The Vampire Diaries: Today Will be Different Recap

Synopsis: The Siren wrecks havoc on Damon and Enzo’s relationships, putting Sarah Salvatore in danger and possibly sacrificing Damon’s free will permanently. Meanwhile, Stefan and Caroline take the plunge.

I was trying to figure out what made this episode of TVD so different than most of the show’s other offerings. Whenever a new enemy appears, the gang usually fight for their lives in high-adrenaline action scenes – but this week, the show broke out of its formula to focus more on the relationships between the characters.

That’s not to say there wasn’t any action, though – the Siren’s still munching on bodies and brainwashing Damon and Enzo to keep her in constant supply. Turns out that Enzo is resisting the Siren better than Damon is – but when the Siren ambushes his defenses, Enzo gives her the name of someone important in his life: Sarah Salvatore.

Afterward, the Siren sends Damon to kill Sarah, but the Mystic Falls gang intercept him. Stefan and Bonnie subdue Damon, leaving Bonnie to kidnap Enzo and bring him to safety.

Unfortunately for all parties involved, the Siren’s mind control still works over long distances, and Enzo is forced to return to the Siren or die. Meanwhile, Damon breaks free of the others and tries to kill Sarah – he stops after Stefan tells him that she’s their last surviving relative.

Everything seems like it’s going to be okay, so of course this is when the Siren walks in the door. She sees Damon’s disobedience and enters his mind to find out why he still has free will.

Turns out that Damon is holding on to memories of Elena, and those memories are allowing him to fight the Siren’s mind control. The Siren fixes the problem by replacing all of Damon’s memories of Elena with memories of her, which leaves Damon an enamored servant to Sybil, the Siren, while Sarah Salvatore bleeds to her death on the floor.

Sybil then discovers that Enzo is fighting her with memories of Bonnie, so it’s a coin flip on whether or not she performs the same circus trick twice.

In other news, Stefan proposes to Caroline (they’ve been dating all of two seconds, but whatever. Fingers still crossed for that June wedding #tbt). Alaric tries entirely too hard not to flirt with his new intern, so we know that’s happening, and then discovers that the Siren’s secret-voodoo-heirloom crap she left in her cave was made in hell. And also in cuneiform. Which is apparently the official written language of hell.