Matt Meets His Ancestor Ethan Maxwell – ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Recap: "What Are You?" - RESPECT.

This week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries gave Matt the family reunion he never wanted. Turns out the necklace/family heirloom Dorian gave him last episode is actually a talisman that links Matt back to his ancestor, Ethan Maxwell. Anytime Matt had the talisman in his possession he began to experience Ethan’s memories. Luckily for Matt, Alaric came back to town to help decipher Ethan’s journal and help Matt with what he is experiencing.

Joining the land of the living this week was Stefan Salvatore. Unfortunately being mortal comes with a ton of grief/pain and flashes of all the horrible things Stefan did when he was doing Cade’s bidding. Stefan’s escapades in the last couple of months got him in trouble with the law and now because he is human he can’t compel himself out of the situation he is in. Therefore, he is arrested but not for long thanks to his fiancée (?) Caroline. As they exit the jail Stefan and Caroline overhear a little girl reporting her missing mother. The woman was the real estate agent that Stefan attempted to kill. Luckily for the little girl her mother survived by escaping into the woods. Stefan and Caroline find her but not before the woman stabs Stefan, fearing for her life once again.

Caroline feeds the real estate agent her blood in order to save her but when she tries to do the same for Stefan his body rejects it; a side effect of the cure. Vampire blood can no longer heal him. Stefan tells Caroline to let him die. Obviously she isn’t going to and tells him that he needs to redeem himself and fix all the mistakes he has made. After he is all stitched up, Stefan tells Caroline he is unsure about their future. He can’t see himself marrying Caroline because their lives will be different. It isn’t what he wanted. It is what he expected. As usual, Caroline is willing to stay by his side. Will these two work it out or will Steroline be done for good?

Speaking of couples that are over for good (R.I.P. Benzo), Bonnie is grieving the loss of her beloved Enzo and ignoring all her friend’s calls. However, she is reunited with her mother Abby (Persia White) after Caroline gave her a call to tell her what happened. The two begin to lay Enzo to rest but Bonnie stops when she hears Enzo calling out to her. She tells Abby she wants to save Enzo and possibly resurrect him (remember the other side is gone and neither one of them have their witch powers).

Abby hears him calling out as well and the two call upon Enzo to give them a sign. He does. Turns out Bonnie opened a door to where Enzo is. He is suffering and in pain. Abby tells Bonnie they need to bury him to close the door and that it is not Enzo but a darkness reaching out to Bonnie. Bonnie only wants to rescue Enzo and doesn’t care if she gets hurt in the process. She is taken by the darkness which unfortunately forces Abby to set Enzo’s body on fire in order to close the door and save her daughter. She tells Bonnie to say goodbye and let Enzo go for good.

Back in Mystic Falls Cade pays Damon another visit. He wants Ethan’s journal in exchange to allow Stefan to live out his human life before he reclaims his soul. If not Stefan dies at midnight. Damon accepts the deal and heads to the armory to collect the journal. For once Damon was upfront about his motives and deal with Cade. Unfortunately Alaric won’t hand it over and kills Damon (again) in order to stop him.

Alaric, Matt and Dorian lock Damon in a chamber and trigger Matt’s memories to find out what is inside the journal by using hypnosis. We step back in time once again. Turns out the Maxwell’s were working with the Bennett witches and the bell is infused with Bennett witch magic. We also see some of Ethan’s code. He sends a message to Beatrice Bennett that says: “Dear Bea, your courage will save us all” (major foreshadowing!)

Moments later Sybil introduces herself to Ethan and takes him to a room in the armory full of the sirens treasures; the same room where Dorian and Matt found the journal. Selene then arrives and they force Ethan to add the tuning fork to the bell. Sybil also shows Ethan a weapon that can potentially kill Cade. Unfortunately he is sirened to not speak a word about the bell or the weapon that can kill the devil.

Ethan may not be able to say what the siren sisters have told him but can write it. He encodes a message for Beatrice and gives it to her. He begins ringing the bell just as Matt did. Beatrice calls upon the towns’ people for help. The towns’ people sacrifice themselves to keep the hell fire from spreading. Due to the trauma Matt begins to have a heart attack. Damon gives Matt his blood in order to save him.

All the towns’ people die and the bell remains; the blood of 100 souls is on Ethan’s hands. Beatrice then locks the sirens in the cave on the armory. They force Ethan to kill Beatrice if she won’t set them free thus forcing her to lock Ethan in the room in order to save herself. Ethan tells Beatrice that he knows how to kill the devil but he cannot say. Once again he codes it in his journal. Unfortunately Damon steals the journal before Alaric and tow can find out how to do it for themselves.

Damon hands Cade the journal but not before asking if anyone has ever earned their way out. Cade burns the journal and tells Damon he doesn’t want to give him false hope. So that’s a no.

Bonnie finally returns to Mystic Falls and Matt is waiting on her door step. He shares his condolences and Bonnie tells Matt that she doesn’t want to carry on without Enzo. She doesn’t think she can do it. Matt tells her to try and find comfort in the fact that Enzo loved her and will always be with her. He also lets her know that their families are tied together.

Stefan also comes home, only to change, and then plans to head over to Bonnie’s house but he isn’t sure what to say. He asks Damon for advice. Damon says she is a much better person than Stefan and him. She will eventually forgive him but it will take time. Stefan then thanks Damon for saving his life and allowing him to undo the damage he has done. Before he goes he asks Damon if there is a chance for redemption. Damon lies to his younger brother and says absolutely.

Stefan arrives at Bonnie’s house but is tased by someone before he can ring the doorbell.

Damon returns to the armory and says he isn’t apologizing for saving his brother. Turns out the reason Damon gave the journal to Cade was because he already knows how to kill him. He just needed confirmation that the information he had was viable. Damon shows Alaric the relic that has the means to kill Cade. Thanks Sybil! The two celebrate/begin to plan Cade’s murder when they are interrupted by none other than:

KAI PARKER!!!!!!!!!!