'The Vampire Diaries': Damon's demons

Last week on “The Vampire Diaries,” Rebekah and Stefan joined forces to find the cure – and get vengeance on the others – after Stefan found out that his former flame Elena truly was in love with his brother Damon. “The race for the cure has begun, and we will stop at nothing until we find it,” Stefan declared.

Meanwhile, at the Gilbert lake house, Damon was busy training Elena’s brother Jeremy – the new vampire hunter in town – how to be a killer by creating newbie vamps for him to destroy. And Elena was about to join him because she realized she loved Damon whether or not she was sired to him.

 

This week started with Matt running through the woods near the Gilbert lake house, newbie vampires hungry for his blood. One nearly got him, too, but then Jeremy shot the sucker with an arrow and took him out. Turns out it was all part of Klaus’s take on the training – which was a bit more, uh, vicious than what Damon had planned. All the baby vamps were compelled to kill Matt. “You kill them, or they kill your friend Matt,” Klaus said. “If I hear an engine start, I’ll kill Matt himself.”

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Still, Jeremy was reluctant, so he and Matt made a run toward the lake house, hoping they wouldn’t be able to get in. But they were caught again along the way. This time their savior was Elena – and they all got out by the skin of their teeth. “I don’t care about the cure, Damon, not if it means putting the people I love in danger,” she said. “These were innocent people.”

 

After a night hiding out, Elena told Damon this had to end. But he said it had to be done. So Elena should just take Matt home and leave Jeremy to him. He told him to shoot for the heart, not to hesitate – and, most importantly, not to miss. But when they got to the bar to go vampire hunting, all the newbies were dead, their blood splattered all over. “I confess,” Original Kol told them, “I did it. And we three need to have a chat.” He was there to warn them about Silas. “A few hundred years back I came across a group that worshipped Silas,” he said. “They said he would rise again and trigger the end of all time. Being a vampire you can see why I’d be opposed to the world ending.” So he threatened to kill Jeremy if they proceeded, but then noted he’d rather not be haunted for all time. “So I’ll just rip off your arms.”

 

Bonnie, meanwhile, was freaking out. “I have all this power now and I have no idea how to control it,” she said. But Shane said she did know, she had to trust herself. She said she could – as long as he was with her. Which is when, naturally, Sheriff Forbes showed up to arrest him – on Bonnie’s father’s orders. Forbes told him he was being charged with manipulating Pastor Young into committing a mass murder – the fire at the church. April had shown Rebekah her father's journals, which had outlined the Pastor's relationship with Shane. Bonnie was livid with her dad – she knew this was all about her. Alone in the holding room, Bonnie apologized, saying she knew Rebekah had lied. But Shane said, “You know the truth is, she’s not.” He told her it was a ritual to raise Silas and that they were a sacrifice – but that Silas would bring them back. Bonnie said he was crazy, but he brought up Grams. “Wouldn’t you like to see her again?” Upset, she told him not to guilt her. But he wouldn’t. So she started using her powers to torture him. “Look at yourself Bonnie. So much power.” Which just made her more angry, so angry, the floor burst into flames. He dad barged in, worried, but Shane told her to focus. “Bonnie, you’re in control.” She stormed out. Then Shane told Mayor Bennett: “Your daughter is a prodigy. With my guidance, she could be one of the most powerful witches in the world. Without me, she’s a time bomb.”

 

Rebekah was hanging out at Stefan’s, reading his journal to make sure he wasn’t planning to backstab her. They had to stick together if this whole thing was going to work. But they had nothing, Stefan pouted. Not true, Rebekah said. “Team Klaus has Jeremy the hunter, Team Shane has Bonnie the witch.” But she had an ace – some key hidden in Silas’s headstone – which Shane no doubt had. If they could find that….

 

Matt let into Elena, saying he couldn’t believe she’d left Jeremy. But then she got a call from her brother – Cole had kidnapped Damon. So naturally, Elena went to Klaus for help. “Whatever our differences,” she said, “we want the same thing. Klaus, I’m begging you.” So he made a call. “Just two days home and I’m told you’ve already gone and made a mess.” He told him to stay away from Jeremy. But he didn’t say anything about Damon. And Kol had compelled him to stab himself repeatedly. He didn’t plan to kill Damon. He had use for him. And it would behoove Damon, too, he said. After all, Jeremy was the last vestige of Elena’s humanity. And once that was gone, well, she’d be all Damon’s. So after telling Damon not to remember what he said, he compelled Damon to Jeremy – and kill him.

