THE VAMPIRE DIARIES RECAP: HOME

Oh. My. God! What a way to end the season. Damon! Bonnie! Tyler! AH! After Stefan dying last week I couldn’t begin to think about what would happen next and they totally out did themselves this time (shout out to Julie Plec for that). I watched this episode twice before even thinking about writing this recap. Wow! Ok, guys, grab some tissue, some wine and get comfy. This one is going to be tough. Let’s get to it!

We begin with Caroline crying next to Stefan’s body (she brought his body in the living room and put him on the couch). She told Damon and Elena, and they hoped Bonnie had a plan to bring him back. Damon wanted so badly to get Stefan back. Stefan saw the whole thing from the Other Side with tears in his eyes. Aw Stefan! Then it got really windy and Stefan slid on the floor but held onto the wall so he wouldn’t blow away. A hand grabbed him and it was Lexi! Yay! She always had his back! I love Stefan and Lexi’s friendship so that was a bright spot in this dark hour.

Damon paid Bonnie a visit at the dorms and when he found out that she didn’t have a plan he lost it! Enzo was there and he said he had a plan. All he needed was for Bonnie to get him a witch to do the spell.

Liv and Luke were on their way out of town. Luke was convinced that the vampires didn’t survive Markos’ spell. Wrong Luke! Elena stepped in front of their car and Caroline was behind the car (payback much?). They didn’t want to do the spell and take the chance of catching the wrath of their coven by helping people come back from the other side. Caroline wasn’t having their excuses. Caroline snapped Luke’s neck. Boom! Now Luke is on the Other Side too. What you gonna do now Liv? The spell. That’s right. You do not want to mess with Caroline.

The Travelers took Julian/Tyler across the town line where the witch’s magic didn’t work. He was no longer a Hybrid. He went from Hybrid, to wolf with a broken neck, and then he died. 10 minutes into the season finale, and Tyler dies! AH! This is when I decided I needed wine. Tyler appeared to Bonnie (as himself, Julian died when Tyler did) and he didn’t know he was dead.

Damon got together with Jeremy and Matt. Their plan was for Liv to do the spell while Jeremy and Matt started a leak in the gas line that goes through Mystic Falls and into Mystic Grill. At the Grill, Sheriff Forbes would gather up the Travelers where they would be forced to sacrifice themselves (she had already met up with Markos and issued a 10 mile evacuation around the town square due to a gas leak).

Bonnie was on the phone with Jeremy and told him that once the deaths started, the Travelers would surround her so the others could return. Then she lied and said that she would no longer be the anchor. Jeremy was concerned how she would get back, but she told him not to worry. Aw! Jeremy is going to be devastated when he realizes Bonnie isn’t coming back.

Enzo found a Traveler to teach Bonnie the spell that Liv needed in order to bring people back. The Traveler entered and it was SILAS! Totally DID NOT see that coming. I have missed me some Silas. Bonnie was not happy about having to work with him to bring her friends back (and Silas) since he killed her father. She did not trust him.

Stefan and Lexi were at the Grill looking for Alaric. She teased him that he didn’t leave Mystic Falls because he should be with Caroline. Stefan wondered why Lexi hadn’t found peace. They made a death peace pact together. If the Other Side falls, they will find their peace together. Then Lexi joked that she would hate for him to miss his opportunity to come back to life before he had a date with Caroline. Ha! Stefan told her to Shut it!

Silas taught Bonnie the spell (it didn’t go too well because she was nervous about letting him loose on the world). Elena asked who was helping Bonnie with the spell and Silas said, “Just the perfect specimen of man, that’s all.” Classic Silas. Bonnie lied again and told Elena that the Traveler helping her was an old lady.

Sheriff Forbes had free food and an open bar at the Grill to attract the Travelers and it worked. They were dancing and having a good time (while Matt and Jeremy were planning the explosion). Since Sheriff Forbes didn’t have the opportunity to speak to the Travelers directly, she told Markos that she was wanted to evacuate as well. He tried to convince her that it could still be her home even though Caroline couldn’t visit her there (doesn’t sound like much of a home to me).

The plan was on. Damon and Elena were in the woods and he told her that he volunteered to trigger the explosion. Elena asked him if he saw a future with her, because he is all she sees in her future. He told her that she had to respect his choice (using her own words against her). They kissed, and then he promised her not once, but twice that he would come back to her. Damn you Damon! Don’t go making promises you can’t keep!

Liv was ready to do the spell and the wind started up again on the Other Side. Enzo and Silas started to blow away. Bonnie grabbed hold of Enzo and Silas reached for her. Bonnie said, “Bygones,” and Silas blew away. Nicely done Bonnie.

Liv began chanting and Jeremy and Matt started the gas leak and got out of there. Bonnie looked at her family tombstones and Grams appeared. Grams told Bonnie that she knew what she was doing (referring to her lying to Jeremy). She wouldn’t survive all of those people passing through her and if she did, she would still be the anchor. She told her it was a privilege to watch her grow into the beautiful woman she’d become. Aw! Bonnie wanted Grams to pass through her but she said no. They hugged and cried. Grams wanted her to know she had her back. Grams made peace.

At the Grill, Markos grew suspicious of Sheriff Forbes’ motives because she was still in town. She told Markos she smelled gas so he would check it out. Once he went to investigate, she knocked him out cold. She sent Damon a text letting him know it was go time. She was walking out and Markos woke up and grabbed her.

