The Vampire Diaries: Light of the Moon (Season 2, Episode 11)

It's not too long until the second season of The Vampire Diaries continues. Here's a refresher for the last episode.

Tyler Lockwood plays the soothing sounds of his uncle Mason's screams as background music. This will surely help ease his nerves about going through the same excruciating werewolf transformation. He gives Mason's landline a ring and leaves a message referring to the approaching full moon. The sexy lady poking around (or living at?) Mason's house hears this message. She appears concerned, but her reaction is certainly not as awkward as most listerners' would be.

At the Gilberts', Bonnie tells Elena Gilbert that she won't let Elena be used in some "creepy sacrifice ritual." Elena's brother Jeremy and vampire Damon Salvatore side with Bonnie. In fact, the magical Bonnie even casts a spell to trap Elena in her home. This way she can't sacrifice herself to the vampire Klaus, who may kill Elena's loved ones if he can't use her blood to break the curse that keeps most vampires out of the sun. Elena's dear friends rub the fact that she can't escape in her face.

Damon informs his vampire brother Stefan of their plan, noting that Elena's desire for martyrdom rivals Stefan's greatest hits. Katherine, trapped in a tomb with Stefan, rolls her eyes as both boys ignore her and concern themselves with Elena's safety.

Meanwhile, the intrigues surrounding Tyler pile up. He is unaware that Damon killed his uncle Mason. He also doesn't know that history teacher Alaric knows about Mason's demise, Caroline's vampiric nature, and Tyler's werewolf hex. Jules, the woman who heard Tyler's message, shows up at Tyler's door to let him and his mother know that Mason hasn't returned home. After hearing this news and lying to his mother about his whereabouts (Tyler is a terrible liar), he and Caroline (referred to by Damon as "vampire barbie") head out. Caroline proves a much better liar as she insinuates that Mason has just gone surfing.

Jules phones someone, stating that there's another werewolf. Is she working for Klaus or does she have another motive? Alaric and Damon team up to test whether Jules herself is a werewolf by meeting her at the bar and spiking her drink with wolfbane. Rude? Yes. But it's one of the greatest Damon/Alaric moments. Alaric pretends to be the town drunk so Damon can be the suave savior.

Tyler and Caroline scope out the dungeon where Mason tried to change. He startles Caroline by derobing; many probably wonder why she is even remotely upset. Tyler plans to drink wolfbane (which burns his fingers when he touches it) and ties himself up with chains that can pull more than two tons. I really hope his mother doesn't stumble upon her son parading around in front of Caroline, shirtless and wearing S&M gear.

Elena's aunt Jenna asks Elena to help her with some sort of research on the history of their town Mystic Falls. Elena nearly drops her box of papers when she meets Jenna's research assistant - Elijah, a vampire who used to pal around with Klaus. After being "introduced," Elena runs upstairs to tell Jeremy. Elijah is too fast for her. He hides (or rather, stands by the door, but Jeremy doesn't notice because he has earphones hanging around his neck and is an idiot teenager), so Elena instead tells Jeremy that Jenna needs him downstairs. How can she be so calm? Elijah is fantastic but terrifying. Luckily for Elena, Elijah says he wants to kill Klaus. In his opinion, Klaus is paranoid and obsessed with this silly curse and mystical moonstone that can break it. Elijah will use Elena as bate and those "possessed with the gift of magic" to keep her and her friends safe. Talk about a deal with the devil.

Bonnie pays a visit to fellow witch, er, warlock Luka. He is understandably angry at her for recently channeling his power and nearly killing him, but he lets her in anyway. Obviously he has something up his sleeve. Or he just thinks she's hot. Bonnie shows him the moonstone, and the two of them go to the roof to engage in witch sex and bizarre special effects. She thinks the moonstone curse is now removed. He is obviously a very ambiguous figure.

Back at the bar, Jules still isn't drinking her wolfbane. She finally calls Damon and Alaric out: "You've been marked." Everyone, including Damon, wonders if this means she peed on him.

Poor Tyler is suffering like no one else, crying like a baby and wretching like an invalid. Caroline draws close to him as his bones crack and he sobs, "It hurts!" After all the werewolf scenes out there, this is pretty original and powerful. Tyler is reduced to being a little boy again.

