Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B- | 9 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Have You Heard Of Switches?
By Cindy McLennan | Season 4 | Episode 1 | Aired on 10.11.2012
Sidebar: I've seen some fans complaining that Bonnie's still just Elena's tool. Since this was Bonnie's idea (I can't imagine Stefan thought this possible unless Bonnie mentioned it first), I don't think so. I don't spoil for this show, but I expect we're going to get a meaty Bonnie-goes-dark storyline. At least I certainly hope so.
Gilbert Gables. Damon lists all the things one would need to hold captive vampires. Matt: "The Pastor has a cattle ranch. Those pens could easily be modified." Mere comments that the ranch is remote and secluded. Damon tells Matt he's got a chance to prove himself useful.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Elena, Stefan, and Rebekah are all locked up in separate pens. There are large bunches of vervain hanging from the rafters, and a fan blows mist through vervain and all over our vampires. Everyone's coughing like they're my family during allergy season. Rebekah is disappointed to see she didn't kill Elena after all, but Elena ignores her taunts and asks where Stefan is. He's in the next pen and when he makes his presence known, Elena cries to him that she didn't feed. Rebekah realizes what's going on and feels the need to narrate. She figures in three hours or so, she'll get to watch Elena die all over again. For Rebekah, that almost makes this the best day ever! Elena struggles with the bars on her cell but she can't budge them.
Which-House-Witch-House. Bonnie chants. There's spiritual echo. Her nose starts to bleed. Jeremy freaks out and tells her to open her eyes, but she won't listen to him. Dark magical trails run up her arms. Every Buffy fan ever thinks about Willow in Season Six. My family wonders when she'll barf up a snake. Bonnie passes out. Jeremy freaks some more.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Bonnie appears to Elena, and tells her to come back. She grabs her friend's hands and helps her to her feet. Elena: "Stefan, something's happening." Bonnie tells Elena they're going home. Elena looks hopeful for a moment, but then the Ghost of Grams rises up behind her and says, "No." Elena slumps to the ground. Grams tells Bonnie she can't be there (on the other side) and can't be messing with this sort of magic. When Bonnie protests because Elena needs her, Grams says, "She is not your problem to solve. Now go, before they try to keep you there." Bonnie begs her grandmother, but Grams blathers about nature's plan and threatens that the spirits will make her suffer.
Which-House-Witch-House. Jeremy is pleading with Bonnie to wake up, when she does just that. He takes her in his arms and I forget, for a moment, that these two ever broke up. Quietly, Bonnie says, "I couldn't do it. It didn't work." Commercial.