The Vampire Diaries "Year of the Kat" Season 2 Episode 1 Recap

At the Gilbert house Uncle John is in the kitchen when he thinks Elena walks up behind him. He starts chatting to her and she proceeds to grab a knife, chops off his fingers and protective ring and throws him against the fridge. "Hello Katherine," John says. "Hello John. Goodbye John," Katherine says and knifes him in the stomach. Meanwhile the real Elena is outside the house talking to Stefan on the phone telling him someone took her stuff. She gets inside and sees John bloody in the kitchen and runs over to try to help him. John says "behind you." Elena looks around but Katherine is too quick for her human eyes and escapes out the door. Elena goes upstairs to look for Jeremy, who is in bed and then wakes up abruptly.

John gets taken away by ambulance and Elena and Stefan are worried that Jeremy has turned into a vampire because she found Anna's vile of empty blood. Stefan looks into his eyes and says Jeremy's still human and something about Anna's blood healing him. Stefan says he'll monitor Jeremy.

At the hospital Matt and Bonnie are worrying about Caroline. Damon shows up and is telling Sheriff Forbes how concerned he is about the situation but really wants to figure out why Mayor Lockwood was locked into the room with the vampires. Bonnie wants to declare a truce with Damon so he'll give Caroline some of his blood to make her better. Elena walks in and Damon says they have to talk about the kiss, but Elena doesn't know what he's talking about and he thinks she's denying the whole thing. Aunt Jenna shows up and is baffled that Elena doesn't remember where Jenna said she was all night. *Ding* Damon realizes it must've been Katherine he smooched.

Katherine shows up at Elena's house and tries to kiss Stefan but Stefan realizes who it is and throws her over the couch. Katherine smirks, "at least I fooled one of you." *b.i.t.c.h.* Elena and Damon show up and Elena looks at the scene and says "what happened?" Damon says "Katherine happened." Stefan wants to know what K meant when she said she fooled one of us. Damon response is something about "frown lines on a very crowded forehead." *HA.* Damon tells him they kissed and Stefan gets annoyed but says she loves to play games and John might know what she wants.

At the hospital Caroline is sitting up and wants to watch the Jersey Shore, so obviously Damon gave her his blood.

At the Lockwood house everyone has gathered for a wake for deceased Mayor Lockwood. Mrs. Lockwood wants to find out why her husband was killed and mistaken for a vampire. Tyler is at the door greeting people when his Uncle Mason *hot alert* shows up.

Elena and Stefan visit John at the hospital but he doesn't want to tell them what Katherine's up to or where she is. Elena leaves after giving him his protective ring back but Stefan is pissed. He grabs John by the throat and forces his blood into John's mouth. Stefan tells him he better leave town or he will turn him into a vampire. *Yow!* Stefan and Elena walk outside the hospital and Stefan wants to find out why Damon tried to kiss Elena.

At the Lockwood's Damon is talking to Sheriff Forbes again and Tyler invites Katherine who he thinks is Elena into the house. She walks over the threshold smirking. Bonnie and Damon talk about the Gilbert device that crippled the vampires in the last episode. Damon insults Bonnie: "Stop with the witches brew you're starting to believe your own press." Bonnie proceeds to cripple Damon with an eyeball-hurting witch glare. Bonnie runs over to Elena but it's really Katherine and proceeds to go off on Damon. She touches K and realizes who it is and makes an excuse to leave. She then phones Elena asking her where she is. K comes up to B and says "we haven't officially met, I'm Katherine." Bonnie tries to eyeball-hurt her. Katherine plays along but then tells her that she's been around a long time and isn't affected. Stefan pops up and so does Matt. Matt and Bonnie take off and Stefan asks K what she's up to and they go on a walk outside the grounds. Elena, Jeremy and Jenna show up but Damon is on the porch and Elena goes over to him. Damon pretends to be OK and says he doesn't need Katherine to be sent off the deep end. Elena tells him that if he kissed her she wouldn't kiss him back. *whaat?* Now he says he feels hurt.

In another room Tyler chats with Jeremy who says he knows what it's like to lose a father. Tyler says yeah but it's different because my dad was a "dick." *Yikes can they say that word now on prime time TV.* They share a flask of liquor until Uncle Mason shows up. Jeremy leaves and Mason and Tyler drink. Tyler tells his Uncle that he doesn't want to be "like this." But the uncle says it's the Lockwood curse.

Outside on the grounds of the Lockwood's Katherine and Stefan talk. Katherine says she came back for him but he says he was never in love with her since she compelled him. *oh snap* wrong thing to say because she stabs him and takes off. Elena and Damon show up to help Stefan. Stefan says Katherine is trying to play Damon and him against each other and that they can't let that break them. *umm.. too late Stef.*

Jeremy gets back home to see John packing his bags. John tells Jeremy that he's a Gilbert and will have to face up to his family legacy even if he's against killing vampires now.

Damon is brooding at his mansion and isn't surprised when Katherine is there. They wrassle around and he tells her that he'll forget the past 145 years if she answers his question. She says she knows the question and that no she never loved Damon only Stefan. She leaves and Damon chokes up. *No - Damon remember she's trying to manipulate you, don't give in.*

Elena comes home to find Damon waiting for her in her room. He's been drinking and very upset. He tries kissing Elena but she tells him that she loves Stefan. *oops, not another one in love with S* Damon cracks, sees Jeremy and says he's going to kill him to turn him into a vampire since he still has Anna's blood inside him. Elena pleads for him not to do it... but he snaps his neck and leaves. *oh snap - literally - oh...*

Elena is comforting J and Stefan walks in. Suddenly we realize that Jeremy is wearing Uncle John's protective ring. Stefan says that Damon saw that Jeremy was wearing the ring right? Elena says no and is shaking with rage. Jeremy wakes up.

At the hospital Caroline gets a visit from Katherine. K tells her she wants her to give the Salvatore brothers a message and proceeds to smother Caroline with a pillow.

Next episode "Brave New World": It's carnival time and Caroline is hungry.

Notes:
- Damon *Ian Somerhalder love him* as usual had the best lines but also was quite heartbroken about the turn of events. Can't this guy ever get the girl or else be happy just being alone? Really liked him with Caroline last season, she was the only one who could really verbally spar with him so hoping now that she's turned they can get back together on a more equal level. Or why doesn't he get together with Sheriff Forbes, she's really the only person in town who likes him.

- Nina Dobrev is so great as both Kat and Elena, it was pretty obvious who was who and it's nice to see that she can play super-evil old vampire as well as conflicted teen.

- Stefan - was looking a little bit gaunt. Why is everyone in love with him? He looks like a Muppet, Damon is way hotter.

- Did Bonnie look a little Botoxed? Her forehead didn't seem to move when she was concentrating on eyeball-bending the vamps.

- Will we ever find out what the "Lockwood curse" is?

- Jeremy was starting to look better last season but he's back to the greasy hair look. Will Anna return she was so awesome.