Okay, vamp fans! Here's the deal: Yes, we've watched "The New Deal" -- Thursday's mid-season premiere of "The Vampire Diaries." And yes, The CW has us on lockdown with some very specific details we're not allowed to reveal to you. Juicy ones.
But don't worry; we won't leave you hanging completely. Here are five things you can look forward to (and/or dread) in Thursday's episode.
1. Klaus (Joseph Morgan) has a domestic side. We're almost nervous to admit it, but our big bad wolf has become one of the most complex characters on television right now. The way that his vulnerability and villainy tangle up together is fascinating to watch. With his father out of the picture, Klaus has big plans to reunite his remaining family members -- complete with a dream house in the town where they last loved each other as humans. It's poetic, really.
2. Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) spirals out of control. We're talking old school Jeremy, minus the nail polish. He's flunking out of school, he got fired from his job... and things go from bad to worse when he starts hanging out with Tyler (Michael Trevino) again. Elena (Nina Dobrev) tries to intervene, but when she sees Jeremy in a gruesome confrontation with a hybrid, it becomes pretty clear that he's on the verge of losing any chance at happiness.
3. The romantic tension between Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena gets even more epic. The connection between them now runs deeper than the whole lusty, let's-stand-a-little-too-close-together-and-stare-at-each-other's-mouths thing that they've been doing for the last two years. While their loyalty to Stefan (Paul Wesley) may be threadbare at this point, it is there -- particularly once Damon learns that Stefan only saved Klaus to spare Damon. Delena has a dilemma, y'all! Before the hour is over, one of them is going to make a major decision that has to do with their relationship and their relationship with Stefan.
4. A little clarity. We'll find out much more about siring and what it means to Tyler that Klaus is his sire -- he'll even explain the key differences between compulsion and siring. (Sort of. Let's just say the line is a little blurry.) Tyler's loyalty is tested several times in the episode... and as far as Elena and Alaric (Matt Davis) are concerned, he definitely fails some of the tests. We're not sure this bodes well for his relationship with Caroline (Candice Accola), who isn't in this episode.
5. Say goodbye. One of our favorite characters is saying goodbye to Mystic Falls -- possibly forever, in a scene that totally made us cry, and is making us cry again right now, just writing about it. (We know there are rumors out there that Damon does something unpleasant to force the character out of town -- this isn't the case, Damon fans. Your boy is a true gentleman in this episode.)
After a long break, this episode is well worth the wait. Make sure you're in front of your TV on January 5 at 8:00 p.m. EST -- and West Coasters, you stay off Twitter! Just trust us that you won't want to be spoiled for this one.
