In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
The Masquerade Ball enmasked villain who captures Elena at the end of episode 2-7 isn't a vampire or any monster at all. He's just a furry, enthralled human. He delivers Elena to a vampire named Trevor, pays with his life and dies promptly. I appreciate that in a tertiary character. Trevor brings Elena back to his BFF Rose aka Rosemarie. They're 500 years old and have been on the run from "The Originals" who sounds like the love children of The Replacements and The Commitments. Elena, like Katherine, is a Petrova doppelganger, and while the moonstone is useful for binding the curse of the sun and the moon, sacrificing the doppelganger is the key to breaking it. Rosemarie and Trevor dangle Elena in front of "original" (and really cute) vampire Elijah, in hopes of getting him to pardon them for a centuries old faux pas.
Bonnie, who is hanging with the Germ, gives herself a bloody nose locating Elena for Damon and Stefan. Elijah swipes Elena's vervain necklace and gets some info from her about Katherine and the moonstone, but do not fear. Although the Brothers Salvatore spend a lot of time sharing some lovely brotherly bonding moments, they save our girl like we knew they would (and our Elena retains her agency throughout. Hooray). Once they bring her home, Damon sneaks back in to see her, dangles her vervain necklace before her, tells Elena he loves her, but that he knows Stefan is best for her. He then compels her to forget their interlude -- leaving Elena to wonder how her necklace was returned to her, and the fandom to cry a million tears.
Elsewhere and when, Bonnie and Jeremy grow closer. Caroline (in direct opposition to Damon's orders) fesses up to Tyler that she's a vampire and knows all about him and his lupine kind. She swears him to secrecy, which Tyler emphasizes is no problem, because he's totally alone in this world. In the space of a year, I've gone from hating this boy to loving him, and Michael Trevino is so very much to blame, but I'll cover that in depth in the full weecap.
This is again A+ work from the cast; you know the drill. I'm holding off on my grade, until the weecap is published. Don't let that stop you, though. Grade the episode at the top of the page, now. And grade it when you come back to read the weecap too, which I'll put up, ASAP. Until then, please join us on the boards where we're wiping up Damon's tears -- with our tongues.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!"The Rose" is a very emotional episode, and not just because it's earwormed me with that Bette Midler song that's probably way older than you. The only time it leaves my head is when Linda Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou" creeps in, which has nothing at all to do with The Vampire Diaries. Let's blame the newly forged and reestablished connections in this week's show for that embarrassing admission and move on, because while "The Rose" is as action-packed as ever, it's also rather moving, and exposition and mythology heavy, and yet this is just a weecap, so I've got a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time. You ready? Okay.
Last week, we closed on Damon sealing Katherine in ye olde tomb, and some Scary Masquerade-Mask Clown Looking Guy (SMMCLG) nabbing Elena from the Lockwood Estate. Now it's morning in America, and SMMCLG looks much less scary and far more grubby without his mask. He delivers Elena to some guy -- let's call him Trevor. Trevor, who is wearing sunglasses, is all hunched down behind the tinted windows in SUV, hat pulled down over his face, so clearly he's vampire -- a vampire who lacks a protecto-ring. I'd call him a n00b, but I've already watched the episode. Once SMMCLG deposits Elena's unconscious form in the back of Trevor's SUV, Trevor decides he's feeling a bit peckish and treats SMMCLG like his own breakfast smoothie. Goodbye SMMCLG. I hope you get a shave and a haircut (two bits...) in the life, Brother. Sheesh, Trevor. Ever heard of a napkin?
Gilbert Gables: Jeremy pretties himself up, which is redundant, and then checks on Elena. She's not in her room and her bed hasn't been slept in. Jeremy looks a bit judge-y there, which is the height of irony, no?
Fortress Forbes: Since Liz is leading the search party for Aimee Bradley, Caroline catches Damon up on Tyler turning into a werewolf. She admits how she covered up Ty's involvement in Sarah's death and dances around the fact that she kind of let Tyler know she's not exactly what she appears to be, either. Damon gets more forceful than I'd like as he impresses upon Caroline the fact that the werewolf is their enemy, so she needs to avoid Tyler like she would a rabid dog. When Caroline reminds Damon she has to get to school, it reminds me how young she (and Elena, Bonnie, Germ, Tyler and Matt) are. I'm pretty sure if I'd been vamped in high school, I would have dropped out. But all you baby vamps out there, stay in school now, ya hear.
