The Vampire Diaries Recap – Elena Off The Rails Premiere: Season 6 Episode 1 “I’ll Remember”

The Vampire Diaries Recap - Elena Off The Rails Premiere: Season 6 Episode 1 “I’ll Remember”

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES premieres on the CW at 8PM EST tonight with an all new Thursday October 2, season 6 premiere episode! In “I’ll Remember,” season 6 begins with Elena returning to Whitmore College for the start of sophomore year. Meanwhile, Caroline becomes desperate to reverse the anti-magic spell the Travelers put over Mystic Falls; Tyler has a run-in at a football tailgate; Matt worries that Jeremy is dealing with the loss of Bonnie in a self-destructive way; Alaric struggles to adjust to his new life as a vampire; and Elena learns the truth about what Stefan has really been up to.

On the last episode heartbroken by an unexpected tragedy, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) was focused on holding himself together, while pushing Bonnie (Kat Graham) harder than ever to find a way to stop the disintegration of the Other Side. Elena (Nina Dobrev) took matters into her own hands and demanded that Liv (guest star Penelope Mithcell) and Luke (guest star Chris Broshu) help her, but Liv refuses to cooperate until Caroline (Candice Accola) provided her with some personal motivation. Sheriff Forbes (guest star Marguerite MacIntyre) was horrified when Markos (guest star Raffi Barsoumian) used violence against Tyler/Julian (Michael Trevino) to prove that Mystic Falls was now under the control of the Travelers. With new information from Sheriff Forbes, Damon came up with a dangerous plan that relied on split-second timing from Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and Matt (Zach Roerig). Liv’s off-hand remark regarding Stefan (Paul Wesley) got a surprisingly emotional response from Caroline. As conditions on the Other Side worsen, Bonnie took the opportunity to settle an old score. Finally, Damon’s plan caused a massive explosion in Mystic Falls, and everyone was caught up in the confusion, leaving a trail of heroism, sacrifice, relief and despair. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we recapped it all right here for you.

On tonight’s episode after spending the past four months coping with the loss of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) in an unconventional and potentially dangerous way, Elena (Nina Dobrev) has returned to Whitmore College for the start of sophomore year. Unable to move on, Caroline (Candice Accola) is desperate to find a way to reverse the anti-magic spell the Travelers have put over Mystic Falls and grows frustrated when her calls to Stefan (Paul Wesley) go unanswered. Tyler (Michael Trevino), who is human once again, has a run-in at a football tailgate that tests his ability to control his anger, while Matt (Zach Roerig) worries that Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) is dealing with the loss of Bonnie (Kat Graham) in a self-destructive way. Alaric (Matt Davis), who is struggling to adjust to his new life as a vampire, finds himself in an awkward situation when he meets Jo (guest star Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), a beautiful doctor at the university hospital. Last, while everyone believes Stefan is off tracking a lead to get Damon and Bonnie back, Elena is shocked when she learns the truth of what he has really been up to.

You’re not going to want to miss any of the action tonight, so tune in at 8PM EST to the CW to catch the latest. We’ll be live recapping the season 6 premiere for you right here and in the meantime hit up our comments section and tell us your thoughts on this new season!

Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page for Updates

A lantern buzz and flickers. Two people kiss in their tent but stop when they hear a noise. The girl tells her BF to go check it out but he’s scared and tells her to do it. She creeps out of the tent and looks around. She walks until she finds the lantern then slaps it so that it comes on. She screams when she sees Sheriff Forbes. She busts them for drinking and says she’s calling their parents. The teens complain as they head back to their car and the girl says Mystic Falls is turning into that town from Footloose. The girl falls quiet and her boyfriend calls out for her. She’s all bloody. She tells him to look up. He does and something pounces on him. He screams.

Elena says it’s a good day since summer is done and she’s starting sophomore year of college. She picks a major – medicine – and is getting serious about school. She’s quizzed by the doctor on rounds and is praised for reading ahead. It looks like she’s preparing some sort of spell. She comes in and finds Alaric mixing up blood. She says she had some on the way over. She says it’s weird and he asks if it’s him coming back from the dead or being a vampire and she says it’s him being her professor.

Mystic Falls is still off limits to those with fangs which means that the crime rate is down. Jeremy is making out with a girl at home. Stefan is out looking for a witch that can help him chase down the dead but also seems to be daylighting as a mechanic. Elena continues her spell and lights candles. Caroline has dropped out of college but Elena wants her to come home. She’s out for a picnic with her mom. Tyler hassles her also – he’s in college and says she should be there. Elena nags her into attending next day’s game.

