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Picking up where we left off two weeks ago, Vicki is on the run. She meets up with Tyler and she's in the mood for a little bite. Just as she's about to sink her brand spanking new fangs into fresh man meat, Stefan grabs her. Damon is all in favor of offing good old 'Roid Rage, but Vicki isn't and Stefan talks him down, so instead, Damon enthralls Tyler, so he won't remember he saw Vicki and the Salvatores. Back at Mossy Manse Stefan schools Vicki in the vampyric version of veganism, while Damon tries to tempt her to find herself a Riley Finn and chow down. Vicki calls Matt and tells him to call off the search party (which Germ was skipping school to join), but she won't be home for a while. When she announces she's hungry, Stefan gives her some animal blood, arguing that she doesn't yet have the control to feed on a human (never mind enthrall one to forget the feeding). Damon counters that a baby vamp can't start life on animal blood. Oh, you boys. You couldn't agree on the color of the sky. When Elena comes over, Vicki starts whining that she misses the Germ. Elena warns the newly sired vamp off her baby brother. Vicki in no way hides that this pisses her off.
Elsewhere, Jasmine "Grams" Guy schools her "granddaughter" Bonnie in the Dark Arts. Caroline whips the school into the Halloween party spirit. Meanwhile, Mama "Mulva" Lockwood and the Mayor drink up at the Grill, and discuss Mystics Falls' vampire infestation, and later, when Mama has drunk too much and the Mayor has made his way to the festivities, she flirts with Damon and gives away too much information about the F'n CoW.
Despite Stefan's best efforts, Damon takes Vicki outside to teach her some of the perks of being a vampire. He starts off with speed, so she whooshes to her own home, where an unsuspecting Matt takes her to the Halloween party at MFHS. Vicki texts Germ, who has just had an argument with Elena about Vicki. When Elena brings Germ to the party, he of course meets up with Vicki. They suck face, and then she moves in for his jugular. Well, okay, she bites his lip, draws blood, licks it, vamps out, and scares the pout right out of him. Elena finds them in the parking lot and attacks Vicki with a 2" by 4", but Vicki throws her onto a trash heap across the way. Stefan subdues her momentarily, but then she disappears. At Stefan's insistence, Elena tries to hustle Germ back inside the school, but Vicki stops them at the door. Vicki appears out of nowhere and plunges her fangs into Elena. Stefan rushes to the rescue and STAKES VICKI! But vampires on The Vampire Diaries don't poof into ashes, which is kind of sad. Instead, they sort of start to melt and then just die, and leave their Jeremy-shaped boyfriends yelling, "VICKI! VICKIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" On Elena's orders, Stefan ferries Jeremy away from this horror and calls Damon for help. Elena waits with Vicki's decaying corpse until Damon arrives to clean up the scene. She tries to appeal to any sense of humanity he might retain; she tries to fight with him, but in the end, she leaves when he reminds her that she is bleeding and he likes that so very much. On her way to her car, Elena has to lie to our Pudding Pop, Matt, that she doesn't know where Vicki is. He goes home to find her, but is greeted only by an empty, dark house.
Stefan is standing watch at Gilbert Gables when Elena arrives. Inside she tries to suss out what Jeremy understands (not much, but he knows what he saw and now Vicki is dead) and tries to mend his broken heart. Later, she appeals to Stefan to compel Jeremy to forget what has happened to Vicki. He explains that because of his vampyric veganism, he's not well equipped for the job. Damon appears from the shadows and volunteers for the job. While Damon is inside with the Germ, Elena wishes she could forget meeting Stefan and that he's a vampire, and everything that's happened since. "But I can't. With everything that's happened, I can't lose the way I feel about you." Oh, Elena, wait 'til you find out that Katherine looks just like you. Just then, Damon comes out and tells them, "It's done." Elena retreats inside, leaving our two beautiful brothers on her front porch, just looking at each other and we fade to black.
I'll catch you on the flipside with the full weecap. In the meantime, come on over to the forums. Have a Happy Halloween, but remember, you are what you eat.
