3.17 Because the Night We start with a flashback to Damon’s switched-off period in Manhattan, where he gained a reputation as a serial killer so notorious that Stefan and Lexi heard about him back in Mystic Falls. Enter Lexi, as she tries to show Damon enough of a good time to convince him to turn his humanity back on. This is Damon’s plan for Elena in present day, also, but he didn’t factor in how wily his new and improved girlfriend can be. Add Rebekah to the mix, and he’s well and truly outnumbered. We met this new Elena last week, and I expressed my admiration in my review, but it’s here that we truly get a look at what she’s capable of without those pesky human emotions. She’s so rational and ruthless now that she sees Rebekah – the girl who drove her off a bridge – as a “big emotional variable” that would only hold her back. Every scene these two share is brilliant, crackling with tension and slash-worthy sisterhood that I’m sure has a sizeable internet following already. It was only a matter of time before they teamed up in the search for the cure their male companions were too ineffectual to find. What transpires back in Mystic Falls will have ramifications for two story threads: Silas’ rise to power and Klaus and Caroline’s relationship. Starting with the former, arguably more important, element, we discover that Bonnie is fully aware that Shane is actually Silas in disguise. This is a big relief, since watching Bonnie stupidly accept everything her professor tells her was getting tedious. Via some more sneaky emotional manipulation, Silas convinces her to invite twelve witches to ‘help her’, and then to kill them and complete the triangle of sacrifices – twelve humans, twelve demons and twelve witches. Stefan, Klaus and Caroline try desperately to prevent this but, when it looks as though the witches are going to overpower Bonnie and kill her instead, Caroline steps in and stabs the coven leader. This causes the eleven other witches to die alongside her, and Silas has completed his trio of sacrifices. Instead of watching Bonnie act like a moron, we get to watch Caroline do it instead. I think we can all understand saving a friend instead of a group of strangers but, when the whole of humanity is at stake, you might think twice. We’ll have to wait and see what this means for the threat of Silas and his undead army, but it won’t be good for our gang. Next week sees the return of Katherine and Elijah, just in time for The Originals back-door pilot the week after, as Elena and Rebekah finally catch-up to the cure. See you there. Read Caroline’s review of the previous episode, Bring It On, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
