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I'm so happy to have pretty vampires back on my screen, so I can stop thinking about the real world. Let's get right to it. Elena swipes Caroline's prom gown from the tailor's, and in the second biggest shocker of the series, lives to tell the tale. The shocker of them all is that Rebekah finally makes it to a school dance -- and it's the senior prom. The theme is "Pictures of You" and the set decorators, hair, makeup, and wardrobe crew members deserve class protector awards, for gifting us with such a feast for the eyes.
Stefan and Damon have stopped trying to retrieve the cure, so that Elena will stop murdering waitresses. They show up to accompany her to the prom. This is their Plan A, in action: look pretty, talk sweetly, dance well, and Elena is bound to start "feeling" again. She's feeling all right, she's feeling like it would be great fun to hurt their feelings, and relishes in doing so.
Bonnie wanders outside the prom and runs into "Jeremy" who is, of course, Silas. Still, he manages to lure her into the woods, dance with her, and make her cry all before Bonnie catches on. She tells Silas in no uncertain terms that she will not help him resurrect everyone on the Other Side. Silas is a busy boy. He also appears to Damon as Stefan and to Stefan as Damon, and stakes each of the real Salvatores in the gut. Maybe this Silas guy is all right after all.
Elena decides that since no one can deal with Silas, she'll do the best thing and take out his witch. The first time she tries to kill Bonnie, Bonnie hits her with an Expression migraine. The second time, Elena gets a mouthful of Bonnie blood, but can't keep it down. She then experiences something I'll call Expression anaphylactic shock. After the Salvatores rescue Elena from Bonnie, they kick off Plan B, which amounts to dosing her with vervain and locking her in the Salvatore dungeon until they come up with a Plan C. Later, they decide since Elena looked afraid of Bonnie, all they have to do it make her life a living hell is to get her to feel again. Oh boys, you've been doing that since the day you met her. Isn't it time to change things up?
Meanwhile, Elijah tells Klaus that he's not going to give him the cure, and subject the whole world to an invasion from the Other Side just to save Klaus from Silas. Instead, Elijah will give Rebekah the cure, provided she manages to live as a human for one day first. Rebekah does well, until Elena unleashes her wrath on April. With coaching from Matt, Rebekah opens a vein and heals April with her blood.
Although Matt promises to keep mum on Rebekah's use of her vampiric powers, Klaus has been spying, so he makes Rebekah call Elijah to confess. Before she can explain fully, she realizes Elijah has been duped by Silas (appearing as Rebekah) into giving away the cure. It's a shame someone couldn't come up with an excuse for Elijah to put on a tux. I love you Julie Plec, but what's up with that failure of imagination? Must the fanfic writers do everything?
Bonnie finds Silas in the old Lockwood cellar, and sees his real face which was messed up by Qetsiyah back in the day. He's no Monet. He's a Picasso. Bonnie seems ready to cooperate with him. Dun dun dun!
By episode's end, Klaus returns home to find a note from Katherine. She's disgusted he and Elijah couldn't come to terms on the cure, and is sick of wearing out her shoe collection running from him. She hopes to divert his attention by leaving him a tip about a witch in New Orleans, who is intent on taking on Klaus, which leaves us sitting pretty for week's backdoor pilot for The Originals.
In other news, Caroline decides the prom she broke her back planning, is a dud, and heads back to the Lockwood Mansion to set up the after-party. There, she is surprised by Tyler (we hope, at first I was worried he was Silas). They have their own private prom, but Tyler's on Cinderella's clock and has to disappear before word gets out that he's in town. He runs into Klaus on his way out, but Klaus gives him five seconds to speed away for Caroline's sake.
I'll be back with the full recap, ASAP. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where we've been looking so long at these pictures of you, that we almost believe that they're real.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on The Vampire Diaries... Elena cries.
