'The Vampire Diaries' Recap: Unhappy 'Homecoming'

This week on The Vampire Diaries, 'homecoming' took on a whole new meaning. Klaus is back but he's not the only one. Katherine and Tyler have returned as well after multiple episode absences but despite the familiar faces, this definitely isn't the kind of party you want to attend. So what happened? Let's jump in. 

Stefan, Elena and Damon Hatch a Plan 

Stefan, Elena and Damon are working on a plan to bring down Klaus together. This all feels so familiar in such a wonderful way. Stefan calls Klaus and informs him that not-so-dear old Dad, Mikael, is dead. Klaus is naturally suspicious until he speaks with Rebekah. During this time, we get to see what really went down before that phone call took place. Elena really does stake Mikael and he really does die but only so poor compelled Stefan won't have to lie. These guys really thought of everything.

Relationship Drama 

Don't get me wrong. I love Tyler and Caroline, and I liked Bonnie and Jeremy, but the scene where Elena and Bonnie were getting all emotional over their relationship woes stopped the episode in its tracks. The same can be said for the scene where Caroline and Tyler were getting all dramatic over Matt taking Rebekah to the dance. I guess they have to give us time to breathe. The one highlight of that whole subplot? Tyler telling Caroline, "If I'm sired to anybody, it's you." Well played, Mr. Lockwood. 

Elena the Cold-Hearted 

As I was taking notes to do this recap, I wrote, "Elena and Rebekah bond" and then Elena staked her in the back. It took me a good five minutes, or possibly five seconds but it felt far longer, to recover from the shock. At least Rebekah has her mother's necklace back, assuming, of course, Elena didn't snatch it off Rebekah's lifeless body. Can we pretend for a second she did? Damon seems amused by it, telling Elena, "It was very Katherine of you," and assuring her it was a compliment. That Damon always knows just what to say. He then informs Elena he knows their plan isn't rock solid. He has a back up plan. 

Unexpected Events Unfold 

Surprise! The gym is flooded so the homecoming dance has been moved to Tyler's house. I'm sure that's no a coincidence at all. Seeing as Matt's date now has a stake in her back, Elena steps in as a sub. Over at Tyler's though, we learn that Klaus has commandeered the dance and turned it into a wake for his not-so-dear and not-so-dead Dad. Seeing as Klaus isn't a moron, he tells Stefan to bring Mikael's body to him. He forgets to mention that he has a whole bunch of hybrids lying in wait. Klaus also seems to have forgotten that hybrids are half vampire so Mikael can compel them. Oops. Regardless, Klaus sends Stefan to collect Mikael, also telling Stefan that he will be free once Mikael is dead and the only weapon that can kill him is destroyed. Stefan does as he's told and is rewarded with a nasty bite from Mikael. 

Klaus the Misunderstood 

Well okay, maybe he is with the whole mother killing thing but didn't she kind of start it with that whole curse thing? Making sure a kid is going to be the only one of his kind and then turning your back on him just isn't what mothers should do. This episode showed us who Klaus really is. He's just a lonely guy who wanted to kill his father so he could un-stake his family and they could all live happily every after. I guess when it's actually written on paper, he still looks pretty bad. He definitely had his sweet moments in this one though. Telling Tyler about the hybrids so Tyler could get Caroline to safety? He didn't have to do that, you know. 

Klaus, Mikael and a Whole New War 

Mikael and Klaus face off. The hybrids swarm. They're no longer on Klaus' side and that's all sorts of bad news. Worse news, however, is that Mikael has Elena, or at least he thinks he does. Klaus dares Mikael to kill her. Mikael does. Damon stakes Klaus. 

Katherine reveals herself, blows up the hybrids and takes off. Stefan grabs Damon and rips him away from Klaus and un-stakes Klaus. Damon is one unhappy vampire, especially considering Klaus takes advantage of his suddenly renewed health, grabs the stake and takes his father down, the stake bursting into flames. 

Klaus then relieves Stefan of his compulsion and heads on his merry way to un-stake his family. Stefan and Katherine disappear together while Elena and Damon drift ever closer by the fireplace. Stefan seems to be picking up where Damon left off in the making-things-worse department, however, because Stefan steals the bodies of Klaus' family. Klaus vows revenge and the whole thing begins anew. 

