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In Chicago, Rebekah tries to come to terms with the times and trends after her 90 years slumber. She quickly adapts to wearing to nothing, but decides music is deader than she was until last week. She, Klaus and Stefan ask Gloria to do a locator spell on Rebekah's necklace. Gloria would love to find it herself, as it's an incredibly powerful 1,000 year old talisman that once belonged to The Original Witch. When Gloria taps into Rebekah's energy to find the doodad, she is able to see Elena with her friends, and the necklace. She doesn't let on to Klaus how much she's seen. Instead, she insists needs time alone, as he's harshing her Ju-Ju, so the fang gang goes off to feed. When Stefan's done, he makes like he's gotta go add the latest name to his list of kills, and heads straight for Gloria, who reveals she has no intention of giving crazy Klaus that necklace, but she does want it for herself. She knows Stefan is involved with Elena, because she heard what Elena was discussing with Bonnie and Caroline. When Stefan won't cooperate, she gives him a vampire migraine, ties him up, strips off his shirt (thank you, Glo), magically disables his ability to heal and tortures him, old style. Eventually, Stefan is rescued by Katherine, of all people, who wants him to join forces with her. Stefan proves he learns from some mistakes, and refuses her. Poor Kiki.
In Mystic Falls, Elena and Damon are growing closer, a fact which neither escapes Alaric's notice, nor pleases him. When Alaric gets Damon alone, he tells our Evil Pixie Monster to take a beat, where Elena is concerned. Damon spent a lot of time with John Locke when he was Boone on Lost, so he gets all "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Meanwhile, Bonnie is back. After giving big smoochies to Jeremy (who sees Anna in the mirror during said smoochies) Bonnie joins Elena and Caroline for some girl time. They all catch up on each other's lives, and Caroline makes it plain that she knows Elena's got a little thing for Damon, despite herself, and that Elena should not have a little thing for Damon because he is, after all, DAMON. Care Bear points out that if her own Daddy can't change her, Elena has pretty much no chance of changing Damon. It's during this time that Gloria is working her necklace-finding Ju-Ju, so it starts burning Elena's neck. When she takes it off and hands it to Bonnie for mystical inspection, it sparks, causing Bonnie to drop it to the floor. Later, when the girls are trying to figure out what's up with the necklace, it levitates on its own. Bonnie pronounces it magical (gee, ya think) and keeps it for further investigation. Toward the end of the episode, Elena meets up with Bonnie in town, and gets the necklace back, but as soon as she has it, she disappears, because PSYCHE, that was Katherine. Bonnie, aren't your powers strong enough for you to tell the difference between your best friend and a hellcat like Kiki?
There's a Founders' Event at the Lockwood Mansion. The Council meets during it, and as the meeting closes, Liz, Carol and Damon are surprised to see Bill Forbes show up, because earlier in the episode, Liz had Damon compel Bill to forget what he knows about Caroline and head back to wherever it is that he lives now. It seems Bill has trained himself to be uncompellable (note to spellcheck: if compellable is a word, uncompellable is too), a trick he picked up during his research into mind control. Damon meets up with Alaric and Elena, after his confrontation with Bill, and tells them Bill wants the Council to dose the town's water supply with vervain. Elena allows that that's not a bad idea. When Damon complains that he should have killed Bill instead of trying to compel him, Alaric again gets up in Damon's grill, so Damon kills him. But don't worry, it doesn't stick and Damon knows it won't stick, because Alaric is wearing his Protect-o ring.
Eventually, Damon goes off to kill Bill, which is what he wanted to do in the first place, but then he dithers and decides maybe he'll just enjoy the feed and skip the kill. At any rate, Caroline saves the Daddy who just last week was torturing her, and Stealth Salvatores him to safety. Bill eventually does leave town, but on his own terms, and with little appreciation for the daughter who saved his sorry ass. I don't think this is the last time we'll see him. Elena is furious with Damon for being... Damon, which is probably to her benefit. When Alaric wakes up, he's pissed at Damon too, and pronounces him a "dick." Having both his blossoming romance and long-standing bromance on the rails, makes our Evil Pixie Monster pouty.
Meanwhile, Jeremy isn't just seeing Anna in mirrors. He's seeing her in his bedroom, too. They have some very touching moments together, but despite that, I can't help but think that perhaps Anna's ghost is the one Jeremy should fear -- not Vicki's. Klaus and Rebekah become suspicious of Stefan, and Katherine seeks out Damon, who very much needs to go on retreat, for a road trip!
There's way too much to cover in a recaplet, so I'll be back with the full weecap ASAP. In the meantime, please grade the episode up top and join us in the forum, where the water supply is already spiked with vervain.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!"Disturbing Behavior" pits irresistible force against immovable object. It may appear to be about witches, ghosts, vampires, hybrids, an enchanted necklace, but it is really a story about that most ancient of battles: heart versus head. "Follow your heart," is a favorite aphorism, but it's not always the right thing to do. The heart can be a stompy-footed two-year old -- at least mine can. Damon could relate to that if he would just -- as Alaric will soon tell him -- take a beat. Damon isn't the only character whose heart and head are at odds. Elena, Caroline, Bill, Liz, Jeremy, and Stefan are all in the same situation. Not all of these characters should listen to their heads over their hearts. Some are straddling the line, as if there is ever a demilitarized zone in this never ending war, because they feel as if they have no choice. But? There is always a choice. The problem is that choices, even the right ones, have consequences. Let's check in with the Fellowship of the Falls and the Fang Gang and see where they're at -- their hearts and their heads.
