Vampire Diaries Postmortem: Did Elena Die? Plus: Nina Dobrev on that Delena Dance Scene

[Spoiler alert: The following reveals details from The Vampire Diaries Season 6 finale. Read at your own risk!]

If you told us just two months ago that The Vampire Diaries' Elena Gilbert would die this season we'd laugh at what had to be a ridiculous rumor. But, sadly, Elena is gone as a major chapter of the long-running CW series has come to an end.

Nina Dobrev reflects on her incredible Vampire Diaries journey one last time before saying goodbye

In an emotional hour that managed to give the character closure with some of the season's best scenes, Elena (Nina Dobrev) ultimately remained in a coma -- a sleep spell -- as part of a final sacrifice to save Bonnie (Kat Graham). As Elena lay in the hospital bed and eventually her coffin, one by one, each of her best friends, and, finally, Damon, said their goodbye. As executive producer Julie Plec had told us, a few of the finale's scenes featured call-backs to the show's early days including Damon and Elena's first real meeting, Bonnie's first magic trick and that fan-favorite Damon and Elena dance. We chatted with Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Candice Accola about these scenes and Elena's bittersweet farewell.

Damon and Elena's final dance.
Nina Dobrev:I used to dance a lot growing up, I was a gymnast, so I love, loved getting to do the choreography, and getting to dance on camera was really fun for me. I think it came out beautifully, and the fans will be really happy. I haven't seen the whole episode, but I did see that scene, and it's sad, it's not a happy scene by any means, but it's beautifully shot, and the dance turned out quite well.

Ian Somerhalder: After the last take of [it] our crew and the producers had this giant pie and they dumped it on Nina in her beautiful, hand-made gown. It was a very beautiful moment of this entire crew saying goodbye to this pillar, this young woman, who had been through a great deal in the last six years.

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Elena asks Bonnie to levitate feathers one last time.
Dobrev: It's funny because when I read that I remember thinking, "Oh God, no." Shooting that scene the first time around, years ago, was very complicated and difficult to do because of the effects and the feathers and it was messy. It was a nightmare to shoot! But this time around I was like, "Aww, I remember that day." Hindsight is 20/20, and at the time I was not happy and I look back and I think that was such a great day; it was so much fun!

Caroline and Bonnie say goodbye to Elena in her casket.
Candice Accola: What I've always loved about the series is that it has always supported these women. These three female characters haven't always liked each other, they don't always get along, but they challenge each other to rise to the occasion and be the best women they can be. [That scene] was definitely emotional and it was sentimental, but also six years is a long time. So it's very bittersweet you're excited for people you care about to move on to new endeavors and you're appreciative of the time you had together.

What did you think of the Vampire Diaries finale? Check back for our video with the cast!

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Somerhalder talks about the Season 6 finale: