The Vampire Diaries - Season 7
The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a seventh season by The CW on January 11, 2015,[1] and premiered on October 8, 2015.[2] On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed The Vampire Diaries for an eighth season,[3] which was confirmed to be the final one in July 2016.[4]
The Vampire Diaries - Season 7
In present day, Caroline is held prisoner by vervain soaked ropes but escapes from Enzo, only to get recaptured by the Heretic girls. The girls torture her. Valerie seems to be good to her by putting a spell on her which keeps her away from other vampires. Damon and Stefan rescue Caroline from the house which was made easy to enter by making Matt's heart stop temporarily, as Matt was made owner of the house. In the last minute, Stefan is pulled out of the house and Damon is told by Enzo that the Heretics have Elena. Lily and the Heretics perform a funeral ritual for their fellow dead heretic and the love of Lily's life. Lily threatens Damon into admitting to the murder of the Heretic and tells him to keep away from Mystic Falls. Meanwhile, Alaric tests the Phoenix stone on a corpse in the morgue.
Damon and Stefan team up with Valerie, who is searching for Julian's coffin to destroy it. Meanwhile, Rick is dealing with Jo to cope things after she becomes alive again. Bonnie goes to the Salvatore manor to ask Oscar, who is under Enzo's watch, about the Phoenix stone but unfortunately, gets attacked by him. Enzo gets the Phoenix stone as Bonnie loses it when she tries to run away from Oscar. Enzo then stabs Oscar when he goes crazy. When the Salvatore brothers and Valerie reach their location, she explains that the Phoenix stone does not bring people alive but it transferred vampire souls imprisoned in the stone into a body. Just as Valerie tries to burn Julian's corpse, Lily and the Heretics arrive and rescue him. Valerie, who for her actions are left alone by the Heretics, tells Damon that it was Lily's plan to make Elena sleep as long as Bonnie is alive. Damon tries to murder Lily but they escape by making coffins explode and injuring Stefan, Damon and Valerie. Back in the Salvatore house, Enzo, in possession of Phoenix stone, makes Lily choose between him and Julian but Lily chooses the latter and disappointed, Enzo gives her the stone. With the stone, the Heretics revive Julian. Bonnie sadly informs Rick about the stone and that Jo's body might not have his wife's soul. Bonnie is joined by Damon who vows to get revenge on Lily who destroys everything that makes him happy.
Lily and the Heretics throw a party at Salvatore manor which Stefan and Damon also attend. Bonnie arrives with Enzo and she tries to make Lily jealous for Enzo. Meanwhile, Rick deals with Jo and her suddenly declining health. Valerie and Caroline arrive there, where Valerie explains that Jo was human and the vampire soul is not compatible with her body which meant that she was as good as dead. Back in the manor, Julian and the Salvatore brothers get into an argument which brings them to fight until Lily intervenes and says she will never let her children suffer. Rick has to let go of Jo but Valerie finds out the twins are still alive. They then make a locator spell which seems to points nowhere but shockingly Valerie deduces that the twins are inside Caroline's body.
Damon saves Matt and Bonnie as Caroline stealthily injects him with vervain. Stefan is having disturbing post-hell hallucinations of him and Damon underwater with the latter drowning. In his hallucinations, Damon even posed a threat to his and Caroline's relationship. (Damon kept Stefan from escaping hell-world, so in order to escape, the latter had to let go of him). Soon, Henry's spirit starts haunting Damon. Tyler shows up for Caroline's baby shower. Under Julian's leadership, Mystic Falls is now a shoddy home to his vampire mates. It is revealed that Alaric will move to Dallas and Caroline finds it hard to accept that she has to eventually part with the twins. Matt is arrested by a lady cop named Penny for DUI who later questions his wooden weapons. Nora and Bonnie anxiously plan to face a ruthless legendary vampire huntress (she hunts down any Phoenix sword-staked vampire) after Nora receives an X-marked envelope warning of her arrival. Damon meets up with an apprehensive Tyler forcing him to take him to see Elena. As Damon opens Elena's coffin, he finds Henry. He charges at a prepared Tyler but eventually bashes him against concrete. Henry here advises Damon to attain liberation by letting go of what holds back his true monstrous nature. An exasperated Damon attempts to finish off Henry by setting the coffin on fire. As he watches it burn, Henry reappears telling him that he burnt Elena for good which leaves him devastated. Back home, Stefan assures Damon that he will always have his back who is at a loss of words, unable to reveal that his reason to breathe and live is no more as he killed Elena.
