When Michael Trevino tweeted that the Oct. 13 episode of The Vampire Diaries was going to be a “game-changer,” he wasn’t exaggerating — least of all for his own character, Tyler, who I’m pretty sure is now a hybrid. Klaus (Joseph Morgan) turned Mystic Falls High upside down this week in an intense hour that found Stefan (Paul Wesley) fighting compulsion, Matt (Zach Roerig) seeing ghosts, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) opening up about his feelings for Elena (Nina Dobrev) — yet again.

So, yes, you read that first sentence correctly: I’m pretty sure Tyler is now a hybrid. Klaus forced him to nom on some of his blood before giving him the old neck-snap routine, and when Tyler awoke, he had the same crazy-colored eyes that Simon Camden had when Klaus turned him a few weeks ago. Klaus also made the shocking discovery that he didn’t need to kill Elena in order to reverse the hybrid curse. He only needed her blood! This is sort of good news for Elena, as she at least got to live to see another day.

Desperate to make contact with Vicki (Kayla Ewell), Matt thought it’d be a great idea to literally drown himself in the school swimming pool, forcing Bonnie (Kat Graham) to revive him — this time with CPR, instead of magic — and grant him a connection to the spirit world. Somehow it worked, though I stand by my statement that Matt should no longer be able to make his own decisions. Ever again.

Also chatting it up with ghosts this week was Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), who Katherine kidnapped — Andy was right! — in order to have him ask Anna (Malese Jow) about the one vampire capable of killing Klaus. Turns out his name is Michael, and he’s Bad News Bears. According to Anna, bringing him back to “life” is a suicide mission, but that didn’t stop Katherine and Jeremy from waking him up at the very end of the episode.

(Side note: Can we talk about how weird it was to see Katherine and Jeremy having a non-threatening interaction? I’m beginning to ship “Jatherine” in my head and it’s freaking me out. She may not be his sister, but she’s basically Elena’s twin. Gross.)

OK, now let’s get to what we all really want to talk about: The epic, albeit brief, scene between Damon and Elena back at the Salvatore mansion. After carrying her home from the hospital — Superman-style, I might add — Damon sat Elena down for a cozy chat by the fireside. He looked at her with those absurdly blue eyes and said, “I promise you I will never leave you again.” She got misty, I got misty; it was an emotional evening all around.

That’s when Stefan showed up and spoiled everybody’s fun. Not only is he sticking around Mystic Falls, but he wanted Elena to know he’s now her special protector, keeping her safe — for Klaus’ return.

It’s freaky how the Salvatore brothers have literally swapped roles this season: Damon is now the sensitive, attentive guy that Elena needs; while Stefan is the reckless, binge-drinking guy that Elena fears.

— Andy Swift

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Katherine (Nina Dobrev) has a little surprise in her trunk for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) on the Oct. 13 episode of The Vampire Diaries, and while I’d like to think it’s just a spare tire, I have a feeling it’s something a little more brooding. Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), perhaps?

My logic behind this is two-fold: First, Katherine tells Damon she learned something useful from Bonnie (Kat Graham) when she stole Elena’s necklace. And what useful piece of information did Bonnie recently learn upon her return to Mystic Falls? Why, her boyfriend’s newfound ghost whispering abilities, of course!

The second clue, which is admittedly more obvious, comes when Katherine tells Damon her little surprise “isn’t going to win [him] any points at home.” Assuming the trunk contains neither Elena nor the rotting corpse of Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning), I think it’s safe to assume Katherine’s precious cargo is none other than sweet, sweet Jeremy Gilbert.

But the question is: How does Jeremy fit into Katherine’s plan to take down Klaus (Joseph Morgan)?

Watch the clip and get to theorizing, friends!

Click here to view the embedded video.

— Andy Swift

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Aside from the hot-and-heavy pairing of Tyler (Michael Trevino) and Caroline (Candice Accola), every other couple in Mystic Falls was put to the test on the Oct. 6 episode of The Vampire Diaries. Elena (Nina Dobrev) continued flirting with Damon (Ian Somerhalder), while Stefan (Paul Wesley) swapped spit with Rebecca (Claire Holt), and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) had to choose between Anna the Friendly Ghost (Malese Jow) or Bonnie the Teenage Witch (Kat Graham.) Let’s talk about each of their poor life choices, shall we?

