Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A- | 91 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT 50 Shades Of FanFic
By Cindy McLennan | Season 5 | Episode 10 | Aired on 12.12.2013
Whitmore College -- you know, the place that is a few hours away from Mystic Falls. The Salvatores find leverage to use against Maxfield in the person of Aaron (whom I keep wanting to call Jesse, so if a living character named Jesse does something in this recap, assume it's Aaron). Damon approaches him first and wastes no time in threatening to kill the boy, if that's what it'll take to get Elena back from Wes. When Aaron tries to run, Stefan stands in his way.
Back at his lab, Wes dictates that he has drained 54.1 pints of blood and is surprised that Elena is still conscious. Fifteen years ago, Subject 12144 faded after 2.9 pints. "Evolution or luck? A mystery for another day." He shuts off the recorder, which -- thank goodness. Elena asks what he's doing. She strains against her bonds, but he tells her to relax; he'll release her… eventually. Elena says her friends will find her. Wes mocks her heroic vampire friends and goes on about how Damon was the "curse" that haunted Aaron's family. He wonders how someone justifies that. Elena pushes back and asks Wes to justify what he's doing to her. Maxfield: "Science." He then reads her some notes on electrocuting vampires. Elena calls Wes a monster. Wes tells her he's reading her father's hand-written journal. "Everything I'm doing to you, I learned from him." Is anyone else out there old enough to flashback to this Anti-Drug PSA?
Back on campus, Aaron tells the Salvatores he has no idea where Wes took Elena. When Aaron asks who Stefan is, Damon says he's his brother, and then adds, "I'd watch your tone with him, because he's kind of in the midst of a psychotic break." Wait. Is Damon -- who just last episode informed Aaron that he's killed generations of his family -- now trying to assign the bad cop role to Stefan? Stefan doesn't even know about all that yet, but still he objects. "I'm what?" Damon reveals he knows about Katherine. Stefan says Damon is jealous. Damon says he's disturbed. Aaron turns back to Damon. "How are you not dead? I shot you." Damon, who is sitting next to the kid on a couch, has his arm behind the boy like they're buds. He leans in and says, "Well, 'cause you went for the head. You've gotta go for the heart." He dope slaps Aaron. "Go for the heart next time. Now where's Elena?" Damon, who made you stupid in the course of eight minutes? You really should stick to the bad cop role and let Stefan be good cop. Play to your strengths. That said, if you insist on trying otherwise, perhaps you don't tell this kid how to kill vampires. Damon says to call Wes and tell him to give up Elena or his next experiment will be sewing Aaron's arms back onto his torso.