Network blurb: DANGEROUS LIAISONS — When Rebekah (Claire Holt) turns down Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) plea to stop Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and protect Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), Klaus turns to Stefan (Paul Wesley) for help. After an angry confrontation with her father, Mayor Hopkins (guest star Rick Worthy), over his unconventional approach to ending the violence in Mystic Falls, Bonnie (Kat Graham) has a frightening run-in with Kol, followed by an unexpected visitor. Klaus complicates the already tense feelings between Stefan and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) by revealing a bit of Stefan’s personal life, then surprises Damon by asking for personal advice. Elena (Nina Dobrev) tells Stefan about her dangerous plan for Jeremy, leaving Stefan in a difficult spot. When the high school’s 1980s Decade Dance is cancelled by Mayor Hopkins, Stefan finds a charming way to make it up to a disappointed Rebekah.

My recap: I think there are two things that have made this season so watchable and none of them has to do with the fact that Elena is a vampire now. The first thing that has made this season so intriguing is the evolution of Stefan Salvatore. Here is a vampire that has been put through the ringer since the day he was turned. Yet, over the course of four years we’ve seen him really deal with the insanity of dating a teenager. Through the highs and lows we always saw the moral Stefan as the only shining light in a sea of revolving door drama. Now, we see a guy that is at his wits end and all he can do is regress into a person that has to keep everyone at arm’s length, be a bit more brooding, be a bit more unstable and be a bit more dangerous. Happily, that is something that almost everyone likes. Yes, this is all done so he can get his old Elena back, but something is better than nothing.

As the episode started we see that he regrets his night with Rebekah, but that does not stop him from continuing the ruse to keep Rebekah interested. He needs what she has and that is a dagger that can kill an Original. He even goes as far as giving her the high school dance that she has wanted to badly. So, in tribute to John Hughes, Rebekah and Stefan roam around the empty halls of the school. When she realizes that all Stefan wants is the dagger, she hands it over… she is willing to allow her brother to die just so she can be human again. Seeing Rebekah get all misty and seeing Stefan wanting to help her… well… that was just good TV.

That leads me to the second reason why this season is memorable. The infamous “cure.” I consider it the supernatural version of National Treasure, with all of its twists and turns. Elena has it in her head that the only way to get ahead of the game is to have Jeremy kill Kol. Thus eliminating an Original and completing the bloody map on Jeremy. Of course, it becomes a bit more complicated, but they get the job done in true Kevin Williamson fashion. The twist though was Klaus’ reaction to his brother’s death. Yes, this just made our little cure seekers deal with their biggest obstacle on a new level.

The most fun part of the episode happened at the very end. Once Kol was offed, Damon was free to hug his kid, a.k.a. Elena. This is when Stefan walks in and just as Elena was rejoicing that two Originals were killed, Stefan fesses up that he could not do it and that Rebekah is on their side. This is when Damon dropped the bomb that Stefan and Rebekah were hooking up. Elena’s reaction was kind of hilarious. Here is a girl that is obviously still in love with her first love and can’t get why he has moved on with Rebekah and is now both defending and siding with her. This causes a little bit of an issue between the brothers Salvatore and Damon punches Stefan, but I can’t wait to see how everyone will work together, now that Jeremy’s map has completed itself.

Also, kudos to Bonnie for sticking to her guns in order to protect everyone as best as she can. This meant turning on her parents. That’s right, her Mom showed up. In a moment of classic teen defiance, she turned on her parents (who were trying to protect her from herself) and ran out of the house. Just like an after-school special.

Overall, this was a great episode. I think it was a highlight for this season and that is because all the characters that were featured in an episode got to shine.

Synopsis of Into the Wild: MYSTERIOUS ISLAND — Shane (guest star David Alpay) leads an expedition to a desolate island off the coast of Nova Scotia, where he believes the secret of the cure lies hidden. On the trek to the island’s interior, Rebekah (Claire Holt) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) continue their bitter rivalry, Stefan (Paul Wesley) does his best to keep the peace, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) accuses Shane of leading them into a trap. Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) try to figure out the message of the Hunter’s mark, while Shane reveals more of the legend of Silas and the witch Qetsiyah, along with his own personal history. Back in Mystic Falls, Tyler (Michael Trevino) confronts Klaus (Joseph Morgan), and Caroline (Candice Accola) is caught up in the violence that follows. Michael Allowitz directed the episode written by Caroline Dries (#413).