 

When Jeremy got back, he told Elena he was going after Kol – and not waiting for Damon. He couldn’t trust him. And when she tried to calm him down, he told her to keep her distance. “Whatever’s inside me that makes me want to kill is on overdrive,” he said. “I know what I need to do.” Later, Damon showed up, looking for Jeremy. So they went to the grill, where Matt was super-cranky. When Damon saw Jeremy, he nearly went in for the kill – until Elena called him and he came to. Sort of. And realized that Cole compelled him. “If I find Jeremy, I’m going to kill him.”

Later, Rebekah and Shane hunted through Shane’s office, looking for the tombstone, while Rebekah drilled Stefan on why he was such a mope now. They used to have so much fun together. But Stefan wasn’t feeling her – after all, she’d tortured him by not compelling him to forget Elena. “You know why we had so much fun in the ‘20s, Stefan? Because we didn’t care. We just did what felt good. Drinking, feeding, sex.” But the moment was interrupted as some dude barged into Shane’s office, rifled through things, looking for something. When he’d found it, he turned around – and there was Rebekah. “Good, you found it. But the question is, who are you?” She tied the dude up and started stabbing him, telling him to tell her who sent him. Instead, clearly compelled, he killed himself.

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Jeremy was in the tunnels, hiding out, when he heard Damon’s voice booming. “Jeremy, you have to run. If I find you, I kill you. Run.” Instead, Jeremy cut his hand with his own knife, giving in to the urge to kill himself. “You’re going to have to shoot me, Jeremy,” Damon said when they were finally face to face. “In the heart. You’re a hunter. Do it. Do it!”

 

Elena, meanwhile, called Stefan and Rebekah and told him Kol compelled Jeremy. She asked him to help. But Stefan was unmoved. Later, he was gone, but Kol showed up, all smug. When Rebekah warned him not to go after Jeremy, he said: “I told Nick I wouldn’t touch the kid,” he said. “I didn’t.” As he turned to walk away, she pulled the dagger on him. “You’re no better than Klaus,” Kol spat. “This cure has ruined us, and it hasn’t even been found yet.” Then he turned the dagger on her: “I won’t let you raise Silas,” Kol said. But Klaus showed up and saved her. Rebekah was floored – her own brother had nearly killed her.

 

A little while later, Damon awoke – a bullet in his head. “That was dumb, Jeremy. You should have killed me when you had the chance.” Jeremy was making a run for it, but Damon was close behind. I know that you don’t want to hurt Jeremy, so please stop. You’re strong enough to resist the compulsion. Because I love you. And you love me. You’d do anything for me. So please. Do this for me.” But he couldn’t. “Sorry Elena,” he said. Then he went after Jeremy again – but told him to shoot. Jeremy fired the gun, but the bullet missed. Stefan had pushed Damon out of the way, and broken his neck for good measure. When Elena ran over, he told her: “You’re welcome.”

When Damon awoke, Stefan was by his side. He’d bled Damon out to weaken him so that he could stop him from acting on the compulsion. Damon asked if they were going after Kol, so he could de-compel him. But Stefan was happy to keep Damon locked up, away from Elena, and look for the cure. “Once we find the cure, you two can do whatever you want,” he said. When Elena asked Stefan if she could see Damon, he told her no. “You’ll let him out. You’re sired,” he said. She asked if he was punishing her. “I really don’t care,” he said. When she said this wasn’t him, this mean person, he mocked her. “You don’t know what I look like when I’m not in love with you.”

 

At the Grill, Bonnie apologized to her dad. He said he was going to get her some help. She said she didn’t need it. It was all Shane’s mischief. “The fact that you don’t think you need help means you need it even more,” Mayor Bennett said. 

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Klaus showed up at the Gilbert house, aiming to fetch Jeremy. He said he’d be safer with him. Neither Elena nor Jeremy were down with that. But Klaus warned them that Kol would be coming for him. They had been warned. “Sleep well,” he told Jeremy. “We’ll plan on finishing our work tomorrow.”

 

Stefan went to visit Rebekah, asked about the headstone. She said it was someplace safe – that he didn’t need to know, since he’d betrayed her twice, and she’d betrayed him never. “Just trying to figure out why you’re here,” she said. She knew why he was there. “No feelings, no attachments,” she said. None, he said. Then attacked her. In a good way.

 

Elena had plan for Jeremy – a way to un-compel Damon and make good on his vampire-killing mission. “Kol compelled Damon to kill you. You’re going to kill Kol instead.” 

"The Vampire Diaries" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CW.