Children of the Damned

The Vampire Diaries

Season 1, Episode 13 (13)

Air date

February 4, 2010

Written by

Directed by

Episode Guide
(Transcript)
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Children of the Damned is the thirteenth episode of the first season of Template:The Vampire Diaries and the thirteenth episode of the series overall.

Summary

A BLAST FROM THE PAST — In flashbacks, Stefan and Damon recall the long-ago actions taken by town's people including their father, Giuseppe Salvatore, and Pearl, leading to the devastating events that caused the rift in their relationship. In the present, Bonnie's date with Ben takes a frightening turn. Elena helps Stefan as he and Damon race to find the missing journal that belonged to Elena's ancestor. Stefan learns the reason behind Alaric's interest in both the journal and the town's history. Damon discovers that an old acquaintance has returned to town with an agenda he understands.

Plot

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Cast

Co-Starring

Ric Reitz as Barnette Lockwood (flashback)
Joe Knezevich as Johnathan Gilbert (flashback)
Charles Van Eman as Businessman (flashback)
Thomas Elliott as Coachman (flashback)
Phillip Devona as Mr. Forbes (flashback)

Trivia

Antagonists: Katherine Pierce (1864), Ben McKittrick (present), Annabelle (present).
This is the second flashback episode this season.
This episode is Damon-centric.
A flashback shows Damon leaving the service of the Confederate Army for his own reasons in this episode. His father Giuseppe Salvatore considers his desertion of his duties as cowardice, whereas Stefan respected his brother's decision to stop fighting in a war that was against his principles.
This is the first time Damon and Stefan's father Giuseppe is shown via flashback.
Though Damon says Katherine never compelled him, we learn that to be a lie in this episode when she compelled him to leave her bedroom in a flashback.
- However, it's possible that when he said that Katherine never compelled him, he specifically meant that she never compelled him to love him, or to want to be turned into a vampire, rather than meaning that he had never been compelled by her for any reason. It is also possible that he didn't remember that Katherine compelled him to leave.
Damon threatens to turn Elena into a vampire if Stefan doesn't give him Emily's grimoire. After Stefan and Elena leave it is revealed that he's relieved that he wasn't forced to go through with this threat.
This episode marks the first on-screen kiss between Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev (as Katherine)
This episode is the first time Elena is fed vampire blood in the series, and the first time she has Damon's blood in her system.
- Stefan tells Elena that the amount of blood Damon fed her will be out of her system by morning, the first comment to give a timeline as to how long a person must be careful not to be fatally injured to ensure that they won't accidentally become a vampire.
- It is also stated by Stefan that being fed vampire blood can give some humans headaches. Elena is one such person.
Anna kidnaps Elena from her home to use her as a way of motivating Bonnie, who has already been taken hostage by Ben, to help them with their plan to open the tomb.
It is revealed that Anna is the daughter of Pearl, who was also one of the vampires trapped in the tomb and Katherine's best friend.

Body Count

Businessman - drained of blood, killed by Katherine Pierce in 1864 (flashback).
Coachman - drained of blood, killed by Katherine Pierce in 1864 (flashback).

Production Notes

Had the show not been given a full 22-episode order for Season 1, this episode would have been the season finale. However, it's unknown if the episode would have been any different if it were for such a case.

Cultural References

Children of the Damned, a 1963 science fiction film, a thematic sequel to the 1960 version of Village of the Damned.
Van Helsing, a vampire hunter.
Metallica, an American heavy metal band.
Pearl Jam, an American rock band.
Broom Hilda, an American newspaper comic strip about a 1,500-year-old witch.

Behind the Scenes

This episode had about 3.99 million viewers in the USA, which was 0.28 million more than the previous episode.

Quotes

Voiceovers

Alaric: (reading Johnathan Gilbert's journal) "I met Barnette and Giuseppe this evening. I saw the skepticism in their eyes when I showed them the compass."

Anna: (reading Johnathan Gilbert's journal) "I saw her again today, the most beautiful woman in town, with a name just as pretty, Pearl."

Quotes

Katherine: "And that's how its done."

Damon: "What happens to the bodies?"

Katherine: "We'll take them into the woods and the other animals will finish them off."

Ben: "Why did you choose me?"

Anna: "I needed someone in a position to be my eyes and ears. Small town bartender fit the bill."

Ben: "But there were plenty of bartenders to choose from. Why me?"

Anna: "You were sad, Ben. You lacked purpose."

Damon: "Rise and shine, sleepyheads."

Stefan: "What are you doing?"

Elena: "Damon, please!"

Damon: "Oh, stop being smutty."

Stefan: "Seriously, get out of here!"

Damon: "If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it."

Stefan: "There are other ways to get what you want. You don't have to kill people. Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others. For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

Giuseppe: (looking at the Gilbert compass) "And we're supposed to believe that can track one of them?"

Barnette: "What is it? Magic?"

Johnathan: "Its science."

Barnette: "I'll believe it when I see it."

Alaric: "I'm also a historian. And while researching Virginia, I made a few discoveries about your town."

Stefan: "So, you show up like Van Helsing?"

Damon: "She knows Father would have her killed if he knew the truth"

Stefan: "Not if we talked to him, explained how we feel. He could help us keep her safe."

Damon: "Have you gone mad? No, Father would drive a stake in her himself."

Damon: (to Jeremy) "Who're you dodging?"

Jeremy: "This girl Anna. She can be, uh... persistent."

Damon: "Is she hot?"

Jeremy: "Yeah, yeah, but she could be weird."

Damon: "Hot trumps weird, Trust me."

(He starts eavesdropping on Elena and Jenna in the kitchen)

Jenna: (whispers about Damon) "He is ridiculously hot!" :(Elena shushes her, but Damon hears her with his vampire hearing and smiles)

Elena: (whispers) "He's an ass!"

(Damon rolls his eyes)

Anna: (interrupts Katherine and Damon's kiss) "Miss Fell is approaching."

Pearl: (hugs Anna) "Thank you, Annabelle."

Giuseppe: "Stefan, these creatures are of the darkest parts of hell. They have the ability to control your mind, seduce your spirit. They are deadly. They must be destroyed. Those who stand with them-- those who bring shame to their family-- will be destroyed as well."

Giuseppe: (talking about Katherine) "Go get the Sheriff. Tell him we have a vampire."

Stefan: (horrified) "What? No!"

Giuseppe: "Do as I say, son. Nothing that you feel for her is real. She is a vampire, Stefan, a monster! I fed you vervain hoping that it would expose her."

Damon (holding Elena): "Give me the book Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck, and you and I will have a vampire girlfriend!"

Damon: (as they take Katherine away) "No! Don't take her!"

Giuseppe: (holds him back) "Do you know what they'll do to you if you're branded a sympathizer?! You'll be killed along with them!"

Damon: (furiously) "Then let me be killed!"

Elena: "Are you okay?"

Stefan: "Damon was right. This is-- this is my fault."

Flashback to 1864

Stefan: "Damon!" (He holds Damon back) "Damon stop, stop! I'll help you, we'll get her back!"

Damon: "Help me?!" (He pushes him away) "Don't you think you've done enough?! You promised you wouldn't tell him!"

Stefan: "I didn't think this would happen!" (He watches with Damon as the vampires get taken away)

Damon: "You did this" (He backs away) "This is your fault!" (He runs away)

Present Day