What. an. episode. So many great developments unfolded in last night’s episode of The Vampire Diaries we can hardly believe it. Check out our recap, watch a promo for next week, and chat with fellow fans.
It has been a long two weeks since The Vampire Diaries season 5, episode 9, “Dead Man on Campus” aired, but last night’s episode more than made up for the wait. And now for the recap.
‘The Vampire Diaries’ season 5, episode 9, ‘The Cell’ recap:
- Flashback to 1953. Damon made a visit home to the Salvatore mansion just to be turned in for money to the Augustine vampire. No wonder Damon has trust issues.
- Back in the present, Wes locks Damon in a cell, using him as a replacement for Jesse, AKA the vampire Elena slayed last episode.
- Katherine is journaling, and it is the best diary segment we have ever had on the show. We would totally read her diary.
- Katherine called Caroline in to help with Stefan’s recovery from his safe-drowning PTSD. Good call Katherine. Caroline to the rescue!
- Elena pays Aaron a visit and he is clearly dealing with the same grief issues that Elena has struggled with in the past.
- Did he just stab Damon in the eye? That is just wrong. Damon’s reminisces are definitely going to bring the creep factor this episode.
- Aaron and Elena are on a mission to find Dr. Wes and Elena fills him in on the suspicious circumstances behind Megan’s death.
- Aaron’s last name is Whitmore, making him the owner of the house (the college too) and after he invites Elena into the Whitmore house, she sees her father in a picture on the mantel. Shortly afterward Dr. Wes comes out of nowhere and jabs Elena in the neck with vervain. Aaron looks on in horror, as is to be expected.
- Back in Mystic Falls, Caroline brings over the safe and tells Stefan that she is going to try her hand at helping him get over his PTSD.
- Dr. Wes lets Aaron in on all his secrets, and Aaron is taking it all in rather easily. Maybe this is the explanation he has been waiting for.
- Elena is locked in the cell next to Damon and he fills her in on his experiences with the Augustines.
- The last time Damon was in this cell he made a friend named Enzo.
- Elena breaks it to Damon that she just discovered that her father was a member of the very society that tortured him all those years ago.
- In a surprising turn of events, Damon feels guilty for Elena’s capture. Surprise, surprise. He promises to get her out of there, and we all sigh collectively at his gallant pledge.
- Caroline and Katherine fight amongst themselves while Stefan begins to drown in the safe, without water. He becomes panicked and passes out, effectively drowning on dry land.
- Okay, so Damon’s flashbacks are particularly gruesome. It must have been really hard not to turn off his humanity during those grueling years, but Enzo kept him attached to the real world.
- And they are made to listen to their vampire brethren being tortured. And to think that back in season 1, we thought the council was bad.
- Damon kept his years as a captive at Whitmore College a secret from Stefan to spare him from the guilt. No matter what kind of monster Damon may be, he really does try to do right by his brother.
- Enzo proposes that one of them drink both rations of blood for a year, making one of them significantly stronger for when they were brought up out of the basement for the New Year’s Eve party. Sounds like a solid plan.
- Dr. Wes tells Aaron about his parents’ true killer and when he gets his opportunity, Aaron hits Wes across the face, steals the keys and leaves.
- Stefan wakes up to see that Katherine is locked in the safe with him. He is worried that he might hurt her, but Caroline insists that he has to overcome his demons.
- Damon tells Elena about his grand escape in 1958. He broke his own fingers to escape the manacles and killed every member of the Augustine society that was present at the time.
- When a fire broke out in the chaos, Damon turned off his emotions and walked out of the burning building. He left Enzo to die, having no other options at his disposal. He has definitely had his share of rough times, he just doesn’t tell anyone his darkest secrets.
- Stefan is having quite the difficulty getting through his issues, but Katherine does the selfless thing (we know, crazy right?) and puts her life literally on the line for him.
- Aaron finds his way into the basement of the Whitmore house and threatens Elena with a gun, accusing her of all the crimes that have been committed against him and his family by vampires.Damon then admits to killing Aaron’s parents. He has been killing generation after generation of Whitmores, leaving one child alive to carry on the name, so he could continue killing them over and over again for their crimes against him.
- Stefan and Katherine have a little bonding moment together, which soon turns into a crazy make-out session. This definitely throws a wrench into the Elena and Stefan doppelganger destiny thing. Caroline overhears while leaving Elena a message, and she can’t wait to tell Elena all the dirt.
- Next time we see Aaron, he is at the house after just having put a bullet in Damon’s head. Dr. Wes tells him to go on living his life normally, now wearing the protective watch.
- When Damon wakes from the bullet wound, Elena is no longer in her cell. She is upstairs, strapped down to a gurney ready for testing where she meets Enzo, who apparently survived the fire, and is also strapped down.
So many great twists in this episode, we can’t even begin to think what we might learn next week when The Vampire Diaries season 5 returns with episode 10, “Fifty Shades of Grayson.” It seems that Elena may be learning more than she ever wanted to know about her adoptive father.
