The Vampire Diaries

At the conclusion of last week's episode of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan's soulmate was kidnapped.

Therefore, as the CW promo for this week's installment teases, Stefan will need to turn to the person without a soul: Damon.

What will go down on "Fool Me Once?" Viewers must tune in to find out (and then visit TV Fanatic for our weekly Round Table discussion of the hour, of course). But the following photos do give away certain developments from the episode.

For example: Elena isn't in Anna's clutches below. But does this mean she's safe? Click on the pics for an early look at various scenes from Thursday's program...

Welcome to this week's edition of The Vampire Diaries Round Table!

From Alaric's back story to revelations about Anna, "Children of the Damned" was jam-packed with information and action.

As fans gather in our Vampire Diaries forum to discuss the episode, our staff has come together to pick apart various developments below. Reader feedback on these topics is always encouraged....

Grade Nina Dobrev's performance as Katherine.
M.L. House: A. In a recent interview, she said she based that portrayal on Ian Somerhalder's take on Damon - and you can totally tell. She was clearly having a great time playing someone so different than Elena.

LJ Gibbs: A Plus. She got to get it on with Damon and Stefan?!? It was clear she enjoyed taking on this sexy challenge, and I don't blame her.

The Barnacle: C. As in: I hope we get to "c" more of it! I love when the show flashes back.

Is Alaric telling the full truth?
M.L. House: Chalk it up to Matthew Davis' quiet portrayal or my natural natural cynicism, but it felt like this teacher was holding something back, didn't it? I believe he's searching for his wife's body, but I think there's something else going on with Alaric.

LJ Gibbs: Maybe. It was hard to look into his eyes inside such a dark classroom. Turn on a light, dude.

The Barnacle: Who cares?!? Can we focus on the scene where he shot a wooden stake at Stefan and Stefan caught it in mid-air, please? That was awesome!

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We learned a lot more about Anna.

We met Damon and Stefan's father.

We discovered the original rift between the siblings.

Indeed, a whloe lot went down during this week's new episode of The Vampire Diaries, and we encourage readers to check out our review of "Children of the Damned."

As usual, the hour also featured a few singles. Review each one in our Vampire Diaries music section and get a sampling of the songs below:

• Kate Earl - "When You're Ready"
• Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes"
• Elefant - "Goodbye"

Where do we even begin this week?

In one of the most dense episode of the season, The Vampire Diaries viewers learned why Damon holds such a grudge against Stefan; discovered a great deal about a new character on the show; and even got to witness Stefan and Elena in bed.

It was a sexy, engrossing, suspenseful, educational hour of television. Catch up on "Children of the Damned" via our detailed recap and join us below for an in-depth review of the episode...

How great is Nina Dobrev as Katherine?!? The actress made us forget about Elena during the opening scene. Whether Dobrev has been consulting with Ian Somerhalder for tips on how to act evil is unclear, but this much is not: she relished taking on such a new, different role. It was also startling to see Damon as a hesitant, fearful vampire. It makes us realize how events have changed him so much in the last 135 years.

And how did those events begin? We got to actually see Damon and Stefan during the height of their affection for Katherine. True to the modern-day situation, the former brother was clearly more smitten with this mysterious brunette than his sibling. Somerhalder made us truly feel Damon's pain when Katherine was taken away, but we have two questions that resulted from these flashbacks:

1. Both brothers were knowingly sleeping with a vampire, and knew of the other's bedroom dalliances with her? We wonder if we'll ever go all the way back to when these relationships began, as it would be interesting to see how such a set-up evolves.
2. When did Katherine turn them? This was the only confusion we were left with when the episode concluded.

Do you believe Alaric's story? He told Stefan his wife led him to Virgina because she was a history buff and had read about the area's vampire connections. She was then killed by Damon, but her body was never found. Seems plausible all around, right? And goes along with the quick flashbacks we've seen of Alaric's life. Still, he seems to be withholding something, doesn't he?

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On tonight's episode of The Vampire Diaries, we met Katherine again and were introduced to Damon and Stefan's father, Giuseppe Salvatore (below).

As always, we'll fully recap and review the episode - including the latest Vampire Diaries quotes, music and more - first thing tomorrow morning. Until then, we encourage fans to talk about it in our forum, leave comments below... and vote in our poll.

What did you think of Children of the Damned?

Ready to visit the 19th century again?

The Vampire Diaries travels back in time next week on the episode "The Children of the Damned." During the hour, we'll greet Katherine once more, as well as James Remar as Giuseppe Salvatore and Kelly Hu as Pearl.

We'll also discover the incident that drove these brothers apart for the first time. Hint: it has something to do with how Katherine got locked in that tomb.

Click on the pictures below for a look at various scenes and characters from the installment:

Catch up now on the latest Vampire Diaries spoilers, quotes and music.

