THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: “Masquerade”

Party to kill Katherine, and you're all invited ... except Elena. Photo Credit: Quantrell Colbert/The CW.

Read on for my recap & running commentary for The Vampire Diaries 2×07, “Masquerade,” aired Thursday, October 28th, 2010:

Remember how we all couldn’t breathe last week, in between our gasps?  Well, we did not get a break from the heart pounding this week either.  However, this week was different.  We got suits as a reward for our suffering.  Thank you, Show.  All is forgiven.  There is much to discuss, so I will stop babbling and get on to the recap …

We open at Casa Salvatore, where Damon gives a shaking Caroline a glass of blood.  So thoughtful!  She is shaken up for a reason, as she tells Stefan and Damon about a recent run in with Katherine at the Mystic Grill.  Oh, Mystic Grill, we’ve missed you.  As Caroline explains, “I just stopped by to gawk and quasi-stalk Matt.”  Best line of the episode?  We’ll have to wait and see.  This line is accompanied by a flashback to the scene of the gawking and quasi-stalking and there is much adorableness as Caroline and Matt gaze at each other longingly.  SO.  ADORABLE.  I can’t even stand it.  Unfortunately, Damon interrupts our fun: “Skip the teen drama and get to it.”  Caroline continues her story, and we continue to see it in flashback form.  Katherine comes into the bathroom, following Caroline, who is hiding from Matt.  Caroline greets her as “Elena,” but she is soooo not Elena.  She’s rocking the Katherine curls and everything.  It turns out that Caroline knew that all along, but Katherine gets all violent and threatening again, and tells Caroline that she needs her to deliver a message: “Tell Damon and Stefan that I want the moonstone, or I will rip this town apart.”  They should believe her.  She tells Caroline that the she plans to deal with this at the masquerade ball.  Back in the present, Caroline asks, desperately, “Can’t we just give her the moonstone so she’ll leave?”  Damon is not having that: “No.  Katherine’s not getting dick.”  Hee.  Stefan: “You’re not gonna kill her.”  Damon: “Don’t give me that goody-goody crap.”  But don’t worry.  Stefan means serious business, as he replies, “Because I am.”  Oh, Stefan.  

Cut to Elena, Jeremy, and Matt bringing a recovering Jenna home.  Awwww … she is leaning on Matt, and he is being super sweet and supportive.  Some may think that Nina Dobrev is the luckiest actress on the show, but I’d go with Sara Canning, as she get to smooch Alaric, and lean all over Matt.  Oh, are you guys still here?  Oops.  Shhhhhh.  Okay, back to serious business.  It seems that the gang is pretending that Jenna’s injury was “a freak accident.”  She’s so clumsy that she “walked into a knife.”  This is as flimsy as Joyce Summers falling on a barbecue fork in Buffy.  “But we don’t have a barbecue fork.”  Hee.  I love it.  As Matt is sweet and adorable with Jenna, Jeremy pulls Elena aside to talk about Katherine: “She tried to kill Jenna.  We can’t let her get away with that.”  But Elena threw in the towel last week, and she is sticking to it: “She wins.  The end.”  Jeremy tells Elena that she’s being naïve, and stalks off to find purpose.  Also, in case we’re keeping track of bad outfits for Matt, the faded powder-blue jean jacket he is wearing in this scene has GOT to go.  Luckily he makes up for his former bad fashion choices with his suit later.  But I’m getting ahead of myself …

Cut to Mrs. Flowers helping Katherine carry her shopping bags.  And by “help,” I mean that she is carrying ALL the bags for her.  Hee.  Have I mentioned lately how delightfully evil Katherine is?  But, oooh, someone is there, waiting for Katherine.  Katherine goes on the attack, but then realizes who it is.  “Do not sneak up on a vampire,” she warns.  The woman, who we later learn is named Lucy, fires back, “Don’t attack a witch.”  But the tension is lifted as Lucy and Katherine smile at each other.  Lucy: “It’s good to see you, girl.”  Katherine: “I’m glad you made it.”  Lucy: “You called, I came.”  Katherine notes, “Like you had a choice.”  Hmmm … intriguing.  More on this later.  Lucy: “Now, don’t get all boss lady on me.  You know I love you.”  Oh my goodness, Katherine has a friend!  Is it weird that this warms my heart?  Lucy notices a fancy mask among Katherine’s things, and asks what it is for.   Katherine tells her about the masquerade ball, and invites her as her date.  Oh, this should be fun.

Meanwhile, Bonnie shows up at Casa Salvatore with the grimoire, and asks what’s going on.  Jeremy: “We’re gonna kill Katherine.”  Also, when I rewatched the scene, it was pretty clear that Jeremy gave Bonnie a once-over.  The boy is INTERESTED.  But more on that later.  As Bonnie’s expression gets wide-eyed at the suggestion of such a dangerous plan, Stefan clarifies things for her: “I can explain.  We’re gonna kill Katherine.”  The reaction to this scene that I wrote in my notes was this: “I am loving Stefan.”  But in a platonic way.  Just so we’re clear.

