No New Episode of 'The Vampire Diaries' on Thursday; Ian Somerhalder-Directed Episode to Air on 12 March

"The Vampire Diaries" fans will have to wait for one more week to find out the mystery behind the imprisonment of Damon and Stefan's mother in the prison world. Episode 16 of the season will air on 12 March and will mark actor Ian Somerhalder's directorial debut.

Things are going to get crazy when the series returns, as the gang will have to deal with Caroline, who switched off her humanity after her mother's death. Stefan's attempts to set everything right will reportedly set off a chain of events that will have Elena and the youngest Salvatore brother in a "race against the clock."

 On top of that, Damon will have to find out why his mother is in the prison world, as according to the official synopsis, he is going to learn some devastating news about his mother.

So why exactly is mama Salavatore trapped in the prison world? According to executive producer Julie Plec, there are only two possible reasons on why Lily is in the prison world – she has either been wrongly victimised or mama Salavatore isn't as innocent as we were led to believe.

Another pressing question is with regard to the year in which Lily has been trapped. As fans of the vampire drama know, the prison world has some association to the prison. For instance, Kai was trapped in 1994 because that was the year he murdered his siblings. What emotional connection does Lily have to 1903? In all likelihood, Lily Salvatore is also a supernatural being and she was held a prisoner in the prison world for some grave crime she committed in 1903.

The synopsis of the episode titled "The Downward Spiral" reads: "After shutting off her humanity following the death of her mother, Caroline gives her friends an unexpected ultimatum. Not knowing how to handle the new Caroline, Stefan's attempt to intervene sets off a dangerous chain of events, leaving him and Elena in a race against the clock. Meanwhile, after seeking answers from Kai about the prison world, Damon's world is turned upside when he learns some devastating news about his mother Lily.

"Elsewhere, Enzo finds himself becoming increasingly intrigued by Sarah, and Bonnie begins to struggle with the effects of being back in the real world."