The Vampire Diaries
Season 8 Episode 12: “What Are You?”
Directed by Darren Genet
Written by Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux
Created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
Starring Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matthew Davis, Michael Malarkey
The CW
Air Date: Friday, February 10th, 2017, 8:00pm

Last time on The Vampire Diaries, Cade (Wolé Parks) freed Stefan (Paul Wesley), and went to Damon (Ian Somerhalder) with a deadly task – kill 100 people or kill Caroline Forbes (Candice King). Stefan’s task, which he gleefully went to do, was to kill Elena. Bonnie and Enzo (Kat Graham, Michael Malarkey) had the best day ever, before he committed to the cure. She brought him to a safe house she bought, which was also where Elena’s body was really held. Damon did not kill Caroline, but rushed to stop Stefan. Stefan somehow got ownership of the house transferred to him. He killed Enzo, but just as he was about to kill Bonnie, she injected him with the cure.

Spoilers below.

The Vampire Diaries 8.12 “What Are You?” review: Matt (Zach Roerig) is dreaming of a bell tolling and witches burning. He wakes up in the tunnels and Alaric (Matthew Davis) finds him. His dreams are totally realistic. Dorian (Demetrius Bridges) says they are memories.

Damon calls Bonnie, and she sobs the story. She won’t talk to Caroline, and as Damon points out, “Can you blame her?” Finally! Damon is a straight up hero. Only Somerhalder could make us love this killer.

Stefan is freaking out, driving aimlessly when Caroline calls him. He is suffering under all of the guilt, so he’s doing what he does best… running away. Cops pull him over, and throw him in jail because of the literal blood on his hands. The lawyer brings him the photos of the 32 murders he committed, but Caroline compels it all away. “This is Cade. He made you do all this.” They see the daughter of the real estate agent Stefan killed. They look for the mom, who is somehow still alive, and she stabs Stefan. Caroline takes care of it, but Stefan wants to die. He feels he deserves it.

Cade offers condolences as the brothers are now free. The catch? He will take Stefan’s soul at midnight, unless Damon gets the Maxwell journal. What is so special about that? I’m guessing all of it. Damon arrives to get the book, and Alaric vervaines him to knock him out. They hypnotize Matt, and he sees the past where a Maxwell and a Bennett got together to get rid of vampires. Sybil (Nathalie Kelley) comes and takes Ethan Maxwell. “Seline’s there too.” The bell brings about the hellfire, but the witches rally to save the town, while Ethan holds the Beatrice Bennett back. In real life, Matt has a heart attack so they give him Damon’s blood. Beatrice walls up the sirens and then Ethan. He writes down how to kill Cade – it’s in the journal, but Damon left with it. He brings him the book and Cade burns it.

Bonnie is hearing Enzo’s voice. Her mom comes. They try to call to Enzo . She saw Enzo’s pain – he’s somewhere else. She wants to free him, but her mom says the darkness is reaching for her. She faints. Her mom burns the body.

Stefan goes to get Bonnie’s forgiveness. Good luck with that.

“Do you think there’s a chance for us? For redemption?”

Damon goes to Alaric with a semi-formed plan to kill the devil. And then Kai (Chris Wood) walks in. Yes!! I love him!

This was a nice plausible way for Stefan to get his humanity back. He really was too far gone to get it back again via nostalgia. I don’t know how he’s going to get Bonnie to forgive him, but I guess being human now will probably get him a pass.

A couple of things I did not like about this episode. One was the lack of Damon in the forefront. The second… why didn’t Damon just take a pic of every page in the book? They have phones. That’s what every person in America would have done, and Damon has been in this century long enough to figure that out too.

However, I do like the hint that the ordinary Matt Donovan will be the one to save it all, like The Vampire Diaries’ very own Neville Longbottom. Also appropriate that the last big bad is the devil himself.

Four episodes until the end of all this, and I’m dying to know how it all ends.

The Vampire Diaries airs Friday nights at 8:00pm ET on The CW.

The CW’s synopsis:

The Vampire Diaries
What Are You? (Ep# 812)
SAVING SOULS — In order to save Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) soul, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) makes a deal with Cade (guest star Wolé Parks) to retrieve the Maxwell journal. Alaric (Matt Davis) and Matt (Zach Roerig) refuse to hand the journal over as it may contain the key to destroying Cade. Caroline (Candice King) desperately tries to connect with Stefan before Cade goes through with his plan. Darren Genet directed the episode written by Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux (#812). Original airdate 2/10/2017.

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The Vampire Diaries | Inside TVD: What Are You? | The CW

The Vampire Diaries | What Are You? Scene | The CW

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