full size Anna Looks at Jeremy in The Vampire Diaries Season 3, Episode 7: “Ghost World”
Credit: Bob Mahoney/The CW
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Anna Looks at Jeremy in The Vampire Diaries Season 3, Episode 7: “Ghost World”

We love those moments on The Vampire Diaries that make us gasp, pause, and rewind — and Season 3, Episode 7, “Ghost World,” was chock full of them. Here are the five scenes that left our jaws agape.

5. Damon gets a deep tan.
“Whatever twisted Ripper game this is, leave me out of it,” Damon says when he finds himself chained to a chair in his living room with his daywalker ring resting on the table beside him. Tyler’s Uncle Mason scowls at Damon from the corner. And the rays slipping through curtains remind us that, to a vampire, there’s nothing more deadly than the sunrise. “I didn’t do this,” Stefan replies. And, funny thing is, Stef doesn’t seem to see Mason in the corner. Oh, snap. This resurrected hottie’s a ghost? Survey says, “Yes!” Then Stefan loosens his brother’s chains and walks out of the room without so much as a nod in the werewolf’s direction. The second Stefan leaves, Mason rips open the curtains and watches with a sly grin as Damon’s pretty, pretty face sizzles in the sunlight.

4. Grams returns
It seems like once a week, Bonnie ends up in a circle of candles, chanting the hell out of some spell. This week is no different. But this time Caroline is with her, kind of freaking out. “Bonnie, I don’t like this,” the blonde vampire says, nervously looking around the basement where 100 witches burned to death and where Bonnie resurrected Jeremy. Hands outstretched, eyes closed, the witch works her magic as a mysterious breeze whips through the cobwebs. Suddenly, the room falls quiet. Puzzlement replaces Caroline’s look of fear: “Oh my God, is that your…” “Grams?” Bonnie finishes. Yes, it is. Mrs. Sheila takes her granddaughter’s hands: Help has arrived.

3. Jeremy makes a true confession
At the crime scene that is the Illumination Night festival, Elena confronts Jeremy about Anna and the necklace. She tells him he needs to get it back so they can destroy it and send the ghosts packing. Lil’ Jer looks pained. “I can touch her, Elena,” he says, referring to his dead vampire ex. “I can kiss her again. And I know it’s wrong. And I know that I shouldn’t feel this way but I do. I love her. I’ve always loved her.” Oh, the L-word is such a dangerous thing.

Jeremy’s big sis is not sympathetic. “But it’s not real,” she replies. “She’s dead. Gone. Everything that you’re holding onto is in the past, Jer. Are you going to love a ghost for the rest of your life?” Then Anna materializes; Elena turns on the dead vamp. “You’re holding him back,” she says. And we’ve gotta admit: It’s true. But it’s also sad. And a little ironic. We kept wishing wounded Jer would buck up and ask E about that undead boyfriend of hers.

2. Lexi forces Stefan to quit cold-turkey
The ghost of Stefan’s dead BFF comes back with a mission — to get him off the junk. Lexi wastes no time in knocking Stefan out, locking him up, and calling in his human girlfriend in for a little “Ripper Detox 101.” Once they are alone in one of the many dungeons beneath Mystic Falls,  Lexi gives Stef the stink eye of all stink eyes — a look that not only kills the buzz of Stefan’s hemoglobin high, it starts to make him hallucinate hunger pains.

The Ripper loses his cool; Stefan starts literally wrinkling and sweating and shaking. He swears and begs “Every single moment that I’ve spent with you is a complete and total waste,” he snaps at Elena. Lexi keeps calm. “That’s just the Ripper talking,” she says. Minutes later, to kick his detoxification up a notch, the ghost-vampire stabs her bestie in the shoulder. Apparently pain and daily torture is the key to vampire sobriety.


1. Damon apologizes
After Bonnie’s spell adioses all the ghosts, Damon calls Alaric for help. And even though he’s beyond mad at his former pal, Ric shows up. The elder Salvatore looks relieved, but his drinking buddy isn’t ready to let him off the hook. He asks for an apology, and Damon gives him the same lame one he offered to Mason Lockwood’s ghost. Ric isn’t buying it. “Yeah, well, I didn’t mean it with him,” says Damon. Yep. There it is. The closest thing to a mea culpa Damon will ever be able to give a guy he’s not related to. Who said miracles can’t happen?

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