The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get (The Vampire Diaries)

Plot

Tripp (Colin Ferguson) crosses the borders with another group of vampires, including Ivy (Emily C. Chang) while Damon (Ian Somerhalder) explains Stefan (Paul Wesley) where he was and how he came back. He asks him to hide from the others that Bonnie (Kat Graham) was there with him since now she is dead and she will not come back. Stefan informs Caroline (Candice Accola) and Caroline tells Elena (Nina Dobrev).

Damon also finds out about Elena's compulsion from Stefan and he wants to see her but Elena does not want to and she avoids him. Alaric (Matt Davis) tries to convince Elena to let him give her her memories back but Elena denies it and makes him promise that he will not take the compulsion away unless she asks him to. Alaric agrees and he asks her to find out why Jo (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) cannot be compelled.

Matt (Zach Roerig) tells Caroline and Alaric about Enzo (Michael Malarkey) being locked up by Tripp They wonder how Tripp managed to trap him in the first place when Stefan comes in and admits that he was the one who turned him in. Caroline and Stefan try to save Enzo and they go to the abandon house that Matt told them but they do not find him there.

Sarah (Gabrielle Walsh) goes to Tripp's office to search about her family and she finds Matt there. She asks for his help telling him that Zach was her father. While looking around, Caroline calls Matt to tell him about not finding Enzo. Sarah finds Ivy's phone at Tripp's office and since Caroline's name is at her recent dialed numbers, they figure out that Tripp knows about her. Matt and Sarah return to the Salvatore house and Matt tells her about Damon and Stefan but advices her to get as far away as she can, because they are vampires and she will not find the family she is looking for there.

Elena stalks Jo at the hospital to find out why she cannot be compelled. Jo, after Liam (Marco James) telling her about the girl at the corn maze that was supposed to die but she was healed, knows that Elena is a vampire, just like she knows about Alaric after trying to compel her. She warns Elena about the missing blood bags from the hospital but Elena wants to know how Jo knows and what she is. When Elena asks her if she is a witch, Jo does not answer and makes a deal with her to not ask her any questions about her if she does the same.

Damon is at Elena's room when she decides to call him and asks him to meet but before they meet, Tripp captures him. Elena calls Alaric to tell him about it and Alaric rushes to save him before Tripp crosses the borders and kills him. Jo comes and stops him telling him that they have to talk. Alaric asks her to stay away since he tells her the truth and where he is going. Alaric and Stefan wait for Tripp at the first entry to Mystic Falls while Elena and Caroline are at the second one. Elena confess to Caroline that if Damon survives, she wants Alaric to uncompel her.

Tripp gets on the way where Alaric and Stefan are waiting. Alaric tries to get him out of the car but Tripp drives the car to Mystic Falls dragging Alaric with him. Damon and Enzo are trapped at the back of the truck and Stefan decides to walk across the borders to help them. The three of them manage to walk outside Mystic Falls while Jo, who followed Alaric, tries to help him. Alaric dies but Jo manages to bring him back to life as human.

The episode ends with Stefan trying to apologize to Caroline but she tells him that she does not want to be friends anymore while Damon and Elena finally meet.

Feature music

In the episode "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" we can hear the songs:

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" was watched by 1.59 million; slightly up by 0.01 from the previous episode.

Reviews

"The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" received mixed reviews.

Stephanie Flasher from TV After Dark gave the episode a B- rating saying: "Despite the writers disregard of following the series mythology, "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" was a solid, but somewhat predictable episode with yet again another obstacle for Elena and Damon to overcome."

Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic rated the episode with 4/5 saying that the potential reunion of Damon and Elena was a bit intense: "The way they spoke through the door, mirroring hand movements, Elena's trembling as she reached for the knob, a truly emotional Damon...the writers were looking to tug at viewers' heartstrings."

Rebecca Jane Stokes from Den of Geek rated the episode with 2/5 saying that the writers tried to breathe life back to something that was never dead, referring to Damon and Elena's relationship. "Damon and Elena together are their own living, breathing, walking, talking (sort of) conflict. You never had to worry about getting bored with them as a couple because they are so fundamentally different as characters. Elena’s decision to try and avoid Damon and keep Alaric from helping her remember him is a weak ploy to try and make something already interesting even MORE interesting."

Jen of TV Overmind gave a good review to the episode saying that Jo was a surprise and "her actions have changed the course of the season in my mind."

Caroline Preece from Den of Geek gave a mixed review to the episode stating that the storyline between Elena and Damon has been done to death by now but the rest of the episode kept up with the generally elevated quality of season six. "Damon and Elena's love story had hit a dead end and now the writers are desperately trying to dig a new road for them to go down."

Lindsay Sperling of We Got This Covered gave a negative review to the episode saying that it was disappointing and more of a predictable nightmare than anything else. "Drama between Damon and Elena has become the go-to story arc on The Vampire Diaries, and frankly, it’s more than a little overdone. [...] Would it really be that creatively difficult to just let this onscreen couple be? Judging by tonight’s episode, the answer to that question is an overwhelming and resounding, "Yes!""