Back in Whitmore, Caroline's supernatural pregnancy is affecting her as the babies are siphoners who keep siphoning away her vampirism magic causing her to desiccate inside out. Valerie tries swapping their magic source for a magic-filled talisman but eventually it all goes in vain. Officer Penny learns about Mystic Falls brimming with vampires from Matt. Bonnie, Mary Lou and Nora search for Rayna Cruz, "The Huntress" finding her old and feeble in a psychiatric ward. Puzzled, the Heretics carry on their search when suddenly, Rayna attacks Bonnie who is saved just in time by Enzo who kills off Rayna. It is revealed that Enzo sent the 'X' cards to track Rayna; he burns her to ashes only to revive her back in her young true self. Elsewhere, Damon returns to his road-kill antics, picks on Julian and indulges in dangerous games with his mates. The fight gets nastier with Julian stepping up to fight him. By this time, Stefan has reached the spot and begs Damon to stop, who gives him a deaf ear continuing to fight as if he had a death wish. After a while, Damon begs Julian for death. Stefan interferes and finally gets Damon to walk off the ring. Eventually, Damon discloses about him burning Elena alive to a stunned Stefan who beats him up, abandons him and has a breakdown. He is now hell bent on killing Julian. Damon looks on as he stands there taken over by remorse and bleeding profusely. Back in Mystic Falls, Valerie and Stefan finally take on Julian as Stefan catches him off guard and stakes him while Valerie keeps them cloaked. Back in Salvatore boarding house, Damon gets an unexpected visitor, a brunette (she saved him during one of the ring fights) who comes in and kisses him. Wallowing in emptiness, Damon gazes into her eyes accepting the bitter truth of fate and as a final jolt of mental agony, he bends down to kiss her back.
Rayna is a supernaturally blessed vampire huntress who was once compelled by Julian to kill her own father, a hunter belonging to one among The Five, using the Phoenix sword as her weapon. Back in 1863, hell bent on seeking revenge, she had impaled Beau and staked Julian into the Phoenix hell-stone. She has now released herself and retrieved her sword from Bonnie and Damon. Caroline's fast desiccation called for an early C section delivery which was aided by all the Heretics and later Bonnie. Suddenly, Beau's wound reopens and he gets killed and burnt by Rayna. Nora and Mary Louise run for their lives. Meanwhile, Valerie and Stefan try easing the delivery (the twins were reluctant to come out thus leave their constant source of magic). Bonnie, Alaric and Valerie watched as Caroline successfully gave birth to the twins. Damon distracted and tried fighting Rayna but almost gets staked just as Stefan came to rescue. In this process Stefan gets marked by the sword once more forcing him to run from her. Enzo informs Damon that Elena is alive and well protected by his men and that he was hallucinating her death. Beyond relieved, Damon promises Stefan that he will make things right now that life has offered him a second chance. Alaric names the twins Josie in honor of their mom Josette Laughlin, and Elizabeth, in honor of Caroline's mom.
Stefan and Valerie pursue a herb that can hide them from Rayna. With help from Matt, Damon finally captures Rayna and kills her multiple times in order to die permanently. Bonnie and Enzo discover that once Rayna's lives are over, all of those she marked will die as well and inform Damon just in time before she dies permanently. Damon escapes and notifies Stefan of his intention to desiccate for the next 60 years, to Stefan's disapproval. After an advise from Penny, Matt confronts Stefan and tells him and all vampires to get away from Mystic Falls, otherwise he will show the world the existence of vampires on a CCTV footage. Damon arrives at the storage unit where he plans to desiccate alongside Elena's coffin, but Bonnie shows up letting him know that she is extremely hurt with his decision. She leaves him there and Damon finally lies down to slowly desiccate near to death with hopes that he has saved his loved ones from the array of bad choices he makes putting their lives in jeopardy.
On April 6, 2015, it was announced that Nina Dobrev would be leaving after the sixth season and that Michael Trevino would only appear as a guest on the new season.[27][28] On April 11, 2015, it was announced that Steven R. McQueen would be departing the show.[29]
On July 15, 2015, it was announced that Scarlett Byrne and Teressa Liane were hired to play Nora and Mary Louise, respectively. Nora and Mary Louise are described as extremely powerful and protective with each other, because it is the first same-sex couple in the series; additionally it is reported that Elizabeth Blackmore was chosen to give life to Valerie.[30] The trio is part of the family of heretics adopted by Lily Salvatore. On November 5, it was announced that Leslie-Anne Huff was hired to play Rayna, a vampire huntress.[31]
Based on 13 reviews, the 7th season currently holds a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.75 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Despite an Elena-less season, Vampire Diaries still has plenty of fleshed out plot and new characters for fans to sink their teeth into."[32] 041b061a72