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When we left off about a month ago, Damon vamped Bonnie's mom, to save Elena's life, so of course Bonnie is not in this episode. Why develop her as a fully realized character, when she's such a convenient deus ex machina? When something happens to Bonnie, the writers ship her out of Mystic Falls, so they don't have to deal with her. This time, she and Caroline are at Abby's, helping Abby through her transition.
We flash back to 1912, where there's a serial killer on the loose -- I mean other than all the vampires that haunt Mystic Falls on a regular basis. The serial killer seemingly turns out to be Miss Samantha Gilbert, who like her grandfather before her, went crazy. Thank goodness she was also a diarist, so our modern day Mystic Falls residents can piece it all together. Samantha and her grandfather both had the Gilbert protect-o rings. It seems dying and coming back too often messes with a person's head. They lose track of time and eventually go crazy. 1912 is also where we meet vampire Sage (Cassidy Freeman) who, in the course of a brief conversation, persuades Damon to ditch the morose attitude he's had for the past 48 years, just by teaching him the simple pleasure of playing with his food.
It looks like the 2012 serial killer is Alaric, who is wearing one of those protect-o rings today. Of course Jeremy has one too, so maybe he's snuck back into town. There's a lot of Alaric in this episode, but the plot involving him, Meredith, and Sheriff Forbes is so convoluted that I'm just going to save it for the full weecap. Suffice it to say that Elena (thanks to the help of Samantha Gilbert's journal) realizes Alaric might be the killer, just when Meredith and Alaric are coming to that conclusion. Across town at Mossy Manse, Damon and Stefan have the same suspicions.
The best and most important moments in this episode -- are the scenes between Damon and Stefan, and those between Elena and Matt. Damon is trying to help Stefan consume human blood in moderation. He tried once before, back in 1912, but when Stefan ripped off the head of their victim, he got angry at Damon for making him try. Instead of trying to break through to his bro, Damon let him go.
In 2012, Damon again manipulates a jonesing Stefan into feeding. This time, Stefan manages not to kill their victim, but he still gets upset with Damon, because Matt and Elena happen upon them, before Stefan can even wipe the blood off his face. I get upset with Damon because he's been through this before. Couldn't he have started Stefan out on blood bags? Anyhow, back home, the boys eventually have a heart to heart. Damon is determined to help Stefan learn self-control without self-denial, and this time, he won't quit, even if Stefan wants him to. They share a lovely moment where Damon admits that Stefan is all he has.
Similarly, Matt and Elena get some quiet time together. At Matt's request, she explains her feelings for the Salvatore brothers. Stefan made her feel safe, in part, because she knew he wasn't going to die on her (like her parents had). And Damon somehow just snuck up on her, and got under her skin. She can't shake him. When Matt says he doesn't think you ever completely shake off someone you love, he might as well be telling Elena he's still in love with her. She knows it, and asks if he wants her to stop talking about it, but Matt's a Pudding Pop, so he says no, he's fine.
While I am glad that there seems to be consequences to the protect-o rings, on first watch, this episode has some real problems particularly where Meredith and Liz's actions are concerned. The Sage Tutors Damon story is entirely too facile. Rebekah's subplot about finding the Son of the White Oak is also fairly ridiculous. In the end, what saves it, are the tender moments between Matt and Elena, and between Stefan and Damon. They are more than worth the price of admission.
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 freezer is stocked with Pudding Pops.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Welcome back, fang hags. I hope you had a good hiatus. It's been so long since the "All My Children" episode aired, that I feel the need to revisit it before getting into "1912." Specifically, I want to look at the scene in which Meredith shoots Alaric.
From The Vampire Diaries "All My Children," weecap: Alaric is at Meredith's place, letting her care for him. He's got a bump on his noggin and probably a broken rib, so he crashes on her couch. When he wakes, he heads to her kitchen to find some aspirin. Wait. He's putting it his mouth? I thought you were supposed to put aspirin between your knees. Huh. Anyhow, Ric finds a file about him and other files concerning people like dead Bill Forbes and dead Medical Examiner Brian. He also finds the knife that was used in the attacks and he knows that knife! Suddenly, Meredith appears and says, "You weren't supposed to find that." Sheesh, Mere -- then stick in it a drawer or something. She ignores me, takes out a gun and shoots Alaric. I suppose I should have used an exclamation point there, but Alaric has died so many times, I'm numb to it. I'm just hoping that Mere is something supernatural and couldn't parse the screwy ring mythology. Better still, maybe she hit Alaric in the liver. That sucker can take abuse.
