On tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, Elena learns more about her father’s work with the Augustines. Damon and Stefan search for Elena but must deal with Enzo. Nadia has an idea that could extend Katherine’s life.
The Great Escape and a Walk of Shame
Probably motivated by his missing girlfriend, Damon manages to come up with an escape plan that doesn’t take a year to execute. It’s also a less bloody and messy exit he makes from Dr. Wes’ house of horrors this time around.
He arrives at the boarding house just as Katherine is making a hasty retreat after rekindling a sexual relationship with Stefan. Her initial plan was to bask in the afterglow and maybe take part in some morning delight, but she discovered her aging had progressed overnight.
Damon gives Stefan a very abridged version of recent events with the bottom line being Elena is most likely still in the clutches of the good doctor. Damon and Stefan track down Aaron who claims to have no idea where Wes has taken Elena. Damon tells him to call his guardian and tell him that if he doesn’t hand over Elena, he’ll be sewing Aaron’s arms back on his body.
Daddy Issues
Elena may be the subject of mysterious science experimentation, but she hasn’t lost her spunk. She questions how he justifies holding people against their will and torturing them. He says it’s all in the pursuit of science. He begins to read from a notebook that describes the electrocution of a vampire, and Dr. Wes reveals it was written by Elena’s dear old dad Grayson Gilbert. Grayson’s dad being a vampire hater isn’t exactly surprising. His brother and Elena’s biological father John despised them and told her that her adopted father felt the same way. She and Stefan also uncovered enough weaponry at the Gilbert’s vacation home to take out a vamp army.
Elena realizes that she’s in the basement of her father’s old clinic. The one that John Gilbert set on fire with what he thought was the entire vamp population of Mystic Falls at the end of season one. Now the building is condemned.
Wes receives a call from Aaron and isn’t thrilled to find out that Damon is not still safely locked away. He agrees to meet them at his classroom, and as soon as he confirms Aaron is safe, he’ll turn over Elena. But, Elena might be staying put for awhile since Dr. Wes decides to free Enzo and let him loose on the Salvatore brothers instead. He must be confident in whatever modifications he’s made on Enzo since he’s putting Aaron’s life at risk.
Mother and Daughter Meet Again
Things are going downhill fast for Katherine. In a desperate attempt to try and stay somewhat hot and in shape for as long as possible, she’s turned to Matt. He’s working as her personal trainer. Doesn’t look like he’ll have the job for long given her lack of stamina, poor hearing and vision, and general increasing decrepitude. He questions why she just doesn’t become a vampire again, and she tells him she’s not able to ingest vampire blood. There’s just got to be a loophole somewhere. I want Katherine around just when she’s become so interesting, but I want a mortal Kitty Kat, not a vampire.
Nadia interrupts their workout. This woman keeps saying she’s leaving town, but here she is again. Stefan gave her Katherine’s suicide note, and given her abandonment issues, she’s just a tad p****d off. She gives mommy dearest a love tap to the face, payback for leaving her daughter a lame letter instead of saying goodbye.
Meet and Greet
Stefan questions how Damon and Aaron know one another. Damon tells him that Aaron comes from a long line of Augustines and that he was an unwilling test subject. Aaron asks Damon why he doesn’t fill his brother in on the whole story, but Stefan isn’t interested, so Damon’s decades long vendetta against the Whitmore Clan remains a secret for now.
The Road Less Traveled
Nadia lectures her poor excuse of a mother Katherine for her suicide attempt. Katherine convinces her daughter that she’s changed her mind about cutting her life even shorter. Nadia questions what made Katherine change her mind, and Katherine tells her it’s more of a who than a what. Katherine also asks Nadia if she thinks that, in spite of the laundry list of horrible things she’s done, it’s possible for her to be forgiven. Not only does Nadia think it’s probable, but she has an idea that she thinks might extend Katherine’s life.
Dr. Gilbert and Mr. Hyde
Elena asks Wes when he first met her father. He says that Grayson was working with Augustine to turn vampire blood into a magical cure-all for numerous diseases. She recalls coming down into the basement as a child, but even then, something about the place creeped her out.
Dr. Maxfield isn’t too interested in chit chat, but when Elena questions Enzo’s whereabouts, he does admit that Enzo has some unresolved business with Damon.
Elena doesn’t need confirmation that Enzo killed Megan, but she does ask Dr. Wes why her ex-roommate had a picture of her dad in her phone. He says maybe it’s because her parents helped to fund his “projects.” Megan grew suspicious of activities going on at Whitmore and enrolled to try and learn more. She stumbled across Enzo during the party at Whitmore House, and the rest is history.
Retribution Awaits
Aaron, Stefan and Damon arrive at Dr. Maxfield’s lecture hall and are met by Enzo. Damon explains to Stefan that Enzo is another Augustine vampire. Damon asks where Wes is, and Enzo is just a tad offended that Damon doesn’t bother to ask how he survived the fire Damon left him to die in or how he’s been for the last 70 years. Aaron is clueless as usual, and Enzo offers to fill him in. Stefan calls Wes threatening to kill Aaron, and Wes reminds him Elena’s life rests in his hands. In other words, stalemate.
