‘The Vampire Diaries’ Recap: Miss Mystic Falls Brings Back Memories Of Elena For Damon

The Miss Mystic Falls pageants always brings big moments. On the Jan. 20 episode of ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ Damon fights off Sybil’s mind control, his memories of Elena take over, Caroline makes a heartbreaking decision about Stefan, and Enzo asks Bonnie a tough question.

Damon’s still holding on to Elena’s necklace, no matter how much Stefan gives him side-eye about it. Stefan is still a major d*ck as a ripper. They’re on their road trip of destruction, but that comes to halt when Sybil calls and asks Damon to bring that iron ball back.

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Damon can’t figure out why he can’t say no to Sybil. Well, Stefan knows who’s really controlling Damon’s mind. “You want to know why you’re so distracted?” Stefan quips. “That woman is still in your heart.” Cough, Elena. Stefan adds, “And we are going to burn her to the ground. (No you’re not.)

Bonnie returns from Paris with a necklace filled with Enzo’s blood hanging around her necklace. Caroline starts to get the wrong idea, but Bonnie insists that she’s not turning into a vampire any time soon. However, she doesn’t exactly say no to the idea.

Seline calls Caroline for help with Sybil. She wants to kill her own sister. She has the bell, Caroline knows where the tuning fork is, so all they need is the iron ball (also known as the striker). Caroline dismisses Seline because she’s got something more important to attend to: Miss Mystic Falls! But first, Caroline calls Matt and Dorian to give them an update on Seline.

Bonnie’s Choice

Just when Caroline thought she was going to get out of Miss Mystic Falls early, Stefan and Damon arrive looking sharp in tuxes. Like he did in season one, Damon walks into the room where the girls are getting ready. Vague memories of Elena are drawing him there. Her necklace is in his hand. Sybil shows up because she’s the worst and demands the striker. When he refuses to give it to her, she taunts him with memories of Elena from the day everything changed for Delena. Sybil invades his subconscious, but he refuses to let her in completely. Girl, don’t mess with Damon when it comes to Elena.

After Caroline brought up the subject of becoming a vampire, Bonnie confronts Enzo about it. She wonders if the necklace is more than just a symbol, like more of a promise. She tells him that she can’t become a vampire, even if she wanted to. Her life is still linked to Elena’s.

Caroline pleads with Damon to give her the bell striker so they can take out Sybil and Seline. Damon can’t hand it over just yet until he figures out how and why Sybil messed with his head. He looks at the necklace, knowing it’s been the root of it all the trouble he’s been experiencing lately. He wants to know why the necklace means to much to him. “I hold it and get this flicker of warmth,” he admits to Caroline.

Caroline tells him that the necklace is “as powerful and magical as the love you and Elena had for each other.” She begs him to find that place in his heart where his love for Elena is buried deep. She wants him to fight for Elena, who will always be the best part of him.

Memories Of Her

Sybil thought she had erased Elena from Damon’s mind, but Stefan says that “Elena Gilbert never really goes away.” You got that right. As the contestants make their way down the stairs, like Elena did all those years ago, Stefan reminds Damon of how he betrayed his own brother that day. Instead of helping Stefan when he was on a bender, he was standing in front of the stairs and falling for Elena, his brother’s girl.

“You think this is where your love story began, but the truth is, Elena would never have looked at you twice if I’d been there that day,” Stefan spits at Damon. Now that is not true. He grabs Elena’s necklace and breaks it apart.

While Stefan may be lost for now because of Cade, Caroline refuses to lose Damon to Sybil. She will not let him forget his memories of Elena. She brings him to the dance floor and makes him dance with her like he did with Elena. Oh, the feelings!

Meanwhile, Enzo and Bonnie are dancing and talking about some pretty deep stuff. Enzo asks Bonnie if she’d be willing to turn into a vampire if she wasn’t tied to Elena. “Yes, I would turn for you,” she admits. Knowing how he feels, Bonnie gives him the necklace back. If the necklace means anything more than a promise of love, she can’t wear it. Later, Enzo reveals that’s not why he gave her the necklace. It was only meant to save her when he can’t. He can’t bear the thought of losing her prematurely. I can’t with these two perfect people.

Elena’s Never Going Away

Sybil’s fed up with Elena, and she’s never even met her. She warns Damon that his humanity is going to come rushing back one day, and it will destroy him. All the bad things he’s done will weigh on him and break him. She tries to convince him to stop fighting the feelings. For a brief moment, it appears she wins. He tells her where the striker is.

Sybil thinks she’s got Damon. What an idiot. “The more you try and push her out, the more I understand she’s never going away,” he seethes.

DELENA LIVES. Then Damon hits Sybil with the striker. Stefan shows up, and Damon thinks he’s taken care of the situation of who Stefan was talking about in the bar. Stefan wasn’t talking about Sybil. He, as in Ripper Stefan, believes that Elena is still manipulating Damon’s every move. Stefan is done. He’s ditching Damon. He’s tired of Damon “dragging him down.” Stefan takes a coat hanger, stabs Damon, and grabs the striker.

Realizing that Stefan is a ticking time bomb, Caroline ushers all the Miss Mystic Falls attendees out. Before the contestants can leave, Stefan arrives. He gives Caroline the striker and prepares to kill the contestants. He snaps one of their necks. When she tries to interfere, he shoves her to the ground. But the girl’s not dead, though. He plans to turn them all.  Before he can do that, Caroline stabs him straight in the heart. When the girl wakes up later, Caroline is waiting. The girl freaks out, but Caroline assures her that life won’t stop just because she’s technically dead.

Hello, Humanity

When Stefan wakes up, Caroline’s sitting nearby. She’s willing to accept what he’s doing for this one year only. That’s when Stefan says he’s not done with Cade after a year. He doesn’t want to quit. Knowing he’s a lost cause until he comes to his senses, Caroline takes her engagement ring off and throws it at him. She breaks up with him right then and there. And with that, the tide just shifted for Klaroline lovers.

Remember Matt? Well, he goes searching for the bell at Seline’s house. He gets caught by a cop compelled by Seline. Matt manages to get his hands on the bell, but Seline knows his game.

After their heart-to-heart, Bonnie puts the necklace back on. She wants to make the next 60 or 70 years count with Enzo. But will that be enough for both of them? Since she can’t turn into a vampire, she comes up with an alternative. If Enzo could take the cure, they could grow old together. It’s a lot to think about, that’s for sure.

Damon manages to lock Sybil up in the Salvatore basement. He’s got her all figured out now, and he’s ready to torture her for the next few years (or decades). Before he can start wreaking havoc, she grabs him and gives him his humanity back. Man, this is going to hurt like a b*tch, Damon. But it will be worth it in the end!

HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s episode of The Vampire Diaries? Let us know!