Tonight on the CW The Vampire Diaries starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley continues with an all new Friday April 15 season 7 episode 18 called “One Way or Another,” and we have your weekly recap and spoilers below. On tonight’s episode, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) heads to Memphis with Alaric (Matthew Davis) to capture an escaped vampire who may be the key to getting Stefan (Paul Wesley) back safely, but Alaric is reluctant to step back into his former vampire-hunting ways and reveals the truth about the past three Damon-less years of his life.
On the last episode, Stefan faced a life-or-death situation with only his basic instincts to rely on and was forced to confront a lifetime of irreversible damage Damon had done to their relationship. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we recapped it all right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the CW synopsis, “Damon heads to Memphis with Alaric to capture an escaped vampire who may be the key to getting Stefan back safely, but Alaric is reluctant to step back into his former vampire-hunting ways and reveals the truth about the past three Damon-less years of his life.
Meanwhile, Bonnie meets a young woman in the psych ward who provides her with some valuable information about why the Armory may be after her; and Enzo takes matters into his own hands when he learns some devastating news from Rayna.”
You’re not going to want to miss any of the action tonight, so tune in at 8PM EST to the CW to catch the latest. We’ll be live recapping the season 7 episode 18 for you right here and in the meantime, hit up our comments section and tell us your thoughts on this new season!
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
#VampireDiaries starts with Stefan in a mortal body feeling like crap and Damon picked him up aspirin and other meds. He tells Stefan they’re on the way to Memphis going after his real body. Stefan vomits and Damon is icked out. He tells him to stay alive.
Damon stops and calls 911 but Stefan says Marty, this body, can’t go to the hospital since he’s wanted. Damon hangs up on the 911 call knowing an ambulance will come. Alaric meets Damon and Stefan with Frank and Sully the EMTs that he’s compelled.
Damon asks where Alaric is and he says she’s at a hotel getting ready. Ric says Valerie made him come when Damon thanks him. Damon says since he’s marrying Stefan’s ex he owes this. Alaric says maybe spend Stefan’s last minutes with him instead of finding his body.
Damon says he’s gone soft and tells him to get into the car. Bonnie is in therapy in Asheville, North Carolina and talks about how someone came back and hasn’t even contacted her. She says she’ll move on and won’t let the betrayal define her. Virginia stares at her.
Damon asks about Bonnie but Ric won’t give her any details. Ric says he and Caroline are having a small wedding with new friends, not Damon. He reminds Damon it’s been three years and life went on and calls it a cat nap. Ric says you can find Ambrose and drop me off.
Damon says he’s sorry for saying goodbye in a letter and offers to make it up to him. Damon sweet talks him and Ric says Stefan broke Caroline’s heart so he’s not a big fan of his but Damon says it worked out for him then threatens to tell Caroline he didn’t care of Stefan died.
Stefan is on oxygen in the ambulance and thinks back to the Philippines and sitting at a bar. The barkeep asks where his girl is tonight and asks about Valerie. Stefan says he’s trying to write an apology letter – it’s to Caroline. He says he mails them and she returns them unopened.
The barkeep says maybe she’ll read this one. The EMTs check on him and he asks for a piece of paper and a pen in case he doesn’t make it. At the frat house in Memphis, Ambrose is partying and chugging arteries while the others chant. Damon kicks in the door.
Ambrose greets him and asks him to have a drink. Damon can’t come over the threshold and is annoyed. He glares at the douche in his brother’s body. Damon tells Ric he can’t go in and he needs to go and hands him a jacket as a disguise.
Ric says he booked a flight using his miles. Damon says he’s still in the game and Ric says no thanks. Damon says do it for the guy who stepped aside for you. A woman knocks on the window and hands him a phone and says if he doesn’t answer it, she has to run into traffic.
Ambrose calls Damon who calls him a cliché. Ambrose tells him he doesn’t like blood that much but wanton murder is fun and making them kill each other is a big thrill. Damon says come out and talk to me face to face.
Ambrose tells him Rayna made his life hell literally and framed her for some massacres and told her BF and wants him dead. He says she’s probably on the way. Ambrose says kill her and I’ll give you back the body. He gives his blood to a frat boy the slashes his throat.