MFHS: Tyler spots the posters announcing that Aimee Bradley is missing. I think I see guilt wash across his face, but then I remember he doesn't know about Aimee. He does know about Sarah though, on account of killing her and all, so it's not long before he stumbles across her locker memorial. No, really. A locker memorial. Do they do that at schools, now? There are all kinds of stuffed animals, flowers and posters in front of Sarah's locker and some poor girl is holding her own private-public vigil on the floor. Where's All-Trades-Tanner when you need him? He never would have put up with this. I mean there are lit candles and everything. This is so in violation of the fire code!
Someone bumps into Ty and he gets all angry, like he does, but takes a breath, makes his way to his locker, and promptly rips off the combination lock when he tries to open it. Oh Ty, perhaps you should take up drinking before school. Meanwhile, down the hall, Jeremy approaches Stefan and tells him that if he and Elena expect him to cover for them when they have an impromptu sleepover, a heads up will be nice. Stefan's all huh what -- she totally dumped me, dude and then the boys realize Elena is missing. I'd feel for them, except I can't believe Jeremy didn't insist on taking her home in the first place, and Stefan didn't stalk-walk her to her car, given the rough shape she was in last night (week), regardless of Bonnie's pain-mediation spell.
Some Southern Mansion: Trevor brings Elena back to his hideaway. Much like vampires themselves, it's beautiful on the outside and disgusting on the inside. When Trevor throws our girl down on the sofa, she wakes. He wants to take a little sip of her bleeding wound, but is stopped by his cohort Rose (Lauren Cohan, last seen as Bela on Supernatural, and no, you guys, I do not want to hear about it). Elena endures another round of OMG YOU LOOK JUST LIKE KATHERINE, and still doesn't flip her lid. One day, writers, please? Elena wants to know who Rose and Trevor are and what they want with her, but all she gets in reply is a nasty bitch slap from Rose. Poor E, at least she landed on the couch. Commercial.
MFHS Parking Lot: Stefan meets with Damon and tells him about Elena's disappearance. Stefan assumes Katherine is behind it, and that Damon must have double-crossed them and not locked Katherine in the tomb. So wait. You knew he didn't kill her? Are you crazy too, Stefan? I've seen you kill other vamps for far less. I kind of understood why Damon didn't kill Kat, but I didn't realize he had your knowledge and consent. Yeeesh. No wonder Elena still doesn't feel safe. You boys suck more than blood, I tell you what. Once Damon tells little bro that Katherine mentioned someone would be coming after Elena, Stefan decides he must go to the tomb and ask Katherine for information. In a sharp reversal of roles, he's the ridiculously impetuous one this week, and Damon assumes the voice of reason. Right now, with Elena missing, Stefan is reason-deaf. Oh, dear.
MFHS Corridor: Ty finds Caroline. She tries to keep the conversation light and act like she doesn't know Tyler is a werewolf. When Tyler asks her directly how she knows about him, she plays dumb as best she can and makes a speedy exit to avoid more questions.
Southern Mansion: Trevor and Rose are arguing about some guy named Elijah and whether or not he's gotten their message that they have Elena. When Rose catches Elena listening in, she warns her that there's no escape and that she won't be getting any answers.
MFHS: Bonnie, Jeremy and Stefan use Alaric's empty classroom to do a locating spell and find Elena. Now remember, Elena is her own grandpa, so even though Jeremy isn't her biological brother, he is her biological cousin. That is, Elena's father-Grayson is brother to Elena's-father Uncle "Snark Daddy" John, who is brother to her brother-cousin's Jeremy's father-Grayson. Glad I could clear that up. Jeremy must love his sister, because he has no second thoughts about letting Bonnie slice open the palm of his hand and drizzle his blood on her map, right in front of Stefan, who is not unaffected by the sight of it.
Bonnie chants quietly until the blood blazes a trail on the map, south from Mystic Falls past Lynchburg and Roanoke, and over the border into North Carolina, north of Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Jeremy notes that's 300 miles from Mystic Falls, so now we finally have some confirmation of where Mystic Falls is, or would be, if it existed, which it doesn't. Ahem. Stefan needs a more exact location, but Bonnie can't do any more for him. Jeremy will look up some aerial views on the net and see what's in that general area. He plans on going with Stefan, but Stefan knows Elena's top priority is keeping her loved ones safe, so the boys set to bickering, which is handy, because it gives Bonnie the chance to ride out her post-spell nosebleed without any curiosity seekers. Speaking of, here comes Damon. That school needs better security. Bonnie's back is to the door, so she hastily wipes her nose while Damon tells Stefan he'll go with him, and Jeremy can remain safe and sound back in Mystic Falls with the vampires and werewolves we already know about. Commercial.
