Episode 20: Written Update

Sorry guys. I was sick. I couldn't even open my eyes so clearly i couldn't come online otherwise i would have asked Lena but it just happened all of a sudden. =(

CREDIT FOR THIS RECAP: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/04/26/the-vampire-diaries-season-3-episode-20-do-not-go-gentle-tv-recap/

It's school dance time, and we all know what that means: pain, misery, and certain death for at least one cast member. At first, everything seems to be going smoothly; Elena screws up her courage and asks Stefan to be her date, Bonnie's bringing Jeremy, and Caroline's in her element, bossing people around during decoration time. But just underneath the surface, trouble is brewing. Evil Alaric and Esther, in Rebekah's body—Rebesther—are plotting to get rid of all the vamps, once and for all.

After Ric helps her get back into her real body, he and Esther travel to the place where Klaus originally killed her; it also happens to be where the Salvatore family tomb stands. There, she melts down his resurrection ring and coats the white oak stake with its metal. Now the stake won't burn up when it's thrust inside an Original, transforming it into the ultimate weapon.

Pretty soon, the gang finds out that something is fishy. Damon tells Dr. Meredith that Ric hasn't been taking the herbs Bonnie gave him. He then goes to the high school, promptly interrupting a slow-dancing Elena and Stefan. Damon tells the pair that Ric has officially gone rogue, and that he wants to kill them. Jeremy, of course, is firmly against the idea. He runs out of the gym, and Elena follows to comfort him—only to find that Esther is there, and she wants Elena to come with her. When the Salvatores try to follow after, they discover that the witch has cast a spell trapping them at the school.

Esther brings Elena to the tomb and reveals her master plan. She's going to transform Ric into an indestructible vampire hunter—who happens to be a vampire himself, just like Mikael. Elena is horrified, and she tells Ric that this isn't what he wants or who he is. But the real Ric is hidden by his dark side—and though Elena swears she won't help Esther, the witch uses magic to release her mystical doppelganger blood and gives it to Ric to drink. After he's done, the witch stabs him; when he wakes, he'll be his old self for a bit before transforming into a cold-blooded killer.

Caroline and Bonnie are actually having a nice time at the dance—they're respectively dancing with Tyler and making out with Jamie in a classroom. All that changes when Damon tells Bonnie that he needs her to break Esther's spell—and when Klaus appears and cuts in on Caroline and Tyler. Tyler has to pretend like he's still compelled, so he steps aside when the vamp asks. But after their tension-filled dance, the Original learns what his mother's up to.

Bonnie can't break the binding spell, so she doing a locator spell to find Elena instead. Esther resists Bonnie's spell, but by doing so, she reveals that she's channeling energy—meaning that she has to be at the cemetery. Matt and Jeremy go there with guns to get Elena back. But Esther's stronger than they think, and she magicks the two boys into pointing their guns at each other. Luckily, before she can make them shoot, her throat is slit—by Alaric.

This breaks the boundary spell. As he's leaving the school, Stefan thanks Bonnie for everything; she still hasn't forgiven him for what happened to her mother, though. Ric, meanwhile, has learned about what he's becoming. He decides that instead of making the transition, he'd rather die as a human. Jeremy's upset, but there's nothing that can be done. The two say their goodbyes, and then Ric turns to Elena. After they embrace, they walk outside… where they find the rest of the cast standing, holding candles, and ready to bid Ric goodbye.

Everyone deals with this development in a different way. Klaus un-daggers Rebekah and swears that his mother will never destroy him. Jamie goes home with Bonnie and stays the night. Matt and Jeremy go to drown their sorrows. Elena frantically begins clearing Ric's weapons out of his classroom, only stopping when Stefan asks her to come with him.

He leads her to the empty gym, still covered in decorations. There, he gives a heartfelt speech about how this is where they were when Klaus compelled him to turn his feelings off—but despite everything, Elena kept believing in him. She sobs that now that Alaric is gone, she has nobody; "You have me," he tells her before drawing her in close.

Ric's alone in the crypt until Damon—who's been gently nudged by Dr. Meredith—comes in with a bottle of bourbon. The two enjoy one last bro-down before Ric slumps into a sleep he'll seemingly never come out of. Damon finally gets up to go, but as he's leaving, he's surprised by another presence: Bonnie. Esther has appeared to her in a dream; it's not clear whether she's compelled or acting of her own volition, but either way, she's arrived at the tomb with the now-indestructible white oak stake.

Bonnie goes to Ric and stabs her hand with the stake. Then she feeds her blood to Ric—and moments later, he springs alive again and bites her in the neck. Looks like Ric is now officially a super-strong, vampire hunting vampire… and he is not happy.

What do you think will happen next? Are you excited to see Ric as the villain of the show? Do you think Bonnie helped him turn on purpose, or was Esther just using her? And what do you think this all means for Klaus?