The Vampire Diaries: 9 Things We Want in the Series Finale

It's finally here. After eight seasons and 171 episodes, The Vampire Diaries says goodbye this Friday.

The CW drama's final episode comes after a particularly strong season, which means our expectations are higher than ever for the one-hour finale. Titled "I Was Feeling Epic," a nod to one of Lexi's lines from Season 1, the finale aims to be just that: epic.

Here are the nine things we think would make The Vampire Diaries series finale truly epic.

1. A Delena happy ending: Stefan (Paul Wesley) got his happy ending with Caroline (Candice King), but frankly, we won't be satisfied unless both Salvatore brothers get to enjoy their lives with the women they love! And now that Elena (Nina Dobrev) is waking up from her magical slumber, all signs point to Delena riding off into the sunset together. And after years struggling with whether or not he deserved Elena, we feel that - after everything he's been through this season, in particular - Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is finally ready to be the man Elena needs him to be. Now we just have to hope that they can figure out a way for Damon to take the Cure without having to kill his little bro.

2. Lots of great Katherine scenes: As excited as we are for Elena to return, we are as excited, if not more, to see Katherine Pierce back in action. Katherine was always one of TVD's best antagonists, and we can't imagine a better villain for the Mystic Falls Gang to face in the drama's final hour. With only 44-minutes to wrap everything up, we know time is tight, but we seriously hope to see Dobrev pulling a lot of double duty in the finale.

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3. Bonnie and Enzo reunited: Bonnie (Kat Graham) is a survivor, but she's also a martyr. Bonnie has put her own life on the line so many times for her friends, we can't imagine she wouldn't do the same for all of Mystic Falls now that it's being threatened by literal hellfire. That's why we just can't silence that little voice in our head saying Bonnie will be the one to die in the finale. However, death might not be the end for BonBon. When Enzo (Michael Malarkey) died, she created a world where his soul now resides. If Bonnie does die, it's entirely possible that she'll wind up in the same world, thus reuniting her with her true love for all eternity. It may not be the lives either of them hoped for together, but if it means Bonnie and Enzo get to be together, we'll take it.

4. A happy Alaric: Alaric (Matt Davis) honestly might be cursed. Nearly woman he's had even a fleeting interest in has wound up dead besides Caroline, who married one of his only friends. And although we don't think someone needs love to be happy, Ric has seemed like a shadow of his former self recently. We know he loves his friends and his daughters, but he doesn't seem fulfilled. Let's change that! Whether Alaric's happiness comes in the form of finding love or opening up his school for magical kids, we don't really care. As long as Ric is happy, we'll be happy.

5. A nostalgic Caroline, Bonnie and Elena scene: Not every friendship could survive what these girls have been through, but rather than crumble under the pressure (and murder. Lots and lots of murder), Caroline, Bonnie and Elena's relationship grew stronger. So although we expect the finale will focus a lot on fighting Katherine and wrapping up the romances, we'd love to see a scene with just the three of them getting to just enjoy each other's company for old time's sake.

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6. Lots of familiar faces: We already know a handful of the actors who will return for the finale, including Michael Trevino as Tyler, who was murdered by Damon earlier this season; Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy, who went off to secretly become a vampire hunter; and even allegedly David Anders as John Gilbert, who sacrificed himself to save Elena in Season 2. But why stop there? Give us more Jenna (Sara Canning) or another chance to see Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre)! The more the merrier, people!

7. Bonnie forgiving Stefan: There is no denying that what Stefan did was terrible. In fact, it would be unforgiveable under normal circumstances. But this isn't normal circumstances. And before we say goodbye to these characters, we need to know that they're all in a good place, both with themselves and each other. That's why -- as hard as it might be -- we really hope Bonnie listens to Enzo and forgives Stefan for killing him.

8. An emphasis on the Salvatore bromance: While romance is an incredibly important part of The Vampire Diaries, the central relationship in the series has always been the brothers. Stefan and Damon's dual struggles to find redemption and forgiveness have broken our hearts and made us swoon countless times over the years. And now that the love triangle is put to rest and they're both poised to potentially get their romantic happy endings, we'd love to get to spend a little more time with a baggage-free Stefan and Damon as they take an opportunity to celebrate everything they have survived and accomplished over their decades together.

9. Klaus: We know the timelines don't really add up (The Vampire Diaries did a three-year time jump whereas The Originals is doing a five-year time jump, during which time Klaus [Joseph Morgan] has been held prisoner). That being said, a girl can dream right? Especially if those dreams involve our favorite Original returning to Mystic Falls and having one last scene with his former love Caroline Forbes. And hey, Klaroline fans: Just because Caroline married Stefan in a beautiful June wedding last week doesn't mean there isn't any hope for Klaus and Care to make it work. Maybe after Stefan lives out his mortal days with Caroline by his side, Klaus and Caroline will finally give their relationship a real go (after an appropriate amount of time has passed, naturally). Klaus did always say he would be her last...

The Vampire Diaries series finale airs Friday at 9/8c after a one-hour retrospective on the CW.

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS, one of the CW's parent companies.)

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