Previously, on The Vampire Diaries

VDVO: Witches and werewolves and vamps, oh my!

We open this week with Connor entering his Grimm trailer, which is surprisingly not burned to the ground by anyone. He plops Nate's head on a side table (which is enough to get Nate an IMDb credit for the episode) and flashes back to a meet with Professor Shane.

"No, I will not come back during posted office hours!"

Connor's pissed that Shane's reluctance to provide intel led to Connor's spending two days chained to Klaus's favorite torture device. I know people who'd pay good money for that. They chest-thump at each other, but we haven't seen Shane's chest yet so I cannot declare a winner. The upshot? Shane will fill Connor in on his backstory when Conor's “hunter's mark” is complete. He declares Bonnie off-limits, but when Connor promises death to all who oppose him Shane decides to distract Bonnie himself.

Connor extracts some (sigh) “werewolf venom” from Nate's head.

Yup, still gross

He loads up on weapons and heads for the Grill, where he impresses Jeremy to play the role of “Hostage #1” tonight.

After the title card, we check in on the reason why the show is called The Vampire Diaries as Elena and Stefan journal. Elena hates being a vampire and has no hope, but she'll soldier on for Jeremy. Stefan hates seeing her suffer but has hope because of the vampire cure, so he'll do whatever it takes to save her.

Stefan gets a call from Klaus, who's digging for the Original Hunter sword in Italy. They realize that Connor's taking Nate's head means he has (sigh) “werewolf venom” (although Klaus calls it “werewolf toxin” this time and seriously, show, they're all dumb terms but pick one and stick with it). Which means he's sticking around Mystic Falls. Stefan wants to rally the troops but Klaus threatens to throw the sword into the sea if Stefan breathes a word to anyone.

Mystic Grill. A ticked-off Matt leaves a message for a seemingly tardy Jeremy. Enter April, wondering if, since they're “a thing”, he's seen Rebekah. Matt assures her that he and Becks are not a thing; be fair Matt, Rebekah's definitely a thing. April can't believe that Becky would bail on her but a semi-deranged Connor, dragging Jeremy out of the back by his throat, assures her that Becky's absence is the least of her problems. Matt and April, playing “Hostage #2” and “Hostage #3” respectively.

Elena opens the door to her room to find Damon about to enter in search of his brother. She hasn't seen him so Damon nabs her cell phone on the theory that even if Stefan's ducking him he won't duck her. He twigs that Elena hasn't told Stefan about her little blood feast last night at Douche Central and (correctly) diagnoses her as being in a “shame spiral”. Elena insists she's not; river in Egypt honey. River. In. Egypt. Damon is surprised when the call goes to voice mail. They figure something's wrong.

Mystic Grill. Connor snags Jeremy's phone. Jeremy pleads with him to release April. “She's got nothing to do with any of this!” Connor begs to differ, saying she and her father are right in the thick of it and besides, they have history. Whether that history extends beyond his stabbing her at her father's memorial is unclear.

April has no idea what any of this is about and neither does Jeremy, who realizes he's been compelled to forget something. Matt points out that their friends will be coming for them. Connor's counting on it. He texts the Salvatores and Tyler from Jeremy's phone. The hostages die at sundown. He smashes Jeremy's phone.

The gang meets at Tyler's place for some reason that will have absolutely nothing to do with any upcoming teen drama later in the episode.

"Wait, why are we meeting at Tyler's place?"

Stefan's late because he was devising a plan. Damon has a plan too; rip the hunter's heart out. It's elegant in its simplicity. Stefan counsels caution because of the hostages; Damon objects. Tyler mentions he's called in the hybrids to help, because they've proven so very effective in the past. Caroline arrives to report that Sheriff Liz has blocked off the streets on the ruse of a faulty gas line. Man, if I were the local gas company I'd be pissed. They get blamed for everything.

Stefan insists that not everyone is going. General clamor against that noise until Stefan points out that it would be stupid to go in until he figures out what they're up against. Damon: “Until you figure it out? Is that where you were all morning, out buying bossy pants?” Snerk.

Stefan reminds them of Connor's predilection for booby traps and (sigh) “werewolf venom”. This seems to sink in and Damon gives Stefan an hour for recon. He demands Bonnie's presence but Caroline points out she's on the disabled list.

