Skip to content
Compare TV
The Vampire Diaries S03E01, The BirthdayS03E01

The Vampire Diaries · Season 3

The Vampire Diaries season 3 episode 1: The Birthday

Aired 15 September 201142 minRated TV-14

7.9TMDB · 18 votesMark watched

Where to watch The Vampire Diaries Season 3 in Australia

The Vampire Diaries season 3 is streaming in Australia on Prime Video (subscription), HBO Max (subscription) and Stan (subscription), and free on 9Now. You can also buy it on Apple TV from $29.99.

We may earn a commission when you sign up through our links. How we make money.

Stream (subscription)

Free

Buy or rent

Availability checked 16 November 2026.

What happens in “The Birthday”

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.

Episode summary: TMDB.

Before you watch

  • It is the season premiere of season 3.
  • It runs about 42 minutes.
  • Directed by John Behring, written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec.
  • TMDB users rate it 7.9 out of 10 (18 votes).

The Vampire Diaries trailer

The official trailer for the series (no preview of this episode has been published).

The Vampire Diaries trailerPlay video: The Vampire Diaries trailer

Cast and crew of this episode

Director
John Behring
Writers
Kevin WilliamsonJulie Plec
Guest stars
David Gallagher as Ray SuttonDawn Olivieri as Andie StarMelise as Anna ZhuSusan Walters as Carol LockwoodKayla Ewell as Vicki DonovanCherilyn Wilson as SamaraLilly Roberson as SofieDiany Rodriguez as Claudine

Credits: TMDB.

More from The Vampire Diaries Season 3

Next · S03E02The Hybrid22 September 2011
  1. E01
  2. E02
  3. E03
  4. E04
  5. E05
  6. E06
  7. E07
  8. E08
  9. E09
  10. E10
  11. E11
  12. E12
  13. E13
  14. E14
  15. E15
  16. E16
  17. E17
  18. E18
  19. E19
  20. E20
  21. E21
  22. E22

Every episode of Season 3The Vampire Diaries episode guide

Episode names, air dates, runtimes, stills and ratings: TMDB. Air dates are the first broadcast anywhere; where it streams is our daily Australian check.