The Vampire Dairies: Kill or Be Killed (Season 2, Episode 5)

Let's begin with a summary of this action-packed episode. Mason Lockwood exposes vampire brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore to Damon's longtime friend and vampire hunter Sheriff Liz Forbes. She and two deputies try to kill them but are rescued by Stefan's girlfriend Elena Gilbert and her vampire friend Caroline Forbes, the sheriff's daughter. Stefan begins to drink human blood, and after an argument, Elena volunteers several drops of her own blood.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's brother, confronts Tyler Lockwood, Mason's nephew, about werewolves. Tyler at first is furious but eventually reveals that a) Mason is a werewolf, b) Tyler is not, but if he kills someone, he will be, and c) Mason is searching for a moonstone that Tyler is hiding. Two girls visit and get drunk, and Tyler accidentally pushes one down the stairs, giving him a scare - other than the obvious fright of someone falling down the stairs. Tyler eventually gives Mason the moonstone, which he hands over to the vampire mastermind Katherine, Elena's doppelganger.

As you can tell from its description, the episode Kill or Be Killed is exciting, but it isn't as intense or dark the previous week's episode Memory Lane. Mason becomes a more interesting character (though the actor musters up very little emotion). At first, Mason is sympathetic. "Nice brother" Stefan's apologies on Damon's behalf turn to threats. After Mason proves that they are vampires by spiking Damon's lemonade with anti-vampire vervain, Stefan joins Damon in cornering Mason in the woods with the intent to "put him down."

Mason turns out to be smarter than he looks, for he has set up the brothers for an ambush. Mason displays a sinister side when he threatens to snap Elena's neck in hopes of warding off vampire Caroline. This fails miserably. In an awesome scene, Caroline beats the tar out of him. The fact that Mason gives the moonstone to Katherine isn't super shocking since Memory Lane concluded with a flashback which showed Katherine handing the moonstone to Mason's ancestor more than a century ago.

Katherine condemns Mason for distracting himself by attempting to kill the Salvatores, because they are probably part of her plan, and at least Stefan is an object of her affection. She and Mason kiss. Luckily, they are stealthy creatures of the night. If anyone saw this, surely they would object to the teenage Elena making out with her peer Tyler's uncle. Instead she makes love to her 160 year old boyfriend, but as far as the locals can tell, he is seventeen. Anyway, Katherine's line "I know not to pet" a werewolf takes on a whole new meaning.

Tyler and Jeremy show some refreshing maturity. The ladies who hang out with them do not, but it is nice seeing one of them show interest in the doomed Jeremy. The other girl replies that Jeremy is "damaged goods," and she proceeds to ask Tyler if they can hang out. Jeremy has been depressed, drug addled, and suicidal, but he's a safer bet than Tyler, who has anger management issues and a werewolf gene. It's no surprise when one of the girls falls headfirst down the stairs at Tyler's hands. (She is unharmed, and, to be fair, it was an unintentional.)

Like Damon, Tyler is perceptive about Mason's insincerity. He doesn't trust him. (Both Mason and Katherine are in town for reasons neither want to reveal.) Ironically, Tyler's progressive choice to give up his obsession with werewolves causes him to hand the moonstone over to Mason who gives it to Katherine. This can't be good.

Damon is in fine form. He doesn't kill the sheriff (but may kill one deputy - perhaps Caroline does both deputies in her rescue attempt), and defends Caroline and Stefan. Damon's glance at Stefan who lay unconscious and riddled with bullets is subtle enough to be touching. The brothers banter and collaborate in superduo mode. Stefan is more amoral than usual in his willingness to kill Mason for purely selfish reasons. Damon has his usual hilarious lines, including his response to Mason's, "Nice is overrated" (a hint at his true nature) with a baffled, "I agree!"

Stefan and Elena pretend to fight but completely blow their cover when all hell breaks loose. They argue for real when Stefan wants to fortify himself with human blood. Elena remembers that he went bonkers last time he tried that. Usually their relationship is as healthy as a young human and old vampire romance can be, but they are becoming eerily codependent. Elena doesn't know if Stefan can control himself around human blood, but she stabs her hand and lets her drink from her. She declares that it's the two of them "always." At least they didn't break up for silly misunderstandings. But sometimes, couples SHOULD break up.