The speed run

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.

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.

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 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.

Picking up on the same night as last season's finale, Elena arrives home to a nightmare as she discovers Uncle John's and Jeremy's fate. At the hospital, Sheriff Forbes is comforted by Matt, Bonnie and Damon while she waits to hear if Caroline will survive the car accident. After a confusing conversation with Elena about the night's events, Damon is the first to realize that Katherine has returned. Katherine's arrival sends Stefan and Damon on a path to find out what she wants, why she's back, and how much of a threat she is to the people they love. Meanwhile, still reeling from his father's death, Tyler is surprised when his charming and mysterious uncle, Mason Lockwood, arrives to console the family.

Stefan and Damon decide on a new plan to deal with Katherine at the Lockwood's masquerade ball. Katherine calls on an old friend, Lucy, to attend the ball with her. Bonnie, Jeremy and Alaric all do what they can to help Stefan and Damon, but Katherine has a surprise planned that none of them could foresee. Things take an ugly turn when Matt and Tyler start doing shots with their friends.

Stefan and Damon come to Elena's assistance and, in the process, learn surprising new information about people, vampires and events in the distant past. Jeremy helps Bonnie after she casts a difficult and exhausting spell, and Caroline does what she can to make things easier for Tyler. Finally, Stefan and Damon reach a new understanding.

Stefan has his own ideas about Elena's new plan for the future. While Damon tries to get the truth out of Jules, he asks Elena to keep an eye on Rose, a situation that turns unexpectedly dangerous. Caroline and Matt try to be honest about their feelings for one another, and Tyler's reaction to Caroline's generosity comes as a surprise to her. Damon struggles to hide his true feelings when a life-and-death crisis hits him harder than he expected.

Stefan and Damon are furious when they discover that Elena has defied them both to make a new ally and take control of the plan to out-maneuver Klaus. Disagreement over how to protect Elena leads to growing tension between the Salvatore brothers. Meanwhile, Stefan has his hands full trying to keep a confused and frightened Jenna safe. Flashbacks to 1491 reveal Katherine's introduction to Elijah and Klaus, along with the origin of the moonstone curse. Elena learns shocking new information about Klaus' motives.

With the arrival of the full moon, Elena tries to prepare for whatever Klaus has planned and Tyler faces his second transformation. The terrifying events quickly spin out of control, despite an unexpected act of courage. Finally, Damon admits the truth to Stefan about a terrible new development they must face.

While Mystic Falls presents a screening of "Gone with The Wind" in the town square, Damon's memories of Katherine in 1864 mix with the reality of Elena in the present day. Stefan pays a terrible personal price for his attempt to prevent a tragedy, and Sheriff Forbes makes a deadly mistake while trying to keep everyone safe. More than one life hangs in the balance as the consequences of the sacrifice ritual play out to a horrifying conclusion.

On the morning of Elena's 18th birthday, Caroline is busy planning a party, but Elena is focused on searching for any clues that might help her discover where Stefan is. Damon is also searching for Stefan, while trying to protect Elena and keep her from doing anything that would draw Klaus' attention. Meanwhile, Klaus and Stefan are busy trailing a werewolf named Ray Sutton. Now working at the Mystic Grill along with Matt, Jeremy is struggling to understand why he keeps seeing the ghosts of Vicki and Anna since he was brought back to life by Bonnie's magic. Meanwhile, Alaric does his best to watch over Elena and Jeremy, while dealing with his grief over Jenna's death. Finally, Caroline and Tyler face a new and unexpected challenge.

Despite all that has happened, Caroline is determined to see that Elena, Bonnie, Matt and Tyler all enjoy a traditional Senior Prank Night before the school year begins at Mystic Falls High School. However, when uninvited guests show up, it doesn't take long for the evening to take a deadly turn. Damon convinces Jeremy that he can use his new connection to the other side to help find a way to defeat Klaus. Finally, Klaus deepens his hold on Stefan and uses him for increasingly violent and dangerous purposes.

