The Vampire Diaries Season 1 - Episode 15 -

: Reviewers from TV Fanatic and fans on LiveJournal praised the Damon/Alaric dynamic and the rapid-fire plot twists regarding the Gilbert Ring.

: The episode’s emotional core centers on the revelation that Elena’s birth mother, Isobel Flemming, and Alaric Saltzman’s presumed-dead wife are the same person. The Vampire Diaries Season 1 - Episode 15

: Some viewers found the Kelly Donovan subplot to be a distraction, with one IMDb reviewer calling it the episode's weakest point and noting it felt like a "boring soap opera". : Reviewers from TV Fanatic and fans on

: During a Founder's Day bachelor auction, a smug Damon reveals to Alaric that he was the one who "turned" Isobel, implying he killed her while Elena listens in horror. : During a Founder's Day bachelor auction, a

: Some critics felt the episode was a "letdown" after a six-week hiatus, as it primarily focused on backstory rather than the immediate threat of the tomb vampires. Episode Statistics Original Air Date : March 25, 2010 IMDb Rating : Approximately 8.1/10 (based on user consensus) Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score : 86% for the series/season

Reviews for this episode are largely positive, though mixed on specific characters: