Tyler reviews the video of Mason’s transition while gathering supplies for his own first transition. He tries calling his uncle, who of course doesn’t answer. He leaves a message on his answering machine (because some people still had answering machines in 2010), and a woman hears him talking about about the full moon the next night.
At Gilbert Gables, Elena asks Bonnie what she’s going to do with the moonstone. Bonnie plans to neutralize it by figuring out how to remove the spell that binds the sun/moon curse to it. That, however, will make her a target for Klaus. Elena thinks they should shift priorities to getting Stefan out of the tomb, but Bonnie knows Stefan thinks this is more important.
Jeremy joins the girls, and things get awkward because of the Jeremy/Bonnie standstill. Jeremy asks his sister why she’s on a suicide mission. Elena says she’s trying to protect everyone else. He’s guessed that she wants to take the moonstone to Klaus and sacrifice herself, which isn’t the right way to safe her loved ones.
Alone in her bedroom, Elena steals the moonstone out of Bonnie’s bag, then says she’s going to see Stefan. Bonnie and Jeremy bust her and reveal that they were testing her. Elena reminds them that Klaus killed Katherine’s whole family because she ruined his plans. Elena’s not going to let that happen again. She starts to leave, but Bonnie has done a spell to keep her in the house.
Over at the tomb, Damon shares this news with Stefan as he gives him some supplies for his captivity. Stefan turns down his offer of blood since he doesn’t want Katherine to get any of it. Katherine thinks the Salvatores are too calm for people who are standing in the way of a psychopath’s plans. “I’ve been dead before. I got over it,” Damon says. He tells Stefan they’ll neutralize the moonstone, then get him out of the tomb. Again, Stefan is more concerned with Elena’s safety than his own.
Tyler tells Carol he’ll be home late that night. Translation: “I’m turning into a werewolf tonight and don’t know how long that’ll take, so don’t wait up.” As he’s leaving Lockwood Landing, the woman who heard his phone message shows up. She’s Jules, a friend of Mason’s, and she’s concerned because she hasn’t seen or heard from him. He’s not back in Florida like he said he was.
At the Grill, Jenna tells Alaric that Carol asked her to spend the day with a writer who wants information on the town’s history. Nearby, Tyler tells Caroline about Jules, and how her visit made Carol start worrying about Mason. Caroline gives Alaric a glance as they leave, as if to confirm that she’s doing what she’s supposed to be doing.
Damon lets himself into Gilbert Gables to keep Elena company/babysit while she’s on house arrest. He admits that he didn’t tell Stefan that Elijah’s not dead. Stefan can’t do anything about that anyway, so there’s no point in adding to his stress. The two of them and Elena discuss where everyone is: Bonnie’s MIA, and Caroline offered to look after Tyler during the full moon.
Alaric calls to tell Damon that Liz has declared Mason a missing person. Damon decides to ditch Elena duty so he can meet up with Alaric to discuss this new problem. You know it’s serious if Damon’s willingly giving up the opportunity to spend the day with Elena. He teases that she should go out and enjoy the sun. Elena throws a pillow at him and shoves Jeremy off the couch when he laughs at her.
Caroline tries to reassure Tyler that Mason’s fine as they head to the old Lockwood cellar. Jules calls someone to report that Mason lied, and there’s another werewolf, Tyler. She goes to the Grill and chats with Matt (this is the only thing he gets to do in the whole episode) as Damon and Alaric watch from across the room. They wonder if she’s a werewolf. Damon has brought alone some wolfsbane to help them find out.
Tyler chains himself up in the cellar, and Caroline provides some wolfsbane so he can try to weaken himself. She asks how he’s doing. “Still human,” he replies. He starts stripping so his clothes won’t rip when he transitions. Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy looking at his abs, Caroline.
Bonnie returns Luka’s necklace to him, and he blasts her for channeling him, then quickly forgives her. She admires his and Jonas’ collection of grimoires. Luka says that Jonas believes all witches are family, “bonded together by a code of loyalty.” Bonnie guesses that’s why Luka’s been so nice to her. She asks if he knows how to break the bond between a spell and a talisman.
Alaric plays drunk and flirts with Jules, who isn’t interested. Damon comes to her rescue, then distracts her while Alaric slips powdered wolfsbane into her drink. In the tomb, Katherine taunts Stefan for being “pious” in his decision not to feed while they’re stuck together. She tells him how horrible and painful it is to desiccate. Stefan’s looking forward to it, at least to the extent that she’ll suffer, too.
Katherine asks him to help her take off her dress, since she’s been wearing it for days, but Stefan isn’t tempted by the sight of more of her skin. Next, she tries to get under HIS skin by saying that Damon’s in no rush to rescue him, since he has Elena all to himself. Stefan should feel free to do whatever he wants with Katherine. She kisses him and takes off his shirt, and they start making out. Don’t worry, it’s just a dream. Katherine got in Stefan’s head while he was sleeping. “Maybe I can do eternity in here after all,” she says.
Jenna digs through Miranda’s files from the historical society so she can show them to the writer she’s helping. Surprise – the “writer” is Elijah. He pretends he’s meeting Elena for the first time. She’s so spooked that she doesn’t say anything to him or Jenna. He pointedly thanks Jenna for inviting him into her home, then tells Elena he hopes to see her again sometime. As soon as she’s alone, Elena races upstairs to warn Jeremy, but Elijah zooms up and warns her to be quiet. When Jeremy comes to his door, Elena just sends him to help Jenna with the boxes of files.
Back at the Grill, Damon chats with Jules, waiting for her to take a drink. She mentions that she’s looking for Mason, and Damon’s all, “Oh, yeah, I know Mason! He’s awesome! What an awesome guy, that Mason!” When Jules still won’t drink, Damon shoots Alaric a look across the room, like, “Can you believe our brilliant plan isn’t working out?”
It’s almost 8:00, so Tyler has a while before the moon crests and his transition begins. He thinks he’ll be a wolf for a few hours, but he’s not sure. There’s a lot Mason’s records don’t cover. He drinks some diluted wolfsbane, even though it’s painful. Caroline tries to comfort him.
Elena takes Elijah to her bedroom for a private conversation. He tells her that he stopped Klaus’ minions from taking her because he can’t have anyone else know where she is. Klaus has a lot of followers who would love to bring him the doppelganger. Elena’s confused, since it seems like Elijah wants Klaus to get access to her. Elijah clarifies that his goal isn’t to break the curse.
Klaus only trusts people in his close circle, and Elijah isn’t one of those people anymore. Elena realizes that Elijah doesn’t know where Klaus is – he’s trying to use her to draw Klaus out. Elijah wants her to stay put so she’ll be safe. Elena asks how she can trust that Elijah doesn’t want to hurt her loved ones. He says that if he did, he would have done it already, and they’d be on their way to see Klaus. Instead, he wants to make a deal. For now, Elena will do nothing. When the time is right, Elijah will take her to Klaus and ensure that her loved ones aren’t harmed. Then he’ll kill Klaus.
Elena still doesn’t believe Elijah, who promises that he’s a man of his word. She asks how he’ll keep her loved ones safe. Elijah says he has witch friends who can offer them protection. Do they have a deal? Elena contemplates it, then says she needs something before she agrees.
Bonnie and Luka go to the roof of a building downtown so they can have a clear view of the moon while they neutralize the moonstone. She decides not to give him any details on why it’s significant. They do a spell together, making the moonstone levitate, then explode. The pieces rain down on them like sparks.
Tyler’s anxiety is peaking as he waits for his transition to begin. He urges Caroline to leave, but she doesn’t want him to be alone. He starts transforming, his bones breaking.
Damon continues talking to Jules, finally just saying straight out that she hasn’t had any of her drink. She starts to take a sip, then slams down her glass and tells Damon he’s a fool. He tells her that she’s not going to find Mason, and she should just leave town. She says again that he’s an idiot, since he’s ticking her off during a full moon. Alaric comes back over as Damon tells Jules he’s not afraid of her. She says he should be – she knows he’s a vampire, and he should know better than to pick a fight with her.
