After my chat with "The Vampire Diaries" cutie Steven McQueen last week, I was all happy for his troubled young fella of a character, Jeremy, to score a nice, drama-free young lady friend to pal around with as he began to get over his ex's disappearance from Mystic Falls. And I thought he'd found her in Anna, the home-schooled bookworm who helped Jeremy with his extra-credit history essay in last week's episode. But, obviously, I had forgotten that this is "Vampire Diaries," and no one is the person they initially appear to be. New history teacher? Also a vampire hunter. Elena Gilbert? Also probably a Pierce, and maybe new history teacher's stepdaughter (more on that later). New bartender? Also a vampire. New pizza delivery boy? Also a vampire. New love interest for Jeremy? Also a freakin' vampire! Hey, I'm sensing a pattern here...
Turns out the Salvatore brothers weren't the only vampires creeping around Mystic Falls, trying to figure out how to free Katherine and the other the undead folks trapped in the tomb. The three new vampires, Noah (mysterious black hoodie dude), Anna (bookworm home-school girl), and Ben (hot Mystic Grill bartender), were on the hunt for the Gilbert family diary. But instead of sticking to the plan, like Anna and Ben, Noah decided to screw around with Elena and he paid dearly for it. Like, with his life, after Stefan and Damon tortured him into telling them what he was doing in Mystic Falls. Since he had already tricked his way into getting permission to enter the Gilbert home, the Salvatores killed him. He didn't give up his partners in crime, though, so Anna and Ben continued to roam the mean streets of Mystic Falls. Poor Jeremy — Anna and Ben also happen to be extra-special friends (the kissing kind). When will this kid catch a break?!
Now for the Elena adoption mystery: Stefan convinced Elena to ask her Aunt Jenna about the adoption instead of just continuing to seethe with ill-directed rage (it wasn't her aunt's fault!). Turns out, Mr. Gilbert had delivered the baby of a 16-year-old runaway named Isobel who disappeared several days after the birth. Since the Gilberts had been trying for kids but not succeeding, they decided to just raise the baby as their own.
In side plot news, Alaric knows it was Damon who killed his wife (who happened to be named Isobel and from not far from Mystic Falls!), and thanks to some vervane he had handy, was able to lie when Damon did his mind-control-thingy to figure out who Alaric actually was; Stefan offered to help Damon set Katherine (and no one else) free from the tomb, then later revealed to Elena that he was lying; and the ladies advanced their love lives, Bonnie by asking out bartender Ben, Caroline by finally getting Matt to make a move, and Jenna by asking out (or did he ask her?) Alaric. (We totally see what Katerina Graham was talking about when she told us that the episode had a lot to do with "strength and finding your voice as a women.")
Remaining thoughts: First, is it weird that I loved the font of the Mystic Grill sign so much that I did a quick but fruitless Google search to find said font? (Seriously though, if any of you font-philes out there know what it is, hit a sister up in the comments.) And finally, can we get rid of the stupid, waxy, faux-dreadlocks on Anna's head? It's just weird, man.
What did you think of "Unpleasantville"? I'm intrigued by these new vampires in town, and I'm loving that the other ladies are going to be getting a little action (especially little Bonnie Bennett, even though her new man's totally a vampire). What do you think of the new love connections going on? How excited are you for another flashback (as seen in the scenes for next week)?
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