You can also watch a clip of "Children of the Damned" below, as Damon interrupts Stefan/Elena sexy time and we learn what the heck a Grimoire is...

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Another week, another incredible episode of The Vampire Diaries.

From the name of Alaric's late wife to a new set of blood suckers in town, the revelations came pouring forth on "Unpleasantville." We've already reviewed the hour in depth, but now it's time to delve deeper into various topics.

As usual, fans, feedback on the questions/answers below is encouraged...

Are there too many vampires on the show?
M.L. House: Not yet... but it's getting close. Can we just make a rule: no new vampires for the rest of season one? The shock appeal lessens with each fresh blood sucker. Pretty soon, Mystic Falls will need to change its new to Mystic Full... of Vampires!

LJ Gibbs: No way. Can anyone out there say they knew Anne was a vampire? It's surprising revelations such as this that make the series so exciting.

The Barnacle: No. But there are too many layers of clothing on Elena. Doesn't she own anything skimpy?!?

Bigger shock: That Alaric's wife is named Isabel or that Damon can dance?
M.L. House: I'm still in pain from when Alaric said the name of his deceased wife. I think my jaw made an actual dent on the floor. This opens up a seemingly never-ending window of possibilities.

LJ Gibbs: Haha, I loved Damon cutting it up on the dance floor. He's great. I also expected Alaric to have some connection to the Gilberts, but I absolutely did not see that coming. Great stuff.

The Barnacle: Isabel, but I was merely shocked - and disappointed - that the show didn't flash back to her when she came up again. Is it too much to ask for more Mia Kirshner?

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Last night's episode of The Vampire Diaries introduced fans to a different era of music than that to which they've been accustomed.

Granted, there were the usual current, pop hits. But they were sprinkled here and there, while some fun 1950s singles played throughout the school dance.

Review all the songs in our Vampire Diaries music section and check out a few examples from the episode below:

• We Barbarians - "There's This There's That"
• Systems Officer - "Pacer"
• The Misfits - "This Magic Moment"

What did we think of the episode? Check out our most recent Vampire Diaries review right now and then chime in with your thoughts on it.

There are many reasons why we love The Vampire Diaries: a hot cast, intriguing characters, suspenseful storylines.

But above all, perhaps, is this: the show actually provides answers. It doesn't drag out mysteries with no end in sight. Every week, viewers are treated to valuable nuggets of information, while, of course, dropping their jaws over new questions and plot developments.

That's also why we love The Vampire Diaries. This week's episode, "Unpleasantville," was the perfect example of an hour that shocked fans with what we learned about both old issues and new characters.

For example :

Alaric's wife is Elena's mother?!? Wow. Did anyone see this coming? Did Damon kill Isobelle, as we're being led to believe? Or did he turn her into a vampire? Alaric, after all, wears a ring and seems to know a whole lot about the world of the undead. That was a great scene when Damon tried to interrogate him, but Alaric secretly possessed vervain and kept his intentions a secret.

The Gilberts were vampire hunters?!? Does Jenny know about this history? Did Elena's parents follow the tradition of their ancestors? We love how the show uses Stefan's age for both humorous moments (the guy can really sock hop!) and for storyline development, as he clearly knows more about Elena, the Gilberts and Mystic Falls than what he lets on.

Caroline and Matt are an official couple?!? Good for them, we guess. Considering what's at stake everywhere else on the show, it's hard to get too excited about anything involving these two. (Until Melinda Clarke debuts as Matt's mom, that is!)

Anna and Ben are both vampires?!? So was Noah, but Stefan took care of him in a very cool moment that showed he's got a violent side, as well. It was chilling when he said to Elena afterwards: He was been invited in.

Still, if there's one complaint about the show, this would summarize it:

If every new character is a vampire - or a creature of some kind - the shock value is decreased with each reveal. Yes, we were still aghast at the episode's conclusion. But the series has to be careful about overdoing the number of vampires in town. Pretty soon, it won't be realistic for citizens to be in the dark about them, and we'll start to be surprised when someone does not turn out to be a blood sucker.

Overall, though, another outstanding episode that leaves us anxious about what's to come: How far will Stefan go in his lie about helping Damon with the tomb? What are Alaric's true intentions? How did Noah know Katherine? Who knew number-two pencils were so effective outside of filling in Scantron forms?

What questions stand out the most to you? Check out our favorite Vampire Diaries quotes from the hour below, and let us know if you agree with the rating we gave to "Unpleasantville."

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After an exciting return to the air last week, The Vampire Diaries took viewers back in time to a 1950s-themed dance tonight.

What did you think of the episode "Unpleasantville?" As always, we'll review it in detail first thing Friday morning, complete with the latest show quotes, photos and a Round Table discussion on the most recent events.

Until then, we encourage fans to sound off in our Vampire Diaries forum and comment/vote below!

What did you think of this week's episode?