On the night of the Homecoming dance, Rebekah opens up to Elena about why the evening is so important to her, leaving Elena with conflicting emotions. Caroline and Matt are both shocked at Tyler's behavior throughout the evening. The night takes a surreal turn when Klaus puts his latest plan into action. Determined to outsmart Klaus, Damon enters into a dangerous partnership, leading to a terrifying turn of events. The band My Morning Jacket performs in the party scenes.

Sheriff Forbes delivers some disturbing news to Alaric and Elena about the weapon used in a recent murder. In the Salvatore brothers' escalating quest to kill Klaus, Stefan turns to Bonnie and Abby, while Damon reaches out to an old acquaintance for help in setting up an elaborate plan. Intent on a plan of his own, Klaus hosts a strange dinner party, where he reveals another story from his family's violent past until an unexpected guest brings the party to an end. Meanwhile, Caroline is heartbroken when she is unable to stop a tragedy from unfolding.

Damon and Stefan focus a new project that will bring them closer to destroying Klaus, and they quickly bring Elena, Caroline and Matt in on the plan. After Klaus threatens someone close to Bonnie, she has no choice but to work on the spell he needs. Meanwhile, Klaus and Rebekah find the perfect motivator to convince Finn to cooperate with them, but Rebekah is more interested in her own brutal plan to take revenge on Damon. Stefan's emotional turmoil leads him to a dangerous confrontation with Klaus and, later, to a heartbreaking moment with Elena.

Determined to protect his sister, Jeremy makes a decision that will change everything. In the harsh reality of the present situation, Elena longs for simpler times when her parents, Grayson and Miranda, and Aunt Jenna were still alive and her biggest concern was her relationship with Matt. Stefan and Damon leave Mystic Falls together on a mission, but soon split up when Elena needs one of them. Caroline and Tyler are forced to make a life-changing decision. Finally, Bonnie makes a secret deal that has heartbreaking consequences.

Elena awakens on the morning after the accident to find the thing she dreaded most has come true - she died with vampire blood in her system and now must go through the terrible transition to become a vampire - or face certain death. Stefan promises Elena that he and Bonnie will exhaust every possible way out of the situation, but Damon is furious with his brother for letting Elena die in the first place. Bonnie pays a terrible price for her attempt to change Elena's fate, while Damon takes out his frustration and rage on Matt. In a rare moment of empathy, Rebekah is deeply touched by Stefan and Elena's devotion to one another. Finally, Pastor Young and the Town Council members begin rounding up the vampires and their supporters, leading to an unexpected tragedy.

Caroline does her best to be there for Stefan and Elena in a tough time. Damon tries to convince Stefan to help him uncover Prof. Shane's motives, but Stefan is intent on carrying out a different plan with Klaus. At the annual Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, Elena and Caroline give April advice on which dress to wear, while Tyler and Hayley work together on a secret project, and Damon confronts Prof. Shane with his suspicions. Alarmed by the vivid nightmares he's having, Jeremy turns to Matt for help, but the situation escalates sooner than anyone expected. Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas also makes an appearance.

On the island, Damon has an ugly run-in with a Hunter named Vaughn, and realizes he is one of The Five. Stefan confesses his true feelings about the possibility of becoming human again to Elena. When a stunning new piece of information about the cure is suddenly revealed, it changes the stakes for everyone. Jeremy helps Bonnie recognize what is real and what is an illusion, and Shane is comforted by a woman from his past, Caitlin. Back in Mystic Falls, Caroline and Tyler find that their attempt to translate the code on the Hunter's Sword is futile without help from Klaus, who has his own reasons for solving the puzzle.

When Stefan arrives back in Mystic Falls with Elena and Jeremy, Caroline is immediately worried about Elena's state of mind. Stefan reaches out to Dr. Fell and Matt for help. Still on the island, Damon relays somber news to Rebekah, and is surprised at her reaction. Together, Damon and Rebekah learn an unexpected bit of recent history from Vaughn. Everyone is horrified when Bonnie reveals the rest of Shane's plan. Finally, after Damon does his best to help her, Elena comes up with a plan of her own.

