"Know Thy Enemy" - A huge game-changing dice is thrown our way

How is it that TVD goes on holiday that feel eternity and return with much more problems and twist & turns than before, even the books weren't that great? I have been asking this question to myself or my cousins who watch it too a lot but still haven't been able to answer it. 


So, this thursday the Vampire Diaries returned from it break, these breaks sure feel like eternity with the next episode of season 2 ''Know Thy Enemy'' showcased all that we love about TVD: Deception, betrayal, shocking twists, things you didn't even know were possible and obviously Damon shirtless. Now TVD may be the only show that crams up all the mentioned factors in one episode and still manage to look the greatest.


Let's break down the storyline, where we stand and what's next now shall we:

Mommy a.k.a. Isobel returns, lies a lot and eventually dies. Man, does it get any harder to figure out what's really going on than when Isobel, John and Katherine are ALL plotting? Elena's biological parents (something that's still hard to wrap your head around) say that all of their actions were geared toward making sure Klaus didn't know about her. Sounds almost sweet. But, Isobel then reveals to Katherine that she made a deal with Klaus to keep her safe if they give him the doppelganger and the moonstone. Uh oh!

Katherine stumbles upon that very gem in the worst hiding place ever (we'll forgive this only for the ensuing Damon scene), building the suspense for the double-cross.

Or should I say double-double-cross?

Isobel has a giant witch dude kidnap Alaric, then temporarily "kills" John - I loved Damon's nonchalant reaction - in a plan orchestrated so Katherine can kidnap Elena. Then, naturally, she calls Katherine and drops the hammer. She was playing Kat too. The giant witch appears to abduct Katherine, while Elena is saved by her mom.

Of course, Klaus is the true puppet master in all of this, having compelled her the entire time, but Isobel follows it up with her first-ever act of selflessness ... or was it?

It's unclear if Klaus also prompted her shocking demise, but in any event, she tore off her necklace and let the sun incinerate her, fittingly standing over her own grave.

I shall now sandwich the bad between the two really good parts of this episode. I’m starting to have a massive problem with the women on this show and how they sacrifice. Hear me out. We’ve spent the better part of a season with Elena wanting to sacrifice herself to save her friends and family. Now that we’ve reached a point where she’s not about to go and throw herself onto Klaus’ weapon of mass destruction, we have Bonnie wanting to sacrifice herself.

So, Bonnie can kill an original, but it'll kill her too! Upon finding the ancient burial ground, Bonnie harnesses her predecessors' power so that she may one day off Klaus. The only caveat....If she uses too much witch power at once, she herself will die. Obviously, taking down the oldest vampire in the history of time will require every last bit. This is a great development, as it sets the stage for Bonnie making the ultimate sacrifice for others, as Elena as already vowed to do. She seems hell bent on doing so, too. It would also make sense that Klaus' death, if that occurs, comes at a heavy personal cost for the show's core characters. 

I get it, I do. It’s nice of her and it makes her badass and it amps up the tension (and there’s little I love more in this show than an emotional Jeremy), but it’s just so boring now. Who’s going to sacrifice herself next? Caroline? Jenna ?

Speaking of, what’s going to happen with Jenna now, where earlier in the episode she left abruptly? Elena can’t exactly say ‘by the way, Isobel really is dead now’. But then poor Jenna’s boyfriend is now an ancient vampire, so I suppose explaining Isobel’s disappearance is going to be fairly low on Elena’s ‘to do’ list. 

Going towards Matt and Caroline - He sold out Caroline out! I absolutely love this twist, because Matt just got really interesting. Guess what Caroline revealed in the previous episode was simply too much. I still never expected he had this in him though. After making Caroline tell him everything, playing on her own emotions and guilt, he asks that she compel him to forget. Only Matt was strung out on vervain and only acted like he was compelled! He's in cahoots with Caroline's mom, and reveals all of C's secrets to the sheriff at the end. Caroline and Matt, much as I like them, were somewhat fringe characters at times. Now they find themselves enmeshed in a plot line that could be fascinating to watch.

And the biggest dice of them all - Klaus is in Alaric's body. The episode could have ended with Isobel's death, Bonnie's revelation and Matt's meeting with Sheriff Forbes and been great but this is The Vampire Diaries, though, and we were thrown another jaw-dropping cliffhanger to top it all off. Like Matt, Alaric is suddenly back in the mix unexpectedly. Unlike Matt, he doesn't know it. That's because in the closing moments, the huge witch who kidnapped Katherine is seen casting an elaborate spell on Alaric, then kneeling. Bowing down was a great touch. It said everything while saying nothing. Is that ... no ... it can't be......oh my Oz! What a well-conceived way of introducing Klaus ... 

Klaus greeting Katherine with an entirely different voice from Alaric's body was a shockingly eerie way to end the episode and a great precursor to the coming weeks. Alaric has to be doomed now, right? It's hard to see this ending well, given that we know Klaus will be arriving in earnest soon enough. But on TVD, you just never know. What's Klaus' goal in possessing Alaric? Does it get him closer to Kathrine/Elena without exposing himself? Will this ultimately fail, thus leading to him actually showing up? So much for answering a few of the many unanswered questions and so much to debate. All I know is that for all the confusing twists and turns "Know Thy Enemy" took, it was a great ride throughout.

So, next week we have the new episode "The last Dance" - As the high school prepares to throw a “1960s Decade Dance,” Elena starts receiving disturbing messages from Klaus via an unusual source. Bonnie tries to reassure Jeremy that she is strong enough to help Elena, but a worried Jeremy asks Stefan for advice. Caroline talks Matt into taking her to the dance. Expecting Klaus to show up at the dance, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Alaric (Matt Davis) attend as chaperones, but Klaus is playing a complicated game that keeps them on edge. Finally, Damon comes up with a new plan of action that shocks and upsets everyone.

"Know Thy Enemy" - A huge game-changing dice is thrown our way