Stefan informs the others that Dr. Wes isn’t going to turn over Elena. Tough break for Aaron, whose guardian is willing to risk his life for his experiments. Distracted by their current dilemma, Enzo makes it clear he’s determined to conclude his story with Damon’s betrayal as the big finish. Stefan isn’t too sympathetic, pointing out that Enzo did survive. But, being rescued by a scientist just to be further tortured isn’t much of a consolation. Enzo temporarily exits the room, and Stefan questions how Damon can be unfazed by his reunion with the guy. Damon’s primary objective now is killing Aaron. But, the only living Whitmore says he has some files on his family’s history at his dorm. He says they might contain helpful information.
Stefan has to accompany Aaron solo because Enzo makes it clear Damon will be staying behind.
New Body, Old Katherine
Nadia offers up spirit possession as an option for Katherine. Nadia says that Katherine told her that her grandfather was a traveler, which means Katherine is one as well. All she needs is someone to teach her how to do the passenger spell, and a body of course. Katherine says that her father forbid her from doing traveler magic. Nadia says it’s still in her blood and that gives her the ability to keep living in someone else’s body. Katherine’s also not big on switching into a different body since Stefan has a penchant for her current one. Nadia realizes that when Katherine was asking about forgiveness, she was talking about her ex, not her daughter.
Hard Feelings
Enzo continues to try and pour on the guilt, but Damon tells him he couldn’t save him. Enzo doubles over in pain and says that Wes injected him with poison. If he doesn’t get back to the lab promptly, his heart will stop if he doesn’t get the anecdote. Damon tells him this is all the more reason for them to join forces. Enzo can lead him to Dr. Wes and Elena, take the cure, and they can kill the evil doctor together. But, Enzo isn’t so willing to forgive and forget. He tells Damon he’ll never see Elena again because he can’t go back to the lab until Damon is dead. Then he promptly throws Damon out a window.
Interesting fact, Enzo doesn’t require a daylight ring. Enzo pursues Damon outside, but Damon refuses to fight his old friend. It turns out he doesn’t have to because the poison kills Enzo. This is the best Dr. Wes could come up with after years of experimentation? Also, Enzo kicks it before he can or will give up Elena’s location.
The Whole Truth
Aaron tries to pull a fast one on Stefan but fails miserably. The only thing that saves him is the story of how he and his ancestors have been tortured and murdered by Damon for decades. Stefan finds the need to promote a more positive image of vamps to Aaron, and as a result, he gives Stefan some info pertaining to Elena.
Dr. Wes has perfected the process of turning vampires into cannibals. With one shot, Elena will only crave vamp blood. Just as he’s about to inject her, she manages to knock him out. Stefan also shows up and completes the rescue. They leave Dr. Wes unconscious, meaning he’s still a major threat. That is a pretty big oversight. Elena does manage to grab her father’s journal.
A Goodbye Gift
Once again, Nadia plans to leave Mystic Falls. She asks Matt to hold onto the traveler’s knife. Not a favor he’s quick to grant. He questions why people want it. All she’ll tell him is that she tried to convince Katherine to extend her life, but failed. But if Katherine changes her mind, she’ll need that knife. Matt says she won’t because Katherine only cares about herself, and if she doesn’t want to do something, she won’t. I think we’re seeing this isn’t always the case this season. Nadia is dealing with 500 years of mommy issues. She confesses to Matt that she doesn’t know whether she should hate Katherine for giving up or be by her side when she dies. I’m not confident Katherine has given up, I just don’t think she’s found the right plan. The two commiserate over having lousy mothers, and Matt agrees to be the keeper of the knife.
Vindication
Damon takes his old “friend” to Dr. Maxfield’s lab and revives Enzo — who thanks him by telling him what a rotten person he is. He hits Damon’s sore spot, because as we all know, Damon always struggles with his desire to do the right thing but inability to execute. Surprisingly, Elena doesn’t seem to be in the mood to chastise her boyfriend since she’s obsessed with reading daddy’s journal. Elena discovers that her father used his research to save Megan and probably countless others. Damon doesn’t find the cause noble, and asks Elena how she thinks her father would feel about her. She says he’s her father, and she has to defend him.
Once a Monster, Always a Monster
While Elena is willing to overlook Damon’s incredibly shady past, he’s not interested in having to feel accountable, so he dumps her. He doesn’t want to change, nor does he want to change her. Those bad boys are just so self-destructive.
Cutting Ties
Aaron finds Wes and questions whether he really thinks he’s helping anyone with his vampire research. He’s a bit ticked off that Wes sold him out and used him as a bargaining chip. Aaron tells Dr. Wes he never wants to see him again and absconds with the shot Wes failed to give Elena.
I’m guessing Katherine survives her apparent heart attack, but I suspect her body of choice might be Elena’s. And, is Aaron gearing up to battle the Augustines?
The Vampire Dairies airs Thursdays at 8 pm on the CW.
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