Presently, on The Vampire Diaries: Bonnie, carrying an armful of flowers, stops at Jeremy Gilbert's grave, even though Elena told us there was no room at the inn in the Gilbert plot. Bonnie cries, rues her lame last words, and whatnot, before she's interrupted by (a vision of) Jeremy. He tells her she has to wake up and open her eyes. When Bonnie does so, she realizes she's on fire. All it takes is an, "Oh my God," and a swoosh of Expression magic to extinguish the flames. Who is her god? Could it be...Silas? (That only works if you use a Dana Carvey/Church Lady voice. My apologies to those of you who are too young to know what I mean.) Title card.
Mossy Manse. Damon and Stefan toss a football back and forth as they pontificate about Elena. In the house! I know their mother has been dead for more than a century, but still.... Honest to goodness, I'm so tired of them. You know, had either of them never killed anyone, I'd find their plight more sympathetic, but they're serial killers in search of a girl they can control. Forever. They've lost count how long it's been since Elena killed someone, but figure it's been eight or nine days. Stefan suggests they make Elena want her humanity back. If that fails, they'll move on to Plan B: Lock her up and keep her sidelined, "until you and I figure out a Plan C." Damon wonders how Elena will react when all her post-Germ-death memories smack her in the face. Stefan says, "Then you, my friend, will be right by her side..." Damon says, "Right, because you don't want to keep reliving history. And when this is all over, you're just going to get out of her life." Stefan says, "Bingo." Don't you believe him, Evil Pixie Monster.
Klaus Haus. Rebekah tells Elijah she wants the cure, so she can turn human and have babies. Klaus finds her plans mock-worthy. He tells Elijah how Silas has been getting inside his mind. "He will torment me until I give him the cure." Rebekah exposits about this will involve tearing the veil between their reality and The Other Side. Klaus fills in the blanks, and tries to play their dead brothers as trump cards. Rebekah says, "Please. You hated Kol, and you kept Finn in a box for most of his life." Elijah makes everything all better, at least for the moment. "Your personal discomfort might not be sufficient reason for putting the entire world in jeopardy, Klaus." I wish he'd point that out to the Brothers Salvatore, too, but sadly, no. Elijah decides Rebekah deserves the cure. Klaus whispers some threat in her ear, but Rebekah shrugs it off as best she can. Once she's alone with Elijah, he tells her she has to prove to him this isn't one of her whims. She must live a day without using her vampiric abilities. Should she succeed and determine this is still what she wants, the cure is hers. We cut to...
Mystic Falls. Downtown. Elena is sure Rebekah will fail, since she won't even be able to compel herself a date to tonight's prom. Wait. They're shopping for prom on the day of? Oh sure. Why not plan a wedding in an afternoon while you're at it, ladies. Elena decides she'll stick by Rebekah to make sure she passes Elijah's test, because once Becky has downed the cure, no one can use it against her.
Inside the dress shop, Bonnie is telling Caroline about her fiery dream. Wait a second. There is no way Caroline Damned Forbes is waiting 'til the day of prom to purchase her gown. I'm deciding she's having her final fitting, because otherwise, my brain is going to exit this episode, right now. Even this final fitting fanwank is a stretch. The Caroline we know and love, would have had her final fitting last week, and her gown would be hanging in her bedroom, in anticipation of this evening. You can't convince me otherwise. Their conversation bores me until Bonnie tells Caroline she looks super-hot. "Matt and I are going to have the sexiest date there." Caroline giggles. "You know what? I love friend-prom. And it's exactly what prom should be -- friends and memories. Yes, it sucks that my boyfriend can't be here, but the three of us are going to have the night of our lives."
When Rebekah and Elena enter the shop, Elena extinguishes the sunshine. She compliments Caroline on her dress, then the girls exchange terse words. Caroline asks the clerk to press her dress. "I'll pick it up, later." She then swans off, away from Elena. We cut to...
