There are a few iconic situations you expect from The Vampire Diaries. One used to be Elena’s inherent sense of what’s right, even in a world gone haywire. Another is Damon’s frequently severe over-reactions to impediments, that cut a bloody swath, damn the consequences. We had that as recently as last week, when he woke up from a cursed reality very confused and slaughtered everyone in sight, even though they were his best friends. Only this week does he come to his senses in time to save them with vampire blood. Most of them, still not too sure about Tyler.
The third thing is Stefan being tortured, usually by himself. Paul Wesley has the brooding revenant thing down to a science, and he’s got good material this week as neither brother has woken up quite right from their extended exile in the demonic sword with a vampire soul gem. They have woken up quickly, but that’s Vampire Diaries for you. Only exiled two episodes ago, but full-on crazy for probably most of the rest of the season.
Damon is still being haunted by his Civil War soldier amigo, whom he may have accidentally killed as collateral damage in a mission he undertook for a general with too much hubris way back when. Stefan, however, is being haunted by … Damon himself. The curse of the older brother is his one constant in life, and it seems Elena was only ever a distraction from that. Caroline should really think about what she’s getting into with Stefan, because when you take on one brother, you also have signed a contract with the other, no matter what you may think or what they might say.
There are many cool moments in this episode, as Wesley also directed it, and he knows full well about Stefan’s worst nightmare. It’s not the Civil War, like it was for Damon. It’s the year he spent locked in the safe at the bottom of the quarry, repeatedly drowning and unable to free himself. Then what sustained him was dreaming of Elena. Now what haunts him is abandoning his brother to the same fate. So we get very spooky images of floating brothers, reaching out for help in the murky dark.
There’s a very clever sequence where we follow Stefan and Damon talking in depth as they survey their town, now overrun by Julian’s hordes of vampire cronies (despite him having been trapped in the same gem-sword for the past century, apparently cordial vampire relations really are eternal), which leads to a confrontation. Julian wonders who Stefan has been arguing with, as he’s actually quite alone in his car, and has no idea where Damon (whom he thought he was watching) is. Julian finds his confusion hilarious. Dick.
Caroline would be more worried, but she has her own distractions this week, as Alaric reveals he plans to take the babies she’s carrying (as his accidental vampire surrogate mom) and make a run for it, closing her out of their lives. As they’ve been kicking and growing inside of her, she’s not so sure she’s cool with that anymore. This is at Alaric’s baby shower (a weird concept in itself), where Nora (the Heretic Bonnie is befriending) shows up and almost doesn’t make an ass of herself. Oh, and Matt gets stopped for drunk driving and finally meets a human girl! Who arrests him, but beggars and choosers, Matt! I’m not even getting into the flash-forward thing, as sometimes you just have to sort out things for yourself!
Ultimately, Damon thinks the only thing that will cure him is a visit with Elena’s coffin, which he paid Tyler to hide from even him. Of course he undoes that promise (hopefully not bludgeoning Tyler to death for just doing his assigned job, who should have magic werewolf healing if they can ever afford the FX again), but then gets confused about who’s in the coffin and torches it. Oops!