After school, Tyler is shooting hoops with the boys (no Matt this week, sorry Pudding Pop fans), but once he sees Caroline he takes off after her and accuses her of lying. When she won't come clean with the truth, he grabs her. She throws him off and to the ground, which sort of confirms his lying accusation, but Caroline erects a brick wall between herself and Puppy. (Yes, that's Tyler's new nickname, because 'Roid Rage just doesn't cut it these days.) He has a little tantrum and kicks a fully loaded metal trashcan into a car, causes a scene and... SCENE!
Road Trip: About 220 miles into the trip, Stefan shows Damon the weapons he got from Alaric. This week's Chekhov's gun is a vervain-filled grenade of sorts. Nifty! Stefan wants some road trip brotherly bonding, and thanks Damon for helping. When Damon tries to shut it down, Stefan gets right to the heart of the matter. "Are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves, or is it -- is it because you love her, too?" Oh honey, it's both. Damon refuses to play, pointing out that he can step out of helping as quickly as he stepped into it. Lying pretty little Evil Pixie Monster -- you so cannot. Stefan agrees with me, and tells Damon so.
Gilbert Gables; Jeremy's Bedroom: Bonnie and Jeremy hang out on his bed to make it perfectly clear we're going to go somewhere with these two, eventually, and I'm all for that. They both need outside lives with insiders who understand. Once Bonnie starts feeling too comfortable with the Germ, she snaps out of it and realizes she can do another spell that might help Elena. Grimoire at the ready, she dispatches her manservant to get a candle and Elena's hairbrush. While he's gone, Bonnie writes a note to Elena, telling her that Stefan and Damon are riding to the rescue. She then balls some of Elena's hair in the note, holds the crumpled note in her hand and
her hand over the candle's flame. As she quietly incants, Bonnie's nose starts to bleed again. Alarmed, Jeremy hollers her name and tries to snap her out of her trance, but Bonnie keeps going. Once he grabs her arm, the note bursts into flame. Bonnie opens her eyes, which quickly roll back in her head and she passes out in Jeremy's bed. Oh man, first Vicki, then Anna. If Bonnie dies, Jeremy's gonna become a monk and he's way too cute for that.
Southern Mansion: Rose gives Elena some backstory. There's this group of original vampires called, unoriginally, The Originals. Rose and Trevor have been on the run from them for 500 years, but they can exchange Elena for their freedom, because she's the Petrova doppelganger (remember, Katherine Pierce was originally Katerina Petrova). While the moonstone binds the curse of the Sun and the Moon, sacrificing a Petrova doppelganger will break it. Yikes! I mean first of all, yikes for Elena. I'm suddenly very glad that Katherine's still alive and squirreled away in that tomb. But also yikes, because that would mean all vamps could walk freely in the day and werewolves could and/or would be wolfed-out all the time. No wonder Katherine didn't try to kill Elena. I bet she was saving her as a last ditch substitute if the Originals ever caught up to her. Commercial.
Fortress Forbes: Tyler is waiting inside for Caroline when she gets home. Huh. Some fortress. He is not going to drop the subject. He's a werewolf and... he just *knows* she is, too. It is to laugh -- and so Care Bear does. Tyler is not amused. He throws Caroline across the wall, breaking a mirror in the process and getting pretty damned scary. Caroline vamps out, throws him off her and insists she's not a werewolf.
Southern Mansion: As he's boarding up the windows of the mansion, Trevor calls Elena doppelicious, which kind of makes me like him, so he's going to die, right? He gives us some more exposition. The Originals wanted Katherine. Trevor helped her escape her fate as the first Petrova doppelganger, and so the Originals have been after him and Rose ever since.
Gilbert Gables: Bonnie's awake and explaining to Jeremy that when she pushes too hard at the witchcraft, it pushes back. She begs him not to tell anyone about her weakness. Jeremy assumes she means Damon, but she doesn't want anyone who might hurt her to know. They share A Moment talking about how alone they are in all of this. Oh for heaven's sake, just kiss, will ya? Nope, they won't. Instead they start talking about the spell, wondering if it worked.
Southern Mansion: It certainly did. Elena goes back to the couch and finds Bonnie's note, but does she rip it up, or hide it in the couch or stick it in her pocket? NO! She just pets it.