Just keep that in mind later, all right? I love the emotions "1912" evokes, but my first impression of the plot was that the writers wrote plot points on spaghetti, threw the spaghetti at the wall and used only those points that stuck. I'm going into this weecap with such a bad attitude. I hope that re-watching the episode will help clear up some of my concerns. You ready? Okay.
Mystic Falls, Night, 1912. Sheriff Gerald Forbes and Mr. Zachariah Salvatore exit the town hall. Forbes offers to get a police car to take Mr. Salvatore home, but Salvatore declines. Forbes is concerned because a member of the Founders Council has recently been murdered. Salvatore pooh-poohs this concern, so, of course, he ends up stabbed to death thirty seconds after bidding Forbes goodnight.
Mystic Falls, Day, Present. Mayor Lockwood is harassing Sheriff Liz Forbes about the serial killer who has murdered two council members and tried to kill Alaric. Liz stands her ground. She's not going to discuss the case with the Mayor until she has more facts. We cut to a jail cell. Alaric wakes up and smacks his head on the Title Card.
Damon can't believe Liz is arresting Alaric based on Dr. Fell's words. Liz clarifies that she's not arresting him; she's detaining him for his own good, because Fell used vampire blood to heal him after he was shot.
Ric: Yo, Fell shot me.
Liz: You came at her with a knife.
Recapper: No he did not. Read that paragraph from "All My Children" that I quoted above. I just went back and watched the scene too, to be extra sure. Alaric wakes up on the couch, wincing from his broken rib. He looks in Meredith's bedroom, then wanders out to the kitchen, takes a couple of aspirin out of a bottle and spots medical records and/or other files for himself, Bill Forbes and M.E. Brian. Ric then finds the knife wrapped in a red towel. He's unwrapping it as Meredith enters the kitchen, already aiming her gun at him. She says, "You weren't supposed to find that." Alaric looks at her. His face says nothing more menacing than, "Um..." She fires the weapon. End scene. Either Fell is lying, or the show did a crappy job blocking, shooting and editing that scene. I'm sorry. Let's get back to the story.
Liz: As I was saying, you came at Meredith with a knife.
Ric: Yeah, with a knife I had found hidden in her things.
Recapper: But you didn't come at her. You didn't. You didn't. You should say that part of the story, Alaric. WTF?!
Damon: Remember how Ric was practically stabbed to death? He's one of the victims.
Liz: Dr. Fell suggested his wounds could have been self-inflicted.
Recapper: I'm not going to search past episodes again, but I remember quite clearly that Dr. Fell told Alaric she couldn't tell bupkis about his wounds, because they were already healed from the ring or blood or whatever.
Ric: I'm being framed!
Liz: Maybe so, but there's no proof of that.
Damon: I'll find some.
Liz: Stay out of this, Damon. You getting involved is only going to make things worse.
Damon's Eyes: Madam, you cut me to the quick!
Damon: Listen, Liz...
Liz: Don't make me put you in that cell with him.
Bromance Fans: Doooooooooo eeeeeeeeeeeet.
Meanwhile, Elena and Matt are out for a jog, and the star quarterback cannot keep up with the ex-cheerleader. He finally gets her to take a break when he reveals he talked to Bonnie who is with Abby and Caroline at Abby's house. Abby is going to complete the transition. Elena wonders if there's anything she can do. Matt says Bonnie knows it's not Elena's fault -- she's just upset. Elena says since Damon vamped Abby to save Elena, it most certainly is her fault. Soon thereafter, Elena gets a call from Sheriff Forbes. Elena's eyes widen. "He what?"
Cut to the Sheriff's Office. Elena runs into Damon, who is just leaving. He tells her Ric is fine, but Liz has ordered him to stay away from the case. Elena can't believe he's going to. He suggests he could rip out "Dr. False Accusations'" throat.
Damon: Don't forget, I also suggest ripping out her tongue. I could chew it up in little tiny pieces and feed it to the squirrels. I make Hannibal Lecter-ish chewy noises. Elena is not amused. I then remind her I saved her life last night. You're welcome.
Elena: How about some compassion for Bonnie?
Damon: Should I send lasagna?
Elena: Meanie!
