Know Thy Enemy

The Vampire Diaries

Season 2, Episode 17 (39)

Air date

April 7, 2011

Written by

Directed by

Episode Guide
(Transcript)
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Know Thy Enemy is the seventeenth episode of the second season of The Vampire Diaries and the thirty-ninth episode of the series overall.

Summary

HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT — Elena and Alaric both lash out at John when Isobel’s unexpected arrival leaves Jenna devastated. Template:Bonnie works with Damon and Jeremy to find the spell they’ll need to harness her ancestors’ power. A heartbroken Caroline doesn’t know what to do about Matt. Stefan and Damon realize they have a new secret weapon.

Plot

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Cast

Main Cast

Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert
Sara Canning as Jenna Sommers
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan
Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood (credit only)
Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman/Niklaus Mikaelson

Recurring Cast

Mia Kirshner as Isobel Flemming
David Anders as John Gilbert
Marguerite MacIntyre as Elizabeth Forbes
Bryton James as Luka Martin (corpse)
Gino Anthony Pesi as Maddox
Susan Walters as Carol Lockwood
Michael Roark as Frank

Trivia

Antagonist: Klaus
First appearance of Klaus, though only while possessing Alaric's body.
Hilariously, Damon is revealed to have a closet full of black leather jackets.
Isobel dies in this episode, making her the second character whose name is also an episode title to die, after Rose.
This is the first time we see a lapis lazuli daylight ring be temporarily deactivated by magic.
This is the first episode to show a vampire being killed by sunlight exposure (Isobel).
This is also the first time that a character is possessed by the spirit of another living/undead person due to the use of a witch's spell.
- This kind of "body-jumping" will later become a feature of later episodes of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals series, both through a witch's spirit possession spell or a Traveler's Passenger spell.

Body Count

Isobel - Suicide/self-immolation in sunlight as a result of Klaus' compulsion.

Production Notes

The name of the episode was revealed on Valentine's Day by Ian Somerhalder.[1]
This episode has only two songs on the soundtrack, making it an episode of the series with the least songs featured.
This is the first episode where Katerina Graham is credited as Kat Graham.
Matt Davis becomes the second main cast member to have a dual role, after Nina Dobrev.
The five recurring characters from Season One that reappear in this episode:
'Zdravei' which Klaus (in Alaric's body) said to Katherine means 'Hello' in Bulgarian.

Cultural References

"Know your enemy" is a saying derived from Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
"Know Thy Enemy" is a 2009 hip hop drama movie.

Behind the Scenes

This episode had about 2.73 million viewers in USA, which was 0.26 million less than the previous episode.

Quotes

Stefan: "Why don't you call Alaric and let him know that his wife just showed up on his girlfriend's doorstep?"

Damon: [to Katherine] "Don’t mistake the fact that we haven’t set you on fire in your sleep for trust."

Damon: [to Bonnie and Jeremy] "Great, we’ll have to put that on our list of things to do today-- harness dead witch power."

Elena: "You screw up everything, John. Everything you touch just falls apart. But, you’re the only parent I have left. So, maybe I can learn not to hate you."

Klaus [in Alaric's body]: Bulgarian: "Здравей, Катерина! / Zdravei, Katerina!" English: "Hello, Katherine!"

Elena [about Isobel]: "If that’s what you thought of her, then why did you ever put your trust in her at all?"

John: "Because I was there when she gave birth to you, Elena. I saw how heartbroken she was to give you up. And, because she was the first girl I ever loved. And, when she said she’d help keep you safe, I believed her."

John [about Isobel]: "I always knew that she and Katherine were close, but I never realized that Isobel and her were working against me. Two of the world’s most uncaring and selfish vampires, and yet they were genuinely friends."

Caroline [about Matt to Elena]: "You know, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to tell him at the right moment, in the right way, and he was supposed to be okay with it because he loves me."

Multimedia

Soundtrack

"Give Me Strength" – Snow Patrol
"Halfway Gone" – Piano Tribute Players