'The Day I Tried to Live'

The Vampire Diaries Recap:'The Day I Tried to Live'
 Kai helps stop Bonnie from killing herself on her birthday, and Jeremy makes a big life decision.

 

Well, there’s nothing like facing mortality to bring some drama to Mystic Falls. And tonight was about just that: In addition to Liz still dying and Bonnie contemplating suicide, “I Day I Tried to Live” was also mixed with one ex-sociopath, numerous relationship developments, and a new Salvatore. Any questions?
We start in 1994, where Bonnie informs everyone (meaning no one) that it’s her birthday. But back in present day, Elena and Caroline are well aware, and they’re planning a party to celebrate their friend. Except when Caroline can’t stop feeling like 1994 Ms. Cuddles is staring at her, she decides to go find the original Ms. Cuddles, as in the one that she stole from Bonnie when she was 9 and then buried in the woods so that her mom wouldn’t find out what she’d done. And yes, she realizes that her mother is dying and her best friend is in an alternate universe, but right now, finding Ms. Cuddles is the only one of those things she can do anything about. So with that, she heads off into the woods, and Stefan follows with a flask in hand.
Meanwhile, Damon and Elena are enjoying some birthday cupcakes—I’m not complaining that he fed her but it felt a bit awkward, no?—before Elena tells him that she’s good with the whole kissing thing. In fact, she wants to do it right now. Unfortunately, the ultimate mood killer comes knocking: Kai.
Since he merged with Luke, Kai has been experiencing something he’s never had to deal with before: empathy. No longer a full-blown sociopath, he’d like Elena to give Jo a letter—that he cried actual tears writing!—so that she can know how sorry he is for destroying their family. In exchange, Elena gets Kai to help them reach out to Bonnie.
After Damon uses Kai’s new found feelings against him by telling him it’s Bonnie’s birthday, the ex-Big Bad agrees to help them send Bonnie a message. Damon’s plan? To tell her to go to Nova Scotia and use Silas’ headstone—which is covered in Qetsiyah’s blood—to get enough magic to find her way home. And yes, Elena, Silas was definitely hot.
But when Jeremy finds out that Damon and Elena are working with Kai, he’s not a fan. Jer doesn’t quite understand how someone can switch personalities overnight. However, Kai’s got the answer to everything: Elena did it first. From what Kai has figured out, human Elena was good and sweet and loved the good Salvatore. She then became a “blood vacuum” overnight and decided she loved the bad Salvatore. I love that all it took was one ex-sociopath and about 30 seconds to explain this entire series. Well done, writers.
And Kai’s little speech works. Jeremy is in. According to Kai, they’re all essentially going to reenact Ghost, with Bonnie being Demi Moore—the alive one—and the rest of them being the collective Patrick Swayze. She won’t be able to see them, but it’s worth a shot. And it works! However, by the time they get to Bonnie, she’s opening a bottle of bourbon that Damon immediately recognizes. It’s the oldest bottle in the house, and the two of them made a pact that if they got to the point where they couldn’t take this world for one more day, they’d kill the bottle … and then themselves. And with that realization, Kai loses the spell and they all wake up in present day.
At this point, you’re probably asking if Bonnie can die in that world. I didn’t think so, but according to Kai, that rule only applied to him, because the coven didn’t want him to cut his own sentence short. So what now? Jeremy asks Kai to send him, and only him, back. Kai agrees. (Wow that merge really did change him, huh?)
Upstairs, Damon opens the present-day version of the suicide bourbon to drink alongside Bonnie when Elena enters. Unable to get Kai’s synopsis of her life out of her head, she asks Damon if he thinks it’s true. Did she completely change when she became a vampire? (Um, yes.) But more importantly, does he think they would be together if she were still human? Damon’s answer: No. Because she had that choice and she chose Stefan. She was on her way to Stefan when she died and then boom, suddenly Damon was back in the picture. You have to love how honest he is. But the rest of that conversation will have to be put on hold because Liv just showed up and trapped Elena and Damon in his room.

TVD 6x12 "Prayer For The Dying"

'Prayer for the Dying'

Damon comes up with a way to buy Liz Forbes more time while the merge has deadly results.

 