Bonnie's visiting Shane at his office for some, in his words, “witch therapy”. She's skeptical that he can help her but he's confident that he can gain control of her help her access her power again.

"Please, have some tea, because there is no history of drugged drinks on this campus, no ma'am!"

Shane suggests hypnosis and Bonnie remains skeptical. He starts up a metronome and begins speaking in a soothing voice. He tells her she's afraid to do magic because the witch spirits told her not to and made her fear what they would do to Grams on The Other Side if she did. He tells her all she has to do is confront her fear and guilt. She's intrigued but still doesn't believe it will work because of witches' natural immunity to manipulation. “Really?” he responds. “Well let me ask you something. Would you like to put that earring back on?” Bonnie glances at his desk and sees her earring lying there. During the scene Shane puts his hand to his ear and lowers it and Bonnie mirrors the movement. It's a really great touch.

Mystic Falls. Stefan's on the horn to Klaus, who couldn't care less about hostages. Stefan suggests he should since, because of Klaus's edict of secrecy, he can't persuade anyone not to kill Connor if they get to him. He says Klaus needs to get his hybrids on board. I thought Tyler did that already?

Elena spots him on the phone from the window of Alaric's loft and wonders who he's calling. Damon hopes it's Bonnie as he spreads out some old plans. It's a map to the tunnels that used to make up the local Underground railroad. Damon snaps a picture on his phone while Stefan calls Elena on hers. Man, they are really product-placing the hell out of the phones this week.

Stefan fills her in on the April and Matt are hostages situation and Elena moves to hit the tunnels. Damon dissuades her, pointing out that Connor doesn't know she's a Vampire-American. She floats the idea of trading herself for the hostages but Damon nixes it. She protests that her strength and Ric's training will allow her to beat Connor. They sexfight a minute and Damon concedes the point. “For someone who doesn't want to be like me, you sure are good at it.”

Sometimes a crossbow bolt is just a crossbow bolt

Elena says again that Jeremy is the only thing holding her together.

Inside the Grill April is freaking out while Connor creates an IED. Matt tries to calm her down but April looks to Jeremy, needing to know if he knows anything. Jeremy snarks that he might but maybe he can't remember.

He heads over to Connor, who instead of telling Jeremy about yesterday's conversation explains how the IED works. That seems...not smart. He has jars of nails soaked in (sigh) “werewolf toxin” rigged to a trip wire. Spring the trap and the nails penetrate, delivering a lethal dose. That is a bad design right there for this situation. The (sigh) “werewolf toxin” is not immediately fatal so even if a vampire gets nailed it's still going to have time to come at him.

It's like if Howard Hughes made a bomb

Jeremy wonders what Connor gets out of killing vampires. He explains about the mark being revealed as he kills more vampires and how he believes that once the mark is complete he'll have the answer to life, the universe and everything. Connor sends Matt and April to the back, anticipating an attack. What a considerate hostage-taker!

Elena frets in Alaric's loft, realizing that they're back in the same situation that led them to compel Jeremy to move to Colorado. Damon suggests that this time they'll send him to the Bahamas in search of an island girl. Enter Stefan, who asks after the tunnel map. Damon notes he found it in a drawer along with miscellaneous weapons and the town's remaining vervain supply.

Damon's ready to mount up but Stefan says they're waiting for a hybrid to draw Connor's attention to the front while the brothers take the tunnel. Damon grows increasingly suspicious that Stefan is either lying or compelled. He moves past Stefan, who stabs him in the back with a vervain dart.

A shocked Elena is all, what the hell, Stefan and Stefan's all if he won't follow my lead I'm putting him down and she's all you just stabbed him in the back and he's all he'll let April and Matt die to get to Connor and she's all I'm coming with you and he's all if you kill him you'll trigger your HEIGHTENED EMOTIONS and she's all I'm losing it and he's all I'll save Jeremy but this is real big and real important and you have to trust me.

A redshirt hybrid has shown up at the Lockwood place and while he and Tyler argue off-screen about how the redshirt shouldn't listen to Klaus's orders Caroline runs into Tyler's “friend” Hayley, who's been crashing there. Hayley's all I've heard so much about you and Caroline's all I have heard nothing of you. Hayley: “Yeah...I don't do teen drama.”

