The Vampire Diaries: Vampires, Witches, and… Werewolves?
November 20, 2009 by Carekee Fung
Filed under Television
I haven’t been faithfully following The Vampire Diaries, but it seems like the town of Mystic Falls is developing a bit of a vampire infestation. Picking up from last week’s episode, Aunt Jenna’s ex-boyfriend Logan has come back from the dead, and no one knows who did it (i.e., turned him into a vampire). So besides the Salvatore brothers, there seem to be two other vampires in town plus the mysterious new teacher, Alaric Saltzman.
Damon and Stefan find out about the new vampire when Sheriff Forbes shows up at their door asking Damon for help. Damon then goes on a mission to find out who the new vampire is and, more importantly, who turned him into one. Alas, when Damon finds out Logan’s the new vampire, it seems that Logan himself doesn’t know how he came to be one either. However, he does reveal something that Damon didn’t know about: all the founding fathers of Mystic Falls kept journals that have been passed down through the generations–one of which is in Jeremy’s possession.
Back at the school, while Elena’s moping over Stefan’s impending leave and their unfateful love, she steps outside to find him, yet again, wistfully watching her. He tells her he’s not leaving yet (again), and warns her about the new vampire in town. At the career fair, Jeremy, who has always been at odds with Tyler, now seems to want to make friends but things get taken outside when the two get into a kerfuffle. With his volatile attitude, and a few shots of the full moon, could they be hinting that Tyler is a werewolf?
Damon and Logan have another face off when Logan kidnaps Caroline, and last week’s storyline about Katherine being trapped under the church resurfaces when Logan says he can help Damon. But just like last week, the revelation is anticlimactic when, after being let off by Damon, Logan gets staked by Alaric. This sheds a little more light on Alaric and expands our questions pool to: is he vampire, werewolf, or maybe… vampire slayer?
At the end of the night (and episode) Stefan is once again trying to explain in defeatist words that for Elena’s safety the two of them should be apart, when an assuring “I love you” from Elena is apparently enough to send him into hormonal conniption, eventually leading them into bed. For a brief moment, their love affair finally seems to reach a happy state, but then she finds Katherine’s picture. The episode ends with Elena’s car flipped over and someone–or something–approaching in the dark.
Verdict:
For a 162-year-old vampire, Stefan seems pretty immature. He has been adamant with Elena about leaving and the impossibility of their relationship and yet he’s still ostentatiously protecting and watching over her, which only adds to Elena’s emotional pain. After 145 years, you’d think he’d be more aware of people’s feelings. Aside from that, there was, however, a glimpse to an edgier side of Stefan in tonight’s episode. When Logan threatens him, Stefan shows a steadfast and more vampire-like side to his usual brooding persona. A fluke or something that we will see more of later? Damon, on the other hand, is proving to be quite the comedic villain and maybe not even a villain at all, just misguided. Time will tell.
For another take on this episode, check out Turning Point to the Same by Matt DeGroot.
Season 1, Episode 10: The Turning Point (originally aired November 19, 2009)
For more on The Vampire Diaries, click here.
Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW
Photographs courtesy of The CW and Guy D’Alema
Forgot to add, in response to Crystal and Casey:
However… the series is pretty darn different from the book, so who knows what might happen? 
Alaric isn’t a vampire slayer exactly; the school hired him because they thought he was, but he was just trying to find them but he wouldn’t have any idea of what to do if he found one
If you’ve read the books then you already know what is going to happen and who the characters are… but if not, and you don’t want to know, don’t read the spoilers lower down
The ring was given to him by his wife (Elena’s biological mum- she was adopted by the Gilberts) and it protects him from harm
The plot of the series is not sticking to the book at all so far, but I find that interesting so I’m alright with that
If you haven’t read the books and don’t want to know the truth about the characters yet, then DON’T READ BELOW… SPOILERS!!!!
1. No, Alaric isn’t a vampire… it’s not that he couldn’t enter the Gilbert house, but that he didn’t want to. The producers are making it look like he is, but don’t be fooled
2. Yes, Tyler and his dad are werewolves…although his dad didn’t die in the book, and the Tyler in the series is much nicer… in the book, he’s a proper dickhead.
3. WTF is with the whole vamps in the church thing?! in the book, the whole reason Damon hates Stefan is because they believe they lead Katherine to commit suicide, and then they kill each other, which is a much better twist in the plot than their dad doing it, which is what happens in the series.
4. Why 1864?! in the book, Stefan and Damon were hundreds of years old, which is so much more impressive!
Hmm, I’m actually quite annoyed at some of the differences which are pointless… but I am glad the story is so different: it is like an alternate ending or something…
Ps, thankyou Keiana Ernst for pointing out that VD was written before twilight (VD was released in 1991 whereas Twilight was released in 2005) and I get annoyed at people who say it is a rip-off of Twilight. Spread the word!
P.S if you want a really good book to read, I recommend:
‘Hush, hush’ by Becca Fitzpatrick
‘Eragon’ by Christopher Paolini (if you have watched the film- it is absolute Bull compared to the book)
WE LOVE THE VAMPIRE DIARIES STEPHEN, DAMON, ARE LIKE SUPPER HOTT AND YUMMY MY FRIEND TYLIN LIKES DAMON MORE CASEY LIKES BOTH BUT I LIKE STEPHEN HE IS SO HOTT YOU COULD BAKE COOKIES ON HIM AND MAN WOULD I EAT THOSE COOKIES!!! =)
ANY WHO ME AND CASEY WANT 2 KNOW IF TYLER IS A WEREWOLF AND IF THE HISTORY TEACHER IS A VAMP OR A VAMP SLAYER???
i love that episode. keep up the good work to every1 that made the dream come to life; in the books and on the shows.
I think that Tyler and The Mayor are werewolfs but then I don’t because that means that Twilight was copying The Vampire Diaries. If you didn’t know….. The Vampire Diaries were created BEFORE Twilight. Twilight might have been on movie screens before The Vampire Diaries came on TV screens but The Vampire Diaries were made 13 years before Twilight was even thought about being wrote!!!!
Alaric is definitely a vampire. He has a ring like Stefan and Damon that allows him to go out during the daytime, (Jeremy asks him about it and he said it was his fathers). Also, he can’t enter the Gilbert house because Jenna wouldn’t invite him in. What I want to know is how old he is and who turned him. My guess is he’s been around for quite a few decades though he may not be as old as S and D. I also believe both Tyler and his father are werewolves. I was tipped off by how his dad kept trying to goad him to fight during a full moon like that would trigger something innate within him. Another tip is when Alaric confronted him in the parking lot and Tyler’s father asks him do I look like a student, Alaric responds “No you look like a full grown alpha male douche bag”. As anyone who’s ever followed a werewolf storyline knows the term “Alpha male” is usually used to refer to the head of a werewolf pack, which may hint that Alaric knew what he really was. Can’t wait to see how that one is fleshed out.
BTW I think that either Katherine or one of the other 27 vamps under the church turned Logan. Because they were at the church ruins when Damon attacked him and Vicki fed on him and it appears he was there for a while before the sheriff found him and buried him. I think by then the damage was done and he died of suffocation in the ground (hence why he woke up a vampire) because Stefan and Damon have both said you have to die with Vampire blood in your system to change it only makes sense that he was infected less than 24 hours before he died. He also seems to know something about getting into and out of the church ruins which shows he may have come in contact with them somehow. But that’s just pure speculation.