We’ve heard a lot about the major deaths going down in the Season 5 finale of The Vampire Diaries — and that they will be permanent — but we’re still not so sure TVD will kill three characters off for good by the end of Season 5. What did Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett) have to say about the possibility?
"Oh God, it's huge," Kat told E! Online concerning Season 5, Episode 22 (“Home”). "Everyone's going to be up in arms. We've had some pretty big season finales, but I would definitely have to say this is definitely one of the biggest we've had."
And that’s not all! When asked about the deaths that are set to go down in the season finale, Kat said: "When aren't there big deaths? It's what happens with them that matters." Hmm...Does this mean the deaths will be uncharacteristically permanent? Or, does it mean death is just the beginning for these killed-off characters. We’re inclined to lean towards the latter, given that Paul Wesley(Stefan) has dropped some big hints about a change in environment for TVD in Season 6.
Paul told TV Guide: "[The finale] definitely establishes new parameters in the environment we'll be shooting in Season 6. They reset things in a way, and the writers have the ability to now change the circumstances and locations of where the show takes place." Will these “new parameters” include whatever’s on the other side of the Other Side? Or does this tease have something to do with a location re-set on this mortal plane?
Monday, May 12, 2014
The vampire diaries season 5 finale : will matt die?
Anything goes in a Vampire Diaries season finale, and that includes the potential death of the most likeable character on the show. With a few major deaths teased for the Season 5 finale, we can’t help but worry about our guy Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig). Will the season-ender spell the end for Matty Blue Eyes?
He’s desperate to save Vicki. Matt loves his sister, and will do anything to save her, even if it means pissing off the Other Side. We saw this earlier in the season, and we can’t help but wonder if the opportunity to sacrifice himself for his sister might come up again. Sure, Vicki got sucked up into that Vortex of Doom, but we still don’t understand where that leads. Will Matt die to save his sister? And, as a non-supernatural who presumably wouldn’t go to the Other Side, how would that even work?
He’s the most vulnerable. Let’s face it: Matt is always a hair’s breadth away from dying on this show — or, more accurately, he’s always dying but coming back with the aid of the Gilbert ring. We’re constantly worried his luck — and the ring’s power — will run out. Will that time come in the Season 5 finale when there are dead characters running around who know the power of the Gilbert ring and would, perhaps, try to use it to escape their dire fate as the Other Side collapses?
He owes Stefan. There’s also the Stefan factor to consider. We’ve been seriously theorizing that Stefan will die in the penultimate episode and that the gang will spend the season finale desperately trying to bring him back. (While also dealing with the headache that is the Other Side collapsing. And the Travelers. And finals.) Stefan is the reason Matt survived the crash off Wickery Bridge in the Season 3 finale. Will this result in Matt feeling as if he has to do anything in his power to help bring Stefan back?
He’s part of Damon’s crazy plan. According to the synopsis for Season 5, Episode 22 (“Home”): “Damon comes up with a dangerous plan that relies on split-second timing from Jeremy and Matt.” When have Jeremy and Matt ever successfully pulled off a plan? Sorry, but they don’t have the best luck. In their most recent foray into evil fighting as two of the three members of Team Hunk, they lost the Traveler knife and their bestie with it. Maybe you can see why we’re so worried this plan won’t go off without a potentially deadly hitch?
He’s desperate to save Vicki. Matt loves his sister, and will do anything to save her, even if it means pissing off the Other Side. We saw this earlier in the season, and we can’t help but wonder if the opportunity to sacrifice himself for his sister might come up again. Sure, Vicki got sucked up into that Vortex of Doom, but we still don’t understand where that leads. Will Matt die to save his sister? And, as a non-supernatural who presumably wouldn’t go to the Other Side, how would that even work?
He’s the most vulnerable. Let’s face it: Matt is always a hair’s breadth away from dying on this show — or, more accurately, he’s always dying but coming back with the aid of the Gilbert ring. We’re constantly worried his luck — and the ring’s power — will run out. Will that time come in the Season 5 finale when there are dead characters running around who know the power of the Gilbert ring and would, perhaps, try to use it to escape their dire fate as the Other Side collapses?
He owes Stefan. There’s also the Stefan factor to consider. We’ve been seriously theorizing that Stefan will die in the penultimate episode and that the gang will spend the season finale desperately trying to bring him back. (While also dealing with the headache that is the Other Side collapsing. And the Travelers. And finals.) Stefan is the reason Matt survived the crash off Wickery Bridge in the Season 3 finale. Will this result in Matt feeling as if he has to do anything in his power to help bring Stefan back?
He’s part of Damon’s crazy plan. According to the synopsis for Season 5, Episode 22 (“Home”): “Damon comes up with a dangerous plan that relies on split-second timing from Jeremy and Matt.” When have Jeremy and Matt ever successfully pulled off a plan? Sorry, but they don’t have the best luck. In their most recent foray into evil fighting as two of the three members of Team Hunk, they lost the Traveler knife and their bestie with it. Maybe you can see why we’re so worried this plan won’t go off without a potentially deadly hitch?
will Damon and Elena reconcile in the vampire diaries season 5 finale
Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) shared a passionate kiss in last night’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, but these two are far from reconciled. Damon’s confused. Elena’s confused. And the Travelers want all (some?) of Elena’s blood, seriously killing the romantic mood. Will Delena reconcile in the season finale?
