Last night we finally got our Vampire Diaries fix after a hiatus that was just way too long. The episode titled 1912 gave us a lot of history about Mystic Falls and all who live in it, specifically that bromance we all love so much. So lets dig in!

If you remember correctly, the last episode ended with Alaric getting shot by Dr. Fell, so you can imagine my surprise when he awoke in jail. Oh, and was the main suspect for all the deaths going on in Mystic Falls. But clearly that can’t be the case so everyone set out on a mission to prove just that.

And cue the brotherly bonding. Damon enlists Stefan to help him figure out why history is repeating itself. What history? The fact that the last time there was a serial killer in town it was 1912. It was also the first time the two brothers had been reunited after 50 years. So what went down back then?

Well, the two met at their uncle/nephew Zacharia’s funeral. They learned he was murdered, but nobody could figure out by who. They decide to talk about it over drinks (some things never change, right?) and then find themselves at a boxing match where we are introduced to Sage. Sage is the vampire who taught Damon everything he knows. Should we hit her or thank her? Damon ultimately tries to pass on the skill of feeding on humans to Stefan who was in his eating bunnies stages. In the end, Stefan looses control, kills the woman Damon makes him feed on, and viola The Ripper was born.

Cut to present day where Stefan is back on his anti-human blood kick. Damon and Stefan find themselves at the Grill and are discussing who all the possible suspects could be. Also trying to find some answers is Rebekeh, who is still trying to find that oak tree. Mayor Lockwood suggests it’s been cut down, and who has the logging records? The Salvatores of course.

We also learn that Rebekeh isn’t fond of Sage because she used to have a thing for her brother Finn. The one who was all too willing to die. She offers to help the brothers, and Damon takes her up on that offer. It’s pretty clear that Stefan is feeling the effects of giving up blood cold turkey so Damon offers to help teach him moderation. He bites some poor woman on the street and after Rebekeh threatens to kill her, Stefan eventually bites. And keeps biting. Luckily Damon stops him just in time for Elena to see Stefan all disheveled and frenzied. Safe to say Elena isn’t too happy and neither is Stefan.

Later on we see Stefan sitting by the fire clearly punishing himself for what he did. This is where we got a true dose of brotherly love. Stefan asks why Damon is doing this and trying to help him and Damon’s answer is pretty simple, “because he didn’t stop him back then. And he didn’t want to. But now he does. Now, it’s his life’s purpose to help him learn moderation because, well, Stefan is all he has. Aw!

While the Salvatores were trying to find their common ground, another pair was doing the same: Matt and Elena. It was nice to see the two of them together again and being, well, normal. They talked about her love life with vampires. How she loved Stefan because after losing her parents, she loved that he couldn’t die. And how Damon just kind of crept up on her. Oh yeah, then there was the fact that he told her Bonnie’s mom made the decision to turn. Okay, so maybe not that normal.

So, they take it upon themselves to find justice. So clearly that means breaking into Dr. Fell’s apartment. While searching Elena remembers a key factor: she’s a founding family. So obvs she has a secret compartment, and luckily for them it held all the answers. Not so luckily for them, Dr. Fell came home while they were there. But in the end all was good, so good in fact that Matt successfully stole a Gilbert journal from the box. They also found a report that would basically be Alaric’s alibi, but when they turned it in, it turned out that Dr. Fell already done that. But why?
Well. The journal Elena got ends up being Samantha Gilbert’s. A family member who was rumored to have gone crazy. Around the same time, Stefan finds documentation that someone confessed to the 1912 murders. The winner? Samantha Gilbert. The kicker? Damon was pretty sure he had already killed her. So how could she still be alive? Well, you remember those magic rings don’t you? The ones that let you come back to life and are passed down through the Gilbert family? Yes those. Why does this matter? Well think about who has them. Jeremy.. and Alaric.

So, while Elena and the Salvatores are putting this together, Dr. Fell shows up at Alaric’s door and tells him to trust her. She explained that she did everything to protect him. But from what? From blacking out and going on a killing spree all throughout town. But why would he do this? Dr. Fell nails it right on the head. “How many times can he die before it changes him?” Well, it looks like we’re finding out.

What do you guys think about the brothers finally coming together? Were you expecting this twist about Alaric?