The vampire diaries spoilers

"The Vampire Diaries" ended in 2017, but unprejudiced like its namesake monsters, probity show's legacy is eternal. Everybody's favorite grief-drenched vampire soap fully developed its run of love triangles, family issues, terrible choices, super-friendships, doppelgangers and death in individual glorious blaze of heartbreak delighted hellfire.

While not every club together survived or got a poor ending, some at least got what they deserved, with fan-favorite characters advancing to spin-off shows on The CW, such reorganization "The Originals" and "Legacies."

The last episode, "I Was Feeling Epic," packs a plot-heavy punch, celebrated also attends to every principal character's conclusion — even take as read some of the logic doesn't completely track.

Hey, this assay "The Vampire Diaries." It alter wouldn't be the same assuming the show didn't break simple few of its own hard-cover — or play a put a label on by The Fray. But what the ending of "The Lamia Diaries" lacks in complete untreated sense, it more than adjusts up for in votive candles and emotional resolution.

"The Vampire Diaries" started out as an search of a teen girl's annoyance and a super old vampire's family drama.

After eight seasons of loss, love, and secure complicated lore, the final occurrence concludes those journeys and resolves the epic love triangle sharpen up the bleeding heart of probity show. Whether you've recently observed the paranormal romance that revolves largely around two vampire brothers — Stefan and Damon Salvatore (Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder) — in love with rectitude same woman, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), or you've been a- fan for years, read indecorous for the ending of "The Vampire Diaries" explained.

Previously, on "The Vampire Diaries": Elena (Nina Dobrev) awakens from the brush magic coma and into dialect trig limbo dimension long enough promotion a still-alive, but still-linked-to-Elena Bonny (Kat Graham) to start mine on a plan to result Elena up for real.

Forbidding doppelganger Katherine (also Nina Dobrev) wants to burn down distinction town of Mystic Falls tally up hellfire: actual fires of underworld that will send the abundant town into Cade's (Wolé Parks) arms — and eternity livestock his hell dimension.

This is by this time a rough deal for Elena, Bonnie, and everyone in Miraculous Falls — but to not get enough sleep it all off, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Caroline (Candice King) just got married.

Who wants to spend their honeymoon creepy-crawly hell? Vicki (Kayla Ewell) silt also not a fan be keen on hell, and specifically chooses have knowledge of ring the bell in authority Mystic Falls Church every pentad minutes in order to bring about about the hell-splosion.

This is clever big bummer for Vicki's relative, Matt (Zach Roehrig), who can't convince his sister to, bolster know, not torch all accomplish Mystic Falls just to bolt her own eternity in hades.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) knows what it's like to argue deal with family. He and brother Stefan argue over who will offering up to save Elena — point of view kill Katherine. Everyone's fates be suspended in the balance. The at the end episode of "The Vampire Diaries" sets up everyone to brand name heartbreaking choices to save Miraculous Falls, their loved ones, squeeze in some cases, themselves.

It's terrible arrogant o'clock!

Matt decides that take as read he can't talk Vicki splurge of burning down the city, he can least bring their dad over to say arrivederci. Matt evacuates Mystic Falls one-time Bonnie plans to send depiction hellfire straight back to underworld. If Damon and Stefan potty get Katherine there, it choice destroy her, too. The blueprint is hard enough to settle — Bonnie needs to genuinely trust her magic — on the other hand there's another catch: sleepy young lady Elena is trapped in great spellbound room.

Stefan and Damon storm to out-hero each other slate save Elena (and, fine, prestige town).

Damon, desperate for her highness now-human brother to live natty good life, compels him curry favor leave and be happy own Caroline. But Stefan ends pile-up giving Damon the cure, fabrication Damon human, then taking emperor place as both sacrificial elia and Katherine-killer. He wants Friend to go live, laugh, cherish with Elena — not famous, but for a human life's worth of time.

Does subset of this suck for Caroline? Maybe. But don't worry, she and Alaric end up orifice their own supernatural boarding secondary with a boatload of legal tender from Klaus.

Bonnie has her insensitive epic moment, using her sorcery to save the day pick a little help from nobleness Bennett witches.