Want more? The full recap starts right below! Previously, on The Vampire Diaries: for over a century I have been telling you that for over a century Stefan has lived in secret until he took a flying leap off the roof at Mossy Manse (or at least it feels like it). He has to know Elena. Blah blah blah shadow-cakes. When Elena finds out Stefan's a vampire, she gives up smooching him (which is understandable -- I mean, take a moment to really ponder vamp breath) and interrogates him, instead. Stefan and Damon get on each others' nerves. They both get on Elena's nerves. She keeps her Vervain charm securely fastened around her neck, though. She'll keep Stefan's secret, but not his company. Caroline shows Bonnie the important amber crystal Damon recovered/stole at the Founders' Party. Bonnie's a witch. Mystic Falls used to be crawling with vampires and everyone knew it. Caroline's Sheriff-mom, Ryan "Scum" Fell, the Mayor and his wife are the Founders' Council of Watchers or F'n CoW, if you will. They discuss the recent rash of people who have died as a result of being mauled by "animals." Damon feeds off Vicki and is surprised by her will to live at "the Sizzler." Stefan tells Elena that Vicki is transitioning into a vampire. Vicki and Jeremy kiss, but when he arouses her baby vamp hunger, she pushes him away and flees Gilbert Gables. Elena lies to Jeremy that everything will be fine. Stefan promises Elena that he won't let Vicki hurt anyone.Now: this episode aired on my 15th anniversary, so you all are getting the quick and dirty, and you're going to like it. Hey. If it was good enough for my husband... Anyhow, Tyler "'Roid Rage" Lockwood exits the gym and gets spooked about halfway across the parking lot, but eventually, he throws his gear in his trunk and slides into his vintage 2-door convertible (a Cutlass, maybe?) only to be surprised by Vicki. He tells her everyone thinks she's off on a bender and is looking for her. He asks her what she saw when the kids were killed at the cemetery. She's freezing, hungry, and teary. Ty tries to calm her down, but with her mouth so close to his neck, all she can do is repeat how famished she is. He tells her he'll get her something to eat, but our girl doesn't want take-out. She vamps out, bares her fangs, growls and lunges at him right across the front seat. Tyler escapes/falls out of the car -- head and back first onto the pavement. While he tries to scurry away, Vicki leaps onto him and straddling him, moves in for the kill. Just as she's about to sink her brand spanking new fangs into this delectable man meat, Stefan grabs her. Killjoy. C'mon, Stefan. Who's going to miss this idiot?
Tyler rises, turns to run, and is Stealth Salvatored by Damon, so he turns back to Stefan and asks what's going on. Damon tells Tyler: "You? Don't talk." Wordsmith that he is, Tyler replies, "Screw you, dude." Damon mocks him soundly for this, which would work great...if Damon hadn't gone there just a few episodes ago. Stefan can tell that Damon is getting testy and tries to calm him down. Damon scoffs. "Oh, come on. Who's going to miss this idiot?" See? Stefan can't answer, but to be fair, I'm sure there must be some fangirls and fanboys in the forums who'd miss the pretty. Besides, Damon, vampires don't like steroid-laced blood. Tyler, taking advantage of Damon's momentary distraction, hauls off, and sucker punches him in the face. His fist bounces off as though he'd struck granite, much the same as when he punched Stefan in "Friday Night Bites." Stefan is still holding back Vicki. With her fangs bared, she snarls, "Oh, don't you hurt him," and I think we're meant to believe she's telling Damon not to hurt Tyler, but it seems like she's telling Tyler not to hurt Damon -- which is just dumb, and Vicki knows it. Damon throttles Ty and lifts him off the ground by his neck. We close in on Damon's eyes. His pupils contract and then dilate again. "Forget what you saw here, tonight. None of us were here." I rewind, because I'm captivated (in a gross way) by that bulging vein running straight up Tyler's forehead. Dear Michael Trevino -- how did you do that? If there's no risk of stroke, I am in the market for a new way to keep my kids in line. Love -- Cindy. Er...back to the show. Damon throws Tyler down to the ground and as he struggles to get back up, it is clear he's alone. He holds his lower back as he looks around the nearly empty lot and we fade to black. Title Card!
Gilbert Gables: Gary Go's "Open Arms" plays as Elena wakes. She makes her way to the bathroom to find Jeremy, who is DRINKING FROM THE FAUCET! He's up early to go down the police station, and not because he's in trouble. They're organizing a search party for Vicki. Elena tries to talk him into going to school, but Germ's having none of it. "Open Arms" continues as we swing by the exterior of the high school, where people seem to be setting up for Halloween festivities, carving pumpkins, stacking hay (hey, I am not making this up), and whatnot. These high schoolers get to have more fun on Halloween than my youngest does at our local elementary school, but that's a rant for a different day. (Suffice it to say that third and fourth graders are considered "too old" to wear costumes -- they just have to watch the K -- 2 kids parade around. Oh, and we can't give them candy. I'm shutting up. Really.) Inside, Matt "Pudding Pop" Donovan is near the lockers when his phone rings. It's his sister Vicki. She won't tell him where she is (Mossy Manse), only that she needs some time to figure things out. After she assures him that she's okay and he shouldn't worry about her, she hangs up. Right in Pudding Pop's face! How rude.
