Is it over? Is it over? Oh please let it be over! I'm speaking not of Stefan and Elena's love story, although I am grateful for a break from that. No, I mean Elena's incessant moping. You know me -- I've been a staunch Elena defender for the past three seasons, but being beat about the head with excessive exposition regarding her all-encompassing compassion has left me short on patience and empathy. Let's hope "We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes" is the coda to her dirge.
It seems that killing a hunter comes with side effects -- specifically hallucinations meant to convince the killer to kill herself. Hallucination-Connor gets right to work on Elena, who freaks out, screams to Jeremy for help and then stabs little brother right in the neck -- because she thinks he's Connor. I still don't like that the ring protects from even mundane murders when committed by a supernatural entity, but I do like McQueen so I'm trying not to dwell. Because she's still ticked at Stefan for lying to her, Elena calls Damon for help, who in turn immediately calls Stefan anyhow. Being around Stefan only makes Elena feel worse so he leaves and meets Klaus outside Gilbert Gables. Klaus explains what's going on with Elena. Since she killed a hunter, she is cursed.
When Klaus kidnaps Elena to keep her safe, the Fellowship of the Falls works to free her. And free her they do, but they also let her escape their own protective custody. Elena's hallucinations feature not only Katherine, but also Mama Miranda Gilbert. It's at Wickery Bridge that Hallucination-Mom convinces Elena to throw her daylight ring in the drink and just wait for the sun to rise.
To break the curse, a new hunter has to be activated. And what do you know -- Jeremy just got his own mostly invisible hunter's mark! All he has to do is kill a vampire and Elena's imaginary torment will come to an end. Jeremy suggests Damon as his first kill, which I cheer for despite myself. (I mean, what would I do without our Evil Pixie Monster?) But in the end, the Fellowship settles on Chris -- the hybrid Tyler and Hayley are working with to break his sire bond.
Damon finds Elena at Wickery Bridge. When she's not actively hallucinating, he tries to get through to her. It takes Chris's death (back at Lockwood Mansion) to truly free her mind, but by then the sun is coming up. When Elena's skin starts to sizzle, Damon grabs her and pulls her over the rail and into the river.
Chris's death leaves Caroline and Tyler's relationship on the rocks. Care Bear helped the Fellowship save their friend, Elena. In doing so though, she not only sacrificed Tyler's friend and pack-mate, but also agreed to a date with Klaus as a point of negotiation. I'll spend more time on that in the recap, but right now I've got bigger fish to fry, because Elena finally admits she wants Damon.
When Elena wakes in her own bed, Damon is there. He informs her that he found her daywalker ring, which explains why she's not a big pile of ash. Since that's news to Elena, it leaves me wondering how he got her home without her remembering -- not to mention burning up. Occam's Razor would suggest that he found the ring while they were underwater and then got her home, but if so, why doesn't she remember? And even if he didn't, why doesn't she remember? Is it just me or has common sense been sacrificed on the altar of intimate bedroom conversation?
Whatever... when Elena's feelings for the Evil Pixie Monster become evident -- not that they haven't been obvious forever -- instead of taking advantage, Damon takes the high road. I know! He proceeds to tell her the truth: Stefan has been in collusion with Klaus only in order to find a cure for Elena's vampirism.
Elena and Stefan have a heart to heart on the porch. While he appreciates that she waited out his Ripper phase, he just can't deal with the fact that her vampirism has magnified her attraction to his brother. Unwitting attraction is worse than ripping people apart, putting them back together and throwing cell phones out speeding car windows, right? In this universe, yes… yes it is.
In all seriousness, while I've been waiting and hoping for the day when Elena would admit her feelings for Damon, her breakup with Stefan plucks at my heart strings. I can't watch their sad scene without hoping that these two crazy kids will work things out. I am not a love triangle hater. I hate badly done triangles. This one works for me best at times like these -- when I feel invested in all three characters and all of their relationships with one another.
While I'm disappointed that Katherine was only a hallucination, I'm hopeful that the events of "We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes," get Elena over the hump of her unyielding compassion. I don't want her to lose touch with her humanity. I don't want her to turn into an unrepentant monster. I do want her to be something other than a sad sack. Maybe Damon can help her after all. (Fun Fact: Every time I proof this recaplet, I see Maybe Damon as Matt Damon and wonder what the heck he's doing in this show.)
My own hallucinations aside, since Damon wasn't all too pleased with vampirism at the beginning of his unlife and seems to have been a sad sack for 60 years (or however long it was until he met Sage), perhaps he can help Elena lighten up a little. In other news, I'm still waiting for some sibling time between Jeremy and Elena. In the wake of Elena's transition, there is a vein of emotion there just screaming to be mined. Now that Jeremy has become his own sister's natural enemy, I hope it is not glossed over in service of more plot-driven tension. This series soars when the stories are character driven.
I'll be back with the whole story, which includes some tidbits about Professor Atticus (!) Shane and his plans, in the full recap. In the meantime, please grade the episode at the top of the page and then come on over to the forum, where we're breaking up with Stefan on the front porch.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!
So. I was really pleased with and proud of myself after I wrote that recaplet (see above link). Instead of blowing my wad, I discussed the episode without writing myself into a corner. I left plenty of unsaid things just ripe for full recap picking. I was sitting pretty, so I rested on my laurels. I enjoyed my weekend with my family. I even did some housekeeping. I forgot about Thanksgiving. I forgot about both Thanksgiving and my daughter's birthday. NOTE TO DAUGHTER: I didn't forget that you have a birthday, nor did I forget when it was. When I say 'forgot' what I mean is that I let it sneak up on me. Also, it seems you've forgotten you're grounded from the internet right now, but I remember that, so stop reading this. Anyhow, now I'm scrambling to make deadline, while my mind is more on pie. I really know how to entice you all to read more, right? Shhh. Remember back when this was a weecapped show, but I gave you a full recap, week after week? Think on these things, and forgive me, Readers, for I have sinned. I promise to try to bring in the fun. You ready? Okay!
Previously, on The Vampire Diaries, there was a montage. Supernatural creatures have been around for centuries. Elena is one. She needs blood. If she kills someone, she'll crumble. Connor wants to kill all the beasties. Stefan wants to tap into Connor for a vampirism cure. Elena kills Connor. Sadness ensues.
Currently, on The Vampire Diaries. Lying in bed, Elena pants. She tosses. She turns. She is restless. She retreats to the kitchen, where she nukes a cup of tea, or maybe an ill-advised mug of bagged blood. SHE HAS TO DRINK FRESH FROM THE VEIN, DARN IT. It's when she hears the voices that she knows she's crazy. I know you know what I mean. Connor is there, or his ghost, or an illusion, or such. His neck is still bleeding from Elena's bite mark. Elena tries to write him off. She calls for the Germ, and is so insistent that Connor is a ghost that I want her to say, "She thrusts her fists against the posts and still insists she sees the ghosts," but she doesn't, because we're not dealing with a giant spider who doubles as a clown, here. Even though he's a ghost or a hallucination, Connor grabs our girl. I don't like it when ghosts (or hallucinations) can do physical stuff, and neither does Elena. She pushes him off and grabs a knife, which she promptly inserts into his neck, except all of a sudden, it's not Connor with the knife in his neck. It's Jeremy. Title Card.
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