Elena's New Look

Elena + pink streaks? It’s true! But this new ‘do is only part of the Elena makeover fans will be seeing from the sans-humanity Elena, reveals executive producer Julie Plec.

“I said to the wardrobe people and Nina Dobrev, ‘We’re burning everything. So if there are one or two things that you’re damn sure you want to keep, she better be wearing them when she walks out the door.’ I think Nina chose a jacket and a pair of boots and we called it a day,” she says.

The fun of this mini-reinvention, says Plec, is that they’ve been wanting to sort of evolve Elena’s look in recent years, and now they have their chance. “She had a very, very, very specific and safe style for the first three seasons, and this year, we evolved it a little bit when she became a vampire and had a little more freedom in her choices. But now we literally packed up all her clothes and put them into storage and bought her a new wardrobe.”

So how’s it going to look? “It’s just a little hipper, a little more contemporary — more skirts and belts and accessories, and she gets a great new haircut in two episodes and has a little fun with hair color. It’s been really fun to give her a new attitude,” Plec adds.

Source

10 Things To Discuss And Think About From 'Stand By Me'

1. Nina Dobrev is a gift. I'd be remiss not to make this priority one on the things-to-discuss list. Who knew that "Degrassi's" most annoying teen mom ever would grow up to do this? From her stubborn resolve as she waited for Jeremy to wake up, to her crumpled face and horrified wailing as she finally let the news sink in, Elena was laid bare tonight. Nerve endings exposed, Dobrev brought Elena's emotional rollercoaster to life so vividly that it was impossible not to ride it with her; I felt positively battered by the time the credits rolled. If major awards showed acknowledged The CW, this would be a performance of note for them.

2. Elena turns off her humanity. Even as a vampire, Elena has been the humanity of the show. While her earnestness can be irritating at times, her bleeding heart and undeniable compassion has kept the rest of her friends from steering too far off course. With Katherine back on the prowl, Elena's disconnect from the core of her character will be especially interesting, and will undoubtedly present a new challenge for Dobrev. It's also interesting because, presumably, a vampire without humanity might not be capable of the same love, at least not to the same depths, as a vampire with humanity. This might be pretty crippling to her romance with Damon.

3. That pesky sire bond. There's been a lot of discussion amongst "TVD" fans this season about Elena's agency or lack thereof. Her lack of control over certain aspects of her life doesn't necessarily pose a problem for me as a viewer, though; I appreciate it as a metaphor for what love can do to a person, particularly a young person experiencing personal turmoil. In this case, it's a pretty brilliant storytelling device. It prevents us from needing a time-jump in order to get Elena past being completely paralyzed with grief.

4. Brothers. Seeing Elena lose Jeremy reminded Stefan and Damon that, through everything, they're lucky -- because they still have each other. Stefan has been holding a grudge against Damon for presumably taking advantage of the sire bond; Damon has been holding a grudge against Stefan for not being the comrade he wants him to be. But they still have each other, and their unspoken appreciation for that was a pivotal moment in their relationship. It doesn't mean they're going to get bunk beds and start a book club together, but it does mean that they're back on solid ground, allies instead of competitors.

5. Tyler remains gone, for now. It was absolutely heartbreaking to listen to Caroline plead with Tyler to get in touch while he ignores her calls. He promised to forget about her if they couldn't find a way to get rid of Klaus -- not ignore her immediately and stop trying to find a way within 24 hours. Bummer. I do have a little good news for Forwood shippers, though. The outcry over Michael Trevino's understated, anti-climactic exit seems to have had an impact on the writers of the show. They've changed their minds! I can reveal that he will be back to share one more pivotal moment with Caroline this season. Your voices have been heard!

6. Silas is Shane! Kind of? We've seen witches do some blood-magic body-swapping on "The Vampire Diaries" before, but we've never seen someone completely shift into the image of another person before. It's a nice way to show off Silas' incomparable power right off the bat, and also to put David Alpay's talents to better use. Here's hoping that Rebekah manages to get that particular piece of information back to Mystic Falls ASAP.

7. Bonnie is bad news. Sigh. If I had one gripe about the episode, Bonnie was it. I'm hoping it's soon revealed that Silas used some sort of magic persuasion to turn Bonnie into such a brainwashed follower, because this season we've watched her become stronger and more intelligent, and it was frustrating to watch her backpedal so much. Even Elena managed to immediately accept that sacrificing 12 people and raising all the dead monsters to save Jeremy wasn't an option; why was Bonnie so easily convinced otherwise? It felt rushed. That said, I am intrigued by the idea of a darker Bonnie, and I do see how Jeremy's death could be the trigger.

8. Matt Donovan, ladies and gentlemen. I've been crowing about how awesome Matt Donovan is for years, so I felt particularly vindicated tonight. One of my favorite moments of the series was when Matt fell apart in Elena's arms upon learning of Vicki's death. Tonight was a perfect mirror of that as he went to great lengths to keep her propped up in the wake of devastation. Their little trip to the stoner pit and his subsequent breakdown, alone in his truck, drove home the human side of the tragedy. A teenage boy died. A kid who liked to draw and occasionally smoke pot and play X-Box, who had just managed to patch his life up, who video-chatted with girls and dug the batting cages. Matt was there to remind us that at his core Jeremy wasn't a powerful hunter; Jeremy was a kid.

9. The Gilbert house is gone. Losing the house marked the end of an era for "The Vampire Diaries." Elena literally can't go home again. It probably wasn't a bad idea to char the place; after all, literally all of the people who have lived there have died at some point or another. That's a lot of bad vibes. I hear Elena will officially be moving in to the Salvatore house... again. Even though Stefan and Damon have had a bro-bonding moment, having Elena living down the hall probably won't make things particularly easy on Stefan.

10. Goodbye, Jeremy. Kudos to Steven R. McQueen for a heck of a performance over the course of four years. Jeremy has changed and grown beautifully. We've seen him experience love and loss, sacrifice and triumph, and we've seen it take a toll and make him stronger. The work that McQueen put into this season definitely showed -- and I'm not just talking about his arms. (But I am talking about his arms a little bit.) We'll all miss him.

Source

Will The Vampire Diaries Have A Prom Episode?

Will we get more pretty dresses and boys in tuxedos?

In September 2012, in an EW interview with Julie Plec and Nina Dobrev, we were informed that Season 4 may well end with a Mystic Falls High School graduation. That means.... PROM, right?

There is a couple of pieces of (what now seems to be deleted) evidence that there will be a TVD Prom episode.