On Graduation Day, Mystic Falls is overrun with ghosts intent on settling old scores and fulfilling their supernatural destinies. Damon's life is in danger after a ghostly encounter, while Matt and Rebekah join forces to battle a ghost determined to find the cure. As everyone gathers for the graduation ceremony and the ghosts converge, help comes from an unlikely hero. Caroline receives a touching and unexpected graduation present, and Bonnie's plan leads to the closing of the veil. Elena makes a decision about the Salvatore brothers and faces an epic confrontation with Katherine. Finally, Stefan discovers a horrifying clue to the mystery surrounding Silas.

After spending the summer enjoying her passionate relationship with Damon, and making sure that Jeremy is adjusting after his return from the dead, Elena is thrilled to move into the dorm at nearby Whitmore College with her new roommate, Caroline. Still believing that Bonnie has been traveling all summer and will soon join them, Elena and Caroline are surprised when a student named Megan shows up and announces that she will be sharing their dorm room. Katherine makes an unexpected appearance at the Salvatore house and pleads with Damon to help her now that she is human and vulnerable to her enemies. Matt and Rebekah return to Mystic Falls after spending a wild summer in Europe, where they met a mysterious beauty named Nadia. Elena can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with Stefan, and Silas makes a terrifying appearance at the "End of Summer" party in the town square.

As she faces a new crisis, Katherine remembers the traumatic night in 1490 when she gave birth to the daughter who was immediately taken from her. Stefan lets Elena, Caroline and Bonnie know that Katherine's health has taken a turn for the worse, while Damon Matt and Jeremy discuss some of Katherine's most notorious moments. Nadia comes up with a frightening plan to protect her mother, and Stefan and Elena are forced to help her. Meanwhile, Caroline is mortified when she realizes she forgot to fill Elena in on the latest shocking gossip, then indulges in a little scandalous behavior of her own. Finally, Elena and Katherine share an unexpected moment of connection.

While Nadia remembers her centuries-long search for her mother, Stefan, Caroline and Matt come up with a desperate new plan to save Elena's life. For the second time, Bonnie and Jeremy must turn to Liv for help. Damon baits Tyler into a nasty confrontation, then takes off to seek revenge on Dr. Wes. Caroline and Tyler come to a new understanding. Finally, Bonnie learns of a terrifying secret that will threaten the lives of all her friends.

Heartbroken by an unexpected tragedy, Damon is focused on holding himself together, while pushing Bonnie harder than ever to find a way to stop the disintegration of the Other Side. Elena takes matters into her own hands and demands that Liv and Luke help her, but Liv refuses to cooperate until Caroline provides her with some personal motivation. Sheriff Forbes is horrified when Markos uses violence against Tyler/Julian to prove that Mystic Falls is now under the control of the Travelers. With new information from Sheriff Forbes, Damon comes up with a dangerous plan that relies on split-second timing from Jeremy and Matt. Liv's off-hand remark regarding Stefan gets a surprisingly emotional response from Caroline. As conditions on the Other Side worsen, Bonnie takes the opportunity to settle an old score. Finally, Damon's plan causes a massive explosion in Mystic Falls, and everyone is caught up in the confusion, leaving a trail of heroism, sacrifice, relief and despair.

After spending the past four months coping with the loss of Damon in an unconventional and potentially dangerous way, Elena has returned to Whitmore College for the start of sophomore year. Unable to move on, Caroline is desperate to find a way to reverse the anti-magic spell the Travelers have put over Mystic Falls and grows frustrated when her calls to Stefan go unanswered. Tyler, who is human once again, has a run-in at a football tailgate that tests his ability to control his anger, while Matt worries that Jeremy is dealing with the loss of Bonnie in a self-destructive way. Alaric, who is struggling to adjust to his new life as a vampire, finds himself in an awkward situation when he meets Jo a beautiful doctor at the university hospital. Last, while everyone believes Stefan is off tracking a lead to get Damon and Bonnie back, Elena is shocked when she learns the truth of what he has really been up to.