Alaric advises Damon to do the smart thing and go home. The big twist: Damon does the smart thing! Unfortunately, it doesn't do him much good. Scaredy cat vampire Rose awaits him. Before they can talk about how Rose still wants to hang out with him, a wolf jumps through the window, rips into Rose's shoulder, and bounds away. Rose doesn't die; she and Damon sigh with relief that the legend of a deadly werewolf bite is a rumor.

In another dungeon/tomb, Katherine and Stefan bond. Katherine composes some sort of rape fantasy (and imagines Stefan stating that he enjoys watching her suffer - but that part might be real): she removes her clothes and forces Stefan to kiss her; he begins to get into it. But no, it was just a dream! Stefan is furious and freaked.

He is saved by Elijah, of all people. Part of Elijah's deal with Elena involves Stefan's release. Elijah's warlock Jonas lowers the spell, but Katherine is out of luck. Elijah compels the unusually terrified Katherine into staying in the tomb. Stefan says a simple goodbye as she watches a boyfriend abandon her for the second time in the past few days. (First Damon, now Stefan.) Well, Katherine, that's what "self-preservation" a.k.a. being heartless and selfish gets you.

Luka gives the moonstone to his father Jonas, who may very well give it to Elijah. Luka isn't pleased with having to trick Bonnie. The moonstone still has the spell. What does this mean? Is Elijah entirely honest? Is Jonas?

Tyler finally completes his transformation by yelling, literally, "rarrrggghhh." It's a little funny, though his torment isn't. He easily breaks his chains (werewolves are strong!), but Caroline makes it to safety. Afterwards, she comforts the broken Tyler, as he is cold and he is chained, lying naked on the floor. [Remember that song? Lyrics sites tell me I am wrong and it is "shamed" not "chained," but I always thought it was chained, so it stays.] They are one intense pair.

By the way, just as Rose and Damon agree to be friends with benefits, her shoulder starts to hurt again. Maybe werewolf bites are fatal after all. THE END.

Tyler and Caroline photo found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ljr94/5249843270/

The Vampire Diaries: The Sacrifice (Season 2, Episode 10)

We begin when the Gilberts of too much information strike again. Elena awakes and ventures into the hallway to find her pantless aunt Jenna beaming and her shirtless history teacher Alaric attempting to eat ice cream. Though he apologizes for being naked, let me point out what we've all noticed: Alaric is distinctly NOT naked. Oh, and Jonas the warlock sneaks around Elena's room gathering her hair, probably to make a spell.

The brothers Salvatore visit the Petrova Katerina, and it takes both of them to remove the door that Caroline moved without effort. Katherine gives no information, but prompts Damon to say he'd rather poke out his eyes than join her. She protests: "they're such pretty eyes." (Damon fans: "There is no truer statement.")

When they return to Elena to tell her about their visit, the two of them sound like they're confessing to their mom. Elena is miffed: "Sounds like you guys have it all planned out." Damon replies, with typical wit: "Yep. We're awesomeee." Stefan and Damon discuss a plan to prevent Klaus from breaking the curse that involves Elena's blood. She retorts, "Is that before or after he kills everyone I care about, including the two of you?" Elena and Damon share a longer than necessary look. Stefan doesn't understand why she seems okay with dying, because he would never try to kill himself.


At school, warlock Luka (son of Jonas) and witch Bonnie "channel their strength together" right on the playground! He shares his power with her, they experience magical orgasms, and no one notices their expressions of ecstasy as leaves fly all over the place. This scene is both sexy and ominous. It's nice to see Bonnie bonding with someone, but why is Luka trying to get Bonnie on his side? Jeremy interrupts, smooth as usual, with, "What's with that weather, man?" and, "Guy's weird, eh?" referring to Luka.

Elena meets the second "naked" [a.k.a. not naked but thinks he/she is] person of the morning. She wants Rose to help her find information about her potential sacrifice, and she doesn't want the Salvatores to know what they're doing. Elena wants to save those she loves. But isn't what the boys are doing saving both Elena and everyone she loves? Aren't there others involved in the sacrifice? Whatever the case, the lit fireplace makes the scene between Elena and Rose look rather romantic.