Cherrix Casting Facebook Page submitted casting information:

"Before reading please understand that your response MUST include a fitting day, fitting time AND days you can work. (ex. Fitting-Friday 22nd, 11:00am, Available for all dates)

Vampire Diaries is looking for extras to work our prom scene in Decatur, Ga. Tuesday Feb 26th, Wed Feb 27th, Thurs 28th and Mon Mar 4th. Age 18-30. You will need to be available for a fitting Friday Feb 22nd or Monday Feb 25th--between 10am and 7pm. If available please email recent photo along with your name, phone number, email address, age, height, weight, clothing sizes (MEN-shirt size, pant size, shoe size, WOMEN-Measurements, dress size, shoe size), including your shoe size, color, make-model, year of vehicle to vampirediariescasting@gmail.com. SUBJECT LINE: PROM, Please include Fitting day, time AND days you can work."

Back in December, Julie Plec also tweeted:

Since we have recently had behind the scenes photos for 4x18 titled 'American Gothic', these dates suggest that 4x19 should be filming around this time and should air 4th April (if my calculations are correct).

Ian Somerhalder Interview - What's coming up?

So Damon finally got his girl, and there's this sire bond mucking it all up for him! What was your reaction when you read the script that revealed the sire bond? Were you bummed?
I think it's a classic case of karma. I think Damon did something kind of gnarly in his past life, you know. This kid was born in Mystic Falls, and in 1864 he was just a 22-year-old dude. He would've lived his whole life -- maybe to 65, they didn't live that long back then -- and croaked. But this poor sucker, he just got an infinite lifetime of bad luck. It enriches him. It makes him rich as a man, because there's a lot of s*** that happens to this guy.

That phone call when she finally told him she loved him made me so happy, though. At least he got one moment of joy out of it!
I think that moment is so sweet that it almost makes up for the fact that he just gets screwed over right after. It was very, very sweet.

Stefan and Damon are really at odds right now, and I don't like it! Is there any chance that they can move on and repair their relationship while Damon is with Elena?
Then it wouldn't be fun to watch! We do see some stuff with them where they're just kind of brothers. I personally think it's cool; I do like seeing them not at each others' throats and being a unit with one another. I dig that. I think it's cool to see. But it has the benefit of being great drama when the boys are at each others' throats. It's for pretty serious reasons, you know. They're in love with the same girl.

Does Damon want the cure for himself? Or does he only want it to, potentially, cure Elena of the sire bond?
He doesn't want it! You know this! The last f***ing thing that Damon wants to do is take this cure. There is no point. Why would anybody want that? No way, man. Why would he ever want to be a normal human being? To him, that's just like 'Who would want that?'

You guys are headed to an island, soon, to find the cure. I'm sure you loved all the outdoor filming in the middle of winter.
Basically, I missed "Lost," and I asked to relive my glory on "Lost" and do a "Lost" episode. I'm just joking! We were actually lucky, it was a bit of a warm spell in Atlanta, so it wasn't too brutal.

Is there any time for Damon and Elena to get some romance in, or are they just constantly trying not to die? How does their relationship evolve on the island?
The island is a representation of a lot of interesting stuff ... Living only for Elena's well-being, security, happiness, and all of that stuff, is starting to become very difficult and dangerous for Damon. He's starting to see that it's really not a good thing for her to take the cure.

Does she still want to take it?
She wants it. But do I want it? Hell no. We can live happily frickin' ever after. I've got a big house, we can party, and travel, and whatever, man. Damon and Elena could like, go buy a building in New York with an art gallery in it, and then go live on an island in the Caribbean. They could have a pretty badass life. He's thinking the cure is bulls***. There's no reason for it. The big difference between Damon and Stefan right now, is that Stefan thinks Elena needs to have it. If she gets it, then Stefan can take it, and he'll live happily ever after with her. The last frickin' thing that Damon wants is this cure, and he'd be the first one to tell you that.

Why hasn't Damon murdered Shady Shane yet? He keeps letting him live.
You know why? Because he's such an amazing, convincing character. I love David Alpay. He's brought so much life to Shane, man. Not only is he handsome as hell, but he just brings it, he brings it every time. This guy intrigues Damon. He makes Damon sick, I want to just rip his head off, but there's just too many things preventing him from doing that.

Is there anything good coming for Damon and Elena? They released all these photos of you looking all bloody and bruised, so I'm just guessing there are more bad days coming.
I get my ass kicked, basically. When I first signed up for this character, I thought I'd be working two days a week. Damon's like dessert. He's one of the best parts of the meal,  but you can't have him all the time! So here I am, thinking, four years ago, I'd just do a couple days a week in Vancouver, go back and forth to Los Angeles, and then I realized that it's five days a week of getting my ass kicked left and right! But, I'm surrounded with great people, and every once in a while I get to make out with Nina Dobrev on screen, and it could be worse.

How do you feel about the spin-off news? Would you be bummed to see Joseph Morgan go do another show?
I think it's frickin' amazing! They're my friends, everyone involved. What I'm thinking is that they use some of their time and efforts and resources on "The Originals" backdoor pilot, and maybe, we'll get some time off!

I can't believe they're doing a New Orleans spin-off and you're not in it.
Right? It's unbelievable. I didn't even get invited to go down and tech scout or something. I should be a producer for the New Orleans stuff. I'm going to get on that.

I think you're busy enough. Speaking of which, do you have any updates on the ISF Sanctuary?

It's all happening! The first agreement is physically being drawn up ... fans have been so insanely supportive. We won the Mozilla Firefox Challenge on Crowdrise, with a total of $120,000, which was incredible. That's huge ... so, what we're doing is, is we're putting together the sanctuary. It's coming together. We've got it all under control. It's going to be awesome.

source

Ian Somerhalder On The Sire Bond And The Cure

The sire-bond storyline has been hotly contested in TVLine’s comments section. What did you think of the twist and how it affects Elena and Damon’s relationship?
Well, I thought, “Hey, cool! He can do whatever he wants.” Three years of trying to get the same girl, who looks like your ex who you thought was in love with you for 150 years, has to do whatever you say. Could be worse. Actually, no, I thought, “Poor guy”… Here’s the thing: At the end of the day, Damon does not want to take this cure, nor would he in a million years want Elena to take it. He’s thinking, “Why would I want to do this? Why would I want to become a normal, boring human being susceptible to everything?” It’s just not in his wheelhouse to have that thought… It really is a tragic thing. You want this character — even though he does really awful things — you want him to win. You want him to be happy in life… There’s something big in the cards for Damon soon.

You say he doesn’t want Elena to be cured, so why is he going out of his way to find this cure for her? Is it purely about him knowing whether she truly loves him?
No, it’s not that self-serving. That would be like Damon. But I think ultimately, it’s that it’s what she wants. It’s really what she wants.

Elena made a pretty big confession of love recently, and Damon told her to come to him. But then they got distracted by the hunter/cure business. Will they address that conversation soon?
That’s the idea. One would hope. She did come to him, and it was a really cool moment for him. There’s got to be conflict there between them. There has to be. Now, this cure is really not something Damon wants, and so he’s forced to do all this stuff for her. It adds tension because she’s saying, “Look, I love you, man. You have to believe me. I really do.” And he’s just saying, “No, no, no. It’s not possible.” It’s tough for her, and it’s tough for him. It’s Vampire Diaries, it sucks for everyone. It’s hard.

