'Katerina'- The Origins

What started as a whisper, slowly turned into a scream. Searching for an answer where the question is unseen. I don't know where you came from, and I don't know where you've gone.

Bulgaria 1490.

Katherine is giving birth to a baby girl in the Petrova family home. Immediately after delivery, her father orders the removal of the illegitimate baby. Labor pains do not mask Katherine's tears- she never held her only child.

Present day, Mystic Falls, the budding friendship between Bonnie and Jeremy continues in the parking lot of MFH. Jeremy shows himself the gentleman first by picking up Bonnie's fallen books, then by initiating an opportunity to spend more time together. "It's just you're Elena's brother." Although hesitant in this new territory, she accepts. She could use a friendly distraction, too. Soon, however, this distraction switches gears in the form of tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious. Jeremy greets Luka with a handshake and if Bonnie had, too, then we'd know the status of this new-comer. So far his only crime in Mystic Falls is taking Bonnie's breath away.

Unlike her peers, Elena's priority this morning is to tend to the incessant bad news at the Broodinghouse. Rose is there to explain to Elena the danger as a doppelgänger because the oldest vampire in existence is looking to sacrifice hers. Rose insists, Stefan denies, and Damon declares a "definite maybe" over the situation in hopes to ease Elena's fears. Last we saw of Elena she was bruised, frightened, and compelled. So the harshness of her tone when denying Stefan the opportunity to join her to class seems almost reasonable. "I know where it is."

"She's the only one who knows the truth about Klaus."

Making haste in the woods, Elena leads Caroline to the tomb. Resistant to let her friend confront her maniacal maker, she concedes only after Elena pulls out all the stops by enforcing the Girlfriend Code. Now, Caroline is bound to open the tomb blockade as well as distract Stefan while Elena tries to get information out of Katherine.

Katherine creeps out from the shadows, drained. It's just the two of them- a truer meaning to the term mirror opposites. Elena comes bearing gifts, for a price. "You have the Petrova fire." In exchange for the explanation on Klaus, she gives Katherine the Petrova book, a blanket, a lamp, and blood.

England 1492.

As a result to Katherine shaming her family, she was exiled to England. There she came into acquaintance with The Originals. Deliberate or happenstance, she didn't wait around to find out. With help from Trevor she ran to Rose for shelter. Rose, who is in complete fear of Klaus- a vampire who's tales precede him, wanted nothing to do with a Petrova. Especially since she stole Klaus's moonstone.

"What does the Petrova bloodline have to do with Klaus?" It was Petrova blood that bound the Aztec Shaman's spell, and it's the sacrifice of the Petrova doppelgänger that can break it. As we learned last week, Katherine is the first doppelgänger. Perhaps there was a different kind of shame brought on her family when she gave birth. She was supposed to be the end of the bloodline and sent to England under the context that this fact held true.

At nightfall, Rose prepared to return Katherine to Klaus, but noticed she's stabbed herself. Katherine needed to be in pristine condition, so Rose forced her blood into Katherine's mouth moments before Trevor returned. "I love her, Rose." While Rose and Trevor were in a confrontation over what to do with the woman who's writing their death sentence, Katherine hanged herself in the next room. Sealing her fate and their demise. "Better you die than I."

"You can trust me."

While Elena's getting a lesson in family history, Damon is plotting her survival. He seeks out "Rosebud" for assistance in accessing Klaus, and interrupts her weeping over her late friend, Trevor. She tells him that to reach Klaus, he has to go from the bottom up. In this case it's a vamp named Slater in Richmond, VA.

Upon arriving, Damon threatens Rose to not get on his bad side by attempting a set up. "I'll rip your heart out and shove it down your throat. Something I'm very good at." Quickly, Rose pulls rank and suggests he show her his good side because she's older and stronger. That's settled. They enter the UV resistant cafe to meet a very kind looking vampire. He greets Damon to no avail. "It's nice to meet you. Maybe." Then, inquires about Trevor and is taken aback by the news.

Slater's also shocked to learn that Elijah is "beyond dead" as Damon so smugly put it. Nonetheless, he shares the process of contacting The Originals. Well, well, well, how convenient: Craigslist. As a scholar, Slater has centuries of knowledge including the power of breaking the curse. That is, whether the vampire or the lycanthrope, whichever breaks the curse first, the other will be doomed to the curse forever.

During their conversation, there is a street musician playing his guitar. Elijah steps into view, drops a one hundred dollar bill in the case in exchange for mere quarters and nickels (He must like what he hears). Damon inquires about the possibility of neutralizing the curse in order to spare Elena's life. Just as Slater is negotiating day-walking capabilities before responding, Elijah effortlessly tosses the coins towards the cafe causing the UV protected glass to shatter. Rose and Slater shriek in agony as they begin to burn.