Matt is back at school, and he is distraught. He apologizes to werewolf Tyler for picking a fight with him and inadvertently causing the death of a young woman. When Matt looks at Caroline, he appears on the verge of tears. He doesn't realize that he was compelled by the evil vampire Katherine and that he is lucky to be alive! Anyway, Caroline continues to support Tyler through this difficult time, revealing herself to be a regular do-gooder like Stefan. Who knew. (I am distracted by the song playing in the background. Is it a bad cover of Garbage's I'm Only Happy When It Rains or just bad audio?)


The band (minus Elena) brainstorm. Jeremy butts in and Damon snarks, "Why are you even here?" Bonnie thinks that she can create something to hurt Katherine. First, she must have an object that belonged to her. Damon looks at Stefan. Stefan's expression is awkward. He has been carrying around Katherine's picture for more than a century, with no explanation. Bonnie burns the photograph as the boys look on, and from that creates an anti-Katherine powder.

Now that Elena is wearing a leather jacket, she is badass. She and Rose visit the dead Slater. If he were a few years older, he could have bounced back from that staking, just like Elijah. Elena growls when Rose opens the curtains. (Does she think she's a vampire now?) They discover Alice, a goth girl who was dating Slater in hopes of being turned into a vampire. Elena promises that Rose will turn her into a vamp if she helps them break into Slater's computer. Rose privately refuses to do this, but Elena points out that Alice doesn't have to know this. Rose smiles thinking, "I like this &*^%." Elena finds a contact for Klaus.

Tyler says he understands that Caroline can't have a relationship with Matt because she has to lie to him. First of all, this is planting the seeds for their relationship. Second, Caroline is lying to Tyler about vampires (she hasn't told him about Stefan and Damon) and the truth about his werewolf uncle Mason's demise. While checking out the werewolf dungeon, they discover that Mason kept a diary and a DVD.


Jeremy lets Bonnie know that he saw her nose bleed during her last spell. He claims that she can't perform the spell to momentarily release the vampire barrier in order for Stefan and Damon to grab the essential moonstone from Katherine. She puts her finger on his lips. Oops! Because he doesn't want her to die of a witch overdose, Jeremy takes some of the anti-Katherine powder, goes down to the tomb, shoots her with a stake, and blows powder onto her. Unfortunately, she has hidden the stone deep in the tomb. Tension builds until Jeremy finds it, just in time to toss it out the door and get chomped on by Katherine!

Elder vampire Elijah and Jonas perform a spell to locate Elena. Little does Elijah know that Elena plans to surrender herself to the original vampire Klaus. Rose summons Damon when she hears of Elena's desire. Damon shows up and refuses to let Elena do this. Elena feels as though her (ex?) boyfriend and his brother always risk her lives and make decisions for her. Damon will hear none of this. They struggle and argue in a way that makes it look as though they are going to have sex, but they do not (yet).

Bonnie and Stefan stumble upon the mess Jeremy is in. He's a human juice box! Katherine points out that because of his resuscitation ring she can suck him dry over and over again. Bonnie tries to lower the vampire barrier so Stefan can rescue him. Because she is still connected to Luka from the morning's revelries (and from possessing his dog-tags), she can draw on his power. We see him at home writhing in pain. The spell is too much for both of them. Bonnie falls down unconscious. Ever the martyr, Stefan rushes in and tosses Jeremy out. Bonnie and Jeremy snuggle [in fear]. Katherine's expression at getting the one guy she wants stuck with her is quite adorable. Stefan's is that of horror.


Tyler watches a video of his uncle turning into a werewolf. Or at least he tries to watch, but the recording is more than eight hours pain. [Note: that mysterious substance Mason drank earlier was wolfbane in an attempt to weaken himself.] Tyler is terrified at the thought of going through agony for an entire night. He shouldn't be such a baby. Some women have to go through the same thing. Tyler is suspicious of and confused by Caroline's help because they've never been that close and because Tyler's not a naturally helpful guy. She expresses empathy and admits that she killed someone when she first turned. Tyler doesn't even ask who! Then Matt shows up, ready to take Caroline back. He backs away when he sees Tyler. I would love for Caroline and Matt to work out, but he's been so hot and cold with her, he just needs to leave for good.