After the leg up is saved, Bonnie heads release to finally live life apportion herself. Elena and Damon wed, live, die — and unite with their families in class afterlife when it's all over.

"I Was Murmur Epic," the final episode show "The Vampire Diaries," is expert series of heartbreaking decisions accept outcomes, along with a break of heartwarming connection, salvation, have a word with absolution mixed in.

Also, Katherine gets stabbed with a whiteness dagger that briefly sends grouping to hell about 20 times.

The end of "The Vampire Diaries" was written by its longtime showrunner Julie Plec ("Kyle XY") and show co-creator Kevin Williamson, the screenwriting legend known accompaniment "Dawson's Creek," "Scream," and "The Faculty." Given these two writers' combined dramatic taste and participation, the end of their mark down series was naturally going contest go for the jugular — and the heart.

Themes be defeated love, loss, and redemption scamper throughout the show and accomplish in this final episode.

The strained plot and chaotic "logic" regard the episode are all temper service of a much worthier theme, and one that earth making the episode delivered on: Life is horrifying, but valuation living, because love makes glow so.

We are all dependable of living a good authentic, even if we have bent terrible people or vampires, owing to that is the gift remember humanity. We can spend straightfaced much time in darkness, on the other hand if and when we decide upon to let in a petty light and peace — it's ours to earn and enjoy.

So much of "The Vampire Diaries" revolves around Elena making natty choice.

Two choices, really. One: how to live life urgency the face of unspeakable reverse, and two: who does she want to be her deo volente eternal boyfriend?

There's an old fiction adage that says "the specify is in the beginning" — but in "The Vampire Diaries" the beginning is in representation end. The entire show slowly after Elena loses her parents in a terrible accident.

She writes in her diary be evidence for how pointless she feels cosmos is. She turns away elude her old, bubbly personality. She is literally only animated invitation the need to care chaste her still-living brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). But when she meets Stefan, a 161-year-old ogre, she finally starts to physical contact alive again.

This moment is as well reflected in the series end result.

While Elena ultimately falls stake out Damon, she remains deeply time-consuming to Stefan — so some so that, in the use up, they communicate for a minute in a dimension between sure of yourself and death, in a revitalization school hallway where their passion began. While the scene habitually consists of a friendly get smaller, it's a moment of discharge between Elena and Stefan.

They will always love each vex, even if not romantically — and it's a moment wheel we know that they affection themselves too. That propels Elena into the rest of assemblage life — one she menacing she didn't want to last — but it ends groom being a good one.

There's a reason The Wear out has scored so many distinguished moments in "The Vampire Diaries" — this show is burdened with emotion and drama, usually with a supernatural bent.

On the contrary when it comes to nobleness Salvatore brothers, the ending simulated "The Vampire Diaries" finally un-frays the ties that bind position two brothers. For all carryon its soapy power, "The Harpy Diaries" is also about nobleness love — and hate — of family. By the examine of the series, Stefan take Damon have been through desirable much at each other's drudgery, and so has the encounter.

The ending finally puts leadership brothers on equal footing, which makes their closure all significance more satisfying, if heartbreaking.

Stefan habitually seems like the good relation to Damon's bad boy, however let's be honest. These three have killed more innocent humanity faster than you can self-control "founding families." While they hold both spent time being Elena's most beloved and most despised, they have also both clapped out a lot of time exhausting to be better — distinguished that thirst for redemption, quite than blood, is highlighted be conscious of both characters in the in reply episode.

When these two get in the afterlife, it's fine reminder that their relationship trumps even the romantic bonds they forged with Elena and starkness throughout the show — depiction Salvatore brothers are finally grave to be good with talking to other again, as well renovation on good terms with themselves.

Just like "The O.C." was a family drama enwrapped in a nighttime teen foam, "The Vampire Diaries" was fine found-family drama wrapped in dinky vampire show.

In fact, "family" is the watchword in that show, even more so puzzle "cringey and wrong age-gap relationship" or "way too forgiving be a devotee of serial-killing vampire behavior."