After assigning tasks to each of her friends, Caroline attempts to deal with her current situation as reality begins to set in around her. While spending the day with Caroline, Elena grows concerned when she starts noticing a strange change in her behavior. Meanwhile, Alaric becomes wary when Kai, who has begun experiencing unexpected consequences from the merge, turns to Jo, desperate for her help. Elsewhere, while Bonnie finds herself in an unfamiliar situation, Matt and Tyler contemplate a major life change. And when Damon offers Caroline advice on how to cope with everything going on around her, it forces him to revisit painful memories involving his own mother.

In the aftermath of Alaric and Jo's powerful nuptials, things take a dramatic turn when an uninvited guest shows up, leaving Elena in terrible jeopardy. Despite Matt's advice to leave town to protect herself, a defiant Bonnie takes matters into her own hands after finding herself on the receiving end of a twisted plan. As Stefan and Caroline reach an emotional crossroad in their relationship, a reunion with Liv leaves Tyler faced with a decision that could change his life forever. Meanwhile, Lily's reckless actions cause Stefan to realize the lengths to which his mother will go to reunite with her "family." Finally, after a devastating chain of events, Damon is forced to make the most difficult decision of his life.

After a twisted plan left the life of his girlfriend Elena linked to that of his best friend Bonnie, Damon is forced to navigate his new reality without the love of his life. A newly empowered Bonnie has decided that she will be Damon's moral compass and keeps a close eye on him as he, in turn, cautiously keeps tabs on Alaric, following the loss of his fiancée Jo. Meanwhile, as he waits for Caroline to sort out her emotions, Stefan takes an active role in protecting the town from Lily and her family of Heretics, who have wasted no time wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls. Elsewhere, Enzo struggles to find his place in Lily's new life, and is quickly forced to decide where his true loyalties lie. Finally, with the stakes higher than ever, Matt, who has recently completed his deputy training program, teams up with Stefan and Caroline to put a stop to the Heretics, but an unexpected turn of events leaves one of them in a dangerous position.

When complications from her supernatural pregnancy leave Caroline's life hanging in the balance, Stefan and Valerie take extreme measures to try and save her and the babies. Meanwhile, after uncovering a dark secret about Damon, Enzo uses the information to force Damon into helping him track down Rayna Cruz, a ruthless vampire hunter who is on the loose. However, when Damon's actions inadvertently put everyone he loves in Rayna's path, he is forced to make things right before it's too late.

Despite their best efforts to help Bonnie through the harrowing predicament she now faces, Damon, Enzo, and Caroline realize their options are running out and drastic measures need to be taken. With their only chance of saving their friend lying inside the Armory, Stefan breaks the news to Caroline that they may need help from an unlikely source – her and Alaric's twin daughters. Elsewhere, Enzo keeps Bonnie preoccupied by bringing her back to their cabin but when his plan takes an unexpected turn, it'll be up to Damon to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his closest friends.

Months after Damon and Enzo mysteriously vanished from the Armory vault, Stefan tirelessly pushes forward with their search, while Bonnie struggles holding onto hope that they will be found. Meanwhile, a dangerous encounter with an unexpected visitor leaves Caroline and Alaric fearing that someone - or something - may be targeting their family. Finally, after following some mysterious clues, Stefan realizes that whatever has a hold of his brother may have a more damaging grip over him than he could have ever imagined.

Faced with the fallout from his interaction with Cade, Stefan is determined to have one thing go right - Christmas Eve with Caroline. However, when Damon and Sybil crash their Christmas Eve dinner, which had been joined by Alaric, Matt and Peter, things quickly take a dark and twisted turn. Meanwhile, in a series of flashbacks to Stefan's past, Cade's attempt to entice him with his mysterious agenda leaves Stefan faced with an unimaginable decision.

Damon and Alaric come face to face with an old enemy after they obtain a weapon that may be able to destroy Cade. Stefan is held captive by a surprising acquaintance and is forced to confront a dark secret from his past. Meanwhile, Caroline and Matt try to keep Stefan's violent history from destroying him. Cade focuses his attention on Bonnie and digs deep into her mind.

A wedding is quickly planned in order for Damon and Stefan to lure a dangerous enemy out into the open. This looming threat puts the fate of Mystic Falls in imminent danger and must be destroyed.

With the fate of Mystic Falls at stake, Stefan and Damon must fight their greatest enemy for one last battle.