When Rebekah (Claire Holt) turns down Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) plea to stop Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and protect Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), Klaus turns to Stefan (Paul Wesley) for help. After an angry confrontation with her father, Mayor Hopkins (guest star Rick Worthy), over his unconventional approach to ending the violence in Mystic Falls, Bonnie (Kat Graham) has a frightening run-in with Kol, followed by an unexpected visitor. Klaus complicates the already tense feelings between Stefan and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) by revealing a bit of Stefan’s personal life, then surprises Damon by asking for personal advice. Elena (Nina Dobrev) tells Stefan about her dangerous plan for Jeremy, leaving Stefan in a difficult spot. When the high school’s 1980s Decade Dance is cancelled by Mayor Hopkins, Stefan finds a charming way to make it up to a disappointed.

Network Blurb: Klaus attempts to control Jeremy by threatening Matt’s life, leaving Jeremy furious. Damon provides guidance to Jeremy as he prepares to face off against Klaus’ new vampires, but they discover that Kol has beaten them to the task. Kol makes it obvious that he will not stop until everyone gives up the search for the cure. Rebekah, in search of a new ally, reminds Stefan that they were once close. Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Hopkins begin questioning Professor Shane about his role in the Founders’ Council deaths. Bonnie starts to ask questions of her own, and Shane’s answers push Bonnie to the edge of her powers. Elena makes a deal with Klaus to keep Jeremy safe but is forced to come up with her own plan after a new danger presents itself in the form of an unexpected enemy.

My Review: I have to admit the best bit of this episode was the fallout between the Stelena fans and Dalena fans. There has not been this much trash talking since Sookie had to deal with the affections of Bill, Eric and Alcide on True Blood.

Let me digress, last week Elena stomped on Stefan’s heart and kicked him to the curb so badly that I cheered Stefan on when (at the end of the episode) tells Elena that he no longer loves her. No prior to this Elena is taken aback by the fact that Stefan has been hanging out with his old squeeze, Rebekah and she had the audacity to act like Stefan was still expected to bend to her will. Really? When he uttered, “Do whatever you want, Elena. I really don’t care. You don’t know what I look like when I’m not in love with you.” Well, all I could do was clap. Because even though I think she would be okay with either of these two… I hated seeing the too emotional and too rational Stefan not getting his just deserts. So, when he went off to see Rebekah and finally got his deserts… I cheered.

Damon was also a shining star in this episode because he had to do everything possible to not kill Jeremy after compelled by Kol to get rid Jeremy. Kol is the only vampire that does not want the cure to be found, which deteriorated his relationship with his only sister even further. These Originals need therapy… where is Doctor Phil when you need him? Anyway, when everything seemed lost (Damon killing Jeremy), Stefan showed up and broke Damon’s neck, thus saving Jeremy. Of course, Stefan had to figure out what to do with Damon. So, he throw him into the basement and bled him dry and told him that he had to stay kaput until he no longer wants to off Jeremy.

Regarding Kol, well he is off to ruin another day, especially Jeremy’s days, which is what Klaus warned. Fun times in Mystic Falls.

Even though, there was no Caroline in this episode… we did have Bonnie and well, we learned that she was all kinds of special. As Shane stated, after Bonnie almost broke every bone in his body with her magic, she is prodigy. Yet, she is too emotionally unstable and a tad too immature to understand that she needs guidance. This is what Shane offered the new Mayor, Bonnie’s Dad. Will he take him up on the offer, only time will tell?

This leads us to next week’s episode, A View to a Kill:

Synopsis: DANGEROUS LIAISONS — When Rebekah turns down Klaus’ plea to stop Kol and protect Jeremy, Klaus turns to Stefan for help. After an angry confrontation with her father, Mayor Hopkins (guest star Rick Worthy), over his unconventional approach to ending the violence in Mystic Falls, Bonnie has a frightening run-in with Kol, followed by an unexpected visitor. Klaus complicates the already tense feelings between Stefan and Damon by revealing a bit of Stefan’s personal life, then surprises Damon by asking for personal advice. Elena tells Stefan about her dangerous plan for Jeremy, leaving Stefan in a difficult spot. When the high school’s 1980s Decade Dance is cancelled by Mayor Hopkins, Stefan finds a charming way to make it up to a disappointed Rebekah.

PRESS RELEASE

DANGEROUS LIAISONS — When Rebekah (Claire Holt) turns down Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) plea to stop Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and protect Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), Klaus turns to Stefan (Paul Wesley) for help. After an angry confrontation with her father, Mayor Hopkins (guest star Rick Worthy), over his unconventional approach to ending the violence in Mystic Falls, Bonnie (Kat Graham) has a frightening run-in with Kol, followed by an unexpected visitor. Klaus complicates the already tense feelings between Stefan and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) by revealing a bit of Stefan’s personal life, then surprises Damon by asking for personal advice. Elena (Nina Dobrev) tells Stefan about her dangerous plan for Jeremy, leaving Stefan in a difficult spot. When the high school’s 1980s Decade Dance is cancelled by Mayor Hopkins, Stefan finds a charming way to make it up to a disappointed Rebekah.