#thevanpirediaries

To celebrate the end of the 2010s, Entertainment Weekly’s Must List is looking back at the best pop culture of the decade that changed movies, TV, music, and more (catch up on our list so far, which includes the MCU’s big Snap, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s history-making hit Hamilton, and Beyonce’s iconic Coachella set). Today, we look back on The Vampire Diaries and its perfect love triangle.

There’s a reason we’ve seen so many love triangles on television. The classic storytelling device is a surefire way to drum up drama in any situation. It taps into a fandom’s desire to root for something, to feel competitive about something. If shipping was born out of fans wanting a particular love story, why not give them two and make them choose? Well, because it can get complicated. For as often as we see love triangles on television series, they don’t always work.

Love triangles are a high-wire act. The two relationships needs to feel different enough, though both must feel valid. You have to give each couple their moments without making the central person’s preference obvious. And most of all, it has to feel right when that central person finally chooses someone. Audiences should be able to look back at the story and understand that decision. (They might not like it, but it should make sense.)

So yeah, love triangles are fun. Will Joey choose Dawson or Pacey? Will Rory choose Jess or Dean? It’s a way to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. But when handled correctly, it should be about more than suspense. It should be about great storytelling. And when The Vampire Diaries premiered its third season in 2011, it delivered on all the promises of a love triangle.

After two years of establishing the love story of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), the teenager as familiar with loss as she was with homework, and Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), the undead man who brought her back to life, it was time for Stefan to step out of the picture for a bit. (He left town with Klaus as part of a deal to save his brother’s life.) Enter Damon (Ian Somerhalder), Stefan’s older brother. The show had already established Damon’s undeniable connection with his brother’s girl, and through the experience of trying to track down Stefan, Elena and Damon grew closer. But again, high-wire act. Elena, the selfless human who put those she loved before herself, couldn’t suddenly fall head over heels for the selfish, impulsive vampire who once snapped her brother’s neck. But what she could do was slowly start to see other sides to Damon, all the while trying to get Stefan back.

The groundwork was laid as early as episode 2, when Damon told Elena, “When I drag my brother from the edge and deliver him back to you, I want you to remember the things you felt while he was gone.” The key words being “while he was gone.” Stefan’s absence was crucial to building the love triangle: If she felt things for Damon while Stefan was gone, what would it mean when he returned? By pairing the story of Damon’s redemption with that of Stefan’s downfall as Klaus (Joseph Morgan) forced him to drink human blood and turn off his humanity, Elena’s relationship with the brothers was flipped on its head. She found herself once again paired with the “good Salvatore brother” — only this time, it was Damon.

And once that bond with Damon was set, Stefan started to make his way back into the picture.

If we’re talking about the balance needed in a love triangle, TVD’s third season could walk a tightrope. Just as Damon started to win Elena over, Stefan proved that she shouldn’t give up on him. Damon made Elena jealous by flirting with another girl in one scene, Stefan caught her when she fell in the next. We’re not talking about epic, sweeping romantic moments. We’re talking about a look here, a touch of the knee there. Because the show was calculated and incredibly subtle in both building the relationship of Damon and Elena and rebuilding the relationship of Stefan and Elena. You have to be when your season contains 22 episodes. Damon and Elena didn’t share a kiss until episode 11 of the season. Stefan and Elena, the love story upon which the show had been built in its first two years, did not kiss until the season finale. Let’s say that one more time: The show managed to get through 21 episodes without its core couple so much as kissing, and yet Stefan and Elena’s love never felt like it was gone. It coursed through the show with the same electricity it always had, as the thing that propelled each of them forward.

It should be stated that the show was able to survive on an entire season of almost-moments in large part due to the chemistry between the actors. Not every show could get away with a look between two people holding as much weight as Stefan and Elena in a closet in Chicago or Damon and Elena in his bathroom after the bonfire. But thanks to that chemistry, the show didn’t need multiple make-outs and big speeches to make the love triangle feel real.

And by never having Elena waver in her love for Stefan, despite her feelings for Damon, she remained likable as the heroine of the story. At no point did she forget Stefan in favor of her new relationship with Damon. She struggled with both, all season long. As she told Stefan in episode 18, “I never stopped loving you.” And with that love as the foundation of the triangle, she remained relatable in her emotional struggles, which allowed viewers to become invested in both possible outcomes and guaranteed that no matter which brother she chose, fans would follow that love story.

Somehow, The Vampire Diaries managed to build a new love story without destroying the one that launched its series. And furthermore, it found a way to make Damon feel like a viable candidate, despite Elena’s unfaltering love of Stefan, which meant viewers went into the season 3 finale genuinely not knowing which brother Elena would choose. After all, her options were very different. As Rose (Lauren Cohan) told Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) in episode 19, “[Stefan’s] love is pure; he’ll always be good for her. Damon is either the best thing for her or the worst.” So the question became: Is Damon currently the best thing for her? Or the worst?

It all built to the second half of the season finale, when Elena had to make a decision because she believed both brothers were hours away from dying. She had to choose which one got the goodbye. And ultimately, she chose Stefan. Because, as she told Damon, “No matter what I feel for you, I never unfell for him,” a line that acknowledged her feelings for both brothers and allowed viewers to understand her decision. (And just to make sure the Delena shippers didn’t lose hope, the writers threw in a flashback that revealed that Damon and Elena actually met first.)