Chicago: Klaus and Stefan sip champagne as they slounge around a trendy boutique, while Rebekah shops. She is not impressed with modern clothes. "So women in the 21st Century dress like prostitutes, then. You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers." Sing it, sister, and then try finding suitable clothing that will please a 13 year old girl -- one who looks 16 and thinks she's 26. Klaus smirks at his little sister. "You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing." Rebekah: "And what is this music? It sounds like a cable car accident." I never expected to be kindred spirits with an Original, but there you go. Klaus ignores her complaints and reminds her of his own. He can't believe she lost her necklace. Rebekah says she didn't lose it; it's just been missing for 90 years. She then asks Stefan's opinion of her dress. When he says he likes it, Rebekah plays foreshadowing fairy. "I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan." As Rebekah returns to the changing room, Klaus turns to Stefan. "Nice one. Good work." Stefan: "You're the one who pulled the dagger out of her." Hee. Rebekah calls out, "I heard that." Stefan excuses himself for some fresh air. Outside, he spots Katherine across the street. She gestures for him to follow her. As he does, we cut to...
Mystic Falls, Gilbert Gables Kitchen: While Elena is trying to get Alaric to attend the latest Founders event at the Lockwood's, Damon teases her about what she's bringing to the potluck. Wait, there's a potluck party at the Mayoral Mansion? Really? I guess even fictional families aren't exempt from these hard economic times. Damon: "I just don't know why you want to bring chili to a potluck. Everybody brings chili. [...] You show up, there's going to be nine other people who brought chili." Elena: "It's an old family recipe, okay?" Damon: "Yeah, I know. I knew your old family. They made sucky chili." With that, he takes the knife from her hand and smiles at her. Elena laughs and bumps his hip with her own. It's all very flirty-wirty. Alaric catches the vibe too, so he cock blocks as well as he can and asks Damon, "Why are you here, exactly?" Damon answers, "She knows." Elena explains that Damon thinks she's going to break. "But I'm not going to break. I'm just going to keep making chili and pretend I didn't spend the entire summer looking for someone who didn't want to be found." Damon: "She's in denial." When Elena disagrees, Damon points out she's still wearing the necklace. "Isn't this a reminder of your unbreakable bond with Stefan?" Poor Elena, her heart wants both brothers, but she's trying so hard to listen to her head, which is extra difficult in her case, because that's where her eyes live, and although they're both bad, they're both so beautiful.
Chicago: Stefan catches up with Katherine and reminds her that if Klaus finds out where she is, he will kill her. Katherine teases, "Happy to know you still care." She then gets straight to her point: Klaus is looking for the very necklace that is resting comfortably around Elena's slender throat. Once Kiki convinces Stefan to tell her what he's up to, he says, "They don't know where the necklace is. I just have to keep them from figuring it out."
Is evil a known eyebrow thickener, because the way Stefan's look in this scene -- it seems to me the best place to hide the necklace would be right at the bottom of his broody little forehead. Don't get me wrong. Paul Wesley is a great looking man. Maybe it's just camera angle, because his brows have never jumped out at me like this before. Thank goodness this isn't in 3-D, because I'm rather ticklish.
Anyhow, Katherine says, "Please tell me you have a better plan than that. You do." Then she says, "Come on, Stefan, you're not the diabolical type." Well wait, which is it? Either way, I've always thought Stefan was the scarier of our beautiful Brothers Salvatore. He sure is working those eyebrows of diabolicality (is too a word). Kiki says whatever he's planning, it isn't going to work -- because if you want support, don't count on Katherine; buy a good bra. Stefan figures if the most diabolical woman he knows can't figure it out, he must be doing something right. She warns him not to get too cocky, because Klaus is smarter than everyone, including him. As Stefan walks off, Katherine swipes the foreshadowing fairy's wings right off Rebekah's now under-clothed back and adds, "But I've heard about that sister. Be careful. She'll ruin you." More than you already did, when you came between him and his brother and turned them both into monsters? Stefan's cooler than I am, so he just turns to face her and flings her earlier taunt right back. "Happy to know you still care."
Mystic Falls, Gilbert Gables: We open on a peacefully slumbering Jeremy. The camera follows him as he rolls over to reveal Anna is lying right to him. When she says his name, he wakes with a start. While Anna is insisting that Jeremy confirm he can hear her, Jeremy is chiding Anna for warning him not to trust Vicki and then just disappearing for days. He finally says, "Yeah, I can hear you, all right. What the hell?" Anna says she's been trying to get him to hear her for days. She can't figure out why he can hear her now. Jeremy confesses he was dreaming about her. When he says he can't believe she's actually there, Anna smiles and says, "I'm here." My daughter, bless, already considers Jeremy guilty of emotional infidelity, based on just this scene alone. Ah to be young and far less corrupt!
Downstairs, Elena answers the door to find Caroline holding a bowl and saying, "I come bearing gifts!" She's not Greek, is she? Elena sighs. "Please say that's not chili." Before Caroline can answer, Bonnie pops her head around the corner. Elena smiles and yells, "Bonnie!" Bonnie hugs her and then takes a step back to get a good look at her friends. "I leave town for the summer and everything goes to hell -- for the both of you?" As the girls nod, Jeremy comes downstairs. "Bonnie!" She runs to him, hugs him, jumps up on him, and they kiss. When Jeremy puts her down, he can see Anna in the mirror behind Bonnie's back.
Town: Liz is crossing the street with Damon, who sums up the situation in his own Evil Pixie Monster way. "So Mayor Lockwood called your gay ex-husband to torture your vampire daughter?" Liz has been holding Bill captive -- I mean keeping him "detained" in the torture emporium, until all the vervain is out of his system. Assuming it has worn off, she wants Damon can compel Bill to forget what happened and that Caroline is a vampire. Damon: "Can't we just kill him?" Liz says no, because he's Caroline's father. Our She's-the-Sheriff is wise to follow her head, because you know her heart has to be screaming, "YES. YES. BITEY BITEY KILL KILL." I mean forget about lying to her for years -- this bastard tortured her daughter. Damon is an Evil Pixie Monster with the emphasis on Pixie in these scenes with Liz, so he says, "Sounds like a douche-bag to me." Liz: "Just because you and I are on okay terms doesn't mean I'm suddenly a big advocate for your...lifestyle." Tongue literally in cheek, Damon says: "Is that what you told him, when you two got divorced?" Wheeee!
