The Vampire Diaries 2010 Primer

OMG THE VAMPIRE DIARIES RETURNS TONIGHT!!!!!!!!

<rejoices by shooting confetti and other items in the air>

Are you NOT excited?!?!?! (If you aren’t excited then you suck) I know I am! I am so excited that I decided to go against the wishes of my job by staying up late to give you a primer on the second half of the irresistible series, which has left me in a drought for the last month. I am sure you all are thirsty and ready to ravage the first frame of the show’s freshness when it hits the screen tonight. So in respect of that, and for myself, I have managed to avoid all spoilers (which was a feat. TRUST ME!) and will remain to so do till tomorrow. What does that mean for this primer? NO SPOILERS! None whatsoever. This is just a refresher for those who are either new to the show or need a bit of a reminder of where we are in terms of the residents (living, dead, and undead) of Mystic Falls.

So are you ready to learn about the surroundings of Mystic Falls or just need a quick trip down memory lane? I promise I will contain my excitement (lies) and try to be as coherent as possible.

And I promise that I won’t bite…

ELENA GILBERT

How We Met Her:

Nursing her sanity after losing both of her parents in a tragic car accident that she survived. She frequently wrote in her diary and visited her parents grave on a normal basis.

What We Discovered About Her (and She About Herself:

She is not one to just take everything with a grain of salt. She is inquisitive, bright, and has a decent moral compass, which is one of the reasons we love and root for her. Elena discovered Stefan Salvatore, whose attraction shot sparks that rivaled those of the original star crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. She then discovered that he was a vampire, which totally sucked for their dating life. But Elena also discovered that despite the danger that Stefan’s true nature accrues, she still loved him nonetheless. Awww….

Oh she also discovered that Stefan has an evil ass vampire brother named Damon, who is after her neck as well. :sigh:

Where We Left Her:

After she and Stefan consummated their relationship on the physical level, Elena discovered that she resembled Katherine, the vampire who sired both Damon and Stefan and who was the object of both brother’s affections. Completely, and understandably, freaked by this, Elena runs off and ends up in a car accident after hitting a hooded figure walking on a dark country road. After her car flips, Elena is trapped inside upside down as the hooded figure she hits replaces his bones and prepares to drag her out of the car.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

What will Elena do when she faces Stefan again? Is she ok? And who in God’s name is about to attack her?!?!

STEFAN SALVATORE:

How We Met Him:

Stefan returned to Mystic Falls after self-banishment and immediately catches the eye of Elena Gilbert and just about every other red-blooded female of the school’s population. But Elena is the key due to her resembling Stefan’s long dead love, Katherine. Stefan was also horrified when bodies started dropping and his brother Damon appeared to make his already miserable life an even more unbearable hell…

What We Discovered About Him (And He About Himself):

Stefan has a moral compass that matches Elena’s (I mean, he has diaries dating back to his turning for Christ sakes!) Stefan also discovers that Damon is back in town to raise more than Hell. He wants to raise the dead, or rather the undead dead since that includes Katherine. Yes, I said Katherine… Also, the Salvatore Brothers are immune to the sun by help of their rings that are also their family crests. Also, Stefan only feeds on animals or blood packs, which makes him weaker than Damon. As much as he knows that his vampiric nature is a danger to Elena, he can’t resist the urge to shield her from the danger that will no doubt head her way.

Where We Left Him:

Stefan had finished rescuing Caroline from Logan, the latest vamp to hit Mystic Falls, and had did the do with Elena after she begged for him not to leave Mystic Falls. But that little bliss of heaven was short lived due to Elena finding out that she and Katherine were split mirror images of each other. Stefan was left feeling like a douche… Awww….

Questions To Ask Yourself:

How will Stefan explain to Elena that Katherine looks like her? Will Stefan and Damon be at each other’s throats again anytime soon? Especially since Damon has not stopped his quest to resurrect Katherine?

DAMON SALVATORE

How We Met Him:

Damon came into Mystic Falls leaving a trail of bodies, fog, and possibly some bird turds from his crow familiar. He also came into town with a bang as he and Stefan had a quick dogfight that tried to rival Michael and David’s vampiric fight in The Lost Boys. With the theatrical entrance, Damon also brought an ancient evil to Mystic Falls that is ready to consume the town whole. That is if Damon gets his way. Because little brother Stefan is not for Damon’s shenanigans and this fact pits the brothers at each other’s throats on a weekly basis.

What We Discovered About Him (And He About Himself):

The bad boy of Mystic Falls had an agenda from day one. What that was, we didn’t know at first, but it involved torturing Stefan and some of Elena’s friends as well as the recent comet that passed over the town shortly after his arrival. First, Damon needed an amulet that belonged to Bonnie Bennett, Elena’s bewitching friend. He also used Elena’s other best friend, Caroline, as an accomplice and a meal ticket (meaning her neck). But it wasn’t until later that Damon revealed that he came back to Mystic Falls to resurrect a tomb of vampires that were burned to death during a raid to rid vampires back in the 1800s. Katherine was one of those vampires who perished in that fire. Along the way, Damon also noticed that Elena wasn’t just some toy to use to get back at Stefan with and that the feisty teen is a force to be reckoned with. Especially when it comes to her friends. He tortured, then sired, Vicki Donovan, who was the object of Jeremy Gilbert’s affection. When Vicki had to be put down after attacking Elena, it was Damon who glamoured Jeremy’s brain for Elena. After failing to resurrect Katherine due to Bonnie being possessed by her ancestor, Damon attacked Bonnie in a fit of rage. So Damon has a heart that flip flops more than a liar at mass.

Oh, and the town council thinks he’s a vampire slayer like them. Yea, isn’t that ridiculous?!?!

Where Did We Leave Him:

We left our bad boy lonely and depressed after his “last” only hope of resurrecting Katherine was slayed by the new vampire slayer in town named Alaric. But I’m pretty sure Damon hasn’t given up all hope…

Questions to Ask Yourself:

What else does Damon have up his sleeve in terms of resurrecting Katherine? Will The Council ever figure out that the Salvatores are vampires? Will Damon start to knock off each Council member to prevent them from finding out? Will Elena become Damon’s new obsession since she looks exactly like Katherine?

BONNIE BENNETT

How We Met Her:

Bonnie was an ordinary teen girl with cheerleading and boys on the mind. Then she started to predict events by touching things, which meant that the old wives tale of her family being witches was no joke…

What We Discovered About Her (And She About Herself):

After finding out from her Grams that she was the latest in a long line of Salem witches, Bonnie started playing with fire, literally, and caught the attention of Damon when he noticed that she had copped the amulet that he needed from Caroline, who took it from him in the first place. Damon called himself torturing Bonnie, but the amulet prevented him from doing just that. But Bonnie started to not like her newfound abilities, especially when an ancestor began haunting her and then finally possessing Bonnie. The ancestor used Bonnie to complete her ritual of blocking Damon from resurrecting the vampires in the tomb under Fell’s Church. After this was accomplished, Bonnie was attacked by an angry Damon, but was saved by drinking the blood of Stefan. Whew!!!!

Where Did We Leave Her:

Bonnie was still shaken up about being bitten and then saved by a vampire. Despite owing Stefan her life, Bonnie yearns for life to be simple again sans supernatural interference.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Will Bonnie pick up her witchy ways again? Is her ancestor through with her? And will we see more of Grams? Because she rocks…

CAROLINE FORBES

How We Met Her:

As the show progressed, she has become a With A Heart and Damon’s meal ticket (he attacks her the second episode and uses her like a drinking fountain for several others).

What We Discovered About Her (And She About Herself):

Turns out that Caroline is the daughter of the town’s Sheriff and the two women have an icy relationship, courtesy of Caroline. She eventually finds out that something is up with Damon and escapes his wraith for the time being. She eventually catches the eye of Matt Donovan, Vicki’s brother and Elena’s ex. Also, Caroline is beginning to become the show’s significant damsel in distress…

Where Did We Leave Her:

Caroline was last seen resting in her bedroom after being rescued from becoming food for the newly vamped Logan, who kidnapped Caroline to get back at Sheriff Forbes for not saving him from becoming one of the undead. She was also working on becoming Matt’s new girlfriend.

Questions To Ask Yourself:

Can Caroline manage to stay away from the fangs of vamps? Will she continue to be mean? And will she ever patch things up with her mother?

JEREMY GILBERT

How We Met Him:

The King of Emo was doing the complete opposite of what Elena was doing in dealing with the death of their parents. Instead of being a trooper, Jeremy became a moody drug pusher, which got him closer to his object of affection, Vicki. But Jeremy had opposition in Tyler Lockwood, the school jock and son of the town’s Mayor. Also, Jeremy was not making life easier on his and Elena’s aunt Jenna’s life either.

What We Discovered About Him (And He About Himself):

Jeremy was completely smitten with Vicki to the point of irk-dom and he eventually charmed her over to the good side. That is until Damon got a hold of her. After Vicki’s “disappearance” and Damon’s mind wipe, Jeremy took a turn for the better and got deep in his studies. He has a budding mentor in new history teacher, Alaric Saltzman. We also learned that Jeremy has a talent in drawing, something that he shares with his nemesis, Tyler.

Where Did We Leave Him:

Jeremy had found the journals of his ancestors that his dad kept. All of the journals contained entries and drawings about vampires, werewolves and demons. Is someone about to pick up the family trade? Also, Jeremy tried to bond with Tyler over art, but Tyler wasn’t having it and decked Jeremy in the mouth.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Will Jeremy get more interesting since his far more interesting girlfriend is now dead? Will Alaric train Jeremy in the art of vampire slayage? Will Jeremy go after Stefan when he finds out the truth about everything?