Road Trip: Damon breaks out a juice box (blood bag) and offers it to Stefan with a wry grin, and then is bowled over when Stefan not only accepts and drinks from it, but confesses he's been taking a little bit of human blood every day, to build up his resistance and strength. Damon's eyes twinkle as he wonders if Elena knows about that. Stefan hesitates before admitting it's Elena's blood he's been drinking. It's clear from Damon's silence that he doesn't know how he feels about that (ASIDE FROM TERRIBLY JEALOUS). He tries for a witty comeback, but only manages to sneer "How romantic." Oh, Damon. He changes the subject to Stefan's original bloodsucking days when he liked nothing better than ripping into some fresh hot neck. He wonders if Elena would be so quick to open her veins to the guy who forced his own brother to complete his conversion to vampire.
1 2 3 4
Southern Mansion: Trevor's all atwitter. Elijah is there. He wants to flee, but Rose reminds him they're family forever and she has his back. Out in the hallway, the front door opens to reveal Elijah, who I'm ashamed to admit makes me feel Mason's loss a little less keenly. Did you ever watch Days of Our Lives? If so, is it just me, or does he look like a combination of the first two Austin Reeds (Patrick Muldoon and Austin Peck)?
After the commercial, Elijah is all Euro-elegant (I should mention Trevor & Rose are Brits) as Rose pleads their case. She has learned Katerina Petrova didn't perish in the fire back in 1864. Elijah is unsurprised by this and claims that when Rose summoned him to "this armpit of civilization, which is a mere 3 hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmised it had everything to do with Katerina. Do you have her in your possession?" Rose does not, she has something better -- a human doppelganger. Elijah insists that Katerina's family line ended with her, but Rose insists the facts have changed. Rose then makes her bargain, and although she included Trevor in her first explanation to Elijah, she doesn't explicitly mention him while striking the bargain itself, so yeah, Trevor's a goner. Whatever, I'm getting behind. Rose leads Elijah to Elena, he touches her and sniffs her neck. "Human. It's impossible. Hello there." Poor little Elena just trembles.
Now, I was all ready to pick on the fact that Jeremy said Elena was 300 miles from Mystic Falls and Elijah noted they were 3 hours from Mystic Falls, but honestly, I'm tired, so I'm going to let you do it, instead. Go ahead. There. Isn't that better? Anyhow, our beautiful Brothers Salvatore arrive on the mansion grounds. Damon wants to make sure Stefan knows how risky this caper is, as the vamps who grabbed Elena are probably 500 years or older. There's every chance they won't make it out alive. Stefan can't think of a better reason to die, but will understand if Damon stays behind. Of course Damon isn't staying behind.
Mansion Interior: Elijah toys with Trevor as the lesser vampire apologizes. There's talk of honor and loyalty and begging for forgiveness. Elijah grants it, and then knocks Trevor's head clear off his body. It's as gruesome as it is awesome. As Elijah moves toward Elena, she bargains for her life by sputtering out that she knows where the moonstone is and can get it for him. Elijah tries to compel her to tell him, but Elena says it doesn't work that way. Having been around the block, Elijah quickly realizes Elena's necklace must be a vervain charm. He rips it off her neck, tosses it across the room, grabs her by the hair and demands his answer. Elena, now under his thrall, tells him the moonstone is in the old Mystic Fall tomb, with Katherine.
Just then, Damon and Stefan enter. Elijah hears them, but they are Stealth-Salvatoring all over the place and teasing him with whispers of "Up here," and "Down here." After they shoot a stake through his palm, Elijah gets serious. As he looks for Damon and Stefan, Stefan pulls Elena aside and Damon pulls Rose aside and they shush the girls into silence. Elijah breaks a coat rack into a formidable makeshift stake as he calls out to the boys -- explaining that they'll never beat the likes of him. He just wants the girl.
The thing you know, Elena's alone on the center staircase. She tells Elijah she'll come willingly as long as he doesn't harm her friends. Elijah knows immediately that she's playing a game with him, so Elena tosses the vervain grenade right at him. It burns his skin for but a moment, and then he's recovered. The boys, still in hiding, shoot stakes at him from Alaric's weapons. Once he's weakened, Damon moves in for the kill, and stakes him through the chest, right into the front door. Scott immediately yells, "He's not dead, cut off his head." I argue with him that these vampires are not like Twilight vampires. We see Elijah's skin shrivel, just like Lexi's and Anna's before him. He's dead. Silly husband, the show wouldn't go there.
Relieved, Elena smiles down on the scene below like an angel of love. Damon looks up at her as she descends the stairs and runs right into his waiting arms... him being Stefan. Ooh, poor Evil Pixie Monster. That had to hurt. We'll let him have his pain and Elena and Stefan have their joy as we cut to commercial.