And with that, The Vampire Diaries begins its tragically long winter break. As usual, we're left with more questions than answers. With his family missing, Klaus is sure to seek revenge. I'm also quite sure Rebekah is going to be very unhappy with Elena about that whole staking thing. We'll find out how it all plays out when the show returns on January 5 on The CW. So, how do you intend to get by until new episodes return?

Vampire Diaries – Episode 9 season 3 – Homecoming – Preview Clip

The CW has released a clip from this week’s episode “Homecoming”.

'The Vampire Diaries' Recap: The Origin of the Original Vampires

Did you ever wonder where vampires come from? Wonder no more, because this week The Vampire Diaries gives us the origin story of the Originals and it's full of some pretty big secrets. There are secrets we already kind of knew (Mikael is Papa Original) secrets that are truly shocking (Mikael's wife Esther is the Original Witch) and secrets that will melt your heart (Stefan and Damon love each other).

It all begins with the paintings in the Lockwood cave which tell the story of the Originals. Alaric spends the entire episode deciphering them, but Elena takes a short cut by going straight to the source and asking Rebekah.

Cue a flashback to a long, long time ago when Mikael and his family discovered America long before Columbus with the help of their witch, Ayana. They lived in Mystic Falls with the werewolves (where werewolves come from is a story for another episode, I guess). Klaus took his younger brother Henrik to see the transformation and Henrik was killed, so Mikael demanded some sort of protection from their witch.

But Ayana refused, and in an awesome twist, it turns out not all witches are black because Mama Original Esther was a witch and she's the one who created the vampires. So that means she's also the one on the Other Side who was working with Vicki.

We learn all about the origins of specific vampire lore, like the fact that vervain is actually the flower of the white ash tree. Mikael is a big, scary father figure who presumably kills Esther over the fact that she had an affair and Klaus is a hybrid. While burying her, Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah (who looks incredibly hot with long, Viking hair) make a pact to stick together "always and forever."

The family loyalty is sweet, but when Elena sees the caves again, she learns that the story is wrong. It was actually Klaus who killed his own mother because she cursed him and resented him for being a bastard. That's just enough to send Rebekah over the edge and possibly turn against her brother after one thousand years of devotion.

Brotherly Love

Meanwhile, Damon breaks Stefan out of his jail and the two go out for alcohol and the blood of hot waitresses while they talk about their feelings. Mikael shows up for information on Klaus' whereabouts, and he sticks his hand in Damon and threatens to kill him unless Stefan helps. As proof that Stefan really does love his brother, he agrees to help lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls.

Aww, Stefan loves Damon! And Damon loves Stefan, because he still thinks he can get better. Before the emotions become too much, the brothers do fight in the street to prove they're not the softies they really are, and in a sweet final scene, Elena and Damon lie in bed together as she reveals that Damon will be the reason Stefan gets better because Stefan actually loves his brother more than anyone. See, I told you it would melt your heart.


Next week: It's Homecoming, in more ways than one since Klaus is back and so is his not-so-happy dad, Mikael. It should be fun, but I'm really just hoping for an update on Katherine's condition, because there's no way that girl is dead.

Vampire Diaries – Episode 9 season 3 – Homecoming – Episode Stills

Thanks to the CW’s Judy Yam, we have episode stills from Episode 3.09 “Homecoming”, set to air November 10th. Again, “Homecoming” will be our last episode until the New Year. The show will return, January 5th according to a recent press release from the CW.

Vampire Diaries – Episode 8 season 3– Ordinary People – Preview Clip & Holiday Hiatus News

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but word is out that after next week’s episode on November 10th “Homecoming”, we will have to endure a 7 week hiatus. Episodes are set to return January 5th. This happens every year, it’s hard to get through, but we can do it. Hopefully, most will be busy with the holiday season. I know I will be. In the meantime, The CW has released the preview clip for this week’s episode “Ordinary People”. Alaric deciphers some of the cave drawings found in last week’s episode! So excited for this episode, we will learn so much about The Originals!