The writers really should have titled this episode, "It's All About Elena Again." It galls me that this irritating character is the center of this show. At any rate, for the first time this season, the kids all show up at school. Nope, they didn't actually attend a class -- school after all is only about having a center for some sort of event. The kids are there to prank the school as part of a high school senior tradition. This involved gluing toilet seat lids and leaving mouse traps all over the school gym. Matt is the only one not into this, and all he think about is his dear departed sister. I think that this just smacks of attempting to make Matt's character relevant.
After much ridiculous high school pranks, Klaus shows up and sure enough silly Elena tries to run away. Hello, if you cannot outrun a vampire, you cannot possibly outrun a hybrid. Klaus is absolutely determined to find out why he does not have the ability to make more hybrids.
Katherine and Damon continue with their little road trip and after flirting, Damon kisses Catherine and then pushes her away. He wants it to be clear that he no longer has feelings for her. Okay, he pined for this woman for 150 years, and I don't understand how this love dried up and died so quickly -- though Katherine is conniving. Just last season, Damon's heart was broken when Katherine told him that she only loved Stefan and that it was always Stefan. Yes, his kiss was supposedly about dealing with the sexual tension in the car.
When they pull into a truck stop, Damon throws the keys into the woods and refuses to leave until Katherine tells him what she is up to.
Rebecca and Stefan have a tussle when he tries again to convince her that his allegiance is to Klaus. Rebecca tells him petulantly that he might as well stop lying, because she knows how he feels about Elena and they know that Elena is still alive. When she threatens Elena's life, Stefan launches himself at her only to be stabbed in the stomach. Okay, am I the only one that said what the hell is he doing? Vampires gain their strength over time, and since Rebecca is an original vampire, how the hell did Stefan think that he could defeat her? Oh I know, he was overcome with rage at the thought of anything happening to his self involved love Elena.
Back in the high school, Klaus kills Tyler and feeds him his blood, in an attempt to turn him however, this is a death sentence, because every single were that Klaus has turned has died. Klaus tells Bonnie that she had better find a way to break the original witches curse, if she wants Tyler to live. Bonnie and Matt rush off to find Jeremy, because Bonnie's grimoires don't go back a thousand years and she needs Jeremy to be able to contact the ghosts of the dead witches.
Back on the road, Katherine asks Damon if he wants to see Klaus truly dead and not just with a stake in his heart. When he responds yes, Katherine tells him that he has to be willing to do anything to make this happen. When she opens the trunk, Jeremy is curled in a fetal position. Katherine wants Jeremy to contact the dead, so she can find it out more information about Michael, the vampire hunter. It's her plan to try and stay one step ahead of Klaus.
Looking through the pictures on Caroline's phone, Rebecca finds one of Elena wearing her necklace. She charges into the gym and demands that Klaus make Elena return it to her. When Rebecca attacks Elena, Klaus stops her from killing her, but Rebecca manages to throw in a barb about the original doppelganger being better looking than Elena. Okay, if Elena really and truly is a doppelganger, that means that they she is literally the twin of the first one. Why can we not have at least one intelligent woman on this show? All Rebecca has done since her rebirth is snipe about nonsense.
When Matt goes into the gym to pack up, he finds his stuff all over the floor. What he does not know is that his sister is behind him begging him to see her. When Bonnie calls and tells him that she has tried to find Jeremy a few times and that he won't answer, Matt tells her that he is going to get his car and that they can head over to Jeremy's place to look for him. Okay, so Elena is in trouble, but he takes the time to follow a trail of clothing to the gym?
Back in the gym, who should show up but Stefan. He tries to pledge his allegiance to Klaus, claiming that he no longer has feelings for Elena. Yep, a smart hero Stefan is not. When Klaus commands him to kill two humans in the gym, Elena interferes and Klaus responds by backhanding her. At this point my internal monologue was just screaming eat Elena already. Stefan attempts to confront Klaus again, cause he clearly still has not figured out that attacking an original will get him nowhere. Tired of Stefans resistance, Klaus compels Stefan to kill the two humans as Elena watches. Klaus then sets the gym clock for twenty minutes and informs Stefan and Elena that if Bonnie does not return with a spell in that time, that Stefan is to kill Elena and break her back if she attempts to run.
Back on the road, Jeremy tries to contact Anna, but she doesn't want to help either Damon or Katherine. This is completely understandable, because in life, they caused nothing but problems for her. Damon takes matters into his own hands and attacks Jeremy, thereby forcing Anna to talk.
