuffles from the darkness to the anti-vampire barrier. Elena notes that she doesn't look so good, and says that she will give her a book with the Petrova family history and, most importantly, blood in exchange for information about Klaus. Katherine's sunken eyes become ravenous. There is almost a camaraderie between them, and the stories begin.
Meanwhile, Elena's little brother Jeremy (Steven McQueen) and Elena's magical best friend Bonnie (Katerina Graham) share several contrived but very cute scenes. Enter Luka (Bryton James). He is a new student who blatantly flirts with Bonnie right in front of poor Jeremy. Later, when Bonnie and Jeremy meet up to play pool, Bonnie meets Luka's father Jonas. He obviously hints that Bonnie is a witch. Offended, she leaves, but is greeted by Luka again who apologizes for his dad. He says that he himself is a "warlock." (And for those of you who are offended by all African Americans on this show turning out to be witches, I want to point out that isn't true. At least two black people in season two were regular humans. They died. Never mind.)
Fifteenth century flashback: Katherine adds the vampire Trevor (Trent Ford) to her list of romantic victims. You see, she has been dating Klaus, who only wants her because she is a Petrova doppelganger. He plans to sacrifice her to break the moonstone curse, which prevents vampires from walking in the day and werewolves from changing at will. Lovestruck Trevor helps her escape and misleads Klaus's footsoldier Elijah (Daniel Gillies).
Katherine runs to Trevor's bff Rose and skillfully ensures that Rose feeds her vampire blood before she kills herself and triggers her vampire curse. She immediately feasts on an innocent woman and thus REALLY triggers her vampire curse. She knows this act will condemn Trevor and Rose to death, but she proclaims, "Better you than I." (What makes her so special? Her question would be, what makes everyone else so special?) Katherine being a vampire means that she cannot be used to break the moonstone curse. Unfortunately, Klaus now wants revenge, and he begins by killing her entire family.
Present day: At the Mystic Grill, Caroline and Stefan discuss the fact that Caroline has told werewolf Tyler about her vampiric nature. Stefan chastises her like an annoying parent. Still, their conversation is charming until Stefan lets Caroline know that he sees through her. He tries to guilt trip her with the same line Elena used into telling him where Elena is. He fails. I understand why Stefan would be terrified, but I was proud of Caroline for holding her ground. And sticking to her guns. [Insert cliche metaphor here.]
On the other side of Mystic Falls, Rose and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) embark on a on another fact-finding mission. They head off to meet the perky vampire Slater (Trevor Peterson). (His was the first death I correctly predicted. Usually I don't bother.) Slater reveals that he has something like 18 academic degrees, and bitterly responds to Damon's jibes with, "What do you suggest I do with my eternity?" Slater also tells them that if vampires break the curse of the moon and sun, werewolves will never be able to change at will. If werewolves do it first, vampires will never be able to walk in the sun. (Unless they have magical jewelry.)
As Damon emphasizes that Elijah is deader than dead, Elijah stands outside the building listening to them. He puts $100 into a street musician's case and takes out a handful of coins, which he throws through the huge glass window. Un-jeweled vampires scream and burn. Damon pulls Rose out and lets Slater fend for himself. Rose blames it all on Klaus; she seems traumatized.
Back in tombville, things are starting to come together. Katherine wanted to hand Elena to Klaus on a silver platter. But the sacrifice requires more than just a Petrova doppelganger. There is a reason Katherine turned Caroline into a vampire, changed Tyler into a werewolf, and got hold of the moonstone. Lucky for her, the witch Bonnie happens to live in Mystic Falls, too.
As the horror sinks in, Katherine offers to turn Elena into a vampire, which she declines. Why would that work anyway? Klaus might just want more revenge. At that moment, Stefan rushes down the stairs. He freaks out at Katherine and instructs Elena not to listen to Katherine's statements that Klaus will kill everyone Elena loves. Stefan seethes that Katherine is a "manipulative psychotic bitch." Katherine notes that she's a safe "manipulative psychotic bitch" since she will be behind the anti-vampire barrier. Stefan's outburst is again understandable, but I can't help but find it a little creepy in its intensity. Wow does he hate Katherine.