Mossy Manse: Vicki bitches about having to stay cooped up with the Salvatores. While Stefan explains that she needs a babysitter while she transitions, Damon, who is reading the paper, remains deliciously self-absorbed -- complaining that there's no coverage of his murder of Logan "Scum" Fell. "Someone's covering it up." Vicki asks what he's fiddling with. It's the ACTUAL VAMPIRE COMPASS, and Damon wonders what Fell was doing with it. Since Damon seems "so worried" that someone is onto him, Stefan suggests he leaves town. Damon counters that they should all be worried and even Vicki is bored with their bickering, so she mentions she's starving to undeath. Stefan gives her a mug of some animal blood or other. Damon snickers and pimps "people blood." Vicki's all over that suggestion, but Stefan says it's wrong to kill innocent humans to feed. Damon explains that she doesn't have to kill them. She can find herself a Riley Finn, and hypnotize him after. "It's soooo easy." Stefan counters that Vicki doesn't yet have the control to feed on a human (never mind enthralling one to forget the feeding). Damon thinks a baby vamp can't start life on animal blood. "Don't listen to him. He walks on a moral plane way above our eyeline. I say, 'Snatch. Eat. Erase'." Stefan blathers on about choosing the values that will define them. Bored, Damon pronounces his brother, "Count Deepak," and takes his leave. As he walks out, Vicki asks him for more blood. As Damon arrives downstairs, the doorbell rings. It's Elena. She and Damon exchange tense-ities before he directs her upstairs. Stefan hears her calling him and tells her Vicki is upstairs. Elena wants to know what happens now. Stefan explains that he's working with Vicki, but it's going to take time. "She's a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. I mean, all that's going to play a part in how she responds to this." Elena says, "So, she's a vampire with issues?" Like Reader's Digest, girl. As they bicker about how long Vicki's going to be sequestered, Vicki appears above, asking the same question. When Elena asks her how she is, Vicki replies, "You're kidding, right?"
Second-Sight Shack: Bonnie learns that her ancestors weren't burned in the Salem Witch trials. They fled Salem in 1692 and lived in secrecy for over 100 years and that secrecy is still important. Now, Jasmine "Grams" Guy may be an occult teacher at the local university, but since nobody believes in what she does, it's just like hiding. In plain sight. Bonnie wants to skip over the rest of the history and get to the "fun part." Grams sucks the fun out of the room, tells her how real and serious it is, and then to add insult to injury, reminds her that she's late for school.
The Mystic Grill: Mayor and Mama "Mulva" Lockwood discuss the missing ACTUAL VAMPIRE COMPASS and that, based on the wounds on Fell's neck, the coroner thinks they're dealing with one vamp. Forensic fail! Both Damon and Vicki had a taste, and I don't think their bites are identical. They fret about how much danger they may be in, and whether or not the vampire has any historical knowledge of the town. They then resolve to keep it quiet, and find "it" before "it" finds them. Seated at the bar, it hears every word. Heya, Damon.
Mystic Falls High School: While Pudding Pop is stowing his books in his locker, Tyler approaches and offers to help with the Vicki-search party or in any other way. Matt says he just heard from her and she's okay. Things are still touchy between these two. When will they kiss and make up? Meanwhile, Caroline gives Bonnie her Halloween costume for the school shindig. A witch costume. Bonnie's miffed, but Caroline whines about wanting some Damon-free fun. She's included his amber crystal bling as an accessory. Does she dress everyone for everything? That's a sincere question. Neither stay-at-home moms nor writers are generally known for their duds (at least not in a good way). I could use the help, but if she tries to put me in a bikini -- well, I guess she'll get what she deserves.