Why everyone met at Tyler's place

Hayley joins Tyler in trying to persuade the redshirt to disobey orders; they're boos from Hayley's pack. The redshirt insists that whatever Lola Klaus wants, Lola Klaus gets. Hang on, wasn't it Tyler who called the hybrids in on the rescue op in the first place? Redshirt says that if Tyler thinks Klaus is so easy to resist than he call him up right now. I thought that sire-bonding was supposed to be rare. This is seeming like all of Klaus's hybrids are bound to him.

"Do I have a name? Yes. Should you bother learning it? No. Spoiler!"

Tyler calls Klaus, whose diggers have found the sword. Klaus concedes that he doesn't control Tyler through a sire bond so he resorts to good old-fashioned blackmail, threatening to spill about Hayley to Caroline. Tyler backs down but it's clear from the expression on Caroline's face that her vampionic hearing has picked up the whole conversation.

Stefan calls the Grill and asks Connor to release the hostages. Connor agrees in exchange for the deaths of Stefan and all other vampires. Stefan counters with an offer of more information about the Brotherhood of the Five. Connor destroys the phone, ending negotiations. Stefan's in the woods, about to dig his way into the tunnels. Isn't there a sewer line around?

In the Grill's kitchen, Matt gets his hero on, looking for an escape route through the Grill's old wine cellar. Wine cellar?! Seriously? Meanwhile, April starts remembering the stories her father used to tell her about vampires and thinks she might remember Connor as well. Matt tells her not to buy into the crazy. Why should she be the only one? The wine cellar entrance is bricked up but he starts breaking through it. Stefan zeroes in on the noise.

Redshirt launches his move.

Inside Jeremy considers snatching Connor's stake gun off the bar but Connor promies to break all 27 bones in his hand if he tries it. Jeremy tries to talk Connor away from the edge, pointing out that not all vampires are bad and some are even his friends. Connor recalls a friend of his like that; she was turned by a vampire he was hunting in the name of irony. That's not ironic; that's just a dick move. Connor killed her and got a tat-chunk in return. He hears something so he hits the jukebox (to defeat vampionic hearing) and pulls Jeremy with him behind the bar.

Redshirt enters and spots the tripwire for the IED. He easily avoids it, but not the pressure plate on the other side. A secondary trigger trips, detonating the IED and knocking Redshirt to the floor. Redshirt rises to his knees; he's studded with glass and nails but as a hybrid he's immune to the (sigh) "werewolf venom". Connor draws a bead and blows Redshirt's heart clean out.

It goes all the way to China

Stefan's made the kitchen and product-places his phone some more to show Matt and April the route out. In the dining area Connor's whipped off his overshirt so we can see both his rippling muscles and his tattoo spread. Stefan hdeads into the dining room. Connor tosses Jeremy around and opens fire on Stefan. Stefan tries to talk him down but gets distracted by the fact that Jeremy has landed on another pressure plate.

Elena's heard the explosion and calls Stefan, who has no phone. Damon starts to revive but is restricted in movement since Stefan's taken his daylight ring. Damon's convinced Stefan's either made a deal or has been compelled. Elena move to head into the fight; Damon tries to stop her but recognizes that Connor's ignorance of her true nature might let her get close enough. He flat-out tells her to kill Connor.

Back at the Grill Stefan is ducked down behind the bar and is still the world's worst hostage negotiator. Elena enters and pleads for Jeremy's life. Connor threatens to kill Jeremy on three. Stefan stands up on two and Connor draws a bead. Elena zips up on Connor and deflects his shot. Right into Jeremy's gut.

This raises a point of mythology. Does a wooden bullet fired by a Hunter constitute a supernatural death? Alaric came back from being hit by an SUV driven by a hybrid, so I'd say yes. Thoughts?

Anyway, Elena is whaling on Connor. Stefan pulls the wounded Jeremy off the pressure plate and gets him behind the bar before the second IED explodes. Elena is distracted and Connor gains the upper hand. He moves to stake her but she blocks him long enough for Stefan to pull him off and zip him away.

Jeremy drinks Elena's blood to be healed. She gets a little blood lusty over his wound and quickly apologizes.

Grossest sibling bonding moment ever

She asks why Connor went after him and he says Connor thinks Jeremy is like him because he can see Connor's tattoo. Elena's all, what tattoo and Jeremy's all, didn't anyone tell you and Elena's all, no and who else knows and Jeremy's all, hell if I know somebody mind-raped me and Elena's all, I bet I can guess who.