An an actor, was there any frustration about your character finally getting the girl and then there’s this asterisk that it might just be because of the sire bond?
I just thought, “Ooh, Salvatore, you poor bastard.” Leave it to life. It’s Murphy’s Law. That’s the way it goes.

So what’s the next step for Damon and Elena in their relationship?
To move to an island in the Caribbean that Damon buys and start a colony. In all seriousness, it’s kind of like instead of a whodunnit storyline, it’s a who’s-gonna-get-it? Honestly, I think that Damon right now is wishing he wasn’t in this situation, and he has an exorbitant amount of trepidation about getting this cure because he has a pretty clear idea that once she gets it, she’s going to go back to feeling this way for Stefan. This circumstance is really not great.

Stefan and Damon’s relationship has also been through quite the ringer as a result of the Elena story. Stefan’s gotten kind of spunky recently. What’s their interaction like coming up?
Stefan spunky? I like that!

He’s got a bit of an edge.
We like edgy Stefan. Stefan likes edgy Stefan. Stefan, just like his brother, has a lot to go through in the near future. He’s got a lot riding on this cure. Stefan wants it. This is a chance for him… Stefan’s hoping that they can find it and make it work and ultimately she’ll go back to feeling this way for him. And Damon’s thinking, “Ooh, this sucks!” Really not happy about it.

On the way to this cure, Damon has a bloody run-in with a hunter.
I like that storyline. It’s a lot of fun. The character’s great. Charlie Bewley, the actor who plays Vaughn, is awesome. He brings a lot to the role. He and David Alpay, who plays Professor Shane, they’re both really talented and they’re a lot of fun to work with. Damon and Shane, while they’re wanting to kill each other, they really work well together.

Damon’s been really suspicious of Shane. What are the odds that we’re headed to a big “I told you so” from Damon?
[Joking] There’s a scene where Damon and Shane kind of cuddle. Look, this Shane guy has a lot of shit going on, excuse my language. He’s got a lot of stuff he’s hiding. He’s a master manipulator, and that’s really why I like him. He and Damon, they’re not too far off. Again, he has ill-intentions, but they’re for righteous reasons. That’s what Damon had for really the first two seasons of the show. So I have to respect him for that. But I will say that Damon is praying that he’s wrong about this guy, that he’s not as bad as he thinks he is. There’s good stuff there between them.

source

Kat Graham Teases 'Major Death'

Vampire Diaries fans, prepare yourselves for a major death.
"There are huge deaths coming up, one in particular," star Kat Graham tells TVGuide.com. "It's one of the most amazing scripts I've read; I actually cried when I read it!"

Yes, we know on a supernatural show, death is inevitable and not always meaningful, but Graham says this one will stick. "It's actually one of the biggest deaths since the beginning of The Vampire Diaries," Graham says. "It'll change the nature of the series; it'll change the nature of the characters going forward; it'll change the dynamic; it will completely alter everything."

Will one of the Salvatore brothers actually kill the other? Will Klaus betray his love Caroline and stake her? Will Jeremy lose a battle as the Hunter? Will Bonnie's magic once and for all be too much for her body to take? Share your theories below in the comments.

Joseph Morgan On Returning Episodes

The Vampire Diaries' Klaus essentially put a target on his back by killing Mayor Lockwood. Nevertheless, Joseph Morgan says the baddie Original doesn't have a care in the world when the show returns from its holiday hiatus.

"In the episodes to come after break, there's a certain amount of him sitting with his feet up, looking at the carnage as it unfolds before him," Morgan tells TVGuide.com. "He's pulling the puppet strings and then letting them go to see what happens."

For someone with so many enemies, why the cavalier attitude?
Throughout this season, our main characters have turned against each other, helping Klaus' cause. First, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) broke up. Then, Stefan realized that Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena have had a little something-something between them. While the Salvatore brothers should remain focused, instead they're worried about a girl, finding a cure for said girl. (Not to mention the whole sire bond thing.) Bonnie (Kat Graham) is off trying to get her magic back from Mr. Shady Pants Shane (David Alpay), while Tyler (Michael Trevino) just lost his mom and his hybrid army. Then there's Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). His new fate in life as a vampire hunter has caused an innate hatred for his friends, and more importantly, his sister. So yes, for Klaus, he's more than happy to keep the attention away from his recent actions.

 "Our heroes are at odds with each other. If they could unite themselves like they did at the end of Season 3, maybe they would have a chance at killing Klaus, but as long as he can keep manipulating and planting doubt in their minds, they won't be able to come together and defeat him," Morgan says. "Everyone has forgotten that they put Klaus down, but Klaus hasn't forgotten. It's like lining up chess pieces on a board — everyone is playing against each other and everyone's arguing!"

But life won't be that easy for Klaus in future episodes, especially when his bitter sister Rebekah (Claire Holt) becomes un-daggered and his angry brother Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) returns. The two may have major bones to pick with the others, but Klaus is certainly not excused.

"In the beginning, Klaus and Kol start off more on the same page, but Kol definitely comes in with his own objectives and motives," Morgan says. "They do end up at odds and issuing threats at each other and it does become quite serious." Klaus' relationship with Rebekah, though, is a little more complicated. "Klaus is the one who daggered her and he's really used her in a way that's unforgivable. They have both attempted to exploit each other, but are also bound by this love and his feeling of wanting to protect her from her own weaknesses. So it's all mixed up in there like a big old wasp's nest of emotions."

Comparing their relationship to real-life sibling dynamics, Morgan adds that he might always protect Rebekah from others, but not necessarily from his own wrath toward her.

"This is the thing I think that has won people over with the Originals, this bond that goes deeper than any other relationship," Morgan says. "It's like when someone can bully their younger brother, but no one else can. I like this idea of Klaus' that nobody daggers my sister but me. There is that element that if someone kills Rebekah or Elijah — not so much Finn, he wasn't so keen on Finn — there will be hell to pay. But if he were to do it, that would be OK. "

TVD Cast Play Shag, Marry, Stake At TV Guide

Will Caroline Choose Between Tyler And Klaus?

Last season, Elena had to decide between the two men in her life. Now, it seems, it’s Caroline’s turn.

“She’s going to have to choose,” said Michael Trevino, who plays Tyler, when we caught up with him on the Atlanta set recently. “At the end of the day I know she wants to be with Tyler, but there is something intriguing about being with Klaus and how powerful he is.”

While Trevino thinks there’s something brewing between Caroline and Klaus, co-star Candice Accola isn’t quite as convinced. “I still think it’s hilarious fans want Caroline and Klaus together,” she said. “They’re so different.” (Hey, opposites attract right?)

