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Lexi stuck with me for months, partying with me, showing me a good time, but late every night, she'd torture me in the worst way possible. [...] Every Night.
Damon

Because the Night is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of The Vampire Diaries and the eighty-third episode of the series overall.

Summary[]

FLASHBACK TO DAMON'S LIFE IN 1970s NEW YORK / THE BAND DEAD SARA PERFORMS — Realizing that Elena needs some time away from Mystic Falls, Damon takes her to New York City, where he lived and partied hard in the 1970s. When Rebekah also shows up in New York, she's impressed with Elena's secret agenda. Flashbacks reveal Damon's hedonistic life in the underground club scene and a complicated encounter with Lexi. Meanwhile, Caroline and Stefan try to convince Klaus that it would be in his own best interest to help them track Silas down, and Bonnie struggles to keep her grasp on reality and do the right thing.

Plot[]

Elena and Rebekah travel to New York to find Katerina with Damon's help. Shane, who is Silas in disguise, wants Bonnie to use her powers to kill twelve witches and complete the Expression Triangle. Bonnie is reluctant, but Silas tells her that she will accomplish raising Jeremy from the dead. Bonnie goes to the part in the woods where the twelve witches come thinking they are going to cure her of her Expression and pull her out of it's darkness. The witches attempt to cure Bonnie and link themselves together and command her to yield to the Spirits. Bonnie fights the spell and struggles against the witches. When Stefan arrives, in their discovery that Bonnie is being controlled by Silas, they give up on her and attempt to kill her, but Caroline arrived and kills Aja, who was about to kill Bonnie, killing all the twelve witches in the process. With her death, the Expression Triangle is completed. Bonnie's been released from Silas' influence and does not recall any of the past events leading up to her escape from the Island. Stefan informs her that Jeremy is dead. Elena and Rebekah abandon Damon in New York and flee with his car.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Co-Starring[]

Trivia[]

  • AntagonistSilas.
  • There are flashbacks to the 1970's involving Damon and Lexi.
  • Stefan tells Damon that Elena is ruthless without her humanity and insists that he shouldn't underestimate her.
  • Elena figures out that Damon is simply trying to distract her while he tracks down the Cure, so she plays him in order to get her hands on the Cure first so that it cannot be used on her. To do this, she ultimately decides to team up with Rebekah, knowing that she wants the Cure for herself. After the two girls manage to ditch Damon, they steal the paper with Katherine's current address Damon managed to find, along with his car so they could both flee New York and track Katherine down at the same time.
  • Stefan, Klaus and Caroline try to figure out how to stop Silas
  • Klaus has a violent confrontation with Silas, resulting in Klaus believing he was wounded with the white oak stake.
  • Caroline unwillingly completes the Expression Triangle when she saves Bonnie's life by killing Aja who was linked to the eleven other witches of her coven who were trying to cleanse Bonnie of her Expression.

Body Count[]

Continuity[]

Locations[]

Behind the Scenes[]

  • The New York City scenes were shot in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
    • The scenes in front of the restaurant were shot around 65 Broad St NW, Atlanta, GA and others at about 90 Broad Street, Atlanta, GA
    • The scenes using Damon's car were shot around Georgia State University's Helen M. Arderhold Learning Center in downtown Atlanta, GA.
  • The band Dead Sara was listed as best band of 2012 in several magazines.
  • This episode had about 2.65 million viewers in the USA, which was 0.24 million more than the previous episode.
  • Hashtag during the airing is #BigAppleBites.

Cultural References[]