Stefan somewhat pathetically begs that Elena open up to him. She starts crying, noting that everyone she loves is in danger because of her, not because of Stefan and their love. This reveals that a part of her blamed Stefan for the chaos that has befallen everyone. They embrace, but I'm not sure if they're back together yet.
When Damon and Rose return, they have sex. I'm happy for them. She's a mature, older woman who can keep him in line, but she's generally pretty nice. She states that vampires can't actually turn off their feelings as they get older, contrary to Damon's assertion. That might explain why vampires all seem unhappy, but I'm not sure if it makes complete sense.
They get a call from the very much alive Slater. He tells them to get the moonstone or something because they can do prevent the curse from being broken at all. Unfortunately, Elijah is the first vamp we've seen who can compel other vampires (Elijah's a "special vampire"), and that is exactly what he is doing to Slater. He compels Slater to stake himself until he is very much dead. Also, who else is in cahoots with Elijah but Luka's father Jonas. He might be a tad better than Elijah since he seemed slightly regretful that Slater had to die, the key word being "slightly."
Safe in her tomb, Katherine pours over her family's history. She actually cries over drawings of her parents. Could she ever feel affection for her blood relative Elena?
While not as thrilling as its predecessor Masquerade, this episode is packed with vampire mythology, relationship developments, and sexual tension.
We begin by learning that Elena's kidnapper was a mere human. He hands her to a vampire who quickly disposes of his delivery boy. (Never obey a vampire who says, "Come closer." Being compelled is no excuse.)
Caroline chats to Damon about Tyler's amber-highlighted werewolf eyes eyes. In a way that is frightening, hot, and protective, Damon invades her space and demands that she stay away from Tyler.
At school, Tyler barely suppresses his guilt and rage. Posters and vigils are up for departed students, but this school is used to losing people, so life goes on. Tyler accidentally pulls off his lock, but Stefan proves more adept at controlling his strength. Jeremy approaches Stefan and asks if Elena slept over; stoic Stefan calmly explains that they aren't together. Then it hits them: Elena's in trouble!
Elena is taken to a crumbling mansion where she interrogates vampires Trevor and Rose. Rose tells her to shut up, but Elena doesn't listen. Elena's query, "What do you want?" is answered with, "I want you to be quiet." And a vampire backhand that knocks her out. When Elena awakens, she overhears them discussing Elijah, described as an original vampire and a terrible nightmare. Trevor and Rose are at least five hundred years old, so we know this can't be good.
Stefan worries that Damon didn't trap Katherine in the tomb (he did) and impulsively plans to consult her for help. Bonnie tells him she is unable to let Kat out of the tomb, but she can help find Elena on a map. All she needs is a little Jeremy blood. Jeremy should like that. (Recall a certain scene with Anna.) Stefan manages to control himself. They use Alaric's classroom to perform the spell. At the conclusion, Damon volunteers to join Stefan in his rescue effort, repeating Stefan's words, "It's Elena."
Tyler proves more athletic than usual on the basketball court. He tosses the ball when he spots Caroline, who lied to him earlier about not knowing anything about his were-nature. (I forgot that the school's mascots are timberwolves.) Frustrated Tyler is the second man today to get in poor Caroline's face. She throws him on the ground, confusing him because she is a skinny girl and he is a strong man (and a werewolf). This causes him to kick a trash can into a car. Don't worry; he will never be expelled because he's rich.
Stefan and Damon drive to Elena's destination. Why on earth would they drive when they could run? Luckily, those kinds of questions don't bother me much. Anyway, Stefan looks slightly fuller, perhaps due to his consumption of human blood. Luckily for us, Stefan likes road trip bonding. He demands that he and Damon discuss Damon's love for Elena. They listen to awesome music and Damon gives Stefan the eye thing.