The two characters don’t seem to be spending a lot of time together in the synopsis for Season 5, Episode 22 (“Home”), but Ian told E! Online that his Season 5 finale plot would include “some very cool stuff with Damon, Elena, Bonnie. Stuff you [don't expect].” So, it sounds like Delena will play some role in the episode. But perhaps the most promising spoiler comes from executive producer Caroline Dries, who told TV Guide: "Nothing about Elena and Damon will ever be firm, only because their relationship is so fiery and complicated. But their feelings will be expressed by the end of the season." TV Guide further teased that Delena will “share an intense, emotional scene” in the Season 5 finale. Sounds like the stage is set for a reconciliation. (If you ask us, the show has been moving towards one since the two broke up.)
But a reconciliation does not necessarily mean all will be well for Delena come the end of Season 5. In fact, we’re seriously worried about Damon’s fate in the episode — as in, we think he may sacrifice himself for the good of the town, Elena, and all of his loved ones. The synopsis teases: “Damon’s plan causes a massive explosion in Mystic Falls, and everyone is caught up in the confusion, leaving a trail of heroism, sacrifice, relief and despair." Sacrifice? Despair? Heroism? Sounds like a recipe for a major character death, if you ask us. (Not that death is completely irreversible on this or any other supernatural show, even with the collapse of the Other Side.)
Of course, if Ian has anything to say about it, it seems Delena might be over for good. He recently told Larry King Now: “You know, it’s so funny, everybody says they want Elena to be with Damon, and I just think, ‘Do you guys watch this show?’ I mean, we’ve killed her whole family, we’ve killed her, caused her to burn her house down. I mean, we’ve destroyed this young woman’s life. And, also, too, if you’re 173 years old, man, you might want to date someone your age.” Is this a premonition of what’s to come? Probably not, given how passionate the Delena fanbase is, but regardless of any reconciliation in the Season 5 finale, we have a feeling Delena won’t get another honeymoon period anytime soon.
The two characters don’t seem to be spending a lot of time together in the synopsis for Season 5, Episode 22 (“Home”), but Ian told E! Online that his Season 5 finale plot would include “some very cool stuff with Damon, Elena, Bonnie. Stuff you [don't expect].” So, it sounds like Delena will play some role in the episode. But perhaps the most promising spoiler comes from executive producer Caroline Dries, who told TV Guide: "Nothing about Elena and Damon will ever be firm, only because their relationship is so fiery and complicated. But their feelings will be expressed by the end of the season." TV Guide further teased that Delena will “share an intense, emotional scene” in the Season 5 finale. Sounds like the stage is set for a reconciliation. (If you ask us, the show has been moving towards one since the two broke up.)
But a reconciliation does not necessarily mean all will be well for Delena come the end of Season 5. In fact, we’re seriously worried about Damon’s fate in the episode — as in, we think he may sacrifice himself for the good of the town, Elena, and all of his loved ones. The synopsis teases: “Damon’s plan causes a massive explosion in Mystic Falls, and everyone is caught up in the confusion, leaving a trail of heroism, sacrifice, relief and despair." Sacrifice? Despair? Heroism? Sounds like a recipe for a major character death, if you ask us. (Not that death is completely irreversible on this or any other supernatural show, even with the collapse of the Other Side.)
Of course, if Ian has anything to say about it, it seems Delena might be over for good. He recently told Larry King Now: “You know, it’s so funny, everybody says they want Elena to be with Damon, and I just think, ‘Do you guys watch this show?’ I mean, we’ve killed her whole family, we’ve killed her, caused her to burn her house down. I mean, we’ve destroyed this young woman’s life. And, also, too, if you’re 173 years old, man, you might want to date someone your age.” Is this a premonition of what’s to come? Probably not, given how passionate the Delena fanbase is, but regardless of any reconciliation in the Season 5 finale, we have a feeling Delena won’t get another honeymoon period anytime soon.
Vampire Diaries season 5 spoilers 7 things to know before the season finale episode 22 clues roundup
It’s almost here – “The Vampire Diaries” season finale! While the final episode of Season 5 means a long hiatus, fans can’t help but be excited about the coming drama. We’ve compiled a list of
But Mystic Falls might get a happy ending. New information from Sheriff Forbes will lead Damon, Matt and Jeremy to come up with a plan that “relies on split-second timing” – a massive explosion.
“Vampire Diaries” fans can expect confusion, heroism, sacrifice, relief and despair by the end of the finale.
2. The Fate Of Delena
Will they or won’t they get back together? That’s the question that Damon and Elena fans are dying to know.
Things have been rocky ever since Elena suggested that they be friends, but their kiss at the end of episode 20 revealed that the sparks are still there. Unfortunately the Travelers got to Elena before the duo could talk more.