Joseph Morgan, on the other hand, is more optimistic about the pairing. And he has good reason to be. If last week’s episode was any indication, it looks like Caroline and Tyler’s relationship will be tested by the arrival of his friend (and possible old flame), Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin).

“Caroline is a little concerned with Hayley being in town,” said Tonkin, who described her character as a free spirit. “But she wants to trust Tyler.”

source

Julie Plec - Scoop From The Source

Were you and the writers nervous at all about taking that step of Elena becoming a vampire?
We were nervous in that it was a choice that takes her in a very clear direction, and if the audience unilaterally decided it didn’t like that direction and rejected it, we were pretty hosed. I think we had ‘they did it in the books’ excuse on our side, that gave us a little bit of confidence and, realistically, in the way that Twilight is always sort of its own little focus group of what works and what doesn’t.

On "The Rager," we witnessed Stefan’s concern about his own past as a ripper and keeping himself grounded. How will that manifest in the coming episodes?
What it’s done is we’re seeing the nuclear fallout of this big move. Elena’s a vampire and so while we could very easily make the transition simple for her, instead we wanted to make the transition as complicated and as fraught as possible. Though we knew we wanted Stefan to be her hero, to really reaffirm all the ways and all the reasons why she chose him at the end of last year... we also didn’t want it to come without its own difficulties and consequences for him, where he may not be able to be a true hero to her, because he, himself, is plagued by infinitely deeper problems that come with being a functional vampire.
We wanted to let Damon have the point of view, which, you know, for three seasons we all sort of rolled our eyes and clucked our tongues and shook our heads at Damon’s logic and yet finally have him be the guy that’s like, ‘hey, I’m right, you all know I’m right. You all are living in fantasyland’ and start understanding that Damon’s reality is really the most rational reality at this point.

And that love triangle that’s still alive, but are there some unexpected turns coming up?
This is all I can say without getting myself into terrible amounts of trouble across the board. I think that people watching and paying attention to the seeds we’ve been sowing to probably chart the course of the next big turn that this triangle is going to have.

Phoebe Tonkin showed up last week as Hayley. How is she going to get in the way of Caroline, Tyler and maybe even Klaus?
Hayley’s presence is going to have a lot of surprises attached to it and why she’s there [and] what her relationship with Tyler is. What she thinks about all of this and ultimately, the part she plays in a bigger game that’s brewing between Tyler and Klaus as we move forward, it’s towards closer to the middle of the season. So, we’ve just scratched the surface with her and there’s a lot of surprises attached to her as we move forward.

Jeremy seems to be on a nice journey now that he’s possibly a hunter. What’s coming up for him?

Big, big, big stuff is afoot for our young Jeremy Gilbert. This season maybe the biggest storyline he’s ever had and we just introduced the beginning of it with this appearance of the vampire hunter calling Jeremy a "potential." It has miles to go from there.

I love that Matt’s had a nice piece of things in these first episodes. Is he going to get more involved in things moving forward?
Yes. Matt’s back on, he’s just going to continue to be human and continue to always be there right in the middle of things and now Rebekah, of course, has her sights set on him, which is never going to end well. And he’s determined to add value to our group and to his own life and don’t think we’re going to see Matt getting pushed around much. I think he’s going to be a good friend. He’s going to be a good fighter and he’s going to be a good support system for everybody.

Klaus is now protecting Connor at least for the moment, so we're guessing that will be important this week, right?
This episode that airs Thursday, Klaus sort of fills in the holes of the story that we don’t know yet. About this tattoo that Jeremy saw, the centuries-long mystery that surrounds it and it’s got some impact and a few... I would say it’s got triple whammies!

Bonnie wasn’t in this past episode, but are we going to see her soon?
Absolutely. Episode 4 is kind of the beginning of Bonnie’s journey for the season. She meets a new mentor, who’s very intriguing and interesting and there is a handsome professor by the name of Shane, played by David Alpay, who’s terrific. And it’s just the beginning of a really, really tumultuous, dramatic and emotional year where Bonnie is really going to learn a lot about herself and what she’s capable of and a lot of great things for her.

And her daddy’s coming right?
Her daddy’s coming. We haven’t seen the last of her mama. We’ve got some small romantic roads to travel. We’ve got some great witchcraft stuff that is always lurking. Is she going to tap back into that dark magic or stay on the side of good? There’s all kinds of things coming down the pipeline for her. It’s going to be a good year.

I’m always up for a Katherine sighting so might we have one in season four? I think she’d love to see where Elena is these days!
All I will say is that we have not seen the last of Lady Katherine.

source

Joseph Morgan On 4x04 - Video

Phoebe Tonkin talks Hayley/Caroline/Tyler

The Secret Circle‘s Phoebe Tonkin shows up in Mystic Falls this Thursday (The CW, 8/7c) as Hayley, a werewolf who helped Tyler free himself from Klaus’ mental chains. As a result, she and the hybrid have shared quite the traumatic experience, which might spell trouble for Tyler’s current romance.

“Hayley is a little bit of a threat to that relationship because she has a history with Tyler,” says Tonkin. “She knew Tyler during a very emotional time when he was breaking his sire bond.” 

In tough situations like that, people tend to lean on each for support and… something more. So can viewers trust that the two kept things strictly platonic in the past? “All we know is that they were friends and that they went through something big together, so they have a special bond because of that,” 
replies the actress. “So they were just good friends. But I don’t know if, at the beginning, Caroline thinks that.” 

That doubt will cause “a bit of friction” between the girls as the blonde vamp is “a little threatened” — there’s that word again! — “by Hayley because she doesn’t know how close her relationship was with Tyler in the past,” Tonkin says. As for the hybrid himself, he’s “a little surprised” by the unexpected appearance from his pal “because she’s, obviously, someone from his past, a past that we don’t know that much about. But she’s a good friend of his, so he’s just excited to see her.”

Tonkin advises fans of the couple not to fret too much. “Caroline and Tyler have their own situations going on,” she says. “I don’t think Hayley is a huge priority for Caroline at the moment. They have a lot of bigger things” to worry about. And the werewolf, too, is on a mission, so starting a relationship (or breaking one up) isn’t on her agenda. 

“She’s hiding a secret, and she’s trying to find out something very important to her that we’re going to discover eventually,” teases the actress. 

Despite all the turmoil Hayley may stir up, Tonkin hopes the audience likes her character, who she believes is a departure from her Secret Circle witch Faye – “It was definitely going to go darker, a little bit more twisted,” she says of what the future held for the canceled CW drama – even though the two are both “confident and strong and independent,” she says. “Hayley has a little bit more empathy. Faye is quite manipulative.” 

But who has more fun: Werewolves, witches or the mermaids of her and Vampire Diaries co-star Claire Holt’s Australian series H20: Just Add Water? 

