I Was Feeling Epic

I Was Feeling Epic is the sixteenth and final episode of the eighth season of The Vampire Diaries and the one hundred and seventy-first episode of the series overall. It is also the series finale.
A one-hour retrospective aired before the finale.
==Summary==
OLD FRIENDS – With the fate of Mystic Falls at stake, Stefan and Damon must fight their greatest enemy for one last battle.https://www.spoilertv.com/2017/02/the-vampire-diaries-episode-816-i-was.html
==Plot==
Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Forbes are trying to resuscitate Bonnie Bennett after she collapsed due to her sudden resurgence of magic. While they panic, Bonnie's spirit ascends to an astral plane of limbo in the woods. There she sees Elena Gilbert sleeping on a white bed and as she approaches, she wakes up and the two happily reconcile with a hug, Bonnie happy as she thought they would never see each other again. Elena realizes that Bonnie is still young and her joy turns to lament as it dawns that Bonnie has died young and has not yet lived the long happy life she planned on living. Bonnie insists it's okay and she's ready to die and can be with Enzo now, but Enzo appears behind Bonnie and tells her he is not and it is not her time and pulls her back to the land of the living where Bonnie wakes up before Stefan and Caroline, happy she is alive and reveals she saw Elena.
Elsewhere, Vicki Donovan rings the Maxwell Bell once before Damon Salvatore attacks and throws her out of the window, much to Matt Donovan's dismay. Vicki returns to life almost instantaneously and attempts to ring the bell again only for Damon to snap her neck to test a theory. Vicki returns again and Damon realizes she cannot be killed and tells Matt to convince her to let go of her mission and leaves. Vicki tells Matt she cannot do the emotional reunion thing and that Katherine Pierce promised her that she will be free of hell forever if she rings the bell once every five minutes and Mystic Falls has burned and that she will not stop as she cannot go back to hell as it is unbearable torture. She rings the bell again after telling Matt that she would much rather prefer to just be dead and gone than return to hell. Seeing no other way, Matt calls as sheriff to activate an evacuation protocol for a "gas leak" to get everyone out of town.
Damon and Stefan rush into the Salvatore Mansion to get Elena and leave only to find her casket empty. Stefan tells Damon that Bonnie's heart had stopped earlier and that she said she saw Elena. Elena walks into the room and demands to know if Bonnie is okay and Damon says they are both okay and Elena is increasingly happy that she's awake and she and Damon hug as Stefan watches on. Suddenly, Damon realizes that she is not Elena and pushes her away instantly as she is revealed as Katherine Pierce, who scolds Damon as "rude" before greeting them "hello brothers".
Katherine pours herself a drink and tells them that she will not tell them where Elena is and subsequently reveals that she is responsible for the Devil's interest in the brothers as she had "him wrapped around my finger since the minute I stepped into Hell. Why did you think he wanted you? Because I wanted you, duh." Damon throws the drink out of her hand and demands to know where Elena is and Katherine simply tells him that it is the perfect revenge and that at 10 pm; Mystic Falls will burn along with Elena and her guess is one of the brothers will die with her. Stefan stabs Katherine with the blade they had made by the Maxwells and she dies and they race against time to find Elena.
Matt reveals to his father that they are running out of time until the recently resurrected Vicki will destroy Mystic Falls.
At the Forbes Residence, Stefan calls Caroline to let her know that he's been looking for Elena and will now search the high school and she tells him she will meet him there as Alaric Saltzman enters the room, frantically packing for their escape from Mystic Falls. Alaric doesn't want Caroline to go to the school or stay in Mystic Falls as he doesn't want his girls to experience what she did when she lost her own mother and Caroline promises that she will put their twin children, Lizzie and Josie, first and get out of the town safely.
Stefan meanwhile finds Elena still in her sleeping coma at the boiler-room of the school, only to be find out Elena has been sealed magically in the room, unable to leave. Stefan calls Damon to inform him of this: he can leave and enter as he pleases but Elena has been sealed in the room. Damon promises to get Katherine to break the spell before she appears behind him, telling him that the bone dagger Stefan earlier stabbed her with is capable of sending her to hell, but she does not stay there and can simply leave unlike Cade. She also reveals that there is no way to get Elena out of the boiler room as Kai Parker had already placed the boundary spell on the room due to their bet and is now permanently indisposed. Damon is tired of the bantering they have done for the past 150+ years and tells her to get to their negotiating already, but Katherine already has what she wants: the town will burn down in Hellfire one way or another and Elena with it. Damon tells her that petty doesn't look good on her, but she returns that she's not being petty she's just gloating. Damon thinks that Katherine is jealous because she knows Stefan and he would choose Elena over her every time, but this doesn't faze her as she knows Elena would choose Stefan because Katherine would as well as any other woman simply because Stefan is "the better man", prompting Damon to stab her again.
Elsewhere, as Bonnie, Alaric, Josie and Lizzie drive out of Mystic Falls, Caroline and Stefan call them at the school where they reveal that if Elena will burn in the town, Damon would rather die with her, shocking everyone as they realize Damon might die too. Alaric breaks the silence, telling Caroline to take the underground tunnels and leave town immediately, she hangs up. Stefan tells Caroline he has to talk to Damon and though he knows he will not leave Elena, he has to try. Caroline also tells Stefan she made a promise to Ric to put the girls first and she would help him with Damon otherwise but doesn't want to leave Stefan, but Stefan convinces her that family comes first: she has to be there for her kids and he needs to save Damon without her as a distraction and they tearfully kiss and separate after professing their love.
At the Armory, Alaric and Bonnie have safely arrived with the siphon twins. Alaric is conflicted as he loves Elena and even cares for Damon but can't abandon his daughters as they need him and Caroline both. Bonnie reassures him that if they could do something they would do it before seeing a project he and Dorian were planning to destroy hell but couldn't find a potent enough energy source, but Bonnie immediately realizes that the power they need is inside hellfire and she promptly calls and tells Stefan she knows she's been hard on him, but "I also know that you and I are equally willing to do anything to fix it" and he agrees. Bonnie tells him she has a plan, but the only way it will work is if Katherine's in hell when Bonnie destroys it.
