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Plus, Stefan forms a surprising new alliance! Things may never be the same in Mystic Falls.

If you see any typos in this recap, blame it on me doing my happy dance, celebrating the triumphant return of Rebekah (Claire Holt) to The Vampire Diaries. Not only did she have me LOL-ing through the entire Jan. 17 episode, but she also forced Elena (Nina Dobrev) to tell Stefan (Paul Wesley) how she really feels about Damon (Ian Somerhalder). It was awkward, and it was dark and it was phenomenal.

Her plan was simple, yet brilliant: Trap everyone in Mystic Falls High and compel them to bring her up to speed. She now knows all about the cure, the sire bond and the #Delena sex — and she decided to have a little fun with her newly acquired knowledge.

She point-blank made Elena tell Stefan exactly how she feels about Damon, and why he’s now her Salvatore of choice. A heartbroken Stefan had to sit there and listen to Elena tell him she’s not in love with him, and that being with Damon makes her feel “free.” (Elena’s exact quotes can be found in my weekly Delena/Stelena breakdown at the bottom of the recap.)

But the real tweet-worthy moment came at the end of the episode, when Elena poured her heart out to Damon over the phone. It was the moment — one of many, actually — that we’ve all been waiting to see, and even though I wish she’d done it in person, it was still perfect. After telling him she loved him, he told her to get in the car and drive to him. So hot.

Jeremy The Vampire Slayer

While everyone else was busy having their lives ruined by Rebekah’s mind games, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) was stuck training with Damon and Matt (Zach Roerig) at the Gilbert cabin — and by “training,” I mean giving viewers a beautiful display of tank-topped glory. He and Matt may have gotten sweaty during sparring, but trust me, so did I.

Klaus (Joseph Morgan) showed up to inform the young Gilbert that he wasn’t killing vampires quickly enough — R.I.P., pizza bitch, you never saw it coming — so he gathered a few vampires of his own. Basically, Jeremy’s tattoo is about to get a whole lot bigger.

And fast.

Bonnie’s Daddy Issues

All the other girls on this show have had crippling issues with their fathers since day one, so I’m excited Bonnie (Kat Graham) finally gets to join the action! Her dad is now filling in as the interim mayor of Mystic Falls, yet somehow, that wasn’t her biggest source of drama this week.

No, her real drama was attached to Professor Eyebrows (Dave Alpay), who had a rough run-in with Rebekah and Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic). During their interrogation, Shane confessed to being the one who caused the council’s death, but once he raises Silas, Silas will in turn raise the dead. In fact, Shane said that everyone who died on Silas’ behalf would be brought back to life.

Crazy!

Bonnie did a protection spell to keep Shane safe, all the while unaware of his dark connections to Silas and the council. She also almost killed April (Grace Phipps) — who now knows about vampires, witches, and God knows what else — in the process, which was disappointing. I was hoping she’d full-on kill her. Maybe next week, right?

And now, for the weekly Delena/Stelena breakdown. Try to act surprised this time.

“Yes,” Elena says. She still loves Stefan. (+30 points) “No,” Elena says. She’s not IN love with Stefan. (-100 points) “Lately, I feel like I’m a project, like I’m a problem that needs to be fixed,” Elena says. “I think I make him sad, and I can’t be with someone like that because when he looks at me, all he sees is a broken toy.” (-30 points) “I’m sorry about all of it,” Elena says. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t want that.” (0 points, but it was a nice gesture)		Damon keeps listening to Elena’s voicemail. (+10 points) “I didn’t sleep with Damon because of the sire bond,” Elena says. “I slept with him because I’m in love with him.” (+100 points) “Being with Damon makes me happy,” Elena says. “When I’m with him, it feels unpredictable, like I’m free.” (+100 points) “It’s the most real thing I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” Elena says. “I love you, Damon. I love you.” (+500 points)
TOTAL: -100 points		TOTAL: 710 points

What did you think of this week’s episode? Are you as happy as I am that Elena finally told Damon she loves him, or were you too busy feeling bad for Stefan? And are you worried about Jeremy moving forward too quickly? Drop me a comment with your review of the episode below!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Vampire Diaries on HollywoodLife.com:

1. New ‘Vampire Diaries’ Pics: Damon & Elena Share A Tense Moment
2. ‘Vampire Diaries’ Scoop: Rebekah Returns For ‘Revenge’ — And Stefan?
3. ‘Vampire Diaries’ Video: Stefan & Caroline Try To Kill Rebekah