Hey, Stefan…Since when do addicts believe that things are not under control?  Maybe signing up for an episode of Intervention on A&E would help?

Stefan returns to school, driving the car that Matt helped him fix.  He and Elena kiss and Elena comments that she wasn’t aware that he was coming back and asks him how he’s doing.  He tells her that the worst is over and thanks her for her help.  Elena goes in to school by herself while Stefan returns to his car and takes a look at the stash of blood in his trunk.

At the Founders Hall Sheriff Forbes, Damon, and Uncle John discuss the thefts from the local blood bank and she tells him that the night manager had his memory altered.  Sheriff Forbes mentions that they plan to give the guards vervain to increase security.  John suggests that he and Damon work together to find out who is behind the thefts and Damon agrees.

Stefan arrives to Alaric’s class and takes his seat by Elena.  Alaric mentions that they will be discussing local history as a part of Founders’ Day.  Bonnie arrives late to class and sits next to Elena.

Anna shows up on behalf of Pearl to apologize to Damon for what happened to Stefan and tells him that she was devastated by what happened.  Damon tells Anna to stop robbing the blood banks dry because the Council is on to them.  Anna says that she hasn’t gone in at least a week and that the other vampires are gone.  She tells Damon that Pearl kicked them out – it’s just them and Harper now.

Elena approaches Bonnie at school and asks her how she’s doing.  Bonnie tells her that it’s hard and she didn’t want to return because of the failure in resealing the tomb.  Caroline interrupts them and tells Bonnie that she needs help picking out a dress for the Founders’ Court.  Elena asks her about that and Caroline reminds her that it’s for Miss Mystic Falls and that the Court was announced that day.  Elena had forgotten all about entering and says that she can’t drop out because her mom wanted her to enter.

Stefan arrives at home and Damon asks him about his day, commenting on how he is so chipper.  Damon clues Stefan in on his suspicions about his good demeanor and Stefan denies drinking human blood, telling Damon that he’s clean.  Damon tells Stefan that he’s lying and Stefan continues to deny it.

Elena is on the phone with Stefan discussing him being her escort for the Court and she apologizes for the late notice.  She tells him how her mom was really into all of the Founders Day Stuff and that she was even Miss Mystic Falls in her day.  As Stefan gets off the phone with her, he puts a bag of blood into a drawer and heads to the basement.  He opens a refrigerator filled with bags of blood.  Damon walks in, catching him with the door open, and calls him a liar and a thief.  Stefan offers some of the blood to Damon, who calls him a “closet blood junkie”.  Stefan tells him that things are under control and Damon tells him to keep a low profile.  He asks Stefan what Elena would think about the new version of him.  Stefan tells him that Elena doesn’t need to know anything yet.  Once again, he claims to be fine and tells Damon to back off.

We then see a series of the interviews of the girls selected for the Founders Court.  Caroline rattles off all of her accomplishments and Elena talks about how she’s been distracted this year.  Elena also mentions how important this was to her mother and talks about the legacy that she left her.

John arrives at the Salvatore house and talks to Damon, asking where they should start to look for vampires.  John tells him how he and Isobel share a mutual interest – an invention of Jonathon Gilbert’s that was stolen by a vampire.  John wants it back and tells Damon that he will keep his secret safe as long as he helps.  The vampire who took the invention was a woman named Pearl.  Damon refuses to play along any longer and tells John to get out because he has no idea where Katherine is. He tells John that if he knew where she was, he would know that Katherine and Pearl were best friends.  John threatens to expose Damon to the entire Council and Damon threatens to sever John’s hand and kill him.

Elena and Stefan are practicing a dance with other members of the Court and their escorts.  Elena makes a comment about Stefan’s good mood.  Caroline and Bonnie are heading toward the practice and Caroline is talking about her competition and odds of winning.  Caroline tells her that her grandmother and both of her aunts were Miss Mystic Falls.  Bonnie sees Elena and Stefan.  Stefan asks her how she’s doing and she gives him the silent treatment.  Bonnie and Elena leave for a moment to talk.  Bonnie tells her that she feels like Grams died for nothing and she blames Stefan and Damon for her death.  She tells Elena that she doesn’t want to force her to choose between her and Stefan.  Stefan happens to overhear all of this with his heightened hearing.

As Stefan leaves the school, a guy scrapes his knee playing basketball outside.  Stefan stops and looks with the sound of a heartbeat very prevalent.  Alaric approaches him and Stefan grabs him.

Alaric arrives at the Gilbert house to drive Elena and Jenna to the party.  Jenna tells John that Jeremy will ride with him.

Anna enters the Founders Hall for the party and is greeted by Damon.  She mentions how she was supposed to enter the contest in 1864.  Damon tells her that John thinks that Pearl stole something from Jonathon Gilbert and Anna says that she’ll ask her about it, asking why. Damon tells her that John Gilbert will make it impossible for them to stay in Mystic Falls otherwise.

As Jenna helps Elena get her hair and makeup done, they talk about Elena’s mom and how important this was to her.  Elena talks about how much things have changed and she would enjoy the experience more if her mom was still there.

John and Jeremy talk about all of the Founders Day events and being a Gilbert.  Jeremy asks him how much he knows about Jonathon Gilbert and mentions reading one of his journals.  John tells him that he’s read other ones and that he was pretty much a crazy madman.  Anna and Jeremy spot one another and Jeremy excuses himself as John comments that Anna is pretty.

Elena goes to put on her dress and finds Amber freaking out.  Amber goes out for some air, leaving Elena alone.  As Elena grabs her dress, she spots Damon in the mirror.  Damon tells her that they need to talk and he rats out Stefan for still drinking human blood, telling her about the stash in the basement.  He tells her that Stefan has no idea of normal and the blood is controlling him.  Stefan walks in on their conversation.

