Time for some insight into Rayna’s past. She’s the
daughter of one of the Brotherhood Hunters (one of those hunters that Jeremy
has become who gets the fancy body art and super vampire killy powers). And her
dad went out to kill a vampire – Julian – and it didn’t go well.
Since killing a Brotherhood hunter eventually drives a vampire insane and then to suicide, Julian has an elegant solution – compel Rayna into killing her own dad
And, lo, now we know why Rayna really really wants Julian
and the Heretics dead. Though (and it does kill me to provide any kind of
defence for Julian), killing the hunter that was trying to kill him is hardly the
worst thing he ever did.
From there Rayna went to some shamans who promptly
sacrificed themselves (Native Americans – death, sacrifice and woo-woo. I think
these and Rayna are these the first Native American stereotypes
characters that the show has had.)
She hunts down the heretics and is the reason why Bo
(hey, remember him?) can’t speak – but eventually they do manage to escape,
until the present day anyway. Enzo’s people have her locked up which lasts all
of 5 minutes because she’s determined and their glass cages aren’t very secure.
She also wants her sword back
Enzo manages that one by blackmailing Damon with the
possibility of telling Bonnie that he murdered Elena. That gets Damon to convince Bonnie to give up
the sword in an exchange in which Bonnie gets hurt, Enzo gets tied up, Rayna
gets her sword and Bonnie and Damon have some… connection moments. Between
Damon not hesitating before healing Bonnie as he did before –since her dying
would wake Elena (yes Bonnie has low expectations, but who can blame her after
the way they’ve treated her), to lots of talk of Bonnie being Damon’s only and
best friend and even a very on-the-nose conversation about how Elena would
totally not expect him to be celibate waiting for her.
Yes, I think we’re definitely inching down the road to
Bonnie/Damon romance.
Caroline is being drained of her life force by her evil
demon babies – she needs an emergency c-section which means a whole lot of
compelled doctors and all the heretics running round to help (I’m not quite
sure why they’re all helping but they are). But there woo-woo is interrupted by
Bo’s throat wound opening up – a signal that Rayna has her sword back
All the Heretics except Valerie now want to run for the
hills since the sword lets Rayna track people she’s stabbed so Mary Lou, Nora
and Bo run while Stefan gets hyper pissed at Damon for giving up the damn sword
Rayna strikes – and kills Bo. Seriously, Vampire Diaries, are you even kidding
right now?! There were two POC Heretics and they’re both dead and both had the
most incredibly minor roles – you even made Bo mute! And now he’s dead? Really,
Vampire Diaries you do not have the reputation
to get away with this bullshit.
Damon tries to run to the rescue but Rayna is far too
dangerous for him and Bonnie and the heretics can’t help because a) she’s immune
to magic and b) they all need to use their magic for the woo-woo c-section. Stefan,
given all the givens, isn’t exactly eager to ruin to Damon’s rescue but after a
lot of begging he runs to help
He saves Stefan – and is stabbed. Which means Rayna can
now track him to the ends of the Earth like she did Bo. Stefan buzzes off. But the
babies are born (which, since we’ve seen the future, should surprise no-one)
And twist absolutely no-one didn’t fail to predict – Enzo
reveals Elena is actually alive (or so he claims when a pissed off Damon
threatens to kill him)! Tyler had a fake coffin and Damon was hallucinating and
that means Damon can totally get off his guilt trip
Except, y’know, Stefan now having to go on the run to
prevent Rayna from finding and catching him (or you could gather everyone
together, let Rayna come and then all shoot her with big guns. Yes?)
So while Damon calls Stefan to say how he totally hasn’t
killed Elena and isn’t that wonderful he also has to promise desperately that
he will save Stefan from having to run for the rest of his life (or until Rayna
dies of old age, I guess).