We discover that the moonstone binds the curse of the sun and moon, but sacrificing the Petrova doppelganger (Elena, and Katherine before her) is the key to breaking it. Why would vampires want to break the curse? Those who can walk in the sun due to jewelry already have an upper hand, and without the curse werewolves could run rampant, killing them. Whatever the case, it is an interesting twist that Elena is not the first special snowflake doppelganger. Also, Rose likes bad boys, which makes sense since Trevor seems like a hot mess. Cue Damon, though we later discover he's the one who killed the friend who tried to set her up with Stefan.
In spite of the damage Bonnie's magic causes her, she works to help Elena and chills with Jeremy on his bed. Elsewhere, Tyler creeps into Caroline's house and violently throws her against the wall. Luckily she laughs in his face when he calls her a werewolf and scares his pants off by vamping out.
Trevor, nonchalant and flirty (who can forget doppelicious?), mentions that he's in a bind due to trying to aid Katherine and then trusting her. Duplicitous from the beginning. Elena is bummed by her inevitable death, but she lights up upon finding a note that Bonnie magically sent her about the Salvatore brothers coming to her rescue.
Cool music continues to play in the Salvatores' ride. They share bloodshakes and Damon pulls out the old, "Does Elena know you're drinking human blood?" Stefan awkwardly notes that he has been drinking Elena's blood. Damon's reaction indicates that he knows more about their sex life than he wants (like that's possible). He tries to bring up Stefan's bloody past, when he was more like Damon, and notes with hints of jealousy and concern that Elena would open her veins to that guy. Damon calls the old Stefan a hoot, though he never seemed to like to either good or bad vampire Stefan. Stefan claims that he found something other than blood to live for.
Enter Elijah, a vampire's vampire. Metropolitan and in no way afraid of the sun, Elijah promises to pardon Rose if she gives him the doppelganger. Trevor swore that Elijah would pardon Rose and not him, but foolish Rose didn't notice Elijah's exact words. Elijah nearly kisses Elena but instead says to the little human, "Hello there."
When they arrive at the vampire infested mansion, Damon cautions Stefan, but Stefan states that he can't think of a better reason to die. Stefan really does throw himself into these things without a second thought. Of course, he has tried to kill himself. Damon is impressed by his nobility, but is in no way going to let Stefan out-save Elena.
Inside, Elijah slaps Trevor's head off. Elena keeps her head and says that she knows where the moonstone is. Elijah thinks it's cute that he's negotiating with her. He rips off Elena's vervain necklace and compels her to tell him. She does, but he doesn't know that the moonstone is within a vampire trap.
Stefan and Damon heroically woosh into the house and initiate a two-pronged assault. Elijah declares, "To whom it may concern, you're making a big mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't." But Elena chucks a vervain grenade at him (it at least distracts him), Stefan shoots stake after stake into Elijah's chest, and Damon rams a huge stick into Elijah's heart. Damon smiles at Elena's beaming face, only to see her run into Stefan's arms. She mouths a thank you over his shoulder and Damon mouths something back. It's tragic.
Elena reunites with Bonnie and Jeremy (they share a very awkward hug), and Stefan advises Damon that they not let Elena get between them. Stefan also apologizes for helping turn him into a vampire, stating that it was selfish and just wanted his brother. Damon appears annoyed but secretly impressed with Stefan's maturity.
Tyler and Caroline share a drink. She lies that she is the only vampire around. He doesn't lie by saying he is the only werewolf, and he's scared. They hug. Hopefully he doesn't think she smells tasty. Their relationship is quite interesting. It will be good for Tyler to hang out with a woman who can beat him up.
Rose visits Stefan. Now that her five-hundred year bff Trevor is dead, she wants to help. (She's in remarkably good condition, considering this recent tragedy.) She mentions some toughie called Klaus who employed Elijah amongst others. As though Elijah wasn't bad enough. By the way, Elijah is alive. They left him impaled on the door. Idiots.
