Damon gets on the phone with Stefan and explains to him that he and Elena are in NYC, but what Elena does not realise is that they are actually there to hunt for the cure. He then tells Stefan that Will, the vampire, who Katherine sent after Hayley, used to get vampires fake I.D. and that he is sure that Katherine was a client of his. Stefan is not convinced by this plan and reminds Damon that Elena wants to live the vampire high life. Damon says that he is hoping that Elena will be so wasted on booze and blood that she will not give serious thought into what they are doing. Stefan tells Damon not underestimate Elena and reminds Damon that she is ruthless without her humanity. Elena approaches with a smile, so Damon gets off the phone telling Stefan to hold down the fort in Mystic Falls, and reminds him that he has an immortal named Silas to deal with.
Caroline has put herself on clean up duty at the Salvatore house when Klaus shows up. Caroline asks, "shouldn't you but out chasing Tyler to the ends of the earth, or are there some hopes and dreams you still have to crush?" Klaus asks where Tyler is and Caroline responds that Tyler is gone for good and that Tyler gave Matt the deed to the house. Klaus then reminds Caroline that Tyler made it is life's mission to kill him. Caroline tells him to go away and Stefan interrupts saying that he asked Klaus to be there because he believes that Silas is in Mystic Falls.
Silas is instructing Bonnie but she is not being compliant, even when he tells her to trust him. Bonnie asks, "how can I trust you, when you won't show me your real face? Don't you think that it's a little creepy that you're appearing as my dead professor?" Silas says that he is trying to earn her trust and then reminds her that she invited him into her home. He asks why she lied to her friends and then convinced her father that she needed professor Shane's help to control her magic. Bonnie says that he is in her head and that he is making her see things and do things. Silas responds saying that while he is strong, Bonnie is a witch, which means he cannot force her to do things she does not want to do. He then reminds Bonnie that she promised to protect Jeremy and that she is descended from one of the most powerful witches of all time. When Bonnie says that getting rid of the other side means killing 12 people, Silas says that she can bring those people back and that only she is capable of doing this.
When Klaus learns that some blood went missing from a few hospitals, he suggests that Elena is the culprit. Stefan assures him that it is not Elena. Klaus then asks if it is indeed Silas, he is unsure how this effects him. Stefan says that Silas wants to die and be reunited with his one true love but if he takes the cure and dies he gets stuck on the other side, but if he destroys the other side and then dies, he will be able to pass on and be with his one true love. The catch of course is that everyone over there will return and Caroline asks how many of the people on the other side owe their deaths to Klaus. This gets Klaus' interest and he asks about the ritual. Stefan tells him that Silas only needs one more massacre and that they need to find him.
Elena and Damon walk into a bar and she is not impressed and says that she was promised hedonism. Damon promises Elena that things will liven up once the sun goes down and says that he knows this because this is where he spent most of the seventies. We get a flashback to Damon dropping off ID's. Apparently, the deal is that Damon kills people and hands Will the ID and in exchange he gets to feed in the club. A fight breaks out and Damon attempts to feed off of one of the men, but Lexy stops him and says that he is getting sloppy. Just as Damon finishes this story, Rebekah slams his head down on the table. Rebekah says that she is hurt and that she thought that they made a good team. Elena asks what is going on, and Rebekah tells her that Damon is following a lead to the cure and that consequently, she is following him. Elena is shocked and Damon lies and says that he drove there to feed.
We get another flashback to Lexy telling Damon that it's clear that his switch is flipped and that they heard about him all the way back in Mystic Falls. Damon says that he thought that he and Stefan were in their off stage of their relationship, but Lexy informs him that Stefan cared about him enough to send her. Lexy asks what traumatic event caused him to flip his switch, and Damon sarcastically replies, "Leave it to Beaver," as he attempts to walk away. Lexy stops him and says that it's the 70's now and keeping his switch off is going to get him caught and killed. Damon says that he well take his chances but Lexy reminds Damon that she promised Stefan. Damon tells Lexy that he does not want or need her. Elena asks if Lexy managed to get him to flip his switch and then suggests that this is what Damon has in mind for her. Damon leaves to get a drink and Rebekah asks if she buys what Damon is saying. Elena says not for one minute and that Damon and Stefan are not going to give up until they find the cure and make her take it. She decides that she is going to have to find the cure first because Damon is playing her, and she is just returning the favor.