Carolina and her mom talk about how to break the anti-magic border around Mystic Falls. Her mom says she needs to go hang out with her friends. Carolina says Elena is in denial about Damon’s death but Liz tells her that Elena has experience more loss than anyone she knows and is handling it her own way. Liz gets a text that there are two teens with neck wounds at the hospital. She has to go check on it. Caroline tries to hand her the picnic basket and is burned by the warding spell.

Elena finishes her spell and we see this whole time she was talking to Damon about her day – that’s what the hocus pocus was for. He puts his arms around her and asks her to tell him again about Alaric being a college professor now. In class, Elena hides behind her notebook as Alaric lectures on the occult. He says it literally means hidden. He says today they will discuss resurrection and Livvie giggles. He asks her issue and she says it’s ironic. Tyler scrambles in late and annoys her. She magics his textbook open to the correct page.

Alaric whispers to Elena that he can smell her drink from there and he says it’s not cool to drink blood when the whole class looks like blood sausages to him. She apologizes. After class she finds Luke and they talk about the psychotropic herbs he’s been giving to her. He says he thinks he needs to cut her off. He tells her he broke coven rules to get them to her and make Alaric his daylight bracelet.

Stefan is annoyed that his paycheck was docked $200 and his boss Dean says a customer says he dinged the hood of his classic car. Stefan said the wife did it and Dean says he’s calling his best customer a liar and tells him to suck it up. Stefan and Alaric talk and he tells Alaric his source hasn’t turned up info yet. Alaric meets with Caroline at the diner. She’s reading all the books she can to help her break the spell and he gives her a new one – she’s not having luck.

She asks about Stefan and he asks what’s up. She says Stefan never said goodbye to her – he just disappeared without a word and isn’t answering her calls. Alaric says he just doesn’t want to bother her with bad leads but Carolina isn’t having it. She leaves. Elena calls Matt and asks why Jeremy isn’t taking her calls. She tells him to put the call on speaker and says he needs to get off his butt and quit playing video games all day. Matt says he’ll take care of it. He ends the call and tells Jeremy hooking up with random girls and playing games all day is not the answer.

Jeremy asks if he should join the guard to protect against nothing. He says no more magic means he’s not a hunter anymore and Matt says he’s not much of anything anymore. Elena shows up to Luke’s room and he tells her he can’t help her anymore. She asks if it’s because she said she needs more blood. Luke says he’s not a drug pusher and she says he’s her friend. She says it’s his fault that Damon is gone because he stopped the spell. She’s rifling his room and says she need to see Damon and she’s not asking again. She slams him against the wall – he thinks she’s acting like a junkie.

Elena drives and tells Damon she wants to set Ric up with someone from the hospital. He tells her he loves her as she asks how long you wait after someone comes back from the dead before fixing them up. He also reminds her that he’s dead and she’s turning into an insane blood addict. She turns up the radio and tells him that’s not what’s going on. Ric bumps into Tyler and he curses at him. Ric asks if he should be drinking this close to a full moon.

Ric is worried he’s going to re-trigger his werewolf curse. Ric takes his drink and the both look over at Livvie. He laughs and tells Tyler that she is so not into him. Ric thanks him for the beer and walks off. Stefan is with Ivy and she asks him to go out to dinner. He says he has to go back to work. She says she’s just trying to get to know him. He tells her that he knows all about her and rattles off a bunch of info. She asks him to tell her something about him she doesn’t know.

He says that he’s a vampire and she tells him he’s annoying. He tells her likes her and then kisses her. She smiles and lies back in bed with him. At the pep rally, the booze is flowing. Alaric has blood in his flask he’s nipping from and Jo comes over and introduces herself. She works at the medical center and tells him she’s glad to see another adult. She asks for some of his drink but he says he’s a germaphobe. He says he has to make a call. He leaves Elena a message telling her he’s lost his game and needs her there.

Elena sees a car on the side of the road and pulls up. She was looking for a fresh blood bag when she spotted her. The girl says she was looking for Mystic Falls. Elena snaps and bites her. Damon says she need to stop and wipe her slate. She says she’s too thirsty but Damon reminds her she has almost killed several people. Caroline shows up then and is shocked. When Elena is distracted, the girl runs off and is on the other side of the spell so they can’t get to her to wipe her memory! Elena tries to grab her but burns her arm and has to stop.

The girl walks down the street with a bloody neck screaming for help. Elena says she lost control and Caroline asks if she’s the border lurker her mom has been looking for. Elena admits she’s been using witch herbs to see and talk to Damon but it makes her thirsty. She tells Caroline she tried to grieve him but couldn’t. She says she feels like she’s going to die. Caroline tells her she gets it but says there are better ways to get through this. Elena asks if she should have picnics like her or run away like Stefan.