I don't know where this is. Maybe it's Rebekah's house. Elena is wearing a dress that's perfect match of Caroline's. Oh, this will not end well. She descends an outside staircase, near a pool. Her limo arrives, but darn the luck, Stefan, who is holding a nosegay, gets out to greet her. I was crossing my fingers that it would be Elijah. Elena reminds Stefan she doesn't need a babysitter. He moralizes about Elena's recent kill. When she tries to walk off, Damon appears to block her path. He mutters something about her keeping her part of the bargain, which includes not eating the prom queen. He holds out a wrist corsage and asks, "May I?" Elena's voice is flat as she says, "No." No doesn't mean no, to these two. Damon grabs Elena's arm and forces the corsage onto her wrist. Look at that. We're about seven minutes in and I've already worked up an hour's worth of resentment against these boys. When Damon compliments Elena on her dress, she thanks him then adds that she stole it. Oh it is on. Commercial.
Caroline enters Klaus Haus hollering his name. He's in no mood for her company, but Caroline could not care less. She has a real crisis. Elena stole her gown. When Klaus laughs, Caroline orders him to stop. She doesn't want just any old dress as a replacement. She intends to be a modern day Princess Grace. "...So could you please go back into your creepy trophy case of family collectibles and dig me out something of royal caliber." Since he's putty in her hands, Klaus wordlessly complies. We cut to the...
Prom Venue. Exterior. The path to the function hall is lined with pictures of the graduating seniors. Okay. Not really. It's lined with screens featuring pictures of those seniors who are also members of the Fellowship of the Falls. I'd be so pissed if this was my prom. These tools barely attend school, yet the prom is all about them. There is an adorable shot of Elena and Matt. Elena says her mother took it on the first day of freshman year. The boys wait for her to feel, but a watched pot never boils. Even a picture Jeremy and Elena fails to do the job of flicking Elena's switch. She shrugs off her wrap and heads...
Inside. With Bonnie on his arm, Matt says, "Why do I feel like we're at a practice run of Caroline's wedding?" Because you are, Matt. Bonnie agrees with me. Damon confiscates Elena's flask and lectures her that she's underage. Elena says, "You're over-age, and honestly, it's kind of creepy." Yeah it is. Damon says, "Oh, come on. What bad ass senior year is complete without a prom date that's slightly too old for high school?" Slightly, Pixie Monster. Elena objects to Damon referring to himself as her date, so he says, "Oh sorry, your boyfriend." Elena scoffs. She knows he's trying to stir up her feelings. "Ironic, since you, my sire, are the one who had me turn them off." Damon: "Yeah, while hindsight is almost a bigger bitch than you." Elena deadpans: "You're nothing to me, Damon." Damon: "Really? Then why tell me you're in love with me? Why tell me it's the most real thing you've ever felt in your life?" Elena says the sire bond induced her confession of love. Now that she's not sired, she claims none of it was real. "But, if you still think that it was... I mean, maybe you're the one who needs help with your emotions. Not me.."
Elena runs into Matt and Bonnie. They tell her they miss her and want to help her. Elena dismisses this, but Matt keeps trying. He doesn't want her to miss out on the best parts of senior year. Elena: "Spare me, Matt. If you had the choice, you would have turned off your emotions the second that Vicki died." Bonnie sympathizes and reminds Elena that she still has friends who love her. Elena: "I thought you were going to bring Jeremy back, but it turns out you were just a brainwashed crazy person. So technically, you're a walking reminder of all the horrible things that have happened to me." After Elena sweeps away, Bonnie starts to leave, claiming that she needs some air. When Matt tries to stop her, she turns and says, "Caroline's right. Elena's gone." Poor Pudding Pop just stands there and nods.
When Bonnie gets outside, she looks at the photos. There's one of her and Jeremy dancing. Suddenly, he appears to the screen, wearing a tux and asks Bonnie if he can have this dance. Oh Bonnie, why don't know you this is Silas? Has anyone filled you in on the details, here? We cut back...
Inside. Stefan grabs Elena for a dance. She tells him, "Let go of me, or I will bite you." Stefan reminds us that he's the one who hates to dance. I guess that's supposed to excuse this... I don't know what to call it -- date rape foreplay. I know Elena and only Elena is responsible for anything she does, but Stefan and Damon are doing nothing more than tempting her to act up. Why don't they leave her alone? In fact, they ought to ignore her. She's so used to the two of them panting after her, that that would probably get her attention faster than anything.
