The Vampire Diaries - Stefan, the Craving

First season episodes, Under Control & Miss Mystic Falls

Stefan has been the vampire under control. Damon tells Elena that he had been using animal blood so long and not truly learned to adapt to human blood sufficiently, that now Stefan is under siege of an incredible, intense, insatiable hunger he cannot handle it. A contestant for the town's Miss Mystic Falls, Amber, learns this all too well. Viewers had a chance to see him for the first time out of control, lost to addiction, unable to resist the compulsion to drink human blood. The blood bank is raided, cuts and open wounds offer their allure, and a fresh throat pulses for his teeth. There will need to be an intervention. A detox. A drying out. A shot of Vervain and a locked basement room (ironically the very room that housed Damon, who had been out of control early in the season) leave Stefan in a bad state of affairs.

Other smaller but important subplots emerge, too:

°Jeremy learns about all the details taken from him by reading everything in Elena's diary. Vicki's fate and how he was in danger. All the vampirism. The secrets kept from him. The pain removed. The experiences of torment that would have plagued him taken away. His relationship with Anna is repaired. She wants to stay in Mystic Falls and Pearl does, too. Jeremy reflects on it all, and Anna will be his confidante. However, Elena concealing everything from him, such as how Vicki died and who buried her, has produced an estrangement certain to have strained trust between them. Even though Elena did so because she cared about him.

°Uncle John Gilbert arrives back in Mystic Falls, and he's not well liked by anybody. He has that kind of face, this douchebag aura, and a rather confrontational, antagonistic personality. Jenna was once romantically tied to him. Now only disdain exists. He makes an immediate enemy with Damon, informing him that he knows everything about him. John is willing to expose him. John knows the entire history, seemingly filled in somewhat by Isobel. Alaric helping the Salvatores is known by John even. When Damon snaps his neck and dumps his body, John returns to the 150th anniversary of the Founders Party as if nothing happened! A ring Alaric wears John also has. Two men Damon killed, both returning from the dead thanks to a ring Isobel provided. Jenna currently close to Alaric, and once linked to John.

°A device John seeks after is currently in Pearl's possession. It is similar to the compass used to find vampires. A type of locket. Damon is handed it by Pearl as a truce due to the vampires unsealed that attacked his brother. But what is it? Damon doesn't want John to have it but in order to maintain his ruse over the Founders, including Caroline's mom, the sheriff, he might have to fork it over. John has read a great deal of the ancestor Gilbert's journals, the vampire writings, and Jeremy's interested in their family's history. So a male Gilbert member could serve as a mentor to Jeremy, also keeping a suspecting eye towards Anna.

°Elena hesitantly decides to participate in the Miss Mystic Falls, as Caroline is so hopeful in winning, having volunteered for everything. She's got the beauty and the passion. Elena is so consumed with worry for Stefan, the event is less a concern. Damon replacing him to be her consort offers foreshadowing. The look into each other's eyes is indeed fascinating. Stefan's ordeal could get even worse.

°Bonnie returns! I'm a Bonnie fan so seeing her back from a creative hiatus was grateful. She is still devastated by the loss of her grandmother, and Bonnie has purposely avoided Elena due to the death's link to the Salvatores. When Stefan is about to puncture an already bleeding and scared Amber, totally devoid of his usual chill and control, Bonnie reveals she's developed and honed her witchery skills. With just her thought, a block of punishing head ache halts Stefan from anything else, collapsing him to the ground. She's quite powerful. Bonnie is not ready to associate with Elena due to a desire not to force her to choose.

•After spotting his mom making out with his high school friend, Matt not only gets into an altercation with Tyler but tells her to leave home and his life. Tyler gets a nice slap from his mayor dad, too, for viciously assaulting a severely inebriated Matt. Tyler doesn't know what got into him. Both Tyler and Matt's mom were talking Vicki when kissing resulted!