The Vampire Diaries: "The Dinner Party" Review

The Vampire Diaries outdid itself this week, with not one, but two shocking deaths. The fact that it was the same person who died both times should not surprise fans of the show. We keep discovering that there are more ways to avoid staying dead in Mystic Falls than we knew about, apparently.

It is sad to see Daniel Gillies go, if he is really gone. Elijah has been a worthy adversary to Elena's group of friends. But what a way to go! Although we have seen fake-out deaths before, Elijah's resurrection still managed to be startling, although it was not as surprising as either of his deaths. The unexpectedness of Rick stabbing him at the dinner party made for a truly jaw-dropping moment, matched only by Elena luring him close and stabbing him again at the cabin. Each week I find myself wondering how they can keep the twists coming, episode after episode, but they always seem to find a way.

Ian Somerhalder and David Anders must have had fun flaunting Damon and Uncle John's egos all over the place at the dinner party. Gillies' Elijah was able to put everyone in their place quickly enough, but the snarky comments from everyone were great. I don't know why Damon couldn't have forced John to leave the dinner, but if you have guest star Anders on hand, I suppose you need to use him as much as possible.

Katherine's reappearance at the end of the episode might have been intended to be more surprising than it was, since she led Damon to believe that she would be doomed, trapped in the cave, if Elijah died. In the end, it may have been the least unexpected aspect of the episode, but it will be good to have Katherine back, wreaking havoc as only she can.

Nina Dobrev was not the only one pulling double duty this week, as Stefan told Elena a story from the past, featuring himself and Damon when they were newly-minted vampires. In an odd way, it was more jarring to watch an innocent and contained version of Damon than it was to watch Paul Wesley portray Stefan as completely giving in to blood and lust. As a bonus, we got to see a little more of the person who helped Stefan become the man he is now, Season 1's dearly departed Lexi (Arielle Kebbel).

Stefan's anger that Elena was throwing in the towel by making an alliance with Elijah, and his plea to her to fight, went a long way to build the drama for her final confrontation with Elijah. Her insistence that she needed to save the people she loves even if it meant sacrificing herself made her attempts to renegotiate with Elijah, as well as the bluff of stabbing herself, seem quite believable. And when she turns on Elijah and stabs him, we saw that Stefan convinced her not to give up after all.

It was good to see Aunt Jenna finally start to ask questions about the secrets and lies that are all around her, although that Uncle John has succeeded in creating a rift between her and Rick is sad. Sara Canning and Matt Davis made the scene of their conflict over his secrets very touching. However, I hate that Rick was goaded into giving his magic ring back to John. It doesn't seem like a smart move, and Rick is usually a smart guy. Plus he has a tendency to need that ring.

• More Television Reviews
• Latest Television News, Reviews, and Videos