The Vampire Diaries has been a story about redemption. It’s been about two brothers finding forgiveness and acceptance from each other.
There’s no denying that the love triangle with Elena took up a great deal of the narrative. But the true love story was always between Stefan and Damon.
On The Vampire Diaries Season 8 Episode 16, “I Was Feeling Epic,” Stefan makes the ultimate sacrifice by giving up his life to save everyone in Mystic Falls. His final act is in perfect alignment with the fact that this was always his story to tell.
All the way back on Season 1 Episode 1, Stefan’s voiceover declared that this was his story. From the time we first met them, Stefan and Damon’s relationship has grown from adversarial to unflinchingly loyal.
When it comes down to the bitter end, neither brother wants the other one to sacrifice themselves. Their bond brings tears to my eyes, and I don’t want either of them to die.
Ultimately, Stefan takes matters into his own hands by giving Damon the cure and forcing him out of the way of the hellfire before it consumes both him and Katherine.
In his final act of heroism, Stefan atones for forcing Damon into becoming a vampire and for the countless lives they have destroyed along the way. Stefan has always searched for a way to find redemption. This is it.
So how did we get to this tragic yet heroic ending for Stefan? After meeting with both Elena and Enzo in the space between life and death, Bonnie returns to land of the living.
Meanwhile, Damon and Stefan return head back to the mansion to find Elena up and walking. Well… not so much.
Damon figures out very quickly that it is Katherine just playing more games. She explains that she orchestrated everything involving the Sirens and Cade. Apparently she had Cade wrapped around her finger since she first entered Hell.
I don’t really buy this vague explanation, but whatever. I didn’t expect a drawn out answer as to why Katherine is the final big bad.
In addition to burning Mystic Falls to the ground, she also expects one of the Salvatore brothers to stay behind to find wherever she has hidden Elena’s body. Stefan eventually finds her in Mystic Falls High School, but due to a spell, he can’t bring her body with him.
So who is the only one who can stop hellfire from devouring Mystic Falls? The one and only Bonnie Bennett, of course.
The plan is she will redirect the fire through the tunnels to the Armory where she will then use her magic to push the fire back to hell. However, the only way to defeat Katherine for good is for her to be in hell when that happens.
With the clock ticking, Stefan knows Damon will never leave Elena behind. In what is the first in a long line of emotional moments, Stefan and Caroline have a tear-inducing scene in the hallway.
I think Stefan knows he is saying goodbye to Caroline when they share their last kiss. It’s heartbreaking that this couple, who JUST GOT MARRIED THAT NIGHT, would have to end so tragically.
Caroline would probably stay with Stefan if she didn’t have her daughters to think about. But Alaric is right, she has to be there for the twins. She can’t leave them without their mother.
As if their hallway scene wasn’t enough, we then have to listen to Caroline frantically call Stefan once Alaric tells her of Stefan’s plan to sacrifice himself. That voicemail she leaves him is gut-wrenching. Definitely cry moment #1.
Down in the tunnels, Damon and Stefan each try to talk the other out of sacrificing themselves. These brothers care too much to allow the other to die. Damon thinks he gets the upper hand by compelling Stefan to leave.
Back at the Armory, Bonnie is in for the fight of her life as she begins the spell. She literally comes face to face with the hellfire.
With some encouragement from Enzo, and the powers of the fallen Bennett witches, Bonnie is able to push the hellfire back through the tunnels and back into the Maxwell bell. It’s a powerful moment that solidifies Bonnie’s status as the ultimate badass.
But what was happening in the tunnels? That we get to when Elena is seen walking the halls of Mystic Falls High School. And just like the first time they met, Elena bumps into Stefan.
Stefan explains that Damon was willing to give up his life, but Stefan couldn’t allow that. Damon thought he compelled Stefan to leave, but Stefan smartly had been taking vervain everyday since becoming a human again.
With Damon holding onto Katherine waiting for the line of fire, Stefan sneaks up behind Damon and injects him with his blood containing the cure, turning him into a human. He pushes Damon out of the way before grabbing Katherine, stabbing her, and letting the flames consume them both.
Stefan and Elena embrace as they know they won’t see each other again. Stefan also whispers something into Elena’s ear before they depart.
