The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody of This Week's Vampire Diaries

That little Enzo secret created on last week's episode of The Vampire Diaries doesn't stay a secret for long, on account of Enzo now being a cantankerous ghost who not only wants to disturb the living dead, but also wants them dead-dead. The travelers are getting closer to their goal of settling in Mystic Falls, propelling our little group to spend a weekend away, while Tyler and his body are held hostage by a traveler. Ready to mine the episode for all the good, the bad, and the bloody? Let's get to it!

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The Good

  • I've got to give it up for the opening sequence this week — how awesome is it when Tyler busts out of his traveler chains after he turns?
  • We knew Stefan's secret about killing Enzo won't stay hidden, but he and Elena still try, and they have rather cute, flirtatious conversations together about it. And because the travelers want their blood so they can destroy magic and settle and all that, Elena, Stefan, Caroline, and Damon all go on a camping weekend to Caroline's cabin, protected by a cloaking spell. What it doesn't protect them from? Ghost Enzo, who's come along to torture them.
  • Meanwhile, in this great excuse for a fun weekend in the woods, Caroline starts gossiping again, and it's kind of awesome. She lets Damon in on her inkling that something's going on between Elena and Stefan, so they stage a rather entertaining game of Never Have I Ever. Push comes to shove, and when "kissed a Salvatore brother" and "lied about where Enzo is" come up as options, things turn awkward and less fun.
  • Since ghosts on the Other Side can now manipulate stuff in the real world, Enzo messes with the gang further when he tries to drown Elena, sending Damon in to her rescue. A traumatized Elena squeals immediately, and before Damon can confront Stefan, they figure out what Enzo's up to and realize he's messed up the cloaking spell, letting the travelers find them. Suddenly, danger is everywhere, from a fire Enzo tries to trap the boys in to the travelers marching on the cabin.
  • One of my favorite parts of the episode is when Elena admits that Caroline's Salvatore-brother question during the game made her feel awkward, and asked where it came from — and Caroline twitches, unsure of what to say. I like where this is going, especially since Caroline and Stefan have a moment before they leave the cabin, where they have an honest conversation about what they mean to each other. It's not quite romantic, but if these two do get together, they are setting up the best foundation for a relationship.
  • Someone does get to kiss this week, though: Damon and Elena! It's not a particularly heart-pounding moment, but it is kind of nice. Damon has to say that being around Elena drives him nuts, and not being around her drives him nuts too. Too bad that kiss is followed by the traveler invasion.

The Bad

  • I'm finding myself really eager for this season to end just so we can move on from the travelers. They're not that scary, and worse, they're boring. Remember when villains were scary on this show? Remember Klaus (sigh)? Remember evil Alaric? Season-one Katherine?
  • I don't know what to make of Tyler being permanently passengered. Nothing is really permanent on this show, so I'm not that worried, but also, I wouldn't mind losing Tyler.
  • Can we also get rid of the Other Side once and for all? Now it's falling apart. What's next?

The Bloody

  • Not too much blood this week, but I did enjoy Matt being so tough as he ruthlessly stabs his best friend, Tyler, to get the passenger to talk.