Vampire Diaries 3.01: "The Birthday"

If you know me from Twitter, Tumblr, or my guest appearances on the Salvatore Council Podcast and IHVD Radio, then you know that I was not particularly happy with the second season. I think they focused far too much on the love triangle and enough on what was actually happening in the storyline. It was a let down after the especially excellent second half of season 1.

Although this third season premiere episode was not as intense or surprising as last season's "The Return", it is definitely starting off with the things that I missed during season 2.

We get our first look at devastating team that Stefan and Klaus make on their quest to make a new army or hybrids. First, can we just all give Joseph Morgan a standing ovation for a continued consistent and fabulous performance of who has become one of my all time favorite baddies, Klaus? Just looking at him as Klaus creeps me out... even more so when he used that American accent at the beginning. I had legit chills going down my arms. Ripper Stefan is really terrifying. I am really excited to see all the performances ahead for Paul Wesley.

The few things that really made me happy about this episode were the small things. I loved the fact that we were reminded that Klaus is not an idiot. He is a smart and sophisticated villain who has lived for a LONG TIME. He is not going to be easy to fool. When he confronted Stefan at the end of the episode, it gave us a nice reveal that Stefan may not be true Ripper Stefan after all. He gave himself over to Klaus to save his brother. Yet, as Damon reveals, the remorse is still piled on his shoulders. Burying himself in blood is more about trying to make that remorse easier, rather than because he wants it.

For me, this show was never about the love triangle. It's always the story of two brothers that are vampires. In season 2, that storyline was lost in the suffocating Damon and Elena story lines. Stefan confronts Damon in the episode and warns him to stop looking for him. Not so much on Klaus' order, but I still think after all this time, there will always be a part of Stefan whether on human blood or not, that is trying to save his brother. My favorite episode of the series so far is "Blood Brothers" from season 1. This scene reminded me of the flashback when Stefan forces Damon to complete the transformation into a vampire. For once, Damon is not the one in control and has no choice but to submit to his baby brother.

One of the things the fandom debated about all summer was whether Damon would even want to find Stefan. I was adamant on the fact that he would. And clearly, when Elena found his secret stash of clues, that Damon is almost desperate to find him. As usual, Damon keeps every emotion hidden and buried, showing them only when he is pushed into a corner. But after his run in with Stefan, it's clear that it may not be as easy as he thought. Part of him was hoping, even after seeing the signs in city after city, that Stefan wasn't as far gone as he thought. He finally took out all that disappointment and anger out on Elena when she confronted him. It was another great scene and performance by Ian Somerhalder.

Overall, a decent premiere episode that I think was better than most of the episodes in season 2. I can't wait to see where this hybrid story ends up.