by Dianna Berrian
[Due to the football takeover of Pix 11, this episode didn’t air in the NJ/NY area until tonight, hence the late recap.]
For those who weren’t paying attention to the final scene of last week’s episode, don’t worry! Bonnie is here to recount the murder of her father by Silas to you, and Jeremy. She explains how he told the entirety of the Town Square to forget watching him kill her dad and focus on finding Katherine. And, while they continue fighting their heart wrenching battle with not being able to touch each other, one thing is clear – don’t give Silas what he wants. And what he wants is Katherine.
The fiery Petrova in question is still struggling to survive after leaving Jeremy to his demise, stumbling through the woods with her wounds until she reaches a road. A kind lady stops her car to help but it turns out she’s one of those compelled by Silas and, recognizing Katherine as the one they’re looking for, tries to call and alert him. But, Katherine being the warrior she is, sucker punches her and breaks her phone. Even human, Katherine is the baddest bitch. That is, until Matt sneaks out, holding her at shotgun point.
Down in the depths of the quarry, Stefan is still drowning and hallucinating. This time, he’s on a picnic blanket beside the quarry with Elena, relaxing and just enjoying the good moments. Simplicity is what keeps him level headed and from falling apart. Except illusion Elena begins choking and coughing up water, basically being his hallucinatory reminder that he’s still stuck in a safe and drowning. In other words, don’t get too cozy in your daydreams, Steffy.
Over at Whitmore, there’s a memorial built in Megan’s honor. But Caroline and Elena find it more suitable to go snooping through their late roommate’s things and autopsy? Elena comes back, eager to show Caroline the death certificate that clearly says suicide and makes no mention of the vampire bite, which means whoever signed it was part of the cover up. In an effort to investigate, Elena tries to switch classes to scope out the Microbology professor who signed off on Megan’s death. But Caroline, now declared drama major – can we just discuss how fitting this is? – just wants a normal college experience with no more deaths, no more mysteries, and no more drama. Contradiction alert? Caroline, you’re a vampire. And you refused Klaus’ invitation to New Orleans, so no. You don’t get nice things.
Overlooking the quarry in Mystic Falls, Damon is trying to schmooze Liz into emptying the quarry with the suspicion that Stefan is in the safe intended for Silas. After a little bit of back and forth, she finally agrees to get some deputies on it. Just in time for Jeremy to call and confirm that he and Matt have Katherine in their grips. They tie her up in the back seat of Matt’s truck, preventing her from running away this time, something she’s accustomed to. With kind of a “been there done that” attitude, she acknowledges that she’s the leverage in this situation, the thing that everybody wants. In other words, she’s the “moonstone” of the season. See, as a writer myself, I like to throw in little lines that could be sarcastic but have an underlying meaning to them. And something about her referring to herself as the moonstone just makes me think that my theory of Silas needing her to ingest the cure so he could take it or use it for whatever is correct. For now we’ll sit tight, but if it’s true, the “I told you so”s will be rolling out.
For those who want to brush up on their microbiology, this isn’t the class for you. In this class, invites to bon fires are dished out by cute and unrelenting guys and the creepy and intimidating professor goes into the history of Whitmore and their bonfires. The college was originally a hospital and the bon fires were actually a pile of carcasses being burnt because there was no space for them. Yep. Creepy. Creepier than Shane? Maybe not. But let’s keep an eye on him. Also, he probably gave this history lesson for a reason. Probably has something to do with Elena’s father, but we’ll get to that later.
After class, Elena gets a phone call from Damon when suddenly…Silas attack! (Get used to it, that’s going to be the catchphrase for whenever he surprises somebody in the episode.) He promptly compels her to turn off her phone before Damon tell her he’s not Stefan. Stirring up trouble is his middle name, and that he does, telling her about Jeremy’s expulsion from school, and fabricating an argument that Jeremy and Damon had that resulted in the baby Gilbert bolting from the scene. Cue Elena’s rage, and cue Silas taking advantage. So far, so villainous. Me likey.
Out on the road, the boys make a pit stop for gas, ignoring Katherine’s requests to be let out. She begs them for medicine for her aching head, scratchy throat and green mucus and finally gets Jeremy to allow her to use the bathroom. But Katherine wouldn’t be Katherine if she didn’t try to run at the first opportunity. Unfortunately the cashier – one of Silas’ lackeys – recognizes her and Matt manages to call out to Jeremy so he can grab her before she gets away.
