Ripper Stefan has been causing more trouble than ever in The Vampire Diaries season 8. Who will finally pull him back from the edge?
Every time one of our vamps goes off the deep end and flips their humanity switch, it’s a struggle to bring them back to their real selves. In most cases, they don’t want to regain their humanity because that means they’ll have to face the guilt from all the terrible things they did during their little vacation from the emotional world. If anyone knows guilt, and would want to avoid it, it’s Stefan Salvatore.
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In The Vampire Diaries season 8, episode 10, Stefan showed his first signs of humanity since he flipped his switch. He had condemned the town to burn, but a tiny part of him still wanted his brother to survive it. It wasn’t much, but it was a little bit of hope that the real Stefan will come back to us. Even though Cade still owns him, and we’ll still have to deal with that problem, Ripper Stefan is far too out of control.
Caroline also saw Stefan’s actions as a sign of hope, but one that meant that Damon would be the one to bring Stefan back, not her. Was she right? Will Stefan’s connection to his brother always be stronger than his love for his fiancé? Or, will Caroline provide the emotional trigger that Stefan needs? Will they both fail, causing another character to step in to save the day? Let us know what you think in the poll, but first, take a look at the options.
Damon Salvatore
Throughout The Vampire Diaries series, Stefan has “turned it off” twice. Both times, Damon had a huge part in bringing him back. When Klaus forced Stefan to turn his humanity off in season 3, Stefan began to come back when he decided to save his brother’s life instead of going through with the plan to kill Klaus.
When Stefan and Caroline had their little emotionless rendezvous, Damon was able to save Stefan by feeding their mother the lines he knew Stefan needed to hear. He’s known the guy for over 150 years, so he has a pretty good idea of what it takes to get him to feel something.
If Damon were to save Stefan once again, it would reinforce the idea that the Salvatore bond is stronger than any romantic relationship in The Vampire Diaries. They were brothers long before Elena Gilbert came between them, and they’ll always choose each other over anyone else.
Caroline Forbes
Caroline seems certain that Damon will be the one to save Stefan, yet again, and with how he’s been acting towards her, we can’t blame her for thinking that. The fact that Stefan came back to try to save Damon leaves things looking pretty bleak for Caro, but we have to remember that Damon’s also included in Cade’s deal with Stefan, so Stefan’s first thought would naturally be for his partner in crime.
Caroline hasn’t been able to trigger anything in Stefan, yet, but she also hasn’t really tried. Up until now, they’ve just been accepting that Stefan would be killing people for Cade for a year, but they might now be looking to fight back.
Before they were engaged, Stefan and Caroline were best friends. They helped each other through some of their worst moments and Stefan even triggered Caroline to turn her humanity back on, using a memory of her mom. They know each other so well and have always been a source of happiness and support for each other.
It would be a powerful statement for the Steroline relationship if Caroline could succeed where Elena couldn’t. Some fans still maintain that Elena was Stefan’s true love, so this could be a major step in illustrating that Caroline is really the one for Stefan, if that’s where The Vampire Diaries is heading, in the end.
Another character
If it will be another character that brings Stefan back, here are a few of the most likely (although still extremely unlikely) options.
Elena Gilbert
There are still a few episodes left to turn everything on its head and make Stelena the endgame couple! It’s confirmed that Nina Dobrev returned for the series finale of The Vampire Diaries, but maybe she snuck in an extra appearance, without telling anyone. Even if she didn’t come back, the threat of something happening to her coffin could be enough, if she was Stefan’s emotional trigger.
The show did begin with Stefan and Elena, and even though that’s changed, they still have an extremely close relationship. Remember Stefan’s tears when he thought Damon had killed her in The Vampire Diaries season 7? That’s the stuff emotional triggers are made of!
Lexi Branson
Stefan took quite a few trips off the deep end before we even met him. During that time, it was always his best friend, Lexi Branson, who brought him back. She even returned in The Vampire Diaries season 3 to try to help Elena flip his switch.
The last time we saw Lexi, it was when the Other Side collapsed. While some characters were dragged off, possibly to hell, it looked like Lexi actually managed to find peace. While it would be more likely that we would see her if she had gone to hell, why should we rule out the possibility of exploring another supernatural afterlife, before the show ends? It’s not fair if we only get to see the bad people!
Katherine Pierce
Again, unlikely, given the Nina Dobrev factor. However, Katherine did help trigger Stefan’s humanity in season 3, causing him to “care enough” to save Damon, and she helped him get over his PTSD in season 5. She may have toyed with him for years, but she still loved him, and obviously knows him very well. If we are going to see hell in The Vampire Diaries season 8, there are few characters fans would want to see more than Katherine Pierce!
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