Next, we finally get to witness Alaric’s Vampire Slaying 101 course, as he shows them his weapons, and teaches them about vamp-killing gizmos.  I’m beginning to think that Alaric’s weapons chest is bigger than Buffy’s.  Impressive.  But the scene itself ended up being … dare I say it … disappointing.  Too short.  Too hurried.  Wasted opportunity for awesome.  After seeing the New York Comic-Con preview, I was sooooo excited, hoping that “Masquerade,” would feature an extended version of that scene.  Instead, we got an edited-down version of Alaric’s lesson that was even SHORTER.  You can relive the longer version below:

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Cut to Katherine straightening her hair, in preparation for the ball: “I’m impersonating my dull as dishwater doppelgänger, Elena.  She has the worst taste.”  Well, she did wear jeggings last week, so Katherine has a point.  Of course, Lucy points out the flaw in Katherine’s argument: “Except in men.”  Burn.  Lucy also asks, “Is it a risk to pretend to be her in front of the whole town?”  Katherine’s not worried, because, well, she’s Katherine.  She can impersonate Elena, romance Stefan, AND kill people in public, all at the same time … as we shall see.  Katherine also points out: “It’s for some feed-the-something charity.  It’s for a good cause, Lucy.”  Ha!  See, Katherine cares, people.  She’s just misunderstood.  Topic of discussion then turns to the moonstone, and Lucy realizes that Katherine wants her to break the curse.  Katherine tells her to just worry about getting the stone first, never one to reveal her alphabet of plans.  She wants Lucy there as backup.

At Casa Salvatore, Stefan tries to convince a witch to help him as well.  Oooh, parallels!  I love this show.  Bonnie is not so sure, and worries that Stefan’s plan to kill Katherine is all part of a scheme to get Elena back.  Oooh, Bonnie, good call!  Stefan argues that there’s more to it.  He promises.  Uh huh.  Riiiiight.  Stefan argues that Katherine knows him, so she won’t see a public attack coming.  It will give him an edge.  Bonnie relents, and suggests: “I could do a spell to trap her.  Like the tomb spell.”  Remember that.  It will be important later.  Stefan adds, “We could isolate her, away from the others.”  Bonnie grudgingly agrees.  Witches and vampires and oh so many plans!  Things are going to get craaaaazy.

Meanwhile, at the Gilbert house, Elena hangs out with Matt, totally ignorant of all this.  Elena invites Matt to stay longer, but he declines.  He has a masquerade to get to, and a future-werewolf to anger.  But his explanation to Elena is cryptic: “I’ve gotta go.  There’s something I have to do.”  Elena notes, “You look good in a suit.”  I’m beginning to think that this is the criteria which Elena uses to pick boyfriends.  Remember “Family Ties”?  Not that I’m judging or complaining.  Suit-wearing is an important skill for boyfriends in Mystic Falls, what with all the parties and balls at the Lockwood mansion.  Also, did I detect a note of rebound flirtation in Elena’s tone?  Matt, being the extremely classy guy that he is, responds with, “You and Stefan will work it out.”  Elena doesn’t think so, and then Matt leans towards her, at which point she is probably thinking, “Stefan WHO?”  I know I was.  Oh, Elena, I will never understand why you let Matt and his blue-eyes go.  But instead of kissing Elena, Matt is leaning in to tell her, “You know I’m here for you, always.”  Soooo sincerely.  Could he be any more perfect?  Oh right, if he had been wearing a suit while saying that.  Of course then, the story might have ended very differently, as Elena and Matt would become the new love story on the show.  Sorry, am I stressing out the Stefan/ Elena fans?  I’ll stop.

We then move to Casa Salvatore, as Alaric continues to be wasted.  He’s going to babysit Elena all night, rather than go to the masquerade.  And you know what that means: NO SUIT!  I am in the depths of despair about this.  Le sigh.  Damon then directs piercing glances at the other Scoobies, making sure that no one will chicken out.  Caroline assures him: “Hey, she killed me.  Fair’s fair.”  Ha!  Oh, Caroline.  She adds the caveat, “As long as there are no werewolves running around.”  Damon reminds us that he took care of Mason last episode.  Moment of silence.  Jeremy adds, “As long as Tyler doesn’t kill anyone, he won’t turn.”  Easier said than done, as we shall learn.  Accidental killings prove to be disturbingly easy.  Who knew?  Bonnie chimes in too: “Yes, but no one gets hurt.”  Damon: “Except Katherine.  Tonight Katherine gets a stake in her heart.”  Bonnie’s internal monologue: “Duh.  When I said ‘no one,’ OF COURSE I wasn’t including vampires.  Die in a fire, Damon.”

Cut to the masquerade!  Masks, fire, fancy dresses, and all sorts of awesomeness.  Of course, I immediately thought of this:

In the Lockwood study (at least, I think that room is called a “study,” and it is so very Clue, so I’m going to go with it), Tyler and his mom have a sweet little scene, as they compliment each other on their finery.  Tyler gives his version of an apology: “Listen, I’m sorry that I’ve been a dick lately … a jerk lately.  It’s just, have you heard from Mason?”  Carol has not heard from him, and doesn’t think that they will, and notes how different Mason is from Richard.  This makes Tyler sad: “We should have canceled this party.”  Carol: “This whole masquerade thing was his [Richard’s] idea.  I don’t really know what it has to do with helping the homeless, but once he made up his mind, he could really be a dick … jerk.”  Awwww, cuteness.

