Ian Somerhalder wasn’t kidding when he promised a double dose of death on Friday’s Vampire Diaries.

Sadly, this week’s episode bid adieu to everyone’s favorite heretic couple; with the Armory’s poison running through Mary Louise’s veins and Nora freshly marked with one of Rayna’s trademark tats, the ladies used their final moments on Earth to blow up the hell stone — and themselves along with it. (Their deaths would have been sad enough, but Nora had to go ahead and recite their favorite poem, didn’t she? … Don’t mind me, I’ve just been cutting onions over here.)

This puts the Salvatores in a strange, and certainly unexpected, predicament. Not only was Valerie unable to transfer Stefan’s scar to Damon, but Rayna also stabbed Stefan with the sword (again!) before the stone was destroyed. If Stefan was trapped in the stone while all of that was happening, where the [every expletive in the book] is he now?!

Before I move on, I suppose I should mention that this episode technically featured three deaths; via a particularly emotional cemetery moment with Matt, we learned that Penny — ol’ blue eyes’ partner in crime and in life — died at some point during the three-year time jump, and Stefan is apparently to blame.

Other Things We Should Probably Discuss:

* Now that we’re finally three years in the future, the show is giving us flashbacks to what went down in the interim. This week’s, set two years ago in the Philippines, found Stefan and Valerie sharing their first kiss since reuniting in the season premiere. But here’s my question for the group: Wasn’t Stefan still with Caroline two years ago, making his lip-lock with Valerie a little cheat-y? Or did Stefan and Caroline officially split, and my memory’s just not what it used to be?

* Alex delivered my personal favorite line of the night: “Why does Enzo do anything lately?”

* I miss Bonnie.

OK, your turn to talk: Are you bummed about Nora and Mary Louise’s deaths? Confused about Stefan’s new whereabouts? Whatever’s on your mind, drop it in a comment below.