During the last episode of The Vampire Diaries, Sheriff Forbes was concerned about the death of Elena’s parents, and it was still an open case. It seems that they’ve solved it, but is it really that simple?
Before sheriff Forbes left her job for the last time, she was determined to solve the case of Elena’s parents’ death. After all those years the case was still open and she wanted to make sure she could try to fix that before she died. For those of you who don’t remember the case and why it was reopened, here are the details:
There were several things about the accident that seemed unorthodox: The trunk was filled with luggage as if Elena’s parents were planning on leaving town, the route they took (Wickery Bridge) was 10 minutes slower than if they’d taken Old Mills Road, and there were no skid marks on the bridge that imply Elena’s dad had braked, meaning it looks as if they just careened off the bridge without even trying to stop. Plus there’s the fact that both Damon and Stefan just happened to be in town that night.
It all sounds so sketch, right? And not only does it sound sketch, but why bring up this case with such scrutiny if it had no importance whatsoever for the future? We think that this case being re-opened and investigated might hint at the possibility of Elena’s parents being alive — or rather dead, since they’d likely be vampires. Or at the very least, this case is going to be a huge part of season 7’s over-arcing plot.
Yes, Damon and Liz solved the case relatively easily, but it’s almost too coincidental. Two hours before the accident, Miranda Gilbert called Liz saying she had something urgent for her, but Jeremy reveals that the call was just a joke because his mom caught him smoking pot and called the sheriff to scare him. That plays out just fine, but what about the other stuff?
Damon explains that there was a huge storm in town that night/the night before, so that’s why there was so much luggage packed in the Gilberts’ car — they wanted to spend the weekend at their cabin to avoid it. He also reveals that a downed power line was blocking Old Mills Road, which is why they took Wickery Bridge, and there were no skid marks because the roads were so slippery from the rain. It all ties up perfectly — a little too perfectly.
You could say they brought this up because they wanted to show how much the sheriff cared about Elena and wanted someone to blame for her parents’ death, but it seems so…random to bring it up now.
Elena’s parents should return for season 7
Okay, we can imagine a lot of people grunting or refusing this as a plot concept, but hear us out. With sheriff Forbes out of the picture, the only adult left in Elena’s life is Alaric. Alaric is amazing, and we definitely don’t see him dying any time soon, but we think that since season 7 is already green lit, then this would be one hell of a route it could go.
Plus, this allows us to explore some deeper drama than just doppleganger magic or purgatory/Other Side business. Damon being Damon, we imagine that he’d simplified things for the sheriff so that she can rest easy and die in peace. We can absolutely imagine him going up to Stefan or Alaric with the realization that something supernatural was behind Elena’s accident, and her parents might be alive.
With all of the horrible things happening to the kids in Mystic Falls, bringing back Elena’s parents would actually bring joy and happiness… after the disappointment, confusion and anger that would come with the realization they were alive all this time.
Even if bringing Elena’s parents back is unrealistic, we expect this accident to come up again. Perhaps someone supernatural was after Elena because she was the doppleganger, and her parents knew this and tried to get her out of town to save her, only to die in the process.
Regardless of what happens next season, we definitely foresee this accident playing a huge part and hope that Elena’s parents return in some sort of flashback at the very least.