Meanwhile, Katherine and Lucy arrive to the party.  Katherine nonchalantly snacks on hors d’oeuvres as she is wont to do.  Even when she eats fare that is not bloody, she is delightfully evil.  She meets up with Matt, and pretends to be Elena.  She notes the truth: “Matt, you look dashing.”  Matt thought she wasn’t coming.  Katherine: “I couldn’t miss it.  [Takes a closer look at Matt.]  You really are hot in a suit.  I would love to just … okay, here’s the deal.  Do you know what you have to do?”  First of all, it bears repeating:  Matt really is hot in a suit.  Seriously.  Also, I love Matt, and I don’t want him to get hurt, but I have to admit that I love this scene with Katherine.  So much fun.  Worth a little compelling if it ends with Matt alive, right?  Matt recites what he has been compelled to do: “I’m going to get Tyler Lockwood really drunk.  I’m going to start a fight with him and I’m going to beat him until he snaps.”  Another reason to love Matt?  He is the only character in recent memory who says “going to” instead of “gonna.”  It looks so much prettier in black and white.  (Yes, I notice these things as I type out my freakishly long recaps.)  Katherine prompts him for more.  Matt continues: “I won’t stop until it kills me.”  Katherine: “God, you’re hot.  Now go away.”  Okay, there is the best line of the episode.

Elsewhere at the masquerade, Damon and Stefan stand in suits, looking around for Katherine.  Stefan asks his brother, “You sure you can do this?”  Damon: “Who are you talking to?”  Stefan: “I had a chance to kill her and I hesitated.”  Damon: “Well, that is the fork in the road between you and me, my friend.  I don’t hesitate.”  Liar!  Lying liar who lies.  We watched “The Return,” Damon.  You can’t fool us.  Vampires may be able to see their reflections in this mythology, but that doesn’t help them see themselves clearly.  Stefan reminds him: “Well, you spent 145 years loving her.  It could happen.”  Damon: “I won’t hesitate.”  He forgets to add, “Unless she tells me that Elena’s life is in danger, multiple times.”  Moving on …

Cut to Matt and Tyler getting drunk in the study with Amy and Sara.  Yes, the annoying girls are back, and given what they’re back here to do, which is basically to DIE, I’m even more annoyed.  But we’ll get to that later.  For now, Matt urges Tyler to take more shots, and Tyler notes that he’s usually the one corrupting Matt.  Yes, this is all wrong.

We then see Bonnie and Jeremy go upstairs and get a room.  No, not like that … yet.  (But that is coming, right?)  Jeremy knows about the spell book from the journals he read, and seems pretty interested in magic.  She says that she’s going to a spell similar to the one that sealed the vampires into the tomb.  He asks, “Can you do all the stuff that’s in there?”  She says that she’s worked on small stuff, but is quick to note that it was only stuff that does good.  Bonnie Bennett is a Good Witch, thank you very much.  She notes, “I don’t want to know too much,” and it’s clear that she’s still afraid of her powers, despite previous actions and dialogue to the contrary.  I like this direction, as we get to see Bonnie’s humanity, and struggle.  Jeremy: “But you’re a hundred percent witch.  That is so cool.”  Ha!  That is such a Jeremy thing to say.  Next thing we know, he will be asking Bonnie to turn him into a witch.  Bonnie: “It’s anything but cool.  Did your family journals tell you what happened to Emily?  What about my grams?  It never ends well for people like me.”  Oh my goodness!  Does this mean that Bonnie knows what happened to Emily?!?!  Spill already!  I mean, we know she was killed, but we need details.  There are holes in our chronology.  Sadly, Jeremy doesn’t ask her to elaborate.  Instead, he asks, “If you feel that way, then why help?”  Good question.  Bonnie replies: “Because I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and I don’t know how to stay out of it.”  It’s actually pretty sad when you think about it.  Though, I still wonder whether anyone helped hurry along Bonnie’s learning process last season.  Who was her Obi-Wan?  How did she go from fear of her powers, to learning how to do intensely powerful spells?  And from where did her superior attitude about her powers come?  Was the cockiness just a front?  A survival mechanism to deal with Damon?  That is what I’m leaning towards now (though it did not seem that way at the time).  Did she start learning stuff from the grimoire after Grams’ death as revenge?  Or in self-defense?  Or to protect the other people that she loves?  I want to know more about Bonnie’s thought process.  What happened during those four episodes off-screen?  Hmmm … maybe I should just write some diary entries …

Meanwhile, Elena and Jenna are on the couch, eating pizza.  Jenna tells her that Jeremy went to the Lockwood party, and she hopes that it will help cure “that emo thing.”  Spoiler alert: Mission accomplished!  It turns out that all he needed was a suit and some self-confidence.  Of course, this information sets off red flags for Elena, and she goes to talk to Alaric in the kitchen.  Alaric is really really bad at keeping secrets: “I don’t know what to tell you, Elena.”  Um, how about lie or something?  Try to cover?  You got nothing?  Elena calls his bluff: “Then you’ll be okay if I just head out, try to meet up with everyone …”  Alaric cuts her off and tells her to wait.  Elena asks what he’s hiding, and Alaric spills: “Stefan asked me to keep an eye on you.  Just in case Katherine showed up while he was at the party.”  The wheels in Elena’s head start spinning, and she knows some plan is in the works.  Alaric pointlessly says, “Just let this one go, okay, Elena.”  Yeah, right.

Back at the masquerade ball, Bonnie and Jeremy walk downstairs, and Bonnie senses some type of presence.  She recognizes Lucy somehow, and approaches:  “Excuse me, do I know you?”  Lucy brushes her off, saying that she’s a plus one, and thus knows no one.  Bonnie and Jeremy then go off to find Stefan and Damon.

