Previously on The Vampire Diaries, Damon tried to come to grips with killing Elena by toeing the line between shutting off his feelings and feeling everything, Caroline learned that the twins she is carrying are siphons as they slowly began draining her of her blood, and Enzo freed the huntress. We know that Rayna Cruz is the huntress, but who is she really? This episode, “This Woman’s Work,” gives us that answer, and a lot more!
Saint Malo, Louisiana 1857
It is 15 years after Rayna’s father, one of the Brotherhood of the Five, taught her how to fight. He has been summoned to a vampire attack. Rayna does the opposite of what she’s told and follows her father. She finds him helpless as he’s about to be killed by a vampire. That vampire is none other than Julian! Rayna stops Julian before he tears into her father’s neck. She tells him if he kills her father he will be afflicted with “the hunters curse.” So instead, Julian compels her to do the deed for him.
Rayna enlists the help of a Native American tribe. They do a protection spell so that no magic can touch her. Then they start sacrificing themselves in order for her to have multiple lives. The final step of the ritual is linking her spirit with the Phoenix stone sword.
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England 1903
Julian, Nora, Mary Louise and Bo are having a great night — until they run into Rayna. She stabs Bo in the throat with the sword. This is how he lost his voice. Julian recognizes her. He throws her across the room momentarily knocking her out. He tries to get himself and the rest of the heretics out of town as quickly as possible. They’re loading up the carriage when Rayna finds them again. Julian puts up a little bit of a fight. He thinks he has the upper hand, and tries to make a quick escape. Rayna is quicker. She throws her sword and it lands directly in Julian’s chest. This is how Julian is trapped in the stone.
Mystic Falls Present Day
Rayna escapes the glass prison Enzo has her locked in. She wants her sword. Enzo calls Bonnie to ask for the sword. She refuses to give it to him. Enzo then blackmails Damon into getting the sword for him. If Damon can’t deliver the sword to Whitmore College, then Enzo is going to tell Bonnie about Elena.
Damon manages to talk Bonnie into giving up the sword. Bonnie knows that Enzo must have something really good on Damon, or else he wouldn’t be doing this. She questions Damon, but he doesn’t give in. He knows he will lose his friendship with Bonnie if she knows that he killed Elena. And Bonnie is pretty much his only friend right now.
The two go to meet Enzo in a classroom at Whitmore. They’re surprised to find him tied to a chair. Rayna is waiting for them. Damon is surprised that she looks exactly like his new girlfriend, Krystal (with a K). He throws the sword through the window. Rayna scurries across campus and is finally reunited with her most prized possession.
At the hospital, Stefan finds Caroline’s desiccating body. He compels the doctors to ignore anything that can’t be explained by medicine and perform an immediate C-Section. There is a problem though, the babies are not ready to be delivered. Valerie comes up with an idea to have more magic outside of Caroline’s body than there is in her blood – which is what the twins are feeding off of.
Valerie calls in her heretic family to help her out. They’re standing around Caroline chanting a spell. It seems to be working — at least until the scar on Bo’s neck opens up. The heretics know this means that Rayna is on her way. Once you have been marked, The Huntress will track you down to the ends of the Earth.
Valerie stays behind to help Caroline and the babies as the rest of the heretics try to make a run for it. They don’t even make it out of the parking lot before Rayna shanks Bo with the sword, trapping his soul in the stone, and sets his body on fire.
At this point, everyone is at the hospital. Bonnie goes to help Valerie, and Damon goes to kill Rayna. Bonnie has to actually convince Stefan to stop his brother. She tells him that she doesn’t know what Damon has done, but he’ll do anything to make it right – including risking his own life. Damon is putting up a pretty good fight against Rayna. Stefan shows up just when it’s starting to look bleak. He jumps in front of Damon and Rayna stabs him. He’s now marked. Stefan knows that he has to get out of town fast.
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Back at Whitmore…
Enzo is still tied up. He’s trying to convince Damon to let him go, but Damon has other plans. He wants to flip a coin and let fate decide whether Enzo lives or dies. As he tosses the coin in the air, Enzo blurts out that Elena is alive! He says the coffin was empty and Damon was only hallucinating. Enzo and Tyler were working together. Enzo has the real coffin and body in New York.
Damon calls Stefan to tell him the great news. He vows to take out Rayna so that Stefan can come back.
Three Years From Now
Caroline is driving. The twins, Josie and Elizabeth (named after her mother) are in the backseat. Alaric has instructed her to drive to New Orleans.
I really enjoyed this episode. It was great to finally see the pieces finally starting to come together. What did you think? Do you like where this season is going? Sound off in the comments below.
The Vampire Diaries airs Fridays at 8pm on The CW.
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
