Death and the Maiden

The Vampire Diaries

Season 5, Episode 7 (96)

Air date

November 14, 2013

Written by

Rebecca Sonnenshine

Directed by

Leslie Libman

Episode Guide
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Death and the Maiden is the seventh episode of the fifth season of Template:The Vampire Diaries and the ninety-sixth episode of the series overall.

Summary

THE POWER OF DOPPELGÄNGERS - While Elena and Damon try to explain Amara’s situation to Stefan, Dr. Wes gives Katherine some deeply disturbing news. Nadia shows up at Caroline’s dorm room, searching for Katherine. After a surprising conversation with Amara, Jeremy and Bonnie share a glimmer of hope. Silas fails to keep a promise, causing Damon to turn to Qetsiyah, for help with his new plan, and Stefan makes a heartbreaking confession to Damon and Elena.

Plot

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Cast

Main Cast

Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce/Amara
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore/Silas
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan (credit only)
Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood (credit only)

Recurring Cast

Co-Starring

Elizabeth Faith Ludlow as Girl
Brady McInnes as Guy
Autumn Dial as Doppelgänger Acting Double

Trivia

Antagonist: Silas.
- As of this episode, and up until Home, Silas is the first character to be an antagonist in all of his appearances.
  - The second character is Markos, who appeared later on in the season.
This is the final episode of the first chapter of Season Five, The Doppelgängers Chapter.
The Doppelgänger's work together to transfer the role of the Anchor to the Other Side from Amara to Bonnie to allow Amara to finally die, to allow Bonnie to be allowed to return to a semblance of life in the world of the living due to the Anchor existing in both dimensions, and to ensure the Other Side would continue to exist as Qetsiyah planned so she could finally get her revenge on Silas.

For the first time ever, Nina Dobrev plays three Doppelgänger's in one scene: Amara, Katherine, and Elena.
Katherine meets Amara and Qetsiyah in this episode.
Tyler and Matt are credited, but do not appear in this episode.
This marks the first time that Matt has been absent for three episodes in a row.
Amara is revealed to not only be the Anchor that binds the Other Side's spell, but was also a "tollbooth" between the world of the living and the Other Side. During the 2,000 years that Amara held this position, every supernatural who died throughout that time passed through her in order to cross over to the Other Side, forcing her to feel each of their deaths as they did so and eventually driving her to mental instability.While holding this position, every supernatural being who died between when the Other Side was created and when the title was transferred to Bonnie passed through her, forcing her to feel each of their deaths as they did so.
- Unfortunately for Bonnie, Qetsiyah kept this detail from her until after Bonnie gained the title of the Anchor, which then doomed Bonnie to also feel the death of every supernatural who will die from now until the destruction of the supernatural purgatory.
It's revealed by Wes that Katherine is aging rapidly as a result of the cure to immortality being drained from her body by Silas, and he predicts that she only has a few months to live. She also learns that she can no longer be healed by vampire blood, which likely means she also cannot ever be turned into a vampire again.
- It can also be inferred that, since Silas had the cure drained from his body by Amara, he, too, would have eventually died of old age in the same manner had he not been killed by Stefan in this episode.
Bonnie becomes the Anchor to the Other Side in this episode after Qetsiyah successfully transfers the title to her with a spell.
- Ironically, Bonnie is the exact opposite of the previous Anchor, Amara. Amara was a being in the realm of the living who was also given a presence in the Other Side, whereas Bonnie is a being on the Other Side who was given the opportunity to also return to existence in the realm of the living.
Qetsiyah finally got her wish: Silas and Amara both died before Silas could destroy the Other Side, which ensured that they would be separated for eternity, with Silas being trapped in the supernatural purgatory while Amara presumably moved on to one of the afterlife dimensions.
- After achieving her goal, Qetsiyah ultimately killed herself so that Silas would be stuck with her for all time, just as she had always planned. However, this victory was short-lived—in Home, the Other Side was officially destroyed for good, and though Silas was shown to be presumably sucked into oblivion, it is unclear whether Qetsiyah was taken there as well, if she found peace, or ended up in a different unknown dimension. Likewise, it is unknown in which afterlife dimension Amara ended up after her death.
Bonnie met her ancestor, Qetsiyah for the first time.
Silas is the sixth main character to be killed off after Vicki, Jenna, Alaric (who was later resurrected in Season Five's Home), Jeremy (who was later resurrected in Season Four's Graduation) and Bonnie (who was given a corporeal presence in the realm of the living again in this episode).
- Silas is the third male main character to be killed off.
- Both Silas and Vicki were killed in the seventh episode of their first and only season as a main character.
  - Coincidentially, both were killed by Stefan Salvatore.
Katherine asked Qetsiyah for help in slowing down or stopping her rapid aging, but Qetsiyah ultimately refused, and instead killed herself to be reunited with Silas.
- It is most likely she refused because Katherine is Amara's doppelgänger, though Qetsiyah also claimed it was because using magic to change mortality was what got her into trouble in the first place.
Stefan killed Silas, having believed that doing so would allow him to move on from the post-traumatic stress he was suffering after his summer locked in the safe. However, immediately afterward, Stefan was overcome by more hallucinations of drowning, suggesting that his plan didn't work as intended.
Stefan admits to Elena and Damon that he spent the summer hoping that it would be the two of them who found him, and that he was disappointed when they weren't.
Elena attempts to make peace with Stefan by starting their friendship anew until she discovers he has regained his memories.
Nadia wanted Katherine to come back to Prague with her, and suggested they even return to Bulgaria to visit, but Katherine refused and insisted that Nadia leave and never see her again, as she didn't want Nadia to watch her age and die over the next few months.
Caroline learns that Katherine is Nadia's mother, and becomes the first character outside of the two Petrovas to learn this information.