Damon was having a drink by the town sign and got ready to head for the town border. Elena got in the car with him and told him that he would have to respect her choice to die next to him. As soon as they crossed the town line she started to spit up water but wanted to be with Damon. Damon told her they had to die while they were still vampires. They held hands and Damon put the pedal to the metal and crashed into the grill. Boom!!! Fire and flames were everywhere.

The dead Travelers found Bonnie and started to pass through her to the Other Side. The first Traveler was Markos. Damon and Elena passed through her and she told them they would wake up by their bodies but needed to get back to her as soon as they could. Elena’s body was still in the car but Damon’s body was thrown from the car. Alaric appeared and said, “Did you seriously wear your seatbelt?”  Yay Alaric! I was hoping he would show up in this episode. Elena wanted to find Damon but he told her to hurry up and get to Bonnie Jeremy’s sake. He said he would find Damon. Oh boy.

Damon saw Sheriff Forbes on the ground picked up a beam that fell on her and Alaric was there to help him. Alaric said, “Friendly advice, when you finally get the girl, don’t blow her up.” Damon replied, “Good to see you too.” Yay! My favorite Bromance! Sheriff Forbes took a breath and they knew she would be ok. They were off to get to Bonnie.

Liv was still chanting (I swear after this season I don’t care if I ever hear another chant again) and her nose was bleeding. Luke didn’t want to wait for Damon and started the fun. He passed through Bonnie, then Enzo, then Tyler. Tyler hugged Caroline and it felt different to him. He confirmed that he was no longer a hybrid by cutting himself and it didn’t heal.

Lexi told Stefan to go next, but then Elena got there and said she wouldn’t leave without Damon. Stefan told Lexi he would stay. Bonnie grabbed Elena and she passed through her. Bonnie started to cough up blood and started to fall. Stefan went to catch her and he passed through her in the process. Lexi realized that Bonnie was getting weaker every time someone passed through her. She didn’t want to go, but Markos did. Lexi wasn’t going to let that happen. She knocked him into the sky and he blew away. Bonnie told Lexi to pass through but Lexi said, “What kind of a best friend would I be if you died before Stefan got his brother back?” Lexi held her arms out and said, “You’re not gonna get me.” She closed her eyes and made peace. Aw Lexi! Lexi was a true friend. This where I started to get emotional.

Damon and Alaric finally reached Bonnie and Alaric passed through. Luke couldn’t handle seeing Liv suffer anymore and he started chanting and stopped the spell. Bonnie touched Damon for him to pass through her and nothing happened. She tried again, nothing. Elena went inside and saw that Luke and Liv were gone. Bonnie said that was it. It was too late for Damon. OMG! Elena cried and I felt her pain. There has to be a way to bring Damon back. I can’t imagine Season 6 without Damon. L Damon watched Elena cry and Bonnie told her that he was there if she wanted to say goodbye. No! No Goodbyes! He’s has to come back!

Stefan was sitting on a bench and Caroline joined him. He said he’d lost the two people in the world that meant the most to him, Damon and Lexi. Stefan knew that Lexi was responsible for Markos not coming back and she found peace. That was her unfinished business she wanted to handle. Stefan said that Damon was finally happy and he should be there. He cried and Caroline held him. Now the tears were flowing. So sad!

Elena cried and said, “You lied to me,” to a Damon she couldn’t see. He said, “Even if I wanted to apologize you couldn’t hear me, so I won’t.” She cried so hard and so did I. She said, “Please don’t leave me,” and Damon said, “I don’t have a choice, baby. And you are by far the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my 173 years on this earth. The fact that I get to die knowing that I was loved, not just by anyone, by you, Elena Gilbert, that’s the epitome of a fulfilled life.” OMG! NO! This can’t be happening! Then he said, “It’s never gonna get any better than this. I peaked,” and he touched her face. “I love you, Elena.” WAHHHHHHH!!!!! Elena was balling and said, “Please. Please come back to me.” Damon then said, “Bye.” NO! No goodbyes! He has to come back!

Bonnie called Jeremy to tell him the truth about being the anchor. When the Other Side goes away, she does too. He was not taking it well, but she told him to take care of Elena and hung up. He was on a mission to get to her Stat.

Alaric comforted Elena as she cried. They heard Jeremy screaming Bonnie’s name outside. They saw Bonnie in the woods but we saw her on the Other Side. The wind picked up a lot and Damon stood beside her. The Other Side was coming down and there was nothing they could do. Bonnie said there were a million other people that they would rather be with in that moment, but she grabbed Damon’s hand. He said, “Couple thousand at most.” Bonnie asked him, “Do you think it will hurt?” and everything started to turn white. Damon started, “I don’t kno—”. And the screen went completely white. That was the end!

Damon seemed so much at peace. Having Bonnie and Damon die together was a twist I didn’t see coming. I don’t want to believe that Ian Sommerhalder is off of The Vampire Diaries, but it really felt like that was Damon’s end. It is so hard to think he is seriously gone. What do you think? Do you think Damon will come back? What did you think about this season finale? Let me know in the comment section below.

One good thing that we know, is that The CW confirmed that Matt Davis will be a season regular in season 6. Yay! More Alaric!

Thanks for a great season five all you TVD fans! Thanks for checking in with us and make sure to tune in for season 6 in the fall.

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