Mossy Manse: With Elena seated to him, Stefan gives Vicki (and us) a Mythology Moment: "Coffee is our friend. It's the caffeine. It circulates through our veins and it warms our body (sic) so we're not so cold to the touch. I might be a vampire. When Vicki asks about wanting to drink human blood, Stefan tells her she has to learn to live with the urge, one day at a time. She sneers and tells him not to start on the "12 Steps thing." A school counselor tried and it doesn't work for her. Stefan tells her it's her choice. Vicki says, "So you've never tasted human blood." This gives Stefan pause, but eventually he admits he has, but that it's been "years and years." He's not proud of his past. While Elena takes this all in, Vicki asks if the "sketchy" feeling of transitioning ever goes away. She feels hung-over and the daylight is killing her, and she wants more blood. "Where's your bathroom? I have to pee. Why do I have to pee? I thought I was dead." Stefan points toward the bathroom and Vicki stomps off, while I mark the show down a third of a grade, because Vicki obviously knows where at least one bathroom is. She showered at Mossy Manse, just last week. With her gone, Stefan and Elena get a moment alone, but they're awkward and full of sighs, so Stefan excuses himself to get Vicki some more blood. Elena is wandering around the parlor when Vicki returns announcing that her urge was a false alarm. This whole scene so far has felt extra-contrived -- like the actors are chess pieces who have to be moved -- so we'll build the story around their movements, rather than their movements around the story. Feh. Now that pawn Stefan has moved, Queen Vicki irks Queen Elena by calling Jeremy. Elena puts the kibosh on it. Even though Vicki says she'd never hurt the Germ, Elena says she can't take the risk and that Vicki's going to have to give him up. Vicki slams down her phone. "Oh really. And how long have you been preparing the 'You're Not Good Enough' speech? I'm a
ssuming it predates the whole vampire thing." Since this is a TV show, rather than real life, Elena doesn't try to correct Vicki's assumption. She just says Jeremy can't get involved in any of this. Vicki says, "Or what?" and then grabs Elena by the throat and tells her off. "Let's get one thing straight you perky little bitch. You had my brother whipped for 15 years -- 15 years and then you dumped him." So they were one or two years old. Can we give her a pass until she was -- let's say 15 years old? No. I guess not. Vicki continues that she's going to see the Germ whenever she wants to, and won't think twice about ripping off Elena's head. She releases her hold and Elena gasps for breath. Commercial.
Mossy Manse; Exterior: Elena tells Stefan that Vicki threatened her, but he tries to pooh pooh it, saying that she's on edge because of the transition and it's up in the air as to how long before she gets it under control. He admits it took him a long time, but he didn't have anyone helping him. He then warns her about keeping the Germ away from Vicki by way of another Mythology Moment: "The thing is it's hard to resist certain people, especially when you're new. It's difficult to separate your feelings. Love, lust, anger, desire -- it can all blur into one urge: hunger. [...] Jeremy can't see her, not now. She might not be able to resist him. And she could hurt him." Elena asks, "Or worse?" Get the bandages out. Stefan vows he won't let anyone get hurt. Upset, Elena says she has to leave. When Stefan tries to talk to her some more, she begs off. "Please, Stefan. There's only so much I can take.
Mossy Manse; Interior: The Sounds' "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake" is playing when Damon finds Vicki lying on a bed contemplating "the 100 years." She asks why he sired her. He haltingly pleads boredom. "It's one of the pitfalls of eternity." I think he sired her out of pity. He's a softie, no matter what he says. He's also naughty, so he leads her by the hand out to the big wide world. "Your life was pathetic. Your afterlife doesn't have to be." Stefan finds them on their way out and asks what they're doing. Damon says, "She's been cooped up in your room all day. She's not Anne Frank." Too soon? Stefan argues that it's too soon for Vicki to go outside, but Vicki and Damon have no intention of listening, so eventually he follows them. Outside, he shows her how to do the Stealth Salvatore. Vicki's a quick study, but instead of sneaking up on Damon or Stefan, she takes off. They wait around for a moment, waiting for her to reappear, but when it's clear she's not going to, Damon looks at Stefan. "Uh. Tsk. My bad."
