The 5 Most Shocking Secrets Revealed In TVD Season 1 Episode 13, "Children Of The Damned"

The Vampire Diaries Season 1 Episode 13, "Children of the Damned," remains one of the most pivotal and emotionally resonant episodes of the entire series, even years after its original airing. As of the current date, December 15, 2025, this episode is still the go-to reference point for understanding the deep-seated rivalry and trauma that defines the relationship between Damon and Stefan Salvatore. It’s an essential hour of television that shatters the romanticized view of 1864 Mystic Falls, revealing a dark history of betrayal and familial conflict that continues to haunt the present-day characters.

Serving as a crucial mythology builder, this episode is a flashback-heavy masterpiece. It doesn't just tell the audience what happened in the past; it shows the exact moments that forged the Salvatore brothers into the men—and vampires—they became. The episode is a masterclass in using history to raise the stakes in the present, fundamentally altering how viewers perceive Damon's grudge, Stefan's guilt, and Katherine Pierce's true nature.

The Essential Biography of the Episode's Core Entities

To fully appreciate the weight of "Children of the Damned," it is vital to understand the key players whose lives were irrevocably changed in 1864. This episode is their origin story, detailing the moment their human lives ended and their eternal conflict began.

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• Episode Title: Children of the Damned
• Season/Episode Number: Season 1, Episode 13
• Original Air Date: February 4, 2010
• Director: Marcos Siega
• Writers: Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
• Key Themes: Trust, Betrayal, Foundational Mythology, Familial Conflict, The Nature of Vampirism
• Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder): The elder Salvatore brother. In 1864, he was deeply, blindly in love with Katherine, willing to defy his father and turn his back on his home for her. His belief in Katherine's love is what makes the final betrayal so devastating.
• Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley): The younger Salvatore brother. In 1864, he was naive and easily compelled by Katherine. His guilt over betraying Damon and his father's trust becomes the central conflict of his entire character arc.
• Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev): The manipulative vampire who seduced both brothers. The flashbacks reveal her ruthless nature, showing she was prepared to sacrifice both Salvatore brothers to save herself, proving her love was always a calculated act of survival.
• Giuseppe Salvatore (James Remar): The patriarch of the Salvatore family and a member of the Founder's Council. He is revealed to be a cruel, abusive father and a staunch anti-vampire zealot, responsible for the original plan to capture and eliminate the vampires of Mystic Falls.
• Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev): The present-day protagonist. Her primary role in this episode is to learn the truth about the past from Stefan, which solidifies her understanding of the Salvatore brothers' complex dynamic and Damon’s deep-seated pain.
• Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis): The present-day history teacher/vampire hunter. His subplot involves his ongoing search for his wife, Isobel, and his confrontation with Damon, whom he believes murdered her.

The 1864 Betrayal: How Katherine Shattered the Salvatore Family

The core of "Children of the Damned" lies in the stunning 1864 flashbacks, which are the first true deep dive into the show’s central mythology. Before this episode, Damon's hatred for Stefan seemed to stem from a simple love triangle; afterward, it becomes a tragedy of epic proportions.

1. The Revelation of Giuseppe Salvatore's True Villainy

The episode introduces Giuseppe Salvatore, the father of Damon and Stefan, as the true architect of the vampires' capture. He is not just a stern father; he is a violent, abusive, and uncompromising member of the Founder's Council. He forces Stefan to drink a substance—vervain—that he claims will keep him safe, but is actually a tool to expose vampires. Stefan, desperate for his father's approval and believing he is doing the right thing, inadvertently betrays Damon and Katherine by revealing the presence of vampires in the house. This moment is the first domino in the catastrophic chain of events, establishing Giuseppe as a foundational villain in the Salvatore family history.

2. Katherine’s Cold-Blooded Manipulation Exposed

For most of Season 1, Damon insists that Katherine loved him and not Stefan. This episode crushes that illusion. The flashbacks reveal that Katherine was not torn between the brothers; she was simply using both of them to ensure her own survival. She had been compelling Stefan all along, forcing him to keep her secret and participate in their twisted relationship. The most shocking moment is the revelation that she had fed both brothers her blood, preparing them for their eventual transition, proving that her actions were never about love, but about creating compliant protectors. This truth is what makes Damon’s present-day quest to free her from The Tomb so tragically misguided, fueling the entire plot of Season 1.

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The Origin of Damon's Grudge and Stefan's Guilt

The episode is titled "Children of the Damned" for a reason—it shows how the actions of the past literally damned the Salvatore brothers to an eternity of conflict. The events of 1864 are the source code for the Damon-Stefan rivalry, a conflict rooted in guilt, love, and the ultimate act of self-sacrifice.

3. The Fatal Attempt to Rescue Katherine

The flashbacks culminate in the brothers' desperate, shared attempt to save Katherine from the Founder's Council. Damon, driven by his passionate, uncompelled love, convinces Stefan to help him. In a dramatic turn of events, their father, Giuseppe, shoots both of his sons as they try to save the vampire he despises. This is the moment the brothers die as humans, with Katherine’s blood in their system, forcing them into transition. This shared trauma—dying together for the same woman, at the hand of their own father—should have united them, but it had the opposite effect.

4. The Birth of the Damon-Stefan Rivalry

Upon transitioning into vampires, Damon is consumed by grief and rage. He blames Stefan for forcing him to love Katherine and for his role in her capture (due to his inadvertent betrayal of the vervain secret). Damon’s famous line, "You wanted me to be a vampire. Well, now I am. And I'm going to make your life an eternity of misery," is born from this moment. This single line is the core justification for Damon’s villainous actions throughout the first season, including his desire to ruin Stefan's life and his obsession with freeing Katherine. The episode successfully retcons Damon's motivations from simple antagonism to profound, existential pain.

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Present-Day Consequences and Lingering Threats

While the flashbacks dominate the narrative, the present-day subplots in "Children of the Damned" are equally critical, setting up major arcs for the remainder of Season 1 and beyond. The episode masterfully weaves the past’s secrets into the present’s dangers.

5. The Unraveling of the Tomb and Alaric's Vendetta

In the present, Damon is still actively working to open the Vampire Tomb, believing Katherine is inside and that freeing her will bring him happiness. Stefan and Elena, knowing the danger, are lying to Damon about helping him, a secret that mirrors the deception of 1864. Meanwhile, the episode continues the subplot involving Alaric Saltzman, the vampire hunter. Damon, believing Alaric is a threat, attempts to kill him, only for Alaric to survive due to the Gilbert ring he wears. The episode ends with Alaric confronting Damon, setting up their complex, enemy-turned-ally relationship. Furthermore, the plot involving Pearl and Anna—the mother and daughter vampires who are also trying to free their loved ones from the tomb—progresses, indicating that Damon is not the only one obsessed with the past, and that the return of the 1864 vampires is imminent.

In conclusion, "Children of the Damned" is far more than a filler episode; it is the mythological bedrock of The Vampire Diaries. It introduces the full scope of vampire compulsion, defines the Salvatore brothers' dynamic as a cycle of love and betrayal, and establishes Katherine Pierce as the ultimate survivor and manipulator. By exposing the cruelty of Giuseppe Salvatore and the depth of Damon’s lifelong grudge, the episode ensures that every future conflict, from the love triangle with Elena to the threat of the Originals, is viewed through the lens of this single, tragic event in 1864.