He tells Damon he can move to the body of a transitioning vamp and says make this work and get a witch to put me in that body and you can have Stefan’s body back. Damon agrees to kill Rayna. Valerie and Damon talk and she says she’s trying to gather strength since Gemini spells usually take two witches.
Damon demands to know if she can do it or not. Val says Stefan is all she has left in the world and will do what it takes. Damon asks her to locate Rayna. Looks like Rayna is in an Uber and the guy is taking her to the frat house. He sees cones in the road and says he has to stop.
Enzo shoots her through the window, compels the driver and snatches her out. Bonnie takes her meds and asks for messages. She shuffles off and Virginia follows her. She says hey then wanders away but is being creepy.
Virginia says she knows she’s stealing her meds and swapping them with sugar pills. Bonnie says they need to think straight and wants to help her. Virginia hugs her and thanks her. She says she feels like herself again and it’s been a long time.
She asks if she wants to steal candy bars form the nurses and goes off to get them a treat. Damon and Ric find the Uber and agree that does not look good. The driver is still there and Damon asks what happens. He says a guy with an accent shot the car and dragged her away.
Damon calls Enzo and says bring her back. Enzo plays dumb. Damon says why are you playing fetch for the Armory and says he needs her more. Enzo says no Armory anymore and he asks Damon how’s Bonnie. Damon says he needs Rayna to save Stefan. Enzo says you can’t have her and ends the call.
Ric tells him that Bonnie and Enzo are together. She got in trouble with the Armory and Enzo helped her out. Ambrose calls and Damon says they hit a bump. He says he would like to murder the huntress but he needs to take a rain check for now.
Ambrose says this disappointment must be what it’s like to really have him as a brother. Virginia tells Bonnie her family betrayed her and that’s why she ended up there. Virginia says she tried to save them from something dark.
Bonnie says it must be hard to be a St John and Virginia asks if she’s there to spy on her. Bonnie says her sister Alex and the whole Armory is looking for her. She says they have been hunting her for three years and hoped Virginia might help her.
She tells Bonnie her family doesn’t stop until they get what they want. Bonnie says she wants her life back then tells her she’s a Bennett witch when she goes to walk out. Virginia says prove it and she says she doesn’t have access to her magic.
She says she can prove it if Virginia will keep her secret. She says okay if Bonnie takes her with her when she breaks out and they agree. Back at the frat house and gore covered girl walks out and Damon can now go inside. That means the property owner is dead or turned.
He and Ric find a pile of bodies and they wonder where Ambrose is. Damon calls him and they hear the phone ringing on the floor. They worry if he heard where Marty aka Stefan is. Frank says they are in traffic and Damon says turn on the sirens and don’t stop again.
He says speed up and get her to the witch but then a car crashes into them. It’s Ambrose who says bullseye. Ambrose gets out and checks the wreckage. One of the EMTs climbs out and then the other. Ambrose hits one with a pipe and Stefan hears it.
Frank runs away and Ambrose goes after him and bites him. He asks if Stefan is ready to meet his maker but he’s not in the ambulance. He sees Stefan in his mortal coil running off and going into a house. Ambrose can’t follow him in and Stefan says being human still has a few privileges.
Rayna wakes, sees Enzo, and says not you. She says she wants to die instead of going to the Armory. He says don’t bother, Alex St John is done with you. She asks why he has her. He asks if she knows the Armory made a pull to suppress magic.
Bonnie shows Virginia the pills the Armory made and says if she takes one every day they can’t do a locator spell. Enzo says if Rayna will help him figure out if the pills can be reversed, he’ll let her go. She says the effects of her blood cannot be reversed, only enhanced.
She says the Armory tried and failed and says don’t shoot the messenger. She says magic doesn’t act like science. She asks if he stole the pills and gave them to Bonnie which means the girl he loves is under a death sentence.
Ambrose throws objects into the house at Stefan and says just enjoy the sweet release of death instead of the hell stone. He spots a grill and calls it a portable stove then picks up a can of propane and tosses it inside and the valve is off and leaking gas.