Damon: I'm mean. You hate me. The earth is back on its axis.
Elena: You know, if you keep pushing people away, you're going to end up alone.
Damon's Eyes: Damn, I hate it when she's right.
Damon: I return to Mossy Manse to find Stefan incessantly tapping his ring against his desk while reading his journal. I know he's hurting, so I, of course, mock him. Dear Diary, a chipmunk asked me my name today. I told him it was Joe. That lie will haunt me... forever.
Stefan: What do you want?
Damon: How about a little brotherly bonding/wonder twin activating and an investigation into the serial killer case in this town. Remember when we came back for Zachariah's funeral? I'm pretty sure someone was offing council members then, too.
Stefan: 1912.
Damon: Or as I like to call it: the last time Mystic Falls had a serial killer on its hands.
Recapper: You mean besides you two, Katherine, the Originals, Klaus's hybrid army, the tomb vamps and the werewolves?
Stefan: See you mock my journaling, but now it's coming in handy. It's going to segue us into this sepia-toned flashback.
We get a Stefan DIARY-Ahhh voiceover, concerning his trepidation at returning to Mystic Falls for Zachariah's funeral. At the cemetery, Stefan -- who is on the bunny diet -- chats up Mariana Lockwood and Samantha Gilbert.
Stefan: As in Johnathan (sic) Gilbert?
Samantha: My late grandfather. Did you know him?
>Stefan: Of course. I look 17, but I'm totally 65.
Recapper: [Pssst Stef: first of all, ixnay on the age thing. Also honey, you in no way look 17. That's not a bad thing. Just look in the mirror; there's no bad there. But there's no 17 there either. And don't get me started on Damon. Really, the writers have to come up with something to explain your appearances. Might I suggest either mild photo-aging as a consequence of the daywalker rings or that you two lied about your ages-at-vamping -- in order to get in Elena's pants.]
Samantha: I'm sorry Mr. Salvatore, what did you say about my grandfather?
Stefan: Ah yes. Um... we crossed paths. Now, not to be gross or anything, but what happened to Zachariah?
Samantha: He was murdered and he wasn't the first.
Mariana: Inappropriate!
Samantha: Pshaw. Be careful, Mr. Salvatore. It's not a good time to be a founder in this town.
Stefan: Oh look, a raven! I know what that means.
Recapper: Craven! Oh you were such cheesy good fun. I'm sorry I mocked you, the DIARY-Ahhh and even the fog.
Damon arrives at the cemetery. He's positively wooden. It's been something like 48 years since he was turned and yet he's still ticked at Stefan for manipulating him into completing his transition. He's not impressed that Stefan's on the bunny diet and says he'd like to live out his eternal existence far away from Stefan. As Damon walks off, Stefan suggests they go get a drink and confesses that he's missed Damon. Damon considers and then finally agrees.
Mossy Manse, Present. Damon suggests he and Stefan go out for a drink. Stefan teases that Damon must be bored with his BFF in jail. Damon cops to that, but says he's also hoping Stefan will help him solve a murder. Commercial.
Rebekah is at the Grill, talking to Mayor Lockwood about trees. This story line is so dumb, so mind-numbingly stupid that I'm only going to give you the skinny and then speak of it no more. She is, of course, looking for the descendent of the Original White Oak -- the one with wood capable of killing the Mikaelsons. Carol suggests checking with the Salvatores as, back in the old days, they owned all the logging mills. AND SO WHAT -- DID THEY KEEP A TREE PEDIGREE ON EACH TREE THEY CHOPPED DOWN? I CAN'T WRITE ABOUT THIS SHIT. There. I feel better now. I'll try to keep the yelling and cursing to a minimum. But how I hate this plot point. Oak trees drop thousands of acorns a year. THOUSANDS. If the Original White Oak had one descendent, it could have had a hundred okay? Go out in the forest, Becky. Snap a branch off any old white oak. Stab yourself with it. If it kills you, we all win. Actually, I don't necessarily want Rebekah to die. It's just... she's looking for a damned tree. IN NORTH AMERICA. Oh, I'm yelling again. I'd better just move off this topic.
When Stefan and Damon enter the grill, Damon and Rebekah eye-thing at each other. Over at the bar, Damon's wondering about the connection between the victims, but Stefan's still tapping his ring on the bar and it's driving Damon crazy. He suggests that instead of bouncing between going cold turkey and becoming a ripper, Stefan instead try "our old friend, moderation." Ignoring Damon, Stefan points out that Alaric, Bill Forbes and M.E. Brian Walters were all on the Founders Council. Damon notes Alaric and Brian aren't from founding families. And what? I mean, I know Alaric isn't, but he's representing the Gilberts on the Council. How does Brian rate? Is it just because he would sign his name to all those "animal attack" death certificates? Oh yeah. I guess I just unpicked my own nit. Huh. Rebekah soon joins the boys and we mercifully cut away, giving me a chance to brace myself for the segment of the hunt for Son of White Oak.
At the jail, Alaric tells Liz he has no motive. Liz points out that both M.E. Brian and Bill Forbes got into altercations with Meredith before they died. So isn't it more likely she had more of a motive than Ric did? Carol says Meredith says she also told Alaric that Bill threatened to report her to the medical board. Alaric says, "No she didn't." Liz pulled Alaric's phone records. There was an hour-long phone call at 2:00 AM on the night Bill was killed. Alaric admits to drunk-dialing, but doesn't remember the conversation. She asks about his alibi for the night Brian was killed. Alaric reminds her that he was at the Wickery Bridge fundraiser 'til midnight. Liz says Brian was killed between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM. Alaric seems shaken, as he says he must have been home sleeping. What's annoying me about this conversation is that, at the beginning, Liz said she was just holding Alaric 'til the vampire blood passed out of his system, yet she seems to have strong suspicions about him. I have no problem with said suspicions, but keep your story straight, Show.
Back at the Grill, Becky asks if Zachariah Salvatore was their nephew. Damon explains that Papa Salvatore knocked up on of their maids during the Civil War. Since everyone thought Damon and Stefan were dead, the family name had to go somewhere. Then Becky starts asking about logging mills, so I ignore this scene even though there's some flirting between Damon and Rebekah and some awkwardness on Stefan's behalf. Talk turns to the 1912 murder and then Stefan brings up someone named Sage. We flash back to...
1912: Damon and Stefan attend a boxing match. There's a redheaded woman, Sage (Cassidy Freeman), in the ring offering $100 to any many who can beat her. No one can, because she's a vampire. Damon catches her eye right away. Stefan tries to sell Damon on the bunny diet, but Damon still has a stick up his ass so he tells Stefan, "You're not the boss of me," (basically) and walks off. Sage approaches Damon, but he tells her he's not interested, so she tucks a hundred dollar bill in his pants and says that's too bad. What?
Back in the present, Rebekah says she knew a Sage once because, of course, the Originals have to be tied to frickin' everything. Becky, of all people, calls Sage trashy. Stefan suggests maybe Sage was the 1912 killer. No one at that time would have suspected a woman would be capable of that.
We cut to the hospital parking lot, where Elena confronts Meredith about this Alaric business. Meredith claims that while Elena lives with him and he takes care of her, there's a lot she doesn't know about him. He was supposedly arrested four times for fighting before he was even 21. While at Duke, Isobel twice filed restraining orders against him even as they were still dating. Meredith says, "Although then she married him, so I guess that says more about her." Elena tells Meredith is making it all up.
Meredith: Am I? How would you know? You took pity on a borderline alcoholic vampire hunter and you never even thought to look any deeper.
Recapper: You misspelled functional.
Elena: How could you do this to him? He didn't kill anyone and you know it.
Meredith: You date vampires, Elena. It shouldn't come as a shock that your guardian is a murderer.
Recapper: I'm sticking a pin in this moment. Because from the beginning of the episode until now, everything Meredith says -- and everything Liz reports that Meredith has said to her -- all shows a Meredith who is trying to get Alaric arrested and charged with the murders. Everything. Yes? Agreed? Okay moving on, for now. Commercial.
Grill. Becky's still trying to talk tree. Thank goodness Damon tells her she's not invited to boys' night and walks off.
Meanwhile, Matt and Elena break into Meredith's place. Elena goes to Mere's closet, because Mere is a Fell -- one of the founding families so of course she has a secret compartment in her closet. Matt pulls out a box that contains files on M.E. Brian, Bill Forbes and a huge file on Alaric.