Still determined to locate Rebecca’s necklace, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) had Gloria probe Stefan’s mind for the truth. And by “probe,” I mean strap him down and torture the answer out of him. She ultimately discovered that Elena was in possession of the missing bling — and alive, by the way — but one swift stab from Katherine took care of Klaus’ witchy BFF once and for all. Stefan tried to flirt with Rebecca to distract her, but she saw right through his crocodile kiss, and Klaus quickly realized he was no longer on their side.

Back to Stefan, though: The show was clearly trying to paint him in a Jesus-y light this week by (1) making his torture sesh with Gloria look like a crucification, and (2) making it clear that he was only enduring all that pain to keep Elena safe. It almost made it hard for me to enjoy Elena’s flirty scenes with Damon, knowing that Stefan was off being poked and prodded for her. Almost.

The best moment of the night, in my humble Delena-shipping opinion, was when Caroline asked Elena point-blank if she had feelings for Damon. “Just admit you’re attracted to him,” she said — at which point fans everywhere thanked Caroline for finally saying what we’ve all been thinking for the past two seasons.

And even better, Elena didn’t even deny it! She simply responded, “I can’t. … If I do, what kind of person does that make me?” So she basically admitted it without actually admitting it. She always was good at finding loopholes.

Bonnie also made her highly anticipated return to Mystic Falls this week, and her timing couldn’t have been any better, as Jeremy was starting to see and speak to Anna more often. We learned he has full control over his interaction with his ghostly exes, and the more he thinks about them, the more they appear. Since Vicki (Kayla Ewell) was M.I.A. this week, I guess it’s safe to assume he’s totes over that one. And Bonnie being back in town has all but taken away Jeremy’s need for Anna, though I have to admit, it was pretty heartbreaking watching her beg him not to shut her out. (“I’m all alone!”)

One more thing of note: Anna warned Jeremy that “the darkness” is now in Mystic Falls. What darkness could she be referring to? I mean, sure, there’s always darkness in Mystic Falls. But what new darkness are we about to meet in the coming weeks? I’m all a-tingles with anticipation!

OK, now it’s your turn to rant! Should Elena feel guilty for flirting with Damon while Stefan is off literally sacrificing himself for her? And what’s this “darkness” that poor Anna was referring to? Another week, another mountain of questions to be answered.

— Andy Swift

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The Sept. 29 episode of The Vampire Diaries was yet another roller coaster of many kinds — time periods, hairstyles, and of course, teen vampire emotions. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) finally caught up with Stefan (Paul Wesley) in Chicago, but their reunion was tainted with an epic breakup, the likes of which The CW has never seen.

While Elena hung out at Stefan’s old apartment, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) was busy reminding him of the good ol’ 1920s, when the jazz was hot, the flappers were ripe for the picking, and “Klefan” was an unstoppable team of ladykillers. Of course, the only lady Stefan had eyes for at the time was Rebecca (Claire Holt), who — HOLY CRAP — turned out to be Klaus’ sister!

Back to “Delena,” their plan was simple: Damon would distract Klaus, while Elena lured Stefan outside and sedated him. But that turned out to be easier said than done, considering Elena weighs about 20 pounds and Stefan’s newfound Ripper persona — coupled with his immeasurable emotional baggage — has made him even stronger than before.

Stefan reminded Elena that the last time he gave into his bloodlust, he spent 30 years trying to snap back. And while that’s nothing to a vampire, it’s a butt load of time to a human. That’s when he dropped the big bombshell: “I want you to leave me alone.” It was a pretty heart-wrenching scene to watch, even for a not-so-subtle “Delena” shipper like myself.

Meanwhile, back in Mystic Falls, Caroline (Candice Accola) was having a really crappy day. In fact, since this is The Vampire Diaries, allow me to read you an excerpt from Caroline’s personal writings: “Dear diary, my dad sucks. He kept me chained to a chair all day and tortured me with sunlight. He wouldn’t even let me wear my favorite ring! Thank God my mom showed up — with a gun, and a Tyler — to set me free. Aren’t dads just the worst?”

They are, Caroline. They so are.

The episode came to a close with Klaus and Stefan waking Rebecca from her coffin in the present day, only to discover that her necklace — the one thing they need to supposedly reverse a hybrid spell — is gone. Little does Bex know, her precious bling is all Elena’s now.

So what do you all think: Should Elena listen to Stefan and leave him alone for good, or should she keep fighting to keep their relationship alive? Vote, comment and tweet away!

— Andy Swift

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If there’s one thing teens like more than vampires, it’s the ability to choose which vampire they love most of all. The Teen Choice Awards is well aware of this and has just added a “Choice Vampire” category to its 2011 roster, which once again finds The Vampire Diaries‘ Ian Somerhalder and Twilight‘s Robert Pattinson locking fangs in an epic battle of undead beauty. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Ian will come out on top.

We’ve seen these two fair-skinned fellas matched up many times during the past few years — including Entertainment Weekly‘s Sexiest Beast tournament, and HollywoodLife.com‘s own Sexiest Vampire poll — and every time, Ian’s Damon has asserted his dominance over Rob’s sparkly fool Edward.

And is it any wonder why? Ian portrays Damon — a complicated, versatile character who has grown and developed more during the past two seasons of The Vampire Diaries than Rob’s Edward could ever hope to, even if Stephenie Meyer were to craft 1,000 more Twilight books. Plus, Ian spends his spare time saving the world… while Rob spends his free time dodging the press.

Then there’s the other obvious reason why Ian will reign supreme: Vampire Diaries fans are simply more dedicated than Twilight fans, and all-around better human beings.

Of course, Ian and Rob aren’t the only vampires up for this prestigious award. The Vampire Diaries‘ Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley; True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard; and (for some reason) Twilight‘s Nikki Reed will also vie for the title of “Choice Vampire.”

Click Here If You Think Rob Should Win!

— Andy Swift

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We’re still two months and two days away from the third season premiere of The Vampire Diaries, but thanks to the magic of Twitter, the wait may not be too painful. Matt Davis tweeted this shot of Nina Dobrev and the crew on the first day of filming season three July 12 — and judging by Nina’s party dress, I’d say she’s celebrating the big 1-8! Whether Nina’s playing the birthday girl or her fanged doppelganger, however, remains to be determined.

According to TV Guide, Elena turning 18 means she’ll now be considered Jeremy’s (Steven R. McQueen) legal guardian. I wonder how she’ll feel about him having girls in his room — ghostly, or otherwise.

— Andy Swift

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What’s Nina Dobrev up to while The Vampire Diaries is on hiatus for the summer? Besides starring alongside Emma Watson in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, she’s apparently also busy just being hot! Check out these shots from Nina’s new Zink magazine photo spread; they should help to ease your Elena/Katherine withdrawal.

Will Bonnie save Damon on ‘The Vampire Diaries’ season finale… or kill him? Find out what the cast is telling us about tomorrow’s episode!

Well, friends, it all comes down to this — Thursday, May 12, marks the season finale of The Vampire Diaries, and it sounds like we’re in for a heart-pounding hour of TV. Will Damon (Ian Somerhalder) really die from the wolf bite? Will Elena (Nina Dobrev) forgive him for everything he’s done? And where the heck did Klaus (Joseph Morgan) go?

HBIC Kat Graham tells HollywoodLife.com we’ll get all the answers we seek, and that we should all “prepare to be gutted.” Oh, and one more thing: We definitely have NOT seen the last of Elijah (Daniel Gillies)!

“You’ll see him in the finale,” Daniel promises, but unfortunately he can’t tell us whether the “bodies” mentioned in last week’s episode have the potential to return as vampires. “That’s a question even Elijah couldn’t answer. “We just don’t know yet.”

Back to Bonnie, the extended preview for the episode shows our favorite teenage witch covered in blood and asking someone for help — and Kat confirms Bonnie is in some serious danger.

“She’s asking for something she can’t do herself,” Kat says of her power-hungry persona. “And if Bonnie can kill Klaus by taking her own life, it must be something pretty big for her to need more help. A lot of what the characters will be going through is: How can we, if at all, save Damon’s life?

That said, werewolf bites have been known send vampires into fits of violent dementia, and Kat tells us: “If he acts out, I don’t think she’s going to hesitate to put him in his place. She’s like me!”

So, wait, does that mean Bonnie will end up having to fight Damon instead of save him? Head to the comments section and start giving me your theories!

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