Ambrose says he knows Stefan is sensitive since he read his journal. Ambrose lights a flame and goes to throw it. Damon grabs it and says fun’s over. Ambrose comes at him and Ric shoots him in the back then says he hates how good that felt.
Bonnie asks Virginia why the Armory is looking for her. She says there’s a vault in the basement of the Armory and they need it opened and only a Bennett witch can open it. Virginia says that vault can never be opened. Bonnie asks what’s in it.
Virginia says she was hoping she’d be on her side. She breaks the mirror and stabs at her and screams you can’t open that vault. Bonnie screams and the orderlies come and drug her and take her away. She screams and calls her a witch.
Valerie is ready to get Stefan back into his body. They have Ambrose and Stefan both. Damon picked up a defibrillator in case they need to restart Stefan. Valerie promises Stefan to bring him back. She starts the spell and chants while touching them both.
We see Stefan on a sofa at his house looking at Valerie. She offers him a drink and he says she’s in his head. She says she thought he’d be comfortable there. He asks what’s happening in the real world and she promises he’ll be fine then kisses her.
He asks if she’s lying and he says tell me the truth if I’m dying in a strange human’s body. She says let’s decide on our next destination. Stefan says he has an idea where he doesn’t have to run. She asks if he wants to go to Dallas and he says not.
Valerie says he might be able to go back to his real life but Stefan says she is his real life. Her nose starts bleeding and he asks what’s long. Valerie starts to collapse and Damon runs to her. He says you promised you can do this.
Valerie asks if she’s been a pleasant distraction to Stefan or something more. He says no and then says the spell is hurting her. Ric says she’s not strong enough but Damon says she can’t let him die. He props her up and she starts chanting again.
She tries harder. The candles flare. Stefan says stop – the spell is killing her. He says don’t sacrifice yourself for me but she says she promised to bring him back. She says he’s all she has. Then she’s gone and Stefan is alone. He gasps awake in his body.
Valerie is there too and he says it’s him. He hugs her and Damon looks relieved. Ric walks out and Damon follows. Ric says he’s going home and Damon says he’s trying and shouldn’t have abandoned him. He says sorry and how he can make amends.
Damon says let’s get back to the way things were. Ric says he’s been happy the last three years because he got to start over, a fiancée that makes him feel lucky to be alive and no Damon barging in and screwing things up.
Ric says he doesn’t want things back the way they were. Damon says thanks for the honesty. Ric turns back and says Bonnie is in a psych ward in Asheville undercover and says he might be able to win her back. Stefan asks Valerie what’s up.
She says she was writing him a letter like the ones he used to write Caroline that he thought she didn’t know. Valerie says she knew he wasn’t afraid to die but was afraid he’d die for her. Valerie says he thought her sacrificing herself wasn’t worth it because he doesn’t love her like she loves him.
Val says she’s never loved anyone the way she loves him but it’s not the same for him. She says you can go back and make things rights with Caroline. She says she knows he loved her in his own way and says if the world has been kinder, she might have been the love of his life.
She says it could have been a small quiet human life. Stefan says he’s sorry and she says it will be good for her to find a new life all of her own. She says she never had that. She kisses him and then says he deserves to be happy and says please be happy. He says you too. She goes.
Bonnie is packing her stuff and sees an envelope in a book. Enzo is there and says he heard she had an incident with another patient. She hugs him and he holds her back tight. They kiss passionately. She says it’s just a scratch and calls him doctor.
She says she found out what they needed to know and tells him about the vault Alex wants her to open. She says check me out and take me to dinner. Enzo grabs her arm and says she can’t take the pills anymore. He says they’re making her sick.
Bonnie says she feels fine and he says he didn’t know but the Armory experimented on Mary Louise and made her take these and then she got very sick. Bonnie says she thought she blew herself up and he says it’s because she knew she was dying.
He says he’s sorry he thought he was protecting her. She says she’s died once or twice before and it’s no fun. Enzo promises he won’t let her die and holds her tight. Damon is there with flowers and says he’s sorry. She goes over to him while he stammers. Bonnie smiles and then slams the door in his face.
THE END!