Back at the dorm, Damon nonchalantly walks in on Caroline under dressed. Doesn’t anyone in this show knock? I guess it wasn’t as important as letting her know Silas is impersonating Stefan. But of course, Caroline pieces it together with the bad feelings Elena had in the pit of her stomach all summer. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think Caroline and Silas were teaming up to break up Damon and Elena. Hmmm. Meanwhile, Silas gets a text that Jeremy was seen on Route 9 and uses Elena to his advantage by asking where could possibly be going. Obliging, she informs him he might be en route to an old campsite the Gilberts used to go to as kids. Good ol’ Elena.
A short time later, Damon bumps his way through the crowds setting up for the bon fire when…Silas attack! He grabs the 2000 year old immortal in a choke hold but is compelled to release him. They get a few minor jabs at each other in, Silas doesn’t disclose where Elena is or what he did to her and somewhere along the lines Damon says something about Elena only liking him for the sex? I sense some self esteem issues there. Maybe because he came in 2nd to his baby brother. Twice. There, there, Damon. Maybe the third time’s the charm. Oh…wait.
That night at the bon fire, Caroline and Damon are on the hunt for Elena when a rude frat boy (I’m assuming) bumps carelessly into Damon and apologizes by insulting him. Wrong day, buddy. Before Damon can really hurt the guy, Caroline saves the day by pulling him off and compelling the ignorant brute to run along like nothing happened. Elena, however, is downing beer like it’s no tomorrow, discussing a certain Biology professor with Jesse. Rumor has it he’s part of a secret society that meets a few times a week at Whitmore house. Jesse then proceeds to take a short nap, courtesy of Damon’s right hook.
Katherine, Matt and Jeremy reach their campsite destination where they settle down, keeping the shotgun close by. Poor Katherine continues suffering through her illness, getting no sympathy from either of them, but a little snark from Jeremy to which she responds with what I think is my favorite line of the night: “I survived child birth. The death of my entire family. And 500 years of running from an immortal hybrid. You can understand why I’m a little upset I’m on the verge of getting defeated by a sinus infection!” Finally relenting, Jeremy drapes a blanket around her to shut her up. Sweet boy. Just don’t catch feelings now, Kat. Matt, on the other hand, decides it’d be a great idea to wander through the woods alone to get more firewood. But of course, Silas attack! Silas tries to compel him but Matt is immune?! Say what? Now Silas and I are both intrigued. He reads Matt’s mind and sees what Nadia did to him then snaps his neck. Matt wakes up, giving us viewers a false sense of security until Jeremy and Katherine run right by without noticing. That’s when he sees Bonnie and she tells him they’re on the Other Side. It’s a sort of purgatory you wind up when you die, and each time you wake up farther and farther away from your body. The only way to become alive again is to find your body. Then it hits him. Why is she there?
Ditching the bon fire, Damon and Elena head back to her dorm and before he can explain himself, Elena gets raunchy and pushes him into a chair for a heavy makeout sesh. Things…go a little awry when she starts pouring the vervain water down his throat and ties him to the chair. Ah. We get it. Silas compelled her. To do what exactly? “Get you alone. Weaken you. And then kill you.” She pours more water down his throat and is seconds from stabbing him but he spits vervain at her, the burn breaking her compelled trance. Neat. Apparently, Silas had her using her anger at Damon like a trigger to want to kill him. The only way to break it is to resist it. So, naturally, she stabs her leg. There’s a lot of self mutilation in “The Vampire Diaries” these days, no?
Pausing all the drama for a short sweet moment, we see Caroline tending to Jesse’s bruised cheekbone. There’s a little bit of romance in the air as he tucks her hair behind her ear, eyeing her lips. But she has a boyfriend! He’s just deferring college for now. And yet, Jesse can relate with a story about his own heartbreak, seemingly successful in continuing to win Caroline over. Again, Caroline doesn’t need another love interest! She can have a storyline without a guy, you know! There’s also a short scene inserted where Bonnie tells Matt she’s dead and says she has to be okay, for the sake of everyone else but Matt says it’s not okay. When he hugs her, she finally breaks down and accepts it. Then again, she could just be crying tears of joy that she can feel someone again. Both? Okay, we’ll go with both.