Jeremy walks up to Anna and ends up telling her that he wasn’t using her.  He also calls her out for using him to feed his blood to her mother in the tomb.  He tells her that he knows everything.

Elena and Stefan discuss his problem and she keeps saying that it’s her fault because she made him drink from her.  Stefan continues to deny that he has a problem.  He tells her that he was going to tell her and tells her that he’s fine.  She tells him that the blood is changing him and that everything is not fine.  Stefan continues to insist that he’s fine.  Mrs. Lockwood knocks and interrupts them because it’s time for the Court and escorts to line up.   Stefan is furious and heads to a bathroom where he smashes the sink.  Amber opens the door to find Stefan there, transformed.

The Court members are being introduced and Mrs. Lockwood asks Caroline and Elena where Amber is.  Neither of them know and Stefan is also missing.  Caroline tells Elena that Matt isn’t her escort because he couldn’t get out of work.  Elena tries to drop out of the running and Caroline won’t let her, telling her that it’s important because of her mother.

Anna tells Jeremy that he’s going to miss Elena’s introduction and he tells her that he doesn’t care.  He makes a comment about how Elena kept things from him about Vickie and he’s angry.  However, he is also glad because he doesn’t want to remember Vickie as someone who wanted to hurt him.  Anna confesses her feelings to Jeremy, telling him that she never wants to hurt him as John eavesdrops.

Stefan drags Amber out to his car in the parking lot and compels her before he begins rambling about what he’s doing and how he feels about everything.

Elena is introduced and Stefan still hasn’t shown up.  Damon steps in to be her escort as she descends the stairs.  They join the other members of the Court and Damon dances with her.

Stefan is still freaking out and Amber asks him if he wants to hurt her.  He tells her that he wants to kill her.  As he strokes the artery in her neck and talks about killing her, she asks what’s stopping him.  He tells her that there’s no going back if he does it.  He says that he just wants one taste and then bites her.

Carline and Elena wonder where Amber is as Mayor Lockwood prepares to announce the winner.  It turns out that Caroline is the new Miss Mystic Falls and she and Elena hug.

John is with Sheriff Forbes in the demolished bathroom upstairs and they notice that there is blood in the room.  She tells someone to get Damon Salvatore.

Stefan is still freaking out and Amber is still alive.  He asks her why she’s not afraid.  Amber tells him that he told her not to be.  He compels her to be afraid of him and to run.  She takes off screaming through the woods.

Damon tells Elena of the demolished bathroom and the blood and points out that Amber is missing.  They take off in search of Stefan and Amber.  Bonnie sees them leave and follows. Amber is running through the woods and Stefan catches her, telling her that he changed his mind.  Damon and Elena arrive in time to stop him from killing her.  Stefan attacks Damon and then Stefan grabs his head with both hands in pain.  Bonnie is looking right at him.  Stefan runs off while Elena looks absolutely horrified.

Amber is outside at an ambulance with Sheriff Forbes.  Sheriff Forbes tells Damon, Elena, and Bonnie that she’s fine and she doesn’t remember what happened.  Elena and Bonnie deny seeing what happened, stating that they found Amber and called for Damon.  Sheriff Forbes and Damon take over as Elena and Bonnie go back to the party.  Bonnie refuses to talk to Elena and tells her to leave her alone.

Anna and Jeremy are still talking and Jenna asks him if he’s ready to leave.  John asks Jenna who the girl with Jeremy is.  Jenna tells her that her name is Anna and that she and her mother, Pearl, are trying to buy Dr. Gilbert’s building.

Damon goes home and finds Anna and Pearl waiting for him.  Pearl gives Damon the item that she stole from Jonathon Gilbert, telling him that she doesn’t know what it’s supposed to do.  He asks her what the catch is and she tells him that there’s no catch.  She just wants to stay in Mystic Falls and that he can consider it an apology.

Stefan arrives home and starts to undress.  Elena is there and he tells her that she shouldn’t be there.  She tells him that the man in the woods wasn’t him.  He tells her that the blood brings out the monster and that is who he is.  He confesses to wanting to drain Amber.  Elena tells him that he can’t scare her away and takes the blame for things once again.  Stefan loses his temper and Elena tells him that she’s not going to give up on him and she believes in him.  Stefan tells her that he’s sorry and they hug.  Elena stabs him in the back with one of Alaric’s vervain darts.  Stefan drops to the floor and Damon walks in, asking if she’s sure that she wants “to do this”.  She tells him that she is.  We then see Stefan on the floor, propped against the wall in the basement as Damon locks him up.  As he is about to go back into the house, Damon tells Elena that there’s no guarantee that it will work.  He asks her if she’s coming with him and she tells him that she’s staying, taking a seat.  Damon takes a seat along with her.

While no big secrets were revealed in this episode, we did see some groundwork being set for some future drama.

Stefan’s addiction and behavior helps set the stage for Elena and Damon to grow closer as they try to help Stefan.  Can you say “love triangle”, boys and girls?

I wonder if Caroline’s ego will get in the way of things as she basks in the glory of beating out Elena for Miss Mystic Falls?

What do you think that Jonathon Gilbert’s invention does?

What did you think of Bonnie’s return?  I totally loved what she did to Stefan in the woods.  It was like Jane’s power…like a silent cruciatus curse.  I hate that things are so strained between her and Elena, though.

Do you think that Jeremy still wants to be changed even after learning what happened to Vickie?  What kind of fallout do you anticipate from him reading Elena’s diary last week?

What did you think of this episode?  Are there any other things that you want to discuss about it?  Join us in the forum and chat about it.