Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT They Say That Cracking Up Is Hard to Do
By Cindy McLennan | Season 4 | Episode 6 | Aired on 11.15.2011
Back on the bridge, Hallucination Connor disappears for real. Elena can feel the difference and tells Damon, "He's gone." Damon tells her it's okay, but it's not because dawn has broken enough to set Elena on fire. Damon grabs her and jumps into the water, below. Commercial.
Gilbert Gables. Damon is keeping watch in Elena's room. He sees that she's woken and has noticed her ring is safely back on her finger. He fished it out of the river for her. "Little tip. Vampires hate to swim." That's a nice tip of the hat to classic vampire mythology. Elena feels more like herself. Her head is clear, now. She says she can remember everything, but not like she lived it. Just like it was a bad dream. Okay, if she can remember everything, why was she surprised to see her ring? When did Damon get the ring, if not when they both jumped in the water? For that matter, how did he get her home, if he didn't get the ring then? I'd rather have seen that scene then Stefan standing on the side of the road having a two second phone call with Caroline before showing up at Tyler's to talk to her, but I'll let it go.
Elena's eyes light up when she thanks Damon for saving her. He cracks about teenage suicide, but Elena is in the mood for meaningful conversation. When Damon sits on her bed, she takes his hand and gives him a look that conveys a lot more than gratitude. Damon winces. He looks down at their hands, but doesn't pull away, even though he sighs. "I'm about to take a very high and annoying road, and tell you something because I know you think Stefan has been lying to you, which... yeah, he has. But this rough patch you two have been going through is not what you think. Everything that he's been doing, he's been doing for you, to help you. And after he kills me for telling you this, I want you to throw my ashes off the Wickery Bridge. Okay? There may be a way out of this for you, Elena. There may be a cure."
Lockwood Mansion. As Hayley sleeps it off, on the couch, Tyler's sitting next to her, boozing it up. Caroline enters and tells Tyler they had no choice but kill Chris. Tyler explains that he promised Chris he'd have his back. If he helped them, he'd be free. Caroline: "We needed to help our friend." While Caroline doesn't consider Chris a friend, Tyler does, and is revolted by sacrificing one friend to save another. "He's like me. He's part of my pack. All he wanted to do was be unsired by that disgusting piece of..." After a beat, he asks how Caroline even got Klaus to agree to sacrifice a hybrid. Caroline: "I agreed to go on a date with him. I just thought it might help keep up the ruse between you and Hayley."