The Return (9 Sep. 2010)

Elena arrives home to a nightmare as she discovers Uncle John's and Jeremy's fate. At the hospital, Sheriff Forbes is comforted by Matt, Bonnie and Damon while she waits to hear if Caroline... See full summary »

Director:

J. Miller Tobin

Writers:

Kevin Williamson (developer), Julie Plec (developer),

Stars:

Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Nina Dobrev	...	Elena Gilbert / Katherine Pierce
Paul Wesley	...	Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder	...	Damon Salvatore
Steven R. McQueen	...	Jeremy Gilbert
Sara Canning	...	Jenna Sommers
Kat Graham	...	Bonnie Bennett (as Katerina Graham)
Candice Accola	...	Caroline Forbes
Zach Roerig	...	Matt Donovan
Michael Trevino	...	Tyler Lockwood
Matthew Davis	...	Alaric Saltzman (credit only) (as Matt Davis)
Marguerite MacIntyre	...	Sheriff Liz Forbes
David Anders	...	John Gilbert
Taylor Kinney	...	Mason Lockwood
Susan Walters	...	Carol Lockwood

Storyline

Elena arrives home to a nightmare as she discovers Uncle John's and Jeremy's fate. At the hospital, Sheriff Forbes is comforted by Matt, Bonnie and Damon while she waits to hear if Caroline will survive the car accident. After a confusing conversation with Elena about the night's events, Damon is the first to realize that Katherine has returned. Katherine's arrival sends Stefan and Damon on a path to find out what she wants, why she's back, and how much of a threat she is to the people they love. Meanwhile, still reeling from his father's death, Tyler is surprised when his charming and mysterious uncle, Mason Lockwood, arrives to console the family.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alloy Entertainment, Bonanza Productions, CBS Television Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Quotes

Stefan Salvatore: What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?
Damon Salvatore: It's risking another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead. We... kissed.
Elena Gilbert: And you thought it was me?
Stefan Salvatore: What do you mean you kissed?
Damon Salvatore: Well... you know, when two lips pucker and they go
[makes kissing noises]
Damon Salvatore: .

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Connections

References Jersey Shore (2009)

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Soundtracks

"The River Has Gone Wild"
(uncredited)
Performed by Mads Langer

User Reviews

Katherine happened...

Nice sequence with Elena - knife in hand - creeping around the house and the reveals of Katherine behind Elena (very horror movie). Katherine does indeed know how to make an entrance.

Elena saying to Stefan that Jeremy looked okay "but then again so do you" amused me for some reason.

I liked Stefan checking Jeremy over and then giving him a bit of a slap to drill into him the severity of what almost happened. Jeremy needed it. I also liked...

Damon wanting to talk about what "happened" (the kiss) and Elena having no clue what he was referring to. Loved seeing the gears working in Damon's head as he figured things out and his "You gotta be *kidding* me!".

Stefan slamming Katherine around the house, followed by her wrenching his arm.

I enjoyed Damon's "To risk another....frown line encroaching on a *very* crowded forehead..." reveal about kissing Katherine (thinking she was Elena) and his kiss demonstration to Stefan - which ticked him off. I'm not fond of jealous Stefan and I'm glad Elena pointed out she'd never kiss Damon. She's no cheater.

Stefan going to his creepy place for a moment with the threatening of John. Good for him. Ass needed the scare. I liked that Elena could tell Stefan threatened John, that Stefan totally admitted to it and Elena was cool with it. She was speaking truth when she was trying to calm down Stefan and keep him from causing more problems with Damon (over his not being okay with Damon trying to kiss her). She kept a level head and was able to see what Stefan couldn't (in regards to Katherine and her messing with their heads and Damon not being stable around her). Elena's sensible/smart.

Katherine not being as easy for Bonnie to work her painful magic on as Damon (that's what you get for being a cocky little witch, Bonnie).

Since Elena's hair was straight, while Katherine's was wavy/had more volume to it, I'm surprised people who'd seen Katherine and then seen Elena weren't like, "My, that girl changes her hair fast.".

Elena and Damon's discussion and her pointing out that she was surprised he'd think she'd kiss him back. I like that she's concerned for him "going over the deep end", but points out she has no interest in him that way.

Heh, good point, Katherine - that Stefan's choice of women kind of contradicts his statement that he hasn't spent 145 years obsessed with you. Good work on Nina Dobrev's part, showing that Katherine was affected by what Stefan was saying to her (he hurt her, but then she hurt him right back - she was just a little more efficient).

Damon's "fight to the death"/boxing fists, Stefan pointing out that Katherine's going to try to play them both against each other and Damon maintaining that his and Stefan's bond is "unbreakable". Good brotherly moment, especially Stefan not wanting to let Katherine destroy the part of Damon that was willing to feel something. Despite his earlier feelings, he was standing by his brother in his own way. Good Stefan.

Also good? The scene between Damon and Katherine as she came to say her goodbyes. Ian was especially good when he got to their possible "defining moment" part and Katherine answered his question: she never loved him and it was always Stefan. Somerhalder was excellent in his conveying the emotions Damon was feeling at hearing these words spoken out loud by Katherine. I guess one thing you can say about Katherine is...she tells it like it is. She was honest with him and didn't lead him on (this time around, anyway). The truth hurts.

Even more excellent was drunk Damon and Elena knowing Damon drinking + him being upset is not a good combination. He was the classic drunk forceful guy with Elena. I was a bit worried about just how far the scene would go, but then it took an unexpected turn when he seemingly KILLED JEREMY. Okay, so Elena's bro didn't actually die, but given this show's kill count, it was actually a real possibility. Great reactions from Nina and Ian.

I think those who were worried that perhaps Elena was getting too comfortable around/close with Damon really have nothing to worry about for the foreseeable future, given he just "killed" Jeremy. This isn't something she's going to forgive too easily/quickly. I like that the show has done this. Also good was the way the scene cut between Elena/Stefan/Jeremy and Damon with his glass-into-fireplace tossing.

In typical TVD fashion, there was one final twist/shock moment: namely Katherine seemingly suffocating Caroline. It certainly demonstrated that this show's still got it! I thought maybe the show might have had trouble coming back and matching the level it had reached at the end of the first season, but this was a very good/promising Season 2 premiere. Only thing I didn't really care for was Tyler and his newly-arrived uncle. Confirm what you've hinted at previously, show, and just have Tyler get all wolf-y already! Hopefully he'll be more interesting that way.

Kudos to Nina Dobrev for continuing to make Elena and Katherine two entirely separate/different entities and her excellent portrayal of both. Paul and Ian also got some really good scenes this episode. Season 2's off to a flying start. Welcome back, TVD!