By the punch bowl, Rebekah meets up with Matt and asks him if he and Bonnie are a thing. He says they're just friends and asks Rebekah who she's with. She says she's alone and starts to explain why she hasn't compelled herself a date, but Matt is clearly not interested, so she asks him if he thinks she'd make a good human. It takes Matt a moment to overcome his internal laughing fit. Finally, he says, "I think that 'good' is a hard word to live up to, and I've never seen you do anything remotely good, so honestly... no. I don't. Sorry." Poor Beckster.
Stefan and Elena are still dancing. He's still trying to evoke some emotional response, so he tries to remind her of their romantic past. Elena claims she feels nothing and doesn't care if Stefan doesn't believe her, but he keeps trying. He touches her waist, clasps her fingers, dips her, and moves in as if to kiss her, asking if her heart refuses to remember. Elena moves her lips 'til they're nearly touching his and asks, "What heart?" Stefan turns into an ice sculpture. Across the floor, Damon is watching. He glares us right into commercial.
Caroline enters in a heavily beaded gown that would be suitable for her second wedding, to a trophy husband. Don't get me wrong. It's lovely, but it's hardly prom-y. Elena sashays up to her, smirking all the way. "So, how do I look?" Caroline says, "Are you kidding me? You look like a backstabbing bit..." Stefan's appearance gives her pause. Caroline softens her voice. "The dress is beautiful, and it brings out your eyes." Elena says, "Thanks. I thought I'd do it a favor." Sadly, Stefan stops Caroline from mauling her former friend to death, by asking her to dance.
On the floor, Stefan and Caroline chat about Elena, Klaus and Tyler, but little of it seems important, except for Stefan's admission that trying to connect with Elena is affecting him more than Elena. "Every time I tell myself that I'm moving on, there's this part of me that just can't seem to shake her." Caroline says that since they were once in love, that seems normal. When Stefan asks how anyone ever manages to move on, Caroline says, "I think that someday, you'll meet someone new, and you'll fall madly in love, and you'll have moved on without even realizing it." If these two would make out right now, I'd appreciate it. Also, I think Elena might suddenly come down with a case of The Feels, but no.
As Miss Mystic Falls, it seems one of April's duties is tallying the votes for Prom King and Queen. Rebekah is trying to strong-arm her friend into fixing the game, but April won't be cowed, and adds, "You can't make me. I drink vervain tea now." Rebekah stings at that last comment, but before she can explain why she wasn't going to compel anyone, Elena Stealth Salvatores over to the table, throttles April and pushes her up against a wall. "You can't be compelled, but you can be killed. Rebekah wins prom queen. Got it?" Rebekah stops Elena. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" April runs off. Rebekah insists she wasn't going to threaten April. Elena says, "Remember that time you tortured me until I told you how to find the cure. You ruined my relationship with Stefan, and then you trapped us with a werewolf?" Rebekah says, "Yeah, so?" Elena: "You're not a good person. You're not going to win this cure by being yourself, so just stand there and refrain from talking. Okay?" I need a "Just stand there and refrain from talking," sign for my desk. Or perhaps a T-shirt. Or wait. Both.
Outside, Bonnie is tearful as she dances with Jeremy, who isn't even Jeremy anyhow. In his Jeremy meatsuit, Silas tries to tempt Bonnie into performing the spell. Finally, she realizes he's Silas and tries to take off, but he stops her. He insists that since she has no idea how powerful she is, she needs his help, or she'll end up killing herself. As she walks away, Silas asks if she's woken up on fire, recently. Bonnie asks if he caused that, but Silas refuses to give a straight answer. Instead, he keeps up with the help me help you approach. Bonnie spits that he doesn't care about her, and some blah blah about The Other Side. Silas says, "Don't you want to see Jeremy again?" Bonnie replies, "Not like this." We cut to...