Body Count

Unnamed man - killed by Silas.
Silas - stabbed, killed by Stefan Salvatore.
Amara - committed suicide by stabbing herself.
Qetsiyah - committed suicide by slitting her wrists.

Continuity

Qetsiyah was seen wearing her talisman. It was last seen in Monster's Ball.
Nadia was last seen in Monster's Ball.
Katherine recalls Nadia's birth, which took place in flashbacks in Katerina.
Lexi was mentioned by Stefan. She was last seen in Graduation as a ghost.
This episode marks the last appearance of Amara and Qetsiyah in the series.
When Damon talks to Qetsiyah to ask for her help in transferring the role of Anchor from Amara to Bonnie, he said, "You remember Amara, right? Brunette, brown eyes, I'm surprisingly not in love with her?" This was a nod toward his significant love affairs with two of Amara's three known doppelgängers, Katherine and Elena.

Locations

Mystic Falls
- Salvatore Boarding House
- Woods
Whitmore College
- Wes Maxfield's Lab
- Elena, Caroline and Bonnie's Dorm Room
Qetsiyah's Cabin
Bus stop in Philadelphia

Behind the Scenes

This episode had about 2.72 million viewers in the USA, which was 0.13 million more than the previous episode.
Hashtag during the airing is #Doppelpalooza

Cultural References

Death and the Maiden is a 1994 American-British-French drama film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson.
It is also the title of the second episode of the Pretty Little Liars spin-off, Ravenswood.
Qetsiyah opinion of Amara being "the face that launched a thousand doppelgängers." is a reference to the Helen of Troy being "the face that launched a thousand ships".
Death and the Maiden is a 1990 play by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman.

Quotes

Stefan: "Silas needs to die, and I need to be the one to kill him."

Damon: "You want doppelgänger blood? I got doppelgängers coming out of my ears. How many do you want?"

Elena: "We have a situation."

Damon: "Of the doppelgänger variety."

Elena: "Look at me and tell me that killing Silas worked. That you'll be okay now."

Stefan: "Why is this so important to you?"

Elena: "Because I know how much he stole from you."

Stefan: "Yeah, and he's dead."

Elena: "And because while you were suffering in that safe, grasping onto hope, fighting every second so you wouldn't lose your humanity... I was happy. I got everything that I wanted, Stefan. I got to be in love, I got the summer of my dreams, I got Bonnie back. So, I need to know that this worked. I need to know that it's gonna take away all your suffering. I need to know that you're gonna be okay."

Stefan: "I wanted it to be you. When that safe finally opened and somebody found me... I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be both of you."

Damon: "I was hoping we could talk."

Tessa: "And I was hoping you were my Chinese food."

Damon: "You remember Amara, right? Brunette, brown eyes, I'm surprisingly not in love with her?"

Amara: "What is that?"

Elena: "It's Bonnie's grimoire."

Amara: (confused) "A grim... what?"

Katherine: "It's a magic spell book. (She mutters under her breath) Idiot."

Multimedia

Soundtrack

"You" – The Aquatones
"Don't Swallow The Cap" – The National
"Afraid Of The Dark" – Ejecta
"With Love" – Christina Grimmie
"Afraid" – The Neighbourhood