Caroline has news for Stefan and Damon: She saw Katherine at the Grill. We see a flashback, with Caroline stopping by the restaurant to supposedly use the bathroom, but really so she has an excuse to run into Matt. In the restroom, Katherine corners her, pretending to be Elena, but Caroline knows Elena’s home so this has to be the other doppelganger. Katherine orders her to tell the Salvatores to give her the moonstone or she’ll start killing people. They need to hand it over that night, at the masquerade ball.
Stefan guesses that Mason’s death threw Katherine off her game. Damon thinks she’s out of tricks; making Jenna hurt herself was a desperate act. Caroline thinks they should just give Katherine the moonstone so she’ll leave town. Damon declares that he’ll kill Katherine at the ball. Stefan objects, but only because he wants to be the one to kill her.
Matt helps Elena and Jeremy take Jenna home after an overnight hospital stay. They’ve somehow managed to convince her that she walked into a knife. Jeremy asks Elena what they’re going to do to get revenge on Katherine. Elena says they won’t do anything – she and Stefan are already giving Katherine what she wants by breaking up. She’s won, so this is over. Jeremy tells her she’s naïve.
Katherine has gone on a shopping spree, and she gets Ms. Flowers, the owner of the bed and breakfast where she’s staying, to help her carry in her bags. A witch named Lucy is waiting in Katherine’s room, not to attack her but because Katherine asked her to come for a visit. They’ll be attending the ball together.
Bonnie joins the rest of the gang (minus Elena) at Vamp Villa, where Jeremy tells her that they’re going to kill Katherine. Stefan says he can explain. “We’re…gonna kill Katherine,” is the explanation. Yeah, that clears everything up. Alaric is demonstrating his weapon collection like a salesman trying to make a deal. The guys are into it, but the girls are concerned.
Back at the bed and breakfast, Katherine straightens her hair so she can try to impersonate Elena again. She complains that her doppelganger has horrible taste. “Except in men,” Lucy murmurs. Whee! Katherine thinks she’s gotten good enough at mimicking Elena to pass for her in front of the whole town. It’ll help that she’ll be wearing a mask.
Lucy asks if Katherine has actually seen the moonstone that she wants Lucy to help her get her hands on. She realizes that Katherine wants her to break the curse. Katherine says the first step is just to get it. Lucy’s here for backup because Katherine knows the Salvatores won’t just hand it over.
Bonnie tries to convince Stefan that trying to kill Katherine is too risky. Stefan is willing to take the risk in order to get rid of Katherine. They can’t let her hurt someone else like she hurt Jenna. Stefan thinks he has the element of surprise here since Katherine won’t expect him to do anything at a party full of people. Bonnie agrees to do a spell that will trap her, like the one that sealed her in the tomb. Then they can isolate her from all the innocent party guests.
Elena and Matt are still at Gilbert Gables, where she plans to have a quiet evening. He’s going to the masquerade ball, saying he has something to do – something he can’t talk about. He assures her that she and Stefan will work things out and get back together. Elena disagrees, since there’s too much about them that will never work.
Back at Vamp Villa, the rest of the gang finalizes their plans. Alaric will be staying at Gilbert Gables to keep an eye on Elena so she doesn’t find out what the others are up to. Stefan gives everyone the chance to back out if they don’t want to participate. Damon guesses that Caroline will chicken out, but she’s eager to get revenge on the person who killed her. She just hopes there won’t be any werewolves around. Damon says he took care of Mason, so, as Jeremy points out, as long as Tyler doesn’t kill anyone and activate his curse, they’re wolf-free. Stefan double-checks that Bonnie’s on board, and though she’s reluctant, she’s in. Tonight, Katherine will die.
The town gathers at Lockwood Landing for the masquerade ball. Tyler apologizes to Carol for being a jerk lately, then asks if she’s heard from Mason since he supposedly left town. Carol doubts that he’ll keep in touch. Tyler thinks they should have canceled the party, but the ball was Richard’s favorite annual event, so Carol wanted to continue the tradition. She knows Tyler feels abandoned by his father after his death. She doesn’t want him to feel alone.
Katherine and Lucy arrive, and Matt mistakes Katherine for Elena. She reminds him of his compelled orders to get Tyler drunk, start a fight, and egg him on until he kills Matt. Katherine is resigned to the fact that this means she’ll have to say goodbye to her new crush and his pretty blue eyes.