Klaus Haus. Klaus catches Elijah fondling the Son of White Oak stake. Rebekah gave it to him. Elijah presents it to Klaus as a peace offering. When Klaus accepts it, Elijah reminds him that since their immortality is impervious to everything other than that stake, Klaus now has nothing to fear. Klaus disagrees, since Silas will continue to torment him. Elijah encourages Klaus to either ignore it or outrun Silas. In his own nasty way, Klaus offers Katherine's continued existence in exchange for the cure, but Elijah refuses to play games. "You will spare her, because I am asking you to spare her. As your family, as your only living brother, I would ask that you provide me with this opportunity to feel -- to care... to love." Oh Elijah, first of all, the show should have found any lame excuse to put you in a tux. I don't care what. Perhaps the prom venue could have caught on fire and Caroline could have begged Klaus to offer his hospitality. You, in a prom episode, but not in a tux is -- well, I just can't overlook it. Okay. Secondly, you are approaching Klaus all wrong. He seethes at the thought of anyone caring for anyone who isn't him. You should know this by now. Klaus points out, "I gave you that opportunity and you sided against me. So, if I run, it will be to chase her. And as your only living brother, I will make it my cause that you never know a moment of happiness." He holds the stake between them. Elijah says, "It is such a hollow little life that you lead, Niklaus," then pats Klaus on the cheek and walks out.
Matt finds Rebekah sitting alone and asks if she's seen Bonnie. Rebekah suggests she's in the ladies room then points out that she's all by her lonesome, and begs for a dance. Come on, Matt. This is the first dance Rebekah's made it to in an actual thousand years. Help a girl out. She did buy you a new truck after all. I mean sure, she only needed to because she tried to kill you and succeeded in killing Elena, thereby ruining your old truck, but still.... Matt refuses at first, but when Rebekah continues to beg, he caves, because he's our Pudding Pop, after all.
On the dance floor, Rebekah confesses that she considered what he said about being good. She knows he's right. It won't be easy, but she's going to try. Matt wonders why his opinion is important to her. What a sillyhead. Rebekah answers, "Because you're everything that I want to be. You're loyal, honest, kind. People root for you to succeed. Elena even died for you. Heck, the recapper still loves you and she hates everyone on this show lately." Some of that might be a paraphrase. Matt says, "I'm a busboy, Rebekah. Okay? It's not like I'm out saving the world." Oh Matt, the world wouldn't need "saving" from the Salvatores and company, if they weren't endangering it in the first place. Never, ever feel inferior to them. Breathless, Rebekah pulls back from Matt's embrace. In a shaky, breathy voice she says, "But you're human. You're so beautifully human." Why do I feel like Julie Plec and crew are writing Matt's eulogy? I can't think about that right now.
Thankfully, I can report that we cut to Caroline who reminds Damon he should be on Save-Elena duty. Damon has had enough of the second love of his life and says he needed a break. Looking around the room, Caroline says, "This prom sucks." It's the music, Caroline. The mix is bad. Sure, you want slow dances, but only some of the time. Go compel the D.J. to step it up. She ignores me, in favor of whining some more. "This is our last dance together and it's awful. This is not how I wanted to remember this night." Damon offers her the flask. Caroline thanks him, takes a swig, returns it and says, "If anyone asks, I'll be at the after party." Once she's gone, Bonnie rushes up to Damon and tells him, "We have a problem."
After a cut, Bonnie tells the Salvatores and Matt how Silas appeared as Jeremy. Stefan reminds her that's how Silas rolls, and reminds her not to let it get to her. Damon adds, "Yeah, because you all crazy and brainwashed is just not a good look." Heh. Elena stands off a little, but is listening in, with a smirk. Rebekah asks Elena what's going on. Elena explains, and says Silas must still want Bonnie to do the spell. Rebekah says, "So? The nice thing about having no feelings is you don't fear your enemies on the other side." Elena doesn't fear her enemies. "It's people like Alaric and Jeremy. The Salvatore Brothers are annoying enough as it is." Oh, word. "...Can you imagine if my brother came back to the living? He'd spend every waking hour trying to get my humanity back."