Elsewhere, Matt continues to safely evacuate civilians.
Back at the Armory, Bonnie thanks Lizzie and Josie for their parts in saving and making her realize she had all the magic she'd ever needed already inside her. She then asks then for a little luck and each of them stroke her cheeks before Caroline enters, having made it out Mystic Falls only to be told she and the girls and Ric need to leave quickly. Bonnie tells Caroline to leave with Ric and the girls as she (Bonnie) plans to "save the world" and that Ric will fill her in. They hug and Bonnie tells Caroline she loves her. Worried and confused, Caroline tells Bonnie not to do anything stupid and Bonnie confidently tells her she will be fine.
Damon enters the tomb where Katherine's body burned only to be followed in by Katherine, who tells him she has not missed the place. Damon informs her he predicted that she would show up again and she answers that she isn't about to miss the "the Elena Gilbert Show". Katherine wonders why Damon isn't by her side waiting to die with her as the hellfire will be upon them any moment now. Damon is surprised she doesn't know considering she's the Devil now and tells her that Bonnie has found a way to save the day, to which Katherine replies "Bonnie isn't strong enough to save a kitten", but Damon knows she's done it once or twice and will do it again. Katherine adds that this is not a trivial matter and they are talking of "hellfire, so intense it could obliterate anything within miles. What the hell is Bonnie gonna do? She's thirty minutes away." But Damon reveals that the tunnels under the town make it a much shorter distance and that Bonnie can draw hellfire through the tunnels away from the town and even better, he believes she can take them both straight back to hell and promptly destroy it with them inside. Katherine calls his bluff, but Stefan walks into the room and tells her that he isn't bluffing and neither is he as he wants to play the martyr instead of Damon. Katherine decides to let the brothers figure it out amongst themselves and tries to leave the tomb only to be stabbed in the back – literally – by Damon. Once she is dead, Damon and Stefan argue about which brother will stay and make sure that Katherine is dead when Bonnie destroys hell with its own power. Damon wants Stefan to go and live and tell Elena he did it on her behalf to pay for his past sins as he's spilled more blood than Stefan. Stefan, though believes that he owes it to Bonnie and Enzo and a lot more people as he realizes that he's accountable for his actions whether or not his emotions were off. He is human and in sixty years he's going to be old and dead while Damon has an eternity with Elena. Stefan doesn't want to die, he admits, as he and Caroline are now married and he loves her but in the near-two centuries they've been vampires, Stefan has fought to make Damon the man who deserves the happiness that is extant with Elena and humanity out there and he pleads, tearfully, for Damon to let him die, if not for Damon, then for himself. Damon tells Stefan he loves him and Stefan returns it, before Damon compels him to leave the tunnels and keep walking out until his death nullifies the compulsion, begging him to be the big brother.
Elsewhere, Peter Maxwell and Matt go to see Vicki one last time as she is about to ring the bell for the last time. Vicki is at first emotionally surprised to see her father, but realizes it must be a trick to get her to stop but that Peter is fifteen years too late to be a father. Vicki tells not going to stop ringing the bell, but they assure her they are not here to stop her and that they actually need her to ring it, prompting Vicki to wonder what they are doing there, to which Peter says he wants to see her a final time. The Maxwells all break down in tears as father and daughter reunite and hug.
In the car Caroline and Alaric are taking out of town, Alaric tells her what Stefan is planning to do and Caroline sobs with despair.
Back at the Armory, Bonnie implores her grandmother to hear her as now would be the best time for her support. She begins a spell, affirming her restored magical powers as Vicki watches her brother and father for what she believes is the last time atop the bell tower as they watch from below, anticipating the hellfire that she prepares to unleash. The room Bonnie is in begins to shake with the build up of Bonnie's magic. Bonnie confidently accepts her powers and continues to chant while elsewhere, Caroline tearfully calls Stefan, only to reach his voicemail, telling him she understands and loves and will love him forever.
As 10˚clock strikes, Vicki rings the bell for the last time, finally unleashing hellfire which kills and seemingly instantly destroys her soul and it bursts through every opening. Before it can reach beyond the threshold of the building, Bonnie magically holds the flames back all the way from the Armory, hindering them from going through to the town. She easily changes their trajectory and steers the hellfire to pulse down to the tunnels below the town, forcing the bell to shoot the flames down instead of outward.
Katherine wakes in the tunnels to see the hellfire pass by her and Damon as he says "poof".
Stefan's compulsion wears off as Damon seemingly dies and he rushes back to the town.
In the Armory, Bonnie continues to draw the flames toward the archive where the hellfire forcefully explodes through, almost destroying everything in its path, but Bonnie's spell holds back the heat and flames with sheer force of her powers. The force of the hellfire continues to threaten her fighting to claim her and keep hell alive too as her nose bleeds due to the use of her magic. Bonnie – still fighting hellfire – declares, "No! I can do this. I can do this! I can beat you! You can't have me! It's not my time!" Enzo appears and sarcastically notes that now of all times she is ready to live, but urges her to keep fighting to do so. Bonnie finally relents that she thinks it may be too strong for her and that she may not be able to destroy hell after all as more blood drips from her nose. She laments that she cannot do it alone as the fire grows only stronger, threatening to finally destroy her and the Armory and everything after that as she has pulled it away from Mystic Falls. Enzo, though, tells Bonnie she is powerful enough to do anything she puts her mind to and is not alone. In this moment, Bonnie's hand is taken by Sheila Bennett, who smiles at her, wordlessly encouraging her to not give up. Tearfully, Bonnie continues to chant, with newfound strength she and Sheila continue the spell as Beatrice's spirit appears on the other side of Bonnie, replacing Enzo. She too, takes Bonnie's hand, chanting the spell and urging Bonnie onward to see it to completion. The three of them continue the spell, holding back the flames and in that moment every single Bennett Witch by blood who has found peace appear behind and around Bonnie, all chanting the same spell – among them Lucy Bennett, The Witch of The Five, and Ayana are all seen. Their combined might and encouragement at last manages to repel the hellfire back to their own dimension as Matt and Peter watch on back in Mystic Falls, finally destroying hell once and for all. Back at the Armory, Bonnie opens her eyes having stopped hell from claiming her and her friends with the support of her ancestors at peace. She gladly asserts, "I did it" with a smile and subsequently passes out.
