"Lost Girls"
These two hunky vampire brothers weren't always at odds, so what came between them? A girl, obviously! In this important episode, we get a glimpse into the Salvatore brothers' (Paul Wesley & Ian Somerhalder) past and learn how they both fell for Katherine (Nina Dobrev). Awww.
"Children of the Damned"
Want to know more about Katherine the temptress? "Children of the Damned" reveals some awesome insight into how the vampires of Mystic Falls came to be and how Katherine won the hearts of both Damon and Stefan. Looks like history really does repeat itself!
"Miss Mystic Falls"
Elena (Nina Dobrev) is escorted by a steamy vamp to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. It's gotta be her BF Stefan, right? Wrong! Shockingly, it turns out to be Damon—and the battle between these brothers suddenly becomes much more interesting than Caroline (Candice Accola) winning the title of Miss Mystic Falls.
"Isobel"
Surprise! Elena's real mother, Isobel (Mia Kirshner), returns to Mystic Falls for a quick visit with her daughter and ex-husband Alaric. P.S.: Turns out she's a vampire—bet you didn't see that coming. Oh, and the person responsible for turning her into a vamp? Damon!
"Founders Day"
OMG, Damon is almost killed in the season-one finale, "Founder's Day," by John Gilbert (David Anders). And Elena has something to say to her dad—that's right, John is her real father—about him trying to kill one of her admirers. As if that wasn't enough action for one finale, Katherine finally makes her highly anticipated return to Mystic Falls.
"The Return"
Dog fight! Or would wolf fight be more accurate? Tyler (Michael Trevino) has a visitor in the beginning of season two: his uncle Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney), who is—wait for it—a werewolf! The two struggle after Mason reveals that Tyler's father has the werewolf gene, which means Tyler has the potential the become one should he activate the curse.
"Brave New World"
There's a new lady vamp on the block when Katherine turns none other than former Homecoming Queen Caroline into a bloodsucker. And this newbie turns out be a total badass. Seriously, can we keep her forever?
"Plan B"
Sadly, Damon decides to kill one of the ripped werewolves in this ep...by ripping out their heart. Yep, he offs Mason, who was so hot it actually hurt to look at him. Maybe D. was jealous from all the attention that Mason was getting?!
"Rose"
Yikes! Elena is kidnapped and brought to an Original vampire, Elijah (Daniel Gillies), who wants the doppelgänger just like everyone else. While Elijah was only supposed to stick around for two or three episodes, fans loved him so much the show decided to keep him around...and kill him four times. Don't worry, he always comes back.
"The Dinner Party"
Damon isn't the only Salvatore who's naughty. That's right, Stefan tells Elena all about his past as the Ripper and how he finally became the sweetheart we all know and love.
"Klaus"
Big, bad Klaus (Joseph Morgan). The greatest villain The Vampire Diaries has seen shows up and we learn about his obsession with the doppelgänger and his intent with Elena—and it's not good. And guess who he's related to? Fellow Original Elijah. What is it with this show and hot vampire brothers?
"The Sun Also Rises"
More Originals means more death and destruction. Elena and her aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) are not only taken, but they are sacrificed! Here's a secret: Elena comes back to life with the help of her witchy BFF Bonnie (Kat Graham) and John, who dies so that she can live.
"The Birthday "
At the end of season two, we finally see who Stefan loves most, and it isn't Elena. It's his big bro, duh. When Damon is bitten by a werewolf (which is deadly) Stefan sacrifices himself and becomes Klaus' personal henchman. Season three starts by taking a dark turn—cue mean, angry and violent Stefan. Spoiler alert: He's awesome.
"The Hybrid"
Mystic Falls has witches, werewolves and vampires but they are missing one thing—ghosts. And not just any ghosts, the ghosts of girlfriends past are haunting Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). We know what you're thinking, is Jeremy ever going to find love?
"The End of the Affair"
As time goes by and Stefan becomes his old "Ripper" self, we discover that Klaus used to be not only his closest friend, but his replacement brother for Damon. All together now: aw! In this ep, we learn Stefan fell for Klaus' sister Rebekah (Claire Holt) while they were on the run. Another girl who loves Stefan—shocker. Too bad Klaus compelled Stefan to forget everything.
"The Reckoning"
Daddy's home! Klaus' father, Mikael (Sebastian Roche), the only vampire who actually hunts vampires, is awakened. The story goes that his father hunted him for thousands of years but won't say why. Our money is on the fact that Klaus killed his mother and is not actually Mikael's son—uh-oh.
"Ordinary People"
In this episode, we get a better picture of how the Original family became vampires and it's pretty unbelievable. Hint: Their mom was a powerful witch who cast a spell and made them vampires!
"The New Deal"
With Stefan away, Damon and Elena play. This ep makes us love Damon even more, but what we didn't see coming? His kiss with Elena! Yes, the moment Delena fans have anxiously awaited for three seasons finally happened, making the show's integral love triangle more complicated and delicious than ever.
"Dangerous Liaisons"
Prepare yourself, because Klaus' mysterious fourth coffin is finally opened. So what's inside? His mother! Plus, we finally get to meet the whole family and, yes, they are all as good-looking as Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah.
"Dangerous Liaisons"
Looks like trouble. When Damon's concern for Elena gets in the way of her mission, she lashes out, telling him that his love for her is a problem. To say Damon doesn't handle the rejection well is a bit of an understatement: he winds up sleeping with Rebekah, who tried to kill Elena earlier in the episode, in retaliation. Gah!
"All My Children"
Damon is getting mad, and the madder his gets, the more attractive he is! Too bad Elena is about to be taken hostage by the girl he just slept with.