I’ve had mixed feelings about The Vampire Diaries since its first episode in 2009. I tried watching it when it first premiered, but it was way too depressing to watch, as the first 10 minutes explain that the main character, Elena’s, parents died in a car accident off a bridge over the summer. I gave up at that point, not ready to deal with the grief that would happen the rest of the season. 

Thankfully, I tried again during that winter break when the episodes were replayed, and have been a devoted watcher ever since. I have had issues over the years though, as many have heard me mention at times on Geek Watch One.

For those who have never seen or heard of The Vampire Diaries, it is about two brothers, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) Salvatore, who became vampires during the Civil War. A first we don’t learn about specific periods in their lives, but they have both had difficult times over the centuries, each being evil at some point or two. At the beginning of the series, we are introduced to Stefan, now a mopey high schooler, who runs into Elena at school and they begin to mingle. Damon has also returned to Mystic Falls, possibly the culprit of recent murders that involve vampires. However, he has found his way onto the secret city council that handles vampires in the town, thanks to being a part of the founding families (nonetheless the ORIGINAL founding family).

As the series progresses, we learn that the brothers were turned by the same woman, a doppelganger of Elena, named Katherine Pierce, and that Elena is part of a long line of magical doppelgangers. If you’re wondering if there is a battle over Elena’s love between the brothers, I’m sorry, there is. It’s worth it when that finally ends less than halfway through the series though. Speaking of magic, not only is Elena’s best friend, Bonnie, part of a long line of witches, but her father, uncle, and brother are all, at one point, vampire hunters.

Around season 7, after Nina Dobrev, who played the show’s main character (of whose diaries the pilot half-referenced) left the show, story lines began to get fuzzy and I wondered how it was possible to keep the show going. Things got even weirder when, despite all vampire logic already presented on the show, Caroline (Candice King) became pregnant with another witch’s child, all as an excuse to keep her in the show during the actress’s own pregnancy. I felt the same for The Originals, the spinoff featuring the original vampires who were introduced in season 2, fighting supernatural battles in New Orleans. The show did not feel the same and at times made me wish the characters would simply return to Mystic Falls and end the spinoff completely.

Yet when the final episode of The Vampire Diaries aired two weeks ago, I felt like a part of me was gone. I’ve felt this way off and on over the last couple seasons when certain characters left, especially during the month-long farewell to Sherriff Forbes and her battle with cancer. After 8 seasons, the story of the Salvatores officially ended, already having lasted longer than the book series the show was based on. After two seasons with Elena in a magical coma, Nina Dobrev returned following Caroline and Stefan’s wedding as not only Elena, but as Katherine; the strange relationship between Bonnie and the spirit of Enzo was finally concluded; and there was still whiney Alaric, but the finale wasn’t going to help that any. All in all, I remembered why I loved this show so much. Leaving behind the weird vampire witch cults and Gemini twins, it was a basic good vs evil show with supernatural elements. And now it’s over, with the only hope that perhaps, despite the epilogue which takes a bit too much from Lost (though provides a possible spoiler for iZombie this season), some of these characters will cross over into the new season of The Originals, which began last week.

Speaking of The Originals, no renewal has been announced as of writing this post. While only two episodes have aired for season 4, I imagine that if this were to be the final season for this series as well, the announcement would have been made prior to the end of filming. With the CW, often if it lives and breathes (or is dead and breathing), it gets renewed, so there will most likely be another year of the Michaelsons. The new season begins five years later, fitting in time with where The Vampire Diaries was after last season’s time jump (which The Originals did not do, making certain characters available to cross paths at that time). With baby Hope now about 5 or 6 years old, and five years of stories to take the Arrow approach with, the storylines on this series will hopefully allow for more seasons to come, bringing back the original Vampire Diaries feel. If not, I will be happy to see the characters go this summer.