The Salvatores scan the crowd for Katherine, discussing how they can’t hesitate to take her out. Stefan isn’t sure Damon’s as sure of himself as he pretends to be. Matt and Tyler hang out with Aimee and Sarah in Richard’s office, doing shots before joining the party.
Bonnie and Jeremy stake out a room upstairs where they can trap Katherine. (Heh. Stake out. ‘Cause they’re gonna stake her. I made a funny.) They chat about Bonnie’s magic skills; she’s mostly been testing her skills with spells that are helpful instead of harmful. Jeremy thinks it’s awesome that she’s a full-fledged witch. Bonnie knows the dark side of being magical – things normally haven’t ended well for witches. But she’s going to help tonight because she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt.
Elena gets suspicious when Jenna tells her that Jeremy went to the masquerade ball. She asks Alaric if something’s going on, since the gang has been avoiding her all day, and now Jeremy’s gone to a party he wouldn’t ordinarily want to go to. Alaric plays innocent, so Elena says she’ll go to the party, too. He tells her Stefan asked him to babysit her in case Katherine showed up while he’s at the party. Now Elena knows something fishy’s going on, because there’s no way Stefan would go to the ball alone. Alaric tells her to let this go.
Bonnie and Jeremy go back downstairs to tell Stefan and Damon that the room is ready. Bonnie senses that something’s strange and approaches Lucy, curious that they might have a connection. Lucy says she’s someone’s plus-one and doesn’t know anyone there.
Out on the lawn, Stefan finally spots Katherine. (Music: “Head Over Heels,” Digital Daggers covering Tears for Fears) She asks him to dance, and when he turns her down, she threatens to kill someone. He reluctantly dances with her and asks her why she’s doing all this. Katherine asks after Jenna, surprised that she survived her stabbing. Stefan says he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt tonight. Katherine says they won’t if he gives her the moonstone.
He doesn’t have it with him, so he tells Katherine to come with him to get it. Instead, Katherine instructs him to bring it to her, and she’ll try to keep her hands to herself and not shed any blood while she’s waiting. Stefan says they’ll only do this his way. Aimee joins them, looking for Matt. Katherine admires her necklace, then moves behind her, supposedly to untwist it. Instead, she paralyzes Aimee, then kills her. She reminds Stefan that this is all about the moonstone.
Elena pretends she’s going up to bed, then slips out of Gilbert Gables. Back at Lockwood Landing, Stefan tells Damon that they need to call off their plan. Damon refuses – Katherine ruined their lives. Tonight, they’re ending her reign of terror. He’s sure that together, the two of them can pull this off. Outside, Jeremy invites Bonnie to dance until they’re needed for the next part of the plan. Bonnie responds like that’s the craziest idea she’s ever heard. It doesn’t matter, since just then, Damon texts to tell her it’s time to move.
Lucy confronts Katherine for not giving her the heads up that there would be another witch at the party. She’s worried that Bonnie will figure out she’s involved in Katherine’s plot. Katherine reminds Lucy that they’re friends, and she needs to stick to their plan or lose out on the benefits of that friendship (which are, I’m guessing, Katherine allowing Lucy to live).
Jeremy approaches them and asks to talk to his “sister” alone. He gives Katherine a message from Stefan letting her know that he and Damon want to meet her by the lake to give her the moonstone. Katherine drops her Elena act and asks why they’re using Jeremy as a messenger. He says it’s because he’s not afraid of her. Katherine comments that Gilbert men are courageous. By the way, how’s John’s hand? Jeremy doesn’t look so courageous anymore. As Katherine heads off and Jeremy goes back to the house, Elena grabs him to ask what’s going on.
Caroline sees Matt and Sarah having fun together, and she and her ex exchange looks that say they don’t completely hate each other. Caroline gets a text from Jeremy telling her it’s her turn. On her way upstairs, Katherine ambushes her and demands to know what the Salvatores are up to. She knows better than to go out to the lake to meet with them. Caroline admits that the guys are plotting to kill her. Bonnie is upstairs with the moonstone.
Outside, Bonnie and Jeremy tell Elena everything, insisting that they know what they’re doing. Elena doesn’t want her brother and friends to risk their lives because of her. Jeremy says Katherine’s messed with all of them, so this isn’t just about Elena. Inside, Katherine takes Caroline upstairs so Caroline can show her the room where Bonnie’s supposedly hiding with the moonstone. It’s actually the room Bonnie’s spelled to trap Katherine inside. Caroline’s proud of herself for fooling her tormentor. Stefan and Damon are waiting there to finish Katherine off.
