A 13th century demon-possessed samurai named Kurutta appears in Mystic Falls, and the demon starts to Body Surf and hunt for Landon. Kurutta goes to the Salvatore School but doesn't speak English. Luckily, Josie is fluent in Japanese and serves as a translator. Kurutta explains that he's been following the demon for years before choosing to take the creature into himself rather than kill a demon-possessed child. Due to his slightly crazed nature, the demon wasn't able to fully control him. Eventually, the demon ends up in Rafael but is trapped by Hope. Raf escapes and transfers the demon to Kurutta, but no one notices. Josie traps Kurutta and Landon in Alaric's office in order to protect them, but the demon transfers into Landon and kills the samurai. Demon!Landon escape with the samurai's dark-magic-infused sword and goes to the portal to Malivore. Lizzie grabs the sword and stabs Landon, but the demon ends up inside her. Like Kurutta, she's able to retain a measure of control due to not being quite right in the head. She begs Josie to kill her with the sword to stop the demon and prevent the Merge. Josie absorbs the sword's dark magic and uses it to send the demon into Malivore. Landon resurrects and realizes he's been seeing Hope every time he dies. The headmaster helps Josie cope with using dark magic by using a magical hourglass. The sheriff flirts with Alaric, but he stands her up at the bar.
Meanwhile, MG is trying to help Lizzie see that Sebastian isn't real. He uses an old camera to take a video of Lizzie and Sebastian at a picnic then shows it to her. She is angry at him but also at herself for being crazy. But later MG is approached by Sebastian, who explains that only he and Lizzie can see him and asks for his help.
That night, Lizzie remembers everything about Hope.
- All Part of the Show: After stabbing Landon in the town square, Lizzie sees a woman walking her dog. She cheerfully tells her they're rehearsing for a play.
- Body Surf: The Oni (demon) can possess people with a touch.
- Continuity Nod: MG is given an old camcorder. When he plays the tape, he sees Kai Parker on it, although he likely has no idea who that is.
- Cool Sword: Kurutta's katana is imbued with dark magic and has glowing red Japanese characters engraved on it.
- Due to the Dead: Hope and Alaric bury Kurutta in the forest. Alaric then stabs his katana into the ground with Kurutta's Oni mask hanging off the hilt in lieu of a gravestone.
- Eternal Japanese: Josie has little trouble understanding Kurutta, even though he's been trapped in Malivore for eight centuries.
- Fighting from the Inside: Kurutta and Lizzie aren't quite right in the head, which is what allows them to resist the demon.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: The old camera MG gets to expose Sebastian has a recording of Kai Parker on it.
- A close-up shot of a restraining order reveals that Headmaster Vardemus's first name is Rupert.
- Godzilla Threshold: Josie willingly uses dark magic to save Lizzie, and even the headmaster (who's been trying to get her to embrace it) admits that it must have been for a very good reason.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Kurutta doesn't speak English, so Josie is forced to translate for him.
- Heartbreak and Ice Cream: After MG exposes Sebastian as a figment of her imagination, Lizzie goes into town and starts eating her sorrow away with a large ice cream.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Kurutta chose to take the Oni into himself rather than kill a child. In the present, Landon offers to take the Oni into his body and then have someone kill him with Kurutta's sword. This way, the demon is dead, while Landon comes back. Josie points out that there's no guarantee that Landon would come back after this. After being possessed, Lizzie wants Josie to kill her and the Oni, but Josie finds another way.
- Hero of Another Story: Outright stated that Kurutta is this.
- Hidden Depths: Josie is fluent in Japanese. When asked by Dorian, he explains that a Japanese language school was next door to Lizzie's psychiatrist's office.
- Hollywood Restraining Order: Headmaster Vardemus has one issued against Alaric, forbidding him from getting close to the Salvatore School.
- Hunter of Monsters: Kurutta is a demon hunter.
- Ignored Confession: Hope finally tells Landon the whole truth, but he's possessed by the Oni at the time, and all Oni victims get Laser-Guided Amnesia after it leaves them, so he doesn't remember her telling him.
- Meaningful Name: "Kurutta" means "go mad" in Japanese. Kurutta admits this about himself (he was dropped on his head as a child) and also uses the word in reference to Lizzie.
- Oni: Kurutta keeps referring to the demon as an "Oni", even though it doesn't fit the typical troll-like nature of this type of Youkai. The demon does, however, seem to have the typical Oni face when being exorcised by Josie.
- Real After All: MG is shocked to learn that Sebastian isn't just a figment of Lizzie's imagination.
- Slashed Throat: How Oni!Landon kills Kurutta.
- Synchronization: Lizzie learns that Josie's been using dark magic by a rash on her own arm. After casting the Oni out using dark magic, both twins collapse.
- Title Drop: Spoken by Dorian when Josie reveals her Hidden Depths.
- Wham Line: The episode ends with Lizzie waking up and saying Hope's full name, revealing that she remembers her now.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Kurutta couldn't bring himself to kill a child, choosing instead to take the Oni into himself.
