Alaric, Elena and Damon are still in the Lockwood tunnels, but Damon can only go so far, because the cave has been blocked from vampires. On the walls are pictographs that tell a story of werewolves that have been in Mystic Falls since before the founding families arrived. Alaric finds Viking writing which translates to the Klaus (Elijah and Rebecca).
Flashback to Rebecca carving her name into the cave wall. Nick tells her that her dad doesn’t want her to be using blades, but she says he won’t find out. Nick tells her that their father scares him, and she replies that he scares them all and that’s why they stick together.
Alaric reads the name Mikael on the wall as well.
—
Alaric analyzes picutres he’s taken of the cave, as Elena and Damon practice fighting. Elena says they should go and talk to Rebecca about the caves.
Elena goes to the school and asks Rebecca why she’s spent 1000 years running from her father, and threatens to wake Mikael, but Rebecca says if he’s awoken they are all dead.
Flashback to Nick sword fighting with Elijah. Mikael walks up and takes Elijah’s sword, yells at Nick for playing, and tells him he’s foolish and impulsive, and then his mother tells Mikael to back off, he’s proven his point.
Alaric finds the symbols for vampire in the images, and then finds another for werewolf.
Elena calls Damon, and tells him that Rebecca was scarred when Mikael’s name was mentioned. Stefan is still tied up at the jail. Elena then gets a text from Rebecca, telling her to come over to talk.
Damon talks to Stefan, and realizes that Stefan has given up, and let’s him free and says they could both use a drink.
Elena arrives to talk with Rebecca. Rebecca has compelled several girls to model homecoming dresses for her, and tells Elena to pick one, and if she doesn’t, she’ll kill the girls. Elena picks one, and Rebecca releases the girls from compulsion. Rebecca then tells her not to threaten her, and Elena will learn only what Rebecca wants her too.
—
Alaric called Bonnie over, and she brings him Elena’s necklace, which restored itself after it had been destroyed. He shows her the images, and found one with the same design as the necklace. The symbol means witch…
Elena asks how they ended up in Mystic Falls. Rebecca tells her that Europe had been hit by a plague just when her parents had started a family, and a witch named Ayanna had told them of a mystical land where everyone was healthy. They lived in peace with the werewolves, and her family had more children, including her.
Flahsback and Rebecca tells her that once a month her family would hide in the caves and the werewolves would run about. She hears a noise and Nick approaches carrying his youngest brother Henrick, who had snuck out to see the werewolves and they killed him. Ayanna tells them their is no way to save Henrick, and Rebecca says that was the beginning of the end of peace with the wolves and one of her families last moments as humans. Damon calls Elena, and she gets mad at him for letting Stefan out.
Damon compels the bartender to let Stefan feed off her.
—
Elena says she’s going to leave, and Rebecca decides to tell more of the story and says that Ayanna, the original owner of the necklace, is the one who turned them into vampires.
Flashback, Mikael and his wife begs Ayanna to call the spirits to help them with the wolves.
Rebecca tells Elena vampirism was a form of protection, not a curse. Rebecca says the reason they didn’t leave was because of Mikael’s pride, he wanted to leave.
Ayanna tells them she will not be a part of the families plan, because it will turn into a plague. Ayanna leaves, and Mikael tells his wife then she will have to do it…his wife is a witch as well…the original witch.
—
Rebecca tells Elena she is not a witch, because a witch is a servant to nature, and a vampire is an abomination to it, so you can’t be both…she says her mother did it for her family, so she did not turn. That night Mikael gave them wine laced with blood, and then drove a knife through their hearts.
Flashback, to Rebecca and Nick waking up. Mikael brings them a girl to complete their transformation.
She tells Elena that Ayanna was right about the spirits turning on them, and so they couldn’t go out in the sun, but her mother found a way for them to walk in the sunlight, they had to be invited in to people’s homes, the flowers at the base of the white oak made them weak and was also the thing that could kill them, so they burnt it down…the biggest consequence was their craving for blood that they couldn’t control.
Damon and Stefan continue to party at the bar, and Stefan asks Damon why he let him out. Damon says he’s given up, and that’s why he does what Klaus says…then Mikael walks in and approaches them.
—
Rebecca and Elena talk about Nick. His mother had an affair with a werewolf, and when Nick killed his first human, it triggered his werewolf gene. Their mother put the hybrid curse on Nick to suppress it, but Mikael had too much pride, which was magnified as a vampire, so he killed half the village and his wife after he found out. The family went their separate ways, and Nick stayed with Rebecca, even though his mother turned her back on him. Elijah says he plans to stay with them as well, and Rebecca says always and for ever. Rebecca then tells Elena to leave, but tells her if she wakes Mikael and he kills Nick, she will kill Elena.
Mikael asks Stefan about Klaus, but he tells him he’s been compelled not to say anything. He then punches through Damon’s chest and says he will kill him if Stefan doesn’t tell him where Klaus is, but Stefan can’t do it. Stefan tells him that he can get Klaus back to Mystic Falls, and Mikael tells him that’s the loop hole.
—
Alaric, Bonnie and Elena are at the tunnels again. Elena looks at the symbols and realizes that Rebecca doesn’t know the real story about how her mom died.
Elena goes back to Rebecca and asks how she knows that Mikael killed her mother…and she says because Nick told her. Elena shows her that the hybrid, Nick, killed the original witch. She tells him that after the hybrid curse was placed, she turned her back on Nick, and he killed her. Rebecca denies it, but then knows Elena is right, and breaks down crying.
Stefan and Damon leave the bar. Stefan tells Damon that he was right about feeling free, and that’s why he wants to kill Klaus, so he will be free to leave. Damon tells him he’s trying to pay him back for saving his life over and over, and Stefan tells him his humanity is showing, so they end up fighting, leaving Stefan on the ground lauging at Damon.
Rebecca continues to sob.
Elena gets back home, and Damon is in her room, and he tells her that Mikael is in town. Elena tells Damon that she thinks Rebecca is on their side now, and she tells Damon that Stefan won’t be saved because he loves her, but because he loves him, because family is what always matters.
Thoughts:
I’m not always crazy about flashback episodes, but this episode made me like Rebecca even more than I already did. I love the mythology that was revealed in this episode, and thought it was a really interesting vampire origin story.
Preview: 3×09 — Homecoming:
