After spending the past four months coping with the loss of Damon in an unconventional and potentially dangerous way, Elena has returned to Whitmore College for the start of sophomore year. Unable to move on, Caroline is desperate to find a way to reverse the anti-magic spell the Travelers have put over Mystic Falls and grows frustrated when her calls to Stefan go unanswered. Tyler, who is human once again, has a run-in at a football tailgate that tests his ability to control his anger, while Matt worries that Jeremy is dealing with the loss of Bonnie in a self-destructive way. Alaric, who is struggling to adjust to his new life as a vampire, finds himself in an awkward situation when he meets Jo a beautiful doctor at the university hospital. Last, while everyone believes Stefan is off tracking a lead to get Damon and Bonnie back, Elena is shocked when she learns the truth of what he has really been up to.
Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.
Complete story — includes the ending
Four months later, Elena is having a horrible time coping with Damon's death as she returns to Whitmore College for her sophomore year. She is taking drugs that Luke has given her in order to see Damon, but she soon develops side effects that make her violent. Caroline has dropped out of college to find a way to reverse the spell that the Travellers had put on the Mystic Falls border. Tyler adjusts to being human as he begins attending Whitmore while his feelings for Liv grow. Matt gets really worried after Jeremy continues to cope with Bonnie's death by having sex with random girls and drinking. Alaric, after returning, is adjusting to his life as a vampire and works as a professor at Whitmore. Stefan has decided to live a normal life and started working as a mechanic after giving up on finding a way to get Bonnie and Damon back. Elena asks Alaric how he copes with being a vampire and asks him to compel her into forgetting about Damon.