From the camera work, it seems the torture emporium is right in the dungeon of the Mystic Falls City Jail, which a plaque informs us was built in 1860. From seasons past we know the big vampire round up took place in 1864. I wonder how long the human ancestors were onto the fact that the town was a vampire and witch haven? When they enter the torture emporium, Liz tells Damon to make sure the vervain is out of Bill's system before he compels him. Damon strolls over and rips the duct tape off the prisoner's mouth. Bill looks at his ex-wife. "You brought another vampire into this?" Liz says, "It's the best thing for all of us, Bill."
Damon hasn't gotten any attention in like... seconds, so interrupts. "Bill, I hear you're into the whole Daddy/Daughter Vampire Torture thing." Bill says, "I was trying to help her," which I find interesting. I mean, I know he's telling the truth from his perspective. I want to say he should follow his heart rather than his head, but then I ponder where prejudices really live. In Bill's case, I think they live in his heart. I'm not saying he doesn't love Caroline. I'm just saying he doesn't love her as much as he hates vampires. Hate is visceral, not cerebral. If Bill had used his head for a second -- if he had just stopped, listened to Caroline when she explained she didn't hurt people, and asked, oh I don't know, let's say more than one frickin' question of her (i.e. how she walks in daylight), would she (and we) have had to endure that torture porn last week? And even now, if he would allow himself to consider that Liz, who was raised with the same beliefs, has been able to accept Caroline, shouldn't he want to take a moment and figure things out? If he was using his head, he would be asking questions.
Damon leans down 'til he's right in Bill's face. "Well, if there's anyone who doesn't need help, it's your annoying control-freak of a daughter." Damon vamps out, sinks his teeth into Bill's neck, takes a delicate sip, and confirms that Bill is vervain-free. Liz cringes. "Just erase his memory, Damon." Damon wipes his mouth and licks the blood off his fingers. "Bill, I have a question. What makes you think that you can change the basic nature of a vampire?" Bill answers, but he never looks at Damon. He's trying to make his case to Liz. "The mind is a powerful tool. It can be trained and retrained. You just have to be strong enough." While Liz rolls her eyes at her ex (probably thinking of all the years he was trying to train himself to be straight) Damon gets back in Bill's face. "I completely agree. I actually happen to love mind control, myself." Damon turns on his compulsion eyes -- a different vibe than his regular angry eye-thing, flirty eye-thing, and why-is-he-doing-that eye-thing. He grabs Bill's face with one hand. "You will leave town immediately. All you remember is you came to bring your daughter back-to-school shopping."
Chicago, Gloria's Bar: Stefan catches up with Klaus and Rebekah. Gloria has been trying to locate the necklace, but it's a hard task without anything to go on. Rebekah says, "So use me. I only wore it for a thousand years." Gloria takes Rebekah's hand. Stefan: "She's uh...she's looking for the necklace, huh?" Glad you finally caught up, Stef.
Mystic Falls, Gilbert Gables Kitchen: Bonnie tells her friends just how boring her dad's "normal" side of the family is. Caroline says, "After the last few days, I would kill for a normal family." That's totally what Damon thinks you should do, Vampire Barbie. Caroline goes over to help Elena with the chili, and is pouring it out of the stock pot and into the crock pot, when she says, "Since when did you learn how to cook?" Elena says, "Damon helped, a little." Bonnie: "Damon's helping you cook, now?" Elena: "Both of you stop judging, he's just trying to be a good fr... OW! AH!" She jumps back. Caroline: "Did I splash you?" Elena: "Nope, nope. My necklace." She lifts the pendant away from her chest to reveal seared flesh.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar: Gloria says she can sense something. Stefan gives his best poker face as he walks closer to Gloria and Rebekah, but it's not very good.
Mystic Falls, Gilbert Gables: Elena looks down at her chest and says, "It burned me." As Elena takes off the necklace, Caroline says, "Maybe it's a sign you shouldn't be wearing it." Bonnie: "Caroline." Caroline says, "What, I'm just sayin'? You know, if you're going to be 'cooking' without Stefan." Hee.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar: Eyes closed, and still holding Rebekah's hand, Gloria chants in what sounds like Latin.
Mystic Falls, Gilbert Gables: Bonnie asks for the necklace. Elena holds it up and Bonnie takes a good look. We cut from Bonnie to Gloria to the necklace to Stefan, and back to Bonnie. When she reaches out to take the necklace from Elena, it shocks her. She lets go as Elena drops the necklace to the counter.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar: Gloria drops Rebekah's hand, opens her eyes and looks at Stefan with eyes that say, Oh boy you've totally known where this damned thing is, the whole time. With her mouth, she simply says, "I found it." Commercial.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar: Rebekah wants to know where the necklace is. Gloria says, "It doesn't work like that, doll. I get images. There's a girl, with her friends." Rebekah nods. "Yes, a dead girl, with dead friends, if I don't get my necklace back." Gloria says she'll have to dive back in to get the details. Klaus takes the seat to "his" witch. "So dive." Gloria says, "I need more time." A beat. "And space." She waves her hand at Klaus. "You're harshing my Ju-Ju." When Klaus says they can wait, Gloria says, "I'm sure you can, but that's not what I asked." Stefan, who has been watching intently, recognizes his cue. He approaches Klaus and leans over his shoulder. "Hey, you know, why don't we just come back later? I'm hungry, anyway. I'll let you pick who we eat." Rebekah and Klaus exchange an opaque glance, smile, and follow Stefan out of the bar. Gloria is not sorry to see the tail end of the fang gang.
Mystic Falls, Lockwood Mansion, Exterior: The grounds are full of picnic tables with red and white checked table clothes, topped with pretty red shade umbrellas, and tons of people. Yeah, this is a potluck. I admit I am nitpicking here, but the potluck aspect of this event o'the week seems but a contrivance conceived so that Damon could tease Elena about chili and her cooking, he and Elena could flirt, Alaric could notice them flirting, and Bonnie and Caroline could make all sorts of cooking innuendo. There. I feel better. Let's start a new paragraph.
