Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 3, Episode 16 of The CW's The Vampire Diaries, entitled, "1912."
Well, that was interesting. As any fan of "The Vampire Diaries" knows, you have to be ready for anything -- to expect the unexpected -- but was anyone actually expecting that?
The mystery of the Mystic Falls serial killer was finally solved, resulting in one of the most shocking moments in the series' history. Alaric was the one killing off the council members. He killed Meredith's jerk of an ex-boyfriend, Caroline's father, and ironically, he nearly killed himself.
Say what?!
It seems that Alaric's ring -- you know, the one that perpetually saves his life on a daily basis -- has actually been driving him crazy. How do we know this? We go back in time to 1912 because only "The Vampire Diaries" could take us 100 years in the past to solve a present-day mystery.
In an effort to "hang" with Stefan -- you know, "brother bonding" -- Damon takes his baby bro on a walk down memory lane, where they recall a similar string of murders happening throughout Mystic Falls in 1912.
The only factor linking the two cases was the magical Gilbert ring that Alaric and Jeremy wear now. Hopefully, this means that we'll finally get to understand more about the ring and its powers. And should we be worried about Jeremy? After all, we haven't seen him in a while. How do we know that his ring isn't making him go completely bonkers?
But perhaps the biggest question is whether or not Alaric is curable? With actor Matt Davis heading to The CW's "Cult" pilot, things don't look good for Alaric's diagnosis. And since we know how Alaric likes to get himself into trouble, if he takes the ring off, is his death imminent?
I hope not. Alaric and Elena's brother-sister relationship is quite honestly one of my favorites on the show, and I would hate to see what kind of an emotional -- and dangerous -- wreck Elena would be without him.
Now that our brains have all been thrown for a loop -- and with the mystery finally solved -- let's focus on some of my favorite parts of the episode, all of which involve the Salvatore brothers. I have to be honest. My favorite "Vampire Diaries" relationship is the one between Damon and Stefan. This season, the Salvatore brothers have come closer than ever to repairing their relationship, and Damon's heartfelt confession to Stefan by the episode's end proves that maybe they can finally be brothers again.
In 1912, their roles have been reversed. It's Stefan who reaches out to his brother and tries to convince him that he's changed. Fast forward 100 years, and it's Damon who invites an obviously thirsty Stefan on a hunt to find the killer.
The Salvatore brothers enjoy a few drinks at the bar, but their "brother bonding" is cut short when Stefan grows more agitated because of his blood withdrawal. Damon -- in an effort to help Stefan control his thirst without suffering the symptoms of going cold turkey -- persuades Stefan to drink human blood. With some coaxing from Rebekah -- yeah, she was at the bar too -- he fulfills his thirst. And Damon is there to stop his brother from going too far ... like last time.
You see, 1912 was the beginning of the Ripper Stefan era, and, as we come to find out, it was all Damon's fault. He persuaded his brother to drink human blood, and with one taste, Stefan couldn't stop, ultimately killing an innocent girl. Shocked by his actions, a frenzied Stefan runs off into the woods. The next time the Salvatore brothers would meet would be 1920.
Maybe it wasn't entirely Damon's fault. After all, he was taught by a very pretty redhead that "a woman isn't just for food; she's for pleasure."
Say hello to Sage. She'a a fiery redhead with the ability to kick some serious butt -- and she's exactly what Damon needed in 1912. Depressed that he couldn't see the woman he loved for 100 years and that he was betrayed by his brother, Damon needed a bit of a pick-me-up.
Skip to 2012 and the Salvatore brothers find themselves in a very similar situation, with Damon convincing his brother to drink human blood. Unfortunately for Stefan, Elena has the worst timing as she and Matt discover Stefan red-handed.
(Side note: My roommate Jewlie's exact reaction at this point was: "Elena is always f------ everything up.")
Elena was acting a bit overdramatic. I mean, they are vampires, Elena. What do you really expect? Of course, this means that once again, it's Matt to the rescue, as he desperately tries to piece Elena back together again. (He's kind of like a human bandaid, right?).
It's pretty obvious that Matt still loves Elena, and it's probably one of the most heart-breaking scenes in the episode, watching him tell her that it wasn't hard to be around her and deal with all of her twisted vampire boyfriend drama.
But for fans of Matt and Elena, at least they got to spend some time -- alone -- in a closet! OK, so it's not what you think.
Earlier in the episode, Elena was on a hunt of her own to bring down the seemingly crazy Dr. Fell. She and Matt -- a.k.a. the most perfect person ever -- break into Dr. Fell's house and start to snoop for clues. In the closet, they find Elena's grandmother's diary. Um, why does Meredith have that?
Anyway, the two start reading it in the closet. You know, I'll never understand why some people break into a place and then stay there to discuss what they find. It's simple: You get what you want, and then get the hell out of there.
Unfortunately for Elena and Matt, they were too busy reading to hear Meredith in the driveway. She comes in, and what's Matt's first response? "Oh my god." At this moment, I don't think I could love Matt anymore than I do now. His facial expressions in that closet were truly Emmy-worthy.
But as it turns out, Dr. Fell really wasn't that psycho after all. In fact, she was the one who told Alaric the truth about his crazy ring. But why does she know all of this information about Alaric? It looks like we can finally trust her, but there's still something about her that's a little off. Or am I the only one that feels this way?
While Damon and Stefan were on the hunt for the identity of the Mystic Falls serial killer, Rebekah was on a hunt of her own -- for the great white oak tree. You know, the one thing that can kill an Original. She tried (and failed) to get some information out of Damon and Stefan, but something tells me that she doesn't give up very easily. When Rebekah wants something, she gets it.
Does anyone else think that the sexual chemistry between Damon and Rebekah was off-the-charts during tonight's episode? Are those two going to start hooking up again?
Sadly, Rebekah's brother Klaus was nowhere to be found in this episode. Of course, this makes me sad, but perhaps he was off drawing Caroline more pretty pictures of wild horses.
Notable Quotables:
"Elena, you can't outrun your problems, although it looks like you're going to try."
-- Matt
"I saved your life last night. You're welcome."
-- Damon
"Her mom must be going through a lot of pain right now. Should I send lasagna?"
-- Damon
"Have you been eating the relatives again?"
-- Damon
"Why would I be mad at you, Stefan? You made me become a vampire now I walk the world alone drinking other people's blood."
-- Damon
"A woman isn't just for food; she's for pleasure."
-- Sage
"Easy there, lushy pants."
-- Damon
"Sometimes it pays to be the only normal one in a town of vampires. I'm practically invisible."
-- Matt
"I watched you go over the edge, and I didn't do anything to stop you."
-- Damon
"The Vampire Diaries" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.