Damon visits Stefan in the Torture Emporium, and when he realizes little brother has given up, he does the most Damon-y thing possible, he frees Stefan from his restraints and takes him out for blood and booze. While at a bar, Damon compels the bartender to let Stefan drink from her. Eventually, Mikael the Vampire-Vampire Slayer, aka MtVVS, aka Papa Original shows up. He orders Stefan to tell him where Klaus has gone. Stefan, who has been compelled not to share, initially refuses. MtVVS is hardcore, though. He thrusts his hand into Damon's chest and threatens to rip out his heart, if Stefan won't spill. Where Stefan's love for Elena wasn't potent enough to break through the Klaus-compulsion, his love for Damon seems like it just might be (okay, and maybe I should credit Lexi and her rapid detox, too).

Stefan says he'll get Klaus back to Mystic Falls. If it works, MtVVS will kill Klaus; if it fails, MtVVS will kill Stefan. Once the brothers are alone, Stefan makes sure Damon knows he didn't agree to work with MtVVS to save Damon. He just did it get rid of Klaus and blow this crappy town. Damon believes this exactly not one bit, and taunts, "Careful, Stefan, your humanity's showing." This infuriates Stefan, who doesn't understand why Damon is working so hard to save him. Damon has to save Stefan, because Stefan saved his life by sacrificing his freedom. Stefan: "Aw. Better be careful, brother. Your humanity's showing." Now it's Damon's turn to be ticked. Fisticuffs ensue. Well, actually, they're one-sided. Damon gives Stefan a sound (if brief) thrashing and leaves him lying in the street.

Early in the episode, Alaric and Damon bring Elena with them to see the cave drawings. While Alaric works with Bonnie to decipher them, Elena approaches Rebekah for some Original backstory, which means we get flashbacks -- featuring (not nearly enough of) ELIJAH!

Before the New World was "discovered," the Originals fled Europe to escape a plague, or possibly the plague. Esther, aka Mama Original learned of this brave, new world -- teeming with remarkably robust people -- from a witch named Ayanna. Buffy fans, raise your hand if you can't not say Anyanka in place of Ayanna. There should only be trolls.

Buffy is not the long lost show I should be referencing right now though, because Mama Original is played by the lovely and talented Alice Evans, who played the 1970s incarnation of Eloise Hawking, on Lost. My mind went to Buffy first, because Ms. Evans is married to the also lovely and talented Ioan Gruffudd, who plays Andrew Martin, on the new show I'm covering -- Ringer. Ringer also stars Buffy Sarah Michelle Gellar in dual roles. Her character, Siobhan, is married to Gruffudd's Andrew, and her other character, Bridget (Siobhan's twin) has assumed Siobhan's life, so she's currently pretending to be married to Andrew. Addled yet? Good. Then come sit by me so I won't stick out so much.

Anyhow... there's a drawback to the new world. Its remarkably robust inhabitants turn into wolves every full moon. The Originals cope, by hiding in caves every month, and get along well enough with their neighbors for a couple of decades. Then one night, Klaus and a younger brother sneak out to watch the neighbors transform into werewolves. The little brother gets killed, as little brothers often do. This means war between the Originals and the werewolves. The Originals beg Anyanka (yeah, I'm just going with it) to make them vampires, so they won't be as vulnerable. Anyanka refuses, so Mikael tells Eloise Hawking that it's up to her.

It's up to Eloise Hawking, because she's Eloise Hawking, and because SHE is the Original Witch. This pulls together so many dangling Lost mythology threads, that I really think Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ought to treat Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec to a gourmet meal, accompanied by a flight of pricy wines. Eloise sets to turning the entire family (except herself, because she doesn't want to lose her witchiness) into vampires. This, of course, involves blood drinking and heart stabbing, which Mikael carries out. Klaus, it turns out, doesn't want to be turned, but turn he must.

The new vampires find blood irresistible. When Klaus makes his first kill, his inner-werewolf is released, which is how MtVVS realizes Eloise Hawking had been stepping out with one of the neighbors. According to Rebekah's account, MtVVS was so enraged, he ripped out Eloise Hawking's heart, and made Klaus watch. Rebekah didn't have an easy time of things back in the day, either, so she tells Elena she will retaliate if the Fellowship of the Falls wakes MtVVS.

When Elena brings her intel back to Alaric and Bonnie (at the cave), she becomes an instant expert in Viking-glyphics (perhaps that's the doppelganger's superpower) and realizes that MtVVS didn't kill Eloise Hawking after all. Klaus did! Elena foolishly rushes photos of the evidence back to Rebekah, who is not pleased. Rebekah refuses to believe this, freaks out and is going to kill Elena. Eventually though, she falls apart, instead of tearing Elena apart.

Back home at Gilbert Gables, Elena finds Damon in her bedroom. At this point, I think she'd be startled if he wasn't there. He's just lounging on her bed (atop the covers). He tells her about MtVVS, and tells her to rip him a new one for releasing Stefan, who he says is, "...an even bigger dick than ever, it's just that now -- he's a dick that's on our side." Elena is tired, not angry. She crawls under the covers while Damon is still lying on them, and tells him about Rebekah and that she thinks she made some headway with her. When Damon asks what she learned from Rebekah, Elena says, "I learned she's just a girl...that she lost her mom too young, and she loves blindly and recklessly, even if it consumes her." By their expressions, it seems Elena and Damon each appear recognize themselves in that description. After giving each other meaningful, if surprised looks, Elena says, "When all is said and done, there's nothing more important than the bond of family." Damon rolls his eyes but then snuggles down to face Elena. "Yeah. You should tell that to my brother." Elena lets out a sad little snicker, but then grows serious. "I'm not mad at you for letting him out, Damon." She turns off the light. "I think that you're going to be the one to save him from himself. It won't be because he loves me. It'll be because he loves you." Damon looks down at her, but doesn't say anything. Drowsy, Elena asks, "Can I tell you the rest, tomorrow?" Damon smiles. "Sure." Elena nods in agreement, and then nods off to sleep. Damon watches her sleep as we fade to black. Title card.

Okay, so that's about 1500 words, and I left out so much. I'll hit it all in my weecap, which will go up ASAP. In the meantime, please grade the episode up top and join us in the forum, where Damon won't get off your bed, no matter how hard you tug at the covers, so you might as well snuggle down and enjoy the view.