“They all have their different kind of fun,” she replies with a laugh. “But it’s definitely nice to play Hayley. She’s a free spirit. She’s kind of ballsy. She’s different from what I’ve played before.”

source

Grace Phipps On Her First Appearance

"The Vampire Diaries" has some fresh blood this year, and we promise you're going to love her. In last week's premiere, you met Pastor Young, the fanatical preacher who blew up the entire Founder's Council in a suicide mission that's sure to have dire repercussions. Before he did, though, he wrote a letter -- to his daughter, April.

Grace Phipps plays the 16-year-old spitfire, who returns to Mystic Falls after a few years away to attend her father's funeral. When we first meet her, she's worried that the entire town will resent her father for not getting his gas gauges checked ... because, of course, the police have dismissed the tragedy as a gas leak.

A human orphan who is about to be sucked into vampire madness, April is a little bit Season 1 Elena, with the sarcastic humor of our dearly departed Anna. "I've done a lot of work with Nina, which has been fun," Phipps tells Zap2it. "April really, really looks up to Elena, so that's been really fun to play with. She kind of mirrors her a little bit. April grew up with Elena babysitting her, so they're very close."

Like many of her Mystic Falls cohorts, April now has no family to speak of, and Elena takes her under her wing. "Since she doesn't have a role model right now, she looks to Elena," Phipps says. Still, despite the horrifying circumstances surrounding her, April keeps a brave face.

"What's actually really fun to play about April, and what drew me to her when I first read the part, is that she's not a depressed person. She's not a person who goes around blaming. I mean, she's 16, so you're not entirely stable at that point, you're a teenager, but she's not a tragic person, she just got thrust into a tragic situation. That's what's really fun to play," she explains. "There's a conflict between the person that she wants to be and the situation that she's in."

As for romance, "There is a love interest," Phipps tells us coyly. When we ask whether there's just one love interest, she scoffs, "Let's not talk about geometry yet!"

Phipps brings a great new energy to the cast, while April shifts the dynamic of the show a bit. Now, Elena isn't concerned about saving herself all the time -- she's got a new, innocent person in town who means a lot to her, and keeping April safe begins to take priority. As we'll see in tonight's episode, "Memorial," keeping April safe is much easier said than done thanks to a new hunter in town.

Zach Roerig on Matt, Rebekah and Season 4

Matt Donovan may be the most unlucky kid in a town full of unlucky kids, but all these years later, he's still our favorite -- and this year, things might be looking up for the quarterback-slash-busboy. That is, as long as he can get over the overwhelming feelings of guilt he's experiencing after Elena sacrificed her own life to save his.

In last week's season premiere, Matt practically begged Stefan to let him die, and we can't really blame him. For a kid who's just trying to make enough money to keep the lights on in his house, his first love's transition into a vampire is beyond the just-deal-with-it realm. Now, with the added burden of Elena's "death" weighing on him, he's feeling particularly despondent and useless.

Hopefully, though, the combination of last week's tough-love pep talk from Stefan and a touching moment of unexpected heroism in tonight's episode, "Memorial," will get Matt back on his feet. "Memorial" will allow Matt, and the rest of the gang, a moment to grieve what they've lost, and it's well-earned after a few hellish semesters. In the meantime, though, Matt probably owes Stefan a thank-you.

"That's an interesting question, how much does Matt owe Stefan," Zach says. "I don't know if it's a question of whether he owes Stefan, or if he just owes Elena. I think that's going to be Matt's biggest struggle, starting off the season. Just the guilt, and why him, why would Stefan -- even if Elena did want it -- ever listen to [her]."

Damon definitely held it against Matt in the season premiere, but he eases up on the QB a bit by episode two. That said, they're not about to embark on an epic bromance any time soon. "Damon and Matt have never really seen eye-to-eye," Zach says. "This just puts the cherry on it, although I think they'd make a good little team."

Don't hold your breath for that one, kids.

Ever since breaking up with Caroline (apparently, for Matt, fangs are a turn-off) he's had a heck of a dry spell in the romance department... but it's hard to ignore the undeniable sparks that flew between him and Rebekah last season. You know, before she ran him off a bridge, destroyed his truck, and left him and one of his best friends to drown. Oops?

"Rebekah and Matt have been a little bit ... hot and cold," Zach says. "I think you can expect to see Rebekah trying to kind of clean things up with Matt and get him to forgive her. 'I got upset. My bad, I tried to kill you. But you survived! So now we can flirt again!' I feel like it's going to continue to be the same dance, though, because at the end of the day, in some weird way, Matt can wrap his head around why Rebekah would do that."

While we were on set, we watched Zach filming some sweet scenes with Grace Phipps, who plays Mystic Falls newbie April Young. While April may have eyes for Matt, though, Zach tells us that Matt views her more as a little sister than a potential love interest. (We'll see about that!)

Of course, we had to ask Zach how things are going on set without his buddy Matt Davis around -- since we've certainly been missing Alaric's incomparable presence on screen. "I'm going to cry right now," he jokes. "I don't really care... No, I miss him a lot. I miss you, buddy! Of course we miss him, but I'm also super proud of him. He's kicking butt and taking names up there. You know we talk all the time. He's doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing."

source

An Insight To 4x01 And Beyond

Elena has officially vamped out! 

We all wondered who Elena's first kill would be... and we're still wondering. Personally, I thought Pastor Young was going to be her first taste of human blood, but instead it was a random guard, and it was Stefan who did the (rather brutal) killing. Elena pretty much just had to reach out and slurp.

"We either wanted do this, or to have her first feed be Matt, the way that it was in the books," Plec tells me. "It was a really great moment in the first book, where Stefan brings her to Matt, and that's how he finds out about the vampires -- it was actually one of my favorite scenes. Ultimately, we decided that her transition feed should be a stranger." That said, it isn't quite that simple for Elena. In next week's episode, we'll find that after that first smear of blood from the floor, Elena's appetite becomes a bit... temperamental.

The Founder's Council: 

After Dark Alaric spilled the vampires' secrets last season, we expected the Council members to be major antagonists this year. In this episode, the mysterious group of powerful Mystic Falls residents definitely proved that they know their stuff -- they've had generations of training, and it showed. They came very close to outsmarting our vampires, and Elena almost perished in captivity when she couldn't feed. What I hadn't quite bargained for, though, was the final scene of the episode, in which the town's beloved Pastor Young sent the the entire Council -- himself included -- up in flames, after saying, "Fear not, for I have been chosen to lead us in a movement... Friends, we are the beginning."

The beginning of what, exactly?

"That was really setting the stage for something that's going to be a slow reveal this season," says Plec. "We deliberately meant to leave a lot of questions unanswered. Pastor Young certainly seemed to be in his right mind when he blew everyone up, so we're left wondering, was he compelled? Did one of our heroes compel him? Did one of our enemies compel him? Was there another motive? I think people thought that the council was going to be one of the driving forces of our season, and we wanted to turn things around a bit and literally blow that up in our first episode out."
Damon is lashing out in all the wrong directions.

