The Vampire Diaries - The Tie That Binds

I like that The Tie That Binds gives Bonnie some extra rub, even as all the principals continue to remain in their individual dramas that (not surprise) involve Elena. Bonnie must find her mother, after a dream (she has plenty of those in the third season) reveals to her that after Klaus puts her in a coffin it is her mother that lets her out. As I was expecting, Stefan is away trying to find Elena and Bonnie (leaving to find Bonnie’s mother, also encountering an adopted son, Jamie (Robert Ri’chard)), with Damon at the witch house waiting on Klaus, with Klaus [finally] securing the coffins of his family, absent the one coffin sealed with a spell that will require something more powerful to remove it. Coffins and witch’s spells, some psycho staking and knifing members of the Founder’s Counsel (the medical examiner, one down, but Alaric and Caroline’s father are the next two attacked), Elena a doppelganger who isn’t allowed to have her freedom because Klaus wants to keep hybrids available to him, brotherly feuds (at the end of the episode Damon surprises Klaus, revealing he removed the dagger allowing Elijah to reawaken), and daughter/mother reaquaintance…plenty of soap opera shenanigans on The Vampire Diaries, during the third season.

Bonnie needs her mother, Abby (Persia White), to help her unseal the coffin (this seems to be a necessity while I’m always wondering why the hell anyone would truly want to), kept by Damon away from Klaus (the next episode goes into more depth on this). But Jamie have been compelled by a hybrid Klaus sent to Abby’s house in order to kidnap Bonnie. Abby is to convince Bonnie to tell her the location of the coffins while Jamie holds a shotgun on Stefan and ties up Elena. Abby still wants to help Bonnie, but in order for their safety to be secure the location of the coffins must be revealed to the hybrid, and then the hybrid to Klaus. And with Stefan shot full of wood from the shotgun by a compelled Jamie who has no control over his actions, Elena must free herself, knock Jamie out, and help remove the spurs from Stefan’s torso…and this sets up the awkward conversation about that kiss with Damon.

The episode does answer the question of who Bonnie’s mother is and allows some potential closure. Abby actually was responsible for using her magic to seal up Mikael but it cost her to exhaust her powers. This reunion, many years in the making, comes out of a repetitious vision from the witches to draw Bonnie and Abby together to release the coffin that seems sealed for a very important reason.

Meanwhile in a subplot Caroline watches as Tyler must be forced to turn into a werewolf by her father, Bill (Jack Coleman), as Tyler wanted Bill to help him sever the connection with Klaus, the one who sired him into a hybrid. Caroline can’t watch the bones break and the agony but Bill can’t get out of the dungeon in time before the chains are snapped from the walls…he is left nearly dead, taken to the hospital where Dr. Meredith Fell injects him with vampire blood taken from Damon after she subdued him with vervain. Dr. Fell is considered a suspect in the murder of the medical examiner, so Alaric confronts her about whether or not he should worry about her. Damon is convinced she’s a psycho, while Alaric hopes she’s innocent and mentally well. 3/5