Where does that leave their relationship? “Vampire Diaries” executive producer Caroline Dries told TV Guide that Damon and Elena’s feelings “will be expressed by the end of the season,” which means that fans can expect an “intense, emotional scene in the finale.”
“The couple is put through their ultimate test as they try to save their friends, their town, and each other,” creator Julie Plec added to E! News.
3. Welcome Back
The Season 5 finale of “The Vampire Diaries” will welcome back some familiar faces. Grams, Vicki and Kol have all already popped up in the last few weeks thanks to the crumbling Other Side, but Dries told TV Line that fans can expect more “faces that we’ve been missing over the series.”
[Click HERE to check out nine “Vampire Diaries” characters we want to see return in the Season 5 finale.]
4. Damon And The Other Woman
Move over, Delena shippers. Damon is expected to have a “big moment” with another woman in Mystic Falls. According to TV Guide, the scene will leave fans talking after the finale – but it’s not clear if this “big moment” will be romantic, deadly or worse.
5. A “Threeway”
Could the “other woman” in Damon’s life be Bonnie? Ian Somerhalder revealed to E! News that Damon will be working alongside Elena and Bonnie in the finale.
“The ending I think is really going to throw people,” he dished. “And it definitely involves Damon in a very cool way. So I guess the tease would be there is some very, very cool stuff with Damon, Elena and Bonnie. Just stuff you didn’t see … maybe it’s a threeway. Definitely a cliffhanger.”
6. Three Major Deaths
Yes, that’s right. “Vampire Diaries” fans can expect not one, not two, but three “major” deaths by the end of the Season 5 finale.
“When aren’t there big deaths?” Bonnie’s Kat Graham teased E! Online. “It’s what happens with them that matters.”
Magic, vampire blood and the Other Side have allowed characters to flip flop between life and death. But Dries confirmed to Zap2it that the deaths will be permanent.
7. Tyler’s Fate
With the Travelers knife gone, Tyler is seemingly stuck with the Passenger inside him. But just because one of Markos’ men is stuck inside him doesn’t mean that he’s safe. As previously mentioned, Markos and the Travelers will use such shocking violence against him that Forbes will be horrified. Expect the hybrid’s storyline to reach its climax in the finale.
The Season 5 finale of “The Vampire Diaries” will air on The CW on May 15 at 8 p.m. EDT. What do you think will happen in episode 22, “Home”? Let us know your theories in the comments section or send a tweet to seven spoilers and clues to know before episode 22 (the season finale) airs on May 15.
Ready to dive in?
1. The Official Synopsis
As we previously reported, episode 22 will be called “Home.” The Season 5 finale will find Damon “heartbroken by an unexpected tragedy,” but trying to hold himself together to deal with the disintegration of the Other Side. Teaming up with Bonnie, the elder Salvatore will push her to find a way to stop the Other Side from crumbling. And while it’s unclear if Bonnie will find a solution, she’ll definitely take advantage of the opportunity to “settle an old score.”Meanwhile, Elena will demand that Luke and Liv help stop the Other Side, and in order to get them to cooperate, Caroline proves some “personal motivation.” But Caroline’s strength will crack when Liv makes an off-hand remark about Stefan that leads to a “surprisingly emotional response.”
Finally, Markos and the Travelers will be resorting to violence to prove their control over Mystic Falls. And unfortunately that involves an act on Tyler that leaves Sheriff Forbes horrified.
But Mystic Falls might get a happy ending. New information from Sheriff Forbes will lead Damon, Matt and Jeremy to come up with a plan that “relies on split-second timing” – a massive explosion.
“Vampire Diaries” fans can expect confusion, heroism, sacrifice, relief and despair by the end of the finale.
2. The Fate Of Delena
Will they or won’t they get back together? That’s the question that Damon and Elena fans are dying to know.
Things have been rocky ever since Elena suggested that they be friends, but their kiss at the end of episode 20 revealed that the sparks are still there. Unfortunately the Travelers got to Elena before the duo could talk more.
Where does that leave their relationship? “Vampire Diaries” executive producer Caroline Dries told TV Guide that Damon and Elena’s feelings “will be expressed by the end of the season,” which means that fans can expect an “intense, emotional scene in the finale.”
“The couple is put through their ultimate test as they try to save their friends, their town, and each other,” creator Julie Plec added to E! News.
3. Welcome Back
The Season 5 finale of “The Vampire Diaries” will welcome back some familiar faces. Grams, Vicki and Kol have all already popped up in the last few weeks thanks to the crumbling Other Side, but Dries told TV Line that fans can expect more “faces that we’ve been missing over the series.”
[Click HERE to check out nine “Vampire Diaries” characters we want to see return in the Season 5 finale.]
4. Damon And The Other Woman
Move over, Delena shippers. Damon is expected to have a “big moment” with another woman in Mystic Falls. According to TV Guide, the scene will leave fans talking after the finale – but it’s not clear if this “big moment” will be romantic, deadly or worse.