Donovan Domicile; Exterior: Vicki tips the planter on the front porch and retrieves the key. Wait a second. Is she wearing toeless boots? Really? Toeless boots. Okay, I've sort of been in my own corner, just loving Vicki from day one, but my gorge is rising right now. Toeless boots. There ought to be a law. Anyhow...anyhow...she unlocks the front door, but she can't get in, because she's a vampire, duh. She now needs an invite. She calls out for Matt, the practically perfect Pudding Pop, who not only comes running, but hugs her and issues a respectable invite without knowing he needs to. He's been so worried, but she tries to brush off his worries about the murders and the cops looking for her. She wants him to let it go. Practically perfect Pudding Pop gets practically and perfectly angry -- informing his sister that he organized a search party to look for her, when she was on walkabout. She takes his tough love as an excuse to smash the plate on the table before her, and then complains of a headache. Matt's disgusted, but their argument is interrupted by the doorbell. It's Stefan, but Vicki tells him not to let him in. Pudding Pop wants to know if Stefan did something to her. Vicki says he didn't, but that she just doesn't feel like dealing with him right now. Stefan does his best to finagle an invite, but it's a no go. I can't help but wonder if that will come into play in future episodes.
Gilbert Gables: Elena overhears Jeremy leaving Vicki a pleading OMGCALLMEIMSOCONFUSEDLOVEMELOVEMELOVEME voice mail. Once he hangs up, she asks him if he wants to hang -- and go to the Halloween party at the school, tonight. Jeremy is pleasant and amenable, so Elena blows it by telling him she overheard his phone call and he's got to let Vicki go. Jeremy emos that he doesn't even know what that means. The only times he's felt good since their parents died were times when he was with Vicki. After he leaves his sister in the kitchen, Vicki sends him a text: "Stuck with Matt. Meet me?" Germ answers: "Yes. Where?" We hop over to the Donovan Domicile, where Vicki is replying: "School. It's Halloween!!!" Back at Gilbert Gables, Jeremy snickers, looks to see that Elena isn't paying any attention, and heads upstairs. Commercial.
Mystic Falls High School Halloween Party; Interior: There are decorations. Costumes. Annoying lights. Even more annoying people. It's a party. It's my anniversary. That's all you're getting. Tyler walks up to Bonnie and Caroline and offers them cider. "It's a Lockwood special." What is he supposed to be? Besides pretty, I mean. Tyler is wearing a red cape, and not much more. Okay, there are probably pants, but I don't like to assume. Bonnie refuses the cider on the grounds that it left her with a nasty hangover the year before. Caroline calls her a lightweight. "I am going to drink until someone is hot enough to make out with." Um, can she not see Tyler? I mean, the costume is dumb, but not ineffective. She must see Tyler because the two of them toast and he says, "Sounds like a plan." Ninnies.
The Grill: The Lockwoods are dressed in 1920s period wear, and the Mayor is hassling Mulva about her Martini consumption. She tells him not to start with her, but he's anxious to get to the Halloween party. She tells him to go on without her. She wants to finish her drink. So, it's maybe not the happiest marriage. Or, you know, maybe they can stay married forever with an approach like that. It's too soon to tell. That doesn't stop Damon from sliding in the booth to Mulva as soon as Mayor Lockwood has left his dipsomaniac doll for the jailbait at the high school. What? You don't think it's weird that he went to a teen-party without his spouse? Okay. That's just you. Mulva remembers Damon as Caroline Forbes' boyfriend, but he brushes that off as a schoolgirl crush that's now history. They flirt, and in the course of things, Mulva gives away too much information about the F'n CoW. She recognizes the name "Salvatore" because she knows Zach (actually, she knew Zach, but she doesn't know he's dead...yet). Damon tries to enthrall her to find out how she knows Zach, but his thrall muscle is rendered flaccid in her presence. Mulva says she knows Zach from the Founders Council and blathers on about his family history, which is when he notices her charm bracelet and realizes she's packing Vervain. When Mulva says she's been unable to reach Zach, Damon lies that he's out of town, then makes a good guess that she's looking for more Vervain.
Mystic Falls High School; Interior: Elena enters in a revealing nurse costume, and Germ is wearing...pretty much what my 13 year old did on Halloween night -- black hoodie, jeans. Excuse me, I have to go wake him up and drag him out for drug tests. BRB. There. That's better. Oh, and better still -- Matt and Elena spot each other across the party. His smile is pure sunshine. He's wearing bloody blue scrubs and they laugh about how they both fell back on last year's costumes. Matt looks at Germ and says, "And you are going as...you?" It's a bird; it's a plane; it's a petulant teenager. I'm going to make my kid watch this scene. When Germ stalks off without a word, Elena explains that they had a
fight right before the party. Matt says he got into it with Vicki, too. Elena's surprised that she's there. Matt says, "Yeah, you can't miss her. She's a vampire." Oh, Vicki. Let's hope being a long-lived vampire doesn't require a lot of imagination. Elena takes off to find Vicki, who is walking through the party tormented by all the lovely young necks at her disposal. She walks into some side room, only to be found by Stefan who lectures her about how crowds will make her feel out of control. He explains the intricacies of her hunger and that she must come to terms with how much control it now has over her. Great. Now I want cookies. Thanks a lot, Stefan.
