When Nina Dobrev made an exit from The CW’s supernatural drama “The Vampire Diaries” after its sixth season last year, fans were devastated and were left wondering how would Mystic Falls and the Salvatore brothers be without Elena Gilbert.
However, the hardest part of the decision was left upon the shoulders of its showrunner Caroline Dries. Speaking to Collider, Dries admitted that it was difficult to set the tone for the seventh season of “The Vampire Diaries” as everything in the show had to adjust.
She admitted that although they were given a chance to start on a clean slate again, it was also hard to run the show without one of the essential, if not the most essential character in the story.
Rumors have been incessant that Dobrev will be returning to reprise her role and reunite with her onscreen partner Ian Somerhalder, who plays Damon Salvatore.
Australia Network News notes that “The Vampire Diaries” writers kept Dobrev’s character alive despite her exit to keep Elena’s memory a part of the show even though Nina is no longer there. They also did that so the doors would be open for Nina if ever she wishes to come back. to the show.
The executive producer spoke about the reports and clarified that Nina would not be returning anytime soon. However, she did leave open the possibility of the actress making a cameo in the series finale.
Dries said that if the network called and said that Season 7 would be the last season, then they will do everything they can to bring back Elena in the show. But as of the moment, they all see the show as spawning more seasons so there won’t be any Gilbert making a visit to Mystic Falls soon.
There have also been reports that Somerhalder will be exiting the show after the current season making way for Dobrev’s return. However, these rumors were brushed off by Dries.
It looks like Dries was accurate as the 12th episode of the seventh season showed Damon burning Elena’s body as he was getting out of control from experiencing the effects of being resurrected from the Pheonix Stone.
He later confessed to Paul Wesley’s Stefan Salvatore, who upon learning, thrashes his elder brother for putting an end to all hopes of ever seeing Elena alive again.
Adding to Stefan’s sorrows, Candice King’s Caroline’s magical unborn twins are sucking Caroline’s blood making her weak. In an upcoming episode, Valerie, played by Elizabeth Blackmore, and Stefan will use more magical spells to save Caroline’s life.
As for Damon, he hooked up with a beautiful woman who threw him the stake during his fight with Sam. This came after his near-death experience at the hands of Julian.
Fans were finally introduced to Rayna, the vampire huntress played by Leslie-Anne Huff. The episode revealed that a group of Shamans gave Rayna supernatural abilities in the hopes that she would be able to kill every vampire that crosses her path.
Zap2it speculates that perhaps the reason why the Shamans decided to give her special abilities is due to the fact that she is related to the Petrova doppelgangers.
The CW already revealed the synopsis for the upcoming episode and it will focus mainly on Rayna and her mission. As per the trailer, Damon is seen confronting the vampire huntress and told her that she looks exactly like Elena and her three other doppelgangers.
The 13th episode, entitled “This Woman’s Work” will premiere on February 19. It will see further complications in Caroline’s pregnancy. Michael Malarkey’s Enzo will use the dark secret he uncovered from Damon to track down Rayna.
Season 7 of “The Vampire Diaries” has been interesting for the supernatural drama because structurally, fans are treated to flash forwards every episode which teases fans what happens in the middle of the story.