Before the Scoobies have time to catch up, however, Katherine finds Stefan and asks him to dance.  He refuses, but then Katherine issues threats: “Fine.  Then tell me who I should kill.  Him?  She looks delicious.  Dance.”  I should point out that she says all this while casually and seductively eating a strawberry.  She marks the highest point of perfection, to which all villains should aspire.  Stefan has no choice.  Katherine teases him as they dance: “How’s Jenna?  I sure didn’t expect her to survive that.  Lucky girl.  Clumsy.  How does one stab oneself?”  She, of course, still wants the moonstone, but Stefan says he doesn’t have it.  Katherine:  “How ‘bout you go fetch it, and I will try not to kill anyone in the meantime.”  Somehow, I feel like Katherine won’t try too hard.  At this point, dead-meat Amy Bradley shows up, and compliments “Elena’s” dress.  Katherine thanks her, and then offers to help untwist her necklace.  Uh oh.  Necks + Vampires = Not good.  But I couldn’t predict what happens, as instead of biting her, Katherine sticks her fingers into Amy’s spinal cord: “Paralyzed from the waist down … and dead.  The moonstone, Stefan.  Tick tock.”  Katherine is the best villain ever.  However, Amy Bradley’s only purpose was to be used and abused by supernatural creatures.  I can’t bring myself to care when one-dimensional characters die.  Fail.

Meanwhile, Elena sooooo obviously sneaks out, while clueless Alaric and Jenna watch TV.  Really?  Clearly Stefan’s trust in Alaric was misplaced, and Jenna continues to be the worst guardian ever (though, she would be awesome as a drinking buddy).

Back at the party, Stefan tells Damon that they need to call the plan off.  Katherine freaked him out.  As she should.  But Damon gives his brother a pep talk:  “We can do it together.  I got your back.”  Awww.  The chemistry between the brothers continues to be one of the best parts of the show.

And speaking of chemistry, check out Bonnie and Jeremy.  As the two wait for the rest of the gang, Jeremy asks her about her powers: “So can you do like a ‘hocus pocus ace the test’?”  Bonnie: “I don’t know that spell.”  Jeremy: “That’s the first one I’d learn.  Or maybe like a sex spell or something.  I don’t know.  You wanna dance or something while we’re waiting?”  Um … wow.  Jeremy is growing on me.  A lot.  Bonnie is freaked out by this suggestion: “Noooo!”  But then she remembers her manners, and says, “I mean, no thank you.”  But, people, the look on Bonnie’s face, as she takes a second look at Jeremy?  Wow.  And we all took that second look with her.  Don’t lie.  There were thoughts.  They are interrupted, however, as Damon texts “Now.”

Meanwhile, Lucy confronts Katherine: “You didn’t tell me there was another witch here.  […] This changes things, Katherine.”  Katherine disagrees: “This changes nothing.  You’re here because you owe your dear friend a favor.  You wouldn’t want to lose my friendship, now would you?”  Hmmm.  Theories on witches and favors?  Lucy seems bound to Katherine in the same way as Emily, and both because Katherine saved their lives.  This is pretty funny, because on the last TVD Podcast, which has not yet been posted, we were talking about how Katherine must make it a point to go around saving witches, in order to force them to help her with her plans.  We were right.  Also, given the reveal that happens later, it seems that she particularly targets Bennett witches.  I wonder if Katherine ever utilized Grams?  Possible flashback?  And how binding are these debts?  I’m thinking very.

The two are interrupted, as Jeremy approaches and asks to speak to “Elena” alone.  He tells her: “I have a message from Stefan.  He and Damon want you to meet them at the edge of the lake by the woods.  They brought the moonstone.”  Katherine: “And why are you their little messenger?”  Jeremy: “Because they know I’m not afraid of you.”  Strong words.  Katherine: “Ooooh, you Gilbert men, sooooo courageous.  How’s John, by the way?  Were they able to sew his fingers back on?”  Hee.  Oh, Katherine.  Jeremy walks off, but then Elena pops out and pulls him into the bushes.  “What the hell is going on?” she asks.  Oh my goodness, Elena crashed the party.  She is totally channeling Kate Austen.  Lost fans know what I mean.  “I think I will follow you into the jungle and ruin your plan by finding myself in grave danger.  I don’t like to be left out.”

Inside, Caroline, dressed in a red Grecian-style dress, spies Matt across the room.  He is very drunk, and Sara is hanging on him.  Their eyes meet from across the room.  Swoooooon.  See, I can be romantic.  Katherine fabulous evilness is not the only thing that I enjoy on this show.

Caroline’s little romantic moment is interrupted, however, as Katherine approaches and wants info.  She pins Caroline to the wall, and demands to know what Stefan and Damon are up to, luring her to the lake.  Caroline: “I don’t know.  Nothing.”  Katherine doesn’t believe her, and after some violence, Caroline caves: “They’re trying to kill you.”  Katherine: “I figured as much.  But where’s the moonstone?”  Caroline denies any knowledge, but then, again, after more violence, she says that Bonnie has it.  Katherine metes out a little more pain, and then Caroline spills that Bonnie is upstairs.

Of course, Bonnie is not really upstairs, as we then cut to her outside, talking with Elena and Jeremy.  Elena is really mad that they decided to take part in this dangerous plan.  Jeremy is not swayed: “We saw an opportunity and we had to take it.”  That line?  That expression?  Oh so Godfather.  Next thing we know, he’ll be killing people in restaurants.  The boy has toughened up.  And I love it.  Elena still thinks they are crazy and will get themselves killed.  Jeremy repeats that Katherine has to be stopped.