"Guess who" is down in the tunnel with Connor when Damon arrives with murder in mind. Stefan turns Connor loose and fights to hold Damon back. Damon gets the advantage and plunges his hand into Stefan's chest, demanding to know why he wants Connor alive. Stefan admits it's because of the vampirism cure and Damon releases him.

Connor's making pretty good time through the tunnels until he runs into Elena, who bites him, smacks him and orders him to stay away from Jeremy. Connor sneers, “Look at you, so worried about your brother. You're the biggest monster he'll ever meet!” He drives a stake into her but misses her heart. An enraged Elena snaps his neck.

"Have a nice trip, see you in the fall...I need to work on my murder quips."

So with the Hunter dead, his tattoos will now fade away. Hands up, who has a guess as to where they might end up? Put your inky paw down, Jeremy Gilbert!

We rejoin Bonnie in Professor Creepy's office. She insists that she can't be hypnotized but he points out she's been under for the last seven hours. Damn, that's some alien abduction-level lost time right there. He hauls out a candle for her to light with her mind and tells her again that she's stronger than any old bunch of dead witches and exhorts her to say to herself that she's not afraid. She says it then he has her close her eyes and say it again like she really means it. “I'm not afraid.” She opens her eyes and the candle remains unlit. She sighs ahat she isn't strong enough. Room with every other candle in it lit says different. It's a great visual callback to one of the first times Bonnie's powers manifested. Then her powers were a source of strength and joy. Now?

A bereft Elena in the grip of her HEIGHTENED EMOTIONS is burying Connor in the woods when the Salvatores find her. Stefan tries to comfort her but she isn't having it, what with his secret deals with Klaus and his not protecting Jeremy (except for saving his life again this very day). And she's not having any of Damon because it was he who told her to kill Connor. And her HEIGHTENED EMOTIONS heighten again and she's wrecked.

Tyler comforts Hayley on the loss of her redshirt friend when Caroline interrupts.

Oh mate, the missus and the ex!

She's furious that after all the pain she went through when she thought Tyler was dead here she finds out he'd fallen for some backwoods werewolf tramp. Tyler insists it's not like that. He's letting Klaus believe it to distract him from the Hybrid Liberation Front that he and Hayley have started. If Klaus found out what they were really up to then he'd kill everything.

Jeremy's sitting in the town square when Matt and April roll up, apologizing for “being late”. The gist is that Matt took April over to have Caroline compel her to forget her hostage ordeal. She suggests they get a coffee but notes the Grill is closed. Wow, so there really is only one place in that town to get a cup of coffee! Jeremy asks for a rain check and they all go their separate ways. Jeremy drops his vervain bracelet and he and Matt maneuver it onto April's wrist.

Matt asks Jeremy if he's OK and Jeremy says he's sick of all the secrets. The hunter's mark takes that exact moment to appear on Jeremy's hand. Which he keeps secret. Now that's ironic!

Back at the Salvatore place Stefan and Damon conversate and we take away a few things. One, Stefan's rocking a tight wife beater.

Two, they agree not to tell Elena about the cure. Three, Damon agrees to help Stefan find the cure but he's fine with Elena as either human or vampire, “so if I do this, I do it for you”. Who knew Damon was a Bryan Adams fan?

Elena's back at her vampire diary, pouring her HEIGHTENED EMOTIONS out onto the page. She notices some drops of blood fall on her hand. Getting up from her desk, she spots a blood trail into the bathroom, which is spattered with blood. The word KILLER is scrawled in blood on the mirror.

A terrified Elena slips in a pool of blood; when she hits the floor she realizes there is no blood. It's a dream or a hallucination.

Another solid episode I thought, with more action this week after last week's exposition-heavy outing. I like that Elena is getting in on the action sequences and that assuming the cure is real and it's found by the end of the season, she'll have grown comfortable enough in her power to make the choice whether to take the cure a real choice. It was pretty apparent from the moment that Jeremy could see the invisible tats that he was going to get mixed up with the Hunters but I'm honestly surprised it was this early. I'm also surprised that Connor was taken out this early, and that Bonnie so readily trusts Professor Creepy that she'll let him put her under for so long.

Next week: Katherine! I can't wait!