Back at the high school, Elena wakes up and walks around, seeing and remembering images and periods of her time as a teenager and smiles before bumping into Stefan as she did the the day they met. They greet each other with a smile and "hi"s before Elena wonders what happened to everyone and how she is here right now. Stefan tells her he is now human and that Damon was willing to risk everything for her and the town and that he compelled Stefan to leave, but should've known better as Stefan was on vervain and in a flashback, we learn that Stefan had not been compelled but quickly extracted the Cure from his blood before rushing back to the tunnels before Bonnie sent the flames back their way. There, Damon held Katherine patiently awaiting the hellfire to return and engulf them both. Stefan hurriedly injected him the Cure and took over his duty, pushing him into safety while he himself grabbed Katherine and held her firmly in the path of the ensuing hellfire. Katherine begs Stefan to let her go before he tells her to burn in hell, stabbing her with the bone dagger that sends her to hell before Bonnie finally builds up the strength to send it back. When it finally returns, Katherine and Stefan burn and die together before he tells her to "burn in hell" and bids Damon "goodbye brother".
Back in the present, Stefan reveals to Elena that he is actually dead and she has not yet woken up and they are back in the Limbo Bonnie had earlier visited. Stefan tells her he saw a side of Damon he hadn't in a long time: an older brother he looked up to, "the son who enlisted in the civil war to please his father . . . the Damon I knew when I was a boy. I wanted that Damon to live and I wanted you to have an opportunity to get to know him." As they both tear up, Stefan further adds Katherine's earlier words but applies them to Damon, "he's the better man. He's the right man." He strokes a tear from Elena's cheek with a smile, telling her it is good to see her again in the place they met one last time and they hug. He then whispers something indistinctive in her ear before subsequently finding peace when walking out of the school doors and into the "light", only to be met by Lexi Branson who is leaning on his red car which he had previously destroyed in the real world. She retorts that his moment with Elena was beautiful and Stefan replies with a smile, "I was feeling epic", words Lexi herself had once said to him. She smiles and the they hug with laughter and joy, glad they both found peace together.
Not too long after, Bonnie – having realized she can do anything with her restored powers after destroying Hell and her encounter with her passed family members – simply undoes Kai Parker's spell on a sleeping Elena as Elena's voice over says: "Dear diary, today will be different. Today I will smile, it will be genuine. Because today is the day that I get to live again." When she awakens, she wonders how Bonnie did it and they happily reunite with Bonnie telling her, "It took some time... but I think I've finally figured this witch thing out." with a happy laugh as they laugh only to subsequently realize Stefan really is dead when Bonnie tells her that Damon is with Caroline saying goodbye. Elena continues her voice over: "[...] this life will be good and beautiful, but not without heartbreak. In death comes peace, but pain is the cost of living like love, its how we know we're alive [...]" as Caroline and Damon are seen in the Salvatore Crypt paying their respects to Stefan's tomb which reads: 
Stefan Salvatore
Brother—Husband—Friend
Born 1846
Now at Peace
Damon asks Caroline if she thinks peace exists and she affirms she does and that they will see him again. Damon, though, is jokingly convinced only Caroline will as they will probably reopen up hell for him. Caroline tells him not to be so sure and they hug. They step out of the crypt are happily shocked to see Bonnie with a recently resurrected Elena. Damon and Elena kiss and reunite. Afterwards, Elena tells Caroline what Stefan whispered to her: that he got her earlier message and she is happy. They all then hold a funeral for Stefan and Damon, now human, leaves him his daylight ring and Caroline leaves a Mystic Falls crystal ball keychain and they all leave as Elena's voiceover says: "and life goes on."
In the not too distant future, in a series of epilogue montages Matt Donovan's revealed to have continued his journal in a voiceover: "Dear diary, we survived that night, Mystic Falls is safe. I remain the sheriff, they even gave me a bench. I'm thinking of running for mayor. And Vicki, well I think she found peace. Somehow it feels like she did." And the townspeople are seen applauding Matt for his role as he officializes his bench while Vicki and Tyler Lockwood look on with a smile in the Afterlife and then find peace together.
In Bonnie Bennett's epilogue, she is seen packing as her voiceover goes as follows, "I'm determined to keep my promise to Enzo. I'm gonna live this life to fullest. I wanna see the world – enjoy my life." She then wonders if she has packed everything and Enzo's spirit appears, though she's unable to see or hear him, and says she forgot her passport. Bonnie remembers her forgotten passport and goes to get it in a drawer and finds it with the pendant containing Enzo's blood. She then smiles as Enzo's spirit touches her sentimentally, though she does not feel his presence, and continues to pack.
Alaric's epilogue depicts him opening his school at the Salvatore Boarding House after Damon gives it to them, feeling it is Stefan's last wish. They name it:
"Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted"
As they prepare to open the school, his voice over is heard saying: "As for my family, Caroline and I got what Damon decided was Stefan's last wish." While his children play in the front yard and rush into his arms, Josette Laughlin is seen watching on with a smile, happy her family still lives on. When Ric feels as though he is being watched, she promptly disappears and he continues to play with his children.
In Caroline's epilogue (not too long after or possibly the same time as Alaric's), she comments on the state of beginning this new chapter in her life, "Opening the school was hard work, we needed lots of help. Fortunately, we knew plenty of people with experience," Dorian Williams and Jeremy Gilbert are seen as members of the faculty of the new boarding school and Alaric continues on her line, "Caroline was determined to make it a success, she wanted to make her mom proud" as Caroline drops some letters sent to her from donors to her school and in that moment, Liz Forbes touches her arm and Caroline feels her presence as her mother smiles to her and fades away before she can see her. Caroline then sits down and opens one of her letters as Alaric's voiceover progresses, "[...] plus, soon after the school opened, she got a most impressive donor, but that is the beginning of another story." The letter reads:
Dearest Caroline
I have often imagined the paths your life might take, but your chosen future is more noble than I ever fathomed. Please accept this contribution to your virtuous cause. I do look forward to thanking you in person, someday . . . however long it takes.