Back at the Grill, Damon and Stefan are playing darts and talking about today's murders. Damon says there's no way Meredith could be the killer, because she's a woman and wouldn't have what it takes to stab three grown men. YES, THIS IS THE SAME DAMON WHO HAS BEEN SUGGESTING ALL ALONG THAT MEREDITH IS THE KILLER. I like his haircut. I know that was a non-sequitur, but I'm tired of being annoyed. Besides, Rebekah saves the moment by stopping her tree investigation long enough to point out a woman certainly could kill a man with the proper motivation. She then mocks Stefan for being testy. Damon gives Stefan more crap about the bunny diet, and his self-righteousness. He then picks up Stefan's 1912 diary and, adopting a pompous voice, reads aloud.
Stefan's Diary: Dear Diary, Damon has lost his way. Though I have pulled my own life together, he continues to waste his.
Rebekah: I grab the diary from Damon and continue with this oh so dramatic reading.
Stefan's Diary: His bitterness consumes him. He is nothing but blackness and bile.
Rebekah: Ooh! Judge-y. Although honestly, Damon, you don't sound like you were much fun back then, either.
Damon: I wasn't. Let's have another flashback.
Mystic Falls, Night, 1912. Sage finds Damon feeding on some random woman. After he casts down his kill, Sage tells him he's doing it all wrong. Damon stiffly replies that he was hungry and now no longer is. Sage tells him women are for pleasure too, not just food.
Damon: I do not need a woman for pleasure. I am spoken for.
Recapper: Ha. By Katherine? You poor, delusional fool.
Sage: We are all spoken for, in some way, but what is being a vampire, if not relishing in the pleasure of it?
She leads him out of the woods and back to the boxing ring, where she points out the women in the room. There are the floozies whom Sage deems too hungry for attention, then turns his attention to the more buttoned up ladies like Mariana Lockwood and says those are the women who secretly crave seduction. She tells him to win them over and make them beg for it. If they don't, since he's a vampire he can just take it. So yes, we have a female vampire educating a male vampire on the art of raping the women he's eventually going to kill. I've gotta go throw up. Be right back.
Eventually, Sage settles on Samantha Gilbert. When she points her out to Damon, she says, "Her." Damon starts to approach Samantha. When he hesitates, Sage gives him the nod and a knowing look. And after a few moments of conversation, Damon changes his 48 year old decision to loathe his vampirism and his decision to remain faithful to Katherine. Ugh. Don't take that the wrong way. I don't think Damon should remain faithful to Kiki, but here's a man who has held a 48-year grudge against his beloved brother. He changes his life after a conversation? This is entirely too facile.
Back in the present, Becky says that definitely sounds like the Sage she knew, who happened to have a thing for Finn 900 years ago. Sheeeesh, do the Originals have to be all up in every story? Anyhow, Stefan's got the jitters and says he has to leave. I thought booze was supposed to take the edge off the craving for blood. It's like no one remembers the rules anymore. Damon will let Stefan go if he'll just admit he's jonesing. After Damon grabs him, Stefan admits it then frees himself and starts out.
Nitpicky Sidebar: Since we've recently seen Stefan ignore a glass full of blood, without getting jittery, this sudden jonesing irks me a little -- not enough to say anything more than that, but I did have to get that off my chest.
Back in Meredith's apartment, Elena goes through the file on Alaric and says there's all kinds of stuff on him, including medical records and old court documents (so I guess the fights and restraining orders might have happened). Matt then finds an old journal -- it's Samantha Gilbert's. Matt finds another paper and asks Elena if M.E. Brian's death was between 1:00 and 3:00 AM. The paper he's holding from the county coroner's office states that's wrong. Just then, they hear Meredith return home so the kids hide in the closet. Meredith comes in, throws down her keys and purse, changes and picks up her keys and leaves. Elena turns the closet light on and she opens the door. Meredith is standing there, glaring. Commercial.
At the station, Liz reads Matt and Elena the riot act for breaking into Meredith's place. She knows about the letter from the coroner's office, which corrects M.E. Brian's time of death. Liz says Meredith brought it to her hours ago and apologized for accusing an innocent man. Matt asks why Meredith would have a copy hidden in her closet. Liz says she can't ask that, because they broke into her home. That's ridiculous. I mean, they broke in, but that's their crime. They're not cops, so there's not a warrant issue for them. Meredith is the one who called the cops and allowed them to enter her apartment. Liz could certainly at least ask about the copy. She goes on about how far she's had to go to protect them and sends them home. She says Alaric will be released as soon as the letter is authenticated.
Rebekah and Damon follow Stefan outside and manipulate him into drinking from a live, compelled woman. Once Stefan is feeding, Damon sends Rebekah on her merry way and then prevents Stefan from killing their victim. Damon bites into his own wrist to feed the woman his blood and heal her. Just then, Elena and Matt -- on their way home from the Sheriff's office -- happen upon the grisly scene. To up the drama, this happens before Stefan can pull himself together and wipe the blood off his mouth. Matt leads a horrified Elena home. Damon winces as Elena leaves and tells his brother, "So, that's gonna take a little time." Stefan storms off. Damon, you really should have started him out with a blood bag in the privacy of your own home. Work your way up to living "donors."
Over at Gilbert Gables, Elena and Matt have tea, sympathy and a lovely heart to heart, during which she confesses that part of her love for Stefan is predicated on the fact that he wasn't going to up and die on her, like her parents did. As for her feelings about Damon -- well he snuck in there somehow and got under her skin and she just can't shake him. Matt all but flat-out admits he still can't shake his feelings for Elena either. Kids, elope and never ever return to this evil, evil town. Seriously. Go have pretty babies. Klaus will keep you and yours safe. Run. Run away! They don't listen. Instead, Matt gives Elena the Samantha Gilbert journal. He pocketed it while Meredith and the deputy were questioning Elena. Matt says, "Sometimes it pays to be the only normal one in a town of vampires -- practically invisible." There's an edge to his voice and for but a moment, my friend Erin's delusions that Matt is the serial killer -- flood my brain. I take a good, long look at his Pudding Pop face and shake off the nasty insinuations. Alaric arrives home. Elena gives him a big hug. The camera focuses on his pressing his hand to the small of her back, but I think it's just so we get a shot of the protect-o ring.
Audience: There's far too much chemistry there. We're just sayin'...
At Mossy Manse, Stefan is warming himself before the fire when Damon returns home and reports that Sheriff Forbes let Ric go. Stefan doesn't answer, so Damon continues and tells Stefan that he did really well controlling himself tonight and assures him Elena will understand. Stefan says it doesn't matter what Elena thinks. Damon tells him he won't have any more of that no-humanity Stefan. Stefan asks why Damon even cares and wonders if he feels guilty over kissing Elena. He tells Damon to knock it off and go back to hating him. He doesn't need Damon's help.
Damon: Are you kidding me? Do you remember what happened the last time you said that?
Stefan: What are you talking about?
Damon: Here, let me show you in this lovely flashback.
Mystic Falls, 1912. Damon encourages Stefan to pick a victim. Stefan hesitates, but Damon talks about Sage teaching him how to play with his food. When he realizes Stefan is eying Mariana Lockwood, Damon whispers, "She's the one." He finally talks Stefan into it. Out in the cemetery, Stefan takes a good, long drink. Damon grabs his arm and tells him not to be greedy. Stefan pushes Damon off and sinks his fangs back into Mariana's neck. And then oops! Her head pops right the heck off. Damon can't believe his eyes. Stefan recoils at first, and then he falls to his knees and tries to put Mariana's head back on. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He screams at Damon for doing this to him. Damon counters that Stef just needs to learn how to stop. Stefan growls that he doesn't need Damon's help and runs off into the woods.
Back in the present Damon rues the day he let Stefan walk away -- that he didn't stop him from going over the edge and turning into the Ripper of Monterey. Stefan says he couldn't have done anything.
Damon: Sure I could have. I just didn't want to. But I want to, now. I will be there every second until you don't need me.
Stefan: Why?
Damon: 'Cause right now, you're all I got.
Recapper: Aw! I love the brotherly bonds. They just wash away all that tree business and whatever is going on with Meredith. Ooh, look. Commercial.
At Gilbert Gables, Alaric thanks Elena for everything she did for him today, but he doesn't want her getting into trouble on his behalf. Elena says, "If not for you -- for who?" Alaric points out he's supposed to be looking after her. Elena proposes they agree to take care of each other. Alaric says it's a deal. He asks her about the journal. She tells him Samantha Gilbert seems to have gone just as crazy as Johnathan (sic) Gilbert. They joke about her gene pool, then Elena takes the journal and retires to her room.
Over at Mossy Manse, Damon is playing the piano when Stefan returns to the great room. He's been looking through other journals from the early 1900s. There was no resolution to the case in 1912, but they got a confession 10 years later. The serial killer was Johnathan (sic) Gilbert's granddaughter, Samantha. They assumed she was crazy and locked her up.