The Vampire Diaries has always been filled with death. Heck, the entire show started because a girl lost her parents, lost her way, and then fell in love with a (very dreamy) dead guy. So tonight, it wasn’t a real shocker that the episode once again dealt with the topic of death and how it can affect surrounding relationships. Let’s face it: Death is one of the things this show does best, and even though tonight’s death didn’t necessarily impact us the ways others have in the past—I’m looking at you, Ric—it still gave us a highly dramatic hour.
We kick things off in Liz’s room at home, when Caroline wakes up after hearing something downstairs—or rather someone. Suddenly, at her back door, a bloody Colin shows up. Don’t know who Colin is? Oh, just the guy she fed her blood last week and effectively killed. But really, she killed him. When Stefan shows up, he figures out that her blood turned him into a vampire, which means that he had to have died after she gave him her blood. Yeah, it’s not good news for Liz.
I do have to say that this opening felt like a real throwback to me, and I liked it. I miss the days of TVD opening like a scary movie. It was all very season 1, in a way.
Back to the action: Elena, who’s apparently sleeping at Alaric’s—where is Alaric?—is on her way to class when Damon shows up with a sandwich and a proposal. He wants to take her out to dinner tonight. It involves something about eggplant. Elena is in… until she figures out that Damon is recreating a date they already had. Refusing to pick up where they left off, Elena shuts down the eggplant. But they’re still on for the date. She’ll see him at six!
Except not really, because pretty quickly, they all arrive at the hospital to see if Jo can figure out what happened to Colin. The verdict? Caroline’s blood sped up his cancer and killed him. In other words, he’s a stage 10 cancer patient, which doesn’t even exist. It’s that bad.
Nobody really knows what to do, but after Elena expresses her disappointment in Stefan for not knowing better and doing more research before Caroline gave Liz her blood, Jo has an idea: A full blood transfusion might get the vamp blood out of Liz’s system. At this point, anything is worth a shot.
Across town, Liv and Tyler are getting comfortable in a twin bed, planning their spring break, when Liv’s dad shows up and informs everyone that it’s Liv’s birthday. So basically, she and Luke have to convince their father/leader that they aren’t going to merge, like, now. And shockingly, he’s not a fan of the plan.
Back at the hospital, Damon tries to catch Elena up on his relationship with Liz: “As far as humans go, she’s tolerable.” Translation: He loves her the mostest, probably only second to Alaric at this point. And that kind of explains his behavior when he overhears poor Colin trying to kill himself in the other room.
While Caroline tries to talk Colin down, Damon does the guy a favor and rips his heart out. It’s not he craziest thing he’s done, however, he did not need to rip Caroline’s heart out with this Liz update: “Transfusion didn’t work, so you didn’t just kill him, blondie.” I know you’re emotional Damon, but that’s her mom.
On that note, Caroline runs away, leaving Elena to break the bad news to Liz. The transfusion didn’t work. But Liz is less concerned about that, and more concerned about her daughter, who Stefan finds trying to pick the right flowers for her mother’s memorial. Ever the planner, Caroline has decided to spend her time doing something she’s good at before she screws up again.
But once Stefan tells her the story of his mother—the mysterious mother Salvatore!—we learn that Stefan kept himself occupied during his mother’s illness out of fear of seeing her that way, and before he knew it, his dad had sent his mom away and then she was dead. Long story short: He’d do anything to have another day with her.

The Vampire Dairies 6x11 Recap.

The Vampire Diaries 6x11 Recap "Woke Up With A Monster":Did Caroline Accidentally Killed Her Mom?

 

 

Welcome to 2015, a year that is sure to be filled with amazing Kai one-liners, many more Salvatore kitchen scenes, and unfortunately, what now looks like it will be a very bloody end for Liz Forbes. Altogether, if this year plays out like this episode did, it'll be a pretty good one.
The Vampire Diaries' first episode back felt like a return to form in a lot of ways. The writing was sharp, the chemistry between characters—both platonic and not—was effortless, and in the final moments, it hit the whole "emotional drama" thing out of the park. This is a show about characters we love, and this hour proved once again why we love (most of) them (and dislike others).
We kick things off at the Mystic Grill, where Kai is enjoying a delicious breakfast with Elena. Well, technically, she's not eating, but nobody said he was a gentleman. Before Elena can complete her "what have you done to me" face—which she's had years to perfect—Kai has all the answers. In his upbeat, oh-so-messed-up sociopath manner, Kai explains how he now has ridiculous amounts of magic, and because of that, he's not so great at controlling it. Example A? The manager of the Mystic Grill, whose dead body is currently being cloaked by Kai, but is lying on the table in front of Elena, a fact she soon realizes. See, Kai tried to give the man a heart attack, but one thing led to another and well, he kind of exploded. So now, Kai needs some magic target practice, and Elena's always been good for that, right?
So with Elena off enduring large amounts of torture, Stefan wakes up—with a shirt on—to the sound of things breaking at his house. He then proceeds to put another shirt on, which just seems like overkill to me, but whatever. Downstairs, he finds a shirtless Jeremy in the kitchen—oh sure, he can be shirtless?—generally being a grump and stealing all the coffee while Jo tries to perfect the art of magic in the living room. Spoiler: She's not very good at it, and she's only got 30 days to pull a Rocky and become the fighter who's capable of taking down Ivan Drago. Are you all too young for that reference? If you are, please just lie.

