SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 3, Episode 15 of The CW's The Vampire Diaries, entitled, "All My Children."
After last week's Vampire Diaries, we knew that there was a possibility that we would have to say goodbye to the Originals, but I never thought that it would all happen so suddenly. Now before you all start to panic, no, the Originals weren't killed.
Elijah, ever the observant brother, knew that something wasn't right about Esther. Unfortunately for him, his siblings are pretty much useless at detecting Esther's true intentions.
So he goes to Elena to confront her about what really happened at the ball. Elijah knows that Elena lied to him -- duh, Elena, he can hear your heart pounding -- but now he needs to know the truth. And Elena, being her usually self, tells him the truth. That girl just can't tell lies.
"I'm really sorry Elijah. I wish there was something that I could do."
Famous last words, Elena. You just made yourself a pawn in Elijah's master chess game.
If Damon and Stefan want to save Elena, they need stop Esther from going forth with her plan and channeling the Bennett bloodline. Unfortunately for the Salvatore brothers, that means they might have to kill one of the Bennetts.
Something tells me that this might be Abby Bennett's last episode. Let's face it, if you had to choose between Abby and the entire Originals brood (Kol... Elijah... Klaus?!), wouldn't you choose the latter? Sorry Bonnie!
Meanwhile, back at the bar, the Salvatore brothers call Alaric with a new plan in mind. If you dagger one Original, they all go down. The plan is simple: Separate Klaus and Kol, who happen to be out on a brotherly bonding outing at the bar, and then have Alaric dagger Kol. Of course, this means that Klaus will need to find another drinking buddy.
So they send in a distraction: Caroline! I have to say, when Klaus is in love -- or lust, or whatever this is -- he's incredibly charming. Sure, Caroline still doesn't trust him, but that doesn't mean that he's going to give up his pursuit. After a bit of begging, Klaus convinces Caroline to sit with him and talk about her life, her interests and her dreams. I mean, seriously, can Klaus be any more adorable in this moment?
I'm rarely one to squeal at my TV, but this was definitely one of those moments, and no, I'm definitely not embarrassed to admit this.
However, poor Kol isn't having as lovely as a time as his brother. Alaric and Meredith -- aka Doctor Psycho -- engage the youngest Original in a game of pool, and he certainly takes a liking to Meredith. Obviously, Alaric not's going to let Kol ruin this date, so honoring his part of the plan, he stakes Kol, which pretty much renders all of the Originals useless -- except for one.
Klaus doesn't fall as fast as his siblings. In fact, he doesn't fall at all. He feels something is wrong and starts to put all of the puzzle pieces together, and that's when he realizes that Caroline was just using him. He rushes into the bar, manages to fight off Alaric and Stefan to pull the stake out of his brother's chest. Just when Klaus is about to seek his revenge on Damon, Elijah appears and explains everything to his brother.
Sure, Klaus probably expected his mother to do something like this, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt any less. Not to mention that Caroline totally just broke his heart.
Looks like Damon and Stefan will have to find a way to stop Bonnie and her mom after all.
The two vampires arrive at the witches' cabin, but before they go ahead with their plan to kill Abby Bennett, they realize that only one of them needs to do the actual deed, which ultimately means that Elena will only hate one of them. Like any important decision that needs a resolution, the Salvatore brothers decide to flip a coin. If it's heads, Stefan goes after Abby, and if it's tails, then it's Damon's dirty deed. So who's the unlucky fellow?
Meanwhile, Rebekah has been keeping our little Elena company. I happen to really like Barbie Klaus. It's not like she doesn't have a million reasons to be mad at Elena, and let's face it, after last week, I'm not really on Team Elena right now. So to say that I enjoyed when Rebekah was torturing Elena would be an understatement.
Honestly, Rebekah can put Revenge's Emily Thorne to shame.
Back to witches' cabin, Esther is awaiting the full moon, while her loyal son Finn is ready to be her sacrificial lamb, but they soon realize that they're not alone. Elijah, Klaus and Kol approach their mother, but it looks like mommy dearest isn't budging. She believes that her bloodthirsty children are abominations, and honestly, she's not exactly lying. They have killed thousands of people in their lifetimes.
While the Mikaelson deal with their family drama outside, Bonnie and Abby are seeking refuge from the wrath of the Originals in the cabin. As they were heading to the basement, Abby gets distracted. Meanwhile, Bonnie is surprised to see Stefan in the basement. He tells her about Elijah's plan to kill Elena, and while Bonnie wants to help her BFF, she doesn't know how to. Esther is channeling her powers. She's stuck.