But there’s a snag in their plan: When Damon shoots a stake into Katherine’s back, Elena cries out in pain and starts bleeding. It happens again when Stefan stabs Katherine in the arm. Bonnie realizes that Elena and Katherine are linked – everything happening to Katherine is also happening to Elena. She sends Jeremy to tell the guys to stop trying to kill Katherine.
Katherine’s doing a pretty good job of protecting herself, even though she’s outnumbered and the guys have Alaric’s fancy weapons. She even comes close to staking Damon. Just as he’s about to finish her off, Jeremy announces that they have to stop or they’ll hurt Elena. Katherine boasts that her witch is better than their witch.
Stefan tells Jeremy to go check on Elena. Annoyed that Elena’s the only one people care about, Katherine cuts herself so Elena will feel it. Bonnie can’t break the connection, but she knows a spell that will relieve some of Elena’s pain. Katherine is about to stab herself when Damon stops her, ready for a negotiation. Jeremy rejoins Bonnie and Elena, telling them that Katherine confirmed that she’s working with a witch. Bonnie realizes it’s Lucy and goes to find her. Jeremy offers Elena his Gilbert ring, just in case, but she won’t take it if it means he’ll be at risk.
Since the sealing spell isn’t specific to just Katherine, the Salvatores are stuck in the room with her. She says it’s just like old times – she’s with one brother who loved her too much and one who didn’t love her enough. She wonders what happened to turn Damon into the mean, snarky person he is, since he used to be nice and sweet. He tells her that Damon died a long time ago. She’s happy, since that guy was boring. Stefan advises the two of them to stop baiting each other.
Katherine asks for the moonstone. Stefan wants to know why she wants it. Katherine changes the subject back to Elena, wondering if she enjoys having both Salvatores worship her. Stefan says she’s being transparent and they won’t fall for her attempt to turn them against each other. Katherine doubles down, telling him that Damon’s obviously in love with Elena. (Heh. Doubles down. ‘Cause she and Elena are doubles. I made another funny.) She knows she can say whatever she wants because Stefan can’t hurt her right now. She suggests that Damon kiss her so Elena will feel it, too.
Stefan asks why Katherine was working with Mason. Breaking the sun/moon curse would give werewolves more power, and they would just use it to kill vampires. What was Katherine going to get out of that partnership? Damon fake-apologizes for killing her “pet wolf”: “You should have kept him on a tighter leash.” Katherine says she’ll remember that for next time. After all, Mason wasn’t the only werewolf in town.
Tyler, Matt, Aimee, and Sarah are back in Richard’s office, drunk and getting drunker. Matt spills booze on the carpet, then on a picture of Richard. He doesn’t get why Tyler’s mad, since Richard was a jerk. Tyler tries to grab the picture from him, but Matt smacks him in the head and reminds him that his father was abusive. Tyler tries to keep his cool, even when Matt starts shoving him. Eventually, Matt tackles him and starts beating him up.
Caroline hears the commotion from elsewhere in the house and runs in to separate the guys. Since Matt’s been compelled not to stop until Tyler’s dead, he won’t listen to her when she tells him to cut it out. She winds up punching him out, not quite familiar yet with how much strength she has as a vampire.
It would seem like Katherine’s plan failed, but if we’ve learned anything about her by now, it’s that she always has something else in the works. She’s compelled Sarah to complete Matt’s mission if he failed. She goes after Tyler with a letter opener, stabbing him in the shoulder. He shoves her away and she hits her head on Richard’s desk and blacks out. Unlike when she fell down the stairs, this time she’s not faking. Sarah’s dead, and Tyler’s now a triggered werewolf.
Still waiting upstairs for the connection spell to be lifted, Stefan figures out that Katherine gave George Lockwood the moonstone in exchange for help faking her death. Katherine’s like, “And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that meddling Damon.” His obsession with her has really ruined her plans.
Stefan just can’t figure out why Katherine wants the moonstone back now. And how did she have it in the first place? Why did she fake her death in 1864? Who was she trying to hide from? Katherine tries to distract him by saying she saw him and Lexi in Chicago at a Bon Jovi concert in 1987. She’s been keeping an eye on him over the years. Undistracted, Stefan asks again who Katherine was running from in 1864. She doesn’t respond.