As Jo continues to practice, we catch up with Damon sleeping in a chair in Liz's hospital room. He tells her about the last texts Elena sent him—there's a cold shower emoticon?—before asking her to put out an APB on Kai. She's already on it when Caroline comes in bringing her a kale smoothie. (They help slow cancer.) But when Caroline brings up the idea of giving Liz some vampire blood, Damon isn't on board. Wait, was Damon just the voice of reason? What is happening?!
After an adorable wink—Liz and Damon forever—Damon heads home, where he will find Liv in one of his T-shirts—Jo burnt hers—before receiving a call from Elena. Now at the high school, Kai attempts to turn Elena's blood to acid—that's a spell?!—when he melts her daylight ring instead. She gets away in enough time to call Damon, but Kai finds her within minutes and, after a few misfires, snaps her neck. Also, did anyone else pause at Kai's comment about her ring meaning so much to her? I'm sure it's mostly that it's her daylight ring and her lifeline, but part of me wondered if that was a shout-out to Stelena fans, because we all remember the moment she got that ring. Just a thought for you shippers!
Speaking of shippers, Caroline returns home to find Stefan, who has moved Liz's TV so that she can watch it from her favorite chair. Caroline gets her mother all set up to binge-watch Friends on DVD (doesn't she know it's on Netflix now?) before she tells her that she's going to Duke to meet with a specialist. Stefan can stay with Liz to watch Friends. Then this happens:
Caroline: "Stefan, you know how to laugh, right?" Stefan: "Opinions vary."
So much yes. However, when Stefan hears the word Duke, he immediately thinks of Sarah Salvatore and offers to drive Caroline so that he can check on his "friend." Caroline's thought? "Stefan, I know all of your friends: Elena, me ... and then that's it." Caroline is just the best. The two hit the road anyway.
Once at Duke, Stefan immediately heads to a gallery for a student exhibition. He promises to meet up with Caroline later. For now, he just wants to watch Sarah "Nelson" like a proud uncle. That is until Enzo arrives. You can guess what comes next: Enzo and Stefan threatening each other until Enzo agrees to back off and Stefan has to meet Caroline. The twist? Enzo ends the episode by boxing up all of Sarah's pictures. So what's he up to?
Back to Caroline! Our favorite blonde meets up with a specialist and after a bit of compulsion, Caroline finds out that the only option her mother has is full brain radiation, but even that isn't a sure thing. In fact, it's more likely to solve nothing and ruin Liz's quality of life. Basically, there are no feasible medical solutions, which is why Caroline jumps straight to the supernatural. Sneaking into the room of a patient with the same tumor as her mother, Caroline feeds the mystery man some of her blood. And by the time Stefan meets up with her, that same patient is up and walking and, for the first time in days, has an appetite. So it worked? TBD. (I don't know why she didn't compel the doctor to keep her updated on the patient's condition.)

The Vampire Diaries 'Christmas Through Your Eyes' Recap, Season 6 Episode 10

The Vampire Diaries 'Christmas Through Your Eyes' Recap, Season 6 Episode 10, Mid-Season Finale

11

DEC

Last week in "I Alone" "The Vampire Diaries" got a bit somber as Bonnie was so close to going back home before Kai ripped the hopes apart. This week in "Christmas Through Your Eyes" the tenth episode of the sixth season things get even more devastating in the mid-season finale.

Bonnie is stuck on the other side but according to her day count it is now Christmas. In order to make things a bit more festive she tries to incorporate some traditions from the present day. All of he efforts end up making her reminisce about the golden days with her friends. Sheriff Forbes tries to get Caroline into the holiday spirt at Whitmore College but the cheer doesn't last for long.

Alaric enlists the help of Damon and Elena as Jo goes missing and Tyler tries to convince Liv and Luke to carry out a risky plan. Jeremy and Matt have had enough of Enzo and look to assume the roles of hunters in order to take him out. Stefan's hand is forced when he has to be the bearer of devastating news to Caroline.

The action kicks off as Jo has to cancel on Alaric during their Christmas dinner. Jo tends to a young girl who appears to be in trouble, however, she is then taken by Kai after being injected with something. Christmas is all around Whitmore and in a strange twist Bonnie is remembering her Christmas back home with Elena. As she drags a Christmas tree across the parking lot she, she will start her own tree decorating ceremony on the other side. Sheriff Forbes surprises Caroline at Whitmore and brought all of her favorite Christmas things. She also brought along Stefan to help with the dorm decorating and Caroline is surprised but still lets him in.

Elena and Damon are spending some time together and it looks like they have gotten a lot closer. The two have been looking all night for something that resembles the ascendant with little luck. Elena continues to stare awkwardly at Damon in disbelief that he could actually be trying to help Bonnie. Elena gets a very urgent call from Alaric. They realize that Jo is missing and they already know who the culprit is. Alaric and Damon are going back and forth about what they can do to get Jo back. Tyler is trying to convince Liv and Luke to help Kai in his quest to merge with Jo. Damon calls Matt to see if he has seen Kai but Matt is very short with him. Jeremy approaches and the two look armed and ready to kill Enzo.

Alaric tells Damon that Jo needs her magic but she got rid of it. The knife that she hid it in is gone. Kai wants Liv and Luke to do a locator spell so that Kai can find the knife and force Jo's magic upon her. Liv is on board with Tyler's plan but Luke is still skeptical. Damon thought he had the knife hidden but it turns out that it is already gone. Live ad Luke are reunited with their evil big brother and it looks like he is preparing for something huge.

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Bonnie is busy as a bee decorating the Christmas tree and continues her flashbacks this time with Caroline and Sheriff Forbes. Bonnie, Elena and Caroline string popcorn in their freshman year of high school. Stefan is busy helping Caroline decorate and she questions him on his motives for being there. He tells her that he is trying but she says anyone can be friends when your'e hanging Christmas lights. Caroline's mom walks in as Stefan walks out but she faints and Stefan is there to catch her. Kai is go over the plans with his little siblings and they all approach Jo who is awake. Kai stabs Jo wit the knife that contains the magic and when Luke tries to step in Kai threatens him as well. Jo tells Kai that getting the magic will be by choice and that she would probably bleed to death before the ceremony at the current rate.

Live is left in charge of figuring out what is going on. Elena meets Caroline at the hospital as they watch her mother who has now been sedated. Elena fills Caroline in on what she has missed during the search for the ascendant. Caroline also gives her input on Damon being there for Elena and she even gives him a little credit. Damon has already figured out Tyler, Liv and Luke's plan and just then he runs into Luke. Damon tries to joke about the situation but in the process he manages to convince Luke that they are doing the wrong thing. Matt lures Enzo to him and confronts him for his treachery, just then both he and Jeremy launch an a perfectly planned attack knocking him out.