The Grill: Damon and Mulva continue their conversation. She wants enough Vervain for her, the Mayor, their kids, and everyone on the Council. Damon wonders how many that is, but Mulva says, "Zach knows how many." She guzzles her drink and laughs that her husband is going to be unhappy with her for being late. Damon smiles. "Well, are you happy with your husband?" They both cop to flirting and he offers to escort her to the school. "It's not safe out there, alone." He leans in conspiratorially, but smiles as he adds, "I mean, I've seen ten vampires tonight." Mulva giggles. "Well, if only the real ones were as easy to find." Damon asks how the search is going. Mulva explains that by having the Founders' Party, they were able to eliminate as a suspect anyone who arrived during the day, and so far, the rest have been dead ends. Damon smiles. They rise to leave and we jump to...
Mystic Falls High School; Interior: Elena is still looking for Vicki and/or Germ. She's relieved to find Stefan leading Vicki by the arm and explains she lost track of her brother. Before they can talk more, Matt joins them. Vicki takes a moment to do the math, which must be why she's wearing toeless boots. She then turns on Stefan. "I told you to quit bothering me." Elena tries to stop her, but Vicki whines to Pudding Pop that Stefan won't leave her alone. Matt tells Stefan to back off. Elena tells Matt it's okay, but he won't listen as he asks Stefan, "What the hell is your problem?" His, "You want my girlfriend and my sister" remains unspoken for the nonce. In all the kerfuffle, Vicki whooshes out of there. Elena calls this to Stefan's attention, then takes off after Vicki. When Stefan goes to follow her, Matt grabs him, but Stefan pushes Matt against the wall and says, "I'm trying to help her." Matt, although still visibly annoyed, seems to finally get it. Stefan disappears. Matt rights his shirt and goes in the other direction.
Jeremy wanders into the "Druid Room" in the Haunted House section (hmmm, wonder if that means anything) of the party when Vicki finds him and pulls him into what looks to be a web. Nice shooting, crew. He exclaims that she scared the hell out of him, but once she apologizes, they kiss, and she leads him off into the dark. Commercial.
Mystic Falls High School; Exterior: Damon approaches Bonnie who's standing at a caldron. He asks about Caroline, but Bonnie snarls for him to stay away from her. Then he notices his super seekrit amber crystal. When she says she got it from Caroline, Damon tells Bonnie he wants it back. Bonnie says she'll give it to Caroline who can decide what to do with it. Damon says, "Or, I could just take it right now." When he grabs it, it glows and burns his hand. He exhales and looks at Bonnie. She stares at him for a second, then runs away. Smart girl. Damon looks down at his wounded paw and we cut to...
Party; Interior: Elena makes her way through the confusion of the haunted house in search of Vicki and/or Jeremy. Meanwhile, Vicki leads Germ outside to the school bus bay. They find a cozy spot between two buses, and...buss. Inside, Stefan activates his super vamp bionic hearing while Elena calls out for Jeremy. Back outside, Jeremy tells Vicki how he's been so worried about her. Vicki says, "I'm fine now, but I've gotta leave." She's gotta get out of this place. When Germ tells her she can't, she tells him, "If you come with me, we can be together forever." Jeremy nods. "Okay. Yeah." They continue to kiss. Elena's frantic search continues past people eating spaghetti out of some guy's guts. But don't worry. It will take a lot more than that to put me off my pasta.
