Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Kat Graham, Zach Roerig, Candice Accola, Michael Trevino

Writers: Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, Sonny Postiglione, series created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on characters created in L.J. Smith’s THE VAMPIRE DIARIES novels

Director: Kellie Cyrus

Network: The CW, Thursdays @ 8 PM

Original Airdate: October 31, 2013 (Season 5 – Episode 5)

What a perfect night for THE VAMPIRE DIARIES to be on…Halloween and to show an episode called “Monster’s Ball,” where they get to dress up as someone from history and attend a society ball.

The episode starts with Dr. Wes Maxfield (Rick Cosnett) still having Jesse (Kendrick Sampson) tied to the table and he is waking him up letting him smell a petri dish of blood. Jesse keeps saying I am so hungry, but Dr. Maxfield knows better then to give him any of the blood! He is taking note of the changes…his teeth changing. He tells Jesse you are the perfect candidate. Jesse has not a clue what is happening to him. He asks him, “perfect candidate for what?” Of course Dr. Maxfield doesn’t answer and leaves the room. I haven’t actually figure out where Jesse is being held, if it’s in the University, why doesn’t he yell out for someone to save him or is this room hidden somewhere in the school.

Elena (Nina Dobrev) has returned to college, sitting on a bench crying, she tells herself “I know Bonnie (Kat Graham) is watching over me.” She misses her best friend so much. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) stops by the school to tell her that he will go to The Whitmore Historical Ball with her that night and they decide to go as Bonnie and Clyde.

As Elena is walking across the campus, she sees a guy looking at the picture of Megan (Hayley Kiyoko), her former roommate. She asks who he is, but he won’t tell her his name. He doesn’t believe that she killed herself. She then asks how did you know her? He replies “we grew up together” and he walks away.

Caroline (Candice Accola) and Tyler (Michael Trevino) are in the meantime making up for lost time in bed. Caroline is so glad that he is at school and going to major in sociology, and that they will be together all the time. Later on in the episode you find out that is not the case, but I’m jumping ahead here of the story.

Silas (Paul Wesley) still wants Katherine (Nina Dobrev). He calls Nadia (Olga Fonda) wanting her to turn over Katherine and tells her that he’s learned how to track using a cell phone. Come on Nadia, turn off locations and Silas will not be able to find you! Katherine goes let him come over and have a sip, but that is not the case Nadia tells her, “he needs every last drop of blood to cure himself of immortality.” Katherine doesn’t like that idea at all. She really doesn’t want to die.

Damon decides that the only way for them to get Bonnie back is to work with Silas. Silas was a witch and if he dies a witch he will be stuck on the other side. Bonnie does not like the idea. As Damon is speaking to Bonnie through Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) asking her if it is possible for Silas to swap himself for Bonnie. She is adamant that this not a good idea as Silas is ruthless, but Jeremy lies and tells Damon “She’s in!”

Damon meets up with Silas at the Grille. Silas tells Damon what he wants…he wants Damon to kill his brother. You know that will never happen that he kills his brother and that Stefan would never come back…that would be the end of the show!

The interesting part of the episode was learning a bit more about Katherine and Nadia and was something that you never would of figured out. Katherine and Nadia are at a restaurant having breakfast and Nadia tells Katherine she’ll let her go in exchange for some answers. In 1645, Her mother Lilia Toma took Katherine in, but when Klaus’ minions came for her, she said that Lilia was Katherine and they took her away. At this point she realizes that Nadia is never going to let her go. As they are leaving Katherine grabs a man’s cane, breaks it and stakes Nadia and runs. There’s another facet to Nadia, not only is she a Traveler, but she turned herself into a vampire so she could track Katherine.

At the Whitmore Ball, Stefan dressed as James Dean, Elena as Anne Boleyn, and Damon as King Henry XIII and Tessa(Janina Gavankar) shows up dressed as Cleopatra; Tessa is there to look for her pendant, which is in one of the Whitmore displays. This pendant will increase her power so she can do a locator spell to find the mystical anchor, which is what Silas is looking for too.

