Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | 249 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Yeah, I Don't Do Teen Drama
By Cindy McLennan | Season 4 | Episode 5 | Aired on 2012.11.08
Alaric's Apartment. Elena is on the phone. "Stefan, call me. There was an explosion at the Grill. I need to know what's happening." Just then, Damon wakes. "Where's Stefan? I'm going to kill him." When he starts to sit up, the sun filtering through the blinds scorches his hand. Damon moans. Elena can't believe Stefan took Damon's ring. Damon can. "He's playing us. All this stalling. Getting hybrids. Taking my ring. Add it up. He's either made a deal with Klaus or he's been compelled." Elena heads for the door. She's got to get in there. Damon says, "No, Elena, this guy's dangerous." Elena yells, "So am I, Damon!" Woo hoo! Damon looks up her and tells her she needs to be smart. "He doesn't know you're a vampire. You get as close as you can. You kill him." Yeah.
Mystic Grill. Stefan's still trying to reason with Connor. I don't have to type all this nonsense, do I. Connor thinks not. "I DON'T MAKE DEALS WITH VAMPIRES." Stefan blahs about how if he dies without knowing his destiny, all his kills will be for nothing. Well, no. He'll have still killed a bunch of monsters. No offense, Stefan. You can take the girl out of Buffy, but you can't take the Buffy out of the girl.
Elena arrives outside the Grill just as Stefan is promising he can give Connor the truth if he'll just drop the gun and free Jeremy. Elena runs in and begs Connor not to kill Jeremy. "He's the only family I have left. Just let him go." Connor screams out to Stefan, "You hear that? Your girl's watching. I will shoot the boy right in front of her." The look of realization on Jeremy's face reminds me of U2's song "Peace On Earth." You become the monster, so the monster will not break you. Take in this moment, Jeremy. Take it right in and hide it in your heart.
While I'm getting all philosophical, Connor yells out to Stefan that if he doesn't show himself on the count of three, he's killing Jeremy. Elena stands frozen. After, "Two..." Stefan rises. Before Connor can shoot him, Elena jumps the hunter. The gun goes off and a stray bullet strikes Jeremy in the gut. Elena throws Connor to the ground, gets on top of him and throttles him. Stefan realizes Jeremy's about to pass out and fall off the trigger mat. He zoops over, gets the boy and Stealth Salvatores him behind an upended table. Elena screams, "Jeremy!" Connor throws her off. He gets on top of Elena. He's got a raised stake in one hand and is pulling her hair with the other. Wait. The badass mystical secretly tattooed vampire slayer is a hair puller? Stefan throws Connor across the room. Elena rises and looks around. I don't really get here if she can't find Jeremy, or if Stefan has already disappeared with Connor, but it doesn't matter, because it's time for another commercial.