VICKI DONOVAN

Where We Met Her:

Vicki was dating popular jock Tyler Lockwood, but hanging out with the weed heads. In any other school, that wouldn’t fly at all. But this is Mystic Falls and weird things happen, so there. Vicki was the first of the teens attacked by Damon, who continued to drink from her when he felt like it (Vicki was Coke and Caroline was Diet Coke). Despite dating the town pretty boy, Vicki actually liked Jeremy more (he was her dealer so maybe the love came from that initially). Plus, she and her brother Matt were pretty tight. I mean they had to be, because their mom is constantly M.I.A. and their father is “not worth knowing” since neither can remember him.

What Did We Discover About Her (And She About Herself):

Vicki is a party girl and likes her narcotics. But when Jeremy insists that they do something that doesn’t involve getting wasted, they argue. This was the last time Jeremy saw her alive, because the next time he saw her she was undead… Damon, after being locked in a cell for some days, attacked and killed Vicki’s friends, but kept her alive to play with until he got bored and turned her into a vamp. Her bloodlust was too strong to tame (and Stefan’s diet was not going to help) so Vicki killed Logan (but did NOT sire him) and almost got Tyler and Jeremy as well.

Where Did We Leave Her:

Undead, then dead and then six feet under after she attacked Elena, forcing Stefan to stake her. Poor Matt doesn’t even know that his sister is dead… nor does Jeremy, thanks to a glamour spell by Damon.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Will Vicki return in some way? If not, then what will happen when the truth comes out about her death? More bloodshed? Hmmm….

TYLER LOCKWOOD

How We Met Him:

A typical punk in a letterman’s jacket, there wasn’t much depth with Tyler beyond that.

What We Discovered About Him (And He About Himself):

That is until his family was introduced into the picture. Tyler just so happens to be the son of the town’s mayor, and the Lockwoods are all about status quo, especially after Tyler dissed Vicki at the town’s Founders’ Ball. Tyler also is loyal to Matt Donovan, but dates Vicki despite Matt not being cool with it. We also learned that Tyler doesn’t really care about his father and is a talented artist, but he hides both from everyone. Mayor Lockwood tries to force his son into beating the crap out of Jeremy, which in turn, embarrassed Tyler.

Where Did We Leave Him:

Tyler was going through some hormone issues… Could it be because of that full moon in the sky?

Questions To Ask Yourself:

Will Tyler fully become a werewolf or is it a red herring? If he does become a werewolf, will he throw his hat in the ring for Elena’s affections?

MATT DONOVAN

How We Met Him:

Hurt and broken over Elena not talking to him anymore, Matt was just the ex-boyfriend who got shafted. He caused no trouble and proved to be no problem for anyone.

What We Discovered About Him (And He About Himself):

Matt is very protective over his sister Vicki, but has no choice since it’s really just those two against the world. Expect all hell to break loose when he finds out what happened to his sister. Meanwhile, Matt catches the eye of Caroline and the two bond over being lonely and sparks fly.

Where Did We Leave Him:

Last we saw of Matt was when he defended his feelings for Caroline to Tyler, who had other things on the brain.

Questions To Ask Yourself:

Who will die when Matt finds out about Vicki?

JENNA SOMMERS

How We Met Her:

Over her head with raising the kids of her deceased sister, Jenna still has some growing up to do on her own!

What We Discovered About Her (And Her About Herself):

Jenna tends to go after no good men. Which is the case with local reporter Logan Fell, who Jenna dated in her youth-youth. Logan uses his past with Jenna to take a family heirloom that was needed in the fight to kill vampires, but after he gets his prize, he still dates Jenna up till his death, which doesn’t know about. Thinking Logan disappeared, Jenna makes some choices to never fall for a bad boy again. Enter Alaric Saltzman.

Where Did We Leave Her:

After unknowingly rejecting an undead Logan, Jenna has set her sights on Alaric, but BOY does he have some baggage…

Questions To Ask Yourself:

Will Jenna ever be brought into the loop of things? Is she TVD’s answer to Joyce Summers from Buffy? Will Alaric treat her right?

ALARIC “RIC” SALTZMAN

How We Met Him:

Alaric was introduced as a replacement teacher, but he quickly became too likable. Red flags shot up in our peripheral…

What We Discovered About Him:

Alaric has a ring similiar to that of the Salvatore brothers, but it isn’t the same family crest. He is from North Carolina where his wife, Isobel, was murdered. It was never solved. Also, Alaric has become sort of a role model to Jeremy.

Where Did We Leave Him:

Seeing that Logan was going to be a problem for Jenna, Alaric staked the creep in quick succession. This man is a slayer folks!

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Is Alaric a vampire who slays vampires ala Blade? Will he teach Jeremy the art of slaying vamps?

Ok, this should be a great prep for the upcoming episodes. So get your stakes and holy water ready and be prepared to be sucked in the world of The Vampire Diaries!