That's when Stefan gives Bonnie the bad news. If they want to save Elena, then it's bye-bye Abby. But just when you think Damon's going to kill Abby, he actually turns her into a vampire. After all, you can't be a witch and a vampire.
But I have to agree with Caroline on this one. Why is it always Bonnie that ends up getting hurt? Elena had Damon compel Jeremy to leave without telling Bonnie first, and now, Damon turned her mother into a vampire to save Elena. It seems like every episode is about saving Elena, but sooner or later, someone is going to need to save Bonnie.
Back at the Salvatore mansion, Damon tells Stefan that Elena is safe and sound, but Stefan takes the opportunity to confront his brother about what happened. It was Stefan that lost the coin toss, not Damon, and yet, it was Damon who turned Abby into a vampire. Once again, Damon was there to protect his brother.
He didn't want Elena to hate Stefan, especially when he know how much she loved him -- and how much he still loved her. Stefan reveals that he hasn't had a drop of blood to drink since the incident on the bridge with Elena. He's been too ashamed.
It was hard to watch Damon admit to his brother that he's better a being the bad guy because as much as I wanted the old Damon to return, I didn't want it to come at the expense of Elena's trust.
Meanwhile, the Originals have once again all gone their separate ways. Esther and Finn fled the scene together, while Kol left Mystic Falls separately. Elijah, after feeling extremely guilty for using his sister and endangering Elena's life, contemplates leaving as well, which means that once again, it's just Klaus and Rebekah.
I have to admit that when Klaus was burning the portraits he had drawn of Caroline in the fireplace, my little piece of my heart broke. He lost the girl and his family all in one night.
But something tells me that he would have much time to think about heartbreak because Rebekah drops a bomb on him that could set the tone for the second half of the season: The white oak tree at the center of Mystic Falls is back.
I'm going to miss the Original family unit. Seeing them all together, acting like actual siblings was such an unexpected treat. For the first time, we actually started to see a human side to the Originals. They acted like real siblings. It was refreshing to see teenagers finally act like teenagers -- even if they happen to be 1000 years old.
In my recent interview with Daniel Gillies (Elijah), he revealed what he would like to see in an Originals spin-off. Yes, a Mikaelson family spin-off. Does that make you as happy as it makes me?
"I've always said that it would be neat to watch an R-rated version of this family, kind of like The Sopranos, Gillies said. "I see them as gangsters living in some sort of corporate vampire world, living in New York. There would be swearing and violence and all sorts of mischief. Forget True Blood, this would be the best show ever." Yes, yes it would.
However, the return of the white oak wasn't the only shocker of the night. Just when you thought Alaric couldn't physically be put through any more bodily trauma, Meredith lives up to her name -- Doctor Psycho -- and shoots him after she finds him with her dagger. You know, the dagger she uses to kill people with.
I'm starting to think that poor Alaric won't make it to Season 4. He's been hit by a truck, stabbed, kicked and now shot -- all in the last three episodes. Can it really get any worse? Let's just hope that Alaric was wearing his ring. After all, he did tell Meredith about its power a few episodes ago.
What do you think? Is Alaric going to make it? And are you as sad as I am to see Alaric go? See you back on March 15 for an all-new episode!
Notable Quotables:
"Oh, I'm over it."
-- Damon, to Elena
"Well, maybe for once, something I did had nothing to do with you."
-- Damon, to Elena
"Why do you look like somebody killed a panda bear?"
-- Damon, to Elena
"This house has enough men rolling around in it."
-- Rebekah, to Kol
"Just like you Rebekah."
-- Kol, to Rebekah
"I can hear everything you're saying about Damon the vampire gigolo."
-- Caroline
"Didn't you see the way we stood up to Elena? I like having you on my time. I bet it drove her nuts."
-- Damon, to Stefan
"You know the one thing I've learned from my time on this earth is be careful what you wish for."
-- Elijah, to Elena
"I'm surprised you had time to call with all this Original sex that you've been having."
-- Stefan, to Damon
"She certainly looks good walking away from you."
-- Kol, to Klaus
"You're mom and I have a lot in common."
-- Damon, to Klaus
"My only regret is that I didn't let you die 1000 years ago."
-- Esther, to her children
"I'm better at being the bad guy anyway."
-- Damon, to Stefan
"Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves."
-- Elijah
The Vampire Diaries"airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.