Episode three of ABCs The Gates is the first truly standalone episode, and several intriguing new mysteries and characters are introduced in the process.

Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) guest stars as Christian Harper, a vampire who apparently has a history with Claire Radcliff (Rhona Mitra). Harper questions Claires new life, and eventually tempts her into falling off the wagon and feeding on a human. She is still struggling to fit in to domestic life, but after some fresh blood, she is able to create a fabulous meal for one of her husbands business clients, much to his surprise.

We have heard about the McAllister family several times already, and we finally meet them early in this episode. A momentary flash of Mrs. McAllister (Jessica McDaniel) covered in blood indicates another looming mystery.

Officer Leigh Turner (Janina Gavankar) gets a bit more screen time. There is something mysterious about her, and a surprising twist near the end of the episode ramps up the intrigue even more.

As for the high school drama, Brett Crezski (Colton Haynes) is beginning to embrace his inner wolf, and he is thrown off the deep end when Andie Bates (Skyler Samuels) dumps him for Charlie Monohan (Travis Caldwell). I still think this subplot is weak, but admittedly this time it lent itself to the overall story line.

The main plot of the episode, a series of break-ins within the walls of The Gates, is nicely interwoven with most of these subplots.

What Worked

Writer Richard Hatem uses some clever misdirection, and many viewers will undoubtedly be surprised when the culprit is revealed. Overall, this is a well-written episode.

Claire continues to be the most intriguing character, and though the addiction metaphor is a bit obvious, it seems to work as the central theme for her. Lets hope they continue to handle it well.

Paul Blackthorne was a great addition to this episode, and I hope we will be seeing more of him.

What Didnt Work

Once again, with so many characters and story lines, they cannot possibly be included in every episode. Devon (Chandra West) didnt make an appearance at all this time, which is a bit surprising after the end of the last episode. The writers also apparently wanted us to temporarily forget that Andie is turning into a succubus, for some reason.

For the first time, I found myself wondering why this community would hire a police chief who was unsympathetic to supernatural beings. Surely, there is a vampire, witch or werewolf out there who has attended a police academy? However, I will continue to suspend my disbelief, because I like this show so far!

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"The Gates" stars Frank Grillo, Marisol Nichols, Rhona Mitra, Luke Mably, Travis Caldwell, Skyler Samuels, Colton Haynes, Chandra West and Victoria Platt. Breach" was directed by Terry McDonough, and was written by Richard Hatem.

"The Gates" airs on ABC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.