Unaware of this, Elena prepares for bed. Damon's sudden appearance unsettles her, especially since he holds her necklace of vervain. He confesses his love to her but remarks that loving her is selfish, and because of his love, he can no longer be selfish with her. Damon says she deserves his brother, and she deserves not to know Damon's feelings. He kisses her on the forehead, compels her to forget what he said, and disappears. I am a fan who has never seen more than friendly affection in Elena's eyes when she looks at Damon (though this could change), but this scene was one of the most heartbreaking in the series. Sigh. Until next time.
Masquerade is probably one of the most crazy awesome Vampire Diaries episodes to date. The advertisement looked fantastic, and I was not disappointed.
We begin with Caroline (Candice Accola) recounting the stalking of her ex-boyfriend Matt (Zach Roerig) at the bar where he works. Matt sees her and rudely asks if she needs a table. The delightful Caroline frets about her silly response regarding needing the bathroom when she didn't. (Damon Salvatore, played by Ian Somerhalder, snarks, "Skip the teen drama.") The point is, Caroline ran into the wicked Katherine in the bathroom. Though played by the same actress (Nina Dobrev), the show beautifully differentiates the much older Katherine from Elena. Is it the low voice, curly hair, eye makeup, or ominous music? Katherine makes her usual threats, and each Salvatore brother stakes a claim on killing Katherine. This mutual goal of bloodlust pleases them.
Matt supports Jenna (Sara Canning) after her recent stay at the hospital, courtesy of Katherine. Instead of putting the moves on the now single Elena, he gallantly states that she and Stefan will work things out. Matt also creepily refers to something he needs to do that night at a masquerade fundraiser that he can't talk about. After he leaves, Elena tells her brother Jeremy (Steven McQueen) that they are going to lie low and do nothing to provoke Katherine. The twirp calls Elena naive for thinking that Katherine won't harm her now that Elena has dumped Katherine's beloved Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley).
As Katherine prepares to impersonate Elena at the masquerade, her sexy witch friend Lucy (Natashia Williams) visits. Katherine needs Lucy to help her retrieve the magical moonstone from the Salvatores and use it to remove the curses that restrict vampires from walking in the sun and werewolves from only changing during a full moon. Katherine also comments on Elena's terrible taste. "Except in men," Lucy quips.
At the fundraiser, Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) and his mother bond over what a dick (or jerk, as they both correct themselves) Tyler's dead father was. It's actually kind of touching. Meanwhile, Katherine arrives at the party and complements Matt on his looks before hypnotizing him into beating Tyler until he kills Matt, thus triggering the Lockwood curse and turning Tyler into a werewolf. Katherine regrets not having her way with Matt, but business is business: "God, you're hot. Now go away." Matt's dazed response: "Thank you."
Stefan convinces the young witch Bonnie (Katerina Graham) to help them. No one (who is nice) can turn down Stefan when he asks politely. The catch is, Elena is to be kept in the dark about the whole kill Kat plot. Stefan scopes out the masquerade and tells Damon not to hesitate in staking their ex-girlfriend Kat. Damon notes, "See, that is the fork in the road between us, my friend. I don't hesitate."
A non-innocent Matt loads Tyler's glass with booze, and the two bimbos who have been hanging out with Tyler continue loving to dance. (Just don't get caught in the crossfire, ladies.) Elena sits at home with her aunt Jenna and Jenna's boyfriend/Elena's history teacher Alaric (Matt Davis). Elena hasn't heard from anyone all day. That's pretty normal for me, but she is concerned. Alaric, whose sole purpose was to provide weapons and keep Elena at home, fails. At first he proves to be a terrible liar, and then he stops even trying. Elena grabs the keys and sneaks out as Alaric and Jenna watch TV, or something.
A dark and sensual remake of the song Head Over Heels plays as Stefan spots Katherine. She suddenly appears next to him and demands that he dances with her. He eventually cooperates when she seductively eats fruit (for a second time; in The Return she enjoyed a cherry, amongst other treats) and threatens to murder someone. Their tense conversation and sexual tension is ruined when Katherine kills the poor Aimee Bradley (Tiya Sircar) on the dance floor. One of the girls who had been hanging out with Tyler and Matt, Aimee had appeared several times on the show. You never know whether a character will become a regular or get killed off.
