Zap2it writer Carina recently spoken to The Vampire Diaries EP Julie Plec about Elena getting jealous over seeing Rebekah in bed with Damon, Sage and Kol’s past with Damon, and more.

Of course, Elena had just given him a rather outright rejection. Still, when she heads over to Chez Salvatore early in this week’s episode, “All My Children,” she’s not going to be particularly pleased to discover a certain blonde in his bed. A little jealousy, perhaps? (Spoiler alert: Yes.)

There was some debate in the comments of our last recap as to whether the show’s writers were aware of how badly Elena treated Damon at the bar. Rest assured — she’s not going to be let off the hook. “Elena is going to be pissed on multiple levels, but she also understands that, in a way, she sort of pulled the trigger on that,” executive producer Julie Plec told reporters last week. “Damon has every right to be angry with her as well, and a lot of people are going to continue to be angry with each other as this unfolds in the next episode.”

Though this will definitely count as a setback in their relationship, Damon isn’t abandoning the growth we’ve seen over the last two seasons. It’s not in Damon’s nature to go home and cry over a girl while staring pensively out a window and writing in a diary, but he’s not about to go on a killing spree, either.

“The thing with Damon is, as we’ve seen, when he’s hurt, he lashes out, and in a way, this is the most cruel way he could have lashed out,” Plec says. “But it also shows a peculiar evolution in him as a character. Rather than take it out on an innocent person on the road, he’s striking where it hurts the most, very specifically, [for] Elena. By no means is it gentlemanly behavior, but certainly it was fun to watch.”

Damon fans can look forward to a little bit more insight into his character when the series returns from a hiatus in March. We’ve seen Stefan’s background explored quite thoroughly — we know that he’s been the Ripper, he’s been Klaus’s bestie, he’s been a Bon Jovi superfan, he’s been an Ivy Leaguer — but for Damon, the years between 1864 and 2009 remain a mystery.

Now, we’ll meet Sage (“Smallville” star Cassidy Freeman), a vampire who helped Damon become the delicously devious guy we met in the pilot.

“I haven’t seen [her episode], I’ve only heard that she’s awesome,” Plec says. “Cassidy Freeman’s character is a vampire that we’ll meet in our 16th episode, which is the first episode in March back. The episode is called ’1912′ and it’s timed about 100 years ago… when Damon was still the Damon that walked out the door in a huff of disappointment and piousness when his brother was out of control in 1864.”

Sage, described as “ballsy and sexy and dynamic and fun,” will have a major influence on Damon — whether a good influence or a bad influence, we’ll let you decide. Plec adds, “Somewhere between 1864 and the pilot episode Damon became the Damon that we know and love. This episode kind of gives us a little glimpse into that and what this character Sage had to do with it.”

You may have picked up on a particularly loaded moment between Original little bro Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) and Damon when they met at the Ball this week. If you recall, Damon suggested that he and Kol may have met before, and Kol said, “You don’t particularly stand out,” dismissively. When “Dangerous Liaisons” was filmed, the writers had intended to explore a bit of backstory between the characters in 1912.

“Our intention was to have them cross in a very fun ‘who was that guy?’ kind of moment,” Plec tells us, “but then we ended up the story went in a different direction. We had a whole great Damon/Kol night out.” The moment was never actually written or shot, so don’t expect to see it on your DVD extras. It featured a lighthearted drunken bar brawl. “A kind of drunk, don’t remember anything, but in our drunk night of brotherhood we had a moment [thing],” Plec says. It’ll have to live on in your imaginations.

Read more of the interview here