Yours, Klaus
In Elena's epilogue, years later, she sits outside the Salvatore Crypt writing in her journal as she did so many years ago 
 A crow flies over her head and she ducks and smiles, feeling a sense of déjà vu and Damon subsequently approaches her. They smile at one another and walk away together, a ring shown on Elena's finger that suggests they married.
In the final epilogue and flashforward, as she and he walk down a Mystic Falls driveway hand-in-hand, Elena reveals that even after a long and happy life together, Damon was still worried that he would never see Stefan again and never find peace, but Elena always believed peace existed in everything we hold dear. Damon then disappears from her grim as they are revealed to actually be in the afterlife, having died of old age together. She then faces her old home and is shocked to find she has found peace as she sees her family on its porch: her mother and father Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, additionally Jenna Sommers and John Gilbert are also seen and come together in tearful hugs and joy.
Still in heaven (and in the final scene ever) Stefan is seen in the Salvatore Boarding House drinking what is naturally assumed to be bourbon when he goes to open the front door and finds Damon waiting for him. Damon greets him with the first line said to him in the show's premiere "hello brother" and they hug, the two brothers, after a long life, having finally found peace together.
==Cast==
===Main Cast===
*Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
*Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
*Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
*Candice King as Caroline Forbes
*Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan
*Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman
*Michael Malarkey as Enzo St. John (dream/spirit)
===Special Guest Stars===
*Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert (flashforward)
*Sara Canning as Jenna Sommers (spirit, flashforward)
*Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood (spirit, flashforward)
*Marguerite MacIntyre as Liz Forbes (spirit, flashforward)
*David Anders as John Gilbert (spirit, flashforward)
*Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Jo Laughlin (spirit, flashforward)
*Jasmine Guy as Sheila Bennett (spirit)
*Arielle Kebbel as Lexi Branson (spirit)
*Jaz Sinclair as Beatrice Bennett (spirit)
*Natashia Williams as Lucy Bennett (spirit)
===Recurring Cast===
*Kayla Ewell as Vicki Donovan
*Joel Gretsch as Peter Maxwell
*Demetrius Bridges as Dorian Williams (flashforward)
*Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce
===Co-Starring===
*Jason MacDonald as Grayson Gilbert (spirit, flashforward)
*Erin Beute as Miranda Gilbert (spirit, flashforward)
*Lily Rose Mumford as Josie
*Tierney Mumford as Lizzie
*Maria Howell as Ayana (spirit)
*Jen Harper as Witch of the Five (spirit)
*Bob Banks as Tiki's Grandad
==Trivia==
*Antagonist: Katherine Pierce.
*After Damon and Stefan figure out it's Katherine, not Elena, she says "Hello, Brothers" a callback to the Pilot.
*Katherine reveals to Damon that from the moment she entered Hell, she had Arcadius under her control and this was the reason he was interested in Damon and Stefan, because of her.
*Kai's sleeping spell on Elena also took into account non-magical means to wake up Elena. Bonnie dying briefly and then being revived wouldn't be enough to wake her, Bonnie would have to stay dead in order for Elena to wake up.
*The bone dagger does send Katherine back to Hell, but it doesn't keep her there.
*Stefan injects Damon with his Cure filled blood making him human. This means anyone Damon ever compelled who's still alive will remember anything they were compelled to do or forget by him, including the wedding guests to Stefan and Caroline's wedding in the previous episode.
*Stefan was born in 1846, meaning he was turned sometime before his 18th birthday.
*The original cut was about 18 minutes longer. One of the scenes cut was Damon's proposal to Elena after the med school.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/damon-elena-proposal-vampire-diaries_us_58c814c1e4b0598c6699f9f0
==Body Count==
*Vicki Donovan - Explosion of Hellfire; killed by herself
*Katherine Pierce — Immolation; killed by Stefan Salvatore and indirectly by Vicki Donovan and Bonnie Bennett
*Stefan Salvatore - Burned by Hellfire; killed by himself as a sacrifice to kill Katherine himself; indirectly killed by Vicki Donovan and Bonnie Bennett
*Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore (flashforward) - From old age
==Continuity==
*Vicki was last seen in We're Planning a June Wedding.
*Katherine was last seen through a hallucination in While You Were Sleeping.
*John and Jenna were last seen through a hallucination in 500 Years of Solitude.
*Jeremy was last seen in I'm Thinking Of You All The While.
*Tyler, Liz and Sheila was last seen as subconscious hallucinations in Nostalgia's a Bitch.
*Josette was last seen as a corpse in Best Served Cold.
*Lexi was last seen as a ghost in Home.
*Beatrice was last seen in a flashback in What Are You?.
*Lucy was last seen in Masquerade.
*Ayana was last seen in a flashback in Ordinary People.
*The Witch of The Five was last seen in a flashback in The Five.
*Grayson was last seen in a flashback in Black Hole Sun.
*Miranda was last heard as a voice in Stay.
*Tiki and her Grandad was last seen in You're Undead to Me.
*Kai Parker was mentioned. He was last seen in It's Been a Hell of a Ride.
*Klaus was mentioned. He was last seen in Moonlight on the Bayou.
*Giuseppe was mentioned. He was last seen in a flashback in Mommie Dearest.
==Locations==
*Mystic Falls, Virginia
**Lockwood Mansion
**Woods
**Mystic Falls Police Station
**Salvatore Boarding House
**Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted
**Mystic Falls Hospital (outside)
**Forbes House
**Mystic Falls High School
**Cave and underground tunnels
**Mystic Falls Cemetery
**Town Square
**Bennett House
**Gilbert House (afterlife)
*Grove Hill, Virginia
**The Armory
==Behind the Scenes==
*This episode marks Elena Gilbert's 134th appearance (excluding her voice cameo in the Season Seven finale, Gods and Monsters, and several archive footage appearances).
