Despite her Season 6 departure from The Vampire Diaries , Nina Dobrev still feels like a very integral part of the show. Her character is mentioned on a constant basis and now that Damon appears to have burned Elena's body, our focus on her future (or lack thereof?) is more prominent than ever. Is Elena really gone to us for good? Will Nina Dobrev ever return TVD ? Could this really be the end of the epic Delena love story? As soon as Damon lit that match, it was as though our worst fears had come to life right before our very eyes.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean our Miss Gilbert is gone from us for good. In fact, there are some viewers (like myself) who are confident that this little Elena bonfire was all just part of Damon's hallucination. I mean, if they really were going to kill off such a prominent character, they wouldn't have done it in such a cavalier way. That kind of thing deserves a spot in a season finale, not the last few minutes of some random episode. Then there's the fact that both Dobrev and Julie Plec have expressed their willingness to have Elena come back at some point, which would prove to be much more difficult if the character really is burnt to a crisp.
"Nina has always said that if there’s something for her to do in the series finale that she will be there to do it," Plec told Entertainment Weekly shortly after Dobrev's departure in the Season 6 finale. "When she left, she said, ‘I want to see this character to its end at the end of the show, so I can’t wait to come back and put her to bed again.'" That sounds like the voice of someone who wants/expects to eventually give her character some closure, don't you agree? So I doubt that the writers would be too quick to rule that possibility out by killing the character off. Just think what it would do for their ratings to have her back.
Of course, TVD's fate remains rather uncertain these days, given that the series has yet to be picked up for an eighth season by The CW — and, let's be honest, their move to Friday nights isn't exactly a reassuring sign. But Plec still has every intention of keeping the series going for as long as possible and definitely wants Elena around when it's finally time to say goodbye. "There is still a chapter of [Elena’s] story left to be told,” Plec told TVLine, while adding that she’ll happily "take [Dobrev] for whatever she’s willing to do to tell that story."
So basically, it all boils down to a bittersweet situation. On the one hand, it looks like we'll definitely get Elena back at some point. But on the other hand, when we do, it means the show is coming to a close. (*Cue sad violin*) So for those of you who've been holding out hope that Dobrev would be making a more permanent comeback, I'm sorry to disappoint, but she's remained quite adamant about her decision ever since her departure was first announced via Instagram.
That being said, there's always a chance she could be persuaded to do a Vampire Diaries movie at some point down the line. This is a year of TV revivals after all (Gilmore Girls, Fuller House, The X-Files), so I wouldn't really rule anything out at this point. But in the meantime, let's just try and soak up as much bad boy Damon moments as we can for now, shall we?
Images: Bob Mahoney/The CW; Giphy (2); Nina Dobrev/Instagram
