Six Things You Need To Know About 'Dangerous Liasons'

Damon gets his neck snapped -- but the real surprise is who commissioned the rather violent (if temporary) kill. Later, Elena says something to him that hits him pretty hard, and definitely changes things between them. By the end of the episode, Damon has his old swagger back, big time. He may not quite be the Damon we met in the pilot, but he's got some of that sexy recklessness back, and it's about time, if we do say so ourselves.

Klaus/Caroline fans, you're going to have a lot to sink your teeth into this week, as the two vamps spend considerable time together -- he even shares some of his hobbies with her. Yes... apparently he's a true artist, when he's not slaughtering entire towns and stuff. Still, despite Tyler's absence from the episode, we never doubt for a moment that Caroline loves him. Well, maybe one moment. Or two. (There are even some fun moments between her and Matt, for those of us who still keep that candle burning. Dimly. In a hidden corner.)

Meet the (other) Originals! A few more family secrets are revealed -- the least of which being that their last name is Mikaelson. We'll get to know Kol a little better and we've got a feeling you're going to love-to-hate him as much as we do. Let's jut say he messes with someone we love... but he looks damn good doing it. As for Finn, he remains rather enigmatic, but Julie Plec tells us he shared his father's self loathing and hatred of vampires, and we'll see how that plays out over the next few episodes. The ever-mysterious Original witch will make her true plans known. Yes, like everyone else in Mystic Falls, she's got a hidden agenda. Also like everyone else in Mystic Falls, she needs Elena to pull it off.

Bonnie doesn't appear in the episode, but we do find out a bit of information about her and Abby that puts them smack in the middle of the mythology, and not just as plot devices. (We're pretty sick of the vampires using the witches as pawns in their vampire games at this point.) Turns out, the Bennett witches aren't just witches. Their ancestry has been intertwined with the Originals' for thousands of years, and the revival of Esther will bring them even further into the fold in upcoming episodes.

Matt remains phenomenal. Someone is plotting to kill him throughout the episode, but he's more gentlemanly than ever, even in the face of obvious jeopardy. There's a great moment toward the end that Julie says is a bit of a shout out to the Matt fans -- and specifically to @Matt_Donovan1 on twitter. (We had ourselves a nice little chuckle.) There seems to be some potential for a relationship between Matt and Rebekah, and he'll make a decision on that before the end of the episode. We're just impressed that he thinks he has any say in it at all.

We haven't forgotten about you, Stefan fans. Elena is caught in a virtual tug-of-war throughout the episode (at one point, they literally each have her by the arm). The question, as always, is whether Stefan can find it in himself to care about Elena -- and whether or not she still wants him to care about her at this point. That will pretty much be answered by the end of the hour. Per usual, Paul Wesley's performance will give you goose bumps.