*This episode marks the 50th appearance of Elizabeth Forbes, 100th appearance of Jeremy Gilbert and 150th appearance of Caroline Forbes.
*"I was feeling epic" is a line from Lexi to Stefan from season one's 162 Candles.
*This is the final episode of The Vampire Diaries.
**This was the first and only episode of the series to be aired at 9pm rather than its usual timeslot. This is due to a one-hour retrospective that aired at 8pm.
*Shooting of the final episode ended on February 8, 2017.Julie Plec on Twitter
*The episode aired on Jasmine Guy's 55th birthday.
*Hashtag during the airing is #TVDForever
*Bianca Lawson, Joseph Morgan and Malese Jow were unavailable to shoot scenes for the finale due to scheduling conflicts.https://tvline.com/2017/03/11/the-vampire-diaries-series-finale-deleted-scenes-bonnie-ending/
*Nina Dobrev is credited as "guest starring" but with the honorary "and".
**The honorary "and" was last used to bill a guest star, in the opening credits, in Nostalgia's a Bitch for Jasmine Guy.
*The original ending the writers had in plans was for Stefan and Damon to both die in the name of Elena, who would live on, becoming a doctor and possibly marrying Matt, while being watched by the Salvatore brothers' ghosts. However, Nina Dobrev's exit at the end of Season Six changed things, and prevented the writers from revisiting the love triangle idea.https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-vampire-diaries-creators-reveal-original-ending
*Since The Reckoning, Julie Plec's plan for the finale was to show Matt and Bonnie together as a couple with children in the flashforward in the series finale; however, this didn't come to be as the finale only showed the scenes in The Bright World, not the actual future.Claire Holt and 'Vampire Diaries' Creators Recap Season 3 | EW's Binge | Entertainment Weekly
==Quotes==
<tabber>
|-|Teaser #1=
:Elena: "What happened? Why am I here right now?"
|-|#2=
:Elena (to Stefan): "What happened? Why am I here right now?"
|-|#3=
:Damon: "What?"
:Katherine: "Damon?"
|-|#4=
:Katherine: "Damon?"
:Damon: "Elena?"
:Stefan: "Welcome back."
|-|Promo=
:Elena (flashback): "I'm Elena."
:Stefan (flashback): "I'm Stefan."
:Damon (flashback): "Hello, brother."
:Katherine: "Damon?"
:Damon: "Elena?"
|-|Extended=
:Elena (flashback): "I'm Elena."
:Stefan (flashback): "I'm Stefan."
:Damon (flashback): "Hello, brother."
:Katherine: "Damon?"
:Damon: "Elena?"
|-|Sneak Peek=
:Stefan: "There's gotta be something we're missing."
:Damon: "Nope. Katherine won. She played the long game and finally beat us."
:Damon (looking at Elena's empty coffin): "What?"
:Stefan: "Earlier, Bonnie's heart stopped... She said she saw Elena."
:Katherine: "Damon?"
:Damon: "Elena?"
|-|Extended #2=
:Elena (flashback): "I'm Elena."
:Stefan (flashback): "I'm Stefan."
:Damon (flashback): "Hello, brother."
:Elena (flashback): "What are you?"
:Stefan (flashback): "You know."
:Elena (flashback): "Dear Diary, today will be different."
:Bonnie: "Elena!"
:Elena: "Today is the day that I get to live again."
|-|Inside clip=
:Damon: "What is Katherine planning?"
:Kelly: "She's gonna burn down Mystic Falls with hellfire tonight."
:Vicki: "Katherine told me to ring this bell every five minutes until Mystic Falls burns." 
:Bonnie:"Are you okay?"
:Stefan: "There's gotta be something we're missing."
:Damon: "Nope. Katherine won. She played the long game and finally beat us."
:Katherine: "I've missed this place, said no one ever."
:Matt: "Yeah, it's Sheriff Donovan, activate the evacuation protocol."
:Stefan: "I love you so much."
:Caroline: "I love you too."
</tabber>
==Multimedia==
===Soundtrack===
===Videos===
<tabber>
|-|Promotional=
The Vampire Diaries Series Finale Teaser (HD) Elena Returns
The Vampire Diaries Series Finale Teaser 2 (HD) Elena and Stefan
The Vampire Diaries Series Finale Teaser 3 (HD) Elena and Damon
The Vampire Diaries Series Finale Teaser The CW
The Vampire Diaries 8x16 Promo "I Was Feeling Epic" (HD) Season 8 Episode 16 Promo Series Finale
The Vampire Diaries 8x16 Extended Promo "I Was Feeling Epic" (HD) Series Finale
The Vampire Diaries 8x16 Sneak Peek "I Was Feeling Epic" (HD) Season 8 Episode 16 Sneak Peek
The Vampire Diaries 8x16 (Series Finale) Extended Promo 2 - I Was Feeling Epic HD
The Vampire Diaries Inside TVD I Was Feeling Epic The CW
The Vampire Diaries Series Finale Extended Scene The CW
|-|Behind the Scenes=
Cast on set of The Vampire Diaries (8x16)
Paul Wesley on set of The Vampire Diaries (8x16)
Kat Graham's Instagram Video
Paul Wesley's Instagram Video
Candice King and Kat Graham on set of The Vampire Diaries (8x16)
Nina Dobrev Records Previously on The Vampire Diaries for The Series Finale
</tabber>
===Pictures===
<tabber>
|-|Promotional=