Katherine, meanwhile, makes her way upstairs, dragging a sobbing Caroline.  And the Oscar goes to Caroline Forbes, as she suddenly starts to laugh.  “I did it.  I really didn’t think that I’d be able to fool you, but I did.”  Oooh, it was all part of the plan—to lure Katherine to the room, where Bonnie prepared the spell.  Niiiiiiice.  Stefan is there waiting: “Hello, Katherine.”  Caroline: “Goodbye, Katherine.”  Most bad-ass Caroline revenge since she shoved Damon to the ground in “Brave New World.”  Don’t mess with Vamp-Caroline.  Katherine is then left with Stefan, who is holding a knife.  She scoffs at the idea of him killing her with that.  But then Damon shows up with one of Alaric’s stake-guns, and shoots her with that.  The little moment of triumph is ruined however, as we then cut to Elena, who is now bleeding as if she were the one shot with a stake gun.  This is what we call a “plot-twist.”

After a painfully stressful commercial break, we return to a collapsed and bleeding Elena.  Bonnie quickly figures it out: “She’s linked with Katherine.”  There is more to this doppelgänger thing than some games of dress-up and impersonations.  She tells Jeremy to get Damon and Stefan to stop, and Jeremy takes off running.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Katherine battles it out with Damon and Stefan, who have no idea that when they hurt Katherine, they are hurting Elena.  Intense.  Finally, Jeremy runs in, and shouts: “Stop.  You’re hurting Elena.  Everything you’re doing to her is hurting Elena.”  Katherine smiles: “You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side?  Wrong.  And something tells me that my witch is better than your witch.”  She is just toooooo good.  No villain ever planned ahead so well.  Stefan is horrified at this reveal, and sends Jeremy to check on Elena.  Katherine: “Yes, let’s all make sure that poor Elena is okay.”  She’s got to be pretty tired of hearing that.  (As we all may be.)  Katherine then purposely hurts herself, and we cut to Elena receiving an identical injury, and in a lot of pain.  Bonnie can’t break the spell, but she tries to take some of the pain away.  Upstairs, Katherine then gets ready to stab herself in the stomach, but Stefan Damon yells for her to wait. [Damon did the yelling here, as Maxine pointed out in the comments.  Both Salvatores are soooo obsessed with Elena.  It's hard to keep track of who's jumping in to save her at any given moment.]  Katherine sits, elegantly, and nonchalantly asks: “So, how ‘bout that moonstone?”

Outside, Jeremy returns to his sister and Bonnie.  He tells Bonnie: “You were right.  Katherine had a witch link Elena to her.”  Bonnie: “I saw her.  There’s another witch here.  I’m gonna find her.”  After Bonnie hurries away, Elena and Jeremy share a sweet brother-sister moment.  He wants to give her his special ring.  She refuses, as she wants him to be safe.

Back upstairs, Katherine is enjoying this way too much: “The three of us together, just like old times.  The brother who loved me too much, and the one who never loved me enough.”  Damon replies, “And the evil slut vampire who only loved herself.”  Katherine: “What happened to you, Damon?  You used to be so sweet and polite.”  Damon: “Oh, that Damon died a long time ago.”  Katherine: “Good.  He was a bore.”  Oh, I really don’t want Katherine to die, because I want more Damon-Katherine scenes.  I could watch a whole episode of those two locked in a room together.  Hmmm … since we know that Katherine ends up in the tomb at the end, maybe someone could stick Damon in there with her for a few episodes, and we could just watch them torture each other.  But back to actual plot points … Stefan plays the parent, and intercedes: “Oh, why don’t you two stop antagonizing each other.”  Katherine then asks about the moonstone.  Stefan: “What do you want with it?”  Katherine changes the subject: “Does Elena enjoy having both of you worship at her altar?”  Stefan sees this as a desperate ploy on Katherine’s part, and doesn’t give in to her goading.  Katherine continues: “So, it doesn’t bother you that Damon is in love with your girlfriend?”  Stefan: “Oh, stop it.”  Katherine: “Or what?  You’ll hurt me?  C’mon Stefan.  Everything that I feel, Elena feels.  So go ahead.  [She turns to Damon.]  Or better yet, kiss me, Damon.  She’ll feel that too.”  Delightfully twisted.  Stefan is not falling for these distractions though, and gets back to business: “You know, this whole Mason thing has me a bit confused.  Why a werewolf?  The moonstone can break a curse that would help them destroy all vampires.  So, what’s in it for you?”  Katherine does not respond, so Damon interjects: “Sorry about your pet wolf.  You should have kept him on a tighter leash.”  Katherine reminds us of her alphabet full of plans: “I’ll have to remember that for next time.  He’s not the only wolf in town.”  Dun dun dun.