It was clear in this episode that while he's devastated by Elena turning into a vampire -- and mad at Stefan, and (oddly) Matt for the way that went down -- Damon is also still pretty bitter about Elena choosing Stefan. Obviously, I can't blame him, since in Mystic Falls the rejection only happened yesterday, but it's still painful to watch him bring up Elena's choice time and again.

I loved the moment that Elena remembered Damon's first confession of love. Of course, she's heard him say it since then, but never in quite so touching a way -- and what a visually stunning way to return that memory not only to Elena, but to the audience. Now that Elena's a vampire, her reaction to that moment is very strong, though she tries to minimize it when she talks to him later.

"Someone asked me what the biggest hurdle would be for Stefan and Elena this year, and it's Damon," says Plec. "Plain and simple. Damon and Elena's feelings for Damon continue to be the biggest things that could keep Stefan and Elena from being together forever."

Stefan and Elena are as sweet as ever. 

 The final scene between Stefan and Elena on the roof was admittedly pretty cheesy, but we enjoyed it for the Season 1 callback factor. And the symbolism of Stefan literally putting a ring on Elena's finger was great, though it gives us a sinking feeling that he won't ever be putting the ring on her finger.

The really great Stefan and Elena moments, though, were the slightly less "epic" feeling ones. Her laughing-crying meltdown in her kitchen somehow made vampirism relatable to those of us who remain mere humans. And, of course, her "dying" confession in the jail that she'd chosen him over Damon, and that she wanted to be with him, was very powerful. What fantastic performances from both Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev -- particularly given the fact that they couldn't even have any contact (physical or eye contact) during the scene. "No matter what happens, it's the best choice I ever made," she says. I don't know whether to feel heartbroken for Damon or elated for Stefan, but I'm guessing this whole inner-neutrality thing means the triangle is still alive and kicking.

Klyler? Tylaus? 

What are we calling the Klaus/Tyler hybrid-squared? First of all, Michael Trevino killed it in his brief time as the Original hybrid -- his restraint and the complete absence of Tyler's usual manic energy gave him a whole new swagger.

I'll give Klaus a few points for attempting to tell Caroline that he wasn't Tyler before they got to the removal of clothing; after all, she barely stopped to take a breath. Still, as an uber-powerful hybrid, he didn't have to give in to her advances... so, it's official, Klaus is still in the villain category. (Who is hot, and has a fantastic accent, and tons of chemistry with Caroline, so. There's that.) Caroline seems like she'll be okay after a good brain-bleaching, but I'd love for someone to ask Tyler if he's okay at this point. It can't be much fun being ridden around by an Original vampire all day.

The Original family business. 

 How absolutely stunning was the scene between Klaus and Rebekah, as he basically took a wrecking ball to whatever was left of her heart? I've said it before and I'll say it again: if this show lets Claire Holt go anywhere, they'd be making a huge mistake. Klaus's motives for being so brutal with Rebekah are suspect. We don't think she destroyed the last of his doppelganger blood supply -- after all, we know more hybrids are coming -- but it was an absolutely gut-wrenching fight. Now that she's truly on her own, is it too much to hope that Rebekah will make some amends and join the Mystic Falls High gang? I really want her in the gang.

Poor Matt. 

The kid just can't catch a break, can he? First he goes swimming with the fishies, then Damon slaps a target on his back. Elena and Stefan had to save him for the second time in two days, this time from Damon, and while we definitely got a kick out of seeing her "vamp out," that guilt is weighing on Matt pretty heavily. I'm just grateful that Matt's got a new lease on life this season, because he needed a little kick in the pants after spending last year being everybody's default shoulder to cry on.
Bonnie's dark magic: 

In a fantastic surprise appearance, Jasmine Guy returned as Sheila Bennett, Bonnie's grandmother who passed away in Season 1. After two seasons of talking about the witches "on the other side" and the power of that sisterhood, it was exciting to see real consequences for Bonnie when she went too far with her dark magic. Kat Graham knocked the episode out of the park, really nailing Bonnie's devastation as a mysterious darkness overwhelmed her Grams -- a consequence of Bonnie's dalliances in "upsetting the balance of nature."

Of course, I have a lot of questions as to what, exactly, happened to Grams. After all, she's already dead. What I know for sure, though, is that the witches on the other side can no longer be called Bonnie's "sisters."

"That was our way of alienating Bonnie from her heritage on the other side," says Plec. "Now, she has no way of knowing if every time she does magic, the witches on the other side are torturing her grandmother in some unimaginable way." Though Bonnie will certainly grieve for her grandmother in next week's episode, this does open a door to a compelling storyline this season.

"It really sets us up for something new with Bonnie, in that she's got a lot of questions and she's now open to a new mentor. She'll meet someone who truly understands who she is and what she's capable of," Plec explains. "That's where this new professor comes in in Episode 4. David Alpay is a really great actor. Professor Shane is really interesting in that -- he's not a witch, but what he's able to do for Bonnie is really powerful and cool. He helps her rediscover her heritage and her powers in what we think is a really great way."

All in all, the first episode of Season 4 was packed with surprises, not to mention some really moving moments, particularly for Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan. I loved that every regular cast member was included in the action, and that as Elena's emotions were heightened, so were those of the rest of the group. It's also nice to see that the stage is set for Bonnie to truly be at the center of a storyline -- she's been sidelined for too long, and Kat proved in this episode that she can handle more than she's been given thus far.

I'm guessing that Klaus will have some apologizing to do with Caroline, and from what Joseph Morgan and Candice Accola told me, it sounds like amends will be made. I'm particularly interested, though, in his relationship with Rebekah. With a bond spanning centuries, and her ability to forgive him for some truly vile things, could Elena's blood really be the thing that breaks them?

As for the show's central triangle, I know this show pretty well, and that rooftop scene felt a bit too romantic to be true. Suffice to say, Stefan and Elena's plan for "forever" begins to come apart at the seams right away next week, when her biological imperative to feed starts to turn her against Stefan's entire vampire ideology -- and push her closer to Damon in a whole new way. While I'm at it -- 10 points to Slytherin for Ian Somerhalder's great work tonight. The anger simmering under Damon's surface was unmistakable, and after the rejection, his outbursts of rage felt truly dangerous in a way Damon hasn't been for a while.

source

Julie Plec Talks Season 4

For three seasons, viewers watched Elena (Nina Dobrev) fall in love with vampire Stefan (Paul Wesley), learn the truth about her supernatural history, lose Stefan to his Ripper side, develop strong feelings for his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and ultimately decide that Stefan was the one she wanted to be with. But everything changed in the final moment of the Season 3 finale when Elena died only to come back in the transition stage of becoming a vampire. The question now on (mostly) everyone's mind: Will Stefan remain the Salvatore she chooses?