Caroline’s at a loss for how to help Tyler as he continues his transition. He tells her again to leave, not wanting to hurt her. She refuses again. Damon and Alaric leave the Grill, Damon complaining that Jules tried to intimidate him. Alaric reminds him that he doesn’t want to test out the myth that werewolf bites kill vampires. They can deal with Jules in the morning.
Caroline holds Tyler and continues not to listen to his orders to leave. His eyes change and his fangs come out, and Caroline realizes she’s not safe with him anymore. She locks him in the cellar by closing a gate, then secures the heavy door that will protect her if the gate fails to contain him. He finally goes full wolf, breaching the gate and trying to get through the door. Caroline has to run before he gets too close.
Damon goes home, paranoid that Jules is waiting for him. She’s not, but Rose is. She apologizes for helping Elena get in touch with Klaus, then admits that she came because she has nowhere else to close. Damon says he can’t offer her anything. They hear a window breaking and realize there’s a wolf in the house. It attacks Rose, biting her shoulder. Damon stabs it with a sword and makes it run off. To Rose and Damon’s surprise, the bite quickly starts fading. They guess the story about bites being fatal to vampires was a myth after all.
Luka goes home to Jonas with the news that he fooled Bonnie with his light show. They now have the moonstone. Jonas says Elijah wants them to do one more thing while the moon is still full.
In the tomb, Katherine wants to chat, but Stefan really has nothing to say to her. She asks if he expects her to apologize. She’s not sorry for the things she did to keep herself alive. She does love him, though. Stefan challenges her to prove that there’s something in her that’s worth trusting. Katherine doesn’t see the point – he’ll still hate her. He says he might see a reason for hope instead.
She accuses him of playing her but rises to the occasion anyway. She claims she can help the gang find Klaus. Stefan knows she’ll want something in return. Katherine suggests that he talk to Isobel, since she used to be so into research. After all, she found Katherine.
There’s a loud noise at the entrance to the tomb, and Stefan and Katherine go out to find Elijah there. He greets Katherine as Katerina and tells her she’s smart to be afraid. He then tells Stefan that Elena negotiated his release from the tomb. Thanks to Elijah’s two witches, the spell has been lifted. That doesn’t mean Katherine is free to go, though. Elijah compels her not to leave the tomb until he says she can. He wants her there when Klaus comes to get her. Elijah tells Stefan that Elena will fill him in on their deal. If she keeps her part of it, Elijah will, too. Katherine begs Stefan not to leave her there alone. Stefan just says goodbye and leaves.
Caroline goes back to the cellar to check on Tyler. There’s a lot of destruction, but he’s quiet – he’s human again. (Music: “Longest Night,” Howie Day) She rushes to him, proud of him for making it through his first transformation. Stefan surprises Elena in her room and they reunite happily. I think it’s safe to say they’re not broken up anymore.
At Vamp Villa, Damon tells Rose that Caroline said Tyler was locked up all night. Jules must have been the wolf who attacked her. Damon apologizes for picking a fight with her and riling her up, but Rose isn’t upset, since everything turned out fine. She tells him she’s going to stick around and help him protect Elena. It’s partly because she likes him, but they’re just friends. JUST FRIENDS. Friends who make out, but okay. Rose says she doesn’t fall for men who love other women. As they start to go at it, she feels pain in her shoulder. Her werewolf bite hasn’t healed after all.
Significant item update: Jonas has the moonstone.
Etc.: Mike Daniels, who wrote this episode, is married to Michaela McManus (Jules).
I like the idea of a magical timeout. “You make bad decisions – you’re on house arrest until you stop being reckless.”
I obviously get not telling Jenna about the supernatural because a) she might not believe it and b) it’s dangerous, but it might be worth it if it’ll stop her from inviting villains into the house.
I also get that a werewolf transition takes a long time, but they didn’t need to show so much of it. I would have preferred more scenes of Katherine messing with Stefan.
Why would Jules come to Mystic Falls during a full moon, when she doesn’t have a place to safely make her transition? Why not wait until the next day? Mason’s already been gone for a while; another day wouldn’t make a difference.
An Eternity of Misery 