Downstairs, Bonnie finds Lucy and asks why she’s at the party. Lucy says she should have known she’d encounter a Bennett. She has nothing against Bonnie; she just wants to help Katherine get the moonstone. Bonnie tells her to lift the connection spell. Lucy says she has to repay a debt she owes Katherine for saving her life. Bonnie grabs her arm, and Lucy senses that Bonnie has the moonstone. The lights start to flicker, I guess from the combination of their powers. Lucy promises that Bonnie can trust her and tries to convince her to hand over the moonstone.
Damon waits until Katherine’s off-guard and grabs her, planning to hold on to her until the connection spell is lifted and he can stake her. Unworried, Katherine just comments that he’s hot and wonders when he got that way. Lucy arrives with the moonstone and announces that the spell keeping the vampires in the room has been broken. She expects that when she gives Katherine the moonstone, her debt will be considered paid. Katherine agrees.
Lucy hands her the moonstone, and suddenly Katherine starts gasping for breath. Lucy seems to have spelled it to get revenge for Katherine’s failure to warn her that a Bennett witch would be at the party. She assures Stefan that the connection spell has been lifted, so Elena’s fine. As Katherine collapses, Lucy apologizes to the Salvatores for her involvement in what Katherine pulled tonight.
Caroline gives Carol a cover story for what happened to Sarah: She and Matt were fighting, and Sarah tripped and hit her head. She completely leaves Tyler out of it. Carol believes the story and seems to expect that Liz will, too. After she leaves, Caroline tells Tyler that she’ll deal with Matt and make sure he’s not connected to what happened. Tyler asks why she’s fixing his mess. Caroline knows that Sarah’s death was accidental, and she understands what it means for Tyler. She notes that his wound from the letter opener has already healed. Tyler realizes that Caroline knows more about his situation than even he does.
Bonnie finds Lucy again and asks how she knew she could trust Lucy with the moonstone. Lucy asks if she’s ever felt that feeling before. Bonnie says she gets it around family, especially Sheila. Lucy reveals that they’re cousins of some kind. Seeing Bonnie tonight made Lucy realize that she has to stop letting vampires control her. Bonnie has questions about how to stay out of vampires’ schemes, but Lucy thinks that Bonnie, as a good witch, is right where she needs to be. She promises she’ll see Bonnie again. (Spoiler: She won’t, or at least not on screen.)
Jeremy offers Bonnie a ride home, and she asks when he got his driver’s license. He tells her he’s not a kid anymore. I guess falling for a vampire and getting temporarily killed by another one makes you grow up fast.
Stefan finds Elena by the lake and encourages her to see a doctor for her spell-inflected wounds. He confirms that Katherine’s been taken care of, but Elena isn’t ready to jump back into their relationship. She needs to make sure the people she loves are safe first. She needs to feel safe herself. Stefan understands.
Katherine wakes up in the place she was thought to have been for the past 145 years: the tomb. The moonstone is on the ground next to her. Once again, a Bennett witch has done a spell to keep the tomb’s inhabitants inside. Damon tells Katherine she should have learned her lesson about messing with Bennett witches. Katherine says that he should have killed her, but he replies that “death would have been too kind” for her.
She begs him not to close the tomb door, claiming that he needs her help because Elena’s in danger. Damon asks where the danger’s coming from. When Katherine doesn’t respond, he figures she’s just lying again. She asks why he thinks she hasn’t killed Elena already. As the doppelganger, Elena needs to be protected. Damon says he’ll handle that while Katherine rots in Hell. She begs him for her freedom as he closes the door, seemingly finally rid of her.
On her way to the parking lot at Lockwood Landing, Elena calls Jeremy to tell him she’s heading home to bed. After she hangs up, someone in a mask comes up behind her, covers her mouth, and takes her away.
Keep in mind: Witches can link people to each other so one can feel whatever the other is experiencing.
Significant item update: Katherine has the moonstone (not that she can use it right now).
Etc.: Ms. Flowers is straight out of the book series, though she ran a boarding house that Stefan lived in.
The Bonnie/Jeremy stuff seems to just be the writers throwing things at the wall to see what works.
It’s a little disappointing that Tyler triggers his curse in exactly the way he almost triggered it a couple episodes ago. Like, there’s foreshadowing and then there’s what looks like the failure to come up with an original idea.
With Sheila gone, it would have been nice for Bonnie to have Lucy around to ask questions or get help from. Too bad that doesn’t happen.
I forgot that Alaric really has nothing to do in season 2, at least until it’s almost over.
An Eternity of Misery 