Reunions! Death! Team Bonnie and Damon! What to Expect from the Vampire Diaries Season Finale

Stefan isn't really staying dead on The Vampire Diaries, right? That's the big question heading into Thursday's Season 5 finale.

As the Other Side crumbles and The Travellers' plan to rid Mystic Falls of all spirit magic is in full effect, it's a race against time to figure out how to solve those very big problems. With Stefan (Paul Wesley) having his heart ripped out in the final moments of last week's episode, now more than ever do Elena (Nina Dobrev), Damon (Ian Somerhalder), Bonnie (Kat Graham), Caroline (Candice Accola) & Co. need to pull together to bring Stefan back — and also save themselves from impending doom.  

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Who won't make it out of Season 5 alive? Will Caroline address her feelings for Stefan? Which familiar faces can we expect to pop up? We've gathered our best intel from executive producer Caroline Dries, with some help from the Salvatore brothers, to share what to expect from the Season 5 finale.

Team Bonnie and Damon
It's about time, right? Unfortunately, things are majorly tense between them. However, the finale is such an ordeal that the duo will experience a myriad of emotions. When we pressed Somerhalder about said scenes, he could hardly contain his excitement. "We had some scenes in Season 2 where Damon and Bonnie had a f---ing awesome connection and the studio and the network and producers were like, 'No more, no. This is about Damon, Elena and Stefan and that's why you never see Bonnie and Damon," he tells us. "So I am excited as hell that I get to do stuff with Kat in [finale]."

A distraught Elena
Nina Dobrev will prove that this MVP award was no joke. While the episode's event will lead Elena to spring into action, other developments will also cause a big emotional breakdown. (Seriously, have your tissues nearby.) But don't worry, she'll definitely have a certain someone to comfort her.

Stefan and Caroline's feelings are (finally) addressed 
Their chemistry might be crystal clear to fans, but not so much to everyone in Mystic Falls. Well, that's about to change when someone finally addresses the elephant in the room. But if Stefan survives, is there actually a future for these two? And are Stefan and Caroline truly over their first loves? Dries tells us, "[Stefan and Elena's] relationship has evolved so much and they share such mutual respect for each other that we wanted them to have a meaningful friendship moving forward... but in terms of romance, at the moment at least we said he's moved on." As for Caroline, Dries adds, "I don't think she's going to rekindle things with Tyler, but we don't want to rush her into anything either. We want every step of her love story — with whomever it's with — to feel meaningful and organic."
Exclusive Vampire Diaries Finale First Look: Damon Threatens Bonnie

Reunions galore
We've already seen some familiar faces this season, but even more fan favorites will return in this episode. As to who, you'll get a distinct sense of one of them within the first few minutes. Not only will this person's arrival make a character really happy, but viewers as well.

A very different feel for Season 6
Yes, lots of shows "reset" themselves, but trust us, next year will really feel different. Wesley previously told us, "[The finale] definitely establishes new parameters in the environment we'll be shooting in Season 6 ... They reset things in a way and the writers have the ability to now change the circumstances and locations of where the show takes place." Asked if that means establishing another world, Dries reveals, "It won't explore where Vicki disappeared to [in Episode 18], but we will be seeing a lot of newness in Season 6. The finale will have major effects on our characters and they all will have their own way of dealing and moving on. We think of it as the college metaphor. You leave for college and then when you come home to visit, everything feels a little different and eventually you realize you don't really live there anymore."

What do you think will happen on the Vampire Diaries season finale? Share your thoughts below! Plus: Get more scoop on why you should tune-in on Watch This Tonight:

The Vampire Diaries airs on Thursday at 8/7c on The CW.

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