5. A “Threeway”
Could the “other woman” in Damon’s life be Bonnie? Ian Somerhalder revealed to E! News that Damon will be working alongside Elena and Bonnie in the finale.
“The ending I think is really going to throw people,” he dished. “And it definitely involves Damon in a very cool way. So I guess the tease would be there is some very, very cool stuff with Damon, Elena and Bonnie. Just stuff you didn’t see … maybe it’s a threeway. Definitely a cliffhanger.”
6. Three Major Deaths
Yes, that’s right. “Vampire Diaries” fans can expect not one, not two, but three “major” deaths by the end of the Season 5 finale.
“When aren’t there big deaths?” Bonnie’s Kat Graham teased E! Online. “It’s what happens with them that matters.”
Magic, vampire blood and the Other Side have allowed characters to flip flop between life and death. But Dries confirmed to Zap2it that the deaths will be permanent.
7. Tyler’s Fate
With the Travelers knife gone, Tyler is seemingly stuck with the Passenger inside him. But just because one of Markos’ men is stuck inside him doesn’t mean that he’s safe. As previously mentioned, Markos and the Travelers will use such shocking violence against him that Forbes will be horrified. Expect the hybrid’s storyline to reach its climax in the finale.
The Season 5 finale of “The Vampire Diaries” will air on The CW on May 15 at 8 p.m. EDT. What do you think will happen in episode 22, “Home”? Let us know your theories in the comments section or send a tweet to seven spoilers and clues to know before episode 22 (the season finale) airs on May 15.
Ready to dive in?
1. The Official Synopsis
As we previously reported, episode 22 will be called “Home.” The Season 5 finale will find Damon “heartbroken by an unexpected tragedy,” but trying to hold himself together to deal with the disintegration of the Other Side. Teaming up with Bonnie, the elder Salvatore will push her to find a way to stop the Other Side from crumbling. And while it’s unclear if Bonnie will find a solution, she’ll definitely take advantage of the opportunity to “settle an old score.”Meanwhile, Elena will demand that Luke and Liv help stop the Other Side, and in order to get them to cooperate, Caroline proves some “personal motivation.” But Caroline’s strength will crack when Liv makes an off-hand remark about Stefan that leads to a “surprisingly emotional response.”
Finally, Markos and the Travelers will be resorting to violence to prove their control over Mystic Falls. And unfortunately that involves an act on Tyler that leaves Sheriff Forbes horrified.
Sync Up Cinema speakerJulie Plec leads the vampire diaries and the originals to season finales
Both “The Originals” and “The Vampire Diaries” are headed to season finales this week. Both youth-niche CW dramas are social-media smashes, if not overall-audience ratings hits, and will return for new seasons in the fall. And both are under the supervision of Julie Plec.
Plec spoke at the Sync Up Cinema conference during New Orleans Jazz Fest 2014, dishing great career advice for would-be TV writers during an “Inside the Writers Room” interview conducted by Ashley Charbonnet.
“Pretty much every person dead or alive is in some kind of jeopardy over the course of the episode,” said Plec of “The Vampire Diaries,” which costars Covington native Ian Somerhalder and which reaches its fifth-season finale at 8 p.m. Thursday (May 15) on WNOL. “The question is, will the dead survive? Will the living die? Will Mystic Falls as a home in general stay intact for our heroes to return to and live happily ever after? And which heroes will be alive to do so? The stakes are enormous, and it’s super-emotional, and I cry every time I watch it.”
The New Orleans-set “The Originals,” a spinoff of “The Vampire Diaries” which reaches its freshman-season finale at 8 p.m. Tuesday (May 13) on WNOL, “has been building up all season to the birth of the baby (a vampire-werewolf-witch-whatever hybrid conceived by characters Klaus and Hayley), and what will happen, and what does that baby mean?” Plec said.
“It’s gut-wrenching, and it’s really powerful, and it’s the culmination of all of the villains that have presented themselves over the course of the second half of the season – the humans, the werewolves, the witches, etc.,” she continued. “They’re all making their move. Our Originals, who are usually so invulnerable, become very vulnerable. And it’s pretty beautiful.”
Plec visited New Orleans almost exactly a year after “The Originals” was ordered to series by the CW. A pilot episode was shot (mostly) here in early 2013, and later aired as an episode of “The Vampire Diaries.” In success came a doubling of work for Plec, solo creator of the spinoff (she co-created “The Vampire Diaries” with Kevin Williamson) whose earlier credits include “Dawson’s Creek” and “Kyle XY” and who was also attached as producer to the CW series “The Tomorrow People,” which the CW canceled Thursday (May 8).
“I had, as they would say, less than half a clue,” Plec said during a pre-Sync Up interview at the New Orleans Museum of Art. “Mostly because it happened so busily in the midst of working on ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ There was so much going on that adding another project into my head and onto my plate — I think my biggest hope was that it would work. It was the first thing I had done solo. There’s a daunting element to that, where you think, ‘Is everything I’ve ever done only good because other people did it with me?’
