On Thursday night (March 12), "Vampire Diaries" history will be made when Ian Somerhalder makes his debut behind the camera -- following in the footsteps of his onscreen little bro Paul Wesley, of course.

MTV News had a chance to screen the "The Downward Spiral" in advance -- and chat with Somerhalder himself, which will go live right after the episode's east coast airing -- and here are 6 things you have to look forward to once Ian takes the reigns and Caroline's (Candice Accola) humanity switch is turned off:

It's called "downward spiral" for a reason.

In recent years, Caroline has undoubtedly become the moral center of the Mystic Falls gang -- or, to put it in Shailene Woodley terms, Carbear is their lighthouse, their somebody who holds them high, keeps them safe, and has their f--kin' back.

Therefore, it only makes sense that her downward spiral is somehow even more intense than Elena's house-burning, cheerleader-eating one from a few years back. And of course, a lot of her IDGAF careless actions fall down hard on Stefan...

Shocking Salvatore history is revealed.

You will not see the bomb dropped about Damon and Stefan's family history coming. Trust me on this one. Like, this family drama would make Mikaelson jaws drop, and those guys massacred entire villages, and wore really horrible wigs.

It gets pretttty damn bloody.

There's one scene in particular -- you'll know it when you see it -- that's so gory and horror movie-esque that I seriously wondered if I'd accidentally switched on some "Game of Thrones" screeners instead. I hadn't. I guess Somerhalder just had some "TVD" rage he needed to take out on [spoiler].

Bamon fans shall be pleased.

Cool your jets, Delena army -- your ship probably won't be sinking anytime soon. But it's undeniable that Damon and Bonnie share an unlikely connection after their time together in '90s purgatory, and watching the two of them confide in each other is definitely a sweet highlight in this otherwise bloody, plot-heavy episode. (That chemistry between Somerhalder and Kat Graham is insane, emIright?)

There's a full-on rave.

Just when Bonnie thought she'd escaped the '90s altogether, "TVD" had to go ahead and throw a giant rave, complete with mesh tanks, glow sticks, and douchey guys wearing sunglasses indoors. It's actually a nice change of party aesthetic after years of decade-themed dances, and of course the EDM-rager gives the Mystic Falls folks a chance to all cause trouble (and drink alcohol) at the same location.

The ending will change the course of the rest of the season.

This is the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers, folks. I can't say what it is -- in fact, maybe The CW has compelled me to forget? -- but two major characters make a decision at the end of the episode that will undoubtedly bring us into season six's final act... and maybe even alter their destinies forever? I don't know, man. It's crazy, and entirely unexpected.