The Vampire Diaries 1.07 “Haunted” Recap

After an intolerable and stress-inducing bi-week hiatus, The Vampire Diaries came back to us like a vamp to a love slave and my wrist was stretched out for more. The magazines and websites claimed that last night’s episode, ‘Haunted’, was going to change the game of the show, but despite the goodies and shocks we got last night, I felt like I had tasted a little bit of bad blood. But I don’t care. I really don’t. Why? Well for starters, the performances last night were phenomenal across the board. If nobody felt moved at all by any of the emotional scenes last night, then you might want to check your pulse. Secondly, the episode was co-written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, the executive producers of the show, as well as Andrew Kreisberg who wrote the story. Thirdly, the episode was directed by Ernest Dickenson; an idol in my eyes who has directed Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight, Masters of Horror’s The V Word, and countless other movies and TV episodes. All around a damn good Halloween treat this week. Let me stop babbling and get to the recap, before someone has my neck…

The Vampire Vicki

It’s late and Tyler is leaving practice when he gets a surprise in his car in the form of Vicki. She is crazed and deranged, but most of all…hungry. Tyler thinks she is on another drug binge and tries to calm her down. Then Vicki vamps out and attacks Tyler, who leaps out the car and at the feet of Damon. Vicki lunges, but Stefan grabs her in time. Tyler throws a punch at Damon, who grabs Tyler’s throat and glamours him before tossing him aside like a little rag doll. The vamps disappear when Tyler picks himself up. Was I the only one cheering for Tyler to die?

Vicki calls Matt at school the next day to tell him that she is fine and to don’t worry about her. But Matt has a search party in effect and Jeremy is an anxious participant, which upsets Elena. While Stefan and Damon watch over Vicki since she doesn’t have a protector ring, we learn that Vicki’s still getting used to her new abilities (it’s been only two to three days) and that Logan’s murder has been covered up by the town, which puts Damon on alert that the town is on to them. Vicki asks for something to eat and Stefan gives her animal blood, which Damon scoffs at. But Vicki has taken to the whole drinking blood thing without a hitch and wants to upgrade to human blood. I credit her eagerness to drink blood to her drug abuse, because I would be wigging right now if I were in her shoes.

Elena stops by and speaks to Stefan about Vicki; because she is tired of lying to everyone she loves about what’s going on. Stefan tells Elena that given Vicki’s past drug abuse and her being freshly converted, that it will take time before she can face society again.

Later, Stefan teaches to Vicki the wonders of coffee, but Vicki wants to drink the good ole Type O Negative and she doesn’t want to hear about Stefan’s Kum By Yah crap about not drinking human blood. Vicki goes off to use the bathroom and remarks that it is odd to have the urge since she is dead. Stefan tells Elena that he is about to go find more animal blood for Vicki and that he will be back. Vicki returns (she had a false alarm) and decides to call Jeremy, but Elena tells her that she needs to let Jeremy go, because she could hurt him. Vicki gets pissed and asks if Elena has been dying to tell her that she wasn’t good enough for Jeremy. Elena doesn’t want Jeremy to be involved in anything dealing with the vampires and Vicki attacks her, telling Elena that she watched how Elena broke Matt’s heart and that she only sees Elena as a heartbreaker and nothing else. Plus, Vicki says that she will see Jeremy whenever she pleases and she WANTS Elena to get in the way so she could tear Elena a new one. The girl meant business, yall.

Elena tells Stefan what happened and he describes how hard it will be for Vicki to calm her nerves and think rationally, because all of her emotions are all rolled into one setting: hunger. So nobody close to Vicki is safe, especially Jeremy.

Meanwhile, Vicki asks Damon why did he change her and he simply says because he was bored. While I would have made Kirsten Dunst’s temper tantrums on Interview With The Vampire seem tame at that answer, Vicki only says that because Damon was bored, now she is bored. So Damon decides to take her outside for some fun, which Stefan isn’t quite certain about. When they get outside, Damon ‘teaches’Vicki the perks of being vampire, like super speed. Of course, Vicki vanishes when it’s her try and she goes directly home. Once there, she realizes she can’t come in and she calls Matt who is happy to see his sister. He unknowingly invites her in and she gives a huge hug before he makes her dinner. When he tries to get information on her whereabouts, Vicki throws a tantrum. Stefan appears, but Vicki makes it seem as if Stefan has been hassling her and Matt doesn’t let him in and tells Stefan to stay away from Vicki.