Caroline, Stefan and Klaus have made their way to professor Shane's old office. They are looking for an indication that Silas and Shane were working together. Caroline asks why Klaus is there and Stefan says that an original hybrid who cannot die might come in handy, given they don't know what Silas can do. Klaus points out that he and Stefan have a history and did work well together at one point. Stefan reminds Klaus that his emotions were off then. Caroline interrupts to say she found something and it's a book which talks about expression magic.
Silas and Bonnie are talking and she learns that to complete the triangle she has to arrange a massacre of witches. Silas reminds Bonnie that she can bring them all back. Bonnie then worries that she won't be strong enough to pull this off but Silas explains to her his plan. His father comes in the room and Silas says that the meditation is not working and Bonnie's magic is just too strong. Rudy is not impressed and tells Silas (who he believes to be Shane) that he is responsible for getting Bonnie in this mess and that he wants him out of the house. When things get loud, Bonnie loses control and uses her magic to blow out a window. Rudy asks what is happening to Bonnie and Silas, still pretending to be Shane, responds that this is what happened to his wife and that she had no control over it. Bonnie takes a step forward and tells Rudy that she needs him to call her mother because they need a lot of witches.
The club is now in full swing and everyone has shots. Elena asks if drinking is allowed and Damon says that Lexy believed the only way he would turn his emotions back on is if he started enjoying his life again. Elena and Damon hit the dance floor. Elena says that she is hungry and then promptly attacks a girl on the dance floor and Damon joins in as well. Damon then steps away as Rebekah takes his place feeding alongside Elena. He heads to what appears to back office which is overloaded with things.
Bonnie is in the woods and she meets a young woman named Asia, who informs her that Abbey is not coming because this is witch business. Asia tells her that she knows the hold that expression magic can have on a person but Bonnie says that she is strong and therefore Asia won't be able to help her alone. Right on cue, witches - a full coven walks out of the woods. Asia assures Bonnie that it won't be fun but that they will cleanse her.
Elena and Rebekah finish feeding and Elena says that she hopes Damon finds what she is looking for because then she can take it from him. Rebekah points out that Damon is stronger than Elena and asks if she needs help and suggests that they can work together. Elena brings up the little factor of Rebekah hating her but Rebekah tells Elena that she hated the moral, self-righteous side of her. Elena asks if Rebekah remembers what it's like to be human, to be weak and fragile because she is curious as to why Rebekah wants the cure. Rebekah explains that she wants the cure so that she can have a family and Elena says that this is why she doesn't want her help. Elena explains that because she has no emotions, she is rational and therefore willing to do whatever it takes to get this done and Rebekah is the opposite,"you're a pile of neurosis, and insecurities hopes and dreams. You're basically one big emotional viral that I just don't really need." Rebekah walks off telling Elena that she just made her miss the old Elena.
Caroline is looking at a map and plotting out where the massacre will be. She draws one triangle and Klaus points out a second place it could be. Despite Caroline's anger at Klaus, it's clear the chemistry is back between them again. Stefan rushes in and says that he hasn't found Bonnie but after talking to Rudy, he thinks he knows where Silas is.
Bonnie is in the woods with the witches and they are starting the ceremony. Bonnie is screaming in pain and Asia explains it's because she has rejected the spirits. The other witches link with Asia when it's clear that Bonnie is too strong.
Stefan is walking through the woods and is on the phone with Damon. He assures Damon that he does not need him to come home and asks how the cure search is going, though Silas is masquerading and professor Shane. Damon says that it's not great and that Rebekah traced them there. Damon tells Stefan that when he was getting ID for Will for a brunette, he was actually providing new ID for Katherine. Damon complains about the mess in Will's office and says that he is sure the filing system is by birthday and he cannot remember Katherine's. Stefan rattles off the date and Damon finds a piece of paper with all of her identities and former addresses. Stefan asks if he is headed back now and Damon promises to return tomorrow morning because he has to keep up appearances and pretend he is having a good time. Elena walks in and Damon explains that he was talking to Stefan. Elena asks if Stefan is worried and Damon brushes it off saying that Stefan was having acid flashbacks of him and Lexy during the 70's.
We get another flashback to Lexy and Damon at the bar. Apparently, Lexy would wait until Damon was completely drunk and then she would bring up Katherine. It was Lexy's goal to get Stefan to remember how he felt about Katherine because love is a very powerful emotion. Damon asks why she cares and Lexy asks if he remembers how they first met. Lexy reminds him that it was 1864, Stefan had just turned him, killed their father and was busy eating his way through Mystic Falls. Before Damon left he asked Lexy to help him and now he needs help and Stefan cares about him. Damon says that talking about Katherine is not going to help him because she is not the one he cares about. Lexy realises that Damon switched and the two start kissing. Elena is kind of disgusted with the idea of Damon and Lexy and she grabs a bottle saying that she wants to hear the rest of the story. Over her shoulder, she makes eye contact with Rebekah.
Klaus and Caroline are in the woods and she asks him if he knows how to read a map and he snarks that his friend Magellan taught him. Caroline then brings up Klaus' comment about being drawn to darkness and then denies that it's possible. Klaus stops and asks, "so you have never felt the allure of someone who is capable of doing terrible things who cares only about you?" Caroline replies, "It did once when I thought he was worth it but it turns out that some people can't be fixed. People who do terrible things are just terrible people." Klaus then tells her that they are there but judging from the lack of witches, they are at the wrong location.
The ceremony is continuing in the woods, when Stefan shows up and tells them to stop. Asia says that this is no place for a vampire, and Stefan replies that Bonnie is working for Silas and adds that Silas brainwashed Bonnie to kill her. Asia pulls out a knife and says that if Silas has gotten to Bonnie then she is lost. Stefan tries to intervene but Asia stops him and says that she has the power of 12 witches. Stefan is cast away from the circle, as Asia adds that he doesn't stand a chance. Silas and Caroline arrive and Stefan tells them what is going on. Caroline tell Klaus that they have to save Bonnie but Klaus points out that the only way to stop them is to kill the witches and that will give Silas exactly what he wants.
Asia calls out, "spirits free her soul, free her from darkness." Caroline breaks into the circle and kills Asia causing all of the other witches to drop dead. When she reaches Bonnie, Bonnie says, "the triangle is complete."
On the roof, Elena tells Damon that she could party with him and do the Lexy method to turn her emotions back on. Damon says that he thought she hated emotions and Elena admits that she does but sees it as an excuse to spend more time with him. Elena then adds that she has never done it on a roof top before. Damon tells her that she is not missing much, so Elena tells him that he does not have to take the high road anymore because she is not sired to hm and that they both want this. The two start to kiss and then Elena reaches into his back pocket. Damon pulls away and asks if she really thought the booze, sex and temptation was going to work.
Yet another flash back and this time Lexy wakes up on the roof with Damon. She runs for the door and finds that it is locked and Damon tells her that he spent the whole night reinforcing the door. When she asks him why, he responds that it's payment for the last six months of his life, "for the nagging, the self-righteous platitude. I'm paying you back for six months of you." Lexy realises that Damon's humanity is not back on and he says that she thought he was like Stefan, a wounded little bird that she could nurse back to health. Damon tells her to enjoy the day and leaves.
