Alaric Saltzman

Natura non vadit per saltum.

Still there are some great landmarks, such as the foundation of Constantinople, Alaric's capture of Rome, the Hegira of Mohammed, the discovery of America, the Reformation, and the French Revolution, which have no merely artificial existence.

We can see that the thoughts of the great majority of civilized men were suddenly forced into a different channel by such events, that after they had occurred, men hoped for other benefits and feared other dangers than they had looked for before these events took place.

And such a changeful moment in the history of the world was undoubtedly the life of the great ruler who is generally spoken of as Charlemagne, and preeminently the year 800, when he was crowned as Emperor at Rome.

When Charles appeared upon the scene, the Roman Empire, at least as far as Western Europe was concerned, had been for more than three centuries slowly dying.

An event to which allusion has just been made, the capture of Rome by Alaric in 410, had dealt the great world empire a mortal blow.

And yet, so tough was its constitution, so deeply was the thought engraven even on the hearts of its most turbulent enemies, Rome is the rightful mistress of the world, that it seemed as if that world empire could not die.

The Visigoth, the Ostrogoth, the Vandal, the Burgundian, the Lombard, coming forth from the immemorial solitude of their forests, streamed over the cities and the vineyards of the Mediterranean lands and erected therein their rude state systems, their barbaric sovereignties.

She's asking questions about Mason.

And then Alaric tips off Damon that Jules is there.

And then he sits down.

He's talking to Stefan.

I think Jules calls it, says that she has like dementia later in the episode.

You're almost thankful for that because it gives Rose a chance to remember, to remember that.

Back at the grill, Stefan gets the number from Alaric.

He texts him the number and he leaves a message from Isabel.

Dallas, Texas.

Stefan knocks on Alaric's door.

Alaric wants to go on no escapades, no...

Well, okay, Alaric doesn't, but Stefan claims that there's not going to be any escapades.

He doesn't have the scar anymore.

Yeah.

Reyna.

He wants to speak to Caroline.

[laughs]

A lot, it's like Alaric from-

Yeah

... right?

Yeah, it's an enemies to lovers dynamic.

It's the one I think they want to have between Damon and Alaric, and they, it's just not there in the same way.

Mm-hmm.

I think, I think that Mason, the actor playing Mason, just has a different...

But it was really a time when it must have seemed like the world was ending to so many people and there was so much room for drama and human stories.

And exploring Alaric's story just fascinated me.

He was a rebel.

And the women I based Julia on, like Julia the Elder and Anoria and Gala Placidia, they were also rebels.