What an episode! "The Dinner Party" has left me salivating for more. Up at the Gilbert Getaway, Elena reads through Johnathan (sic) Gilbert's journals, and Stefan tells her about his days as a "ripper," how he met Lexi while feeding on the blood of wounded Civil War soldiers, how he was so much worse than Damon (who, in the flashbacks is adorably fey, if uptight), and why Damon left him. Get this: Stefan was too impulsive and dangerous. It took Lexi's friendship and guidance to teach him how to control the beast within. While reading, Elena comes across Johnathan's (sic) description of the dagger and the white oak ash combination that will allegedly kill an Original. Originally, only wood from the oak could kill an Original. When the tree was burnt down, some enterprising soul saved the ash from the oak, and the dagger is such that the ash will bond with it and get the job done.

Meanwhile, in Mystic Falls, Damon and his chew toy Andi decide to host a dinner party and the guest of honor is Elijah. Alaric and Jenna are invited and Uncle Snark Daddy crashes. Elijah only enters once he makes clear to Damon that if Damon tries to kill him, the deal with Elena is off. He'll just grab her and run (and probably kill all her loved ones, too). Damon sets off to kill Elijah after dinner, but by that time, Stefan and Elena have learned that only a human can kill an Original without harm. If a vampire wields the dagger, both he and the Original will die. Stefan can't reach Damon, but he does call Alaric who manages to stop Damon and then go all BAMF and kill Elijah, all by himself. Well, sorta. It seems the dagger has to remain in the Original, if you want the original to remain dead. When no one is looking, Elijah resurrects and heads off to see Senior Manwitch, for help in locating Elena. Senior Manwitch is then dispatched to remove Bonnie's powers. And he succeeds!

In other news, Uncle Snark Daddy continues to poison Alaric and Jenna's relationship. Even when she asks him point blank what he's lying about, Alaric continues to keep the truth from Jenna, which, if you ask me, is just cruel at this point. Once Snark is alone with Alaric, he demands the return of his ring and says he can patch things up between the lovebirds. Alaric, fool that he is, gives it over. SIGH.

When Elijah finds our fierce girl at the Gilbert Getaway, she tries to strike a new bargain. He refuses the deal, so she pulls out a knife and says she'll stab herself, let Stefan feed on her, and then kill herself so that she will turn, and will be disqualified as Petrova doppelganger pure enough for the sacrifice ritual. Elijah calls Elena's bluff, so she doubles down and stabs herself in the gut. Elijah hasn't been invited in the lake house, so he slams into the mystical barrier and begs Elena to let him save her. She falls out the doorway, into his arms, and RAMS that dagger right into his heart. And while Alaric's name trended on Twitter last night, it really should have been Elena's name, because she is the BAMFest of them all.

Anyhow, it seems Damon got to the Gilbert Getaway first, and he, Elena and Stefan cooked up this whole, risky plan. Stefan's blood heals Elena, and this time, the dagger stays put. I'd be weeping for the loss of Elijah (because damn, he's hot), but this seems to be the perfect set up to bring him back with ease. I suspect that when Satan Klaus slithers into town, Elijah -- the devil they do know -- will come in handy.

Speaking of slithering, when Damon arrives home at Mossy Manse, guess who's in his shower? KATHERINE. Damon brought her some blood at ye olde tomb earlier in the episode, and after she un-desiccated, she begged him not to kill Elijah, because if he did so, his compulsion would never wear off, and she would be doomed to an eternity in the tomb. Reverse psychology? Always effective when dealing with Evil Pixie Monsters. Still she claims she wants to help him battle the Originals. We'll see about that. I just wish we didn't have to wait a week.

I'll be back with the weecap ASAP. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then join us on the boards, where all our daggers and metaphorical.