It’s been a while since we’ve seen our beloved Mystic Falls coalition on The Vampire Diaries but tonight they are back for an episode that is sure to keep us on our toes.
The clock strikes 1912 tonight and Mystic Falls is having itself a murder problem. Guess things haven’t changed in this town.
To our relief, Alaric (Matt Davis) is alive – but not well. Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) has him in holding after Dr. Fells (Torrey DeVitto) concocted some crazy story about why she was forced to shoot him. She’s clearly on the suspicious list now – we won’t be fooled by her innocent act again!
Elena (Nina Dobrev) is trying to run away from her problems, literally, but Matt (Zach Roerig) tries to slow her down. A call from the Sheriff does the trick. She runs right down to the police station, and right into Damon (Ian Somerhalder). It’s a mixed bag with these two but he is definitely getting the cold shoulder.
Damon is supposed to be letting the police handle the investigation into who is offing the council members but let’s face it, this is Damon. He distinctly remembers a time a century ago when the same thing started happening. Maybe Stefan’s journals with come in handy for something other than collecting dust.
1912 marked a reunion of the Salvatore brothers, brought back together by the murder of their “uncle.” A serial killer brought them together once before, why not again?
Rebekah (Claire Holt) is looking for answers that will hopefully lead her straight for the oak tree that is the only threat left. Mayor Lockwood graciously takes the diplomatic route once again and lays out the red carpet of information. Instead all clues point to the Salvator’s. Together they try to piece together what happened in 1912 in hopes of clearing Alaric’s name.
Back in the day, Damon met a tough vampire named Sage (Cassidy Freeman) that they add to the suspect for lack of options. Elena keeps Dr. Fell on the list and let’s her know she doesn’t believe anything she says. She puts so much stock in Alaric that she has Matt help her break into her place. They find that she has files hidden on all the victims.
Sage was a feisty one. Another flashback gives us a taste of what she had to offer a cynical Damon. She teaches him how to seduce a woman, a skill he has definitely made use of. Sage apparently had a thing for an original at one time. Oh,how they get around!
Busted! Meredith comes home and the sleuth mission is stuck in the closet. It doesn’t take long before she tricks them out and catches them red handed. They end up in the Sheriff’s office and no one is better off.
Damon is set on helping Stefan (Paul Wesley) through his vegetarian pact and for some off reason Rebekah is along for the ride. Stefan seems annoyingly animal like as he fights his urges. The plan to have him drink human blood in moderation backfires for Damon when Miss Elena wanders by. Out of all the allies in town, what are the chances?
A talk with Matt helps Elena realize that she is in love with Damon, even if she still loves Stefan. Matt has become the “normal” friend that she desperately needed and it’s nice to see her being able to confide in someone. Everyone in her circle seems to have their own agenda, which usually includes saving her, that it’s hard to know who she should really trust. Alaric breaks up the heart to heart after being released from jail, and let’s hope he’s someone she can still trust.
They never solved the mystery of the 1912 murders themselves. Mostly because the brothers were too consumed with their own problems to be concerned with dead councilmen. Damon watched idly as Stefan became “The Ripper” and now that he has a conscious, maybe they can be more productive in round 2.
Stefan digs up some family history that claims a Gilbert confessed to the murders ten years later. Only problem with that, Damon killed her before he left town.
Dr. Fell shows up at Alaric’s doorstep. She sounds certifiable when she tries the “I did it for you” defense but maybe she knows something we don’t. Her theory about the ring causing him to murder would sound crazy, except that Stefan and Damon are on the same wavelength. The ring may have belonged to the same Gilbert girl attached to the original murders. Creepy.
It doesn’t seem that far fetched when you consider that skip a few generations and you can always find a Gilbert that went mad. It times out perfectly. Maybe the ring is tainted? Part of the whole nature and magic balance. You can’t cheat death. But, honestly, how many parents does Elena have to lose?!