Mystic Falls, Lockwood Mansion, Exterior: Bonnie joins Elena and Caroline on benches set off a bit from the party. She's found an identification spell that might tell her what magic is affecting the necklace. She opens her grimoire on her lap and says, "It's going to take a while, so tell me if anyone's coming." Caroline, seated to Bonnie, turns her attention to Elena, who is alone on an adjacent bench. "So you're not like... switching Salvatores, are you?" Elena's eyes bug out. "What?!" Bonnie tries to hush Caroline, but there is no Ju-Ju that strong. Care Bear tells Bonnie to stay focused on her magic and then starts in on Elena again. "As your friend, who worries for you daily, what is the deal with you and Damon?" Okay, Show, please approach the bench...
Sidebar: Caroline hasn't seen Elena with Damon, lately. Seriously? She was too busy being tortured. She didn't witness the flirty chili cooking. She wasn't on the road trip to Tennessee. She wasn't in the bedroom when Damon made Elena admit she called off the Stefan-hunt because she was afraid for Damon's life. And if Elena's on-screen actions can be taken as any sort of indication of her off-screen actions, then Elena is in serious denial about her feelings for Damon. She doesn't even want to let herself think about him like that, so I am having a hard time imagining that she's having revealing conversations with Caroline, who has been a little busy being tortured by her own father. In our forum for The Vampire Diaries, there are plenty of people opposed to exploring the Damon/Elena side of the love triangle. There are also plenty of people opposed to the triangle's existence. To my way of thinking (and I say this gently and not unkindly) both groups might be watching the wrong show, since the triangle is the show's premise: Two beautiful vampire brothers are in love with this girl. Wackiness ensues. I'm down with the triangle. I'm down with exploring this side of the triangle. I am neither invested in, nor rooting against any particular outcome where the triangle is concerned. Just tell me a story, and tell it well. But as with the whole "potluck" aspect of a potluck for hundreds at the Mayoral Mansion, Caroline's line of questioning seems shoved in here. I understand we need a catalyst to prompt Elena to think about her growing attraction and attachment to Damon, and her lingering feelings for Stefan, despite what he has become. I just expected that catalyst would feel more organic. Had Caroline been present for the flirty-wirty chili cooking, or any other recent sexually charged scene between Damon and Elena, I would have no complaint. There. I feel better for having gotten that off my chest. I'll try to let it go, accept that it is so, even if it doesn't feel true, and get back to the show.
So, Caroline oh-so-clunkily (is too a word) asks Elena what the deal is with her and Damon. Someone needs to do it, but I wish it was someone who had witnessed ANYTHING between Damon and Elena, lately. Sorry. I said I'd stop. Anyhow... Elena says there is no deal. "He's been just as focused on finding Stefan as I have." Caroline: "Yeah, but that doesn't make him any less Damon." True enough. Caroline continues: "If my own father, who I love dearly, can't change me? No one's changing Damon. Not even you." Elena says, "Why are we even talking about this?" -- which is exactly what I want to know! Ahem. This line of conversation is dropped when the necklace starts levitating right off the pages of Bonnie's grimoire. Bonnie says she's not doing anything. As the girls watch the necklace rise in the air, Bonnie adds, "It has its own magic." Gee, ya think?
In the buffet line, Damon examines the umpteen crocks of chili lying on the table. Hee. Okay, I know I said I don't like that this is a potluck, but since it is a potluck, I can still enjoy the chili chiding, right? There are little cards to each crock: Lockwood Family Chili; Gilbert Family Chili; Fell Family Chili. Damon grimaces as he reads them and then turns to Alaric. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, Ric. Founders parties are just an excuse for the Council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires." Alaric follows Damon away from the food and says, "Hey uh, I think you need to take a beat, with Elena." Damon's all, "Excuse me?" Alaric: "Whatever it is you two have going on, I think it's a bad idea." Damon: "I don't really think it's your problem, Ric." Alaric: "It is my problem. I'm supposed to look after her and this is me doing that." Damon asks, "What do you think I'm doing?" Alaric's voice grows stern. "What I think is -- you need to take a beat." Damon, who looks a little hurt that his only real friend is calling him out like this, searches Alaric's face, but doesn't reply. They're interrupted by Liz, who tells him the Mayor has just called a Council meeting. Damon follows Liz and shoots a dirty look at Alaric, for good measure. Now, Alaric's comment to Damon was also out of the blue, but I'm not calling the show for another sidebar, because Alaric has witnessed the vibe between Damon and Elena, more than once. He's also doing a great job of integrating heart and head, here. He and Damon have grown to be friends of a sort, but once Alaric got over his not-fitting-in crisis a couple of weeks ago, and decided he does belong with the Gilberts, he threw his heart right into it, and his head is following suit.
Chicago: While Klaus and Stefan are still feeding on their latest victims, Rebekah announces, "My girl's dead. I'm bored." Klaus takes a breath to note that the still feasting Stefan wasn't kidding about being hungry. When Stefan says, "It's been a long day," Klaus laughs, nods towards Rebekah and cracks, "Try being related to her." He laughs when his sister tells him he's being mean. Stefan laughs, so she turns to him. "And why are you being mean? You used to love me." Klaus says, "It's been 90 years, Rebekah. Give him a minute." I wonder if she even knows Klaus is holding Stefan against his will. Rebekah asks Klaus why he's taking Stefan's side. Klaus: "Because, my dear sister, I feel pity for any man who doesn't give you what you want." Rebekah raises her voice. "Would you stop making me out to be a brat? I. Am. Not. A. Brat." Becky, that could have only been less convincing if you'd stomped your feet while saying it. Klaus agrees with me, but then Stefan tells him, "Well, you're no picnic, either. I mean, I've only spent one summer with you, and I feel like I want to blow my head off." I wish he and Klaus would wipe the blood off their mouths. It's making me a little woozy. Rebekah laughs at Stefan's Klaus-zing and pronounces it, "Fantastic." Stefan then puts down his victim, FINALLY WIPES his mouth, and says, "I need to go." Once he's off, Rebekah asks Klaus where Stefan is going. Klaus says, "To write a name on the wall. It's a long story."