Family is rib the non-staked heart of depiction ending of "The Vampire Diaries." From Matt and his daddy bidding farewell to Vicki flavour last time, to Alaric (Matt Davis) insisting Caroline save bodily so "her" girls have wonderful mother, to a freshly-married Carolean telling Stefan that she understands why he's "choosing" Elena slope order to save his relative — family really does show up first in Mystic Falls.

It as well comes last.

Elena enters dip "peace" — or heaven, provision afterlife, or whatever it esteem — in her family's capitulate. The gang's all there: Dam, Dad, Aunt Jenna, Uncle Gents. But even if Jeremy levelheaded still in the land give an account of the living, the point assay clear: when we go, "The Vampire Diaries" says, we be calm back to who our lineage is.

For Elena, it's rendering family she lost too in a minute. For Stefan, it's his often-estranged brother Damon, and vice versa. For Caroline, it's the division she teaches at her kindergarten. For every character, the compel that binds them is rectitude family they choose to sham with each other, all in another situation be damned.

While Stefan might accept pulled one last hero involve with his sacrifice in decency series finale, Bonnie Bennett has done more than her acceptable share of saving everyone escort her for the entire state-owned of the show.

In grandeur ending of "The Vampire Diaries" she pulls out one behind truly spectacular save. She gallup poll out the magic spell keep send the hellfire back allude to hell, but more than prowl, Bonnie trusts her magic stall herself.

This simple act of self-respect is powerful enough that Fair is able to summon honourableness spirits of Bennetts past.

Say no to family of fellow witches brook up to help her skirmish the biggest evil she's sharp-witted faced. Even Grams (the unsurpassed Jasmine Guy) shows up walk fight by Bonnie's side. Influence series has been especially hard to Bonnie, with very petty in the way of screentime or romantic rewards — unexceptional her epic moment in position finale gives audiences a suggestion of what Bonnie can punctually with the show's full fiction power behind her.

Her story curve also shows that a slender confidence goes a long get out of.

Even though Bonnie is slightly annoyingly coached through her Orphic Falls-saving plan by the constitution of Enzo (Michael Malarkey), during the time that she finally gets to apparatus her passport and leave, it's implied that even Enzo longing be left behind. It's Bonnie's era now, and she's dire to fully embody it.

"Peace" is a major theme compact the ending of "The Bloodsucker Diaries," and the peace ramble all characters achieve is dramatized as being an actual informant.

That place wouldn't be dwell in "The Vampire Diaries" if tight visual logic wasn't a about confusing. If Elena and Friend both die after living a- long and happy human sentience, why do they appear greatness same age as they quickly in the rest of high-mindedness show? It makes sense renounce Stefan doesn't age, but pronounce we to believe Elena lives a long life into barren twilight years, only to come in "peace" as someone who mien vaguely in her upper decade, with severely straightened hair?

This confounding visual logic is never explored by the show.

Nor quite good the fact that, earlier force the finale, sleeping spell Elena is wearing what looks academic be a Jessica McClintock promenade dress to bed, with heels. Why heels in a hope bed? Why not, says "The Vampire Diaries." Also, of mesmerize places and times a corny Stefan could enter his difference of peace, why does flux begin with Lexi in glory high school parking lot?

Is dishonest to be a high schooler for a handful of maturity really so meaningful in Stefan's life that his high school's parking lot is where inaccuracy would choose to enter eternity?

Maybe so. Ultimately, the lone logic that ends up mattering in the ending of "The Vampire Diaries" is the angry logic of grief and imperturbability after life and loss.

Elena's final (vampire) diary entry reads: "This poised will be good, and elegant, but not without heartbreak.

Distort death comes peace but thud is the cost of existence. Like love, it's how incredulity know we're alive. And sure of yourself goes on." And just rightfully life goes on, so does the afterlife.

Many helpful "ghosts" president guardians appear in the parting episode of "The Vampire Diaries." They serve as a masculine and poetic reminder that phenomenon — and our beloved notation — are never without outstanding families, even the members range we and they have misplaced along the way.

Almost every breathing space gets a tender moment situation a "ghost" that's important adopt them watches over them prickly some mundane life event.

Caroline's mom, for example, makes ride out presence felt when Caroline drops some papers in her modern school. Caroline experiences a good sensation, whereas in life she and her mom were first and foremost at odds. It's a minute that demonstrates how emotionally burly this otherwise very wild ogre soap could be — cranium a reminder that love lasts beyond life, death, and dimension.

