On tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, “No Exit,” Caroline and Tyler work together to help Matt. Dr. Wes tracks down Enzo and Damon. Katherine continues her quest to win Stefan’s affections. Damon returns home. A secret is uncovered.
Enzo has found a way to keep Damon’s new cravings satisfied and keep himself safe–he creates vampires strictly to serve as Lunchables. Damon’s not exactly appreciative for Enzo’s help or keen on his company, but Enzo plans to stay by Damon’s side.
Damon and Matt are Missing
While Katherine/Elena continues her campaign to woo Stefan, he’s more concerned with finding his big brother. He asks Sheriff Forbes for her help tracking down Damon, and Caroline delivers information proving Damon is “off the rails.” Enzo and Damon are leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. In addition, Caroline tells Stefan that all the victims were found in their homes, decapitated with their skin desiccated. Now they know that Damon is feeding on other vamps.
Stefan figures out that the evil Dr. Wes must have injected Damon with whatever he had planned to give Elena before she was miraculously saved. Stefan feels guilty and responsible, of course. Stefan is determined to find his brother, and Katherine is all too eager to accompany him.
There is palpable tension between Katherine and Caroline, but it’s temporarily broken by a call from Tyler. He tells Caroline that Nadia has been compelling Matt, and that Matt had promised to avoid her, but now he’s MIA. Caroline offers to work with Tyler to track down Matt and Katherine, having overheard their conversation, wants to tag along as well. Caroline turns her down, encouraging her to deal with Damon instead. Plus, she’s determined that she and Tyler “move into the next phase of their post-break-up, pre-friendship relationship timeline.”
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Devil in Disguise
Katherine immediately calls her daughter for the 411, and Nadia breaks the news that Matt knows the truth about her stealing Elena’s body. Where the rest of Miss Gilbert is remains a mystery. Katherine orders Nadia to kill him, but Nadia balks at this extreme reaction. She reassures mommy dearest that the vervain Tyler gave him is almost out of Matt’s system, and she’s been keeping him out of sight for a few days.
Katherine informs Nadia she’s going on a road trip with Stefan to search for Damon. Nadia thinks this is a bad idea because she’s doubtful Katherine can keep up the Elena charade for such an extended period of time. It’s true, while Katherine has many talents, acting isn’t one of them. Even though she’s impersonated her doppelganger in the past, she hasn’t been able to get away with it for very long. Nadia questions whether she would kill her beloved Stefan if he were to uncover her secret. In typical Katherine fashion, she avoids the question and tells Nadia to make sure and take care of Matt before she returns, or she’ll do it herself.
The Evil Doctor Returns
On their way to New York in time for Damon’s next feeding, Enzo and Damon find themselves trapped in the house of the man they just murdered. This handy work is courtesy of the travelers who have tracked them down. Dr. Wes happens to be among them and determined to run a test on his patient zero. He wants to know how long Damon can go before feeding on Enzo when there are no other options available. According to Enzo’s calculations, that would be roughly eight hours.
Enzo points out to Damon that they have options. He suggests that Damon can call Stefan and Elena, who can threaten Dr. Wes or worse. Damon’s still sore that his little brother told him to leave and not come back. Enzo points out this his life should mean more than Damon’s pride. Damon’s convinced they won’t come. Enzo’s sure they will, and Damon just doesn’t want to risk hurting them. He’s finally getting the idea where he ranks in Damon’s relationship hierarchy.
Cover Stories
Caroline meets up with Tyler at his house to discuss Matt. Things are awkward between them but not entirely unfriendly. Suddenly, Matt strolls in with Nadia in tow. The two of them have concocted a story that has her showing up apologetic for compelling him and snapping Ty’s neck. Then they imply that they’ve spent the last few days on a non-stop debaucherous road trip/sex romp. Tyler asks why Matt didn’t answer his phone, and he says he lost it. Caroline’s not buying it, convinced Nadia is compelling Matt. He shows her his vervain bracelet which has found its way back onto his arm. Caroline even tries to compel the truth out of him herself, but he’s impervious.
A Plea for Help
With time running out, Enzo chains up Damon. Damon says that Wes won’t let them out until one kills the other. Enzo’s convinced they’ll come up with a plan, but Damon tells him there’s no cure for this. Enzo gives Damon a lecture about how quick he is to give up or run when there’s a problem. Damon insists that when he stays, he destroys things. Enzo tells Damon that they aren’t all as fragile as he thinks they are.
Once Damon is incapacitated, Enzo calls Stefan. Katherine sabotaged Stefan’s car, forcing them to spend the night together in a motel room. She answers Stefan’s phone because he’s conveniently in the shower. Enzo informs her of his predicament, and she tells him to text the address to her phone, and that she and Stefan will be there as soon as they can.
One Last Experiment
Dr. Wes manages to shoot Enzo through an open window and now Damon’s hunger triggers his new found super strength. He’s able to easily break through the chains. Damon starts to feed despite Enzo’s pleas for him to stop. Suddenly, Damon stops and starts to choke. When Enzo asks Wes what he’s done to him, Dr. Wes explains that the travelers cast some sort of spell raising the acidity level in Enzo’s blood, and that Damon was basically drinking hydrochloric acid. Wes suggests that Enzo leave while he still has a chance. He promises he needs just one more thing from Enzo, and then he’ll let him go for good. Having no other options, Enzo departs with Wes.
A Kiss is Still a Kiss
Katherine pulls out all the stops to seduce Stefan and is rewarded with some tongue action. Knowing that Stefan is not going to be an easy piece of tail to pull, she’s pleased with this outcome.
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A Mother’s Love
The car is ready, so Stefan leaves to check them out of the motel. Katherine takes the opportunity to call Nadia and discuss her next harebrained scheme. She tells Nadia that Damon has been infected with the “ripper virus,” and that she knows exactly where he is. She wants to get Damon to attack her, so Stefan will be forced to kill his brother to save her. Matt is privy to the conversation and points out that Nadia’s not getting much gratitude from her mother for saving her life. Nadia says she wasn’t exactly expecting boozy brunches, but Matt points out she must have been expecting something. Matt, whose mother was no prize, points out that Katherine will never choose Nadia.
Next Matt appeals to Nadia’s baser instincts, and while he’s having his way with her, he also manages to snag her phone and text someone. Nadia catches him in the act but still proves she’s a soft touch by just compelling Matt to forget everything he’s not supposed to know instead of killing him. On her way out of the Lockwood house, she runs into Caroline. It turns out she’s the one that Matt was trying to reach.
Caroline confronts Nadia about what she’s doing to Matt, and just as Nadia is about to kill Caroline, Tyler comes to her rescue and Nadia flees.
Hunger Games
Katherine and Stefan show up to help Damon. Damon tells them to leave, but Stefan says he’s not afraid. Katherine puts on quite a show. She cuts herself and tells Damon she knows that his love for her is stronger than any craving he might feel. Her plan partly works, Damon does attack her. But instead of killing his brother, Stefan cuts himself to distract his attention away from Katherine. Not exactly the outcome she was hoping for. Stefan snaps Damon’s neck before he has the chance to do any more damage.
Damon’s being held prisoner in the famous Salvatore basement, home to many supernatural beings with behavioral issues. He points out to his brother that Elena knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her blood, and then she just happened to kick Stefan a stake.
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Once Bitten
Katherine meets Nadia for dinner, and the primary topic of discussion, as usual, is Katherine’s pursuit of Stefan. It’s obvious from Nadia’s attitude that something is up, but Katherine makes it clear she’s not interested. That’s when Nadia reveals that Tyler Lockwood bit her, and we all know there’s only one cure, and he’s currently living in New Orleans.
The Last Pieces of the Puzzle
Caroline shows up at Stefan’s drowning her sorrows after Tyler makes it clear a reconciliation isn’t in their immediate future. She also tells him how Nadia is messing with Matt’s mind and how he tried to text her a message but all it said was “Help K.” Stefan recounts the events of his day, and Elena’s strange behavior. Finally, viewers have reason to rejoice again. Stefan figures out that Elena is really Katherine.
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8pm on the CW
(Image courtesy of 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.
