The Vampire Diaries: Are the books a clue to how the series will end?
By Leah Smith
The Vampire Diaries is now only a few episodes away from concluding its eight-season run. But how everything will be wrapped up remains very unclear. So could the book series provide some clues as to how the show will end?
Note: This post contains spoilers for the end of The Vampire Diaries book series and potential spoilers for the end of the show.
This Friday will mark the true beginning of the end for The Vampire Diaries with only three more new episodes left to air. But while the end may be around the corner, little is known about how the finale will unfold.
There have, however, been two pretty significant reveals of what the finale holds. That is there will be a major death, and everyone is seemingly coming back. In addition to Nina Dobrev returning, Steven R. McQueen, David Anders, and Sara Canning are also set to return for the finale.
McQueen’s return seems pretty obvious. Jeremey is still alive and Elena’s brother. He returned to Mystic Falls at the end of season 6 to say goodbye to his sister, so it makes perfect sense he would return for the finale. It is the return of the other two actors that are head scratchers.
It is possible that the series finale could feature some sort of flashback that includes Aunt Jenna and Uncle John. But the end of The Vampire Diaries books provides a crazier option that looks entirely possible for the show to pull off.
During the final book released on 2014, Elena is coming to terms with losing the love of her life, Stefan Salvatore. Yes, Stelena fans, in the books they are end game, at least to the ghostwriter responsible for the final three books. Original author L.J. Smith wrote her own ending to the series where Delena is end game, but that is considered fan fiction and not canon. The saga and behind the scenes drama with The Vampire Diaries books is a whole separate complicated story.
Anyway, in the ending that is considered canon, Elena is given the chance to redo her life. It is determined that everything awful that has happened to her is a result of her relationship with the Salvatore brothers. So she gets a second chance to live her life as if Stefan and Damon had never been apart of it.
This could easily be a route that the show could head down as well. After the major death in the finale — most likely the now human Stefan who has already been on the brink of death twice in the two episodes — the now awake Elena could be given an opportunity at a clean, Salvatore free slate, thus explaining the surprising return of Aunt Jenna and Uncle John.
With Kai back, it seems likely that Elena will be able to wake up without Bonnie dying. And between her new powers and Cade’s, they could probably create a new reality where Elena could live her life as if she never met Stefan or Damon.
Except that this type of ending would be problematic. Chief among them the fact that if Stefan was never around, Elena should have died with her parents in the car accident. Also, would Caroline still be a vampire? What would happen to the twins she magically carried? Not to mention this not being a very satisfying ending to the series as it sort of erases everything that happened in the series.
Luckily, for now, this is only a theory. On March 10 at 8 p.m. ET, The Vampire Diaries series finale will confirm if it is true or not.