Switching Salvatores? In this week’s episode, Disturbing Behavior, Elena gets one step closer to admitting that she has feelings for Damon, our favorite trio of best friends is reunited, and we get a highly unexpected dose of doppleganger hijinks.

While Stefan’s living the high life with his new BFF Klaus and his equally-Original sister Rebekah in Chicago, Elena’s at home trying to “pretend that she didn’t spend all summer looking for someone who didn’t want to be found.” She and Damon are in the kitchen cooking chili for yet another Lockwood party when we get to see a little fun, flirtatious banter between the two. If anyone can bring out Elena’s fun side, it’s Damon, and I don’t think she’s laughed all summer so, hey writers? Can we get some more of that please? It’s great to see Elena relax and smile, even if she is still “in denial” about Stefan.

Thankfully Elena has her two best friends to lean on again now that Bonnie’s back. The trio is reunited with smiles and hugs all around, but right when everything seems to be great, Elena’s necklace, which we now know is Rebekah’s necklace, mysteriously burns her. Turns out that Klaus’s witch Gloria is trying to locate it. Oh boy, this can’t end well.

Back in Chicago, Gloria decides to torture Stefan with some old-school voodoo in order to get the information she needs about the necklace. Gah, poor Stefan! It’s so horrible to see him being tortured, but I have to say that I love the heartbreaking montage of his and Elena’s relationship that’s shown here. Even though Stefan is “bad” now he refuses to give up information about Elena, even when he’s being burned with vervain, showing how much he still loves her despite his new lifestyle.

“Well this is creepy.” Katherine to the rescue! Our favorite bad-ass vamp pulls one of her famous appearing-out-of-nowhere acts and kills Gloria, effectively saving Stefan from “hail to the high voodoo priestess.” Go Katherine! While they’re cleaning up the evidence, Katherine attempts to worm her way into Stefan’s diabolical plan concerning Klaus and their banter here is absolutely priceless, I love how their relationship has progressed.

On a more serious note, Damon and Elena have a pretty big fight towards the close of the episode. After attacking Caroline’s dad and fighting Caroline, Damon is not in the mood to be chided by Elena. She wants him to stop acting like a monster, which is definitely understandable, but Damon makes a great point. He’s not Stefan and Elena should stop trying to change him. And I must admit, it was nice to see Damon’s bad side again! After all, he is supposed to be the “bad” brother.

Caroline rocks in this episode! She’s so blunt and straightforward, and she finally gets Elena to admit that she’s attracted to Damon. She doesn’t come right out and say it, but the meaning is pretty clear. Elena feels guilty for being attracted to Damon, and she doesn’t want to let herself admit it because what does that say about her? In the words of Caroline, it says that she’s human. I think this episode was a turning point for Elena and Damon. She finally realized that she needs to stop trying change him, so maybe things will progress between the two of them. But this is The Vampire Diaries, the show that changes in an instant, so who knows?

And in a turn of events that took me completely off guard, the doppleganger hijinks are back! Katherine pretends to be Elena in order to get Elena’s necklace, the one that everyone seems to be so desperately searching for, back from Bonnie. With the necklace in hand, Katherine shows up at the Salvatore mansion looking for a partner in crime and convinces the cooped-up Damon to take a little road trip with her. Hmmm, I bet this will be interesting. I wonder what her plan is?

Other thoughts on Disturbing Behavior:

• I’m happy to see that Bonnie’s back, but I wonder how she’s going to feel about her boyfriend seeing the ghosts of his dead ex-girlfriends?
• Alaric sure was acting all big and bad this episode. From getting up in Damon’s face to demanding a position on the council. I wonder what’s up with him?
• Tyler and Caroline really are sweet together, I hope everything works out for them!
• Speaking of Caroline, she kicked some serious butt this episode! I loved watching her beat the crap out of Damon!
• Well it’s nice to know that apparently it IS possible for humans to build up their tolerance to compulsion and eventually become immune to it, like Caroline’s father. Start practicing Elena!
• Stefan and Klaus are back in Mystic Falls!! I have a feeling that next week’s episode is going to be very, very interesting.