And on that note, we cut to our potential-werewolf, Tyler, who is still partying with Matt and Sara.  Matt is really drunk and starts to get belligerent, spilling alcohol, and talking crap about Tyler’s dad.  He is clearly trying to cause a fight, and it is really hard to watch.  Did you remember that Zach Roerig played that a$$h#%e cowboy on Friday Night Lights, who messed with Tyra?  Well you did after that scene.  (And if for some inconceivable reason you have never seen Friday Night Lights, buy, borrow, or steal the dvds immediately.  The final season just started, and you don’t want to miss out on one of the best dramas ever made.)  Tyler doesn’t know what’s going on, and tells Matt that he’s not gonna fight him.  Unfortunately, Tyler doesn’t have a choice, as Matt starts beating on him.  Luckily, Caroline hears from the other room.  Once again, she is the only one who makes good use of her vamp hearing powers.  She runs in and pushes Matt off of Tyler.  When he gets up for more, she knocks her out with her ELBOW.  Seriously.  Yeah, Caroline is bad ass.  But no time for relief, as when she goes to check on her ex-boyfriend, Sara starts acting weird.  She then states, trance-like: “Matt failed.  If Matt fails, I can’t.”  Uh oh.  Katherine was not exaggerated about how far ahead she plans.  Wow.  Caroline warns Tyler to look out, but she’s too late, as Sara stabs Tyler and he pushes her away, reacting.  However, Sara hits the desk hard, and at a weird angle, and collapses to the floor.  Ooooooh noooooooooo!   Whoa.  Tyler is in aaaaaaagony.  Just tortured.  My eyes started to well up on my first viewing, I must admit.  Poor Tyler.  Caroline checks Sara’s pulse and confirms that she’s dead.  Tyler is suffering over this, and then his eyes change.  He is now a full-blown werewolf it seems.

Thoughts on this scene?  On my first viewing, I was so drawn into the drama of it, but the second time around I was a little … disappointed.  As things went down, Tyler’s first kill is totally accidental, and the victim is someone about who nobody cares about.  So, this first blood scene just works as a mechanism to conveniently turn Tyler into a wolf, rather than something impactful in its own right.  And what about Sara being the victim, after he already thought he killed her two weeks ago, on the stairwell?  It’s kind of twisty, since you might not imagine that he would accidentally kill the same girl twice.  But I also think that we don’t expect that for a reason.  It’s unbelievable and kind of repetitive.  Is it really so easy to accidentally kill girls in the Lockwood mansion?  Stay away from Tyler, ladies.  Still, Michael Trevino totally sold it here (and in the subsequent scene with Caroline), so it was powerful.  And we can also look at it from Tyler’s perspective.  His worst fears are coming true.  He was so terrified that he had killed Sara in “Kill Or Be Killed,” but then he got a reprieve.  He decided that he would stay away from the supernatural, and thought he was safe, but then everything that he thought he escaped just rains down on him.  So, in that sense, killing Sara is kind of poetic, after all.  Your thoughts?

We then return to Katherine, who suggests that they play charades to pass the time.  Just when I think that I couldn’t love her more.  Stefan figures out that Katherine gave George the moonstone to secure her freedom from the tomb.  Katherine: “And it would have worked, except that people figured out that I wasn’t in the tomb.  [She turns to Damon.]  Thanks to you, by the way.  Have I mentioned how inconvenient your obsession with me has been?”  Hee.  Damon knows of what she speaks: “You and me both, honey.”  Okay, now my idea of locking them both together in the tomb isn’t sounding so crazy, right?  Such fun.  Stefan: “Why do you need it back?”  Katherine changes the subject to Stefan, as she is wont to do: “I love you in a suit.  So dashing.”  Stefan stays on point: “What were you doing with it in the first place?  Unless it wasn’t yours to begin with.  In 1864 you faked your death.  Who were you running from, Katherine?”  Stefan is using his brain tonight!  But again, Katherine changes the subject: “In 1987 you were in Chicago, at a concert of all places, with that wench Lexi.  C’mon, Stefan.  Don’t look so surprised.  Of course I checked in on you over the years.  You were standing in the front row, dancing all night.  You were watching Bon Jovi, and I was watching you.”  Damon turns away from them after hearing this.  Katherine will never stop rubbing her love for Stefan in Damon’s face.  Sometimes that vamp hearing is a curse.  Stefan tries again: “What were you running from?”  Katherine just gives her Katherine smile, and silently mouths, “I love you.”  Hmmm.  So, once again, Katherine is using her love for Stefan to dodge questions. Ooooh, we need more Katherine flashbacks, to BEFORE she met the Salvatores, and soon.

Downstairs, Bonnie finds Lucy, and asks who she is.  Lucy remarks, “I should have know that I’d run into a Bennett.”  So, she knows about the Bennetts.  Intriguing.  Bonnie asks her why she’s helping Katherine.  Lucy doesn’t answer but she advises, “Tell your friends to hand over the moonstone, and all will be groovy.”  Bonnie is not budging: “I’m not leaving this room until you stop the spell.”  Lucy: “Look, I don’t want to hurt you.  But I don’t have a choice.  The bitch saved my life.  Now I owe her.  I have to repay her.”  Again with the owing.  I find this fascinating.  Bonnie should be careful where she steps, and hope that a vampire doesn’t save her life anytime soon.  I wonder if this deal works with humans too.  Like, if some random human person saved Bonnie’s life, would she owe them a favor?  Is it like a genie thing, and they have a certain amount of wishes, or in this case, favors, that they can demand?  Save a witch and get whatever you wish?  Being a witch is stressful.  But back to the scene, Bonnie grabs Lucy, which makes Lucy realize that she has the moonstone.  She can “sense” it.  But she’s not the only one sensing something.  Lucy continues, seemingly using some kind of mojo on Bonnie: “Can you feel that?  You can trust me.  Give it to me.  It’s okay.”  When I first watched this scene, it seemed that Lucy was using some type of mind control or persuasion power, but as we learn later, this was just the witchy version of family bonding.  Somehow, Bonnie knew that she could trust Lucy, and somehow Bonnie inspired Lucy to do the right thing.

Back upstairs, Damon pours himself a drink and Katherine wants one too.  Being evil makes you thirsty.  Damon snarks, in a sing-song Southern accent, “Right away, Miss Katherine.”  He then gets all hot and bothered and lunges at Katherine again, but Stefan stops him, reminding him about Elena.  Damon: “The second this spell is lifted, I’m gonna drive a stake right through your heart.”  Katherine: “God, you’re hot.  When did you get so hot?”  Hee.  This fun is interrupted, however, when Lucy comes in with the moonstone.  She tells Katherine, “The spell in this room is broken.  You’re free to leave.”  Katherine: “Thank god.”  Ah, you know you were having fun playing with the Salvatores, Katherine.  Don’t lie.  Lucy holds the moonstone and tells Katherine, “When I hand this over, my debt to you is over.”  Katherine: “Done.”  Lucy emphasizes, “I owe you nothing.”  Katherine is impatient and agrees.  But when she gets hold of the stone, she starts to choke and gag and collapse.  Lucy tells her, “You should have told me that another witch was involved.  She’s a Bennett witch, Katherine, but I’m sure that you knew that.”  As Katherine suffers on the floor, Stefan worries about Elena.  Lucy tells him that she’s fine, as the spell is broken.  After this, she flips her hair as she leaves the room.  Wow.  If you can knock-out Katherine, and then just flip your hair afterwards, you have to be bad-ass.  I love Lucy.  I hope that this is not the last we see of her.

Meanwhile, Caroline is in the study with Tyler and his mom.  She explains things to Carol, with some editing, saying that Sara was really drunk, and tripped.  Also, Caroline’s hair looks amazing in this scene.  I wonder if being a vampire gives people better hair?  Carol seems to believe Caroline, or at least wants to believe her, and says that she called Sara’s mom, stressing that she it was an accident.   Carol then leaves to talk to the Sheriff, so Caroline and Tyler are left alone to start their love story to talk about what happened.  Caroline explains that Matt (who survived the episode and is okay!) is in the car, sleeping it off.  She is very protective of Matt, as usual: “I’ll deal with him.  I don’t want him involved in any of this.”  Tyler is confused: “What are you doing?”  Caroline: “I’m fixing a very bad situation.”  I love in-control-Caroline.  (I know, I know, you guys are probably sick of me talking about how awesome Caroline is.  I can’t help it.)  Tyler still doesn’t understand why she would help him, and is wracked with guilt: “Why?  I did this.  I killed her.”  Caroline kindly, but firmly, disagrees: “No.  You didn’t mean to.  And I think it’s best for everyone …”  Tyler cuts her off: “But she’s dead.  You don’t know what that means.”  Caroline has sad eyes, as she tell him, “Actually, I do.”  I am getting teary-eyed just recapping this scene.  Poor Caroline has been where he is, and it is just so tragic.  Tyler doesn’t know this, of course, and tells her again that she doesn’t understand.  Caroline asks, “Has your wound healed?”  Tyler checks, and it has.  He is amazed, and asks, “How did you…?”

But we have to just imagine the rest of that scene in our heads (“Vampires are real, Tyler …”), as we then cut to Bonnie and Lucy outside.  Lucy apologizes: “Hey, I’m sorry about that spell.  Damn vampires.  They pull you into the middle of it all the time.”  Bonnie wants to know how she knew that she could trust Lucy, when she gave her the stone.  They talk about witchy-woo feelings, and Lucy reveals that she’s a Bennett: “My mother is Joanna, first cousin twice removed of Pauline, niece of Sheila, a.k.a Grams.”  They are related, and they share a bond.  I wonder if any Bennetts will show up in New Salem.   Lucy continues: “It’s nice to meet you, Bonnie.  Seeing you tonight was a wakeup call.  I gotta stop letting vampires control you.  So, thank you for that.”  Awww.  She turns away, but Bonnie calls out: “Please, don’t leave.  I have so many questions.  I don’t want to be in the middle either.  I hate it.  How do I stop it?”  Oh, Bonnie, I feel for you, FINALLY.  See, this is why it is a good thing that I didn’t remove Bonnie from my blog header and Twitter background.  I am finally connecting with her character again.  Lucy tells her: “Unlike me, you’re one of the good ones.  The middle of it is exactly where you need to be.  You take care, cuz.  Don’t worry.  You’ll see me again.”  Wow.  A lot to think about.  So, this gives Bonnie a reason, beyond saving Elena, for interference in the magical world.  Even though she doesn’t want to, maybe she will make it a point to use her powers for good, and gain some purpose and meaning in her life, à la Jeremy.

And speaking of Jeremy, look who shows up, The Power (as L.J. Smith would say) of The Suit on his side.  Jeremy offers Bonnie a ride home, and asks if she’s okay.  Bonnie asks, “When did you get your driver’s license?”  Jeremy replies, “I’m not a kid anymore Bonnie.”  No he is not.  Seriously, his delivery and the way he looks at Bonnie?  It gave me butterflies.  Pause the recap, as pigs fly, because I now like Jeremy.  Shhhhhh.