Mystic Falls, Lockwood Mansion: Jeremy closes himself in the Lockwood dining room and calls out for Anna, saying they don't have much time. She appears and says they have all the time in the world. He apologizes for earlier, saying he got distracted. Anna wonders why he hasn't told Bonnie about seeing her. I think the implication is that she wants to hear Jeremy admit that he still has feelings for her, feelings he'd feel guilty confessing to Bonnie. Anna then explains that her ability to communicate with him is sort of a push and pull. She pushes, trying to contact him, and when he pulls, they can be together. She claims she's all by herself and says, "It's like I'm a part of your world, but no one can see me. I'm on the other side." Jeremy says, "What about Vicki?" Anna says, "Whenever you say you see her, I feel something -- a darkness, and when I try to tell you not to let her in, something crazy happens, like she's trying to push me out." When Jeremy recalls the windows breaking the night he and Matt contacted Vicki, Anna warns him to be careful. "Try not to let her in. She can't get through if you're not open to it." When Jeremy sighs, Anna tells him how amazing it is to finally be able to talk to him. She touches his hand and then apologizes, saying she knows he can't feel anything. Jeremy tells her to do it again, and holds his hand up in the air. Anna brings her hand to his and smiles up at him. It's a sweet (if suspicious) scene, and my daughter is DISGUSTED that Jeremy would cheat on Bonnie like this. Part of me wants to rise to his defense, but she's nailed his emotions, if not his actions, so I don't bother.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar:
Gloria is not surprised when Stefan finally shows up. When he asks her what she saw, she tells him it's what she heard that is interesting -- the girls with the necklace were talking about him. Stefan asks why she didn't tell that to Klaus. Gloria: "I wouldn't help that hybrid half-breed with anything." Gloria explains that the necklace is a talisman from the Original Witch, and she wants the presssssssshhhhhhhiiiiiiiooooooouuuuusssssssssssssss. When Stefan says he can't help her, Gloria threatens to tell Klaus what a liar Stefan is. Stefan Stealth-Salvatores up behind her, but hits an invisible wall of witch-induced mystical migraine, that brings him to his knees.I'm surprised to find myself glad Stefan is in pain, but I'm ashamed to admit I don't think I even feel that way because of his Ripper-ness. He was dragged into all this against his will, and he's addicted to blood in a way that sets him apart from the other vampires in this universe. I get that. I'm glad he has the migraine, because he's not fully listening to either his head or his heart, right now. Stefan found himself serving as Klaus's pet Ripper, because he wanted to save Damon. It was the only way he could see out. Fine. And he won't go back home with Damon and Elena for a few reasons: he doesn't want Klaus to kill them all; he doesn't think he can/doesn't want to pull himself together again -- at least not in Elena's lifetime. Fine. But... the moment Stefan found out Klaus was looking for Elena's necklace, why did he not call and warn Damon? I mean, he's where he is because he wants to keep his loved ones safe. Now there's a loved one (Elena) who may be in danger if Klaus figures out that Elena is still very much alive and that she has the necklace. Even if Stefan is able to shut off his feelings -- particularly where Elena is concerned -- he knows he's in this horrible spot, because that's the deal he cut with Klaus, to save Damon. And he knows if Elena is in danger that puts Damon in danger, too, because ever-reckless Damon loves Elena. I'm not criticizing Stefan's characterization, here. I think it's note-perfect. He's all messed up right now, so even though he puts on a great front with Katherine about his diabolical plans or what have you, he is not thinking straight. And I think he's not thinking straight, because he's trying to shut off his heart.
We return from the commercial break to find Gloria has stripped Stefan of his shirt, because she's a good witch like that, even if she's a bad witch in other ways. Among those other ways is torture. She's places Stefan under a paralysis spell. She has him strapped to a table right in the middle of her bar, and a million candles burn around them. As she slices his wrists, Gloria says, "You know, witches nowadays -- they're into that New Age stuff, but I'm a little more old school Voodoo. She takes out some metal um... thingies and inserts them inside Stefan's wound to, "Stop that pesky healing." Gloria is hardcore. Between screams, Stefan says he won't tell Gloria anything. She says he doesn't have to. As his blood drips from his wrists into a pseudo chalice below, Gloria says his essence will let her make a connection. She has herbs, too, including every vampire's favorite -- vervain. And, okay? Why isn't Stefan taking his daily dose of vervain to help him better resist it when it is used against him. I thought he and Damon learned that lesson from Kiki last season. Maybe Klaus has him on too short of a leash. Gloria rubs her hands with vervain and applies them to Stefan's chest. As his flesh sizzles, Stefan screams.
Mystic Falls, Lockwood Mansion, Council Meeting: Liz tells the Council that there have been no incidents of question since Spring. Carol asks Damon if he has anything to add, but Damon says Liz covered everything. Carol dismisses them and thanks everyone for coming. Only she, Liz and Damon remain in the study, when Bill shows up and asks them if they think everyone on the Council is clueless or just stupid. Their jaws hit the floor and we cut to...
Gilbert Gables: Bonnie and Jeremy are in his room doing some research on Elena's necklace. Germ suggests she ask the dead witches she was channeling at the end of last season, but Bonnie explains that they cut her off, as a consequence of messing with the balance of nature when she brought Jeremy back to life. And thank goodness for that. If she's too powerful, there's no tension to the show. She apologizes for not telling Jeremy sooner. She did tell Elena, but she didn't want to make Jeremy feel weird about it. Jeremy's guilt over his secret contact with Anna's ghost is clearly at play when he over-emphasizes that Bonnie has nothing for which to apologize. Bonnie tells him Elena says he's been having a hard time of it, but Jeremy pooh-poohs that idea and changes the subject back to their research, far too quickly. When he takes a huge grimoire into his lap and picks up Elena's necklace with his other hand, Anna appears behind Bonnie and says, "Jeremy. The darkness. It's here." She disappears, and all the grimoires burst into flames, including the one in Jeremy's lap. Bonnie magically exterminates the fire and Jeremy asks her what the hell just happened. Bonnie: "I have no idea." Well come on, Germ. You have at least an inkling.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar and Midwestern Torture Emporium: Gloria blathers on about how impressed she is by Stefan's discipline. As she continues to torture him, she asks him questions like, "Who's the girl with the necklace" and "Do you love her?" Stefan flashes on visions of him and Elena in happier times. Gloria can see these images and goes on about how he would do anything for her, and that he has. She adds, "A lot of darkness. A lot of guilt. All to keep her away from Klaus, but why would he be interested in one girl?" Stefan's voice is nearly gone as he pleads with Gloria not to do this. Finally, Gloria learns that Elena is the doppelganger, and that she's supposed to be dead. "That's why Klaus can't make hybrids, isn't it." Gloria's laughter is interrupted by a familiar voice saying, "This is creepy." It's the Queen of Creepy, herself -- Katherine! Kiki plunges a dagger into Gloria's neck and ding dong, yet another black witch on this show is dead. She then looks down at suffering Stefan and says, "Maybe you do need my help, after all," because she wouldn't be Katherine if she wasn't rubbing it in.