Back outside, the kissing intensifies, until finally, Vicki bites Jeremy's lip. He cries out in pain then jokes that she's taking her costume a bit too far. She puts her finger up to his lip, and then sucks the blood off it. , she licks his face from chin to philtrum, which is sexy in theory, but in the scene it comes off more like being licked by a cow, I'm afraid. The tongue should have been pointier, I think, yeah? Jeremy's less bothered by appearances then I am, and more into the kissing, until Vicki latches onto his lip like a newborn to a nipple. He yells at her before she breaks their clinch. When they separate, he can see that she's vamped out. "Oh my God, Vicki." She starts to growl as she speeds toward him. He begs her to stop. Elena runs out the door, hears his cries, grabs a conveniently placed two by four from the prop man's ass, and screams, "Vicki, NO!" Vicki shoves Jeremy (lust) aside for Elena (anger). Elena clocks her but good with the wood, but it does nothing. Vicki grabs Elena and throws her high in the air. She lands in a pile of rubbish that includes a section of a picket fence -- foreshadowing which does not bode well for Vicki, I'm afraid. Her face contorted, Elena rises gingerly to her feet, as Jeremy slides along the bus's side toward the action. Just then, Stefan swoops in and grabs Vicki. Elena and Jeremy approach; he calls out, "VICKI!" And then? Vicki disappears. They look for her for a moment, and then Stefan advises Elena and Jeremy to go inside. As Stefan looks under the buses, the siblings run to the door, and Elena makes it in, but Vicki grabs Germ and throws him down. As he falls, he brings down a barrel full of wood scraps. Elena turns back. Vicki grabs her and sinks her teeth into Elena's...shoulder? Really? Huh. N00b. As they struggle, a large wooden stake impales Vicki from behind. Oh, poor Jeremy. That must have been so hard for him. Wait. It was Stefan. Why does it feel like it should have been Jeremy?
Anyhow, Vicki goes pale. Her veins and other vamp signs disappear. Stefan pulls out the stake. Did it hit her heart? Elena and Stefan stare at one another. Vicki gasps. Jeremy, who is still down on the pavement, calls out to her. She turns to him and her face seems to start to...melt. Stefan hustles Jeremy away as Vicki falls to the ground. Her chest is but bones covered in flesh, now. Elena looks on in horror as Vicki begins to decompose before their eyes. Jeremy's screams carry us to commercial. After the break, Elena holds onto her bloody shoulder as she orders Stefan to get Jeremy out of there. While Stefan escorts Jeremy home, he calls Damon for help.
Second-Sight Shack: When Bonnie returns home, Grams demands to know where she got the amber crystal. When Bonnie declares it a piece of junk, Grams explains that it belonged to one of the most powerful witches of their line. She grabs a book from a high shelf and shows Bonnie a picture of her great great great great grandmother, "Emily Bennett" dated 1864. Grams looks at the picture. "And there's your necklace."
A battered and bloody Elena waits with Vicki's decaying corpse until Damon arrives to clean up the scene. He tells her she should go -- he's got this. She's furious and blames this all on Damon, who tells her, "You confuse me for someone with remorse." Elena attacks him, but it does no good. He grabs her arm, and while she writhes in pain he says, "None of this matters to me. None of it." Elena says, "People die around you." Damon gets points for not replying, "Duh. Vampire." She continues: "It matters and you know it," and then slaps his face -- which does have some impact. He stares at her as she seethes, and then narrows his eyes. "Mmmm." He takes a big whiff. "You need to leave. Your wounds are bleeding. And you. Need. T
o leave." He raises his eyebrows. Elena clutches at her injured shoulder as she backs away. Damon watches her retreat with all sorts of emotions playing across his pretty face. Finally, he looks down at Vicki, crouches beside her, sighs and clucks his tongue.
On the way to her car, Elena has to lie to our Pudding Pop, Matt, that she doesn't know where Vicki is, and that the blood on her costume is fake. Matt wonders if he's in for a lifetime of worry about Vicki. Elena just mumbles that he's a good brother. He says, "Maybe she just went home." Elena fights back the tears as she says, "Maybe." Awww. Be cool, Pudding Pop. You're not going to have to worry about Vicki anymore. Once he's gone, Elena gets in her car, cries, beats up her steering wheel, which seems an innocent bystander, if you ask me, and...Commercial!
Gilbert Gables: Stefan is standing watch when Elena arrives. When he tells her Jeremy is in the house, she leaves him on the porch. Inside she tries to suss out what Jeremy understands about the night's events. "I mean, I know what I saw, but I don't understand." Elena says, "She was going to kill me." Germ replies, "Now she's dead. Vicki's dead." And then later, "Why does everybody have to die on me?" As he sobs all Elena can do is hold him.
