We’re still reeling from the epic season 4 finale of The Vampire Diaries! Luckily exec Julie Plec can offer commentary on some of the major developments.
Katherine is human. Jeremy is alive. Bonnie is a ghost. Elena chose Damon. Stefan is Silas’ doppelganger.
We can’t decide which of these plot twists we were most shocked about, and which we’re left most excited about!
In a post-finale interview with Zap2It, executive producer Julie Plec discusses each of the major developments, and offers some new insight into how the writers made those big decisions.
The Cure
It was almost like a game of pass-the-parcel, the way the cure was dangled in front of several characters in this episode.
Damon, Elena and Stefan all seemed obvious candidates to take it at one point or another, so when it finally went to Katherine, it definitely took us by surprise!
However, for anyone worried that Katherine is going to start channeling Elena as a human, don’t worry.
“As a human, she’s still very, very bad. If anything, she feels silly for letting herself get vulnerable, and she’s taking out that frustration of her own vulnerability on Elena,” Plec says.
You know what they say – Katherine may have lost her fangs, but she’s still got her bite! (Badam-bam.)
Silas’ True Face
When Stefan thought Silas’ true face was Elena’s, our jaws dropped. When Silas then revealed that his doppelganger was in fact Stefan, they hit the floor.
“Last year, when season 3 was over, we kept a small group of writers and we stayed for five weeks, to try to break the broad strokes of season 4. Last year, right around this time, we came up with the doppelgänger pitch,” Plec says.
Once that was done, they had to break the news to Paul Wesley – and as you can imagine, “He is so happy,” Plec laughs. “He’s been dying for something; to be a jerk, to be evil, to be the bad guy, to be able to stretch his muscles.”
Of course with the real Stefan stuck at the bottom of the ocean, we might have to get used to impostor-Stefan for a while. Or maybe this is another Klaus-is-Tyler situation, where it’ll only last a few episodes.
(We also have to wonder: does this mean that Qetsiyah or Silas’ human lover was the original original Elena/Katherine/Tatia doppelganger?)
Jeremy’s resurrection and Bonnie’s death
Earlier this season, it seemed like Bonnie’s expression magic was going to be the death of her. But when Jeremy was killed off, we began to question whether The Vampire Diaries would kill off two original cast members in one year.
Now, we have our answer. Bonnie’s spell brought Jeremy back to life, but she couldn’t save herself, and is now a ghost.
Surprisingly, Plec reveals that the original plan was for Jeremy’s death to be permanent. “But then a lot of questions came up about the power of [Elena] losing her only living relative,” she says. “It was so important to her journey at that moment, [but] he global, eternally reaching tragedy attached to that is really sad, and really depressing.”
So while Elena didn’t take the cure, the return of Jeremy, “resets her, in a way, where she can now get on with her life and live like the Elena that we know.” As for Bonnie, don’t expect this episode to be the last we’ll see of her.
In fact, it seems like Kat Graham might even continue being a regular next year, if Plec’s comparisons to Being Human (where a ghost is one of the main characters) are anything to go by.
Plec teases, “This is not the last we’ve seen of Bonnie. If anything, she will be right there in the middle of story next season, just with a few new complications.”
Elena’s choice
As a human, Elena chose Stefan. As a vampire, Elena tried to give Stefan the cure so he could get the life he deserved, and then admitted her love for Damon – with an epic speech about how bad of a decision it was!
“There’s no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons why I’m wrong for you,” he told her. And she replied, “Of all the choices that I’ve made this will prove to be the worst one. But I am not sorry that I’m in love with you. I love you, Damon. I love you.”
Cue an explosion of the Delena tag on Tumblr! Meanwhile, the Stelena fans are commiserating – but we’re sure this isn’t the end of the triangle!
But for now, expect some actual, genuine Delena moments that aren’t tarnished by sire bonds or doubts. For once, Damon actually got the girl.
“We’re going to get to see Damon trying to be a good boyfriend,” Plec previews, “and while it’s not going to be easy, he’s going to try like hell to make it work, and they’re going to have a real opportunity for happiness.”
There are so many things to be excited for in season 5! Vote in the poll and then tell us in the comments what you thought about The Vampire Diaries season finale.
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