The Vampire Diaries panel just ended at San Diego Comic-Con and the cast talked about not only the ending of this game-changing season but what the future will look like for the show without Elena Gilbert.
This past season The Vampire Diaries took a route no one thought they would ever take — Elena Gilbert had to say goodbye to her friends in Mystic Falls. While Nina Dobrev made her exit this season, the rest of the cast is still on board, so what does that mean for the seventh season? The cast and creators spoke about this and more at today’s panel in Hall H. Here are our favorite moments:
Fan Video
The fandom is filled with fan videos that vary in quality from obviously-home-made to movie trailer-worthy, and WB premiered their very own “fan” video because there’s no footage to show since they start filming on Monday.
The video took a look at everything in the show ranging from the love stories to the action and even the villains. It was a great way to start Sunday off and in the end we even saw Kai, who revealed himself as the “creator” of the fan video. At the end of the whole thing he ended up in an awkward, weird, intense, but also somewhat hot make-out scene with Damon. Show moderator Jarett Wieselman was correct in saying we are all now shipping Kaimon.
The core of the show
When asked about what the show’s core will be like now that it’s so different from past seasons, Julie Plec said “there’s still an intense core of romance.” She says that the challenge, for Damon in particular, will be to live his life and be who he is without Elena, and he has to question what his true self really is. “The line is going to get a little crooked, and he’ll probably hopscotch over it.”
Plec also said we’ll get to see a naughty Damon try to not be naughty. “That sexy, fun, volatile thing that made you fall in love with Damon,” Ian Somerhalder says, “I’m bringing that back.” And the crowd cheered, because who doesn’t love a naughty Damon?
According to executive producer Caroline Dries we’re also going to see a lot more bromance between Stefan and Damon, but the core is still very much about romance.
At another point in the panel the cast got into an argument about shipping names. Somerhalder said that Steroline sounds like some sort of sterile hospital thing, and Paul noted that it at least sounded clean. “Delena sounds like some sort of disease,” he quipped, “Steroline sounds like the cure to it.”
‘The Vampire Diaries’ without Elena Gilbert
A fan came up and asked how it feels to work on the show without Elena, and Somerhalder was the first to respond. “It’s just an evolution of the story. Stories come, stories go and this is the evolution of the story: Mystic Falls without Elena Gilbert,” he said
Candice Accola chimed in for all the concerned Elena fans in the audience. “You’ll still feel the essence of Elena Gilbert. She’s not gone entirely.”
Paul Wesley added, “I think it created a new world in a way, and it’s a fresh take for a show that’s been on for over a decade.”
While the cast is definitely missing the presence of Nina Dobrev on set, it’s clear that none of them are heartbroken at the idea of not having Elena in their core group. Since the show will pick up a few months after the events of the season 6 finale, we’re glad that we’re not going to have to see them mourn too much for their loss.
Season 7 expectations
We’re all curious about what season 7 will be like, and when a fan asked what we could expect, Plec said, “a lot of very unexpected twists and turns.”
She also said that fans are going to be surprised when it comes to the Caroline and Stefan relationship. It was made clear in the panel that in season 7 Caroline is trying really hard not to be ready for Stefan, ever since he said he would wait for her at the end of season 6, but waiting and not being ready will prove difficult for her as expected.
Executive producer Caroline Dries chimed in with this: “The challenge for the writers in season 7 is constantly topping the villains from last year and by bringing in Lily’s family it’s these 6 villains who can do magic and are vampires. And this is going to be the first time our characters try to go against them, and they realize it’s going to be really hard.”
Of course, the real mystery will be how Mystic Falls gets to be the way it is at the end of season 6. The show will constantly flip back and forth between present day and the dystopian future, and we will get glimpses of the future that will make us go “wait, what?” only to have those answers given to us later in the season with present day arcs.
Plec also revealed some new characters that will be joining us this fall. “There are three new characters that are coming. Valerie, who we just cast this weekend, and an older couple Norma and Mary-Louise who are 106 years old. And they’re nasty nasty girls.”
‘I know how it ends.’
We’re all worried that The Vampire Diaries will end after this season. In fact, we at Hypable think that this next season should actually be its last. A fan at the panel had the same feeling and asked Plec if she forsees it ending this season. She does not.
The fan also asked if she knew how it would end if it did end this season, and Plec responded saying, “No matter what happens between now and the end of the show, I know how it ends. And I don’t think anything can change it from ending the way I see it.”