Plus: Stefan & Rebekah go back in time (sort of), while going forward with their relationship (sort of).
An incredibly rare thing happened on the Jan. 31 episode of The Vampire Diaries — and I’m talking, like, BIGFOOT rare: Elena (Nina Dobrev) actually came up with a plan that worked, and no one we really cared about had to die in the process! Since killing Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) would also kill every vampire in his bloodline, thus allowing Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) to immediately grow the rest of his tattoo, she devised a way for the li’l hunter to off the Original.

Stefan’s done crying over Elena! He may not be the Ripper, but he definitely took a dark turn this week.
Last week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries found Elena (Nina Dobrev) ripping out Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) heart with her confession of love for Damon (Ian Somerhalder); and on the Jan. 24 episode, it was Stefan’s turn to do the heartbreaking. After straight-up telling Elena, “I’m not in love with you,” the once-lovable Salvatore left her confused, and found solace in the arms of…

Daniel will star alongside Joseph Morgan & Phoebe Tonkin. Julie Plec be praised!
If The Vampire Diaries’ planned spin-off The Originals does come to fruition, it’s going to feature some of the best hair on television. HollywoodLife.com’s sister site Deadline confirms that Daniel Gillies will appear alongside Joseph Morgan and Phoebe Tonkin on the April 25 episode of TVD, which will serve as a backdoor pilot for The Originals.

‘Delena’ fans, prepare to bang your heads against the wall!
Remember when Elena (Nina Dobrev) finally told Damon (Ian Somerhalder) that she loved him on the Jan. 17 episode of The Vampire Diaries? It may have been over the phone — the kind of half-assed move one might expect from Joe Jonas, to be honest — but it was still beautiful and long overdue. That said, “Delena” fans still shouldn’t get their hopes up too high, at least according to executive producer Julie Plec.

Plus, Stefan forms a surprising new alliance! Things may never be the same in Mystic Falls.
If you see any typos in this recap, blame it on me doing my happy dance, celebrating the triumphant return of Rebekah (Claire Holt) to The Vampire Diaries. Not only did she have me LOL-ing through the entire Jan. 17 episode, but she also forced Elena (Nina Dobrev) to tell Stefan (Paul Wesley) how she really feels about Damon (Ian Somerhalder). It was awkward, and it was dark and it was phenomenal.

Warning: The following clip is very sexy. Watch & ogle at your own risk.
Just when you thought Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) sex scene was going to be the hottest moment of The Vampire Diaries’ fourth season, along comes this clip from the Jan. 17 episode, titled “After School Special,” which finds Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and Matt (Zach Roerig) engaging in a bit of friendly sparring at the Gilbert lake house. And by “friendly sparring,” I mean going fist-to-fist in a barrage of sleeveless delight.

Plus, did Damon man-up and break his sire bond with Elena?
We all knew there’d be death on the Dec. 13 episode of The Vampire Diaries — and there really was so much death — but nothing could have prepared me for how truly sad it was to see a long-time Mystic Falls resident breathe her final breath.

Damon’s got a big ol’ decision on his hands, and while I’d prefer for ‘Delena’ to live happily ever after, their future together is looking grim.
After learning that the sire bond was all-too-real, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) marched their beautiful mugs down to New Orleans on the Dec. 6 episode of The Vampire Diaries, where they once encountered a similar sitch back in 1942. I was disappointed that they tried to break the bond so quickly, but at least we got one more “Delena” sex scene before they decided to spoil our small amount of fun.

Two iconic vampire couples hit the sheets this November — but which one did it better?
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Hollywood vampires — and I do mean busy. Earlier this month, Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) served up one of cinema’s steamiest love scenes in Breaking Dawn Part 2, and just last night, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) finally did the deed on The Vampire Diaries! But which fang-baring couple’s on-screen sex was hotter?

The Stefan-Damon-Elena love triangle took its sharpest turn this week, and I know I’ve said this before, but things will never be the same again. No, seriously this time!
Where do I even begin? The Nov. 29 episode of The Vampire Diaries, as anticipated, was basically an hour-long present for frustrated “Delena” fans — until the very end of course. Just when it seemed Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) had finally achieved their happily-ever-after, a shocking secret about their relationship was revealed.

