The Vampire Diaries 3x12: The Ties That Bind

Original Air Date: 19 January 2012

Storyline: Bonnie believes the dreams she's been having about Klaus's coffins will help her figure out how he can be killed. The recurring dreams also lead Bonnie to a reunion with her mother, Abby, whom Bonnie hasn't seen for 15 years. Tyler turns to an unexpected ally as he works to regain his free will and Caroline's trust. Damon is intrigued by Dr. Fell, and Klaus and Stefan continue their violent negotiations over control of the coffins containing Klaus's family members.Best Quote:

Damon: What's her damage?
Alaric: No damage.
Damon: Come on, Ric. It's a fact of life. A girl that smart, that hot? Damaged.

Damon's Best: Insulting a bunch of dead witches? Not smart.Review: I can get over everyone else calling Alaric "Ric"; but hearing that from Damon? Weird and not at all right. 

But let's move on and actually talk about this week's episode, one that saw Bonnie take a more central position while she got the idea that finding her mother may help the gang deal with Klaus and maybe find a way to kill him. In any other situation and with any other character, the long overdue reunion between mother and daughter would have been a lot more emotional than the one between Bonnie and Abby Bennett, even when you add up the fact that Abby has been raising a young man who isn't even her son and was more willing to save his life than to save Bonnie's. But both characters lack that empathy that could have made this episode a tearjerker. 
Plus, introducing Abby in such strong a position after she has been virtually absent for two and a half seasons (I don't even remember her being mentioned in conversations) was a bit too much for me. It's the same thing that was done over and over again with characters that we don't really care about or are supposed to care about (remember Luka and his family? Yeah, nor do I...). This show does a lot of things right, but one of my complaints from day one was the inflation of characters. And I'll make you a bet, here and now: One of the two - Abby and Jamie - will not live past the end of this season. My money's on Abby.
Another thing I'm not too crazy about is the storylines that seem to be invented as things move along. Really, Abby and Elena's mother were best friends? That feels to me like a stretch. Also, I cannot believe Abby was such a strong witch in her younger days that she was capable of desiccating Mikael, nor do I believe Mikael had known about Elena being the doppelganger when she was just a baby. Of course I want things to be explained, but sometimes it looks like the writers go on inventing stuff just to make the math happen.
The entire arc involving Bonnie's mother got me very confused when it came to the writers, to be honest. And it's not just the things I talked about until now, it's also about how convenient everything fell into place for Klaus to get to the coffins. Maybe he arranged for Abby to take Jamie in, like some kind of Mystic Falls Mr. Gold.
But let's move on to Klaus and his discovery regarding the coffins. Luckily (and isn't it amazing how Bonnie was able to text Damon even with the hybrid standing next to her?), Damon - who, incidentally, was the best part about this episode (again - but more about that later), managed to hide the most important of the four, the one that everyone speculates it contains the secret to killing Klaus. Despite him being virtually immortal, it seems like nature is finding more and more ways to kill him and I'm starting to wonder how many more there will be in the future. Cause, honestly, I don't want Klaus dead any time soon.
He was one step ahead in the game for the entire episode, but unfortunately for him, Damon hasn't lost all of his villain-ish persona when he fell in love with Elena. And if I didn't already worship him, I am now, as he delivered the best surprise of the season: waking up Elijah! Let me tell you, there was nothing better in this entire season (and that includes THE KISS) than having Daniel Gillies pop up from behind Daniel, with the hybrid's heart in his hands, asking his brother "So, Niklaus... What did I miss?" Priceless.
Before moving on to the two secondary plots of the week, let me just talk about Elena and Stefan. Putting those two together seems all Williamson and Plec want to do and it's really pissing me off. But I'm glad he now knows not only about Elena kissing Damon (and not feeling guilty about it), but also about her new, improved personality. 
So, what about those two remaining plots? First of all, we have Tyler really struggling with his devotion to Klaus and being adamant to do everything in his power to sever that bond, even if that implies calling Bill Forbes - a man known for his unusual, torturous methods - back into town. It's great to see both Bill and Tyler so dedicated to Caroline and capable of doing anything - even putting their lives in danger - to make her happy. It was one of those awww moments that make me feel like a stupid teenager.
Secondly, Alaric cannot get a break from bad relationships. His wife and his girlfriend both became vampires and eventually died and now he's starting something with a woman who not only knows Damon is a vampire (how?), but is willing to go to great lengths to get things done her way (like stealing vampire blood and risking the rage of the vervained undead). Plus, I'm not entirely convinced (and neither is Damon) that Meredith didn't kill her ex. Before being sure he can trust her completely, he shouldn't have told him about his biggest secret - the ring. Big mistake and one that will surely cost him soon (because TVD never does anything without a purpose).
And for the weekly Damon corner, let's list my favorite moments of the week: his playful look and smile when he told Bonnie about the kiss (my heart just melted then and there); the bromance scenes with Alaric and investigating Dr. Fell because he doesn't want his friend to suffer at the hand of a woman again; the way he stood up to Klaus and last, but not least, taking out the dagger that was used to keep Elijah dead.