“Spinning off a show like ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ there’s a fear that you’re going to take a good part away from that show to make a second show, and not wanting to do any damage to the original show. I went in with very few expectations other than that. I had a lot to prove and wanted to make it great. Thankfully, and blissfully, from the beginning I was able to put together a pretty tremendous group of people on the writing side and on the editing side — some of whom I brought over from ‘Vampire Diaries,’ some of whom I didn’t — that made the job over a course of a year much easier than it could’ve or should’ve been.
“And then people liked it. The goal is, when you’re making a television show, don’t make it suck, make sure people like it, and try to stay on the air. So far, we’re three-for-three, which is good.”
Both “The Originals” and “The Vampire Diaries” are primarily shot near Atlanta. “The Originals” establishes its setting via both creative scenic design — a Conyers, Ga., street is dressed to look like the French Quarter for some exterior shots – and judicious use of footage shot on field trips to New Orleans. Cast members made two visits here for filming during the run of the season. Other establishing footage was collected as well, to be spliced into Georgia-shot sequences. Local musicians have also been featured.
“Mechanically, we made a wonderful discovery, which is that if we could come here a couple of times a year and just shoot really small, specific pieces, that we could fill the show with the proper New Orleans flavor,” Plec said. “I call them the pastiche pieces, because we like to put them together (to show) a streetcar going by, a pan up the cathedral steeple, a couple of tourists framed in front of a fountain, that kind of thing. And to be able to use those pieces to then cut into the stuff that we shoot in Georgia, it’s been fantastically seamless.
“I have friends who’ve shot movies here, who’ve spent upwards of a year here working, and they say they can’t tell sometimes what was shot where. For them it feels very authentic. I’m sure for people that live here, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute. That’s not real.’
“It gives the flavor you need. It sets the tone. The whole reason why we set the show in New Orleans was for that tone.”
Recent original episodes of “The Originals” have averaged about 1.5 million total viewers, a fraction of the audience totals drawn to Tuesday-night leaders “NCIS” (16 million on Tuesday May 6), “NCIS: Los Angeles” (14 million) and “The Voice” (11 million). But ratings tell only part of the show’s impact. More than 4.5 million Facebook users “like” the show, and more than 450,000 Twitter users follow and comment upon the demimonde doings of Klaus, Elijah, Marcel and the rest of the show’s paranormal characters on the show’s official account.
Even if largely simulated in suburban Atlanta, New Orleans is as much a character in the show as any of the leads.
Plec used her recent quick trip to New Orleans to soak up more atmosphere and story ideas, attending a late-night Jazz Fest show at Preservation Hall the night before her Sync Up appearance.
“I was looking around in the courtyard and in the building, and I thought, ‘Gosh, you know, our production designers are doing a really good job, because it looks like this,’” she said. “What we have built looks like what I see when I’m here. I stood in that space, caught up in the music, and all I could think of were more stories and more opportunities and, ‘Ooo, what could we do with another jazz band on our show?’ Today I walked by a street musician and took a picture, and she had a little website, and I sent it to our music supervisor and said, ‘Check this girl out. She’s kind of cool.’
“When you walk here, when you walk the streets, you feel like you’re in another world. As a storyteller, to absorb that world — and it’s the same for the actors — it makes you feel connected to it in a really great way.”
Plec spoke at the Sync Up Cinema conference during New Orleans Jazz Fest 2014, dishing great career advice for would-be TV writers during an “Inside the Writers Room” interview conducted by Ashley Charbonnet.
“Pretty much every person dead or alive is in some kind of jeopardy over the course of the episode,” said Plec of “The Vampire Diaries,” which costars Covington native Ian Somerhalder and which reaches its fifth-season finale at 8 p.m. Thursday (May 15) on WNOL. “The question is, will the dead survive? Will the living die? Will Mystic Falls as a home in general stay intact for our heroes to return to and live happily ever after? And which heroes will be alive to do so? The stakes are enormous, and it’s super-emotional, and I cry every time I watch it.”
The New Orleans-set “The Originals,” a spinoff of “The Vampire Diaries” which reaches its freshman-season finale at 8 p.m. Tuesday (May 13) on WNOL, “has been building up all season to the birth of the baby (a vampire-werewolf-witch-whatever hybrid conceived by characters Klaus and Hayley), and what will happen, and what does that baby mean?” Plec said.
“It’s gut-wrenching, and it’s really powerful, and it’s the culmination of all of the villains that have presented themselves over the course of the second half of the season – the humans, the werewolves, the witches, etc.,” she continued. “They’re all making their move. Our Originals, who are usually so invulnerable, become very vulnerable. And it’s pretty beautiful.”
Plec visited New Orleans almost exactly a year after “The Originals” was ordered to series by the CW. A pilot episode was shot (mostly) here in early 2013, and later aired as an episode of “The Vampire Diaries.” In success came a doubling of work for Plec, solo creator of the spinoff (she co-created “The Vampire Diaries” with Kevin Williamson) whose earlier credits include “Dawson’s Creek” and “Kyle XY” and who was also attached as producer to the CW series “The Tomorrow People,” which the CW canceled Thursday (May 8).