Back at the Gilberts, Elena tries to get Jeremy’s mind off of Vicki by getting him to come to the high school Halloween Party. She tells him that Vicki is not in the best condition and that he needs to leave it be with her. He then declares that Vicki is pretty much the Novocain for his soul since their parents died and that time away from Vicki is not good for him or us, because he is a whining pain when he is not in her company.

When he heads upstairs, Jeremy gets a text from Vicki asking him to meet her at the Halloween Party and the stage is set for tragedy to go down and take it’s unwilling participants with it.

Elena and Jeremy show up and Elena is dressed as a sexy nurse while Jeremy is his ordinary emo self. Matt is dressed up as a bloody doctor and Vicki’s costume? A seductive vampire. It looked good on her though, despite the ironic banality of the situation. Matt and Elena have some wistful memory eyes about their costumes, which they both wore the previous year while they dated. This moment is interrupted once Elena discovers that Vicki is at the party and she runs off to look for Jeremy. Meanwhile, Vicki’s senses are all over the place. Stefan, who might be a vampire’s version of AA sponsor, corners her and warns her again about the dangers of her growing powers. While Stefan tries to leave with Vicki, Matt and Elena stops them, but Vicki uses Matt’s overprotective nature to stall Stefan so she can escape. She eventually finds Jeremy and the two make out before Vicki leads him to a more secluded area. When they get there, Jeremy talks about how much he missed Vicki and she declares she is leaving town and wants him to be her lover forever. Of course, Jeremy is thinking geriatrics and doesn’t flinch much when Vicki bites his lip and starts licking his blood. She then moves in for the kill and vamps out to Jeremy’s horror. Elena comes just in time, but Vicki slings her into a pile of wood, injuring Elena to the point of blood flow. Stefan comes into the foray and tries to hold Vicki, but he loses her as she disappears under some buses. Stefan orders for Elena and Jeremy to get inside, but by the time they make it to the door, Vicki appears and slings Jeremy out of the way and bites Elena on her shoulder. Then out of the blue, a stake appears in Vicki’s chest courtesy of Stefan. Jeremy loses his frakking mind as a shocked Vicki starts to deteriorate before their eyes.

My head nearly explodes from the rush that I just experienced by that two hit combo.

Elena tells Stefan to get Jeremy back home immediately and Stefan calls Damon to go dispose of the body. When Damon shows up, Elena lights into him and blames him for everything. When Damon asks nonchalant about it, Elena declares that he HAS to feel something and she slaps him, which Damon counters with that she is bleeding and that she needs to leave like yesterday. Elena makes her way to her car and is stopped by none other than Matt who is still desperately looking for his sister. He asks Elena if she’s seen Vicki and she lies that she didn’t, and Matt ponders if his life will be about him always looking out for Vicki. He surmises that she must’ve went home and he decides to go look there. When Matt leaves, Elena makes it to her car and breaks down from all the events that has transpired and the lies that link them together. Very emotional scene. I didn’t shed a tear, but I could’ve.

Then to make matters worse, Elena has to go home and face Jeremy. She asks him if he understands what went down and he says he doesn’t but that Vicki’s dead is the only thing that he does understand. He begs for Elena to make the pain stop, because it hurts that everybody has to die on him. Damn, damn, DAMN!!! Fantastic writing there, folks!

Later, Stefan asks Elena what can he do and Elena asks if he can make Jeremy forget. Stefan says that he doesn’t know if he can do that, but Damon appears and says that HE will do it. Elena wants Damon to make Jeremy think that Vicki left town and is never coming back and for him to move on. While Damon is doing that, Elena reveals to Stefan that a part of her wants to be glamoured as well so she can forget everything, including meeting him. But that other part is saying that, she can’t forget, because she can’t deny her feelings for Stefan, despite everything that has happened. Stefan’s shocked as am I, because I had written Stelena as being on the rocks for a bit after that huge lie Elena had to tell Matt.

Speaking of Matt, he returned home to an empty house. God, I couldn’t be in his shoes without killing someone.

