HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BONNIE - Determined to celebrate Bonnie's (Kat Graham) birthday, Elena (Nina Dobrev) convinces Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) that it's what Bonnie would have wanted. After piecing the broken ascendant back together, Elena, Jeremy and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) attempt to send Bonnie a message, but the situation turns dire when they make an unsettling discovery. Meanwhile, after uncovering Stefan's (Paul Wesley) secret about his great-niece Sarah Salvatore (guest star Tristan Mays), Enzo (Michael Malarkey) enlists a reluctant Matt (Zach Roerig) to help interfere with her life. Elsewhere, Stefan keeps a close eye on Caroline (Candice Accola) as she unconventionally attempts to cope with everything going on around her. Lastly, realizing it might be time to move on with his life, Jeremy contemplates leaving Mystic Falls for good. Pascal Verschooris directed the episode written by Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux (#613).
After a big time jump, the premiere opens with Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) still gone. While their whereabouts will be revealed quickly, the question of what happened while they were there will be a season-long arc. Elena (Nina Dobrev) will be grieving over the loss of Damon by making some surprising choices and bonding with Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Alaric (Matt Davis), who does some bonding of his own with a woman he meets. Get ready for a handful of new faces, including a militia leader (Colin Ferguson) and a tough doctor at the university hospital (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe). Matt (Zach Roerig) will be thriving as he gets involved in the new magic-less community, while Tyler (Michael Trevino), now back to a human with the werewolf gene, will return to his testosterone-filled, hard-headed personality. Will he reconnect with Caroline (Candice Accola), whom executive producer Julie Plec says will take the loss of Bonnie and Damon "in a weird way the hardest"?
The Vampire Diaries features:
Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett
Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan
Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood
Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman
Michael Malarkey as Enzo
The Vampire Diaries returns February 5
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