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Damon.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-BonnieCaroline.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Bonnie.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Stefan.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Bonnie-Elena.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Damon-Caroline.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Damon-Stefan-Katherine.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Matt-Alaric-Bonnie-Caroline-Elena-Damon.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Bonnie-Elena-Caroline.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Matt-Alaric-Bonnie-Caroline-Elena-Damon 2.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Bonnie-Enzo.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Katherine.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Katherine-Damon.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Lexi.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Liz-Caroline.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Caroline-Jeremy.jpg
8x16 I Was Feeling Epic-Stefan-Bonnie-Caroline.jpg
8.16-Elena.jpg
Ew-8x16-sneakpeek1.jpg|EW February 24 — March 3, 2017
|-|Screencaps=
816-001~Stefan-Bonnie.png
816-002~Stefan~Bonnie~Caroline-Loockwood_Mansion.png
816-003~Stefan~Bonnie-Caroline.png
816-004~Elena-Bonnie.png
816-005-Elena~Bonnie.png
816-006~Elena-Bonnie.png
816-007-Elena~Bonnie.png
816-008~Bonnie-Enzo.png
816-009~Stefan-Bonnie~Caroline.png
816-010-Stefan~Bonnie~Caroline.png
816-011~Damon~Matt-Vicki.png
816-012~Damon-Matt~Vicki.png
816-013-Damon~Matt-Vicki.png
816-014-Damon~Matt~Vicki.png
816-015-Matt~Vicki.png
816-016~Matt-Vicki.png
816-017-Stefan-Caroline.png
816-018-Damon.png
816-019-Matt.png
816-020-Stefan~Damon~Katherine.png
816-021~Stefan-Damon~Katherine.png
816-022~Stefan~Damon-Katherine.png
816-023~Stefan-Damon~Katherine.png
816-024-Stefan~Damon~Katherine.png
816-025~Stefan~Damon-Katherine.png
816-026-Stefan-Damon.png
816-027-Matt~Peter.png
816-028~Matt-Peter.png
816-029-Caroline.png
816-030~Caroline-Alaric.png
816-031-Caroline~Alaric.png
816-032-Elena.png
816-033~Elena-Stefan.png
816-034~Elena-Stefan.png
816-035-MF_Clock_Tower.png
816-036~Stefan-Damon.png
816-037-Stefan~Damon.png
816-038~Damon-Katherine.png
816-039~Damon~Katherine-Woods.png
816-040~Damon-Katherine.png
816-041-Damon~Katherine.png
816-042~Stefan~Caroline-MF_High_Scool.png
816-043-Stefan~Caroline.png
816-044~Stefan-Caroline.png
816-045~Bonnie-Alaric.png
816-046-Bonnie~Alaric.png
816-047-Stefan-Caroline.png
816-048~Stefan-Caroline.png
816-049-Stefan~Caroline.png
816-050~Bonnie~Alaric-Josie-Lizzie.png
816-051~Bonnie~Alaric~Josie~Lizzie-The_Armory.png
816-052~Bonnie-Alaric.png
816-053-Bonnie~Alaric.png
816-054~Stefan-Bonnie.png
816-055-Stefan~Bonnie.png
816-056-Matt.png
816-057-Bonnie~Alaric~Josie~Lizzie.png
816-058~Bonnie-Alaric.png
816-059~Bonnie-Josie~Lizzie.png
816-060~Bonnie~Josie-Lizzie.png
816-061~Bonnie~Caroline~Alaric~Josie~Lizzie-The_Armory.png
816-062~Bonnie-Caroline.png
816-063-Bonnie~Caroline.png
816-064-Damon~Katherine.png
816-065~Damon-Katherine.png
816-066-Damon-Katherine.png
816-067-Damon~Katherine.png
816-068~Damon-Katherine.png
816-069~Stefan~Damon-Katherine.png
816-070-Stefan~Damon~Katherine.png
816-071~Stefan-Damon~Katherine.png
816-072~Stefan~Damon-Katherine.png
816-073-Stefan~Damon.png
816-074~Stefan-Damon.png
816-075-Stefan~Damon.png
816-076~Stefan-Damon.png
816-077~Matt-Vicki~Peter.png
816-078~Matt~Vicki-Peter.png
816-079~Matt-Vicki~Peter.png
816-080-Matt~Vicki~Peter.png
816-081~Matt-Vicki~Peter.png
816-082~Matt~Vicki-Peter.png
816-083-Matt~Vicki~Peter.png
816-084-Caroline~Alaric.png
816-085-Matt~Vicki-Peter.png
816-086~Matt-Vicki~Peter.png
816-087-Caroline-Alaric~Josie~Lizzie.png
816-088-Alaric.png
816-089-Caroline.png
816-090~Matt~Peter-MF_Clock_Tower.png
816-091-Vicki.png
816-092~Damon-Katherine.png
816-093-Damon~Katherine.png
816-094~Damon~Katherine-Cave.png
816-095-Stefan.png
816-096~Bonnie-The_Armory.png
816-097-Bonnie.png
816-098~Bonnie-Enzo.png
816-099-Bonnie~Enzo.png
816-100~Bonnie-Enzo.png
816-101~Bonnie-Grams.png
816-102~Bonnie-Grams.png
816-103-Bonnie~Grams~Beatrice.png
816-104~Bonnie~Grams-Beatrice.png
816-105-Bonnie-Grams-Beatrice~Lucy.png
816-106~Matt~Pter-MF_Clock_Tower.png
816-107-Matt.png
816-108-Bonnie.png
816-109-Elena~Stefan.png
816-110~Elena-Stefan.png
816-111~Elena~Stefan-MF_High_Scool.png
816-112-Elena~Stefan.png
816-113~Elena-Stefan.png
816-114-Stefan.png
816-115-Damon-Katherine.png
816-116-Damon-Katherine.png
816-117~Stefan-Damon-Katherine.png
816-118~Elena-Stefan.png
816-119-Elena~Stefan.png
816-120~Stefan~Damon~Katherine-Cave.png
816-121-Stefan-Katherine.png
816-122-Damon.png
816-123-Stefan-Katherine.png
816-124-Elena~Stefan.png
816-125~Elena-Stefan.png
816-126-Elena~Stefan.png
816-127~Elena-Stefan.png
