The Vampire Diaries — Season 1

In the series opener, a Virginia high-school student, Elena, falls for a new boy in class who is actually a centuries-old vampire struggling to live peacefully among humans. Their budding relationship is threatened when his evil vampire brother arrives in town and tries to capture Elena's heart for himself.

Vicki recovers in the hospital from an attack and begins to remember what happened, but Stefan tries to prevent her from recalling what actually occurred. Meanwhile, Elena meets Damon, who reveals to her some surprising secrets about Stefan's past; and Jeremy struggles with his feelings for Vicki.

Stefan joins the football team after an impressive athletic display involving catching and throwing. Also: Elena invites Stefan and Bonnie to dinner in hopes they will bond, but Damon disrupts the evening with an unexpected visit. Later, an act of violence shocks the town.

Stefan escorts Elena to the town's annual Founder's Party where Damon tells her a surprising story about his family's past. It prompts Elena to ask Stefan questions he refuses to answer and forces him to take action against his brother.

A stranger tells Elena that he recognizes Stefan from 1953 when Stefan's uncle was killed by a wild animal. The revelation sends her searching for the truth. Meanwhile, Damon tries to lure Caroline to the dungeon Stefan trapped him in so she can free him, and Bonnie discovers psychic powers she didn't know she possessed.

Stefan is forced to tell Elena he is a vampire, and he reveals his family's history to her and how his rivalry with Damon began. Meanwhile, Damon considers turning Vicki into a vampire and he threatens to harm Elena if Stefan doesn't return his ring that protects him from the sun. Also: the sheriff and mayor take action to protect Mystic Falls from further violence but it only leads to more of it.

Vampire Vicki turns the school's Halloween haunted house into a truly terrifying experience when she can't control her urge for blood. Meanwhile, Damon is surprised by Bonnie's psychic abilities when he tries to take back a necklace she's wearing that belongs to him.

An old friend (Arielle Kebbel) visits Stefan on his birthday and she gives Elena some insight into dating him. Meanwhile, Caroline attempts to get Damon's medallion back from Bonnie, and Damon offers to help Sheriff Forbes, which leads to tragedy.

Jeremy gets a break from the mysterious new history teacher, Alaric Saltzman and introduces Alaric to Jenna. Bonnie is having terrifying dreams about one of her ancestors. Despite Elena's efforts to smooth things over, Bonnie and Caroline continue to argue over the medallion. When the girls hold a séance to help them decide what to do, the results are stranger than any of them expected. Matt comes to Caroline's aid when she needs a friend. Damon finally reveals to Stefan the stunning reason he has returned to Mystic Falls.

After reading the journal left by one of the Gilbert ancestors, Jeremy is inspired to return to his hobby of sketching fantasy creatures, a talent he had abandoned when his parents died. Much to the surprise of their friends, Matt and Caroline continue to hang out together. When Sheriff Forbes tells Damon there has been another attack, he offers to track down the killer and learns a startling piece of information about the town's founding families. Alaric steps in to help during an awkward scene with Jeremy, Tyler and Mayor Lockwood. Stefan and Elena come to a new understanding, but everything changes when Elena accidentally makes a devastating discovery

Damon takes a trip to Georgia, where he surprises an old flame, Bree and enlists her help to figure out how to open the tomb. In the process, Damon comes face to face with someone who is determined to make him pay for past wrongs. Stefan opens up to Grams in his effort to help Bonnie overcome her fears and accept her powers. While researching his history paper in the public library, Jeremy meets a cute-but-geeky girl named Anna who has her own theories on the folklore of Mystic Falls. When Damon returns from Georgia, Stefan is waiting with news that will change their world.

As Stefan and Damon try to figure out the identity of the new vampire in town, Stefan gives Elena jewelry filled with Vervain to protect her family and friends. Hurting for money, Matt takes a job at the Mystic Grill, where former high school football-star Ben, works as a bartender. Ben comes to Bonnie's aid when he notices Damon is bothering her. Damon and Stefan accompany Elena to a school dance with a 1950s' theme, where Alaric introduces himself to Damon.

In flashbacks, Stefan and Damon recall the long-ago actions taken by townspeople including their father, Guiseppe 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.

Stefan helps Elena and Bonnie out of a dangerous situation. Jeremy asks Anna to a party in the woods, unaware that she has her own reasons for wanting to meet him there. When Stefan, Damon and Elena work with Bonnie and Grams to open the tomb, everyone is shocked by what they discover.

Matt and Caroline are surprised by the sudden reappearance of Matt's mother Kelly. Stefan and Elena are worried about Damon's new attitude. Damon is asked by Sheriff Forbes to take part in a fund-raising bachelor auction. Alaric discovers shocking secrets from his own past. With help from Jenna and Stefan, Elena is determined to find out everything she can about her birth mother, but the truth may be more than she can handle.

Anna brings a surprising guest along when she pays a visit to Damon. Elena and Stefan go on an awkward double date with Caroline and Matt, but Stefan and Matt find they have some common ground. Jenna reunites with her old friend Kelly, and Jeremy's relationship with Anna takes an unexpected direction.

When Stefan and Damon make a dangerous new enemy, Stefan suddenly finds himself in a perilous situation. Damon and Elena try to convince Alaric to work with them to help Stefan. Matt is hopeful that his mom, Kelly, may be back to stay. After her car breaks down in a storm, Caroline make a horrific discovery that shocks everyone in town.

While Stefan struggles to control his new situation, Elena and Jeremy are surprised by a visit from their uncle, John Gilbert. Alaric has an awkward talk with Elena about Isobel. At a Founder's Day event, Stefan displays a rare party attitude and Damon's attempt to find out why Uncle John has returned to town takes an ugly turn. An incident at the party causes trouble between Matt and Tyler, and the relationship between Matt and his mother, Kelly, reaches a new low. Meanwhile, Elena's effort to comfort Jeremy falls short and he decides to take matters into his own hands.

At the Founder's Day Gala, Elena and Caroline compete for the title of "Miss Mystic Falls" against other girls from town, including Tina Fell and Amber Bradley. Elena is happy to have Bonnie back in town, but Bonnie still has issues to work through. John Gilbert attempts to intimidate Damon, but his plan doesn't have the desired effect. Damon discovers that Stefan is hiding a dangerous secret that could impact everyone in town.

While Stefan struggles to come to terms with his past, both he and Damon reveal parts of their history to Elena, until she finally learns the truth about how they became vampires. Pearl has an ugly confrontation with Johnathan Gilbert. Damon and Alaric try to find a mysterious invention before Johnathan does. The friendship and flirtation between Jeremy and Anna continues to grow.

Isobel returns to town and stuns Alaric with her attitude and her demands that he arrange a meeting with Elena When mother and daughter finally meet, Isobel refuses to answer most of Elena's questions, but reveals that she will stop at nothing to find the mysterious invention Johnathan Gilbert has been searching for. Isobel's dangerous actions lead Stefan, Damon and Bonnie to step in and help Elena deal with the situation.

Founder's Day has finally arrived, and everyone is busy with last-minute preparations for floats and fireworks. Stefan is uncomfortable with Damon's new attitude toward Elena, but Elena is more concerned about repairing her relationship with Jeremy. Jeremy is worried about Anna, but not sure he's on board with her latest plan for the future. While Caroline is enjoying her day as Queen of the celebration, she also tries to help Matt and Tyler get their friendship back on track. Finally, although Damon and Alaric do their best to stop him, Johnathan Gilbert sets a plan in motion that brings Founder's Day to an end amid chaos, destruction and death.