What is the deal with new guy Sebastian on Legacies Season 2, and is that deal connected to The Vampire Diaries and/or The Originals? Sebastian showed up out of nowhere and charmed Lizzie Saltzman, who also reminds him of someone he used to know. A hint? Also, is Lizzie -- excuse me, Elizabeth -- the only one who can see him?

To vampire MG, Sebastian is invisible, leading some fans to wonder if Lizzie imagined Sebastian or (more likely) if there's some other kind of supernatural magic at work. Is it possible that Sebastian has a connection to The Vampire Diaries, the show that started it all, and/or its first spinoff, The Originals? He's already been compared to TVD's Damon Salvatore. And we know Hope Mikaelson's Aunt Freya is coming to Legacies soon. Will Seb have anything to do with her arrival?

Thomas Doherty plays Sebastian on Legacies and he seems to be having fun teasing out answers. He did say that Sebastian's backstory will be revealed in Episode 5, which is titled "Screw Endgame" and airs November 14. There isn't a new episode on Thursday, October 31 for Halloween, unfortunately, but that means we only have the November 7 episode before getting to the truth about Sebastian.

After Thomas Doherty mentioned his initial interest in Elizabeth is because she reminds him of a past lover, ET asked if there could be another potential doppelgänger in the mix. That's certainly something fans have gotten used to from The Vampire Diaries.

Here's Thomas Doherty's attempt to deflect from that question:

Thomas Doherty: I don't think there is another Thomas wandering around the set, but you never know. [Laughs]

ET: Maybe not a Thomas or Sebastian doppelgänger, but could Lizzie have one, and that is why it reminds Sebastian of his past love?

Thomas Doherty: [Laughs] Maybe.

Ugh! He can't really confirm or deny anything, which is why he also played coy when asked directly if Sebastian had any ties to the Salvatores of The Vampire Diaries or Mikaelsons of The Originals -- you know, the founding families of our supernatural world. Here's what Thomas Doherty said about that:

Potentially [Laughs]. This is really hard! Wait and see.

Potentially! Sebastian was already described as something like Ian Somerhalder's Damon Salvatore of The Vampire Diaries. Thomas Doherty agreed both characters have a "kind of brooding, charming, mysterious thing about them."

The actor also said Sebastian will become much more present as the season progresses. It sounds like we're building toward a great reveal:

I really hope that I don't disappoint anyone. I don't really think [fans] will be. As I was reading the script, as I started, I was like, 'Whaaat?! Oh my god!' I don't think anyone will be disappointed.

Nice! Would it be too obvious for Sebastian to be the hooded figure in the Mystic Falls cemetery, connected to Malivore? I still feel like Vardemus is somehow connected to that, and maybe he's dragging Dark Josie into it. Still, we have to remember the timing of Sebastian's sudden appearance, right around when Hope escaped Malivore. Can Hope see Sebastian? I want to see them interact...

Thomas Doherty told EW we're dealing with something new in Sebastian:

The character’s written as someone that is very different than the vampires that we’ve seen before in Legacies.

I'm open to any and all Sebastian theories at this point, especially if they connect to the larger story being told from Vampire Diaries or The Originals.

Don't forget the Hope Mikaelson's Aunt Freya from The Originals is meant to be coming to Mystic Falls, and we've been told 1) Freya is supposed to show up in Episode 6, right after Sebastian's big reveal episode; and 2) Julie Plec said it's not Hope who goes and brings Freya to Mystic Falls. She said it's someone else and it'll be an interesting dynamic. I had been assuming Landon, but what if it's Sebastian?

I'm also fond of this fan theory connecting Sebastian to the Gemini Coven, which would connect him to The Vampire Diaries, The Merge, Josie and Lizzie Saltzman, their late biological mother, and their crazy Uncle Kai.

No clue if that theory holds water, but I like it. Plus, am I reading too much into things to notice Sebastian's ring? He and Lizzie go on some kind of picnic date in Episode 4, "Since When Do You Speak Japanese?" and the promo photo shows his ring. Is that just a classic daylight ring to protect him from the sun? Is the ring by any chance enchanted in other ways? I may be reaching.

So we know answers on Sebastian are coming in Legacies Season 2, Episode 5 (which is also the '80s decade dance episode). EW said Freya was scheduled for Episode 6. And Julie Plec said the hooded figure mystery would play out around the winter finale before the big midseason break.

We don't have a date on that yet, but it shouldn't be too long after Episode 6 -- since Episode 5 airs November 15, Episode 6 should be November 21, November 28 is Thanksgiving so I'm sure they'll be taking a break, and I imagine Episode 7 will air on December 5. Last year's winter finale was Episode 7, airing December 13. It's possible this year we'll get the winter finale in Episode 8 on December 12, if The CW sticks with that schedule. (Legacies is meant to have a big Christmas episode this year, but it's not actually set on Christmas, which is intriguing.)

At any rate, answers on Sebastian, Freya, and the hooded figure should be coming soon -- so now is the time to air your theories in case you turn out to be right!