Since its release in 2009,The Vampire DiariesbecameThe CW’s appointment watch. The series, loosely based onL. J. Smith’s bestselling books, introduces audiences to Mystic Falls through the lens of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a teenager who falls head over heels for a centuries-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Of course, their romance is heavily impacted by Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) arrival, who, like his brother, is unable to resist his attraction to Elena.The main characters' love trianglemay drive the series, butit’s the many plot twists and unexpected appearances from other supernatural beings that kept TVD entertaining in the long run.
Although there are many episodes that fans might deem perfect,this list includes the 10 picks that keep you guessing from start to finish. The following mentions are marked by some of the series' most impactful events, including Katherine Pierce’s (Dobrev) grand entry, Elena’s blood-sucking transformation, and Stefan’s final sacrifice. In case you want to revisit TVD without binging the entire show, refer to these episodes to remember what made this YA drama epic.
The Vampire Diaries
10"I Was Feeling Epic"
Season 8, Episode 16
The later seasons of TVD are arguably inferior to the first four, but the series did wrap up in a fitting manner. Katherine comes back determined to literally bring hell to earth, leading Stefan and Damon to join forces to stop her. As Bonnie (Kat Graham) comes to the conclusion that she can contain hellfire with her magic, she performs her greatest spell yet, with her ancestors supporting her.This scene proves howBonnie is one of the series' most vitalcharacters, since her powers are the main reason why several people escaped death throughout the seasons, and she is responsible for ultimately saving her town from destruction.
The show’s final episode marks Elena’s grand return, with Bonnie finding a way to revive her friend without having to die in the process. As Elena and Damon get to enjoy the rest of their human lives together,it is sweet to know that after Stefan sacrificed himself for his brother, the two of them were able to reunite in the afterlife.This goes to show that the Salvatore brothers' bond is TVD’s ultimate love story.
Season 5, Episode 22
With the Other Side crumbling down, the clock is ticking for the series' core group to come up with a plan that can prevent Stefan, Tyler (Michael Trevino), and others from having their souls fade to oblivion. With help from Liv (Penelope Mitchell), Bonnie is able to perform a spell that can help her friends return to the world of the living. Still, every spell comes at a price, and by the end of Season 5’s finale, Damon and Bonnie are stuck on the Other Side as it dissolves. Although in Season 6 viewers come to learn that Bonnie and Damon survived and are stuck in the prison world,the uncertainty over what happened to the characters left fans devastated when the episode aired in 2014.
The moment Elena uncovers that Damon will not come back,she breaks down like never before, and it’s gut-wrenching to watch. By that point, the couple had gone through so much that having them separate just didn’t seem right. It is also upsetting to see Bonnie sacrifice herself again for the people around her, and not get the chance to save herself.
8"Graduation"
Season 4, Episode 23
A lot happens during TVD’s graduation episode, given that ghosts are everywhere to be found. Lexi (Arielle Kebbel), Alaric (Matthew Davis), Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), and others return from the grave for a day, allowing people to reconnect with their loved ones and be cautious of the ghosts wanting to hunt them down. In the middle of the chaos,there is an ongoing debate as to who will get the cure. Elena, Stefan, Rebekah (Claire Holt), and others have reasons to want it, but the cure can only be for one person, leaving whoever takes it a mystery until the end of the episode.
In addition to the cure debacle,Season 4’s closer is emotional because Bonnie is revealed to be dead, and graduating with her friends is her dying wish. When the veil is up, she will be stuck on the Other Side, leaving Caroline (Candice Accola) and Elena to mourn her. Finally, the episode ends on a cliffhanger whenSilas is brought back from the dead and Stefan finds out that he is Silas' doppelgänger.
7"Growing Pains"
Season 4, Episode 1
Elena finally becomes a vampire in the first episode of Season 4. As she transitions into immortality, the protagonist remembers the memories she was compelled to forget when she was a human.This trip down memory lane is a series highlight, because Elena undergoes an emotional roller coaster. When she remembers Damon confessing his love for her, it offers her a bit of clarity as to Damon’s good will.
As Elena, Stefan, and Rebekah are locked in cells after Pastor Young captured them,viewers witness the characters at their most vulnerable. Elena confesses to Stefan that before her accident, she was heading back to Mystic Falls to choose to be with him. Their conversation in this episode is important because when she fully transitions into a vampire, her feelings for Damon outgrow hers for Stefan due to the sire bond.
6"The Sun Also Rises"
Season 2, Episode 21
Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) urge to become a hybrid leads him to come up with a ritual, turning Jenna into a vampire in order to have all the people he needs to complete his transition. With Greta’s help, Klaus is determined to kill Jenna (Sara Canning), Jules (Michaela McManus), and Elena in orderto become the first hybrid, a pivotal part of his arc in the series.Although Elena eventually survives the ritual due to Bonnie’s spell, she loses her aunt and her biological father on the same night, marking some of the most tragic losses in the show.