April takes the mic and announces the Prom King and Queen ballots have been tallied. We cut to Stefan who tells Damon that one of them should bring Bonnie home. Damon says Bonnie is safer in public. "There's no way Silas can make everyone see the same thing, all at once." I hope Silas doesn't take that as a dare. Matt asks how they can even be on guard against a creature who can appear as anyone. Before the Salvatores can offer an answer, April announces Matt and Bonnie as King and Queen of the Prom. Oh look at Matt and Bonnie. Talk about deer in the headlights.
Rebekah is less than thrilled to watch Bonnie take everything she was hoping for, but Elena feels rather inspired. "Everyone's so worried about Silas, but there's an obvious solution to all of this. He needs Bonnie. He can't do the spell without her. So... if you can't kill Silas, kill his witch." I feel sorry for the Bonnie-haters, when the writers tease them so. Rebekah reminds Elena she can't kill anyone. "I'm supposed to be human." Elena says, "Maybe you can't, but I can."
When Caroline arrives at the Lockwood Mansion, she finds Tyler in a tux, waiting for her. I mean, I suppose it could be Silas, but at least for this episode, it doesn't matter. The thing is, wondering if it's Silas dampens the emotional resonance, almost as much as it did during Bonnie's scenes with "Jeremy." As Tyler asks Caroline to dance, we cut back to the...
Prom Venue. Exterior. Damon is outside, drinking and looking at the pictures, when he's approached by Stefan, whom we'll soon learn is "Stefan," or rather, Silas. I usually avoid portmanteaux, but I'm overcome with the urge to call this appearance "Stylus," because Stefan has been such an enormous tool all season. Since Damon thinks he's talking to his brother, he asks Stylus what happened to being over Elena and moving on. Stylus asks if that isn't the plan -- to remind Elena of what she's lost. Damon sneers. "Like her feelings for you?" Stefan is all, "Yeah, I mean maybe. I don't mean to be a dick, Damon..." but that won't stop him. I mean, it won't stop Stylus. Sorry, it's so easy to confuse the two. He reminds Damon of Stefan and Elena's history, like Damon didn't watch it all unfold with a lump in his throat. Stylus is really good at rubbing it in. "It was a real relationship. I mean, what you have is just a one-night stand that was probably a result of the sire bond." When Damon lunges at him, Stylus stakes him in the gut and smiles. "Your mind is a very dark and riveting place, Damon." Damon drops to the ground. As he grabs at the stake he says, "Silas. Where's my brother, you psychic freak?" Stylus says, "He's in the woods, where I convinced him I was you. He's probably in a bit of pain now, too." Crouching by his victim, Stylus adds, "The witch is mine. Stay away from her."
Back inside the prom, Elena watches as Matt and Bonnie pose for pictures. When Matt walks off the stage, Rebekah warns him to watch out for Bonnie, because Elena is up to something. Elena follows Bonnie as she retreats to a semi-private area (it's separated from the event space by beads). Elena congratulates Bonnie, but Bonnie isn't buying her act and asks what she wants. Elena says, "For you to stop being a problem," then vamps out and grabs Bonnie's shoulder. Bonnie Expresses herself. Elena holds her head and cries out in pain. Back on the dance floor, a wind whips through the place and lights explode. Matt finds the girls. Bonnie says something is happening to her. He encourages her to relax, but Bonnie runs off. Once she's gone, Elena starts to recover. April rushes in and asks what's going on. Elena turns and vamps out again. She reminds April she ordered her to crown Rebekah Queen of the Prom, then slams the girl's head on a table, and bites her neck. Matt yells, "No!" Elena pushes April off. Matt catches her before she hits the floor. The director trolls me by refusing to make Elena wipe the blood off her mouth and chin. Elena says, "You should have listened." What? Oh, she's still talking to April, but I don't think the girl can hear her on account of being unconscious from sudden, severe blood loss. Commercial.