So far this episode has been setting the tone for something big to happen. Already it looks like Stefan's bad news will involve Caroline's mom judging her condition, but will it bring Stefan and Caroline closer or force them apart? Damon and Elena are getting closer and it looks like things are finally getting back to normal where they are concerned. Poor Bonnie is stuck all alone and viewers are probably completely upset as she deserves a lot better for all the sacrifices she made for everyone else. Will she make her return before the mid-season finale is over?

Stefan keeps an eye on Sheriff Forbes and he is approached by Elena. Stefan tells Elena that Forbes is suffering from a cancerous tumor and it sends her into shock and concern for her friend. Jeremy and Matt drag Enzo's body along but they are disagreeing on how to deal with him. Jeremy tries to convince Matt that the us vs them mentality is going to get him killed. Liv talks to Jo who is trying to get her help to escape but Liv continues to push Jo to take her magic back. Jo tells Liv that if Kai merges with Jo he would be the most powerful witch in the coven. Liv tries to convince her sister that she is strong enough to beat Kai in the merge and come out on top. Kai blasts in during the moment and absorbs Liv's magic. He begins trying to kill Liv but Jo grabs the knife and takes her magic back.

Damon and Alaric are still bickering after Damon compelled him. They try to smooth things over and Damon finally apologizes to him but it doesn't look like he took the apology well. Jo regains her magic and Kai senses it flowing within her. Jo breaks free and Kai is lured out by Damon's whistle. Damon attacks him, but Kai manages to keep him trapped, until Alaric attacks him holding a gun to his head. Jo stops him from killing Kai and tells him to keep him alive. All she needs is time to get stronger to win the merge. Jo is very noble and her choice to chance the merge to protect her little brother and sister shows how kind her heart is.

Tyler asks Luke why he told Damon about where Kai is. Liv tells them both to calm down because Jo can beat Kai. Luke is not as optimistic as Liv and tells her that people will die and it will be on their hands. Elena asks Stefan if he is okay and he replies telling her they always have a plan for evil, but there is no plan for telling Caroline that she is losing her mom. Elena tells him that she should be the one to tell her but Stefan refuses and says that he needs to tell her because he hasn't been there for her when she needed him. Alaric and Jo take a stroll through the park and they are becoming quite the cozy item, he pulls her in and they share a kiss. Kai has been chained up and Damon is using him as target practice by throwing rocks at him. Just then Kai figures out that there is a spell covering the entire town. Alaric comes out and confronts Damon for being selfish. Meanwhile, Kai has a devilish look in his eye after absorbing some information from the ground.

Bonnie gets ready to light up her Christmas tree but the lighting only makes her nostalgic as she remembers Sheriff Forbes' speech, it was the last time she was with her friends. Caroline is sitting by herself and she seems optimistic until Stefan tells her they need to talk. Damon is trying to talk to Elena on the phone but something strange is happening. Jeremy attends the tree lighting ceremony but he also notices the anomaly. Matt is taking over where Tripp left off driving Enzo across the border to end him. Damon notices that Kai is channeling something huge and so does Alaric. Kai is chanting and it is beginning to worry the two of them. Just when Matt drives over the border Enzo begins to fall apart, he stops the van but Kai continues his chant. Matt approaches Enzo who is still alive. Kai has soaked up all the magic from the travelers spell, eliminating the border restriction.

Matt is now in a world of trouble because Enzo has luckily managed to escape death. Alaric, Damon and the rest of their friends are in for a very scary surprise as Kai now has more magic than he ver had before. Kai is proving to be the single worst enemy they have ever had to face.

Damon tries to fight off Kai but he is way too strong. Kai disappears and Damon and Alaric are now confused as to what's going on. Enzo and Matt find some strange common ground. Enzo tells Matt that he is jealous of Stefan and that Matt is going to help him take away all of Stefan's happiness. Damon returns home and tells Elena that the spell is broken. Elena tells him that she doesn't know what they use to be, but after the horrible day she just needs to see him. Stefan broke the news to Caroline and she begins to react in only the way she can. He tells her that all of the scenarios she is coming up with are being shot down. She is taking it very hard and crumbling right before Stefan's eyes.

As she falls apart Stefan is finally there when she needs him the most and she accepts it. Elena sees the two and knows that Stefan has broken the bad news. Bonnie is left behind again and as Jeremy places an ornament on their tree for Bonnie she stands back looking at hers on the other side. She sets the tree on fire and "Christmas Through You Eyes" concludes with Caroline watching over her mom and Damon being gifted his old ride by his brother who completely restored it. Stefan looks like he will be sticking around and Elena finally makes it back to the old Salvatore Mansion where she is greeted by her ex at the door. Or at least so we all thought, Kai has put a cloaking spell on him and Elena! Damon could not see his ex at the door and Kai attacks Elena.

Tonight shocking mid-season finale of "The Vampire Diaries" was well written. When it looked like things couldn't get worse it managed to hit almost rock bottom for the team of friends. Damon and Elena may be growing closer but a other lives around them are becoming more fragile as the fight against the villains wage on. The second half of "The Vampires Diaries" should be returning with quite the bang as The CW hit continues to captivate and engage it's fans.

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.