Jeremy joins the club, rocking the James Bond look and hitting on Bonnie. Considering his history with vampire romances, it's no surprise that his eyes light up ("that's so cool!") when Bonnie mentions her witch powers. He also shows his age when he states that he would use magic to ace a test or cast a "sex spell" and immediately asks Bonnie, "Want to dance or something while we're waiting?" She says no, and he is texted that it is time to play his part.
Bonnie senses Lucy's presence, and Lucy isn't pleased that Katherine didn't tell her there was another witch. Jeremy tells Katherine to meet the Salvatores in a remote place. Kat adjusts his tie in a way that makes me uncomfortable, considering she is identical to his sister/cousin.
Katherine sees through this ruse and chokes Caroline until she spills the beans. Caroline tells her that the Salvatores are trying to kill her and that Bonnie and the moonstone are upstairs. When Katherine steps into the designated room, Caroline wipes away her tears and gloats. Bonnie had cast a spell to trap Katherine there. Stefan and Damon gang up on her and impale her left and right.
Unfortunately, Elena, who has crashed the party, begins to writhe in pain, bleeding in the spots where Katherine is stabbed. Fortunately, Katherine is badass and tosses the brothers around. This scene is thrilling, shocking, and disturbing; we can no longer root for the Salvatores who are unknowingly hurting the woman they love. Bonnie helps Elena with the pain. Jeremy rushes upstairs to stop the brothers from finishing Katherine.
While Bonnie figures that Lucy has linked Elena and Katherine, Kat chats with the boys. She berates Damon for how inconvenient his obsession was for her. Damon replies, "You and me both, honey." Katherine responds to Stefan's interrogations about the moonstone by proving she's a super stalker and creepily mouthing, "I love you." Then she demands Damon pour her a drink. His high voiced, "Right away, Miss Katherine!" killed me and preluded him losing his temper and nearly killing her.
Bonnie shows what a tough cookie she is by refusing to back down from the more powerful Lucy, who grabs Bonnie's arms and sends her a soothing (but eerie) vibe. Bonnie hands over the moonstone, which Lucy then gives to Katherine. The vampiress falls to the ground in convulsions. It turns out Lucy is a distant relative of Bonnie, and her loyalties lie with her, not Katherine. (This literal kinship strikes me as awkward, since Lucy and Bonnie are the only two African American characters on the show right now.) Stefan and Damon stare in thanks. Their huge plan failed, but wild-card Lucy instantly solved their problem.
Though Katherine is down, her work goes on. Matt bullies Tyler, for a change, which is quite upsetting to watch. Caroline's pleased smile disappears when her special hearing picks up their fight. She breaks it up in a second, knocking Matt out with her elbow. It turns out the other drunk girl, Sarah (Maiara Walsh), has also been compelled by Katherine. She stabs Tyler, who knocks her back into the desk where she breaks her neck. And now Tyler is a WEREWOLF.
Stefan runs smiling to Elena, assuming they can be together since the reason for their break up is out of the way. Wrong. Her reaction recalls her feelings several several episodes back when she was too overwhelmed with supernatural drama to kiss Stefan goodnight. After being left out of the loop and inadvertently tortured by Stefan and Damon, Elena tells Stefan that she needs to focus on her family and feel safe before they can continue their romance. She may be acknowledging what tunnel vision she's recently had with Stefan and that she doesn't have the energy right now to focus on him and the needs of her and others. Stefan looks even more serious and disappointed than usual. Poor guy.
Katherine wakes up in a tomb. Her attempts to escape are fairly miserable. There stands Damon, prompting me to think that if he lets her out now, he is the biggest idiot of all time. Instead, he ignores her pleas and tells her, in a saddened tone, that she always lies. She bellows that Elena is in danger and that Damon needs her. To this, he shuts the door. For the first time, Katherine looks terrified. Damon is shaken.
And then Elena is kidnapped by some creep in a mask. Bad day for her.
