The Vampire Diaries recap: 'I Alone'

While Damon and Elena travel back to 1994, Kai heads to Mystic Falls.

Ep. 09 | Aired Dec 4, 2014

Annette Brown/The CW

Was this hour all that exciting? No. Blame the lack of Caroline, who's on vacation with her mother and the death of Sarah Monique, who no one other than Matt really liked anyway. But it did manage to move people into positions where they could become interesting now: Kai wants to team with Tyler to save Liv (by killing Luke, presumably), and Matt wants Jeremy to help him hunt Enzo. Here we go.

We open with Jo remaining awesome: She's had a tough day and isn't originally thrilled at the sight of Alaric's sex beacon (tons of candles), but a bottle of wine and Thai food get her in the mood. First, she opens up about the Ascendant: Having it makes her feel safe, because then no one can use it to get Kai out of his prison world. She used to keep it under her pillow, but now she's an adult and keeps it in her underwear drawer next to her pot. The next morning, Alaric delivers it to Damon and Stefan, and Damon compels him to forget he was compelled to retrieve it.

Jeremy gets a moment of happiness, running in a sleeveless shirt with Elena on campus. (Therefore, we all had a moment of happiness.) He's finally canceled Bonnie's cell phone and cried the pain away. So, of course, Elena decides to tell him she's still alive so Damon and Liv are trying to figure out a way to bring her back. And just like that, he's intolerable again: He's heard "everything will be fine" before.

Tyler vows to find a way to keep Liv safe and doesn't want her venturing outside his mansion, where she's safe. But it's for Bonnie, so Matt's no help. If Tyler wanted to, he could have probably delayed her by kissing her a little longer. Just saying.

Damon and Elena head to the graveyard and meet Liv, who’s understandably surprised that Jo "gave up" the Ascendant. But she moves ahead with the plan: If Elena and Damon (who brought some Bennett blood for the required spell) drink Liv's blood, they're linked and she can find them to bring them back. They'll have an eight-hour window to find Bonnie and give her some of Liv's blood as well.

They go to 1994 and Kai, meanwhile, is back in our world riding in the back of a cab. Like Ichabod Crane, he's anti-skinny jeans. He's, however, pro-technology and ends up strangling the driver with his headphones once they arrive at Whitmore. No one sees this, of course.