'Fade Into You'

The Vampire Diaries recap: 'Fade Into You'

The story behind the Gemini coven is revealed as Damon, Alaric, and Stefan blow off Friendsgiving to search for a way to bring Bonnie home. Well, Stefan wasn't invited.

Ep. 08 | Aired Nov 20, 2014

BOYS' WEEKEND The guys head to Portland, Oregon, searching for answers about the Gemini coven and discover more than they bargained for.

Daniel McFadden/The CW

Well, those of you who'd like to see the show move on from the will they or won't they (again) storyline of Damon and Elena are out of luck. But regardless of where you fall on the debate, a question: Why can't Elena just date Damon and see if she likes him now for herself? Why does she have to wait for him to get Bonnie back so Bonnie can tell her whether Damon is decent or still a dick? Doesn't the fact that Bonnie sacrificed herself so Damon could return count as an endorsement for at least dinner and a movie? But I digress.

We open with a truly frightening scene on May 4, 1994: Young Jo takes a large knife out of her spleen and stumbles into the next room to hide a young boy and girl under a bed as Kai hunts them. The kinds are blond, so immediately you guess they're Liv and Luke. Cut back to present day, and Kai has transported Bonnie to Portland, Oregon, to cook her Thanksgiving dinner in the house where he committed mass murder. Charming.

Caroline is naturally planning a Friendsgiving, and for some reason, Jeremy and Matt are too busy cleaning the Tripp mess up to attend. Presumably, Sheriff Forbes had them over for some turkey, though. Jo breaks the news that Alaric has decided to have an impromptu boys weekend with the Salvatore Brothers. When Elena calls Alaric, he tells her about Bonnie's teddy bear, Miss Cuddles, giving them hope that she's still alive. They're in Portland to track the Gemini coven and to make Stefan feel bad that he was the only one not invited to Friendsgiving. How would Caroline feel about Alaric and Damon knowing that she had feelings for Stefan? It makes for great comedy here as they list her pros (she's hot, she puts up with Stefan, and she's organized) and cons (she also slept with Damon).

The guys arrive at an open field and see nothing, at first. But then Damon starts using Bonnie's bear, Miss Cuddles, to taunt Stefan: "Oh, no, is Stefan feeling sensitive about ruining his friendship with Caroline? She really liked him and he broke her heart," he says in a high-pitched voice. "See, Stefan," Alaric deadpans, "even the bear knew." Brilliant. Damon continues talking in the bear voice until Stefan grabs it and punts it like Kyle kicking Ike on South Park. Suddenly, the house appears. "Miss Cuddles, 1. Invisible creepy mansion, 0," Damon says.

Back at Caroline's, Liv shows up being annoyingly pissy for someone who's about to turn 22 with the chance to hook up with Tyler. She looks familiar to Jo, who has now sort of become the person I relate to most on the show as a thirtysomething woman who loves wine. She's happy to see the two bottles Liam brought. Elena is just grateful that Jo risked her career to change that fake Lady Whitmore's medical files, because now Liam is back to thinking Elena's not a girl with secrets.

Alaric suspects that Bonnie put her magic in Miss Cuddles. The bear stays on the porch with Damon and Stefan when only human Alaric can go inside the house. After Bonnie (thinks she) convinces Kai to let her peacefully leave if she stays for one last meal together, we see Caroline try to gather everyone at the table and have them turn off their electronics. Luke plays a video of his and Liv's fourth birthday party and Jo recognizes her own voice: Yep, she's their sister

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 6X7 'DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME' RECAP

The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 7 'Do You Remember the First Time' 
Elena's past comes back to haunt her; Jo opens up to Alaric about her tragic past; Stefan, Matt and Enzo resort to extreme measures when Tripp withholds information about his vampire-killing operation; Sheriff Forbes gets caught in the middle of a dangerous plan; Tyler and Liv grow closer; and Damon stumbles upon a startling clue that renews his hope.

This weeks episode of the Vampire Diaries begins where last week left off. Damon stands awkwardly in the doorway hoping that just by seeing him Elena's good memory's will return. Finally someone speaks, it's Damon who is heartbroken to see his girlfriend still doesn't remember loving him. Elena closes the door on Damon only recognising him as the guy who killed her brother. 

Next stop on the Damon trail is Alaric. Still in hospital after last weeks mind blowing conclusion, Alaric apologises again and again for erasing Elena's memory. After Damon cracks a few Damon-Style jokes Jo walks in. Completely ignoring Damon she invites Alaric to a hospital fundraiser that night. 

Tripp is in the very safe hands of Stefan, Enzo and Matt. Stefan wants him dead but Enzo suggests that through torture they could discover how many other hunters are walking the streets of Mystic Falls. Tripp lets slip that his co-workers are busy hunting vampire, like Caroline Forbes. Stefan leaves to rescue Caroline and tells Enzo to kill trip in 2 hours.

On campus Caroline tries to convince Elena that losing re memory's might be a good thing. She says that Elena is finally happy and that she has Liam to fill the hole left by Damon. Caroline leaves when she see's Liam heading their way confirming that Whitmore is the smallest college campus on earth. Liam is confused why the woman who nearly died in the cornfield showed up at the hospital with no injury, in fact even an older ailment was gone. He tells Elena that he's going to solve the problem before asking her to the fundraiser and kissing her.

