Like Elena, we didn't want to believe it.
But Jeremy is dead. D-E-A-D.
We were so sure that Bonnie or somebody would find a way to revive Jeremy. And there's still a chance that could happen, if Bonnie goes through with this crazy magical scheme to lower the veil between their world and the purgatory, which is full of supernatural souls.
The emotional episode triggered some changes for the various couples in the show. Let's check in on the 'ships:
Elena and Damon
When the show opens, Damon and Stefan realize that Jeremy's ring won't bring him back this time because he's a hunter -- he's supernatural. Elena is in denial, so Damon offers to search for Bonnie while Stefan takes her back to Mystic Falls.
Later, when Elena finally accepts the truth and breaks down, he's the only one who can comfort her. He uses the sire bond to order her to "turn it off" -- her emotions. It works: Her grief disappears. But so does her love.
"She lost her brother. I'm not enough," Damon admits when Stefan challenges his decision.
Sadly, Delena is on hold for now.
Elena and Stefan
Stefan is clearly not as "done" with Elena as he says he is -- he deeply feels her pain over Jeremy. But he doesn't want to be the one to wake her up to reality.
He still loves her enough to urge Damon to help her. He doesn't think turning off her emotions is the right choice, but what other choice does he have? Still, in many ways, Stefan knows Elena better than Damon does, and we have a feeling that when she gets her emotions back, she may turn to Stefan to regain her humanity.
Bonnie and Shane
Bonnie wakes up in the forest with her stab wound magically healed. Shane is there, also healed! It was Silas, he says.
When Shane tells her Jeremy is dead, Bonnie breaks down. But you can fix this, Shane tells her. She can use expression to lower the veil between supernatural purgatory and the real world.
When Damon finds and brings her back to Mystic Falls, Bonnie is determined to bring Jeremy back. Matt and Caroline are horrified -- doing that would entail killing 12 humans!
Elena shuts the plan down, but Bonnie isn't yet ready to give up on Jeremy yet. Shane shows up to reassure her that they can do this together. "You and I ... we're the beginning," he says.
Caroline and Tyler
Tyler has run off to who knows where and apparently isn't checking his messages. A forlorn Caroline deals with her grief by making lists, figuring out a cover story for Jeremy's death, and leaving Tyler many voicemails.
Rebekah and Stefan
These two were apart the entire episode, as she remained on the island to help Damon find Bonnie and deal with hunter Vaughn. She drops the tied-up hunter into the well, but Vaughn warns her that she doesn't know what Silas looks like.
That turns out to be the case when she later trips over a body in the forest ... Shane's body! So, who's that guy Bonnie's been colluding with this whole time?
A hand reaches out to grab Rebekah's leg. Shane's still alive, barely. He chokes out a whisper:
"Silas."
Check out Twitter reactions to the episode, and then sound off in the comments below!
I'm sorry, but there's no way that the writers would kill off Jeremy Gilbert. Elena may not be in denial, but I am. #vampirediaries #tvd
— Leah (@starmoon) February 22, 2013
i refuse to believe anything that happened in tonights episode of Vampire Diaries...
— Stella (@stellahudgens) February 22, 2013
no vampire diaries for three weeks and leaving it on the saddest note? #sadness
— Mady (@mheggs_) February 22, 2013
"The Vampire Diaries" airs Thursdays at 8 PM on The CW.
