Check out this interview with executive producer Julie Plec, where she talks about some of the things that happened in last Thursday’s phenomenal episode of The Vampire Diaries!

In the EW interview, Plec talks about some of the big developments – like the kiss! She says:

We’ve been building to it all season, and believe it or not, we actually thought that we would get there by the end of the ninth episode. And then when we got there [to the end of November’s midseason finale], it didn’t feel right. It felt like it wasn’t ready to happen yet. And so, even though god knows who’s gonna have tuned in tonight [Laughs], it finally felt right by the time we got to the end of tonight’s story. It felt like their relationship had evolved to the point where it wasn’t something that Elena would necessarily fight off, or push away, or reject, or even regret.

She also talks about the way they chose to do it, with Damon first walking away before changing his mind:

We wanted him to have that moment of F— it. [Laughs] You know, I’ve been through a lot. I’ve loved this girl for a really long time. I shouldn’t be kissing her. It’s not right. My brother’s saving my life left, right, and center. I shouldn’t be doing this, but damn it, I want to, so f— it. [Laughs] And that’s kinda what he does.

She is also quick to point out that this moment between Damon and Elena had nothing to do with Stefan, saying:

It felt like it was a private moment between these two characters that have developed a friendship and an intimate bond over a very, very long time. It felt very separate of Stefan, and it felt like they deserved to have it on their own.

Another big development was Damon compelling Jeremy to leave town. Will Steven R. McQueen really leave the show? Plec wouldn’t rule it out:

I think certainly we’re gonna still see Steven in next week’s episode, and then [we’ll] have to see where it goes from there.

She also talks about Tyler, and the storyline that he’ll be getting into:

Unfortunately, Tyler thinks he has free will and is starting to fully realize that that might not be so true. That plays out over the next couple of episodes. The consequences of him thinking he actually has a say in his own destiny are pretty tragic and definitely shake up his world and make his relationship with Caroline very compromised. But, you know, he’s got to learn a lesson and realize, Oh god, maybe this gratefulness to Klaus isn’t as good as I thought it was.

Finally, Plec teases next week’s episode:

Stefan goes to such terrible extremes to make his point and to get Klaus to back down. It’s really devastating what he does, and it really cuts right to the core of his love story with Elena. It’s a big Stefan-and-Elena relationship episode in that you get a sense of how tragic and sad it is that such a great love has been ripped apart as a result of everything that Klaus has done.

This last episode definitely felt like a game-changer! How do you feel about the Damon/Elena kiss, the fact that Jeremy is leaving town, and the introduction of Dr. Fell? Sound off in the comments!