Damon: Well, that's nifty and all, except that I killed that chick, back in 1912.
Meredith knocks on the Gilbert Gables front door. Alaric is thrilled to see her, as you can imagine and points out that she shot him, had him thrown in jail and then freed him.
Meredith: I did it for you, Ric. I forged the coroner's note to clear your name.
Audience: But Liz was going to wait for it to be authenticated, before freeing Ric, so HUH?????????!
Ric: Psycho!
Meredith: Now that you've been cleared, they'll look somewhere else. They won't look your way again.
Ric, Audience and Recapper: What the hell?
Meredith: So you trust me enough to let me in the house, right?
Meanwhile, Elena is upstairs reading through Samantha's journal. A lot of it is just gibberish, but there are some legible lines like I don't feel like myself and I'm losing time and I'm going mad.
Back at Mossy Manse, Stefan wonders if Damon thinks Samantha is still alive, running around Mystic Falls, killing people.
Damon: Not possible. If she'd been vamped we'd know about it, right?
Recapper: Sure, from the Mystic Falls Vampire Registration program.
Stefan: She must have had a Gilbert protect-o ring.
Damon: She'd be dead of natural causes, by now.
Stefan: Johnathan (sic) Gilbert made two rings. Jeremy has one. The other is...
Damon: Oh noes! Alaric? Not my BFF and life partner!
At Gilbert Gables, Meredith goes over the evidence with Ric. The victims were killed with his weapons. Alaric reminds her that he too was attacked. Mere says he was attacked with his own knife, so that could have been self-inflicted.
Ric: I'd know if I were killing people.
Meredith: Have you had any blackouts or instances of lost time? You wear a ring that lets you cheat death. How many times can you die before it changes you?
Ric: Fucking Damon.
Meredith: I think you're sick and I want to help you. This has happened before -- almost a hundred years ago.
Elena (entering the room): Ric, I think she's right.
We flash back to 1912. Zachariah Gilbert is walking down the street. He's stabbed. The hand holding the knife bears a big Gilbert protect-o ring. The camera pans to reveal Miss Samantha Gilbert. Title card.
Okay, the episode improved slightly for me after re-watching. But I still have a big problem with the tree thing obviously, because... what? All right, enough about that. I also have a problem with Meredith. Now she and Alaric are not that heavily involved. I mean when he slept over, he slept on her couch. They've mostly gone out for drinks, maybe dinner here and there. Why would she want to protect him? And if she did want to protect him, why didn't she tell him her suspicions instead of shooting him? He did NOT come at her with that knife.
This is what the show is saying -- she read the journal, figured out what was going on with Alaric, had him sleep in her place, left the knife and files out where it was all too likely he would find them even though she has a Founding Family secret compartment in her closet. He picked up the knife. She shot him. She lied to Liz that he came at her. She then told Liz all sorts of nasty things about him and now I guess we're meant to accept that they're true. But then she forged a coroner's report to clear him of suspicion. Now maybe if Liz hadn't blathered about waiting for it to be authenticated I'd be a little less annoyed, but this plot is sloppy and I can't see Meredith's motivation for any of this. I'm not saying Alaric isn't the serial killer -- it sure looks like it right now. But what a mess it took to get him here. Seriously, go back to that Meredith/Elena scene in which I stuck a pin. Up to and through that point, she was convinced that Alaric was the killer -- and I guess he is, but... what a convoluted way to achieve this. That said, I think Matt Davis is going to knock the heck out of this story.
I hope Jeremy comes back, soon. It would be interesting if he too is going crazy, although I don't think he's been killed nearly as many times as Ric. He's been compelled a lot though, and I would suspect that would have an effect on a person as well.
What made the episode for me were the Matt/Elena scenes and the Stefan/Damon scenes. The series' strength lies in its emotional resonance and that's particularly true in this episode, because it sure wasn't the convoluted plot. I do like that there are consequences to the protect-o ring. I wish there were consequences to the daywalker rings as well (go aging -- choose aging).
I'll be back week, with coverage of "Break On Through," in which Sage returns, Abby struggles with vampirism, Elena reaches out to Stefan, and I get a relentless earworm from The Doors. In the meantime, please grade the episode up top and join us in the forum, where the freezer is stocked with Pudding Pops.
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