The Vampire Diaries - 1912

1912 was such a nice (for me) departure from the ongoing Originals story arc that had started to take precedence over the complications of Brother Salvatore (even as Elena was always involved centrally to both), but this episode gets us back to that. And I liked that we were returned to the serial killer subplot that was often mentioned secondly to the Originals (preferably Klaus) arc. Alaric has been a main victim involved seemingly in the crosshairs of this killer, but the twist at the end of this—that ring was wore by a Gilbert ancestor later confined to a madhouse when confessing to the serial killings of founders in and around 1912—which would indict him as the killer I DID NOT see coming! Good of this twist! Meredith Fell, who seemed to turn on a dime, shooting Alaric at the end of the previous episode, All My Children, and chief responsible for him being arrested by Sheriff Forbes, arrives once he’s let out of jail (fudged the coroner’s report so he would be set free so she could help him) believing he is the killer and actually inflicted a knife attack on himself [unknowingly], wants to help. A diary from another Gilbert ancestor, found in Fell’s possession, is read by Elena, and she also believes Alaric is possibly the killer. So that is quite a lot to absorb…I dig it.

For fans of Damon/Stefan drama will [I’m sure] enjoy this episode’s focus on their complex brotherhood and past. Stefan is denying himself human blood, not feeding because of what the blood from a woman’s neck does to him. Damon believes he can be eventually taught to control this and wants to help moderately feed, that not doing so will just continue to torment him. Rebekah, having had passionate sex with Damon in Dangerous Liaisons, is at the bar with the Salvatores while they discuss who the serial killer might be, reaching back into 1912 when talking about a vampire they both knew (as did Rebekah), named Sage (Cassidy Freeman). Sage used to bareknuckle fight men in the ring, always successful, her vampirism soon learned by Damon, for whom she mentors…Sage offers to guide him in enjoying the pleasures of vampirism, not just in feeding from humans for the blood to survive. Rebekah is also there when Damon takes a bite from a young woman in the wrong place at the wrong time, outside the Grille, provoking a starving Stefan to feed. And Stefan eventually succumbs when Rebekah threatens to kill her, Damon promising to help his brother take just enough. Of course, sure enough, Elena happens past, Matt alongside her, seeing Stefan with blood on his mouth, and a victim on the asphalt while Damon tends to helping her recover. Later, in a conversation between them back at home, Elena and Matt discuss why she continues to tolerate the Salvatores. Elena, in a moment of reflection, with Matt, always a supportive friend (and clearly always in love with her), realizes that part of why she loved Stefan was he would always be there, alive, keeping her safe. Her parents weren’t able to that. And later, Stefan staring into his fireplace flames, brooding and ashamed, hands’ fingers crossed, with Damon arriving to assure him that they will get through this together. Because Damon tells Stefan that he is all he has. Back in 1912, similarly except Damon allowed Stefan to go unabated as the Ripper of Monterey, a feeding encouraged turned into a savage butchery of a victim with her head nearly taken off. 4/5