Sanders Bohlke's beautifully mournful "The Weight of Us," plays as Stefan sits on the Gilbert porch in deep contemplation. We cut to the Donovan Domicile, where Matt returns to a dark, empty house. Back at Gilbert Gables, Elena comes out to the porch with a blanket wrapped around her like a shawl, or maybe it's just a shawl. Whatever, Elena, I don't think it's going to be sufficient enough to cover the smell of your blood. Stefan explains that he wanted to help Vicki. "But instead, uh..." He nods towards the house and asks after Jeremy. Elena tells him Germ is a mess. "I don't want him going through this again. He's just a kid." When Stefan offers to help in any way, Elena asks him to make Jeremy forget. "I don't know how he'll ever get past this. I just want him to forget everything that happened." Stefan explains that his abilities are lesser because of how he lives. Damon appears from the shadows. "I can do it." He crosses the porch and adds, "If that's what you want. I'll do it." Elena's lip curls at the sight of him. She turns to Stefan and says, "It's what I want." He nods at her, so Damon asks, "What do you want him to know?" Elena looks at Damon long and hard. "I want you to tell him...that Vicki left town and she's not coming back -- that he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. He's going to miss her, but he knows it's for the best." Damon nods grimly and heads off inside. AND ELENA AND STEFAN DON'T FOLLOW HIM! I MEAN, REALLY! And where the hell is Jenna? Sheesh.
After Damon has gone (INSIDE THE HOUSE) Elena says that part of her wishes she could forget meeting Stefan and that he's a vampire, and everything that's happened since. Stefan says, "If that's what you want." Elena says, "Yes, it is, because I don't want it to be like this. I don't wanna feel like this. But I can't. With everything that's happened, I can't lose the way I feel about you." We'll check back in with her when Damon eventually shows her Katherine's picture. Speaking of Damon, before Stefan fails at mourning and breaks into a shit-eating grin, Damon comes back out and tells the maybe-sort-of-a-couple, "It's done." Elena retreats inside, leaving our two beautiful brothers on her front porch, just looking at each other and we fade to black.
What a solid episode. I only gave this one a B, because I'm going to be grading this show a little harder from now on. It's more substantial than I expected it to be, so no more fluffy grades. Specifically, it got a "B" for two major things: first of all, I think Jeremy should have killed Vicki. It seemed like he was supposed to and in fact I had to watch the scene a couple of times to be sure Stefan not only removed the stake from Vicki, but put it in her in the first place. It didn't make emotional sense to me, you know? Later, when I found out from Michael Ausiello that the scene was originally shot and written with Jeremy doing the dirty deed, I sighed for what could have been. I get why the change was made. Stefan needs to be a hero in this story, and that was a heroic act (that took special knowledge -- but hey, everyone knows you stake a vampire through the heart -- they just don't know there are vampires). But moreover, killing Vicki is a tragic act. Vicki wasn't a villain, so much as a victim. I wish they'd left things as they were. I'm sure Stefan will have plenty of opportunities to be heroic. He's the romantic lead. And I assume that eventually, Jeremy's brainwashing will wear off for one reason or another, and it would be powerful to watch him come to terms with the fact that he had to kill his lover to save his sister.
Secondly, the episode gets a B for having Stefan and Elena sit by WHILE DAMON WENT IN THE HOUSE TO BRAINWASH JEREMY! Are you kidding me, Show? Elena didn't even want Vicki near Jeremy. She has nothing but contempt for Damon right now. She has no reason to trust him. Stefan knows better than to trust him. Damon going in to do the deed alone -- it just didn't ring true. I understand they needed a moment alone for Elena's emotional revelation to Stefan, but I would have liked to see it work differently -- in a way that was more in character for both Elena and Stefan. I don't know whether or not I trust Damon in this particular instance. He seemed remarkably whimsy-free at the end of the night, and I think he was fond of Vicki in some sick way. Still, I hope he was a little naughty when he hypnotized Jeremy -- just because Stefan and Elena deserve it for being so careless. Bitching aside, this show is really hitting its stride. It always holds my interest, and manages to be scary, dramatic, romantic and funny sometimes, too. I'm going to miss Kayla Ewell. I've loved her since she played Maureen on Freaks and Geeks. It was right and brave of them to kill her off -- right, because where else could the character go? Brave, because Ewell has more of an edge on screen than the other women on the show, and that's going to be hard to replace.
I'll see you at the end of the week for "162 Candles" -- in which Elena tries to avoid Stefan, which is probably just as well, because he has company. In the meantime, come on over to the forums and let us know what you think.
Cindy needs to step away from the Halloween candy. You can keep her busy by emailing her at CynthiaMcLennan[at]gmail.com or following her on Twitter.