816-128~Elena-Stefan.png
816-129-Elena~Stefan.png
816-130~Stefan-Lexi-Afterlife.png
816-131-Stefan~Lexi-Afterlife.png
816-132~Stefan-Lexi-Afterlife.png
816-133~Stefan~Lexi-MF_High_Scool-Afterlife.png
816-134~Stefan-Lexi-Afterlife.png
816-135-Stefan~Lexi-Afterlife.png
816-136-Elena~Bonnie.png
816-137~Elena-Bonnie.png
816-138~Elena-Bonnie.png
816-139-Elena~Bonnie.png
816-140-Damon~Caroline.png
816-141~Damon~Caroline_Salvatore_Crypt.png
816-142~Damon-Caroline.png
816-143-Damon-Caroline.png
816-144-Elena~Bonnie~Caroline.png
816-145~Elena~Bonnie-Caroline.png
816-146~Elena-Damon.png
816-147-Elena~Damon.png
816-148-Elena-Damon.png
816-149-Elena-Damon.png
816-150-Elena~Damon.png
816-151~Elena~Bonnie~Caroline-MF_Cemetery.png
816-152~Elena-Stefan.png
816-153-Elena~Stefan.png
816-154~Elena-Caroline.png
816-155-Elena~Caroline.png
816-156~Elena~Damon~Bonnie~Caroline~Matt~Alaric-MF_Cemetery.png
816-157-Caroline.png
816-158-Damon.png
816-159-Elena-Bonnie-Caroline.png
816-160~Elena~Damon~Bonnie~Caroline~Matt~Alaric-MF_Cemetery.png
816-161~Matt~Peter~Mr_Fell-MF_Town_Square.png
816-162~Matt-Tyler-Vicki.png
816-163-Matt~Peter.png
816-164-Tyler-Vicki.png
816-165-Bonnie.png
816-166-Enzo.png
816-167~Bonnie-Enzo.png
816-168-Bonnie~Enzo.png
816-169-Bonnie.png
816-170-Josie-Lizzie.png
816-171~Alaric~Josie~Lizzie-Boarding_House.png
816-172~Alaric-Jo.png
816-173-Alaric~Jo.png
816-174-Jeremy.png
816-175-Caroline~Dorian.png
816-176~Caroline-Liz.png
816-177-Caroline~Liz.png
816-178-Elena-Afterlife.png
816-179~Elena~Damon-MF_Cemetery-Afterlife.png
816-180-Elena~Damon-Afterlife.png
816-181~Elena-Damon-Afterlife.png
816-182~Elena~Damon-MF_Cemetery-Afterlife.png
816-183-Elena-Damon-Afterlife.png
816-184-Elena-Afterlife.png
816-185~Elena-Jenna-Grayson-Miranda-Afterlife.png
816-186~Elena-Jenna-Afterlife.png
816-187-Elena-Afterlife.png
816-188~Elena~Grayson~Miranda-Gilbrt_House-Afterlife.png
816-189~Elena-Grayson-Miranda-Afterlife.png
816-190~Elena-John-Afterlife.png
816-191~Elena-John-Afterlife.png
816-192~Elena-Jenna-Afterlife.png
816-193-Elena-Jenna-John-Grayson-Miranda-Afterlife.png
816-194~Elena~Jenna~John~Grayson~Miranda-Gilbert_House-Afterlife.png
816-195-Stefan-Afterlife.png
816-196-Stefan~Damon-Afterlife.png
816-197~Stefan-Damon-Afterlife.png
816-198-Stefan~Damon-Afterlife.png
816-199~Stefan-Damon-Afterlife.png
816-200~Stefan~Damon-Boarding_House-Afterlife.png
|-|Behind the Scenes=
2017-05-12_Nina_Dobrev-David_Anders-Twitter.jpg|Nina Dobrev, David Anders
03-15-2017 Kat Graham-Natashia Williams Jasmine Guy Jen Harper Jaz Sinclair-Maria Howell Twitter.jpg|Kat Graham, Natashia Williams, Jasmine Guy, Jen Harper, Jaz Sinclair, Maria Howell
2017-03-14_Paul_Wesley-Pierre_OHalloran-Instagram.jpg|Paul Wesley
03-13-2017 Lily Rose Tierney Mumford-Instagram.jpg|Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford
2017-03-13_Ian_Somerhalder-Pierre_OHalloran-Instagram.jpg|Ian Somerhalder
2017-03-13_Candice_King-Kat_Graham-Pierre_OHalloran-Instagram.jpg|Kat Graham, Candice King
03-12-2017 Joel Gretsch Kayla Ewell John Hickman-Instagram.jpg|Joel Gretsch, John Hickman and Kayla Ewell
2017-03-12_Woods-Pierre_OHalloran-Instagram.jpg|©Pierre O'Halloran
2017-03-12_Nina_Dobrev-Pierre_OHalloran-Instagram.jpg|Nina Dobrev
3-11-2017 Jodilyn O'Keefe Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford-Instagram.jpg|Jodi O'Keefe, Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford
03-11-2017 Arielle Kebbel-Instagram.jpg|Arielle Kebbel
2017-03-11_Julie_Plec-Arielle_Kebbel-Twitter.jpg|Julie Plec, Arielle Kebbel
03-10-2017 Zach Roerig-Instagram.jpg|Zach Roerig
2017-03-10_Lily_Rose_Kat_Graham-Tierney_Mumford.jpg|Kat Graham, Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford
2017-03-10_Kayla_Ewell-Twitter.jpg|Kayla Ewell
03-10-2017 Demetrius Bridges-Ian Somerhalder-Jodi Lyn O'Keefe-Lily Rose-Tierney Mumford-Secret Harris-Instagram.jpg|Demetrius Bridges, Ian Somerhalder, Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford
03-10-2017 Matthew Davis Jodi Lyn O'Keefe-Instagram.jpg
03-10-2017 Erin Beute-Nina Dobrev-Jason MacDonald-Instagram.jpg
03-10-2017 Erin Beute Nina Dobrev Jason MacDonald-Instagram.jpg
03-10-2017 Kayla Ewell John Hickman-Instagram.jpg
2017-03-03_Ian_Somerhalder-Instagram.jpg|Ian Somerhalder March 2, 2017
03-02-2017 Lily Rose Tierney Mumford-Instagram.jpg|Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford March 2, 2017
2017-03-01_Nina_Dobrev.jpg|Nina Dobrev March 1, 2017
03-01-2017 Ian Somerhalder-Instagram.jpg|Ian Somerhalder March 1, 2017
2017-02-09_Ian_Somerhalder-Instagram.jpg|Ian Somerhalder February 9, 2017
2017-02-08_Ian_Somerhalder-Twitter.jpg|Ian Somerhalder Wrap February 8, 2017
2017-02-09_Ian_Somerhalder-Camaro-Instagram.jpg|Ian Somerhalder Wrap February 8, 2017
2017-02-19-Zach_Roerig-Michael_Trevino-David_Anders.jpg|Zach Roerig, Michael Trevino, David Anders
