Sit back and get comfortable, Vampire Diaries fans. A whole lot went down on this week's episode!

Those that missed the action, or wish to relive it, should read our recap of "History Repeating" before going any futher. All caught up? Let's get to the review...

Bring on the vampires! Matt Davis debuted as Alaric Saltzman, a beloved figure from the book series. Call us crazy, but we're not buying his line about having just moved to Mystic Falls because his wife passed away. We've seen that type of ring before, we know why he remained at the door following his date with Jenna.

The only question that now remains: is he a good vampire or a bad vampire? We'd ask the same about Logan, but we think we already know the answer. Did anyone expect him to show up at the end? We didn't.

Sound off on this week's episode in our Vampire Diaries forum!

Bravo, Bonnie! Oops, our bad. We've complained for most of the season that the Bonnie storyline had been dragging on, as we demanded a pay-off to all this witch business. Safe to say we got it. The series took time-worn, cliched concepts like a seance and a haunted necklace and turned them into a great deal more.

We understand why Caroline freaked out and left, but we weren't going anywhere. We were glued to our TV screens as Bonnie transformed into Emily. Who knew that ghosts could actually be so well-meaning? Way to stand up to Damon, Em!

Solid storytelling! There's nothing sweeter to a television critic that sensible storylines, plots that actually take awhile to develop and come together perfectly when they do.

For weeks, we've been wondering why Damon returned to Mystic Falls and now we get a creepy, albeit rational, answer: for love... and revenge. It all made sense when he referenced the comet, which took viewers back to the show's second episode. Everything has been building from there, and even small details such as why Damon couldn't just use his powers on Bonnie to take her necklace were answered.

We almost felt bad for Damon at the end, too, which says a lot about Ian Somerhalder's performance, considering what a murdering jerk Damon actually is.

Great stuff all around. Did we leave anything out? Below, we've listed a few of our favorite Vampire Diaries quotes from the episode:

Elena: You don't have to push me away. I can do this.
Stefan: I can't. | permalink

Damon: I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it.
Stefan: I've heard that before. | permalink

Caroline: Let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do. | permalink

Bonnie: I'm gonna scream.
Damon: No. Don't do that. Let's stay on point. | permalink

Elena: A simple 'I didn't kill my brother text would have sufficed.'
Stefan: I didn't kill my brother. | permalink

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.