The episode opens four months after a tragic car accident claimed the lives of (Nina Dobrev) and her brother Jeremy’s (Steven R. McQueen) parents. While Elena struggles to maintain a "perfect" facade, Jeremy spirals into drug use to cope with his grief.
As Elena and Stefan grow closer, it's clear that there's more to Stefan than meets the eye. He's hiding a dark secret: he's a vampire. Meanwhile, Elena's best friends, Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham) and Jeremy Gilbert (Ian Somerhalder), become entangled in the supernatural world that surrounds them. the vampire diaries season 1 ep 1
Furthermore, the pilot seeds the mythology of the town through the character of Jeremy Gilbert and his drug use, which stems from the same grief Elena feels. This subplot ensures that the supernatural threat is not the only danger the characters face; the "human" problems of addiction and depression remain prevalent, grounding the fantasy in reality. The episode opens four months after a tragic
Shadows in the Sun: An Analysis of Narrative Establishing and Gothic Conventions in The Vampire Diaries , Season 1, Episode 1 ("Pilot") As Elena and Stefan grow closer, it's clear