Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT A Little Of Both
By Cindy McLennan | Season 3 | Episode 10 | Aired on 01.05.2012
Gilbert Gables: Alaric's corpse is laid out on the Gilberts' couch, when Damon arrives. Elena fills him in on what's happened. Damon then turns to Jeremy and asks why he wasn't wearing vervain. "Where's your bracelet?" You know, by now, these characters ought to have a daily vervain inspection. It should also be laced in everything they eat or drink, and they should add it to their laundry, shampoo and deodorant, too. Elena realizes Tyler must have been hanging with the Germ to get him off the vervain. Damon tells Elena about Stefan and the big Coffin Contrivance. Jeremy suggests that getting the hell out of Dodge might be a better plan, because...well, what he's really saying is all their plans suck. After Jeremy stomps off, Elena suggests giving Rebekah back to Klaus. Damon says this isn't an option. Elena then says, "Klaus's coffins? How many did you say there were..." and we cut to...
Bonnie's Bedroom: When Bonnie answers the phone, Elena tells her that much like her dream, Klaus is looking for four coffins. Bonnie warns Elena not to get involved, but Elena explains Klaus won't let her stay out of it, and that Klaus tried to kill Jeremy. Elena wonders if Bonnie could once again try a locator spell. Bonnie admits they don't need one.
Elena and Damon exposit about the dead witches' reasons for re-haunting the abandoned mansion. Elena says that while the witches were angry at Bonnie before, now they have something they want her to know. Damon: "That's why I hate witches. So fickle. Passive-aggressive." When they enter the mansion, the witches prove Damon's point by burning him with the scant bit of sunlight filtering through the windows. Damon: "They used their juju to screw with my daylight ring." Elena tells Damon to wait outside, because she's not leaving 'til she knows if Stefan is there.
Sidebar: The witches' ability to screw with Damon's daylight ring is one of those mythology moments that chaps my arse. Okay, Bonnie goes to the mansion (where, at least during her meeting with Stefan, no coffins are visible anyhow) and is told by Stefan that the witches need her help to cloak the coffins (which again, aren't visible, but maybe Stefan just has them in a closet, okay). So, the dead witches can provide power to a living witch to do their bidding, but can't really wield it on their own, right? Wrong -- because they can screw with Damon's daylight ring, and we've seen them do stuff like this, before.
In the forum, reader Neka nitpicks my nitpick, saying, "I think Bonnie is necessary as the conduit between the living and the dead. Stefan needs Bonnie's help to hide the coffins. The Witches are gonna allow Bonnie to do this in the house and they'll help. They can do petty things (injure Damon) but they haven't just killed him and if they really had the power to just kill him, they would have. I think The Witches respect 'The Rules' because that's their job."