Posted by Abby | February 8, 2012, 11:39 (EST) | 1 Comment
Category: TV Series

Previously on The Vampire Diaries, the witches were working overtime, there was a distinct lack of brotherly love and Mystic Falls parental problems were off the charts. Forget keeping a journal, what this town needs is some full time family therapists!

There was an awful lot going on in this episode, but the many dedicated recappers out there have done their part to make sure nobody misses a single detail.

• Erin Frazee, The Voice Of TV: I would LOVE to be a guest at this dinner party. It would be like a dream meal. Damon making Stefan use his fake smile, winking at Elijah, Klaus flashing that evil grin. Delightful.
• Price Peterson, tv.com: That’s a long way of saying this was a solid episode. Tons of good stuff. Almost TOO MUCH good stuff? Like, maybe I missed some of the good stuff because there was good stuff that accidentally slipped between my couch cushions or something? It’s all right, I’ll find it later. But let’s jump in on what we got!
• Andy Swift, Hollywood Life: Bonnie told Abby she used to pretend she was dead to alleviate the pain of her abandonment. Tears ensued. I’m looking forward to seeing those two work out their issues, but I can’t shake the feeling that Abby getting her powers back is not the great idea everyone thinks it is.
• Crissy Calhoun, vampire-diaries.net: How else to describe Elijah’s return than ‘delightful’? Everything about it — from the opening scene to his rendezvous with Damon to the Salvatores’ uncertainty of whether they could trust him to the final reveal — was pure Elijah goodness. He may have a new haircut, but he’s still our original Original.
• Debbie McDuffee, CliqueClack: The theme running throughout tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries was “family above all” — how interesting that it was the wicked, conniving, backstabbing family that stated this.
• Carrie Raisler, The AV Club: Sometimes, The Vampire Diaries puts out an episode that adheres to normal standards of television pacing, where the audience gets a chance to digest each moment before moving on. Other times, like in tonight’s absolutely breakneck “Bringing Out The Dead”, the show rips through half a season’s worth of story in the span of one episode, trusting the audience will be able to keep up.
• Crystal Bell, HuffPost TV: Are you still breathing? Because I’m not so sure that I’ve regained full use of my lungs yet. Bravo, Joseph Morgan.
• Diana Steenbergen, IGN TV: Meanwhile Elena and Alaric had to deal with a new threat, or at least one that was new to them. We already had seen that the medical examiner had been murdered recently, but when it was further revealed that he was killed using one of Elena’s family’s weapons, the mystery became finding out who was doing the attacking. I laughed at Elena’s reasoning that Alaric’s new love interest, Dr. Fell, couldn’t have had anything to do with it because she didn’t want to believe that his luck with women would be “that tragic.” This is Mystic Falls Elena, everyone’s luck is that tragic.
• SB, Off-Color TV: OBVIOUSLY the best part of this episode was the Klaus/Elijah/Damon/Stefan dinner. Oh my GOD. I would absolutely watch a show of nothing but those four sitting around the table.
• Cassie Title, Hollywood Crush: Someone is killing the good citizens (Founders Council members) of Mystic Falls with vampire-killing weapons. Which belong to the Gilberts. Which have Elena’s fingerprints on them. What?! Yeah.
• Carina MacKenzie, Zap2it: When Stefan and Damon have their post-game chat in the woods, Damon ignores a call from Elena. Klaus has gotten to him, and he’s realizing the trouble he could potentially bring to Elena’s life. I can hear all those ‘shipper hearts breaking, but I actually think that Damon distancing himself from Elena, even for a brief time, shows how much he loves her. Of course, she might not feel that way when he starts getting his kicks elsewhere, but for now, it’s very unselfish of him.
• Dianne Sylvan, CrazyBeautiful: Caroline and Elena’s ensuing conversation about her father is pretty heartbreaking, due mostly to Candice Accola, who is a magical unicorn made of wonderful.
• E. Reagan, The TV Chick: We then have some of the ultimate sadness with Caroline and Daddy saying goodbye to each other. She wants him to change his mind. He can’t because it’s against his beliefs and stuff; people shouldn’t cheat death.
• Gale, Iphignia939: Seeing Klaus just duck his head like “just kill me already” hurt for a reason I don’t care to look at too closely. Goddamit, show, if you make me like Klaus–
• Matt Richenthall, TV Fanatic: And what about that offer Klaus made to Stefan and Damon? He’ll protect Elena forever? She can marry Matt, live a normal life? Granted, she should likely get a say in this plan, but what about it, Salvatores? If you truly love Elena – as you admitted to each other later in the episode – you must admit that you are not her safest options.
• Emma Fraser, TV Overmind: Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) now seem to be able to work together in an effective manner even if the snarky comments are still there to some degree. Their relationship has always been one of the most interesting to me, especially when they can’t quite figure out the others motives.
• Charlie Jane Anders, io9: Stefan finally admits that he still loves Elena — which was sort of obvious, from how pissy he’s been to Damon lately. But even if he’s been telegraphing it for a while, his admission is still fascinating.
• Thomas Galvin, Thomas Galvin Blog: Stefan Salvatore: Oh, I see how it is. A guy goes on one six month murder spree, leaving a trail of bodies that would make the worst human serial killers in history bleed with jealous, then spends a couple of months playing henchman to the guy responsible for all of the terror and torment you’ve suffered over the last two and a half seasons, then kidnaps you and threatens to murder you in the same way your parents died, and suddenly he’s the prime suspect in every little murder in town! Did you even ask Damon if he staked the guy?
• Kristen and David from ThinkHero: Video recap! Click the link or watch below.

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