Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | 4 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT O Come, All Ye Faithful
By Cindy McLennan | Season 4 | Episode 9 | Aired on 12.13.2012
Out in the woods, during all those cuts I didn't cover, Klaus has killed eleven of the hybrids. O Holy Night plays the whole time. I'm not shedding tears for fictional characters, and I'm just not going to recap the violence this week. I don't have it in me. A blood-spattered Klaus follows Kim down to the cellar and demands to know where Tyler is. When Kim says she doesn't know, Klaus kills her, too.
Lake House. Damon is sitting on the on the deck watching as Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy examine the Christmas decorations and reminisce. When Jeremy pulls out an old sprig of mistletoe, Elena laughs that Jenna used it to make out with Logan Fell. This is a sweet scene, and I laughed when I watched it. Elena beckons for Damon to join them, but he demurs, so she walks out to the porch and tells him he's missing the actual fun part. When she holds the mistletoe up over her head, Damon tells her they can't. Elena refuses to believe this isn't real. She knows how she feels and that he feels it to. He should stop fighting it.
Damon changes the subject and says it was good to see Elena being all normal with Jeremy. He wants that for her again. He also waxes nostalgic about his childhood Christmases with Stefan. Damon knows he's been wrong to be there with Elena, when he promised Stefan he would invoke the sire bond and send her away. He knows he should have done the right thing by her and by Stefan, so he'll do it now. He tells Elena to go home. He'll stay with Jeremy, train him and help him hunt vampires -- without her. "I'm setting you free, Elena. This is what I want. This is what will make me happy." I don't think that's as strongly worded as it needs to be, but I'll give him an A for his effort.
Mossy Manse. Caroline finds Stefan and says Matt can't find April and she can't reach Tyler. "This is a disaster." She can't believe how chill Stefan is, but he's really being morose. He's feeling guilty that Klaus has been led away to the slaughter. Really? First of all, it's not even a slaughter. I mean, I know you don't know its fake Stefan, but even given that, we're just talking about a body switch. This is a crime Klaus has been guilty of at least twice in the short time he's been in Mystic Falls. Not to mention he terrorized Elena, killed Jenna, and whoever else and reactivated your Ripper self. But you feel guilty? You need help, Stefan. Caroline feels guilty too. Yes, Klaus saved her life once, but he only had to save it because he ordered Tyler to bite her in the first place. Maybe Caroline and Stefan can get a group rate.