Stefan and Caroline are dancing. Damon knows something is bothering Elena. She is feeling guilty about not realizing Bonnie was dead and spending a great summer with him. She’s determined to make-up for it by figuring out what really happen to Megan. Seeing Megan’s friend she goes over to talk to him. She compels him to answer some questions. He tells her his name is Aaron (Shaun Sipos) and learns that everyone around him dies. At that point she compels him to remember nothing that she just asked.

Tessa is talking to Stefan, but he does not remember her. At that point Damon pulls him away and they go to another room where Damon snaps his brothers neck. Silas puts on Stefan’s costume and daylight ring and explains to Damon that killing Stefan severed their psychic connection, and he got his powers back. Silas returns to the ballroom to read Tessa mind to find out where the anchor is. All Damon has to do is keep Stefan dead. Silas believes that a woman never forgets her first love, no matter how badly it ended.  Silas is stuck in the old times, where woman were thought of as being subservient!

Joining Tessa at the bar he starts to flirt with her. On the dance floor Silas reveals himself to Tessa and ask her where the anchor is. She has no idea as the Travelers keep moving it. Silas doesn’t like that.

Stefan comes back alive and Silas feels that he is awake and loses his powers. Damon snaps his neck again so Silas has more time to find out. Meanwhile, Caroline and Tyler are dancing and Caroline suggests to Tyler that they should get out of there and talk about what he has been trying to tell her. Tyler walks away and leaves Caroline on the dance floor.

Katherine finds Nadia in an alley and asks her why she made up the story of her mother…Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) minions wouldn’t of mistaken anyone for her. Nadia admits it was a test, but tells her you did really kill my mother in 1492 in a cottage in England, where she had been exiled by her family. She put her neck in a noose and stepped off a chair. The story is very familiar to Katherine, who recognizes it as the story of how she turned. Katherine demands that Nadia tell her who she is. Big surprise! She’s Nadia Petrova and Katherine is her mother!

Back at the ball, Elena and Dr. Maxfield are dancing. He tells Elena he thinks a vampire hunted Megan down and killed her. Elena asks him what he knows about vampires. He tells her “there are people watching you and your friends. You need to drop out of college and return to Mystic Falls.”

Caroline finds Tyler drinking alone. He tells her he can’t do the college thing. He still hasn’t gotten over the fact that Klaus killed his mother and got away with it. He wants to find a way to destroy Klaus’ life like he destroyed his and the only reason they are together is that Klaus gave them permission and he can’t do it. Caroline tells Tyler, “You sound just like him.” While Tyler is packing to leave Caroline pleads with him to stay, and with tears says, “Just love me more than you hate him.” Tyler says he can’t and she tells him if he walks away, they’re really done. Will Tyler show up in New Orleans and cause havoc for Klaus…we shall see!

Tessa finally finds the ambulant and Silas walks in the room. Just as he is about to use his powers to read her mind to locate the anchor Stefan wakes, faking still out he then snaps Damon neck before Damon can snap his again. Once again Silas loses his powers. At this point Stefan walks in the room where Silas and Tessa are and knocks Silas out. Tessa is confused. Stefan takes his daylight ring back and tells he was working with Damon. Stefan leaves Silas with Tessa who reaches into his chest and wrings the blood from his heart, freezing him in place.

Back at Damon and Stefan’s house, Elena and them are looking at the frozen Silas on the couch. There’s a knock at the door, which Damon is expecting and it’s Katherine. She gets very excited to see Silas’ body. That is until she realizes what Damon is planning. He bites her neck. She is pleading with him to stop, saying she doesn’t want to die. “Good-bye Katherine” he says and he holds her open neck to Silas and watches as he slowly comes back to life. This is the only way to bring Bonnie back is to trade his life for her. If the cure works and he becomes a witch it should work.

Katherine opens her eyes and Elena goes “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I love the one-liners they always give Damon to say, “Takes a licking, keeps on ticking!” Katherine asks, “Am I in hell?”

Another twist to this episode was the fact that Dr. Maxfield is the guardian of Aaron. He manages Aaron trust and he warns Aaron to stay away from Elena.

I really like this season more and more. Each episode leaves you with more answers and more questions.

Related: TV Review: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Season 5 – “From Whom the Bell Tolls”

Related: TV Review: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Season 5 – “True Lies”

Related: TV Review: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Season 5 – “Original Sin”

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Article: TV Review: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Season 5 – “Monster’s Ball”

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