"If you look at it purely from a human point of view, we fall deeply in love, we grow, we change, our love changes and shifts and we find ourselves attracted to other people," Plec says. "But as we go from adolescence to adulthood, what do we need in our lives, the love we had or the love we wish we had? That's going to be a big part of the season: What does Elena becoming a vampire do to both her relationship with Stefan and her friendship with Damon? It's the same question she previously asked but from a different perspective."

Of course, before Elena can even think about life as a vampire, she must go through the toughest part, the transition. And trust us, it won't be easy on the stomach for her or viewers.
"We didn't want to make it easy or over-romanticize it or glamourize it, but we also didn't want to make it devastatingly depressing, so we're going to explore her highest of highs and lowest of lows," Plec says. "Episode 2 gives us a glimpse of what she's going through and then every episode that follows centers on some element of being a new vampire, for better or for worse, and what it's doing to her."
Although Stefan remains by her side when the show picks up, Elena becoming a vampire has a few positives, but quite a few negatives for the former Ripper who's worked so hard to avoid returning to the bloodthirsty guy he recently was. "What's nice about it is that they realize if they want to they can be together forever so in a small way it's a small victory in this whole catastrophe," Plec says. "What's not so nice is that a newbie vampire is a bundle of emotions and rage and hunger and bloodlust and desire and all those things that are really Stefan's Achilles heel. I like to use the analogy of being sober, but your girlfriend just turned 21 and wants to party. For Stefan, Elena usually supports him and is now the one needing to be supported, so who's going to keep Stefan from falling over the edge?"

Ultimately, Plec says, it'll be a long journey for the girl who was once everyone's rock and compassionate to a fault because, at the end of the day, there's no telling what will diminish (or intensify) as her new self takes form. "Elena is uncompromising about is the length she'll go to protect the people she cares about and as a vampire that takes on a whole new meaning. So I do think there is some element of concern on the part of her closest friends to make sure she's not losing her way or losing sight of herself in all this --especially how it relates to the Salvatore brothers."

What does Rebekah Give Matt?

The CW has just released the official description for "The Vampire Diaries" Nov. 1 episode, titled "The Five." While it may not actually be Halloween in Mystic Falls, the writers are serving up a Halloween-themed episode as Damon, Elena, and Bonnie head to a super-spooky frat party. As we previously revealed, Bonnie goes to visit Whitmore College, the nearby university where her Grams used to teach. 

She forms a connection with Professor Shane, who has taken over her grandmother's occult class. Meanwhile, Damon and Elena head to a frat party -- keg stands, anyone? It's a "Murder House" theme party, where guests are supposed to dress as their favorite murderer or murder victim. So uplifting. Here, Damon gives a newly vamped-out Elena a lesson on "choosing a victim." Suffice to say, she's fallen off the woodland creatures wagon and is enjoying some of the perks of being a vampire.

Meanwhile, Stefan talks to Klaus about their newest vampire hunter problem, Connor, and Klaus tells Stefan a story of a group of vampire hunters, which leads to flashbacks to the 1100s and the introduction of the mysterious Alexander, whose interactions with Rebekah will leave Stefan reeling.

Looks like Rebekah will also be regretting her attempt to drown Matt and Elena, because the description reveals that she tries to buy Matt's forgiveness. Of course, the Mikaelsons have an endless supply of money and resources, so it's no surprise that she pulls out all the stops -- Zap2it can exclusively reveal that she does offer Matt a new truck. It's the least she can do after sending his to a watery grave.

Longtime "Vampire Diaries" fans will not be surprised to learn that it's a Ford. "I do get a new truck. It's a brand spanking new Ford F150," Zach Roerig tells us. "Crew cab, four wheel drive, midnight blue."

Though Roerig is totally impressed with the gift, Matt isn't quite so swoony. It'll take a lot more than a truck to get him and Rebekah back on the flirty track. (But he's totally keeping it. The kid has a job to get to.)

Ian Somerhalder Teases 'Cute' Delena Moment

Damon and Elena may not be in a relationship when The Vampire Diaries returns on Oct. 11, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be sharing any intimate moments this season.

“There is some stuff that is going to come up this season that I think fans will get a little bit of joy out of,” said Ian Somerhalder, who explained that the love triangle still has a ways to go. “There is a scene where Damon pushes Elena's buttons a little bit and kind of starts undressing in front of her and that throws her for a loop. It was pretty cute.”

Though Somerhalder wouldn’t reveal what happens after Damon finishes undressing, he would say that the scene was so cute that even the crew guys were caught off guard. (Ok, now we’re really curious to see this).

As for how Damon’s going to handle Elena becoming a vampire, Somerhalder says that ultimately, it won’t affect the way he feels about her. “It doesn’t really matter whether she’s a vampire or human being,” he says. “He loves her either way.” Let the swooning commence.

source

Introduction to Connor The New Hunter

The Vampire Diaries is getting a new hunter, and this one means business. Allow us to introduce you, via an exclusive first look, to Elena & Co.’s formidable new foe Connor (Todd Williams).
While we’ll miss Alaric — RIP — let’s face it, the vampire hunter wasn’t so much of an antagonist after his initial introduction. Connor, however, is “a legitimate threat that they’ve got to deal with,” executive producer Julie Plec tells TVLine. 
Not only does he cause “frustration for our heroes because he’s good” at what he does, but he’s also “a tough nut to crack,” explains Plec. “Every time they think they’ve got a one-up on him, he turns the tables and gets the best of them.”

More Spoilers and Teases From 'Growing Pains' & 'Memorial'

From TVOvermind

In Transition.  

Elena is understandably horrified by the possibility of becoming a vampire at the beginning of the episode, despite acknowledging that her potential transition is a better situation than Matt being dead.  She goes through all of the expected stages of the transition, including a strong desire for blood, heightened senses and wacky emotions.

The Council Rises.  

The vampire hating members of the Council have taken over, folks!  And they're looking to make all of the supernatural creators - and their sympathizers - pay for the lax security in Mystic Falls in recent years.  The first thing they do is round up some of their enemies and demote a few others.

Damon, Thy Name is Anger.  

That sneak peek from the season premiere where Elena first wakes up is just the beginning of Damon's anger.  He's furious by what's happened to Elena, but doesn't want her to give up and die.  Still, he goes to significant lengths to take that anger out on people.

Journey to the Dark Side.  

Bonnie makes a choice to go great lengths - and risks personal safety - in order to save Elena.  This leads to unexpected consequences which are compounded when Klaus shows up, demanding that Bonnie return to him to his own body.  Let's just say that the price she pays to save her friend and give in to Klaus' demands are high.

The Triangle.  

