TROUBLE AT THE SWIMMING HOLE - In an attempt to bring some fun back into their lives, Elena (Nina Dobrev) persuades Caroline (Candice Accola) to meet her at the swimming hole where she plans to introduce her to Liam (guest star Marco James). Tyler (Michael Trevino), still working on controlling his anger issues, asks Liv (guest star Penelope Mitchell) for a favor and is surprised when she makes an unexpected confession. Stefan (Paul Wesley) arrives back in Mystic Falls looking for Enzo (Michael Malarkey) and is caught off guard when he notices a strange change in Elena. Meanwhile, at the lake, Enzo's actions cause Matt (Zach Roerig) to make a startling revelation, and Jeremy makes a discovery about the anti-magic spell that could potentially put Elena's life in danger. Elsewhere, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie (Kat Graham) stumble upon clues that lead them to believe they're not alone.
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 October 16
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