2017-02-14_Kat_Graham_Candice_King.jpg|Kat Graham, Candice King
02-08-2017 Lily-Rose Tierney-Instagram.jpg|Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford February 8, 2017
2017-02-06_Steven_R_McQueen-Instagram.jpg|Steven R. McQueen February 6, 2017
2017-02-03_Kevin_Williamson_Michael_Trevino_Instagram.jpg|Kevin Williamson, Michael Trevino February 3, 2017
02-03-2017 Steven R McQueen-Instagram.jpg|Steven R. McQueen February 3, 2017
2017-02-08_Pierre_OHalloran-Instagram.jpg|©Pierre 'OHalloran February 4, 2017
2017-02-03-Tower_Pierre_OHalloran_Instagram.jpg|©Pierre 'OHalloran February 4, 2017
2017-02-03_Pierre_OHalloran_Instagram.jpg|©Pierre 'OHalloran February 4, 2017
2017-02-02_Carina_MacKenzie_Instagram.jpg|©Carina Adly MacKenzie February 2, 2017
2017-02-02_Brandi_Lindsey_Instagram.jpg|©Brandi_Lindsey February 2, 2017
2017-02-02_Julie_Plec_Twitter.jpg|©Julie Plec February 2, 2017
2017-02-02_Julie_Plec_Fan_Twitter.jpg|Julie Plec February 2, 2017
2017-02-02_David_Anders_Nina_Dobrev_Twitter.jpg|Nina Dobrev, David Anders February 2, 2017
02-02-2017 Kayla Ewell David Anders Nina Dobrev-Twitter.jpg|David Anders, Kayla Ewell and Nina Dobrev February 2, 2017
2017-02-01_Clock_Tower_Pierre_OHalloran_Instagram.jpg|©Pierre O'Halloran February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Julie_Plec_Twitter.jpg|©Julie Plec February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Zach_Roerig_Fan_Twitter.jpg|Zach Roerig February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Michael_Trevino_Fan_Twitter.jpg|Michael Trevino February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Kayla_Ewell_Fan_Twitter.jpg|Kayla Ewell February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Michael_Trevino_Twitter.jpg|Michael Trevino, Kayla Ewell February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Julie_Plec_Fan_Twitter.jpg|Julie Plec February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Tower-2_Twitter.jpg|February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Tower_Twitter.jpg|February 1, 2017
2017-02-01_Cemetery_Pierre_OHalloran_Instagram.jpg|©Pierre 'OHalloran February 1, 2017
01-30-2017 Lily-Rose Tierney Mumford-Instagram.jpg|©Lily Rose and Tierney Mumford January 30, 2017
2017-01-28_Kat_Graham_Kevin_Williamson_Sophia_Cohen.jpg|Kat Graham, Kevin Williamson, Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Candice_King_Sophia_Cohen.jpg|Candice King, Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Nina_Dobrev_Snapchat.jpg|Nina Dobrev, Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Paul_Wesley_Snapchat.jpg|Paul Wesley, Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Zach_Roerig_Snapchat.jpg|Zach Roerig, Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Kat_Graham_Snapchat.jpg|Kat Graham, Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Paul_Wesley_Sophia_Cohen_Nina_Dobrev.jpg|Paul Wesley, Sophia Cohen, Nina Dobrev January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_Paul_Wesley_Kevin_Williamson_Nina_Dobrev_Sophia_Cohen_Instagram.jpg|Paul Wesley, Kevin Williamson, Sophia Cohen Nina Dobrev January 28, 2017
2017-01-27_Paul_Wesley_Nina_Dobrev_Kevin_Williamson_Instagram.jpg|Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Kevin Williamson January 27, 2017
2017-01-28_Salvatore_Crypt_Sophia_Cohen_Instagram.jpg|Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-28_MFHS_Sophia_Cohen_Instagram.jpg|Sophia Cohen January 28, 2017
2017-01-27_Ian_Somerhalder_Twitter.jpg|"Shot the last scene in the Salvatore crypt today" ©Ian Somerhalder January 27, 2017
2017-01-27_Kayla_Ewell_Twitter.jpg|Kayla Ewell January 27, 2017
2017-01-26_Parade_Twitter.jpg|January 26, 2017
2017-01-26_Megan_Pittman_Twitter.jpg|January 26, 2017
2017-01-26_Twitter.jpg|January 26, 2017
2017-01-26_Julie_Plec_Candice_King_Instagram.jpg|Candice King, Julie Plec "That's a wrap on Caroline's house " January 26, 2017
2017-01-26_Julie_Plec_Instagram.jpg|©Julie Plec "Last scene in Damon's bedroom." January 26, 2017
2017-01-26_Nina_Dobrev_Instagram.jpg|©Nina Dobrev January 26, 2017
01-25-2017_Julie_Plec-Twitter.jpg|©Julie Plec January 26, 2017
2017-01-25_Tony_Griffin_Julie_Plec_Twitter.jpg|Tony Griffin, Julie Plec January 25, 2017
2017-01-24_Julie_Plec_Twitter.jpg|©Julie Plec January 24, 2017
2017-02-24_03-03_ew-Paul_Wesley.jpg|EW February 24 — March 3, 2017
2017-02-24_03-03_ew-Ian_Somerhalder-Kat_Graham-Candice_King.jpg|EW February 24 — March 3, 2017
2017-02-24_03-03_ew-Nina_Dobrev.jpg|EW February 24 — March 3, 2017
2017-02-24_03-03_ew.jpg|EW February 24 — March 3, 2017
</tabber>
==References==
==See also==
Category:The Vampire Diaries Episode Guide
Category:The Vampire Diaries Season Eight
Category:Episodes featuring all main characters
Category:Season Finales
Category:Flashforward episodes