Despite my aversion to anything remotely linked, in either time or culture, to Twilight, I have been sucked into this incredible show, which has absolutely no relation, in either similarity or execution, to the aforementioned tween abomination.

During the most recent installment, an original vampire seeks to break a thousand year old curse that limits his power. As the looming big bad of the season, he has quickly shown up, masterfully executed his plan, and has all three beings necessary to break said curse. And each of them must be sacrificed violently in order to break the curse and, coincidentally, make him briefly vulnerable enough to be killed by either a) a witch channeling all the power of her ancestors (this act will also kill said witch) or b) by the original's brother, a slightly less powerful (but far superior to most others) vampire who wants revenge for the rest of their original vampire family (previously murdered by the big bad for no stated reason).

And that's the premise, folks. Not the episode itself.

For those who don't watch, the show is run by Kevin Williamson - previously of Scream and Dawson's Creek fame. The writing moves at a break-neck speed, the acting rarely hits a false note, and the ripping out of hearts happens pretty much three times an episode. Everyone is a target, no one is safe from a curse or a being turned into a vampire or just plain bloody death, and what romance there is works whenever it is portrayed.

If you watched this episode, did you love it as much as I did?

If you didn't, check the series out. It's different than every other thing on TV right now, in my opinion.