Caroline tells her what she’s doing isn’t working. She says she’ll call her mom and get her to fix this but says Elena has to go hide and sends her on her way. She gets back into her car and asks what she’s doing. Damon takes her hand to comfort her. The girl staggers into town crying for help and Matt runs to her. Some others come over. She tells him that a girl bit her. She says she needs to find a girl. Matt says it was a dog. Liz pulls up and matt loads her into the car.

Trip tries to get more of a statement but Liz tells him to back off and let her do her job. Stefan gets a call from Elena but ignores it. His phone rings again with another call from her. He finally takes it and asks what’s going on. She says she needs him to give her hope that he’s going to find Damon and bring him back. He says not yet and she asks how he wakes up and goes about his day without falling apart. She says she’s not doing it right and he says there is no right or wrong way. She say there’s only forever and she can’t live forever without him. Stefan says he can’t because he gave up.

He says he was looking but then he realized it was pointless so he stopped looking and said goodbye. He tells her Damon is gone and it’s time for her to say goodbye too. He hangs up on her. She cries. The crowd is in full swing before the game when Caroline calls Tyler and tells him about the herbs Elena has been talking and is bloodlusting. He asks if she’s okay and she says she’s a mess. Tyler says he’ll deal with Luke.

Matt takes Sarah, the bite victim, to the county line and tells her that he’s been attacked like that and has gotten past it. He tels her he’s died and come back, been bitten and lost all his loved ones. Sarah says she can’t trust anyone and then turns to run but Caroline is there and says that’s not wise. Tyler finds Luke at the game and confronts him about messing with her brain. He asks where Elena is and Tyler says she almost killed someone. He tells Luke to stay away from her or face the consequences.

Alaric comes up and knocks him off of Luke. Tyler stomps away and he tells Luke to tell him what that was about. Elena drinks more of the herb concoction. She tells Damon she knows he’s not real and he tells her that she can’t throw this away just because of her phone call with Stefan. She says this is making her reckless and hurt people. He tells her if she wants to move on, to move on. She says she never got to thank him for saving Alaric, Stefan and Tyler.

She thanks him for giving her everything she ever wanted – love, passion and adventure. She says there is nothing more that she could ever want. She cries and says it’s the last time she’s going to see him. She tells him this is goodbye. She says she loves him but she has to let go. She kisses him. She steps back and opens her eyes. He’s still there and tells her she’s still holding on. She tells him she said goodbye. He asks how long before she goes running back to Luke.

She says she won’t. He tells her she will feel the agony and torment forever. She knocks over the candles and throws things, busting out one of the stained glass windows in the small chapel. She falls to her knees sobbing. Damon touches her shoulder and then holds her while she sobs. Livvie finds Tyler and calls him a douchebag cliché. He says he got out of control and she tells him Elena is emotionally blackmailing him. He reminds her that they lost people because of Luke.

She says a lot of them got their lives back because of her and Luke. She tells him to lay off Luke and he says he will. He tells her four months ago he had all these powers and now all he has is rage and is trying to deal with it. She goes to walk away and he asks why she treats him like that. She asks what he’d like her to do and he gives her a look that makes it clear what he wants from her.

Caroline leaves another message for Stefan. She says it was not a good day. She says everyone is drifting apart and is pretending like they can get through this alone. She says Elena is gone and is a different person because she can’t accept what happened. We see Elena holding one of Damon’s shirts and crying. She says Tyler is trying to outrun his werewolf gene and Matt and Jeremy won’t leave Mystic Falls. She says she thinks they may hope that they can’t ever find a way back in.

We see Jeremy boozing it up. Caroline says they need each other and need to be together and she won’t stop calling him. She says she won’t stop until he says he’ll help her fix it. We see Stefan look at his phone and sees a missed call and message from her. He breaks his phone. Elena asks Alaric if he likes being a vampire. He says they can talk about it after all that crap is out of his system. She says she means the bloodlust and heightened emotions. He sits by her and says he hates everything about it and she says – me too.

She says the good part was the promise that love could be eternal and she had that with Damon so that means the rest of eternity she’ll have a hole in her heart where he was supposed to be. She says she knows how death works and says moving on is a lie. She says if she ever wants to fall in love again and make eternity bearable she needs him to do something for her. She says he can compel other vampires since he was created by the original vampire spell. She asks him to compel her to forget that she ever loved Damon.

Damon makes pancakes and coffee while rock music plays. He takes the food over to Bonny. He’s made fang faces on the pancakes. She says she hates it and he says he doesn’t care. He reads the paper and they share a nice breakfast.