“I had, as they would say, less than half a clue,” Plec said during a pre-Sync Up interview at the New Orleans Museum of Art. “Mostly because it happened so busily in the midst of working on ‘The Vampire Diaries.’ There was so much going on that adding another project into my head and onto my plate — I think my biggest hope was that it would work. It was the first thing I had done solo. There’s a daunting element to that, where you think, ‘Is everything I’ve ever done only good because other people did it with me?’
“Spinning off a show like ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ there’s a fear that you’re going to take a good part away from that show to make a second show, and not wanting to do any damage to the original show. I went in with very few expectations other than that. I had a lot to prove and wanted to make it great. Thankfully, and blissfully, from the beginning I was able to put together a pretty tremendous group of people on the writing side and on the editing side — some of whom I brought over from ‘Vampire Diaries,’ some of whom I didn’t — that made the job over a course of a year much easier than it could’ve or should’ve been.
“And then people liked it. The goal is, when you’re making a television show, don’t make it suck, make sure people like it, and try to stay on the air. So far, we’re three-for-three, which is good.”
Both “The Originals” and “The Vampire Diaries” are primarily shot near Atlanta. “The Originals” establishes its setting via both creative scenic design — a Conyers, Ga., street is dressed to look like the French Quarter for some exterior shots – and judicious use of footage shot on field trips to New Orleans. Cast members made two visits here for filming during the run of the season. Other establishing footage was collected as well, to be spliced into Georgia-shot sequences. Local musicians have also been featured.
“Mechanically, we made a wonderful discovery, which is that if we could come here a couple of times a year and just shoot really small, specific pieces, that we could fill the show with the proper New Orleans flavor,” Plec said. “I call them the pastiche pieces, because we like to put them together (to show) a streetcar going by, a pan up the cathedral steeple, a couple of tourists framed in front of a fountain, that kind of thing. And to be able to use those pieces to then cut into the stuff that we shoot in Georgia, it’s been fantastically seamless.
“I have friends who’ve shot movies here, who’ve spent upwards of a year here working, and they say they can’t tell sometimes what was shot where. For them it feels very authentic. I’m sure for people that live here, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute. That’s not real.’
“It gives the flavor you need. It sets the tone. The whole reason why we set the show in New Orleans was for that tone.”
Recent original episodes of “The Originals” have averaged about 1.5 million total viewers, a fraction of the audience totals drawn to Tuesday-night leaders “NCIS” (16 million on Tuesday May 6), “NCIS: Los Angeles” (14 million) and “The Voice” (11 million). But ratings tell only part of the show’s impact. More than 4.5 million Facebook users “like” the show, and more than 450,000 Twitter users follow and comment upon the demimonde doings of Klaus, Elijah, Marcel and the rest of the show’s paranormal characters on the show’s official account.
Even if largely simulated in suburban Atlanta, New Orleans is as much a character in the show as any of the leads.
Plec used her recent quick trip to New Orleans to soak up more atmosphere and story ideas, attending a late-night Jazz Fest show at Preservation Hall the night before her Sync Up appearance.
“I was looking around in the courtyard and in the building, and I thought, ‘Gosh, you know, our production designers are doing a really good job, because it looks like this,’” she said. “What we have built looks like what I see when I’m here. I stood in that space, caught up in the music, and all I could think of were more stories and more opportunities and, ‘Ooo, what could we do with another jazz band on our show?’ Today I walked by a street musician and took a picture, and she had a little website, and I sent it to our music supervisor and said, ‘Check this girl out. She’s kind of cool.’
“When you walk here, when you walk the streets, you feel like you’re in another world. As a storyteller, to absorb that world — and it’s the same for the actors — it makes you feel connected to it in a really great way.”
3 reasons why Stefan can't be dead on the vampire diaries
If you’re anything like us, your jaw dropped at the sheer audacity The Vampire Diaries had in killing Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) off in last night’s episode. (Um, spoiler.) The move was so audacious, we’re not really sure it will stick. Here are three reasons why Stefan can’t be dead.
Paul Wesley has a contract through the sixth season. Here’s the thing: Paul’s contract goes through the sixth season. That being said, there is allegedly a clause in all of the TVD cast members’ contracts that dictates their characters can be killed off at any time. (Does this include Paul, Nina, and Ian?) However, we highly doubt TVD would choose to enact such a clause in Paul’s case. Stefan’s character — and the Stelena ship — has a huge following. With ratings at an all-time low, we doubt TVD would risk cutting Paul loose.
The TVD ending needs Stefan. TVD executive producer Julie Plec told Digital Spy: "I think the question in a show like The Vampire Diaries is really how Damon, Elena, and Stefan's journey ends. We know how we want Elena's journey to end as it relates to both her character and her relationship with the two brothers, and how we want the brothers' relationship with each other to end." It sounds like Stefan is a very important part of the imagined ending of the TVD story. Even if he doesn’t end up with Elena, that doesn’t mean his relationship with her isn’t important. The love triangle doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic love; the show is still structured around the dynamic between these three characters.
