Three-Way Biting?

Episode Commentary: Night of the Comet

When we last left the residents of Mystic Falls, Vicki was recovering from her encounter with chaos-bringer vamp Damon Salvatore, Stefan was finally invited inside Elena’s home and Caroline was left wondering what she is doing wrong in the love department.

This episode should be entitled “when will people learn” because once again there is blood and mayhem in the middle of the night. It seems that someone’s using the woods as a food locker. Meanwhile, Stefan and Elena are looking forward to a new day. Their brand new start seems ominous with the talk of the comet and the celebration surrounding it. Bonnie is still harping on her witch heritage – that in the last episode showed signs of being true – and Jeremy seems to be attempting suicide-by-bully.

Between the weird, obvious goings-on, there’s the history teacher whose obnoxious behavior is prominently displayed in this episode. Is he a red herring or a real threat?

All these minor characters in a show with vampire in the title are usually canon-fodder with lines. However, with the twists in “Vampire Diaries,” anything is up for grabs.

As a harbinger of pandemonium, Damon causes more trouble for Stefan by introducing himself to Elena. There is definitely chemistry between these two. The relationship she has with both men evokes a complexity that audiences will be looking forward to in the weeks to come.

Just how is this threesome going to unfold? And how can an unmanageable Damon be handled? At some point, Stefan is going to have to feed on more than just small animals – his cool stare alone is not going to scare his brother off.

The dynamics of the families in this small town are more frightening than any bloodsucker and seeing their dramas unfold can become more tension-riddled than a body count. What exactly does Damon want from Stefan? How is Elena going to deal with her brother’s drug addiction? Furthermore, as her brother gets closer to the truth, will we see Vicki turn into an uber-vamp or dinner?

This episode interestingly jumps between minor and key players by effortlessly weaving the storylines that were introduced last week. The slow burn of how the following episodes are going to turn out will leave you panting for the next episode.