Hot&Cold: TVD‘s back! Are we happy with the premiere episode?

The Vampire Diaries returned Thursday night, and LOTS of stuff happened. Elena chose to be a vampire, Klaus is no longer in Tyler’s body, and a priest burned himself and his followers (?) in what everyone’s calling a cliffhanger. I’m not because I really have no idea what the hell happened. Can someone please explain? It was so cray-cray.

That said, there were several hot and cold moments in the premiere.

Hot: Basically, awesome Rebekah

• In the ranch:

What I loved the most about the scene between Stefan & Elena in the ranch wasn’t just how beautifully written the dialogue between, but it was also the constant concentration on Rebekah through that dialogue that got me.

At first, Rebekah wanted to see Elena die all over again when she doesn’t feed. She wanted to see her suffer, again, because, let’s face it, she hates her. And then she becomes this spectator to this heartwarming relationship that something within her changes. Klaus gave her up to save the woman he supposedly loves just left her there for read even though he claimed that he only did that because he knows Rebekah won’t die. And here she was seeing how Stefan stood to the guards and took a bullet for Elena. She listened as Stefan told Elena that he loved her and as Elena told Stefan that choosing him was the best decision she ever made and that the only reason she was on that bridge on that bridge in the first place was because she wanted to go be with him.

The envy within Rebekah somehow changed her and made her sympathetic to what Elena was going through. And even though she never actually said anything, you could see that transformation. And that was SO good.

• Finally standing up to Klaus:

“It’s always been me. Not Finn, not Elijah, not Kol — me. I loved you through everything and you didn’t even care.”

Rebekah has always been there for Klaus — more than anyone probably, and yet he has always ill-treated her. He always took her, and what did she for him, for granted. And he thought he could do that again after choosing Caroline over her. (That was so uncool.) But she wouldn’t allow it this time.

“You want your family? Here’s your family,” she said as she splattered his blood bags all over the room. (Before he choked her and told her she wasn’t his sister anymore.)

Kudos to Claire Holt. She really KILLED that scene; I keep replaying it.

Cold: All of that Bonnie non-sense

What was the point of Bonnie’s story-line in the episode except killing her grams — again? Wasn’t it brutal and heartbreaking the first time? Did we really need to see Bonnie die, then undie, and then watch her grams die all over again? And according to Plec, every time Bonnie uses dark magic, her grams will get hurt — probably die, again. I really don’t get why the writers want to break Bonnie’s heart all the time. Hasn’t she lost enough family because she put the interest of her friends first? She should be rewarded not punished.

I sincerely hope that what happened to grams changes Bonnie — even though I thought her mother’s death would change her and it didn’t. I hope she somehow learns to put herself first and stop being a scapegoat for everyone else.

Bonnie is probably the only character whose storyline revolves around OTHER people’s storylines: saving Elena, freeing Klaus from Tyler’s body. Remember how in last season’s finale she said she’s done being pushed around by everyone? Yeah. Talk is cheap.

Also, Caroline wasn’t mad at her at all for putting Klaus in Tyler’s body? Like really?

Hot: Badass Elena

Once again, I ask and the TVD writers deliver. In my “6 things I want to see next season on the The Vampire Diaries” post a few months ago, I asked for “Less ‘I Don’t Knows’ and More Badassness.” And as far the premiere episode is concerned, the show definitely delivered.

I may not be a fan of Elena’s decision, but I am a fan of the ways she handled things in the episode. She remembered that she met Damon first and that he told her he loved her, but that didn’t make her go “I don’t know what anymore.” On the contrary, she told Stefan that choosing him was the best decision she ever made. (By the way, that scene is now one of my all time favorite scenes from the show. Everything about it was perfection. “I’m smiling.” Brilliant writing.)

Moreover, Elena’s vampirism transformed her from a whiny needy chick to an utter badass. Starting with her breaking the light-bulb to her bearing her fangs at Damon when he attacked Matt. She’s no longer waiting for her loved ones to defend her, she‘s now defending her loved ones.

I know it’s too early to judge Elena’s transformation. And it’s too early to say that she’s become a stronger, more self-assured person. But I have faith. I really do.

HOT: Damon sweeping us off our feet with this:

Elena: “If it’d been you at the bridge last night and not Stefan and I begged you to save Matt…”

Damon: “I’d save YOU. In a heartbeat. No question.”

Elena: “That’s what I thought. And Matt would be dead because you couldn’t let go. Matt would be DEAD.”

Damon: “But you wouldn’t be! And you would have gotten to grow up and have the life that you wanted, the life that you deserved. I know I didn’t use to get that get that before but I do now. And I wanted that for you, Elena. And I would have gladly have given to you and watched Matt die because I am that selfish. But you knew that already. First night that we met is not all you remember”

What were your Hot&Cold moments from the episode?

As always, thank you Tumblr for the photos.