He is the heart of the show. Let’s face it: this show isn’t filled with the most upright of vampires-citizens. They kill. They destroy. They blow up towns. In last night’s episode, Stefan tells Elena that vampires have destruction in their nature. That being said, Stefan is one of the few characters — and, arguably, the only character out of the main three — who has held onto his moral code. Sure, he’s slipped rather dramatically at times, but he always comes back to his desire to be good and he never forgets his crimes. This show may not be about the traditional hero, but it needs the kind of moral compass Stefan represents as a barometer for how far some of the other characters have fallen.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
vampire diaries season 5 episode 21 promised land
Did Stefan Salvatore really just die? We knew The Vampire Diaries was going to kill off someone important in this episode, and we speculated that it might be Stefan, but we had no idea that Stefan was going to go out in such a gruesome way in Season 5, Episode 21. And poor Caroline was a witness to the whole thing!
TVD has a knack for memorable death scenes, and part of what made Stefan's death so shocking is that it happened so suddenly. Seriously! One minute he was fighting with Julian (in Tyler's hybrid body) and the next, Julian was holding Stefan's heart in his hand. That's right. Julian ripped out Stefan's heart! Now, seeing as the Other Side is currently falling apart, we don't think this death is permanent — at least we don't want to believe it. Stefan has grown into one of our favorite characters over the last few seasons (read: the best character on the show), and his friendship with Caroline is the best part of the show! We just don't see how Julie Plec and Co. can make this death permanent.
Then again, it does end the love triangle once and for all, which is a very good thing for the series. Perhaps Stefan's death would be the catalyst TVD needs to fix itself. This past season has faltered when it came to storytelling. Stefan is an amazing character, but in his absence, perhaps other character will step up to the plate.
Credit: Guy D'Alema/The CW © 2014 The CW Network
OK, so now that you've had some time to deal with the reality of Stefan's fate, let's rewind at start from the top. The penultimate episode begins with a scene at the Salvatore mansion. In the wake of Stefan and Elena’s “doppelnapping,” Damon is questioning (read: torturing) a Traveler — or, rather a Passenger residing inside poor Mr. Sykes — and getting nowhere. It turns out these Travelers are really good at keeping quiet and really bad at keeping track of Markos’ whereabouts.
Luckily for Damon, but unluckily for Mr. Sykes, a rogue Traveler sets Stefan and Elena free from Markos’ blood-draining dungeon. They’re weak and hungry, but hey, at least they have their lives. And we’d totally watch a spinoff of them trying to live off the grid. Hunting for squirrels is not Elena’s forte. You think they would have learned more survival skills hunting for the cure.
With nothing better to do, Stefan and Elena entertain themselves by asking W.W.C.D. — “What Would Caroline Do?” We love that the TVD writers love Caroline Forbes as much as we do. We only wish she would have had more screentime in this episode. (And if Caroline was around, there would definitely be two rainbows.)
Eventually, Stefan and Elena get picked up by the same rogue Traveler who set them free — and it happens to be Julian’s wife. She wants to save her husband, which is awkward because Stelena obviously wants to save their friend. But they don’t have a ton of time because now that he has the doppelganger blood, Markos is about to start the spell to rid Mystic Falls of magic.
Enter the Wonder Twins. Luke and Liv tried everything they could to stop the Travelers, so in a desperate attempt to stop Markos, they decide they have to kill one of the doppelgangers. So they attack Stelena during their joyride back to the Salvatore mansion. Julian’s wife Maria dies in the crash — hey, Bonnie, what’s up, girl? — which leaves Stelena in a dangerous situation.
But the Wonder Twins don't get very far in their murderous plan before their magic starts to wear off. The Travelers of Mystic Falls have begun the spell — and it's spreading beyond just their sleepy town. Liv and Luke aren't the only ones affected by the Travelers' spell, as Stefan and Elena's daylight rings no longer work. This sends Stelena running for the Mystic Grill. And while they're on the run with Matty Blue Eyes, Stefan and Elena both relive their human deaths, which has devastating effects IRL. Needless to say, Stefan and Elena need to get out of Mystic Falls. (Don't worry: Caroline is safe and at Whitmore.) As for Damon, well, he's busy with Markos. After his plan to kidnap Markos' Travelers from the cave backfires — Markos clearly doesn't care about his people — he resorts to Plan B, Julian. Julian wants to reunite with his wife Maria (he clearly doesn't know she's dead), so he teams up with Damon to try and take down Markos. Unfortunately for both of them, the Travelers' have started the spell and both Damon and Julian are losing their supernatural abilities. Markos tells them to run; they might be able to out-run the spell by nightfall.
So all of our Mystic Falls favorites gather just outside of town, ready to leave Mystic Falls. Damon and Elena reunite and — wait for it — KISS. There's nothing like a near-death experience to remind you of how much you love each other. Stefan tells Damon and Elena to head off while he waits for Caroline. Matt and Jeremy are going to stay in Mystic Falls to keep an eye on the Travelers.
