Ten Things About The Vampire Diaries “The New Deal”

The Vampire Diaries returns in only a few days – on Thursday, January 5 – and thanks to The CW, we’ve gotten an advance look at the mid-season return episode.

Seeing an early cut without finished music – even in the background! – is a bit strange, but the return episode is a solid installment worth seeing. Especially if you’re already a fan of TVD, please don’t forget to tune in at 8PM on January 5!

Here are ten teases we can reveal about the episode. They’re not detailed spoilers, but they are spoilery so you have been warned.

It should go without saying, but PLEASE do not copy this entire list onto other websites. Instead, just place a link here to KSiteTV. It’s no fun to take the time to write a list only to have what we’ve done completely lifted in full on another website.

1. Bonnie! The first person we see in the episode is Kat Graham as Bonnie. She was absent for a good portion of the first half of the season so it’s nice to see her again. It’s also nice to see her back in her spot as one of Elena’s closest friends and confidantes. Unfortunately, after the first few minutes she’s not in the episode all that much, but it’s a good start.

2. Jogging. In this episode, Elena goes out for a jog. With all the danger she faces in Mystic Falls and everywhere else, why would she ever go out alone? Doesn’t she know better?

3. Hair. Either I’ve gotten used to Damon’s hair growing out or he finally got a little bit of a haircut. Damon doesn’t resemble Joyce DeWitt quite so much anymore.

4. Jeremy and Tyler. They finally hang out again in the woods, and the flirting begins anew, at least for a good scene or two. Matt’s going to feel left out…

Jeremy is kind of a mixed bag for me at this point. When he’s got a crossbow, he’s kind of cool. When he’s around his family and being bratty, he’s kind of annoying. It also appears somewhere around the middle of the episode that he’s going to do something really, really stupid. Ultimately, I still do think that he is more fun when he’s being haunted by his awesome dead ex-girlfriends.

5. And speaking of Tyler… The others, especially Elena, confront him about his current predicament and devotion to Klaus. (Sadly, Caroline is not there either.)

6. Damon is always awesome when he’s annoyed. I don’t really have to explain this, do I? And although Damon will complain when he does something uncomfortable, he does face some discomfort to help others. The character is really becoming redeemed, and I like that. When the series started, it was Stefan who had been rehabilitated into a compassionate person; now, whether he likes it or not, Damon cares for Elena, and therefore, seems to now be looking out for much more than himself.

7. Shippers will be happy. Which shippers? The CW gods said not to tell… but I can say at least three fan-groups get to see their favorite characters interacting. The choice of names that Klaus lists as “Elena’s loved ones” is also particularly interesting. And some shippers might want to get their screen-capturing software handy.

8. New characters. Klaus has a hybrid doing his dirty work and the character is kind of annoying. The new character of Dr. Fell, however, is very one that I hope to see more of. She is played by Torrey Devitto of Pretty Little Liars fame.

9. Heartbreaking decisions. At least one character makes a decision affecting someone else, perhaps for their own good.

10. “None of us are going to get out of this town alive.” With my luck this is probably in one of the episode previews, but in case it’s not, I’m not going to say who delivers this line… which is pretty much the predicament I see the characters in right now. Look at all of Elena’s relatives who have died so far. And yet, there are surely still a few seasons to go.

Here’s the official description of the episode, courtesy of the network. Images from “The New Deal” can be found here.

A REASON TO FEEL GUILTY — Stefan (Paul Wesley) has hidden the coffins containing the bodies of Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) family, and Klaus quickly turns to violence to convince Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) that no one will be safe until he finds Stefan and gets his family back.  Tyler (Michael Trevino) continues to make the most of his new abilities as a hybrid, but he has to face the disturbing consequences of his actions as well.  After a terrifying incident, Elena and Alaric (Matt Davis) grow increasingly concerned about Jeremy’s (Steven R. McQueen) attitude and, ultimately, his safety.  Alaric meets the beautiful Dr. Fell (guest star Torrey Devitto, “Pretty Little Liars”), who is intrigued with his amazing ability to heal.  While trying to strike a deal with Klaus, Elena delivers news that truly shocks him.  Kat Graham also stars and internet personality Justine Ezarik guest stars as a bartender.  John Behring directed the episode written by Michael Narducci (#310).

Needless to say, this is a can’t-miss return and another nice episode. Come talk The Vampire Diaries on our forum!