Rebekah finds Matt kneeling over April. He asks her to use her blood to heal the girl. Rebekah suggests calling 9-1-1, instead, and explains that if she uses her vampiric abilities, Elijah will deny her the cure. Actually, I think Elijah would understand her making an exception. This living-as-a-human experiment is more about making sure Rebekah really knows what she's getting into. Matt is more concerned with the moment at hand. He tells Rebekah that if she wants to be good, she needs to do the right thing and save April's life.
In the woods, Damon finds Stefan just pulling the stake out of his own gut. Squatting by his brother, Damon says, "Let me guess. An extremely handsome man came up to you claiming to be me." Heh. We cut to the...
Parking Lot. Silas as Jeremy again approaches Bonnie. When she orders him to get away from her, she Expresses herself until a bunch of car alarms start sounding. Actually, I think Silas might be causing her to think she has done this. Either way, he revels in the opportunity to try to control Bonnie. As the wind whips up, she screams at Silas to get out of her head. And then he's gone. The parking lot is again quiet. For a moment, I'm relieved, because I'm so done with all the men on this show (save Matt) trying to control the women. Before I can relax though, Elena swoops up from behind Bonnie and bites her neck. When she lets Bonnie fall to the ground, Elena clutches at her throat. The most obvious explanations for her reaction involve Expression. Either the bad magic has made Bonnie's blood toxic, or Bonnie is causing Elena to reject the blood. However, someone on our forum pointed out that Damon did order Elena not to eat the Prom Queen. I don't think this is really the sire bond reinstating itself, but right now, I wouldn't mind if that was the case. No, I can't believe I just said that, either. Let's move along before anyone takes me seriously.
As Elena vomits blood, I gag and Bonnie heals herself. Elena starts to choke. Bonnie rises and faces her, then magically forces Elena to the ground, and starts breaking her bones. Elena's nose bleeds. Season Gore continues apace. The Salvatores race to the rescue. As Stefan reasons with Bonnie, Damon rushes to Elena, who begs him to help her. After Damon and then Elena plead with Bonnie, the witch relents. Stefan asks Bonnie if she's okay. That would be a big no. "I almost died. This shell of my best friend almost killed me. None of this is okay." Right? Damon comforts Elena as he helps her to her feet. Before she regains her strength and composure, Stefan injects Elena with vervain. When Damon smiles in approval, Stefan says, "Plan B."
Back inside, Rebekah looks on as Matt gives April his coat. He thanks Rebekah for saving the girl. When Rebekah says, "Elena was right, I should have stayed home," Matt tells her that no one has to know what she's done. "I won't tell anyone." Touched, Rebekah says, "You'd really do that for me?" Matt says he would. "And maybe I was a little harsh, earlier. You wouldn't make the worst human." Rebekah teases that maybe she'll get a job at the Grill. Matt gives her a soft smile and says he needs to get April home. He helps April to her feet and they walk off.
Klaus comes up behind Rebekah and says something about April. Rebekah spins to face him and says, "She was dying and I acted with human decency. You can't get more human than that." Klaus suggests standing idly by would be more human, and pretty much mocks the helplessness of humanity. We've had a hell of a week here in Boston, so I'm disinclined to quote him. The upshot is, Klaus insists Rebekah tell Elijah of her failure. We cut to...
Rebekah's House. Elijah is standing outside when Rebekah arrives home and asks her how she fared. We cut back to the prom, where Klaus is still rubbing it in with Rebekah, so it must be Silas who has just arrived at Rebekah's, and girl, he is working that prom gown. "Rebekah" tells Elijah "she" passed the humanity test with flying colors. With no fanfare, Elijah hands over the cure. Back at the prom, the real Rebekah and Klaus continue to bicker. Before Klaus leaves he says, "Thankfully, I don't have to waste any more breath fighting you on the subject." Rebekah yells after him, asking what he means. Meanwhile, "Rebekah" thanks Elijah for the cure then excuses herself. Even before "Rebekah" is fully out of sight, Elijah's phone rings. The Caller I.D. announces it's Rebekah. Before answering the phone, Elijah spins around to look for his sister, but "she" is gone. When he answers the phone, the real Rebekah tells him Klaus is up to something. Poor Elijah is all, "Where did you go?" Rebekah tells him she's still at the prom and asks him not to do anything with the cure until she sees him. "Something's not right." Elijah finally tells her it might be a little too late for that instruction. Tears stream down Rebekah's cheeks. Commercial.