Back at the pool, Matt who really has no purpose on the show, decided to tie himself to the bottom of the pool to create a near death experience, so that he can talk to Vicki. When Bonnie calls, he tells her that she has to better at CPR than he is. Bonnie races to the gym.
In a separate room, Tyler comes to and Caroline informs him that Klaus has turned him into a hybrid. She tries to assure him that everything is going to be okay, but Rebecca is quick to tell him that if Bonnie does not break the spell that he is going to die.
For some reason, the writers thought that we did not have enough angst this season, and we were returned to Stefan and Elena in the gym. She tells him that she loves him and that he has to focus on this when the time runs out. She feels that he owes her. Stefan has to remind her forcefully that he is a vampire and that his name is the ripper. You would think that Elena would realize that after watching him just rip the throat of two people that her honey is a violent murderer. What more evidence does this woman need to understand that Stefan is a vampire and by definition he cannot be good?
After getting the information, Damon asks Katherine for his phone and she tries to tease him about having a short leash. When he checks and realizes that Elena is danger, Damon tells Jeremy to go with Katherine, while he attempts to save Elena. Katherine tells Damon that he is risking his life needlessly and that the Damon she knew, would never do such a thing. In yet another bid to hurt her, Damon tells her that he never would have done that for her.
Bonnie gets into the pool in time to pull Matt out. As she performs CPR on him he sees his sister Vicki. She gives him a message to give to Bonnie. I have to admit that it was nice to see Bonnie actively save someone other than Elena for a change, though I am irritated that she was still saving someone. When is she going to have a life of her own? Klaus overhears them talking and he realizes that Elena is still the key to breaking the curse.
As the clock in the gym goes off, Stefan drops to the floor trying to restrain himself and tells Elena that she needs to run. As she runs down the hall, he follows crashing into lockers in an attempt to slow himself down. When he enters what looks to be a large supply room, he stakes himself in the stomach with a broom handle. Klaus is surprised that he has managed to fight his nature so strongly and then compels him to cut off his human side. Instantly Stefan's eyes turn, and Klaus announces that he has finally fixed Stefan. Because he can no longer feel love for Elena, Stefan attacks her, but Klaus stops him from drinking her dry. Can I just say damn it.
Klaus takes a vile of Elena's blood to Tyler, and tells him to drink it. When Tyler balks, Klaus informs him that he needs to feed or he will die. It seems that this might be the only way to save his life. Tyler downs the blood and instantly partially changes to a werewolf. This btw was a cool effect.
It seems that Elena's blood was the necessary ingredient to make more hybrids. Klaus tells Rebecca that it is a good thing he figured it out, otherwise he would have been sentenced to an eternity alone. I suppose this was meant to give Klaus a bit of vulnerability, but as a reason for killing so many, it feels weak and out of nature with the Klaus we have come to know. Klaus then tells Rebecca to pack up, because their leaving Mystic Falls.
Right on cue, Damon shows up. Of course he wants Elena and stupidly threatens Klaus. When Klaus has him by the neck and it is clear he has been over powered, then Damon gets around to threatening Klaus with Michael, the supposed vampire hunter. Klaus lets him go and disappears, and Damon does his best Officer and a Gentleman impression and carries Elean out of what appears to be the local hospital.
In the hallway of the school, Caroline asks Tyler how he feels and he assures her that he feels great, in fact better than he has ever felt. It seems being a hybrid agrees with Tyler so much, that he picks up Caroline, swings her around and announces that it's going to be a wonderful year.
Damon takes Elena back to his place and offers her bourbon - cause that's exactly what you give an upset teenage girl. Elena thanks him and admits that Stefan is lost to her (ummm that took her long enough to acknowledge), and then has the nerve to ask why Damon left her. Didn't Elena spend the entire last episode attacking Damon, while trying to remake him, to deny her supposed attraction to him? For his part, instead of telling her off like she so richly deserved, he pledges never to leave her again. When Stefan saunters into the room, he makes some comment about them being cute together, and tells Elena that Klaus has appointed him her protector.
The episode ends with Jeremy and Katherine inside a very old crypt. When she opens the lid on the stone coffin the rotting creature inside opens it dark eyes.
Alright what were your thoughts on this episode?
I am giving it a two fangs for trying to instill false fear of Elena dying, when she was never actually in danger.
