"The Rose" is a very emotional episode, and not just because it's earwormed me with that Bette Midler song that's probably way older than you. The only time it leaves my head is when Linda Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou" creeps in, which has nothing at all to do with The Vampire Diaries. Let's blame the newly forged and reestablished connections in this week's show for that embarrassing admission and move on, because while "The Rose" is as action-packed as ever, it's also rather moving, and exposition and mythology heavy, and yet this is just a weecap, so I've got a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time. You ready? Okay.

Last week, we closed on Damon sealing Katherine in ye olde tomb, and some Scary Masquerade-Mask Clown Looking Guy (SMMCLG) nabbing Elena from the Lockwood Estate. Now it's morning in America, and SMMCLG looks much less scary and far more grubby without his mask. He delivers Elena to some guy -- let's call him Trevor. Trevor, who is wearing sunglasses, is all hunched down behind the tinted windows in SUV, hat pulled down over his face, so clearly he's vampire -- a vampire who lacks a protecto-ring. I'd call him a n00b, but I've already watched the episode. Once SMMCLG deposits Elena's unconscious form in the back of Trevor's SUV, Trevor decides he's feeling a bit peckish and treats SMMCLG like his own breakfast smoothie. Goodbye SMMCLG. I hope you get a shave and a haircut (two bits...) in the next life, Brother. Sheesh, Trevor. Ever heard of a napkin?

Gilbert Gables: Jeremy pretties himself up, which is redundant, and then checks on Elena. She's not in her room and her bed hasn't been slept in. Jeremy looks a bit judge-y there, which is the height of irony, no?

Fortress Forbes: Since Liz is leading the search party for Aimee Bradley, Caroline catches Damon up on Tyler turning into a werewolf. She admits how she covered up Ty's involvement in Sarah's death and dances around the fact that she kind of let Tyler know she's not exactly what she appears to be, either. Damon gets more forceful than I'd like as he impresses upon Caroline the fact that the werewolf is their enemy, so she needs to avoid Tyler like she would a rabid dog. When Caroline reminds Damon she has to get to school, it reminds me how young she (and Elena, Bonnie, Germ, Tyler and Matt) are. I'm pretty sure if I'd been vamped in high school, I would have dropped out. But all you baby vamps out there, stay in school now, ya hear.