In the present, Damon tells Elena that he did all of this so that he could free himself. Elena asks if she hurt his feelings but Damon says that he is doing this for her and that one day she is going to flip the switch again and all the bad things that she did will come rushing back. Elena asks if he felt bad about Lexy and he admits that she became a walking, talking reminder of all of the awful things that he had done. Damon says that he managed to avoid her for decades and that when Lexy showed up in Mystic Falls, to wish Stefan happy birthday, he had a rush of guilt. Elena surmises that this is why he killed Lexy. Damon says, "everyday that you're like this could be the one day that you do the one thing that you can't take back." Elena points out that he spent six months trying to get Lexy to fall in love with him yet he was angry, malicious and spiteful. She points out that this all sounds like emotions to her and Damon admits that this could be the case, and that maybe hatred is the first one he got back. Damon says that this is all the more reason for her to take the cure, so that they get the old Elena back without all of the ugly stages in between. Elena starts to walk away and says that she is not taking the cure, but Damon responds that she will, even if has to break her neck, and tie her up in chains until they find it. Rebekah appears on the roof and snaps Damon's neck.
Bonnie wakes up in her own room with Stefan watching over her. She is confused and wants to know what he is doing there and how she got there. Stefan tells her that he brought her home after the witches tried to kill her. Bonnie asks what he means and he realises that she does not remember. He says that whatever the witches did must have messed with her memory. The last thing Bonnie remembers is being in a cave with Jeremy trying to pry the cure out of Silas' hands. She thinks the worst thing that happened is that they didn't get the cure.
In the forest, Klaus has finished burying with witches with Caroline by his side. He says that Silas now has everything he needs to open the gates to hell. Caroline points out that he was going to let Bonnie die but Klaus replies that one is still less than 12. Caroline replies, "but that one is my best friend." Klaus instruct Caroline to tell herself whatever she needs to so that she can sleep at night. Caroline realises that she just killed 12 people and panics and Klaus says, "you look like you're in need of comfort. Why don't you find someone less terrible you can relate to." Caroline then goes running into the woods. Silas appears and thanks Klaus saying of the three massacres, this is the one he was dreading.
Damon wakes up with a phone call from Elena. She and Rebekah have taken his car and promise to give Katherine his best. Damon calls Stefan and explains what happened with the lead he had on Katherine. Stefan then tells Damon that he didn't stop the massacre.
In the woods, Klaus tells Silas that he does not have the cure. Silas points out that the last thing Klaus wants is for the cure to be used on him and tells Klaus to bring him the cure and it won't be. Klaus says that with all of his dead supernatural enemies from the other side that he is not scared of Silas. Silas says, I think I know what does and pulls out a stake from the white ash. Klaus asks where he got this and Silas responds, "your sister's mind is easier to read than yours." Silas disappears for a moment and then reappears behind Klaus and stabs him in the back. Silas says that he is not trying to kill Klaus yet, just give him a little something to remember him by
Okay, is it wrong to be giddy to finally see a witch who isn't Black die? I knew the minute I saw Asia that she was dead witch walking and was honestly concerned that the massacre would be a massacre of WOC because up to this point, every witch we have been introduced to has been Black.
That being said, Bonnie came out of the plot box this week but of course it had to do with stopping Silas and not out of any real concern about her well being. Even Caroline killing 12 witches to save Bonnie was more a teaching lesson in the fact that life is not black and white but filled with grey. So if Bonnie is not actively serving the White characters she provides a moment for their growth, that's one powerful Bennet witch.
I think the emotionless Elena is far more interesting but am not enjoying the characters constantly focused on saving her from himself. It seems that every vampire at one point flip their switch but when Elena does, it is beyond horrible. They have turned this into yet another excuse to obsess over her. I do however look forward to Rebekah and Elena working together in the next episode. I think the Thelma and Louise type pairing will be interesting to watch.
The showdown between Silas and Klaus was quite interesting. Klaus has long been the biggest and baddest on the block but with Silas, he may well have met his match. I want to see more scenes of these two interacting. Clearly a big showdown in on the way and a good one is owed to the audience after subjecting us to a season of angst.