Lockwood Mansion: Elena is telling Caroline that Stefan never told her anything about the necklace, when Alaric runs into them and asks if it's time to go. Elena agrees and then asks where Damon is. Caroline says, "Probably out somewhere doing bad things to good people." Hee. She adds, "Consider me the honesty police." Caroline's smile evaporates when she spies Bill talking to other party guests. When Elena asks her what's wrong, she says, "It's my dad." Elena asks why he'd even show up there. Caroline can't deal and Elena gets it, so Caroline makes a speedy exit. Alaric asks what that was all about. If he gets an answer, we don't hear it.
Damon catches up to Elena and Alaric at the door and says he's been busy managing Bill Forbes. "Apparently he's impervious to compulsion." Alaric: "How?" Damon: "I have no idea, but he threatened to 'out' me. Don't get me started on the irony of that." I've noticed some more objections out there in Fandomland, to the way the show plays with parallels between vampirism and homosexuality. I understand. They do it with addicts, too. (Oh and please, please know -- I am neither comparing nor equating addiction with sexuality.) I hope I don't upset you when I confess this doesn't bother me. To me, exploring similar elements is not the same as equating. Saying, "Some of X circumstances are akin to Y circumstances," is not (to me) the same as saying X people are Y, i.e. it's not saying X people are the moral equivalent of monsters or vampires. I don't know. I appreciate the storytelling device, but I am sorry it's upsetting people. This sort of TV should be fun. I hope it gets better for you, and I hope the story develops in a way that you can appreciate. Let's start a new paragraph.
Elena turns to Damon. "What did you do to him? How do you know the compulsion doesn't work?" Damon's in a fit of pique. "That's not the most important information I mentioned, Elena." Alaric says, "Well, what does he wants?" Per Damon, Bill wants to control the council because it's been compromised. Alaric snarks, "It has." Damon: "He wants to put vervain in the town's water supply." Elena: "Maybe that's not a bad idea. I mean, it will help you keep yourself in control, now that Stefan's not here to..." Damon's eye-thing goes on hyper drive. "To what? To keep me in check? Make me behave? I should have killed him this morning." How are Caroline and Damon going to, oh say, shower? Will they have to dig themselves wells? Anyhow, when Elena reminds him that Bill is Caroline's father, Damon says, "Yeah, and when I kill him, she'll have one more parent than we do." Alaric tries to talk sense with old blue eyes. "Oh come on, Damon!" Damon squares off against him. "You're repeatedly killing my buzz today, Ric. Step aside." Alaric says that's not going to happen. Damon looks down, looks at Alaric, looks at Elena and then back at Alaric. "Your temporary funeral." And then? He snaps Alaric's frigging NECK as Elena yells, "Damon, no!" When Alaric's corpse collapses on the Lockwood lawn, Elena shouts, "What is wrong with you?" Damon walks up to her, brushes against her, and storms on past. And oh my word, I'm only halfway through the episode and I've written more than 6,300 words. I need an intervention. Commercial.
But don't intervene yet, because let's go back to that whole heart/head thing. Damon right now, is all heart. But just like Stefan is excluding his heart to the detriment of his head, Damon is excluding his head to the detriment of his heart. He loves Elena. He wants to be with Elena. He also wants to save his brother. He wants his brother to be able to return to Elena. He's an emotional salad and the lettuce has started turning rusty on the edges. I hate rusty lettuce. If he would take a breath, or a "beat" to borrow from Alaric, maybe he could think straight about who he is, who he wants to be, and why. And? I am so glad he's here. I'm glad he's here, because the show started this interesting storyline with him, last season, when they had him flipping out away from the prying eyes of the rest of the Fellowship of the Falls, and faking that he was holding it together when he couldn't hide.
Chicago, Gloria's Bar: As Stefan and Katherine clean up Gloria's remains and the rest of the bar, Katherine says, "I've been thinking about your diabolical plan." I'm just going to quote her, to simple things up. "You must know that Klaus is too paranoid to ever fully trust you, but the sister? She loves you like it was yesterday. She's the easier mark. But, you can't just pretend to care, because Klaus will know better. So, you do the opposite. You bond with him -- make her feel left out. That'll only make her want you more." Stefan: "Oh, so you mean I'm uh... taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce playbook?" Katherine doesn't engage. "The only question is why, Stefan. I mean I get it. You want to keep Klaus away from Mystic Falls, but what else do you expect to get from him?" Stefan tries to put her off, but Kiki reminds him she just saved his life. Finally, he fesses up. "Okay, I knew them, back in the 20s. They were running from someone -- someone who scared them." Katherine says this must be the hunter she heard of, centuries ago. Stefan: "Don't you want to know why an Original Vampire, who can't be killed -- is afraid of a vampire hunter?" Is this the Original Slayer? [You rang? -- Buffy] [Buffy, you are not the Original Slayer. You're the Ultimate Slayer. --Cindy] Anyhoodle, Katherine tells Stefan that if he's planning to make a move against Klaus, she wants in. Stefan laughs and tells her it's good to want things. He then slings Gloria's canvas wrapped corpse over his shoulder, and adds, "Katherine, I'm in this alone. If you're looking for a diabolical partner in crime, I suggest you look elsewhere." Well, sheesh, Stefan. Why didn't you just over-night her to Damon?
Lockwood Mansion: After football practice, Tyler makes his way upstairs to his room, and is pleasantly surprised to see Caroline waiting for him. She's mostly there to hide out from her Dastardly Daddy, though. When Tyler suggests he could beat him up, Caroline eagerly agrees, but then backtracks, because all else aside, Bill is her father. Tyler pulls Caroline's head to his chest and she sinks into his embrace for a second but then reels back. "God, you reek!" Ty's all, "What? No. This? This is sexy." Caroline: "No, it's really bad." They kiss and things quickly heat up. Caroline pulls off his shirt, bless. It's not long before she's straddling him, but then her phone rings. She answers it saying, "I'm only answering in case it's a friend emergency." Elena is still standing outside, in front of the Lockwood mansion, just behind Alaric's corpse. "It's an emergency."
Lockwood Study: As Bill is pouring himself a stiff one, Damon walks in and mocks that he figured Mr. Forbes for an abstainer. The talk turns to mind control, vampire compulsion, and the resistance thereof. Bill says, "It takes a certain human focus. It's a skill I've been honing for decades. Plus? Your technique is a little lazy." Damon acknowledges this, but then asks why Bill doesn't just expose the current Mystic Falls vampires to the Council. Bill says he'd never expose his own daughter to "those morons." Damon says, "It's a pretty risky move, taking me on, don't you think?" Bill: "I knew what I was risking when I didn't leave town, but I figured you're not self-destructive enough to kill the Sheriff's ex-husband." Damon: "That makes you the third person to underestimate me, today." He then Stealth-Salvatores up to Bill and sinks his fangs into his neck. Commercials.
Damon, a little high off of the fresh blood, tells Bill he's not going to kill him. "I'm just going to find pleasure in perfect little moments like this." He dives in for another drink, but is soon interrupted by Caroline who pushes Damon off her Dastardly Daddy and into the wall. They scuffle and Caroline throws Damon through the French doors. She then opens up her wrist for her father, to help his wounds heal. When he resists her cure, Caroline says, "Grow up," and forces her blood on him. When she tells Damon to get out of there, Damon says, "Or what?" So? Caroline smashes him across the face. He leaps on her and pushes her onto the desk as he throttles her, thereby verifying this is an actual episode of The Vampire Diaries. Caroline growls, "Well, I'm angrier." She then HEADBUTTS Damon and makes me love her more than I ever knew was possible. By now, Elena is at the doorway, taking in the whole scene. Caroline throws Damon off her and across the study, then zooms over to her Dastardly Daddy and Stealth-Salvatores him away. Elena is left looking at Damon, with Bill's blood still dripping from his lips. Damon says, "Bummer, I love a good girl fight." Elena is furious. "You can't do this anymore, Damon. Not in this town -- not around me." Damon: "Why not? It's nothing I haven't done before. Why is it suddenly so important for everyone to keep me in check." Elena says she doesn't want him to be what everyone thinks he is. Damon: "What? A monster? Sorry to disappoint you, Elena, but last time I checked, I was still a vampire." Elena raises her voice to a yell. "I guess I wish that you didn't have to act like one." Damon makes it clear that he's not Stefan and that Elena should stop trying to turn him into him.
Gilbert Gables: Germ is washing up in the bathroom as he talks to Bonnie about cleaning up the ashes from the grimoire fire. When she goes to get the vacuum, Anna appears. Jeremy reminds her that Bonnie is there and that she has to stop popping up every time he's with Bonnie. Anna says she only pops up when he's thinking about her. "That's why you haven't told her, isn't it? You don't want her to know you still care." Jeremy tells Anna that this is too much for him and he can't do it right now. Anna tries to apologize, but Jeremy tells her goodbye and shuts her out until she disappears. Jeremy finds Bonnie in his bedroom, cleaning up the mess, and confesses that he has been lying to her about nothing being wrong. In the background, Anna cries for Jeremy to please listen to her, but Jeremy continues his confession.
Warehouse-y Place: Stefan surveys Klaus's casket collection. Just as he's about to open one, Rebekah announces, "We're back." She says Nik went to check on their witch and then, looking around at the caskets adds, "Dreary, isn't it? Family cargo." Stefan agrees an asks Rebekah why she doesn't "undagger" the rest of her clan. She says Nik, the vindictive little bastard, would hunt her down and kill her. Stefan turns the conversation to the fact that Becky and Nik were on the run back in the 20s. He wants to know who they were running from. Becky plays dim at first, but finally just says she can't tell him, because Nik would flip if he knew they were talking about this. Stefan tells her to forget he asked. It's then that Becky says she knows about the girl Stefan loved, "the one that died," and that Stefan is only with Nik because of Damon. Becky says Nik admires that Stefan would sacrifice anything for family, but adds, "Don't tell him I told you that." When Stefan tells her that her secret is safe with him, she grabs hold of his head, pulls him to her and kisses him furiously. Once their lips part, she asks, "Do you think you'll ever love anyone like you loved that girl?" Stefan nods. "One day, maybe." Becky strokes his cheek. "I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan." His kiss already gave him away. Just then, Klaus returns and says Gloria has skipped town, so they need to find a new witch, immediately. When he notices the vibe between Stefan and Rebekah, he asks what's going on. Rebekah tells her big brother, "Something's wrong. He was asking about Michael. He's not with us, Nik. I can sense it." Despite Stefan's pleas that Rebekah is wrong, Klaus Stealth-Salvatores up in his face and into commercial.
