THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Stand By Me Recap

Burn Baby Burn! Wow! I found myself shouting NOOOO (as well as other obscenities) at the TV during this episode. Jeremy is really dead and this whole mess with Silas is a lot to take in. Some of our questions from last week were answered, but left us with a whole new set of questions. The worst part is we have to wait until March 14^th (not cool CW) to find out! Let’s get down to it!

We begin with Stefan talking to Damon and he confirmed that Jeremy was really dead. Since Jeremy was one of The Five (supernatural) the ring would no longer work. They were both worried that Elena would not survive this. Damon went to look for Bonnie and Stefan was in charge of getting Elena off of the island.

Stefan and Elena came home with Jeremy’s body and Caroline was there. Stefan gave her a look and she knew Jeremy was gone, but Elena still believed he was coming back. She put him in his bed and said she was waiting for him to wake up. So sad!

On the island, Damon was looking for Bonnie and bumped into Rebekah. He filled her in about Katherine and Jeremy, and she felt bad for Elena because she understands loss. She wants to look for Katherine but Damon assured her Katherine was long gone with the cure. They needed to find Bonnie.

Bonnie woke up and she was healed from the stab wound. Shane was there and said he gave her herbs and berries to help her and that Silas healed his leg (huh?). He congratulated her on raising Silas and told her he was going to bring back the dead.

At Elena’s, Caroline and Stefan were concerned about Elena being in denial. They knew that believing Jeremy would wake up was the only thing keeping her sane. Elena came in and heard them and she said she wasn’t in denial. She said that since Jeremy’s Hunter’s mark was no longer on his body (since the passage to Silas was opened) maybe he wasn’t supernatural when he died. She is grasping for straws at this point, but she still had hope.

Caroline called Tyler and left him a voicemail to call her back. Stefan tried to ease her worry by telling her that Katherine had been running from Klaus for 500 years, so it is possible for Tyler to stay alive. Stefan thinks that’s why Katherine stole the cure, to bargain it with Klaus. Caroline tried to figure out their next move when she asked Stefan “What’s that smell?” He replied “It’s his body. He’s starting to decompose.” Ewww. Stefan told Caroline to call Meredith and ask her to come.

Damon and Rebekah were on the island and arrows started flying at them. It was Vaughn. Damon caught up to him and knocked him out. Meanwhile, Bonnie was crying her eyes out about Jeremy. Shane told her she would help Silas and would get to see Jeremy again.

Meredith arrived at Elena’s and examined Jeremy’s body. Elena went on about how Alaric was dead for a whole day once and Jeremy has died a few times and they will have to make sure that he doesn’t go nuts like Alaric did. Meredith told Elena in detail what was happening to Jeremy’s body and they needed to get him to a funeral home. Elena went a little Vamp on Meredith and said they needed magic, they needed Bonnie. Matt showed up and saw Jeremy and tears filled his eyes. So sad! Elena hugged him and told him everything would be fine once Bonnie got there.

Back on the island, Damon thought Vaughn was Katherine’s ally so he had a knife to his throat. He knew they couldn’t kill him because of the Hunter’s curse, but Rebekah was ready to torture him until he wanted to kill himself. Vaughn told them that Katherine found him and said she could lead him to Silas. She already knew about the Hunter’s mark and the cure (she was tipped off by Tyler’s wolf friend Hayley). Damon went to find Bonnie and left Vaughn with Rebekah.

Shane told Bonnie that Silas was a witch, but once he was immortal, he lost his powers. He needs Bonnie to help him raise the dead and that’s why Shane taught her Expression. The three massacres mark the earth with power that she can pull from; they just need to do the third massacre of 12 people. Bonnie said no and ran off, but she saw Jeremy lying there dying. He asked her to help him and she tried to save him before realizing it was all in her mind. Bonnie then told Shane she would do whatever it takes (brainwashed much?),

Damon called Stefan to check in and Stefan told him to come back right away. Damon didn’t want to come back without Bonnie but agreed to come. As soon as he hung up the phone, Bonnie walked out of the woods and Damon hugged her. She told him she knew what to do to bring Jeremy back.  Stefan called Elena and told her Damon and Bonnie were on their way home and that Bonnie might be able to help Jeremy.

When Bonnie and Damon got home, Bonnie told Elena, Matt and Caroline her plan. Then there was a Flash back scene where Shane told Bonnie that Qetsiyah knew Silas wanted to die to be with his true love, so she created “the Other Side”  (a purgatory for supernatural beings) so if he did die, he would go there. Silas needs Bonnie to get rid of the Other Side. If she gets rid of it, all the supernatural creatures that died since the Other Side was created will return (including Grams and Jeremy). Whoa!

Caroline said she was talking crazy and Matt agreed. Bonnie argued back and forth with them and Elena completely zoned out.  The phone rang, and it was April calling for Jeremy. This was the moment that changed everything. Elena said, “Jeremy can’t come to the phone right now, he’s not — I’m sorry, he’s dead” (it would suck to be on the other end of that phone call).

Elena went upstairs and the smell of Jeremy’s body hit her. She pulled back the blanket and looked at him. Damon came in the room but she wouldn’t listen to him. She went to look for Bonnie but Matt took her home, so Elena said they would have to do it the old-fashioned way. She got some lighter fluid and started squirting it everywhere (even directly on Jeremy). She planned to burn the house down with Jeremy in it so no one would ask questions about his death. Oh My God! Elena was starting to lose it and it was tough to watch. She lit a match and dropped it but Damon caught it. Elena fell to the floor and cried. It was too much for her. The house was filled with memories of all the people she loved and she couldn’t handle it. Stefan told Damon to help her, so he looked her in the eyes and told her to turn it off. He said it would all go away and he wanted her to do it. She stared off and it was done.

After Matt dropped Bonnie off, he broke down crying in his car. Aw! At Bonnie’s, a creepy Shane was at her door. Bonnie asked him about the council members that died and wouldn’t get to return since they were human. Shane said that they were a necessary sacrifice and they have found peace. He said they will do this together and that they are the beginning (creepy!).

Rebekah was still on the island (looking for Katherine I assume) and found what looked like Shane’s dead body. What? She walked by and he grabbed her leg and said “Silas.” Is creepy Shane really Silas?

A blank-faced Elena stared at an old picture of her and Jeremy. Outside, Stefan told Damon that Elena’s humanity was all she had left and it was a mistake to tell her to turn it off.  Damon said it meant nothing if she didn’t have someone to care about, and he wasn’t enough. She lost her brother and it was too much for her. Damon wants them to keep an eye on her, and then he will eventually use the sire bond to bring her humanity back. Damon told Stefan that their differences meant nothing now, and Stefan started to tell Damon that he loved him, but couldn’t get the words out. Damon cut him off and said he knew and put his hand on Stefan’s shoulder. The Salvatore brothers had a real genuine moment and it was touching.

Damon and Stefan went back inside and Elena was holding another lit match. She said it was still the best cover story. Stefan tried to tell her that she might want to come home one day, but she said she wouldn’t. She dropped the match and the three of them walked out as the flames got bigger. Jeremy was on the couch surrounded by fire and if we hadn’t accepted it by now that he was really gone, this sealed the deal. He was really dead and he isn’t coming back (unless Silas gets his way). RIP Jeremy Gilbert, you will be missed.

What did you think about this episode? What do you think about Shane? Where did Katherine go? How will Elena be now that her humanity is turned off? Do you think Bonnie will go through with the third massacre? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below and we will see you back here for an all new episode on March 14^th!

The Vampire Diaries airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on The CW.