Thanks for watching “Age of Innocence,” a.k.a. episode 703 of The Vampires Diaries. This episode was written by Melinda Hsu Taylor & Holly Brix, and directed by Michael Allowitz. Michael used to be the 1st AD (assistant director) of the show, and started directing for us in season 4. An assistant director, for those who don’t know, is not a coffee and dry cleaning-fetching PA job like I used to have. The AD is basically the facilitating producer of the episode. They build the schedule, direct the extras, facilitate all the meetings in prep, keep track of all production elements — special effects, props, locations, etc., manage departments and people and timelines and personalities. They are the heart and soul of the show, and they are also responsible for the most important element of all: safety. In television, it’s also a job that can put you on track to becoming a full-time director, as it did with Allowitz.