(Damon and Vickis dance party!
Countless I love yous!)
It wasnt trying to beThe Vampire Diaries, and it wasnt trying to beThe Originals.
Credit: Jace Downs/The CW
(But not enough to pull you out of the moment.)
So without further ado, let me either welcome you or welcome you back to Mystic Falls.
The episode starts with the familiar voice ofHope Mikaelson.
His foster brother Landon whomOriginalsfans will recognize is there with him but is asked to wait outside.
It turns out, this is less of a confession and more of an exorcism.
Rafaels foster parents think hes possessed, but really, hes just a werewolf.
And tonight is his first transition under the full moon.
As for what they need from Landon, Ric wants to know who Rafael killed recently.
And Ric needs to see to it theyre not about to accept a cold-blooded killer into their school.
Landon assures them that Rafael is no killer.
About a month ago, he was driving with his girlfriend when they got into a car accident.
Rafaels girlfriend didnt make it.
sometimes slips it into the coffee at the gas station that they stopped at earlier in the day.
As for Lizzie, shes in the middle of a witchy temper tantrum thats completely destroying the schools kitchen.
(For those of you that didnt watchTVD, Caroline Forbes is not their biological mother.
Meanwhile, Raf is bonding with Josie.
As for Rafael, he doesnt make it very far before Hope tackles him.
And seeing as how she ran after him in her wolf form, she has some explaining to do.
So, she takes him to the Stefan Salvatore Memorial Library R.I.P.
She is the only one of her kind.
Using her powers, Hope shows Landon her memory of the day that they danced in the town square.
But not everyones night ends so perfectly.
After the party, Penelope, whos Josies ex, tempts MG with a good time in the kitchen.
She wants him to drink from her neck which is not allowed and he nearly does.
The next morning, Landon asks Alaric if he can stay.
He doesnt have a home anymore, and he could work at the school.
Cut to Matt Donovan welcoming Ric and Hope to the crime scene.
And THAT is the line that gives me chills every time I see this episode.
In other words, if a compelling story is the sundae then nostalgia is the cherry on top.
