We’re only days away from the return of The Vampire Diaires, and the first ten episodes could easily define the phrase “the plot thickens.”  Regular cast members are killed off; new threads of intrigue—witches, Founders Council, raising the undead, werewolves—spring from every corner of Mystic Falls; and The CW has spared no expense in bolstering the strong cast of its award-winning hit.  With Thursday’s fresh installment, you’ll begin to see several of these guest stars (l-r) woven into the compelling mythology:

The O.C.  ice queen debuts as the boozy, absentee mother of Matt.  She’ll be around for at least three episodes (hopefully longer!), and we wonder if she’ll even notice daughter Vicki is missing.

NE Ohio’s favorite will play Ben, a jock-turned-bartender…and you just know he and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) are gonna clash.  An actor of his stature isn’t brought aboard for background scenery.

Meet Isobel, the supposedly-dead wife of vampire slayer Alaric Saltzman.  Question is, why do we suspect Izzie isn’t quite so dead?  Cable viewers know Mia from The L Word; and in an odd coincidence, she and Paul Wesley (Stefan) were werewolf siblings in the short-lived Wolf Lake.

Yes, Dexter’s daddy is also the proud papa of two vampires.  Guiseppe Salvatore is one of the town’s founding fathers…and wait’ll you see what he knows about Katherine! 

More 1864 backstory is coming soon, and that’s where apothecary “Pearl” has a testy vervain showdown with a familiar vampire couple.  Would you be surprised to learn her descendants are still snooping around Mystic Falls?  Fun fact:  Kelly was cast in The WB’s 2004 pilot remake of Dark Shadows.

Okay, this dude’s got a chip on his shoulder.  Seems he was Lexi’s boyfriend and isn’t too thrilled that Damon dusted his 350-year-old hottie.  (Did you know Brandon played a werewolf for three seasons of Big Wolf on Campus?) 

We know that newcomer “Noah” is obsessed with Elena, which perturbs Stefan, of course.  But our ‘Spidey senses’ are tingling—there’s another agenda at work here…and it’s gonna be good.

She plays the Big Bad so well, but Damon believes his decades-old fling can whip up a spell to free those vampires entombed beneath the ruins of Fell’s Church.  Look for her and Brandon Thursday night.

Speaking of those vamps trapped with Katherine, this guy’s one of ‘em.  And the fact that he’s slated for at least four episodes seemingly bodes well for a little homecoming.  Cryptastic, eh?  Back in the Civil War, “Harper” was a Union soldier.  Damon…Confederate.

Jeremy’s on the rebound, and this Disney favorite has the look he wants…as well as some startling theories about the supernatural antics in Mystic Falls.  Think she’s got ties to Pearl?

Welcome home, Mr. Forbes.  Caroline has taken verbal swipes at her wayward father, and we certainly hope his arrival doesn’t spell danger for the none-too-sharp sheriff. 

Katharine’s handmaiden, Emily, will be back!  Earlier this season, Damon watched in horror as Emily inhabited the body of her great, great, great, great-granddaughter, Bonnie, destroying his plan to unseal the tomb.  Fanboys recall Bianca’s short stint as “Kendra,” the vampire slayer called into duty when Buffy briefly died in Season 1.

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