Bonnie’s Roots

Bonnie has been spending time with Grams (guest star Jasmine Guy), who has been giving Bonnie a history lesson on their family lineage and powers. According to Grams, their family fled Salem in the 1600s and relocated to Mystic Falls and that all the witches that were burned at the stake were all innocent. Grams also reveals that while the town might think she is a crazy woman who teaches about the occult at the local university, they don’t really think she is a witch. Bonnie wants to learn more, but Grams warns her that witchcraft is not a toy; it is real and dangerous and should be taken seriously.

Bonnie gets to school and Caroline gives her a costume she bought for her, which is a witch costume. Caroline also gives Bonnie the necklace that she swiped from Damon to wear with the outfit. Later at the Halloween party, Damon runs into Bonnie and he asks her about Caroline’s whereabouts, but quickly notices the necklace around Bonnie’s neck. He declares it as his and Bonnie will not give it up. When Bonnie stands her ground on not returning the necklace, Damon grabs for it.

And literally burns himself when he touches it.

Damon jumps back in shock, holding his hand and Bonnie runs for the hills, making her way back to Grams. When Bonnie gets there, Grams notices the necklace and immediately demands to know where she got it. Bonnie claims that its just costume jewelry, but Grams begs to differ as she pulls out an old family album which show’s one of Bonnie’s ancestor’s (who is also actress Katerina Graham) wearing the same necklace.

Oh CRAP!!!!

The Founders Council Are About To Be Found…

At the Mystic Grill, Mayor and Mrs. Lockwood are scared crapless about Logan’s death and the lost Vampire Detector, which means that A) the vampire is on to them and B) that they can be in danger, especially if the vampire knows Mystic Falls’history. While they are talking, Damon sits a few tables away listening to the whole convo.

Later at the Mystic Grill, Mayor and Mrs. Lockwood are all dressed for the Halloween party having drinks. Mayor Lockwood leaves first and Mrs. Lockwood (dressed as Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gastsby) is left for Damon to work his charm. As he flirts with her, he tries to control her mind to see how she knows his ‘uncle’Zach, but fails due to the vervain in Mrs. Lockwood’s bracelet. She tells him anyway that she knows Zach from the Founders Council and asks for Damon to have Zach to return her calls. HA! If she only knew…

Damon claims that he knows about the vervain, which seems to have been the Salvatore’s contribution to the Founder’s Council defense against vampires. Mrs. Lockwood continues to flap her mouth and reveals that the Lockwoods only have the vervain Mayor Lockwood’s parents left him and that Zach promised another stash. Damon asks how much does she need and Mrs. Lockwood names her family, friends, and everyone on the Council. She doesn’t disclose how many members are on the Council, but Damon has already laid the seeds for seduction. When Damon jokes how that he saw some vampires already, Mrs. Lockwood again runs her trap by saying that they used the Founders Day as a weed out process. The people who showed up at the Founders Day gala were immediately ruled out as suspects and the people who didn’t show up were all dead ends. Damon scored enough gold from that woman than a drunken Dharma Initiative member could ever reveal on LOST.

Look Into My Eyes And See What I Think…

– Vicki’s death was not expected. I had pegged her to be killed at the end of this season, but not before she took down a couple of people with her. Just when her character got more interesting, they take her away from us and just wonder what could have been if she stayed on longer. And Matt? Like I said before, I have a little sister and could not imagine the pain he is going through. When he finds out what really happened? I wouldn’t want to be the person near him.

– I so wanted Tyler to get taken out, because he is a complete douche. I so don’t see him being viable and competent enough to carry his family’s tradition of protecting the town.

– Bonnie and Grams. Can we get that spinoff going quickly please?!?!? And did Damon kill Bonnie’s ancestor and took her necklace as a token?

– The Council is pretty much the Protectors of the village. We have Mrs. Lockwood, Mayor Lockwood, The deceased Gilberts, Sheriff Forbes, and the recently deceased Zach Salvatore and Logan Lee as confirmed members. I wonder if there are more members that we haven’t met yet?

– Elena’s dealing with a lot and it shows how powerful and head strong she is about the whole situation. I applaud her, because having to keep up and make all those lie has to do damage to the soul and psyche. Poor Jeremy. His scene with Elena at the end was solid writing; I don’t care what anyone says and Steve R. McQueen nailed it. Bravo!

I’m out of thoughts for now so what are yours? Lay em on me! But aren’t you glad that The Vampire Diaries are back?! But what will we do for the real hiatus? The thought is exhausting and dreadful enough…