Gilbert Gables: Elena enters her house ALONE (my word, will no one stay with this girl once in a while?) and finds Bonnie and Jeremy waiting for her. Bonnie pushes past the Germ and hugs her BFF first. She's thrilled when Elena tells her she got her magical message. I think their friendship has finally defrosted. Jeremy then hugs his sister like he can't let go. I've seen people noting they thought it was an unbrotherly hug, but I think that's nonsense. These kids pretty much only have each other. Jeremy can't bear another loss. It's not like he was grinding on her or slipped her the tongue.
Mossy Manse: Stefan explains to Damon that Elena wanted some time with Jeremy. Huh. I wonder if they're back together or not? As Stefan accepts a drink from Damon, he discusses the curse and how they're going to have to make peace between themselves if they're going to be able to protect Elena. Damon's prickly about it, but Stefan apologizes just the same for forcing blood on Damon when he was in transition. Damon turns his back, but Stefan keeps going. "I guess I just need to say it and you need to hear it. I'm sorry. What I did was selfish. I didn't want to be alone. I guess I just needed my brother." Damon gives Stefan a kind of shocked version of the eyething, but once Stefan is gone from the room, Damon's face softens.
Fortress Forbes: Caroline explains to Tyler that booze helps her with her thing, so it might help him with his. As they share a drink, they compare notes on their supernatural circumstance. Tyler says, "I'm hot." Darn tooting. Oh, wait, he's not done. "It's like my skin is on fire." OH HAI THAR JACOB BLACK. Caroline doesn't get that, but they both get a jittery feeling inside, and then there are the heightened emotions. Tyler finally asks, "How can you be a vampire?" Caroline: "How can you be a werewolf?" Tyler wants to know how many vamps there are. She lies that she's the only one, and that her transformation is a long story. Tyler confesses that he and Mason are the only werewolves he knows about. Caroline wants to tell him about their parents, the founding families and the Council, but she needs his word that he will tell no one else. "This is life and death, Tyler." Nearly in tears, Tyler says, "I have no one else to tell." He's scared to death of the full moon and what it will bring. Caroline hugs him and tries to reassure him. Oh my goodness, so many potential new romances. Is it Christmas?
Mossy Manse: Instead of knocking on the door, Rose lets herself in and zooms around the place, which is just showing off. She knows Stefan's reputation as a good vampire from Lexi (awww, Lexi). Rose is tired of running and thinks she can be of assistance, because even though Elijah is dead, it won't stop here. Scott yells out that Elijah isn't dead. I roll my eyes at him and tell him to shush. She tells Stefan that the Originals will come for Elena. "They have to. They're doing it for him." Stefan asks who he is. Rose: "Klaus." My daughter, who has read the books, goes into spasms. I warn her that if she spoils me, I'll lock her in the dungeon. It's a thing.
Gilbert Gables: Elena brushes her teeth and then returns to her bedroom to find Damon waiting. She warns him that she's tired and asks why he's there. He's brought her back her necklace. Oh my, the way he's looking at her makes me a little weak in the knees. When Elena reaches for the necklace, Damon pulls it away. "I just have to say something." Elena wants to know why he needs the necklace to say so. Damon: "Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said." Oh man, he's near tears. I can't take it. Elena tells him not to "go there." I tell Elena to shut up. It's all good. D
1 2 3 4
amon moves in on her, his voice still cracking as he says, "I just have to say it once and you need to hear it." He nods and looks her in the eye, takes a breath and says, "I love you, Elena." For all the emotion, he delivers this not at all surprising news in a most matter of fact way, which somehow makes it more effective. "And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you. And why you can't know this? I don't deserve you...but my brother does." He moves in closer. Elena looks like she's expecting a kiss and might not even fight it off, but Damon means every word he's said, so when he kisses her, it's on the forehead. As Elena is taking everything in, Damon strokes her hair. "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." And then he turns on the thrall eyes: "But you do." A single, perfect manly tear (TM Dean Winchester) falls from his right eye. We cut to a close up of Elena's eye. She blinks. There's a whoooooosh. And when she snaps out of it, she's all alone in her room. Her window is wide open. Her vervain necklace is back around her slender throat. She grabs it and tries to remember how she got it back.
And now it's time for the Dammit scene. Back at the Southern Mansion, it's dark, but not so dark that we can't see Eljah wake up and pull the stake out of his chest. Say it with me, now. "Damn it!" Scott was right.
I'll catch you Friday morning with my recaplet of this week's "Katerina." Until then, I'll see you on on the boards where we cut off a damned vampire's head when we're done with him.
Want to immediately access TWoP content no matter where you are online? Download the free TWoP toolbar for your web browser. Already have a customized toolbar? Then just add our free toolbar app to get updated on our content as soon it's published.
1 2 3 4