Lockwood Mansion. Caroline and Tyler are dancing, so I guess this really is Tyler, but I'm so emotionally disconnected from them as a couple, now. That said, it's nice to see Trevino back, and rocking his tux, you know, like Elijah should be. Tyler says he should leave before people arrive for the party. Caroline kisses him and thanks him for the best prom, ever. They kiss again, and then Tyler walks out without even looking back. Outside, he's startled to see Klaus, who asks him if it was worth his life to see Caroline smile and give her a night of her dreams. Tyler doesn't answer. After glaring for a moment, Klaus says, "In the shared interest of giving Caroline the night of her dreams, I'm going to allow you five seconds before I rip your heart out of your chest." He then starts counting down. By the time Klaus gets to three, Tyler is gone.
Mossy Manse. Stefan and Damon lock Elena in the dungeon. Damon points out that when Bonnie was Expressing herself to Elena, he could tell Elena thought she was going to die. He could see the fear in her eyes. "The last time I checked [fear was] one of those pesky human emotions." Stefan: "So, Plan C. Make her life a living hell." Um, Stefan, you two have been doing that for however much time has passed on this show. Damon wants to talk about their other problem -- Silas. Stefan has faith that Bonnie is now strong enough not to let Silas manipulate her. Damon isn't convinced. "I wouldn't underestimate his talents. He fooled the hell out of both of us."
Once they shut Elena inside the cell, Damon asks Stefan what Silas-as-Damon said to him. Stefan says, "He led me out in the woods, claiming he saw Silas, and then he staked me." Do you believe him? I would hope Silas played Stefan in the same way he played Damon. Stefan asks how Silas got to Damon. Damon lies, poorly. "He talked about his hair. I figured it had to be you." Stefan says, "Funny," because nobody ever taught him how to laugh. Damon starts to head off, then realizes Stefan is lingering in front of the cell, staring at the still unconscious Elena. When Damon asks if Stefan is coming, Stefan takes a moment, then says, "Yeah."
Klaus Haus. Klaus arrives home to find an envelope addressed to him, waiting by his liquor. Turning it over, he sees it has been sealed with a wax stamp, bearing the letter K. As Klaus reads the note, we hear Katherine's voice. Klaus, I hear Elijah has refused you the cure, and in return you've refused my freedom. Shame on you both. But while you boys sort out your problems, I have one last thing to offer you. I've caught wind that you're up for your own series, which will be set in New Orleans. There's this witch there, named Jane-Anne Devereaux, plotting a move against you. Hunt her down. What she has to say will rattle you so deeply to your core, that chasing little old me will be the least of your concerns. It's been a fun five centuries, Klaus, but I've worn down too many good heels running from you. Love and hate, Katerina.
Old Lockwood Cellar. Bonnie enters and finds Silas lurking in the shadows. She notices he's no longer wearing Jeremy's meatsuit and asks why he's hiding. Silas says, "Call it Qetsiyah's revenge." Must I? Fine. Whatever. Silas continues: "When she learned that I didn't love her, she used her magic to ensure that no woman could ever love him. It should come as no surprise that now, I simply want to die." Bonnie notices that he's holding the cure and says, "I want you to." Silas asks, "Even if it means bringing back every dead supernatural being?" Bonnie gulps and takes a deep breath. "Show me your face." Wait Bonnie, we need to make this reveal as dramatic as possible. There you go. Look now. Honestly, we still don't see much of Silas, but it's clear his face is scarred and otherwise disfigured. Dun dun dun! Title card.
I'll be back with coverage of this week's "The Originals," which obviously is the backdoor pilot for the new series. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where we've been looking so long at these pictures of you, that we almost believe that they're real.