Mystic Falls 1994. Bonnie awakens in the Salvatore Boarding House to find her stuffed bear and Kai watching over her. Kai is working on fixing the ascendant which shattered after Damon left. He still wants to work alongside Bonnie to escape.Bonnie tells him that she won't help him escape, the prison specifically created to house him. Kai tries to convince the Witch to work with him by grabbing her temporarily stealing her magic. He tells Bonnie that she'll do the spell and set him free, but she's smarter than that. Bonnie stabs Kai in the neck killing him, but not for long.

In her dorm Caroline is working away, it's nice to see someone cares about their studies. She keeps getting distracted by a photo of her, Stefan and Elena and slams it face down on the desk, showing she's still made at Stefan. As she turns to a knock at the door she see's Stefan who's come to save her. Caroline tells him that she doesn't need or want his protection. Caroline gets a call from her mum, Tripp's men have taken the Sheriff hostage and threaten to kill her if Tripp isn't return. 

When Enzo finally calls her back he explains that he couldn't answer because his hands we're bloody and the touch screen wasn't working (funniest quote ever). Caroline tells him not to hurt Tripp any more at risk of her mother's death. Inside Tripp explains to Matt that everything he did was to teach people to defend themselves and make the world a better place. Matt tells his former mentor that by siding with the vampire's he's not on the wrong side, but his side is extremely complicated. When Enzo tells him what's happened, he's pissed off that Tripp thinks killing the Sheriff is something the 'good guys' would do. They decide to set the swap at the border of Mystic Falls, and Matt will lead the hunters to make sure the Sheriff is safe. 

Bon Bon's made her way to Mystic Falls medical centre, her arrow wound is still a problem. While on the run she decides to try and put the ascendant back together before Kai finds her.

After hearing about the fundraiser from Jo, Damon decides to make an uninvited appearance. He's angry/upset/hurt to see that Elena's turned up with a dashing looking date. Liam's confused to see Damon since Elena told him that he ex died. She asks him to get drinks but Damon intervenes compelling the college student. When he asks how freaked out Liam is he replies "I feel a little threatened, but I think I could take you." When Liam leaves Damon asks Elena to dance still hoping to return her memories. 

When they arrive at the abandoned building. Caroline and Stefan prepare for the switch, while they bicker Enzo discovers the truth. He tells Stefan not to worry, that Caroline doesn't hate him but has got a thing for him. What interests me about this scene is how Enzo appears hurt, did he have feelings for Caroline?? Caroline fixes the awkward moment between her and Stefan by telling him to never mention it again. 

While dancing Damon tries to remind Elena of their first dance, at the miss Mystic pageant. When this doesn't work Damon starts to get angry, he tells Elena that no matter how much pain he was in, or how much he missed her, he would never erase her from his life, because he loves her too much. Overwhelmed by his speech Elena leaves to get some air. Jo and Alaric observe Damon from a safe distance. Over a drink the doctor/Witch tells Alaric that she temporarily relinquished her magic, putting it away for safe keeping, mentioning that she escaped a massively dysfunctional family.

Working at the fundraiser is Liv, and Tyler. Apparently he thinks helping her out at work is enough to repay her for killing that guy. She tells him that it'll take more than that to repay her. Tyler mentions to Liv that that's not the only reason he's there. Later that night Luke appears at the party and tells Liv not to fall for Tyler, that when the Coven call them home she wont have a choice to stay. 

At the hospital Bonnie struggles to piece the ascention back together, and when she finally does notices that there's a missing piece. The light shut off, which can only mean one thing, Kai. Yep the murderous, teenage douche bag is back and he has the final piece of the puzzle. After trying to escape again Bonnie is captured by Kai who is going to force her to take him home. 

After the monumental failure that was trying to jog Elena's memory through dance, Damon punds a few shots at the bar. Elena returns and announces that she wants to remember, and maybe Damon's way can work. She asks him to take her to the last place she said "I love you." 

In the underground tunnel Bonnie and Kai prepare to go home, but something's wrong. Kai is acting too nice, he even brought Ms Cuddles (the bear) as a peace offering. Bonnie isn't too convinced when he gives a big speech telling her how much guilt he feels about his family, and how much he'd love to see them again. 

At the border Stefan, Caroline are waiting for Matt and the others to arrive with the Sheriff. Everything goes down OK, and Caroline's mum is returned safely. but when Tripp crosses the border something goes wrong. The short-lived vampire hunters throat is magically (or un-magically) slashed killing him. As Matt stands over the body Stefan promises that he didn't do anything and Enzo must have turned Tripp into a vampire before they got there. By this time Tripp's men have all ran away scared.

Bonnie starts the spell. She does everything the same as when Damon returned, but something isn't right, it isn't working. Bonnie claims that her magic has disappeared, which is confirmed when Kai grabs her. Bonnie tells him that she might have accidentally (on purpose) put her magic somewhere. It turns out that before she completed the spell Bonnie put her magic inside the bear, sending it somewhere her or Kai will never find it. 

Damon and Elena arrive at the border, the place she told him she loved him. He tells story's of when they were together, including the motel in Denver and graduation not to mention a heavily romantic meteor shower. Elena still doesn't remember and turns her back on Damon. In a final attempt to retrieve her memory's Elena runs across the border, getting rid of the magic. A flash of memory's hit her as she crosses but Damon pulls her back before she dies and the memories fully return. Damon tells her that he'd do anything for her to remember but not if it means her getting hurt. 