Anyway, as they run out of the woods, Jeremy hands the keys over to Katherine so she can drive away while he goes back for Matt. She tries give him a tip about survival – never look back – and he retorts with why people treat her like an object not a person. Ouch. That’s a little bit of a burn. Jeremy eventually finds Matt’s body and sees he’s wearing the Gilbert ring so he’s not too worried. Neither is Silas, once he figures out the rings trick too. Oh. Right. Silas attack! That’s okay though, because Silas is slower and weaker than a vampire and Jeremy is a BAMF hunter! (Did anyone else laugh at this? It just made me think of Elena’s excuse last season about how she trained with Alaric so that made her BAMF.) And for a minute, the little Gilbert is seriously BAD ASS taking on the immortal villain. But Silas’ 2000 years of torture pays off and he starts fighting back. Jeremy grabs him and has him stuck in some kind of wrestling hold that I have no idea about, but Silas reminds him he’s immortal by stabbing a giant shard of wood through his stomach and into Jeremy’s. Just when he starts reveling in premature victory, a shot gun fires off and hits Silas. Katherine, the survivor is now Katherine the savior. Katherine with a gun though? There’s a scary though.
Back in kinky dorm room 101, Elena starts asking about Bonnie and how she reacted to the news of her father’s death. But Damon puts her below finding Stefan, helping Jeremy and figuring out what Silas wants with Katherine on his list of priorities. This sends Elena into freak out mode and she has this insatiable need to kill him. As a last resort at helping her resist the compulsion, he says to think about Stefan – the feelings about Stefan. She says it feels like she can feel him. He’s trying to reach out. He’s scared. Lonely. In a lot of pain. And like that, the rage disappears. So who else is getting the feeling that this love triangle is far from over?
Bonnie and Matt finally find his body with Katherine and Jeremy. Unfortunately, when he wakes up he’ll forget Bonnie is dead. So before he goes, he adamantly tells her that Jeremy can’t keep it a secret anymore and she has to deal with her death. Yeah, like that’ll happen any time soon. But I do have a quick question. I know the Other Side is relatively new, but if Matt’s died before and come back with the Gilbert ring, why is this the first time he’s wondering what’s going on? Sigh. Oh that TV magic…
True to form, Matt wakes up, alive and well. Bonnie, on the other hand, is still lingering in the woods, waiting for Jeremy to see her. And he does. She’s distraught after what Matt said, but doesn’t tell him he saw her, and instead cries about how she’s not ready to be dead and what will she do when the Sheriff calls to tell her about her dad? Jeremy promises her he’s here for her, even though he can’t touch or hold her. Jeremy, why you so sweet tonight? On another note, do you think Katherine and Matt had a conversation about how Jeremy was just standing in the woods talking to himself? I would.
Back at the gas station they stopped at, Silas wanders in, worse for the wear. Since he’s angry and hungry, he compels the cashier to cut his arm and pour his blood in the cup. But his meal is interrupted when Nadia and her brainwashing friend show up. Turns out they’re gypsies, or, more formally, “Travelers” who are spying on Silas. They want what Travelers have always wanted – him back in the tomb. Although, Nadia never considered herself a Traveler. She goes rogue, killing her partner and claiming to have her own agenda. Silas gets a glimpse inside her mind to see what it is, but I guess we’ll have to wait an episode or two to find out. Darn it!
Judging from the luggage being packed into Damon’s car, it looks like Elena is headed back to Mystic Falls with no idea when she’ll be back. But they have to find Stefan, so Caroline will hold down the fort at college. Dr. Maxfield shows up with apology for his hardass behavior in class and makes a subtle mention about her dad. He was brilliant, and apparently a legend at Whitmore. Elena doesn’t buy his facade and mentions the forged death certificate. With a smirk fit for any suspicious professor type, he tells her to come by his office and chat. Too bad she can’t, but I’m sure Caroline will.
Damon and Elena lovers get another “I love you” out of them, and even though she’s dreaming about her ex, he isn’t threatened. But she promises she is still going to love him after they save Stefan. Hi, my name is Elena and I am foreshadowing. What, like you weren’t thinking it? In the middle of their makeout, Liz calls to inform that they found something in the quarry. A few miles from it, actually. It’s the safe that Stefan was locked in. Well that’s odd. He’s been in there three months, so he’s probably hungry. But when they open it, instead of finding Stefan they find a corpse with a severely bitten neck. Oh he’s hungry all right. And from the looks of next week’s previews, the Ripper is definitely back in action! Who’s excited!?
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