@Lisa – I used very similar words to express the same sentiment to a friend last night. Just enjoyable TV.

There’s no excuse, BUT this could have been a whole lost worse. I was writing this recap around 1am on Friday morning. I decided not to post it that night because I wanted to give it a once over in the morning. On Friday morning I took another glance and realized that I had fallen asleep while typing the night before. There were three or four times I called Jeremy “Sawyer”. And there was something in there about the island. Clearly my sleeping brain was on LOST.

I’d kill to have an Editor read my stuff before I post it. Dream…oh…dream.

As for the “Buffy” and “Twilight” stuff – just sarcasm. It’s a fun show…have a little fun with it

Do you mean Tyler Lockwood? Guess that’s a sign he really has been gone too long.

Wow, just read over my previous post and wish I had proof read it. Yikes. Sorry about that.

Alaric Saltzman’s wife’s name is spelled Isobel. Isobel was a character in the L.J. Smith books, but just the names are the same (in the books, Isobel was a Japanese-American classmate of Elena’s that gets pocessed by a demon). Another thing is that in the book series, the high school is Robert E. Lee High School, home of the Wildcats. In the TV series, it’s Mystical Falls High School, home of the Timberwolves.

The soundstrack. I used to be a fan of songs on this show, but first it what emo wannabe Celine Dion song during the Stefan and Elena PG-rated sex scene. And now it’s an emo covers of 1950′s hits… I mean different situations called for non-emo songs.

Anna the vampire question. Why didn’t she use her magic pupils on Jeremy? I mean she knew Katherine so she’s been a vampire since 1864. Plus Jeremy has read his ancestor’s journal and therefore wouldn’t he know where the grimoire is? Again, magic pupils.

Just before Noah is killed, when Stefan and Damon are doing their best Jack Bauer impressions, I had to note that these actors are way to pretty to come as rough, let alone murderously tough. Keep waiting to talk ad cruchs or hair product, not tombs. Although to Freddie Prinze, Jr. stuff, google that actor without his shirt.

Bonnie. Two things. One was when Ben the Bartender asked her where she wanted to go for a date and I almost laught because it’s pretty established that there is only one restaurant in this town. Another thing, Bonnie looks better with bangs, right?

The thing about the adoption storyline, besides being too soap operary and having it’s logic holes (Birth records at city hall? She was Pierce, you were a Gilbert? Not every single ancestor of a person has the same surname? I could go on), the thing that bothers me about the adoption storyline is that it doesn’t explain why the big mystery of why Katherine and Elena are IDENTICAL, not just look a look. If another actress who like Nina Dobrev had been casted as Katherine or Nina Dobrev look suffiently when she plays Katherine, they might get away with family resemblances. But they’re identical just by virtue of Nina Dobrev playing both roles. Plus Katherine has a clairvoyant handmaiden, who can’t help but feel she knew she was going to get stuck in the burning church and she would be back until that comet returned in 2009, and it’s too much of coincidence that not only is there somebody there that’s her physically indentical double, but she is also the same age. I mean Elena could easily look like her ancestor, but be 65 when Katherine was suppose to return. But she’s 17. Not to mention the coincidence of her dating the same guys that Katherine did.

To your CHUCK point, yeah, they’ve done with for the last two episodes now where a new character is introduced (Bree, Noah), is the driver of the plot and then gets killed off. I mean “Uncle” Zach or Mr. Tanner or Logan “Scum” Fell or Vicki stuck it out for a few episodes so I think help give their deaths bigger shock value.

The time frame totally works for Alaric’s Isabel and Elena’s mom to be one and the same. If Isabel was 16 when she had Elena, she’d be 32 now(Is Elena 16?) He could be 32 easily. Though we don’t know when his wife died. I’m sure he’s been researching and trying to find answers for awhile. If the Isabels are the same it means she is an descendant of Katherine. That might be why Damon went after her and why she might be alive now. I could see Damon wanting a Katherine heir as a vampire.

I love how this show has so many twists and turns. Though I agree with you, Kath, that not everyone needs to be a vamp/bad guy.

I am totally confused about Isabel and how she can be Elena’s birth mother. Alaric isn’t that old so he can’t possible be her father. Is that is indeed the Isabel that gave birth to Elena, you know there is some fishyness in there. All these vamps can’t know each other and Damon munching on her and Alaric catching them? There is no such thin as coincidence.

Another thing, how long has Shawn Faris been a vampire? Was he one when he was in high school? He can’t have knows Katherine, right?

Also, there seems to be way too much vervane around. I wan’t some people to be compelled!

This was a totally fun episode.

It’s all a jumble right now, and last night’s ep definitely confused me even further on The Birth Mom Conundrum. Is Alaric’s Isabel the same one who gave birth to Elena? If so, when did this happen, and who is the father? And did she die the night Damon attacked her? Or did he bring her over, and perhaps Alaric had to stake her?