  • Because the Night is the name of a song co-written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. The two first performed it live at CBGB in New York City on December 30, 1977.
  • Because the Night is a crime fiction novel written by James Ellroy. Released in 1984, it is the second installment of a trilogy often referred to as the Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy.
  • The Son of Sam was a serial killer from 1976 to 1977 who murdered his victims with a .44 caliber gun. The citizens of New York City were in such a state of fear and paranoia that they would attribute any case of murder (be with a .44 or not) to him.
  • The humble Hot Dog is considered by many the most original New York food. Hot Dog vendors are often folkloric as well.
  • Haircut Important Hair Change - when a character cuts or change her hairstyle, like Elena did, it often symbolises a rite of passage or character growth.
  • Klaus refers to Tyler as Brutus. Brutus was Julius Caesar's nephew who was instrumental in the conspiracy to murder Caesar - just as Tyler was the main pivot on the plot to assassinate Klaus.
  • Shakespeare - famous English playwright from the Elizabethan era. His plays are famous for their complexity and intrigue.
  • Hedonism - pursuit or devotion to pleasure; philosophy of behavior motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.
  • Nihilism - doctrine that all traditional values are unfounded and existence is useless and senseless. It denies moral truths. Sometimes used to describe the mood of despair at the perceived pointlessness of existence.
  • Punk - a cultural movement that emerged in the mid- to late-1970s. Centered around the Punk rock genre of music, it is characterized by anti-establishment views and promotion of individual freedom.
  • The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio. It was a hip hangout and famed by its groundbreaking parties.
  • CBGB stands for Country, BlueGrass and Blues. The intention was to feature the namesake styles, but it became a haven for Punk and New Wave bands. The club closed in 2006, but re-opened in 2012 with a mighty roar.
  • Billy's Topless was considered a Chelsea landmark. Although it had the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar, it was eventually closed by the "quality of life" laws passed by Mayor Giuliani, that clamped down on adult entertainment.
  • Xanadu - the mythical capital of Kublai Khan's Empire. It was also the name of the fictional club from Olivia Newton-John's pop movie.
  • Leave It to Beaver - classic American sitcom about a normal suburban family. The show ran from 1957 to 1963 and was canceled when the child stars wanted to move on. The show enjoyed a comeback in the '70s due to syndicated re-runs.
  • Florence Nightingale - celebrated as the founder of modern nursing. She was called the "Lady of the Lantern" because of the way she performed her rounds during the Crimean War. When Stefan first met Lexi, she was doing the rounds during the American Civil War carrying a lantern.
  • Mother Teresa - founder of the Missionaries of Charity. She has received numerous awards and is notable on her work with the most destitute people.
  • Although Pack rat is a species of rodent, the term is usually applied to people who gather clutter and cannot throw anything away.
  • A classic witches' coven consists of 13 members. Aja's has only 12.
  • The Runways were an all-girl band from the 1970s.
  • Klaus says he was friends with Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese sailor who led the first expedition to navigate around the world from 1518 to 1522. Although the expedition was successful, Magellan was killed in the Philippines and never returned home. 

Quotes[]

Stefan: (to Damon) "What do you mean, you took her to New York?"
Damon: (to Stefan) "Relax, this joyride is actually a cure hunt."
Stefan: (to Damon) "Elena's ruthless without her humanity."
Elena: (to Damon) "It's beautiful up here."
Elena: (to Damon) "I've never done it on a rooftop before."
Stefan: (to Klaus) "My brother knows what he's doing."
Klaus: (to Stefan) "Does he?"
Damon: (to Elena) "That's the beauty of New York-- so much life that so little death goes unnoticed."
Damon: (to Elena) "Let's go grab some lunch."

(Caroline, who is cleaning up after Elena's big party, picks up an abandoned plastic cup full of beer and takes a large gulp from it as Klaus enters the room)
Klaus: "Desperate times, I take it?"
Caroline: "What are you doing here?"
Klaus: "Not judging you, for starters. Although, if you are determined to get drunk, then perhaps I might recommend something a little more sanitary."
(Caroline finishes the drink and then slams the cup in the trash while giving him a look.)
Klaus: "Well then, you showed me."
Caroline: "Shouldn't you be out chasing Tyler to the ends of the earth? Or there's still some hopes and dreams you wanna crush around here?"
Klaus: "Depends. Do you happen to know where the young Brutus is?"
Caroline: "I know where he's not-- with me. He gave Matt the deed to the house, so he's gone for good."
Klaus: "Tyler made it his life's mission to kill me. You can't hate me for driving him away."
Caroline: "Oh! I can and I do. If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to spiraling, so go away."
Stefan: (to Klaus and Caroline) "Actually, I asked him to be here. We need his help. I think Silas is in Mystic Falls."

Elena: "Is this allowed? What would Lexi say?"
Damon: "Lexi thought the only way I would turn my emotions back on was if I started enjoying my life again."
Rebekah: "Do not tell me she took you to Bon Jovi concerts too."
Damon: "No. Wrong decade. Lexi was not allowed to feed with Stefan. I didn't have that problem. (He turns to Elena) And neither do you."

Lexi: "You're getting sloppy, Damon."

Rebekah: "So, do you really buy all this?"
Elena: "Not one bit. I know he's after the cure. I'm not stupid."
Rebekah: "Well, let's not say things we don't mean."

Klaus: "Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, Stefan. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it."

Multimedia[]

Soundtrack[]

Last.fm_play.png "Psycho Killer" – Talking Heads
Last.fm_play.png "Psycho Killer" – Harper Blynn
Last.fm_play.png "Bite Your Lip" – New Cassettes
Last.fm_play.png "Loudmouth" – The Handys
Last.fm_play.png "Shut Up And Dance" – Rookie
Last.fm_play.png "Evil Soul" – The Young Werewolves

Last.fm_play.png "Ask The Angels" – Dead Sara
Last.fm_play.png "Lemon Scent" – Dead Sara
Last.fm_play.png "In Search Of An Audience" – The Godz
Last.fm_play.png "Let's Dance" – The Ramones
Last.fm_play.png "Arms and Enemies" – The Quiet Kind
Last.fm_play.png "Heartbeat" – Kopecky Family Band

Pictures[]

See also[]

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