Alaric is back! Alaric is back! Obviously the best way to start episode three of Vampire Diaries is to return one of the hottest characters so far (second only to Damon Salvatore). But sadly, the focus of Bad Moon Rising wasn’t Alaric, but them long-awaited Lockwood werewolves.

We start with Alaric informing Damon, Elena, and Stefan of Isobel’s research. Isobel had researched folklore, so Alaric brought up the possibility of the Lockwoods being werewolves. What I found hilarious was how quick the Salvatore brothers were to dismiss the notion. “Werewolves? No way.” Come on, you guys are vampires. Damon asks Alaric, “If they exist, where are they?” Cut to Tyler and Mason Lockwood being all suspicious-like in the old Lockwood Manor. Real subtle, guys.

Insert Matt ringing Caroline’s doorbell wanting to take her to some pool party. Poor newly-made vamp still doesn’t have a ring for the sun, so we Caroline all sad-like as she ignores him. Btdubs, she’s sporting some gothlicious eye makeup now, very dark. Meanwhile, Elena, Damon, and Alaric make off for Duke University to find more information about the so-not-possible werewolves as Stefan stays home to babysit Caroline. But first, he has to get her a stay out in the sun ring, so he goes to my not-so-favorite person, Bonnie. Bonnie’s reluctant at first because she doesn’t trust her former-BFF. Oh, cut the good Samaritan act, what happened to biffle loyalty?

Meanwhile, Damon and the crew make it to Isobel’s research center at Duke and meet Vanessa. What started out all hello, how are you soon turned into an arrow aimed at Elena, oh my god. Damon took the blow for her (see? he’s such a good guy) and a cute little banter ensued. Vanessa said she freaked out when she saw Katherine Pierce and Damon Salvatore in the flesh, so who can blame her? (Speaking of which, I’m getting really antsy not seeing Katherine in any of these scenes.)

Stefan takes Caroline animal-blood hunting in the forest and we basically have a good five minutes of her doing what does best — b*tching about her life. Yeah, thank the turning-into-a-vampire-amplifies-human-characteristics part of changing. Afterwards, Stefan and Caroline go to the beach party and not only do we find out it’s a full moon that night, but that Uncle Mason wants everyone out of the old Lockwood property by dark. Wonder why.

Through Isobel’s research, we learn that werewolves and vampires are sworn enemies (so not a surprise) and the whole duality of the sun/moon and vampires/werewolves was pretty cool. The bite of a werewolf is fatal to vampires, and so they’ve been pretty much hunted to extinction the past couple of decades. But before that, cue Mason Lockwood locking himself up in the old ruins, Tyler being a total bummer and ruining Mason locking himself up by bringing a girl to the ruins, and Caroline and Matt running off into the woods for some romantic rendezvous. Mason ends up in a not so secure car, and due to Stefan’s poking around, we now have a wolf on the loose.

Matt and Caroline are in the forest and go from face-sucking to neck-sucking. Good job Forbes, have you no sense of self-control whatsoever? Stefan comes to drag Caroline away, but Mason the werewolf soon came and almost made a midnight snack of Caroline. Tyler happened to be there to witness everything, and surprisingly after his “No!” Mason disappeared. Caroline compels Matt to blame everything on an animal (but still manages to kill that relationship), and Tyler finally figures it out. Durf, cute boy.

Alaric and Aunt Jenna kiss and make up (squee), but some not so happy tidings are going on outside the house. Damon basically bares his heart out to Elena asking for friendship, and that idiot of a woman rejects it (this is the part where I tear my hair out screaming at the screen). Last five seconds, Katherine appears again. Oh boy.

I guess now the standard is curly-haired Nina Dobrev equals Katherine and straight-haired Nina Dobrev equals Elena. Well that’s convenient.