After saying goodbye to Elena, Stefan walks out the doors of the high school and is greeted by LEXI!!!!! I am so overjoyed to see Stefan reunite with his best friend in the afterlife. Cry moment #2.
Everything that happens next is all at once confusing and emotional. Bonnie awakens Elena. If there’s one thing about this finale that irritates me, it’s Bonnie using magic to bring back Elena.
Didn’t Kai say there would be no loopholes. No magic could destroy his curse. If they tried, then a lot of people would die. I didn’t imagine that, right?
So how is Bonnie able to bring her back all of a sudden? None of this makes sense to me.
Anyway, at the Salvatore crypt, Damon and Caroline are saying their farewells to Stefan. It’s a lovely moment shared between the two of them.
Next comes the moment Delena shippers have been dreaming about since the end of Season 6. Damon and Elena are finally reunited, but if I’m being honest… the whole reunion feels really rushed. I was hoping for something a bit more substantial.
Immediately afterward, Elena tells Caroline what Stefan whispered to her. Stefan wanted Caroline to know he heard her message and that he’ll love her forever too. Cry moment #3.
After everyone pays their final respects to Stefan, we get a glimpse of how their lives play out. The gang also has some special people watching out for them.
Matt, who managed to stay human this entire time, is still the Sheriff of Mystic Falls, but is maybe considering a run for mayor. He also has Vicki and Tyler watching out for him from the great beyond.
Bonnie decides to travel the world and enjoy her life, all the while having Enzo watch out for her. This ending isn’t how I wanted their love story to play out, but I hope they are eventually reunited in the afterlife.
Alaric opens up the school at the Salvatore mansion, with Jo watching over him and the girls. Caroline (and Jeremy!) is also there helping him run it. Her mom, Elizabeth, is watching over her. Cry moment #4.
We also see that they get a very generous donation courtesy of Klaus. I’m not going to lie. This letter from Klaus makes me groan. It feels like total fan service that I think is beneath the writers.
It’s not that I’m not open to a Klaroline reunion one day, but give us a moment to breathe. Stefan literally just died!
That leaves Damon and Elena. She goes to medical school and they live their lives as humans in Mystic Falls.
This is where the ending is left open for some interpretation. After Elena’s voiceover explains that she and Damon lived out their lives together, we see Elena reunite with Jenna, John, and her parents.
We then see Damon reunite with Stefan at the Salvatore mansion. They embrace before the show comes to an end.
If we are to assume this is a version of Heaven, does that mean Elena and Damon would be separated in the afterlife? Or is the afterlife all connected and they can meet up with each other later? I think it’s up to us to decide.
But I will say, there is no more fitting of an ending than to see the Salvatore hugging each other. Both having found the peace they were always searching for.
Stray Observations
I love the callback to the pilot with the “Hello, brother.” I also love the callback to the crow. You guys, I completely forgot about the crow!
Stefan using Lexi’s line “I was feeling epic” makes me smile.
When you think about it, Katherine spending all her time and energy on hurting the Salvatore brothers is stupid. Girl should’ve gotten a new hobby!
Damon leaving his daylight ring on Stefan’s grave got me all choked up.
It’s nice to catch a brief glimpse of Jeremy, but I’m curious how het got roped into working at Alaric’s school.
It’s so interesting to see Caroline be the one remaining vampire of the group. She’s the only character that actually became a better person after turning into a vampire.
So this was a lot to unpack. If you’re still with me, I wanted to leave some final thoughts with you:
When The Vampire Diaries first premiered, I thought the show was going to be the TV equivalent of Twilight. Thankfully, I was wrong. From the very first episode, I was hooked. The Salvatore brothers, Elena, and the residents of Mystic Falls captured my heart.
It’s been a long eight years filled with many twists, heartbreaks, deaths, and loves. The show hasn’t always been perfect. There were plenty of missteps and far too many convenient loopholes along the way, so I was nervous coming into the final season.
My worries were met with a cohesive, emotional, satisfying ending fitting for the fans. As I mentioned before, this season really put the idea of redemption into focus, and it served the narrative to perfection.
I am going to miss this complicated group of characters. This was a show about supernatural creatures like vampires, witches, and werewolves. But above all else, this was a story about family.
What did you think of the final episode of The Vampire Diaries? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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