The Vampire Diaries is in the home stretch now, with tonight’s episode being only three away from the end of the season and a major turning point for the series as a whole. Unfortunately, it’s not anything that’s happened already as much as what fans know is coming that has viewers at the edge of their seats. With TVD losing its female lead and another series regular along with her, it’s a guessing game as to how these beloved characters will be written off – to the point that it’s overshadowing what little momentum the current storyline actually has left.
For the better part of six seasons, actors have come and gone from the show, including the Originals, who went on to become the focus of a TVD spinoff series. Some of the characters have left in dramatically explicit ways – killed off on screen, often graphically so – while others have slunk into the periphery and were never heard from again.
Tyler (Michael Trevino), although he’s played a significant role in the narrative overall, is a character that has been absent from the story for an extended period of time previously. Since he’s leaving for good now, Trevino’s exit will probably mean the end of Tyler altogether – meaning, if I had to theorize, he’s probably not going to make it out alive. Whereas Elena (Nina Dobrev) has a higher chance of ending up compelled to forget everything and living her dream of moving to New York and playing house. It’s not that killing off the main character doesn’t happen, but it seems unlikely in this case.
Damon and Elena have been this show’s set of star-crossed lovers for the majority of its run, but realistically, this image has always been more of an illusion. At first, it was the season plus long game of ‘will they or won’t they’ after an extended period of sneaking sideways glances behind Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) back, and from there it has only escalated to a series of unfortunate events that either kept them apart entirely or distracted them from giving fans what they always wanted – any semblance of a real shot.
As the writers wrap up this epic love story, there’s already a sense of failure. Elena regaining her memories is exactly would should have happened, but now, once again, it’s at the expense of Delena’s chance of happily ever after. It’s one more brick wall thrown up to keep forever from becoming a reality. The last few episodes have been great in terms of their blossoming relationship, but it’s clearly short-lived as Elena seems set in obliging his earlier decree. Elena the human follows a different set of rules, but she’s also vulnerable to suggestion. Damon (Ian Somerhalder), who has always put Elena’s happiness before his own, is unlikely to change course now that she has regained the thing she’s wanted all along.
Lily’s (Annie Wersching) threat to everyone’s safety is only the latest blockade in the Delena tale of woe, and frankly, it’s a little on the immature side. Along with the coincidental connection to Enzo (Michael Malarkey), which is the only thing that’s given him purpose pretty much all season, there’s nothing outwardly compelling about this story arc. Yes, her arrival certainly stirred up some mixed emotions and shocked faces, but the entire thing feels forced. It’s all too convenient. On the other hand, she certainly makes for an interesting antagonist, solely based based on her last name, which could turn into something worth staying tuned for after all the dust settles.
It won’t be long until fans get the answers they’ve been waiting for, but in the meantime, the writers were nice enough to hint at what’s to come. Bonnie (Kat Graham) may have destroyed the ascendant, but naturally, it appears that the device wasn’t the only way out of the 1903 prison world. The last thing viewers saw before the credits rolled on “I’d Leave My Happy Home For You” was Kai (Chris Woods) preparing to escape his latest version of hell, along with his own pack of psychotic witch-vampire hybrids. And just when you think the situation is edging on pretty bad, you can add to it the revelation that Jo (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe) is pregnant with the next set of Gemini twins – the biggest threat to Kai’s recently acquired power.
Oh, The Vampire Diaries, you sure know how to keep fans guessing all the way to the end.