The Vampire Diariesuniverse has officially closed off its last chapter – at least for now anyway – with second spin-offLegaciesmarking the end of an era. Prior to its airing, the door had been left wide open for beloved characters across the franchise to show face once more.
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The reprisal of many familiar faces became a what could have been scenario, and only a select few arrived on the scene. Even so, we wish we could have gotten a lot more to remind us why we loveThe Vampire Diariesas much as we do.
Caroline Forbes
Caroline (Candice King) embarks on one of the greatest developmental arcs within the wholeThe Vampire Diariesuniverse. Initially the egocentric cheerleader, Caroline’s world is flipped upside down when she is forced into the dark underworld of vampirism and suffers enough tragedy that would make anyone hit the switch to their humanity. A huge appeal of her storyline that fans are still drawn in by is the chemistry she shares with ruthless hybrid Klaus (Joseph Morgan); neithershe nor Klaus have explored the potential of what could have been between them, except for a passionate tryst in the woods and final smooch, before Klaus’ death at the end ofThe Originals.
King has never appeared in the spin-off until its final episode despite fan demands; it is explained at an early stage that Caroline is scouring across Europe with the hope of finding a cure for the Gemini curse that plagues her daughters. There is always room for Caroline to integrate her way ontoLegacies, at least with a heavier presence than we eventually get to see. Even a phone call or brief cameo here and there would be sufficient; of course, her absence is down to King’s availability and schedule, but seeing Caroline sporadically show up now and then would be a perfect way to deepen the link betweenLegaciesandThe Vampire Diaries.
Jeremy Gilbert
The Vampire Diariessays goodbye to Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) in a random sixth season episode. The younger Gilbert opts to skip town under the guise of a fresh start following the death of Bonnie (Kat Graham), but in actual fact, Jeremy has regained his hunter abilities and is tracking down vampires with the help of Alaric (Matt Davis). Though Jeremy has a blink, and you’ll miss it cameo in the finale, he isn’t seen again untilLegaciesfirst season.
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Jeremy’s exit leaves plenty up to the imagination as well as becoming a playground for unresolved narratives. There’s never really any significant mention of him until he shows up out of the blue when Alaric makes a plea for help. His character’s divergence in becoming a hunter and later teacher holds potential for an intriguing side plot thatLegaciescould have touched upon; Jeremy easily could have been a valuable asset in the spin-off. Instead, his off-screen departure is lackluster and breaks hold of a disappointing promise.
Hayley Marshall
Granted, Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) meets her demise inThe Originals' fifth and final season, so a reprisal from the wolf is apparently written off the table beforeLegacieseven begins. However, inThe Vampire Diariesuniverse, nothing is certain, including death. We have watched a number of characters return from the dead throughout all three of the shows; whether that’s as a short-lived cameo, multiple episode arc, or becoming a permanent fixture to the series, the biggest lesson any of these supernatural dramas taught is that death is never the end.
A potential Hayley return could have worked as a one-off as opposed to a regular occurrence, mostly in part because Hayley’s story is wrapped up inThe Originalsand the only closure she could receive would be with Hope. While there are various storylines that we would like to see resolved, particularly Hayley’s relationship with Elijah (Daniel Gillies), there’s no room to follow this through onLegacies. The mother and daughter duo barely had a chance to know each other prior to Hayley’s death, but we could easily see Hayley becoming a grounding influence for Hope. It would be bittersweet, yet their relationship deserves to end on better grounds than it abruptly does.
Bonnie Bennett
No one is put through the ringer quite as much as Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham), so it’s understandable that she might be hesitant to get back into the supernatural game. The last we see of Bonnie is duringThe Vampire Diaries’ closing moments as sheprepares to explore the world beyond Mystic Falls, her powers back intact.
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A central part ofLegaciesstems away from vampirism slightly and draws focus towards magic and witchcraft. For this reason alone Bonnie fits right in with the tone, and her expertise could have proved extremely useful over the course of the series. Not to mention Bonnie’s close bond to Damon (Ian Somerhalder), surely the witch would be around in Mystic Falls for some sort of annual gathering.
Damon Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder’s fan-favorite Mystic Falls bad boy turned good is the dark horse ofThe Vampire Diaries. Entering the original series as a villain and resident troublemaker,Damon gradually begins to turn over a new leafand adopts the persona of beloved anti-hero. Throughout his run on the show, Damonproves his loyalty to his friends and brothermore than once, becoming a valuable player amongst the group. Despite his wrongdoings, the elder Salvatore sets out and achieves his redemption arc by the finale.
While Damon and Elena (Nina Dobrev) are human, they are still very much present in Mystic Falls and are referenced several times duringLegacies. It’s likely they’ve come across the characters from the spinoff plenty of times off-screen, but considering Damon’s close friendship with Alaric, we would have liked to have seen the bourbon bros reunite in their usual spot for one of the philosophical life chats. The pair have helped each other out time and time again, so surely Damon would be eager to get back into the mystery solving game if Alaric asked him – even if he is human and benched from the hard-hitting action.
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