The Vampire Diaries Season Three, Episode 21: Before Sunset

We're almost there everyone, one more episode and The Vampire Diaries will be over for the season. I cannot say that I am going to miss it during the hiatus.  Last week, I threatened to stop watching if Bonnie was killed to turn Alaric into a vampire and since they chose to let her live, I have to keep watching.

Caroline and Tyler have a talk where he informs her that he is off to help Klaus pack and move.  Caroline sees this as Klaus' petty way of getting to Tyler because she rejected him. They head their separate ways, and Caroline ends up at the gym where Rebekah Cheerleader Vampire is cleaning up after the dance. She is upset that she has to clean because she planned the dance and missed it.  Once again I am reminded that the writers of this show simply have no idea how to write a mature vampire. Why would this thousand year old vampire be sad because she missed a high school dance?  Rebekah Cheerleader Vampire informs Caroline that Matt got called into work, and this means that they have to work together without Matt to act as a neutral middle.  Instead of tearing each other apart, they both give condolences for their various losses.

The love fest does not last long. Alaric shows up at the school and attacks Caroline and Rebekah Cheerleader Vampire. They struggle but only Rebekah Cheerleader Vampire manages to get away. Rebekah Vampire returns to the Michaelson manner where she informs Klaus that Alaric is on the loose and at the school.  Klaus promises to run as soon as he picks up Elena.  Rebekah Vampire Cheerleader is upset and begs up to reconsider. She says that they have always had each others back and will again, but Klaus is determined to ensure that he can make more hybrids.  Rebekah Vampire Cheerleader tells Klaus that she is leaving with or without him and when he does not reply she takes off.  I have to say that this is the first sensible thing that Rebekah Vampire Cheerleader has done since she was written into the show.

Elena and Jeremy are painting Alaric's old room when Stephan shows up.  Jeremy is not please to see him and asks if Stefan and Elena are back together.  Elena stumbles but manages to spit out that they are just friends.  Jeremy turns on Stephan and asks him to leave because after what they have lost, they want one vampire free day, before walking out of the room. The doorbell rings and Stephan answers it to find Bonnie and Damon at the door. They tell Stephan about Alaric in between bickering. Out of curiosity was I the only one wondering why having a near death experience meant that Bonnie had to have her hair clipped? Is this the version of the scarlet letter given to Black women when they feed a vampire?


Upstairs, Elena's phone rings and it's Alaric.  He tells her that he has captured Caroline and demands that she come to the school without telling anyone.  Elena the spunky does just that of course.

Klaus shows up and Damon and Stephan come to the door.  It seems that he has come to the house to get Elena. Klaus throws a few things through the windows and the door. Stephan runs upstairs looking for Elena and discovers that she is gone.  Bonnie uses her phone to do a tracking spell and discovers that Elena and Caroline are in Alaric's old office.

At this point they realise they need Klaus' help and so the Salvatore brothers fill him in on what is going on.  Bonnie the magical negro comes with the idea to contact her mother to find out the spell that she used to desiccate Michael for fifty years. Okay, how did they manage to track down Abby so quickly?  She left because she didn't want to hurt anyone but yet shows up just in time with the right spell. Umm yeah, M-A-G-I-C-A-L Negro. Abby tells Bonnie that she does not believe she can do the dessication spell but Bonnie reminds her that she has no idea what she is capable of because she has been out of her life for years.  When Abby tells her that a human has to die, Bonnie grows silent.

Jeremy volunteers to be the human to die because has the ring to bring him back. Damon is against the idea because he is worried that it will turn him into another Alaric, considering that he has already died a few times. As they prepare to go on, Klaus informs the Salvatores that they sprang from his line.  They don't believe him but he challenges them to test it out for themselves.

Klaus manages to save Caroline and they share a moment in which he assures her that she is okay and sends her home.  Like with all plans made in Mystic Falls, everything quickly falls apart and Alaric ends up trying to kill Klaus.  Elena stops Alaric by putting a knife to her neck because she believes that Alaric's life is now tied to hers.  Esther didn't want to create another immortal being so this means if Elena dies so does Klaus.  Klaus manages to kidnap Elena.

Alaric wakes up the Salvatores and sends them after Elena.  At the Michaelsons, Klaus is draining Elena dry when Tyler walks into the room. Klaus orders Tyler away believing that he still has power over him.  Tyler walks out but quickly re-enters to Klaus' surprise. Tyler tells him that he managed to break the sire bond through the power of love.  Leave it to The Vampire Diaries writers to invoke an 80's power ballad.  The Salvatores enter and together with Tyler they manage to over power Klaus.  They place the magical implement on his chest and Bonnie works the spell.

The Salvatores take Elena back him and escort her to her door.  Elena says that she has already lost too much to choose between them.  Uh huh, to me this sound like, "I like having to violent hot vampires dancing to my tune."  The boys head off to dump Klaus's in the ocean [note: this is a convenient way for the writers to bring back Klaus later] and they come to the agreement that whoever Elena does not choose will leave town for 60 years.

Inside the house they have a little celebration at having finally defeated Klaus. What they don't know is that Alaric has called a founders meeting to expose that Tyler is a hybrid and that Caroline is a vampires.

Upstairs alone, Elena rationalizes why the vampires have to stay alive to Jeremy.  He agrees if only to keep his sister safe. When he leaves she continues to paint only to fall unconscious with blood streaming out of her nose.  Okay, I hate these kind of faux cliffhangers because we all know damn well that Elena is not going to be killed off and it is a desperate tease for those who would dearly love to never see another episode with her in it. Obviously, the season finale is going to have to do with killing off Alaric but I cannot build up any excitement over it.