The last season of The Vampire Diaries introduced werewolves to the supernatural mix in Mystic Falls. Apparently, the werewolves are enemies of the vampires and the bite of a werewolf will kill a vampire. Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) was bitten, which sealed his death except that apparently Klaus’s (Joseph Morgan) blood is the one thing that will heal a vampire. Klaus saved Damon’s life and in return, his brother Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), has to be Klaus’s servant. This season starts with Stefan beholden to Klaus looking for a werewolf. Klaus wants to turn all the werewolves into hybrids like him. He thinks that he has broken the original witch’s curse, when he killed Elena (Nina Dobrev), the doppleganger, so his hybrids will now survive and he won’t be alone. It won’t take long for him to figure out though that Elena is still alive, which is why his hybrids aren’t dying. What he does figure out though is that Elena’s blood is the key to creating more hybrids, which means that he wants her alive, so he decides to move to Mystic Falls as well. Of course, Klaus isn’t a very good guy, so he breaks Stefan’s humanity and sends it totally into remission.

If you’re looking forward to a season of Stefan and Elena declaring their never-ending love for each other, then you’ll be disappointed. Their relationship is completely on the rocks since Stefan has lost his humanity and Damon is right there to take his place. Damon is still in love with Elena as well and he isn’t going to hide it. Personally, I think she’s crazy not to go for Damon and just let Stefan go, but that’s just how love is, I guess.

When he finds out that Elena is still alive, he is furious, but decides to take another route. To force Bonnie (Kat Graham) to help him, he turns Tyler (Michael Trevino) into a hybrid. Unless Bonnie wants Tyler to die, she has to figure out how to make sure Klaus’s hybrids don’t die. Tyler is the first to be given Elena’s blood, turning him into a hybrid. This means that he doesn’t have to chain himself up at the full moon, but unfortunately he is sired to Klaus. He can’t break Klaus’s hold and does anything he tells him. That’s really going to be a problem for his relationship with Caroline (Candice Accola). I love how Caroline has grown up. She’s gone from a very self-centered person to a truly giving vampire. A bit strange transition, but it works! She and Tyler have a peculiar relationship, but they really love each other, so Tyler will do whatever he can to break Klaus’s hold over him.

Klaus and his family are going to be a problem this season. They keep popping up like rats. First, we meet Rebekah (Claire Holt), his sister. Flashbacks to the past are interesting. It’s quite neat to see Stefan as a truly blood-thirsty killer. Apparently Stefan and Klaus were friends back in Chicago during prohibition. If only Stefan hadn’t blocked out so much of the past, maybe he would know more about Klaus and his previous relationship with Rebekah. The rest of the family, other than Mikael (Sebastian Roche), are in coffins that he carries around with him. Stefan starts a war with Klaus by stealing Klaus’s family; he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process, not even if it is Elena or Damon. His humanity is totally gone. You’ll get to meet them all though, rest assured. They are the original family after all, so they won’t stay gone long!

Bonnie returns not long into the season and it’s a good thing because they need her powers. She’ll have a tough year though. She will be reunited with her mother, but no one could predict how that would end up. Vicki (Kayla Ewell) convinces her brother Matt (Zach Roerig) to do a ceremony that will bring her back. She’ll be allowed to come and go as she pleases, but at what cost? In getting rid of Vicki’s ghost, it seems like Bonnie broke something as other ghosts can now come back and even interact with people (and vampires). For some, this is a very bad thing but this is the perfect time for Lexi (Arielle Kebbel) to come back and help Stefan find himself.

As has been true in the previous seasons, some will die at the end of the season. This time though, it’s someone quite important and it’s really going to change the series from here on out. I can’t wait to see what they do with this in The Vampire Diaries Season Four!

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season contains both the Blu-ray and DVD discs and a code for UltraViolet sreaming and download as well. The DVD discs have some of the special features, but to watch them all you’re going to want to find a way to play the Blu-ray discs. Otherwise, you won’t be able to see "the Producer’s Pages" or "Favorite Scenes." I think that my favorite feature is on the DVDs as well. I just really like the "Gag Reel." Of course, if you have the option, you should watch the whole series in Blu-ray. I went back and forth between Blu-ray and DVD depending on where I was and there is a huge difference in the quality, both the picture and audio. DVD just can’t compare to Blu-ray in this series. If you’re a fan of the series or just vampires in general, you’re going to want The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season today!