Klaus's mignons arrive to pick up Elena. So does Elijah, Klaus's cooler mignon. Rose flees in a blur of light. Elijah interrogates the flunkies and rips out their hearts. (He's good at removing body parts.) Then he leaves. Damon is doubly stumped because he thought Elijah was both dead and on Klaus's side. Elijah then tells Jonas that the Salvatores will protect Elena, and they want her to be safe. Jonas seems slightly puzzled. He assumes her safety is temporary, but Elijah may be indicating otherwise.

Bonnie is upset that Jeremy almost died and endangered Stefan. She is also concerned by his crush on her. He says he knows she likes him, but she just says they "can't." Stefan tells Damon to protect Elena (Damon and Elena share another steamy anger fest) and keep her away from the tomb. Katherine says that's the biggest mistake he ever made.

As I wait for the next episode, I have to bring up the subject of vampire speed. It's so bizarre. You could do everything in a second: laundry, dishes, going to work. Weird.

The Vampire Diaries: Katerina (Season 2, Episode 9)

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?

The Vampire Diaries: Rose (Season 2, Episode 8)

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.

The Vampire Diaries: Masquerade (Season 2, Episode 7)

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.

The Vampire Dairies: Plan B (Season 2, Episode 6)

In Plan B, our heroes have tough time. In fact, everyone has a pretty bad day. But the episode is so fun it almost feels like a direct thank you to fans. And I thought this would be a low key episode.

Let's begin with Mason, who had the worst deal of them all. The highlight of his day must have been the morning romp with Katherine. (That excellent opening scene featured both Katherine/Mason and Elena/Stefan sex scenes.) A few hours later, Bonnie gives him multiple aneurisms, Stefan and Damon knock him out, and Damon tortures him with a hot poker and anti-wolf devices. Actor Taylor Kinney shows more emotion here than he has so far. Mason is sympathetic, protesting that he loves Katherine, making him one of her many saps. After an unpleasant afternoon, Damon rips his heart. A very bad day indeed.

Stefan foolishly jumped into a dark well full of vervain, which acted on him like acid. He survived, only to have his girlfriend dump him that night.

Katherine compelled Jenna to spy on Jenna's own niece (and listen to her have sex with her boyfriend?!) and then stab herself with a knife. Miraculously, she survived. Still - pretty embarrassing.

Caroline proved herself by helping save Stefan. More importantly, "Bonnie wasn't mean to [her] once!" She explained to her bigoted mother the ways of the vampire, noting that she was better at controlling herself around blood than Stefan the addict. Even though her mother accepted and validated her for perhaps the first time, Caroline knew it wasn't safe for her to know about the Salvatores' vampiric natures. She thus brainwashed her mom into forgetting everything related to that fact - including their recent bonding.

Katherine lost her werewolf lover but made up for that by having 25 backup plans.

Tyler thought his uncle Mason abandoned him. (Is that better or worse than knowing he suffered a painful death?)

Damon's day wasn't as bad. He mutilated Mason and even laughed in his face, but he did express some sympathy before putting Mason out of his misery. Then Damon showed unbelievable stupidity by calling and taunting Katherine. Stefan could only shake his head at this. (The two of them were adorable together. At one point, Stefan chastised and smacked Damon on the shoulder for dragging Jeremy into danger.) Ultimately, Damon got hit with a good dose of guilt.

Jeremy joined the team and didn't heed Elena's warnings since it was her fault he was involved.

Elena showed stunning bravery when she jumped into the (snake infested) well to save her boyfriend and retrieve the magical moonstone. After her dazed aunt stabbed herself in front of Elena, the girl tearfully told Stefan it was over. She has enough courage to go around. (And enough nosiness. She had to know everything that was going on. Makes sense.)

Bonnie pleased everyone by befriending Caroline and overcoming her prejudice. (And shows again that a girl can knock Mason down.)

In the final reveal, Katherine compels Matt into pursing Tyler until Matt is dead and Tyler is a werewolf.

Ah, Plan B. Where everyone endured heartbreak and tried to band together.

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.