The Vampire Diaries: As I Lay Dying (Season 2, Episode 22)

Danger or romance? Is that the definition of Damon?

Elena watches her sexy brother as he sleeps before stepping mournfully into her aunt’s empty room. Damon arrives and apologizes for trying to make her into a vampire in order to keep her alive. She says she needs time to forgive him. He says of course. This may be their first normal conversation.

The music this season has been too cheesy, but this one still tugs at the heart strings. Damon takes off his ring and tries to commit suicide via sunlight. Stefan knocks him over and zips him into their dungeon. He says that Damon will not be dying today; he already has Bonnie looking for a cure. Stefan calls Alaric, who is REALLY an alcoholic now, to enlist him in saving Alaric’s best buddy, Damon.

I’m not displeased to see Klaus wake up naked. He says he can change into a wolf at will and remember every kill. Elijah seems somewhat happy to see him but wary about their deal. Elijah, like many brothers, has been cleaning up Klaus’s messes. Klaus just tells him to lighten up and seems to hope they’ll return to the old days. I’m glad these interesting oldies are in the final episode.

Jeremy, Elena, and Caroline acknowledge that they are screwed, but Caroline is chirpy and Elena says that she needs to participate in this Gone with the Wind movie party. Elsewhere: Hilarity! The mayor tells the sheriff that she’ll fire her if she doesn’t give her “results” in terms of keeping the town safe from vampires.

Bonnie and Stefan have a good bond. They go to the magical witch house, and Bonnie channels Emily who tells Stefan that there is no werewolf bite cure. Or is she only saying that because it’s Damon? They make it clear they don’t want Bonnie to abuse their power, and they mention Klaus.

I like that there are about three people watching Stefan and Elena.

Stefan adds to Elena’s pain by telling her that Damon is dying. To be fair, how mad would Elena be if Stefan kept this from her? Stefan notes that he is the one who changed Damon into a vampire, and he will help him by finding the very dangerous Klaus. He tells Elena to cheer Damon up; he knows she can give him hope.

Damon flashes back to Katherine’s seduction. A vision of Elena tells him that he had a choice; Katherine was toying with him, but he could have walked away. Is this a big moment in Damon’s moral development?

Stefan visits Katherine who is still stuck in Alaric’s apartment. She pushes him against the wall as Elijah and Klaus return. Klaus says that he will reunite Elijah with his family. Elijah says that Stefan knows how important family is. Elijah breaking his promise for his family compares to Stefan compromising his morals for his brother. Alas, Klaus stabs Elijah with the magic dagger. My first reaction is, “Klaus, I hate you, you cannot kill Elijah.” Then I remember that Elijah can be brought back to life. So Klaus pushes Stefan against the wall and seductively says, “Now, what am I going to do with you?” (Klaus and Elijah both seem bisexual to me. And why not? Wouldn’t it be boring to live for thousands of years and not be?)

Klaus enjoys torturing Stefan by stabbing him near the heart. Katherine says that Stefan’s just trying to help. Stefan says he’ll do anything Klaus wants if he gives him the cure. (!) Klaus pours himself a drink (of blood) and says that Stefan is just shy of useless. It sounds like he wants to turn him into a werepire.

Damon and Alaric share a beautiful scene. They drink together, Damon says his subconscious is haunting him, they drink more, and Damon tries to make Alaric hate and even kill him. Alaric simply says screw you and incapacitates Damon, who then says, “Elena?” Alaric clarifies that she isn’t here. He apparently doesn’t want to get mixed up with Damon’s crush.

Elena goes to the Salvatore mansion (which now belongs to her), and the Sheriff Forbes covers her mouth and says don’t make a sound. Alaric gets Damon more blood, but stupid Liz Forbes interrupts him as well, shuts him in the room, and steps into the dungeon with Damon. He says, “Liz,” and knocks her against the wall.

Are there any African Americans lining up to see this film?

Caroline complains that she can’t enjoy Gone with the Wind when Alaric calls to ask Jeremy where Elena is. Jeremy worries about Damon, but Bonnie says she is the one has to save Elena. Jeremy stands up to her, pointing out that Jenna died even though he was forbidden to help.

We find out that Stefan has been a true bloodaholic, on and off the wagon, vacillating between nobility and monstrosity, sometimes wiping out entire villages. Klaus bites Katherine (who has been watching and thinking what, I wonder) and promptly cures her with his blood. He pulls Stefan in to talk.

Damon escapes. Sheriff, you are failing at keeping the town safe. The Gone with the Wind film and fans are not helping Damon distinguish the past from the present. Jeremy escorts him away as Damon thinks he sees Katherine before asking for Elena.

