The Vampire Diaries: Let’s All Just Have a Slumber Party

At the end of last week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries my lovely boyfriend, Stefan, showed up with the evil Uncle John (actually Father John since we now know he’s Elena’s dad). So as this week’s episode began everyone was understandably confused and full of mistrust for this dastardly gent who once tried burn Damon alive.

Damon does his best to find out why John (David Anders) has returned to Mystic Falls but makes essentially no progress…until much later in the episode when John presents Damon (Ian Somerhalder) with a tool that can kill Original vampires. John also gives Elena (Nina Dobrev) a necklace from her mother and promises Katherine to get her out of her current prison cave. It remains unclear why he’s being so helpful so I suppose we’ll just have to wait for the subsequent weeks to play out before getting the full story.

In a more progressive plot-line this week, Tyler confronts Caroline about the death of Mason and the truth that the Salvatore brothers are vampires. And although a major battle fails to break out between them, they both head to their respective corners for backup. Caroline goes to Stefan and begs him to try talking some sense into Tyler. Tyler, meanwhile, goes to Jules who wants to help him become the best werewolf he can be. She’s now even brought her hotty, camper-driving boyfriend, Brady (Stephen Amell), to help out.

When Stefan goes to talk to Tyler he has to get a little tough which prompts Tyler to sound an alarm to Jules who in turn arranges to have Caroline shot in the face and kidnapped. While in a cage inside Brady’s camper, Caroline is mercilessly tortured by werewolf boyfriend who is apparently not only hot, but sadistic as well. Jules then calls Stefan and asks for a trade – Tyler for Caroline.

Sensing a trap, Damon goes along for the prisoner swap as well thinking that they can just kill the two werewolves. Imagine our heroes’ surprise when a whole gang of werewolf guys emerges from the woods and starts an epic brawl that sees hearts getting ripped out and wooden stakes flying everywhere. Tyler makes a vain effort to get Caroline out of her cage but when the tide of the fight turns to the werewolves he backs down and seems content to see Caroline, Stefan, and Damon bite the big one.

But just when things are about to go majorly south, the Elijah-aligned warlock, Jonas (Randy J. Goodwin), shows up making a crazy noise spell that stops the werewolves in their tracks. It’s kinda like how Obi-Wan Kenobi saved Luke from the Sand People in Star Wars – just darker. Jonas tells the vampires to get away to safety and warns the werewolves to get out of town. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that doesn’t happen.

When all is said and done, not only was Caroline horribly tortured but she missed her date to rekindle things with Matt. She tries lying to him as her excuse but the lie is a major FAIL as her alibi, Bonnie, is sitting mere feet from Matt at the time of the call. Awkward! And then to make her night even more magical, Tyler shows up attempting to apologize for almost letting her die. Caroline is having none of it though and angrily dismisses him which sends him back to the loving embrace of Jules and Brady who promise that, like being gay, ‘it gets better’.

The episode ends on a wonderfully, cheesy sweet note as Stefan arranges for Bonnie and Elena to join Caroline for a slumber party. We don’t know for sure but I like to think they ate popcorn, watched Grease, and talked about their periods. That’s what happens at girl slumber parties, right?

Meanwhile, Damon has some sexy time with a reporter in a bubble bath and promptly kills her. It was a very sexy and, once again, extremely well-played final scene from Ian Somerhalder. Fingers crossed that Damon’s new little mean streak never ends because I, for one, am loving it.

Season 2, Episode 13: “Daddy Issues” (originally aired February 3, 2011)

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The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8pm on The CW.

Images courtesy of Bob Mahoney and The CW.