Ep 19. Heart of Darkness

Elena and Damon's latest mission takes them to Denver, Colorado where they search for Stefan's whereabouts. While on the road trip from Mystic Falls to Denver, Damon levels up his attempts at wooing Elena and makes her an offer she has a hard time refusing.

Meanwhile, Stefan is in Chicago wreaking havoc as the "Ripper" version of himself. He's out for blood and has befriended a woman by the name of Rebecca, who is none the wiser to his true nature. Rebecca helps Stefan to remember who he really is and revisit his past. While doing so, Rebecca and Stefan begin to grow close, and leads Stefan on a dangerous path to redemption.

Back in Mystic Falls, the rest of the gang becomes increasingly suspicious over Alaric's secretive behavior. It doesn't help that Alaric has been sneaking around town, procuring weapons and means of destruction. The group becomes increasingly curious as to what he's up to, and Damon even goes as far as to confront him over his strange behavior.

However, when Alaric presents the gang with a new weapon specifically designed to kill Originals, their curiosity quickly turns to horror. They can't believe Alaric would stoop so low as to kill the Original vampire family, who they know is protected by a never-ending curse connected to Elena's bloodline.

To make matters worse, Klaus, one of the Original vampires, arrives to Mystic Falls in the hopes of forming an alliance with the group against his own brother, Elijah. Klaus warns the group that Elijah is a true threat and must be eliminated before he ruins Klaus' own plans for domination.

Heart of Darkness is an intense and dramatic episode that sets the tone for the remainder of the season. With questions surrounding Stefan and Alaric's intentions, as well as the addition of Klaus into the mix, the stakes have never been higher for the residents of Mystic Falls.