The sheriff asks Elena why she cares about a murderer like Damon and doesn’t listen to her when she says that Damon is not himself. Elena is badass. Trapped by the police, she breaks a window with a chair. The sheriff finds Damon and shoots at him, but he speeds away. The bullet lands in Jeremy’s chest. You are a failure, Forbes! Her daughter tries to save him by feeding him her blood, but he doesn’t swallow. Not Jeremy too! Bonnie says she knows what she must do. Alaric picks up Jeremy’s body. Caroline tells her mom that she must let them do what they have to do.

Klaus slices his hand to fill a bottle with his blood. He wants Stefan to join him, to be his wingman, and go on a decade long bender. Like the fraternity boy Klaus is (thanks, kjewls, you are so right – alert the hazing police), he makes Stefan drink bag after bag of blood, as Katherine watches. Now, Stefan has been drinking human blood. He looks concerned, but should he be? By the way, as well all know, Klaus is way sadistic and creepy.

Now Jeremy won't need drugs ever again.

Bonnie tries to channel the witches again, but they don’t want to help. They say there will be consequences. Alaric awesomely says that they have to and they can shut up since Jeremy’s just a kid. Bonnie cries that she loves him and begs for Emily’s help. Jeremy wakes up from death for at least the third time, and it’s STILL a relief.

Damon stands in front of an image of a burning town in Gone with the Wind. Elena helps him as he flashes back to him and Katherine running through the woods. Damon says he chooses Katherine and wants to chase her forever. (Katherine loves to run, huh? She’s been running her entire life, so it makes sense.) She cuts her neck and tells him to drink her blood. Damon bites Elena but eventually snaps out of it when she says he’s hurting her. This scene is scary but sad. She embraces him and holds her neck. Elena has the worst life.

Caroline admits that she already told her mother about herself. She says she won’t be afraid of her mother, and she doesn’t want her mother to be afraid of her. Caroline throws her arms around her, and, after a moment, Liz Forbes does the same. Aw!

In spite of what happened last time a vampire suffered a werewolf bite, Elena says she will stay with Damon till the end. In a tearjerker of a scene, Damon realizes that he’s always blamed Stefan, but no one forced him to love Katherine. He says he made the wrong decisions and hopes Stefan will forgive him.

This is so depressing. Stefan is now on the ground like an animal plowing through bags of blood. Klaus restates his offer. Stefan still has enough sense to ask for Klaus’s blood, which Klaus gives to Katherine (who seems either vaguely concerned or turned on the whole thing) and commands him to give it to Damon. Stefan is horrified and sure that she won’t give it to him. Klaus shrugs. Isn’t it interesting that Stefan will do anything to save Damon, but he didn’t do the same with Elena? Is this partly due to the stress everyone’s been feeling?

A great echo of last season's finale.

Damon says he has made so many bad choices and is sorry for hurting Elena, but he is glad he is where he is today because he met her. He also wishes she knew him in 1864, because then she might like him. She cries and snuggles up to him, saying that she likes him now, just the way he is, and she forgives him. He says he knows she’ll always love Stefan. She kisses him and says you’re welcome. Somehow, it doesn’t even feel like she’s cheating on Stefan. It’s just sweet.

Katherine shows up (yay!) saying that she owes Damon one. But she remains her bitchy self, asking Elena if she really cares where Stefan is, declaring that he just gave up everything, including Elena, to save his brother. She quips that it’s a good thing Elena has Damon to keep her company and admits that it’s okay to love both brothers – she did. (Katherine admits she loved Damon!)

Klaus puts Elijah with his other family members. They’re in Mystic Falls? What? Klaus says that he knew Katherine wasn’t on vervain, and he wants Stefan to help him catch her. Klaus brings a girl to Stefan. After biting her, he says he didn’t compel her to “behave because a real ripper enjoys the hunt.” Like almost every time this happens, I have a hard time watching Stefan go bad. Stefan bites her and the screen shakes (hilariously) as she supposedly drops dead. Stefan looks like a zombie. Klaus sounds like a teacher as he says, “Now we can go.” They’re leaving Mystic Falls.

Awkward, but kind of cute: Bonnie and Jeremy chat. He ominously says he feels different. Alaric says he’ll stay the night there and makes fun of Jeremy and Bonnie. Then, who should show up but dearly departed Vicki. And Anna. My surprise requires too many question marks to type. Can Jeremy now see dead people? Dead vampires? Babes of his past? Awesome! I mean, poor Jeremy!

I have to say, I preferred this episode to the previous one, which was exciting but more predictable. Almost everybody had a good storyline in this one. Now they really got us revved for season 3.