8 |verified|: Tvd Season

If you watched this show for eight years, if you cried when Rose died, if you screamed at the TV during the Miss Mystic Falls dance, and if you have a soft spot for bad boys with terrible haircuts… the finale will destroy you. It honored the show’s core theme:

Let’s be honest. By the time The Vampire Diaries rolled out its eighth and final season in the fall of 2016, the show was a shadow of its former self. The Mystic Falls we knew had been nuked, the Originals had left for their own bayou, and Elena Gilbert was taking a very long nap in a coffin. tvd season 8

But true to TVD form, the redemption came through sacrifice. The finale gave us the moment we’d waited eight years for: Stefan and Damon sitting on the floor of an old church, bleeding out, admitting they needed each other. It was the bromance we didn't know we needed more than Delena. We have to talk about Kat Graham. Bonnie Bennett was the MVP of Season 8. She held the line, she channeled hellfire, and she literally kept the universe from collapsing. And what did she get? A dead boyfriend (Enzo—RIP the show’s best ship of the late seasons) and a vague "I’m going to travel the world" ending. If you watched this show for eight years,

However.

Stefan sacrificed his happiness for Damon. Damon sacrificed his ego for Elena. Bonnie sacrificed her magic for her friends. In the end, The Vampire Diaries was never about the vampires, the werewolves, or the witches. It was about a group of broken people in a town that wouldn't let them leave—until they finally found peace. The Mystic Falls we knew had been nuked,