The next day, Klaus calls Rebekah, who can't come to the phone right now, because she is still en-daggered in the dungeon at Mossy Manse. He leaves her a voice mail telling her daddy's dead and it's time for a family reunion. He's outside his truck full of fallen family members when he gets a call from Stefan. "I'm just calling to thank you for my freedom. [...] The thing is, it came at too high of a price. You took everything from me, Klaus." Klaus tells him to let bygones be bygones, because resentment gets old. Stefan: "You know what never gets old?" Klaus pushes up the door on the back of his truck to find all his coffins are GONE! Stefan answers his own question. "Revenge." Klaus: "No!" Stefan: "What's the matter, Klaus, missing something?"

The camera pulls back to reveal Stefan in an abandoned house, surrounded by coffins. Klaus says, "What are you doing?" Stefan: "Just enjoying my freedom." Klaus: "I will kill you and everyone you've ever met." Stefan: "You do that, and you will never see your family again." A beat. "I'm wondering, Klaus, as someone who's been a step ahead for a thousand years, were you prepared for this?" Grr Argh. Title card.

"Homecoming" is a strong episode, maybe the strongest yet, this season. It doesn't hurt that it features both Katherine and Rebekah, and focuses heavily on the themes of humanity and family, nor does it hurt that in it, we are freed from compelled Stefan. The CW touts "Homecoming" as a mid-season finale, because winter hiatus is upon us. "Homecoming" is big, brash and eventful, like any sort of finale should be, but every episode of this show could serve as a finale, right?

I'll be back the next recaplet, the morning after the next new episode -- you know, almost two months from now. In the meantime, I hope all your holidays and non-holidays alike are happy. Please grade the episode up top and join us in the forum, where we'll be taking the dagger out of Rebekah (and Elijah, too) any second.