"You remind me of someone. My best friend, Lexi."

Back at MFH, Caroline catches Stefan heading off of campus. It's her duty to distract him, but she's not the best at lying, so she tells the truth. "[I] told Tyler I'm a vampire." Stefan indulges Caroline at the Grill by allowing her to eat and ramble, all the while having Elena's well-being on the forefront of his mind. But enough's enough, he demands she end the charade and tell him where Elena is. "Caroline you have two seconds to come clean...where's Elena?" She refuses to tell him where she is, but reassures that she is not in danger. Suddenly, Stefan's tone and mood change as his mind goes to his next fear- she's with Damon. (Oh! Poor guy!) Caroline doesn't let that thought marinade, but holds her ground to Elena's secret. Girlfriend Code.

The Grill is the after school hot spot. Bonnie's there to meet Jeremy, but finds Luka and his father, Dr. Jonas Martin from Louisiana instead. "It's lookin' up." Bonnie joins them and is instantly questioned by Dr. Martin about her lineage in Salem, MA. Wearily, she confirms and saved-by-the-bell joins Jeremy as he enters. As she says goodbye, she cordially embraces Luka's shoulder finally getting a read on the mystery man.

Bonnie and Jeremy begin to play pool and their smiles couldn't be more inviting. (Wait? Have I had a change of heart about this potential couple?) However, smiles fade as Luka comes in to play winner. Bonnie happily sits out. Soon, Bonnie and Jeremy are, once again, beaming! (Kat Graham looks gorgeous here.) They haven't had this energy in so long due to the events of their hometown- it's sweet. Of course it doesn't last long as Luka, once again, steps into the picture. This time he's ready to come clean. He proves to Bonnie that he is a warlock, and apologizes for his dad's rude interrogation.

Their conversation is rolling and Jeremy, witnessing, pulls the switch on his emotions for his relationship with Bonnie. Alone again...

"You don't want to die? There's another way out."

Jeremy's not the only one turning the switch on emotions, back at the Broodinghouse, Damon and Rose are doing the same. They cheers "to friendship" and surviving the cafe attack. But it's no secret that being a best friend only gets you...dead. Since caring for others is suicidal, they turn they're emotions for others off, and turn the affection on for each other.

Lying barely clothed under a blanket in the parlor, they receive a call from Slater. He's alive and reveals to them that they need a witch and the moonstone in order to break the spell. After hanging up with Rose, Slater turns to Elijah and asks how he's able be compelled by another vampire. Elijah responds that he is a "special vampire." Then uses that special gift to compel Slater to drive a stake through his heart. Dr. Jonas Martin, Warlock makes an entrance as part of Elijah's entourage. "It wont be long now."

In the first sequence, Katherine was emotional over her baby which leads us to believe she's had reason to become a manipulative bloodsucker, but as the events unfold, we see she's manipulative in general. "I was always looking out for myself." She used Trevor to run and Rose to turn. Now, she's in Mystic Falls to collect on her check list to barter her freedom: Moonstone, Doppelgänger (Elena), Werewolf (Tyler), Witch true to the spell (Bonnie), and Vampire (Caroline). Staring straight into her mirror, Kat says, "Be you die than I."

Stefan arrives to find Elena contemplating her day's lesson. He insists that Katherine is a liar and can't be trusted. But, she hasn't shared the best part of the story yet (Oh, there's more? Goody!)- she shares that "[Klaus] will get his vengeance." Just like he did on her family, slaughtered. In the tomb, Katherine is "the safest psychotic bitch in town." Stefan and Elena leave Katherine to read over the Petrova family history. Seeing images of her family, after 500 years, she cries over their sketches.

I listen to a whisper slowly drift away. Silence is loudest, parting word you'd ever say. I put your world into my veins. Now a voiceless sympathy is all that remains. Amen omen, will I see your face again?

Arriving at the Gilbert house, Stefan tries to comfort Elena. "Don't shut me out." Although his embrace is strong, Elena has come to the crumbling realization that she's the reason why everyone she loves is doomed. "It's because of me." Elena finally has the whole truth. Her life is no longer sideways, but completely upside down. Months ago she was saved from a car wreck to preserve a curse so that one day her life and her blood would become sacrifice.


Double, double toil 'n trouble. Mystic Falls not only has a set of doppelgangers, but a witch and a warlock to boot! How did you like the history lesson of Katerina? Do you think you'll pass the test? Or maybe pass out because there's two full weeks before 'Sacrifice'- Share your OMG moments below, then find me, Danielle DuCré on Twitter @msdanielley, we can discuss Diaries in 140 characters or less..

Photos: CW
Lyrics: Ben Harper "Amen Omen"