What Are You?

The Vampire Diaries

Season 8, Episode 12 (167)

Air date

February 10, 2017

Written by

Chad Fiveash &
James Stoteraux

Directed by

Darren Genet

Episode Guide
(Transcript)
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What Are You? is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of Template:The Vampire Diaries and the one hundred and sixty-seventh episode of the series overall.

Summary

SAVING SOULS – In order to save Stefan's soul, Damon makes a deal with Cade to retrieve the Maxwell journal. Alaric and Matt refuse to hand the journal over as it may contain the key to destroying Cade. Caroline desperately tries to connect with Stefan before Cade goes through with his plan.

Plot

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Cast

Main Cast

Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
Candice King as Caroline Forbes
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan/Ethan Maxwell (flashback)
Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman
Michael Malarkey as Enzo St. John (corpse/voice)

Special Guest Star

Chris Wood as Kai Parker

Recurring Cast

Trivia

Antagonists: Cade, Sybil (flashback) and Seline (flashback).
The real story of the 100 witches being burned in 1790 is told, they sacrificed themselves to save the town.
In 1790 Sybil and Seline revealed to Ethan Maxwell how Cade could be killed.
It seems to appear that Ethan and Beatrice may have been in a relationship.
Damon gives Cade the Maxwell journal so he won't kill Stefan by midnight who then promptly burns it.
Stefan is now seen as a human in the present day after 164 years of being a vampire.
It's shown that the Cure prevents vampire blood from healing someone who has it in their blood. As shown when Caroline tries healing Stefan after he's seriously hurt. This means Damon's blood wouldn't have healed Elena from the injuries she suffered in Kai's wedding attack.
Stefan is abducted by an unknown person as he's walking to Bonnie's house to apologize for killing Enzo.
Kai's return surprises both Alaric and Damon, who tells them both he has a better idea than killing Cade.

Body Count

The Bennett Coven - Consumed by Hellfire; killed by Ethan Maxwell (flashback)
Olivia Hayden, Javier Ruiz, Kelly Parks, Robert Lansu, Tanya Handelman, Jeffrey Li and up to 23 unnamed people - Blood loss; killed by Stefan (within two last months; December 26, 2017 - February 14, 2018)

Locations

Grove Hill, Virginia
- The Armory
Mystic Falls, Virginia
- Salvatore Boarding House
- Woods
- Maxwell Blacksmith (flashback)
- Witch Burial Ground (flashback)
- Underground tunnels (flashback)
- Mystic Falls Hospital
- Bonnie Bennett's House
Upstate New York
- B&B in New York
Rockland County Police Department

Continuity

Alaric was last seen in The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You. He appears after being absent for four episodes.
Abby Bennett Wilson was last seen in Season Four's episode A View to a Kill, which aired on January 31st, 2013.
Sybil and Seline were last seen in Nostalgia's a Bitch.
Kai was last seen in I'm Thinking Of You All The While.
Zach Roerig plays another character for the first time. He has already played Gregor and Silas but those were body swaps.

Behind the Scenes

"What are you?" is a line from Elena to Stefan in season one's You're Undead to Me.
This is the second title in the series in the form of a question.
- The first title was Do You Remember the First Time? in Season Six.
Hashtag during the airing was #HellsBell

Cultural References

Quotes

Damon: "I say we can make a plan to kill the devil."

Stefan: "Ten years from now... twenty, fifty... we're going to be living entirely different lives. I just have no idea how to make this right."

Damon: "I say we can make a plan to kill the devil."

Stefan: "I'm here."

Caroline: "Stefan, thank God! I talked to Damon... and I know what happened to Enzo."

Stefan: "Bonnie, she must be... I don't even know what to say. I don't know how I... Every time I close my eyes I see it play out over and over again in my head and every time I open them I see Enzo's blood on my hands."

Caroline: "Just please come home."

Stefan: "I can't do that."

Caroline: "Well I'm not letting you run. Okay? So just tell me where you are, I'm coming to get you."

Stefan: "No, I can't face you and I can't face Bonnie. Damn it, I'm being pulled over."

Caroline: "Stefan?"

Elena: "What are you?"

Bonnie: "Enzo? You're going to be human."

Caroline: "No!"

Stefan: "Every time I close my eyes I see it play out over and over again in my head and every time I open them I see Enzo's blood on my hands."

Caroline: "Just please come home."

Stefan: "I can't do that."