By the end of the episode,Elijah (Daniel Gillies) also uncovers that Klaus knows where the rest of their family’s caskets are, meaning that there is a chance for the other Originals to get revived. This key bit of information is what convinces Elijah to keep Klaus alive, since his greatest wish is to be reunited with his family.
5"Dangerous Liaisons"
Season 3, Episode 14
TVD was at its best when The Originals were in it, and that is apparent in Season 3, Episode 14. When Esther (Alice Evans) plans a ball to celebrate her family’s reunion, everyone is dressed to the nines andthe occasion provides a glaring look at how the first vampire family interacts with the series' main set of characters. There is a closeness between Klaus and Caroline after he invites her to the ball and gives her a stunning gown to wear. Rebekah becomes fond of Matt (Zach Roerig) as they dance together, teasing their eventual romance later on.
But out of all the interactions in the episode,the main love triangle’s dynamic is what keeps viewers on edge. Despite initially being opposed to attending the ball, Elena arrives at the Mikaelson mansion just in time and is escorted by both Damon and Stefan. They take turns vying for her attention, making her moments with the Salvatore brothers filled with chemistry.
4"As I Lay Dying"
Season 2, Episode 22
When Damon is infected with a werewolf bite, his body begins to fail him and no one knows if there is a cure that could help him. That is until Stefan finds out that Klaus is the only one that could intervene and put a stop to Damon’s misery. As is expected from a TVD finale,it’s only in the episode’s final instances that Katherine shows up to offer Klaus' blood for Damon to drink and recover. Yet, before Katherine comes to his rescue, the eldest Salvatore sibling begins to hallucinate and Elena lies by his side to comfort him, despite how furious she was with him at the beginning of the episode. This only goes to show that deep down she does have feelings for Damon, even if she is in love with Stefan. As for Stefan, he loves his brother so much that he turns himself over to Klaus in order for Damon to survive.
Another major event that happens in this episode is Jeremy’s death. Bonnie begs the witches to help bring him back to life, and although they do help her, it is implied that there will be consequences. When Jeremy sees Anna (Malese Jow) and Vicki (Kayla Ewell) as ghosts, the consequences of his revival are made abundantly clear.
3"Founder’s Day"
Season 1, Episode 22
On Mystic Falls' 150th anniversary, everyone gathers in the town square, believing that this night will be about the festivities. Unfortunately,the celebratory event is used by the council as a trap to locate the vampires in the region and burn them to the ground. With Damon, Mayor Lockwood (Robert Pralgo), and other supernatural townsfolk being injected with vervain and left to die in the basement of the old Gilbert office, it is unclear who will be able to survive the attack. If it weren’t for Elena’s plea to John (David Anders), whom she learns is her biological father, the Salvatore brothers wouldn’t have made it out alive.
Katherine’s arrival offers a satisfying conclusion to Season 1, since everything that viewers knew about the character up until this point was shared through flashbacks. When Damon kisses Elena on the front porch of her house, no one would ever imagine that he actually kissed Katherine disguised as Elena.
2"The Departed"
Season 3, Episode 22
Season 3’s finaleoffers a taste of what life looked like before the vampires took over Mystic Falls. As Elena recuperates at home, she remembers when her parents and Jenna were still around, and she didn’t need to worry about her safety at every waking moment. Getting a glimpse at her backstory allows for the episode’s final scene, where she transitions into a vampire, which is much more exciting to witness. Viewers also find out that, unbeknownst to Elena, Damon met her before Stefan did, which changes the optics on which of the Salvatore brothers deserves to be with her.
The tensions are at an all-time high in the Season 3 finale, because Klaus gets staked to the heart. Several vampires in town begin to worry that they might die because they come from Klaus' bloodline. Still, as TVD often has a way to concoct a surprising turn,it is revealed that the Original is alive after all.Thanks to Bonnie’s spell, he takes over Tyler’s body, tricking everyone into thinking that he was gone for good.
1"Masquerade"
Season 2, Episode 7
When Katherine Pierce arrives in Mystic Falls, chaos ensues as she tries to get in the way of Stefan and Elena’s relationship.Season 2, Episode 7 is a standout because it marks one of the first times that the Salvatore brothers team up with their inner circle to take down the vicious doppelgänger.The various twists and turns throughout the episode prove that when it comes to centuries-old vampires, nothing is as easy as it seems. When everyone is ready to enact their plan to kill Katherine at the masquerade ball, she reveals that her body has been linked to Elena’s through a spell and that whatever happens to one will happen to the other.
If Katherine’s uncertain fate isn’t enough to keep things on edge, this episode marks Tyler’s transition into being a werewolf. After he accidentally kills a girl at the party, he sets off the curse and realizes that his life will be forever changed by this isolated event.Introducing werewolves to the narrative is a crucial stepping stonefor when Klaus shows up later on in the series, wanting Tyler’s help to become a hybrid.
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