Elena does remember some important things she had been forced to forget. She then spends an important portion of her transition period with Stefan - in less than ideal circumstances - and reaffirms her love for him.  Elena is comfortable with the choice that she made in the season 3 finale, no matter what she might recall now.  But where does that leave Damon?  With even more anger.

From TVFanatic

The Council will play a significant role. Look for power players to rise up and demotions to take place.

Bonnie pays a major price to try and save Elena from becoming a vampire. It involves both a special spell and an interaction with Klaus.

There is seriously hot Stelena action... but it concludes in a less-than-sexy way.

Elena drinks Damon's blood. But does she enjoy it?

Damon is still very much in mourning over Alaric. But aren't we all?!?

We learn something new about Jeremy.

A character makes a surprising return in one of the two installments.

From KSite TV

1. Shipper stuff galore. 

After ten years of covering Smallville I should be used to shows tugging at ‘shipper (relationshipper) emotions. The core of TVD in recent times has been Elena’s choice between the brothers, Damon and Stefan. I might be a bit of a stick in the mud here because I am fine with any choice Elena makes; after all, it’s sure to flip-flop between now and the inevitable conclusion of the show in however many years. I will say this: One group will be extremely happy, but another group will get some fan service as well. TVD knows how to create the drama, so whatever choices there are, they won’t be easy ones.

2. Stefan vs. Damon. 

The brothers still have a similar relationship to the past, in that they may sometimes annoy each other, but they tolerate each other. They do have seriously different ideas on what to do with Elena. Damon feels that Matt should have been forgotten and saving Elena should have been the priority, even if it means losing her friend. Stefan wanted to respect her wishes to save Matt first at the end of Season 3. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the brothers also disagree on what Elena should feed on now that she is a vampire.

3. Surprise appearances.

 In a world where everything is spoiled, I was jaw-droppingly surprised on more than one occasion. Saying any more will get me into trouble.

4. Steamy vampire sex. 

Again, where I feel like an old stick in the mud — there are some scenes that get almost porny in nature. I’m not sure it belongs at the 8PM hour but then again, all the blood and gore probably wouldn’t either. The Vampire Diaries doesn’t need to be True Blood, but I know there are people who are into that sort of thing. (And while I’m being a prude — is there a legal drinking age in Mystic Falls? Just checking.)

5. Danger for the vampires and the people who love them. 

There are people who find out all about what has been going on in Mystic Falls, and they are NOT happy. This could change the dynamic for all of the characters. There’s also a new guy in town that I don’t think the others are going to want to cross.

6. Continuity. 

One thing I will definitely praise The Vampire Diaries for is it remembers its roots, and it remembers the characters that made a lot of it come together. A different show might forget characters like Aunt Jenna, Lexi, Anna, or Alaric, but not this one. The second episode in particular is willing to look back at The Vampire Diaries’ past while still looking forward, which is rewarding to this longtime viewer while at the same time not alienating a new one.

7. Recaps! 

Both episodes seem to take a different approach to the “Previously On…” trope, and both times it seems the recap is different. I like it. I still would LOVE actual opening titles complete with a theme song, but since TV rarely does that these days, this is the next best thing, I guess.

8. The “Diaries” part is mentioned! 

Well, sort of. Episode 2 mentions Elena’s passion for writing.

9. The gang’s all here. 

Everyone who you see in the Season 4 promo images appears in the premiere in one way or another, and the second episode features at least the entire Mystic Falls High School contingent.

10. Are these episodes perfect? 

To put on a critical eye, at least for me, they’re not. I think the second episode is actually a lot stronger than the first, so maybe that trend will continue. Don’t get me wrong, both episodes are enjoyable and worth seeing — but I admit I will have some trouble getting used to the notion that now, it seems that beyond Matt and possibly a new character we meet in Episode 2, there no longer seem to be any normal people in Mystic Falls. Everyone is either a vampire or a witch or a hybrid, or they are related to one. It’s a challenge any long-running series gets…. Smallville ended up with the same issue, where everyone was either a superhero or sleeping with one. I might get used to Vampire Elena, and I know these writers and Nina Dobrev can pull it off, but I’m somewhat nostalgic for the days when there was a little bit of normalcy in Mystic Falls.

From Celebuzz

Elena is having an extremely difficult time. 

We’ll slap an “obvious” sticker on this spoiler. Elena’s transition to the undead will not be easy for her, both before and after she actually feeds. Her need to care for everyone and put up a tough front will make her even more vulnerable given her heightened emotional state. It will also make Stefan (Paul Wesley) more intent on keeping her from killing anyone so that she never feels the need to shut her humanity off. Damon (Ian Somerhalder), well, he’ll just be angry.

Bonnie (Kat Graham) is a bad ass. 

We already knew that Bonnie was going to do everything she could to attempt to stop Elena’s transition into a vampire, but how far she really goes is amazing. The girl gives literally everything she has to help her friend, no matter the repercussions are for her use dark magic. Unfortunately, she’ll be pushed even further when forced to help Klaus get back in his rightful body and it will cripple her sense of self as a witch.

Tyler (Michael Trevino) is even hotter/more amazing as Klaus. 

We wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but somehow Trevino made Tyler even hotter as he embodied original vamp, Klaus. He brought his “A” game in these scenes. His mannerisms and facial expressions were absolute perfection and it was nice to see him act in such a dark and dramatic turn. Whether he was playing Klaus or Tyler, we were uber impressed with his performance.

Is it hot in here or is it just us? 

The first two episodes feature not one but three particularly hot scenes between some of our main characters. As we’ve been teased in the season premiere photos, Tyler/Klaus and Caroline (Candice Accola) have quite the steamy reunion in “Growing Pains.” Caroline is too smart for Klaus though and things get shut down before they go too far. The pair also have a scene in “Memorial” that’s not only hot but also sweet and funny.

With Elena’s emotions heightened, the chemistry between her and Stefan is off the charts and you’ll see that on screen in the first two episodes. Though their first bout of vamp sex is unfortunately put on hold thanks to Elena’s difficulty feeding. (Damn!)There will be some unexpected surprises. You’ll be seeing some familiar people in these episodes and while we can’t tell you who you may pop up, we’ll just say that you won’t be disappointed by their appearances.

Elena remembers and Damon sulks. 

 Part of the transition to vamp status includes remembering all those things you were compelled to forget and Elena does this in a way that made us smile and tear. Not only does she now remember that she met Damon first but also that he once told her he loved her (replay of a heartbreaking scene, so get lots of tissues!). Throughout the episodes, Damon will continue to try and come to terms with the fact that the life he wanted for Elena is over and he does this mostly by being angry. He’ll also help her in a way that Stefan will not enjoy in “Memorial.”

Watch out for the council and the new hunter in town. 

With the council now aware of just who everyone is, the danger for our favorite Mystic Falls residents is at an all time high. Things get even more precarious when Connor Jordan (guest star Todd Williams) rolls into Mystic Falls.