Fed up with her mind games, Stefan finally made Elena’s choice for her! Do you think it was the right one?
We have a lot to talk about, Vampire Diaries fans, and I think we all know where to start: Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) finally had “the talk” on the show’s Nov. 15 episode — and it didn’t go too well. In fact, I’m sure there’s a pretty large chunk of the fandom that’s ready to pull an Elena and jump off Wickery Bridge. But like Damon (Ian Somerhalder) told her tonight, “Don’t do it!”

With her brother’s life at stake (pun!) Elena found herself in a dark place — but did she give in to her murderous urges?
A funny thing happened when Elena (Nina Dobrev) sprouted fangs: People actually started to see some value in her! So when Connor (Todd Williams) took three of Mystic Falls’ finest humans hostage on the Nov. 8 episode of The Vampire Diaries, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) encouraged Elena to help out, despite Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) stern warning. And I’ll give you one guess as to which brother she listened to.

Elena went behind Stefan’s back and developed a ‘personal’ connection to Damon.
With her fangs firmly in place, Elena (Nina Dobrev) found herself tackling the most important aspect of undead life on the Oct. 18 episode of The Vampire Diaries: feeding! But unlike last week’s season premiere, which clearly worked out in Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) favor, both Salvatore brothers got a piece of Elena this week — or in Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) case, Elena also got a piece of him!

‘The Vampire Diaries’ costume designer reveals her rationale behind Elena & Katherine’s styles — but will everything change now that they’re both sporting fangs?
Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) may have every guy on The Vampire Diaries wrapped around her doppelfinger, but that doesn’t mean she’s the hottest ticket in Mystic Falls. That honor goes to Nina’s other vampire character, Katherine — at least as far as the show’s costume designer Leigh Leverett is concerned. “Katherine has been around for hundreds of years; She follows fashion trends a little more,” Leigh tells CNN. “[Her clothes are] edgier and sexier than what we put on Elena.”

Find out which pop star is ‘obsessed’ with the show & which actor feels like a ‘teenage girl’ every time he watches it!
Who knew The Vampire Diaries had so many fans in high places? Earlier this week, we learned that Gabby Douglas and Kelly Clarkson are both addicted to the CW hit — Kelly got a personal set visit from executive producer Julie Plec, while Gabby got a congratulatory video from the cast — and they’re not alone! Read on to see which other Hollywood hot-shots can’t go without their weekly fix of Mystic Falls.

…And by ‘makes a choice,’ I mean ‘chooses not to make a choice.’ But that’s the closest Elena has ever come to being decisive, so I’ll take it!
The second-to-last episode of every Vampire Diaries season has always been finale-worthy, but the May 3 episode was so much more than that. Not only did Matt Davis hit it out of the park with his gripping portrayal of “evil Alaric,” but fans also got the shock of the season when death paid a visit to Mystic Falls — and not to the person everyone was expecting.

Another fanged fiend is on the loose in Mystic Falls — and this one isn’t looking to give Elena a hug!
So, how are your eyes doing? Red? Puffy? I thought so. The April 26 episode of The Vampire Diaries more than made up for this season’s uneven quality by delivering an incredible hour that took everything to the next level. Not only did Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) love triangle become pointier than ever, but we’ve got ourselves a new Big Bad in Mystic Falls — and I’m kind of terrified to see how it all plays out.

Plus, Klaus’ shocking connection to Tyler is revealed! (I’ve never been so worried.)
The Vampire Diaries’ March 29 episode, “The Murder Of One,” certainly lived up to its hype as one person was, in fact, murdered. And even though it ended up being the one person fans probably cared least about on the entire show, it triggered a reveal about the Originals that changed everything. Are you sitting down? OK, let’s do this…

Plus, the Mystic Falls serial killer is revealed — and it’s so not who you thought it was!
After what felt like the longest month of my life, The Vampire Diaries returned with a new episode March 15 — and it was so full of mystery solving that I half-expected the Scooby Gang to roll into town. It was also full of flashbacks to 1912, which helped Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) solve the most crucial mystery of all: the identity of the Mystic Falls serial killer!