But Julian doesn't want to leave without Maria. And that's when Stefan has to tell him that Maria's dead. He doesn't take it well. He tries to attack Stefan. That's when Caroline steps in and tries to snap Julian's neck, and then Julian goes after Care Bear! Stefan steps in, and before you can say, "Hero hair," Julian is holding Stefan's heart in his hand.
Caroline cries. We all cry. Stefan meets Bonnie to pass to the Other Side. We have no idea how they're going to fix this one.
TVD has a knack for memorable death scenes, and part of what made Stefan's death so shocking is that it happened so suddenly. Seriously! One minute he was fighting with Julian (in Tyler's hybrid body) and the next, Julian was holding Stefan's heart in his hand. That's right. Julian ripped out Stefan's heart! Now, seeing as the Other Side is currently falling apart, we don't think this death is permanent — at least we don't want to believe it. Stefan has grown into one of our favorite characters over the last few seasons (read: the best character on the show), and his friendship with Caroline is the best part of the show! We just don't see how Julie Plec and Co. can make this death permanent.
Then again, it does end the love triangle once and for all, which is a very good thing for the series. Perhaps Stefan's death would be the catalyst TVD needs to fix itself. This past season has faltered when it came to storytelling. Stefan is an amazing character, but in his absence, perhaps other character will step up to the plate.
Credit: Guy D'Alema/The CW © 2014 The CW Network
OK, so now that you've had some time to deal with the reality of Stefan's fate, let's rewind at start from the top. The penultimate episode begins with a scene at the Salvatore mansion. In the wake of Stefan and Elena’s “doppelnapping,” Damon is questioning (read: torturing) a Traveler — or, rather a Passenger residing inside poor Mr. Sykes — and getting nowhere. It turns out these Travelers are really good at keeping quiet and really bad at keeping track of Markos’ whereabouts.
Luckily for Damon, but unluckily for Mr. Sykes, a rogue Traveler sets Stefan and Elena free from Markos’ blood-draining dungeon. They’re weak and hungry, but hey, at least they have their lives. And we’d totally watch a spinoff of them trying to live off the grid. Hunting for squirrels is not Elena’s forte. You think they would have learned more survival skills hunting for the cure.
With nothing better to do, Stefan and Elena entertain themselves by asking W.W.C.D. — “What Would Caroline Do?” We love that the TVD writers love Caroline Forbes as much as we do. We only wish she would have had more screentime in this episode. (And if Caroline was around, there would definitely be two rainbows.)
Eventually, Stefan and Elena get picked up by the same rogue Traveler who set them free — and it happens to be Julian’s wife. She wants to save her husband, which is awkward because Stelena obviously wants to save their friend. But they don’t have a ton of time because now that he has the doppelganger blood, Markos is about to start the spell to rid Mystic Falls of magic.
Enter the Wonder Twins. Luke and Liv tried everything they could to stop the Travelers, so in a desperate attempt to stop Markos, they decide they have to kill one of the doppelgangers. So they attack Stelena during their joyride back to the Salvatore mansion. Julian’s wife Maria dies in the crash — hey, Bonnie, what’s up, girl? — which leaves Stelena in a dangerous situation.
But the Wonder Twins don't get very far in their murderous plan before their magic starts to wear off. The Travelers of Mystic Falls have begun the spell — and it's spreading beyond just their sleepy town. Liv and Luke aren't the only ones affected by the Travelers' spell, as Stefan and Elena's daylight rings no longer work. This sends Stelena running for the Mystic Grill. And while they're on the run with Matty Blue Eyes, Stefan and Elena both relive their human deaths, which has devastating effects IRL. Needless to say, Stefan and Elena need to get out of Mystic Falls. (Don't worry: Caroline is safe and at Whitmore.) As for Damon, well, he's busy with Markos. After his plan to kidnap Markos' Travelers from the cave backfires — Markos clearly doesn't care about his people — he resorts to Plan B, Julian. Julian wants to reunite with his wife Maria (he clearly doesn't know she's dead), so he teams up with Damon to try and take down Markos. Unfortunately for both of them, the Travelers' have started the spell and both Damon and Julian are losing their supernatural abilities. Markos tells them to run; they might be able to out-run the spell by nightfall.
So all of our Mystic Falls favorites gather just outside of town, ready to leave Mystic Falls. Damon and Elena reunite and — wait for it — KISS. There's nothing like a near-death experience to remind you of how much you love each other. Stefan tells Damon and Elena to head off while he waits for Caroline. Matt and Jeremy are going to stay in Mystic Falls to keep an eye on the Travelers.
But Julian doesn't want to leave without Maria. And that's when Stefan has to tell him that Maria's dead. He doesn't take it well. He tries to attack Stefan. That's when Caroline steps in and tries to snap Julian's neck, and then Julian goes after Care Bear! Stefan steps in, and before you can say, "Hero hair," Julian is holding Stefan's heart in his hand.
Caroline cries. We all cry. Stefan meets Bonnie to pass to the Other Side. We have no idea how they're going to fix this one.
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