Nina Dobrev, the actress who portrays both Elena and Katherine, was actually born in Bulgaria, where the beginning of the episode is set, and is fluent in Bulgarian.
First time a male witch (warlock) is introduced
Although credited, Sara Canning (Jenna Sommers), Zach Roerig (Matt Donovan), Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), and Matt Davis (Alaric Saltzman) do not appear in this episode.