On tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, Nadia and Katherine hurry to make Katherine’s transition permanent. Damon tries to win Elena back. Tyler learns devastating news about Caroline.
Not a Done Deal
When Matt was used as a vessel for Nadia’s ex-boyfriend Gregor, he still experienced periods of lucidity. He just couldn’t account for the time when Gregor was calling the shots. Katherine suffers from a similar dilemma since her secret is at constant risk of being exposed whenever Elena’s consciousness decides to pop out.
All Katherine and Nadia need for Katherine to permanently set up shop in her doppelganger’s body is some more traveler mojo and Katherine’s corpse. Nadia runs into a hiccup in the plan when she goes to retrieve her mother’s body, but Damon has already disposed of it. Nadia makes up a story about Katherine’s dying wish being to be buried with her body in Bulgaria, but Damon is only to happy to deny Miss Pierce her dying wish.
In the Doghouse
Tyler’s back and on a bender. When Matt asks what went down in New Orleans, Tyler fails to mention how he failed to exact revenge on Klaus and was held captive with a bunch of dessicated vampires. So he came running back to Mystic Falls with his tail between his legs. He’s ready to start fresh, no drama. Matt decides to throw a welcome back party in Tyler’s honor.
The Bearer of Good News
Caroline’s on a stress cleaning binge, probably feeling dirty after her sexcapades in the woods with Klaus. It doesn’t help that her ex-boyfriend returned to town after choosing to kill the aforementioned sexual partner over his girlfriend.
Aaron shows up with good news: his family’s trust came through, and he was able to cut funding for the Augustines. He also asks Caroline to pass along an incredibly heartfelt apology.
Body Double
Elena finally makes an appearance and finds herself chained to a bed in a hotel room. A precaution Nadia took before she went hunting for Katherine’s body. She’s able to break free but Nadia returns before she can get help. She knows that Katherine is time-sharing her body, but Nadia calls forth Katherine, and Elena’s brief resurgence is aborted.
Mea Culpa
Stefan is trying, without success, to get Damon to hand over Katherine’s body. He blames his brother’s bad attitude on the fact that he’s been trying to reach Elena, and she hasn’t responded. Damon’s regretting telling the love of his life to kick rocks and is also completely ready to disregard the doppelganger prophecy. Stefan knows that a miserable Damon is a dangerous Damon, so he’s keeping a close eye on his brother for signs of a psychotic break. He calls in Caroline for reinforcements, but nobody’s going to get these lovebirds cooing again as long as Elena’s whereabouts remain unknown.
A Little Help From Elena’s Friends
Katherine continues to ignore calls from Elena’s friends, and Nadia determines they are starting to get suspicious. Katherine decides the best course of action is to go to Tyler’s party and convince everyone that “Elena” is fine. Nadia is not a fan of this particular plan stressing that Katherine isn’t merely impersonating Elena; she has to be Elena. Katherine calls upon Elena’s cute and easily compelled friend Matt to get the 411 on all things Elena. In doing so, she admits who she is and what she’s done.
A Bad Influence
Damon, already in a foul mood, returns home to find an unwelcome visitor, Enzo. He’s brought Aaron Whitmore expecting Damon to kill the last living Whitmore. Enzo’s holding out hope that Damon and he can rekindle their friendship if he completes this one heinous act. He suspects his old buddy has gone soft. If Damon won’t do it, he will, revenge for years of torture.I was under the impression these two had parted ways for good, so his reappearance is confusing as well as ill-timed. Now, he wants Damon to pay some sort of tribute to him. It’s all funky mind games.While Damon tries to find a reason to spare Aaron, Caroline calls to alert him that Elena is at Tyler’s party. Impatient, Damon buys some time for both he and Aaron by snapping Enzo’s neck.
R.I.P and MIA
Katherine hits Tyler’s party and gets the third degree from Stefan on where she’s been. Her brilliant response? “Around. Thinking. Processing, trying to figure out how to deal with this whole…Damon thing.” Stefan tells her that Damon realizes he made a mistake and wants her back. She tells him she knows and points out how weird it must be for him to be discussing this with her. He must be growing wary of pointing out that Damon is a better person when he’s with Elena. Has everyone forgotten that he killed Aaron’s aunt while he was with Elena?
Being Katherine, she can’t help but try to get Stefan to admit to some lingering grief over her demise. His cavalier attitude agitates Katherine who is a bit insulted that he’s not crying into his Red Solo cup.
While Katherine is devious, she’s not much of an actress, and she’s overly eager to suggest they hold a funeral. Why would Elena want to know where Katherine’s body is? Five hundred years of duplicity, and this is the best she could come up with? Stefan doesn’t seem suspicious which is odd since he has a penchant for distinguishing Elena from Katherine (“The Return”). He says Damon won’t tell him where the body is, only that it’s where it’s always meant to be. This is apparently all Katherine needs to know to track her own remains down.
The Klaus is Out of the Bag
Once Katherine surmises that her body is in the tomb under the old church where she supposedly died roughly 150 years ago, she tries to make a fast getaway. No such luck when Caroline is suffering from a crisis of conscience after sleeping with Klaus and is being especially needy. To extricate herself, she makes sure the news of Caroline’s tryst is overheard by Tyler, giving her the perfect out.
Elena resurfaces as the ritual to permanently implant Katherine into her body is in full swing. She makes a break for it, but her presence isn’t necessary; the traveler and Nadia have all the components they need. Elena runs through the woods as her memories become Katherine’s in a very dramatic montage. Just as she reaches the party and Damon, the ritual is completed, and Katherine is the recipient of a heartfelt speech from Damon. She tells Damon that it’s over.
Tyler’s left to ponder the fact that Caroline has worse taste in men than him. Katherine decides to stay in Mystic Falls and attempt to play happy family with Stefan and Nadia. Damon is back to his old season one self with one caveat, he now has a partner in crime. If Kitty Kat wasn’t such a b**ch, poor Aaron might have stood a chance. And where is Elena? Floating around in the supernatural hereafter perhaps, or sent to some traveler purgatory? My guess is the underutilized Kat Graham (Bonnie) will play a pivotal role in finding our girl.
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8pm 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.