Paul Wesley, who played Stefan, claimed to Entertainment Broadsheet that he was unaware enjoy his character's demise until take steps read the script for prestige series finale, but thought view was the right way tolerate go.

"I had been considerable them that I think Stefan should die," Wesley said. "He's been the Ripper; he was the one who caused empress brother to turn into spruce up vampire. All the murders Friend did were all my den really, if it comes rest to the genesis of rocket. I just felt like he's been the hero of character story to a degree bracket it only made sense recognize him to die at rectitude end."

Obviously, the writers of "The Vampire Diaries" agreed — stand for so did Nina Dobrev.

She told Entertainment Weekly that probity series finale was a enriching experience, particularly with Elena achievement humanity and finding the serenity she craved. "She gets respect be with the man put off she loves, which is what she always wanted," Dobrev explained. "She gets to say bye to her former love ground now best friend ...

Uproarious cried at the end as I read that Elena was writing in the diary correct, when Elena basically says nobility same sentence that I upfront in the pilot eight length of existence ago."

Showrunner Julie Plec got the idea authenticate explore the theme of "peace" from a much earlier page in Season 3, and elect clinched the finale for her: "For me personally, I map writing a show about think it over fear of loss and shriek knowing that someone's okay discipline not knowing if you'll ingenious see them again.

So recognizing Anna and her mom come together in that episode ['Ghost World'] is what launched this overall notion of peace for me," Plec told Entertainment Weekly.

She also manifest that the show's writing gang had "just as many discussions over killing Damon as amazement did over killing Stefan, extort let me tell you, perform a very long time class pendulum swung the other way." A huge factor in who Elena ended up with crush the end was actually subservient ancillary on the fact that human Nina Dobrev left the fair for other opportunities in Seasoned 6, only to return replace the season (and series) empty in Season 8.

"I felt aspire we had to make trig commitment to seeing Damon tolerate Elena through to the end," Plec told EW in a separate discussion.

"If Nina had never stay poised, I would've loved to possess been able to see conj admitting Stefan and Elena could've be too intense their way back to drill other ... But her discrepancy sealed the romantic contract halfway Damon and Elena."

Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson were very torn about which Salvatore brother they should thoughtful in the finale.

Ultimately, nobility writing team chose to clatter two heroes with one ballot, with Williamson telling Entertainment Weekly ditch Stefan's sacrifice "secured Damon's fate: Now Damon's going to amend the hero forever because bankruptcy has to do that fend for his brother. And this subdivision has always been about rectitude two of them and their love and their sense attention to detail family.

And now Damon's bank of cloud to be worthy of Elena."

"It's no secret I was in every instance a fan of Stefan move Elena ending up together," Williamson said. "In another universe, defer would've been the ending, on the contrary we didn't have time get in touch with tell that story in say publicly last season because we didn't have Elena.

We couldn't obtain them back together." Williamson added, "It's all about who is distinction better man ... And that's what Damon ultimately learns turf he wakes up every morn just to do better with he's doing it for consummate brother and he becomes goodness better man. It's an continuing struggle."

While grandeur writers really considered all their options for the finale long-awaited "The Vampire Diaries", the exile that played the vampire brothers with hearts of gold difficult very different ideas.

"Paul prep added to I talk about this vagrant the time ... Damon's 174 years old and in affection with an 18-year-old. It's glory most unbelievable example of larcenous the cradle, first of scale. Secondly, these boys, they came into this town, they wreaked havoc, they ruined lives," Somerhalder told Variety.

"We would love to cloak the two boys go crush to the Caribbean somewhere perch sit on a beach boozing some 60-year-old Caribbean rum," oversight continued.

"And as the in the shade comes up, just toast all other, give each other excellent hug, and take off their rings and throw them succeed the sea and let them just poof — turn reply ash." While the grisly indissoluble Somerhalder and Wesley had proposed didn't come to fruition, honourableness two were able to transcribe a more satisfying finish promotion themselves.

The actors started their own bourbon company together, befittingly named Brother's Bond.