Stefan and Caroline have taken the Sheriff to the Whitmore emergency room. Outside Stefan asks why Caroline had/has a thing for him, he wants to know how he missed it. She tells him that it might be because he was her best friend or that he was always there for her, saying that when Elena moved on with Damon she couldn't understand how she could ever let a guy like him go. She accepts Stefan's apology but says that she still hates him for ruining their friendship. Caroline thinks that Stefan doesn't share the same feelings, and maybe she's right but to me finding out how she feels may have made him realise something. 

Damon escorts Elena back to her dorm, before she heads inside she tells him that she remembered something. She remembered the night of the meteor shower Damon told her about, she wants to know how the story ends. Damon tells her that when she became a vampire he was thrilled, but also upset because she lost a big chunk of her life, and since she died she's found that chunk. Damon tells her that she's better off without him, and that he loves her enough to let her go. Elena isn't giving up that easy she persists on finding out the rest of the story, Damon just tells her that when it started to rain they got dirty and left. We know there's more to the story!!! 

Jo asks Alaric back to her place, saying that she needs to get out of her dress and order take out. While she undresses Alaric see's a nasty scar on her stomach confirming my assumption that Jo is Kai's younger sister, who he let live after stealing her spleen. Jo tells Alaric what her brother tried to do to her explaining why she gave up her magic.

Liam shows up in Elena's room, she's surprised to see that he's still speaking to her after ditching him. He tells her that he knows something weird is happening, first with the injured woman now with Damon, he demands for her to tell him her secrets or he'll keep searching. 

In the final scene of the episode we see Damon stumbling drunk through the woods with a bottle of bourbon. As he looks into the sky he remembers the night of the meteor shower, when it began to rain they didn't leave but stayed there in that moment. Elena makes Damon promise that their relationship is forever, and he does. When drunk Damon reaches the tomb he see's the stuffed bear. Realising that BFF Bonnie is still alive, Damon's hope is restored in saving her. 

'THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, THE CLOSER I GET'

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 6X6 'THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, THE CLOSER I GET' RECAP

He's back!!! In last weeks episode we saw the epic return of Damon Salvatore and that emotional reunion with Stefan, but what happened this week was even better. Shaken by Damon's return Elena does everything she can to avoid him. Alaric faces a personal problem of his own with Jo, but is glad to have his BFF back and Stefan tries to wirte his wrongs by helping the gang save Enzo.

This weeks episode opens in Tripp's van, the vampire hunter has loaded Ivy and two others into the back of his van and is heading straight over the Mystic Falls border. For a moment it looks like Ivy might escape but the newbie vampire becomes scared as the other two die, one by a gunshot to the head. Ivy fears at what's happening but not for long as her neck snaps, brutal. 

Finishing of that killer hug Stefan and Damon agree to keep what happened to Bonnie a secret, Damon wants to tell the gang that he was alone the whole time, suggesting that Bonnie found peace. Before Damon runs off to find Elena, Stefan breaks the news of her mysterious memory loss. Obviously Damon is hurt but believes that just by seeing her the love between them will break through the compulsion. 

In what I think was his office, Alaric attempts to persuade Elena to let him compel her memories back. Elena tells him that she's happy and doesn't want them, why would she want to remember loving a murderer. Alaric promises her that he wont force the compulsion and will only bring back her memories if she asks, the professor agrees but fears that his resurrected BFF might be mad at him. 

At the Salvatore mansion Jeremy is in a rush to escape but is kept behind by Sarah who wants him to answer more questions about the Salvatore family, her ancestors. Clearly Jeremy has learned of Damon's surprising return and he wants answers of his own, I think he'd of preferred Bonnie to come home. 

Matt brings a small shot of blood to Enzo. The vampire asks when Matt intends on helping him escape but is surprised to hear that Matty believes Stefan knew what he was doing when he turned Enzo over to Tripp. Enzo threatens to tell Tripp about Stefan, Caroline, Elena and the others if he doesn't help, I think Matt's convinced.  

At the college Matt tells Caroline and Alaric about Enzo, Alaric doesn't want to see anyone get hurt and agrees to save the charming British vamp. Caroline is mad at Matt for not telling them sooner but he tells them that he can't keep track of which vampires he's supposed to like. I like the direction the show is taking Matt, it looks like we might be seeing a new vampire hunter in the only remaining Donovan. 

Damon goes to Elena's dorm to see his girlfriend, when he gets to his door he notices it's locked. From outside Damon begs Elena to let him in, just so they can talk, she almost looks prepared to twist the lock but hesitates, finally Damon threatens to kick the door down if she doesn't unlock it. When the door is unlocked Damon is hurt to see that Elena jumped out of a window to avoid him. 

On the phone to Elena, Stefan tells her that jumping out of the window was a stupid decision, what if somebody had seen her. Elena has gone to the hospital to distract herself from thinking about Damon, and to hide. Elena tells Stefan that she kissed Liam, I'm not sure she feels guilty about doing it or doesn't want to let Damon back in because she likes Liam. Elena hangs up when she see's her boss Jo, heading into a room. Alaric told her that Jo couldn't be compelled and asked Elena to investigate. Elena slyly takes a sip of  Jo's coffee to check vervein, no luck. Jo is definitely hiding something though. 

In Tripp's office Matt is trying to find out what Enzo has told the vampire hunter. After having no luck on the computer he almost thinks he's caught when somebody walks in, it's Sarah who is trying to find out anything she can about her family, which means checking the animal attack files. 

Damon pays a visit to Alaric on campus, overjoyed to see his best friend back to life the two do what they do best, share a drink. Damon asks Alaric to compel Elena's feelings for him back but the original-type Vampire refuses, saying he'll only do it if Elena agrees. To punish Alaric I really though he was going to snap his neck, but settled on stealing the whiskey, a punishment worse than death for Alaric. 

In the woods Caroline and Stefan have an other argument, this time Caroline's pissed that Stefan turned Enzo over to Tripp. When they reach Tripp's abandoned building Stefan saves Caroline before two thugs see them. When they get inside Enzo is missing. 

At the hospital Elena continues to shadow Jo, she still hasn't discovered how the Dr can escape compulsion. Jo tells Elena to stop playing games, she announces that she knows what Elena and Alaric are and is cool with it. Elena asks Jo if she's a witch, witches are the only thing we know of that can resist compulsion - I on the other hand aren't convinced, Jo didn't specifically say she's a witch meaning we could be looking at a new creature in the TVD universe. 

In Elena's dorm room Damon looks around and is sad to see that no photo's of him are stood in the room. Jeremy shows up and asks Damon why Bonnie didn't come back, sticking to his lie Damon says that she was never there, that she found peace. Jeremy tells him that him that he's been paying Bonnie's phone bill, just to hear her voice. Damon promises that he'll give it a call, something that confuses Jeremy because he thinks Bonnie died hating Damon. 

In Tripp's office Matt discovers Ivy's phone in a locked drawer, when he checks it he see's that the last number dialled was Caroline's, meaning Tripp knows what she is, and where to find her. 

Back in the dorm Jeremy is gone and Damon calls Bonnie's cell, he thanks her for sending him home, and tells her that today's the day he gets to see Elena and it's because of what she did. He announces that he misses her before Elena calls. On the phone Elena tells him that they should talk face to face asking him to meet her. When someone enters Damon thinks it's Elena but is surprised when he see's Tripp standing in the doorway with a vervein gun, Damon catches the first dart but is hit with three more before he can kill Tripp. Elena returns to find blood and Damon's phone. 

Elena calls Alaric panicking, he tells her that everything is going to be ok, and to get to old miller road quickly. They need to stop Tripp crossing the border. As he leaves he is trapped in the hallway by Jo, she tells him that it's time the level with each other, Alaric warns her to get out of the way and stay as far away from him as possible. 

Damon wakes up in the back of Tripp's van, with him is Enzo who tells him what Stefan did and what Tripp's up to. The Sheriff was warned about Tripp and closed down the entrance into Mystic falls meaning there's only two possible routes, Elena and Caroline take one and Alaric and Stefan the other. Elena tells Caroline that she wants her memories back and when they save Damon she'll have Alaric compel her. 

Tripp loaded with two vampires comes down Alaric and Stefan's route, they've set it up to look like a broken down car. Alaric tells Stefan to stay out of sight and approaches the van. After getting close enough Alaric attacks Tripp forcing him to push don on the pedal dragging Alaric as well as Damon across the border. Stefan tells Elena what's happening before heroically stepping across the border to save his brother. We find out that Enzo was dying of consumption before he became a vampire, so crossing the border wasn't fun for him. On the side of the road Alaric is dying slowly of his stab wound, but just before he dies Dr Jo appears and promises to help him. He tells her that the only thing she can do is to get him across the border but she can't move him. Instead she performs CPR on what looks like a dead Alaric, bringing him back to life. As he awakes something feels wrong, he feels Human. 

Stefan, Damon and Enzo are able to cross the border safely and turn to see Jo save Alaric. On the phone Stefan fills Caroline in on what happened, she tells him that she'll tell Elena something. When Elena returns Caroline tells her that while across the border, Mystic Fall's  stripped the magic off of Alaric, making him once again human, but before he died Jo saved him, meaning our favourite history teacher is permanently Human. Unfortunately this means that the compulsion is still in effect with Elena with a limited amount of options. 

Matt takes Sarah home and warns her to stop digging into her family. He tells her that Stefan and Damon are her relatives and that they're Vampires who only bring pain. They hear a sound coming from another room where they find Jeremy drunk trying to cancel Bonnie's phone but can't remember her pin. Scared that he's forgetting her Jeremy starts throwing glass across the room before crying into Matt's arms. 

In the hospital Alaric talks to Elena, he says how sorry he is that he can't compel back her memories, but she tells him that it was her choice and that all she wants is to look at Damon and know what she feels, she also says that Alaric isn't the one to compel them back, but that doesn't mean no one can give them back, there's more than one Original vampire out there. Could this be the focus of our crossover episode with the Originals?? 

After he hangs up Jo enters the room, she tells him that she's having him transferred to Whitmore where she can take care of him. He thanks her not only for saving him but for giving him his old life back. 

Elena has agreed to still meet Damon, but before he potentially loses everything he catches a drink with his brother. He tells Stefan that he's sick of people telling him how hard it was for Elena, it was hard for him too, and he doesn't want her to be happy without him. As Damon leaves Stefan see's Caroline walking down the street, and finally he makes the right decision to chase after her. Stefan asks what he needs to do for her to forgive him, he wants them to be friends again. He clearly doesn't understand what Caroline feels for him. She tells him that she doesn't want to be friends any more and walks away. It seems everyone except Stefan understands that it's because she wants more.