We then cut to Elena and Stefan, as they meet on the grass by a lake.  I mean, if you’re going to have an emotional scene, it is best to have it in a fitting location, preferably near a body of water.  Good call, Stefan and Elena.  So, is this a joyous reunion between two lovebirds?  No.  Elena: “I heard about Katherine.  Is it true?  Is she really gone?”  Stefan: “Yeah.  I was so worried about you.”  And here is where I wrote in my notes: “What did you hear about Katherine?????  Is she really dead????  No, she can’t be dead!!!!”  Um, yeah, I have issues.  The person whose life I was most worried about in this episode was Katherine.  So, is Stefan lying to Elena here?  Has she been told that Katherine is dead?  Or does Elena know about Damon’s plan, and sees that as just as good as death?  Hmmm.  But Stefan doesn’t want to talk about Katherine, and moves in for a kiss.  Elena stops him.  Stefan: “Katherine being gone doesn’t change anything for you, does it?”  Elena: “I want to be with you, Stefan, you know that.  But first, I need to wake up and know that the people I love are safe.  I need to feel safe.  Do you understand?”  Stefan says that he does, but you can tell that he is broken-hearted.

Thoughts?  I like that Elena is putting the safety of the people she loves ahead of her own happiness.  And I’m proud of Elena for thinking rationally.  However, I think that breaking up with Stefan is not going to remove any threats.  As long as Elena is walking around wearing Katherine’s face, I think that she and the people she loves are in danger.  As long as she’s a Gilbert in Mystic Falls, she’s in danger.  So, in fact, Stefan is actually important in keeping her and her family safe, rather than the other way around, now that Katherine is out of the picture, temporarily.  Of course, Elena also has Bonnie and Caroline, so she has plenty of other help, but I’m just saying that, at this point, Stefan is not really a danger to her or to her loved ones.  Unless, of course, Stefan has another evil ex out there ready to threaten Elena’s family, unless she stays away from her man.  Also, Elena distancing herself from Stefan is a bit unrealistic, as her loved ones are all entangled with people who have supernatural ties.  She may break up with Stefan, but she will remain in his orbit as long as Jenna is dating Alaric, as long as she’s best friends with a witch and a vampire, and as long as Jeremy is hanging around with Damon and Bonnie.

Cut to Katherine who is NOT dead.  Thank you!  But where is she?  The moonstone is in there with her, and seems to continue to affect her, weakening her.  And oh, she in the tomb!  A fitting punishment.  I like it.  Damon tells her: “Where you should have been all along.  I thought you would have learned your lesson by now, messing with a Bennett witch.”  Ha!  I love that it was a Bennett witch who was Katherine’s undoing.  Katherine is like Voldemort.  The only way to defeat her is through the power of love.  It was the family bond that allowed Lucy to realize that she had to stop helping Katherine for good.  With all of that planning ahead, the power of familial love and loyalty never occurred to Katherine.  She thinks that she knows how to love, but she doesn’t really understand what love is.  Of course, that’s not hard to believe, given her interaction with the Salvatores.  The father killed the sons, then one of the sons killed the father, and both sons constantly fought over the same woman.  The Bennetts are clearly a bit more functional.

Katherine tells Damon that he should have killed her, but he disagrees: “Death would have been too kind.”  True.  Also, too cruel to me.  Katherine then decides to beg: “Damon, don’t.  You need me.  Elena’s in danger.”  Damon pauses, but then says: “You’re lying.  You’re always lying.”  Learning curve, people!  Katherine continues: “Why do you think I haven’t killed her?  Because she’s the doppelgänger.  She needs to be protected.”  Oooh.  What does it mean?  It looks like Vee and Tierney were on the right track with their doppelgänger theories.  You win, Tierney.  I will never make fun of your theories again … maybe … probably … possibly.  Damon knows that he can’t trust Katherine (he had to learn eventually, right?): “Then I’ll protect her … while you rot in hell.”  And with that, Damon shuts the door on his ex-beloved, as Katherine yells, “You need me!”  Damon pauses outside, exhales and leaves.  Well, Damon did say something about killing Katherine poetically in “The Return,” and I’d say that this is pretty damn poetic.  Only problem?  The moonstone has been shut in the tomb with her.  If whoever gave Katherine that moonstone wants it back, it’s only a matter of time before they open that tomb, thus freeing Katherine.  Alternatively, what if our Scoobies want that moonstone for some other reason, or if Tyler wants it so that he can cure his werewolf-affliction?  I have a feeling that the tomb will open again by the end of the season.

We then cut to the final scene.  Elena is walking alone in the parking lot.  Oh, this is sure to end well.  And suddenly, a masked figure jumps out and kidnaps her.  So, Elena’s in trouble.  Must be Tuesday.  But, this kidnapping was also kind of fun, because it made me giggle.  Here, the writers are basically telling us: “No, you are not allowed to breathe yet, okay.  The characters you love will never be safe.  Katherine is not the only threat.  We still have fifteen episodes to get through.  Anything could happen.  Invest in tissues, and buy more wine.”  And to that, I say thank you.  So, what did you all think?  Please comment below, and share your reactions and theories.

Oh, and one more thing.  During “Masquerade,” The Vampire Diaries writers tweeted throughout the episode.  If you missed it, you can read about it over on Vampire-Diaries.net: The Vampire Diaries Live-Tweet Recap.  It’s a really fun read.  Also, Happy Halloween!

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• THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: “The Last Day”
• THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: “Klaus”
• THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: “The Last Dance”