Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT You Shouldn't Have
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 6 | Aired on 10.21.2010
Back at Gilbert Gables, Elena joins Alaric and Jenna in the kitchen. Jenna's on the phone, saying, "Of course, I understand." She then tells Elena the call is for her, but doesn't answer when Elena wants to know who it is. Oh no. I saw the previews for this episode. I know what call this is, and now I know the implications -- Jenna's enthralled. While Katherine chides Elena about sneaking around with Stefan, Jenna fades into the background, but we get a warning shot of her slicing bread with a ginormous knife. Katherine reveals that she stole Jenna's vervain perfume and got her off the vervain tea, and so far she's been as awesome at spying as she is crappy at guarding her charges. As Katherine crows, "So, when I suggested the world would be a much better place if she were to just..." Elena drops the phone and yells, "Jenna, no!" Jenna lifts the knife up in front of herself and aims it at her own gut. Alaric calls out to Jenna as he rushes toward her, but they're both too late, and not nearly as compelling as KaKa, because JENNA PLUNGES A KNIFE INTO HER OWN GUT! Even though Elena's no longer holding the phone, Katherine smiles as she listens to the hubbub at Gilbert Gables. "Well, you get the idea." As Elena and Alaric huddle over Jenna and I rock back and forth in shock, we cut to commercial.
Hospital Waiting Area: When the Gilbert kids learn their beloved auntie/crap guardian will live, Jeremy promises Elena that Katherine's going to pay. I know he thinks this is comforting, but I'm sure it frightens Elena even more on his behalf. I'm studiously not mentioning the chemistry between these two actors, because they play siblings.
Lockwood Mansion: Tyler arrives home to find the place all gussied up for next week's event, and to hear the sad news from his mother: Mason has gone back to Florida. Tyler I know you were just bonding with him, hey, I was too, but buck up, kid. Thinking he's just flaked off to Florida is a lot better than knowing the truth.
Mossy Manse: Elena finds a tearful, shaken and recovering Stefan futilely trying to warm himself by the fire. He knows what's coming -- why she's there, but Elena needs to say it anyhow. She loves him with all her heart and knows he loves her, but they have to break up. They have to let Katherine win, because she has won -- already. She can't risk Jeremy or anyone else. As I said in the recaplet, I have to give a standing ovation to Paul Wesley here, because not a lot of guys, no matter how talented, could have pulled off this level of searing pain with such vulnerability. The whole cast (and hey, the whole cast was actually in this episode) did some sharp work this week, but if I forget that Nina Dobrev is playing two very different roles (and I often do, because she's just that good at it), I have to say Stefan, Mason, Caroline and Liz did an awful lot of heavy lifting, and made it look as effortless as breathing. As a sobbing Elena flees Mossy Manse, she's stopped by Damon -- who I'm totally not speaking to at the moment on account of him killing the pretty. But then he drops the Evil Pixie Monster act (and possibly the eye thing,) and tearfully admits to riling up Katherine. He not only accepts the blame for his actions, but actively courts it -- cracking the shell I so hastily erected around my admittedly fickle heart. It's different. He has a soul now. So now we're done, right? Oh, no siree, Bob.