Mystic Falls, Mossy Manse: Damon mixes up two glasses of something lemony looking. Is that a Tom Collins? Whatevs. He sips one and brings the other to Alaric's corpse, which is resting on the chesterfield. He jiggles the glass to Alaric's ear and sing-songs, "Wake up." Alaric resurrects with a gasp and jumps to sitting position as he tries to start breathing again. Damon sits and hands him his drink. "Wow. Took a bit longer than usual, huh?" Hee. I love how he has JUST KILLED ALARIC, and now he's talking like Alaric just has a hangover, for which he -- DAMON -- is at no fault, whatsoever. "You might want to get that ring checked. I hope it's not going bad." Why, Evil Pixie Monster. Do you plan to kill your only friend on an even more regular basis? Alaric is right there with you. "You killed me!" Damon: "You pissed me off." Alaric: "YOU KILLED ME!" Damon takes a sip of his drink. "Ric, no hard feelings, all right? I was on a bit of a tear. Everyone was trying to tell me how to behave." You mean like...not killing your best friend? Alaric straightens up on the couch. "Well maybe they finally realized you're just a dick." Damon winces at that, which cracks me right up. Kill your BFF? Mix him a drink and wait for it to pass. Hear your BFF call you a dick -- and your boo boo kitty feelings get all bruised and broken. Engage your head, Damon! No, no, no. Not that one. The big one that lives north of your shoulders. Atta boy.
Downtown Mystic Falls, Exterior: Elena is walking down the street with Caroline who is all "I'm not going to say I told you so," while being exactly all I told you so. When Elena says, "Okay, you and Damon were both right. I was trying to change him. But if he wants to be in my life..." It's then that Caroline cuts her off. "Wait. I. Huh. It's been a long week, so I'm just going to be blunt. It doesn't matter what he does. Damon's gotten under your skin." Elena: "That's not true." Caroline: "Just admit it, Elena. Okay? You are attracted to him, in all of his bad brother glory." When Elena says, "No," Caroline asks, "Wait. 'No' you're not attracted to him, or 'no' you just won't admit it?" Elena sounds choked up. "I can't, Caroline. If I admit it. If..." She sighs and her voice drops to a near whisper. "If I even thought it for just a second... what does that say about me?" Caroline shakes her head. "It says you're human, Elena." It's then that Caroline's humanity comes back to haunt her in the form of her Dastardly Daddy, walking down the sidewalk.
Caroline leaves Elena and approaches Bill. She checks to see that his neck wound has healed, and Bill grimly chuckles that he's going back home before someone kills him. He then tanks Caroline for coming to his rescue and I hope, for just a moment that his love for her is stronger than his hatred of vampires. When he says goodbye and heads toward his car, Caroline stops him. "Daddy? I'm gonna be okay." Bill walks back to her. "You're a vampire, sweetheart. I don't think you'll ever be okay again." Damon was right. He totally should have killed Bill.
Lockwood Mansion: Alaric meets with Carol Lockwood and Liz Forbes to present his case. "The Gilbert family is a founding family and they deserve to have a voice on the Council. I'm taking care of them. I should be that voice." When Carol tells Alaric that's not how it works. Alaric won't back down. "Oh really, well then tells me how it does. The Council's job is to protect the people of this town. Now your daughter's a vampire and your son's a werewolf, so who's looking after the actual people? Some of them may be family or friends, but they are still supernatural. They don't follow our rules or our laws. They look after themselves, and that's what we need to do." Rather than wait for acceptance or any response at all, Alaric rises to his feet. "I'll see you at the meeting." Liz and Carol watch him leave and then just look at each other.
Mystic Grill: Bonnie is sitting at an outdoor table when Elena approaches. "Hey there. I just saw Jeremy. He says you still have my necklace." When Bonnie says she hasn't figured out what's going on with it, yet, Elena says she understands -- she just feels weird without it. "The whole Stefan of it all." Bonnie says, "Okay," and returns the necklace, then asks, "Did Jeremy also tell you that he's been seeing ghosts of his dead girlfriends all summer." Elena's all, "WHAT?" Bonnie: "Vicki and Anna -- he's been talking to them." Elena: "You're kidding?" Bonnie says she wishes she was. "It's because I brought him back to life. The witches said there would be consequences. Guess they were right." A waitress comes over to the table to refill Bonnie's coffee, and diverts her attention for second. She turns back and says, "You know what am I supposed to..." but Elena has disappeared, because THAT WAS TOTALLY KATHERINE, Y'ALL. Oh she's bad, and now she has the necklace.
Mossy Manse: Damon opens the door to find Katherine, but he thinks it's Elena at first too, and says, "I accept written apologies, only." Apologies for what -- biting Bill Forbes and snapping Alaric's neck. Okay, how's this: Dear Damon, I'm sorry you can go from being the world's best bodyguard to an utter and complete psychotic jackass in a moment of seconds. Love, Elena. Nope? Well, it's okay, because as I mentioned, this isn't Elena. It's Katherine. She giggles at him. "Are you two lovebirds fighting already?" Damon bangs his head lightly against the front door. "Katherine. Wonderful. What do you want?" Katherine says, "I'm just a girl, looking for a partner in crime. You feel like hitting the road? Getting the hell outta Dodge?" Damon, who had been walking away turns back. "You have impeccable timing. I was told I need to take a beat." Katherine asks if that's a yes. "I'll drive." Damon's eye-thing goes up to 11. "Why not. Walls are starting to close in on me around here. Where are we going?' Katherine nods. "Away from here. That's all I'm going to give you for right now, but believe me..." She then holds up Elena's necklace. "It's good." Damon grasps at the necklace, but as always, Katherine is too quick for him.
Klaus kicks at Stefan's foot 'til he comes to. Stefan says, "Just give me a chance to explain myself, okay." Klaus says there's no need. "I'm not mad, I'm just curious. Rebekah seems to think you're holding onto something -- a piece of your old life. The thing is, she's got flawless instincts -- borderline supernatural, so I thought... I would check it out and see for myself what it is you've been hiding. Stefan stands as Klaus slides open a big door. It seems our fang gang has been in the back of a truck with Klaus's caskets. It takes Stefan's eyes a moment to adjust to the sunlight, but once he does, it's clear where he is -- back home in old Mystic Falls! Grrr argh.
I'll be back Friday with the recaplet of "The Reckoning." In the meantime, please grade the episode up top and join us in the forum, where the water supply is already spiked with vervain, so Damon is going to have to come to my place to shower.
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