‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 8 Will See Nina Dobrev Return, But For How Long?
With The Vampire Diaries returning for Season 8 and Ian Somerhalder saying it is the last in the series, rumors have started spreading that Nina Dobrev will return. In fact, an insider says that she is definitely returning, but for how long?
Dobrev left the show at the end of Season 6, saying she wanted to move onto bigger things. Rumors spread that she was also leaving over trouble off-screen between her and ex-boyfriend Somerhalder, but these rumors were regularly denied. Since leaving The Vampire Diaries, Dobrev has not broken out in the way she wanted but has not indicated a desire to return to the show that made her famous.
Now it seems like she may be returning, at least just to say goodbye to the vampire show. According to Hollywood Life, she is “10,000 percent coming back.” A source confirmed that she will return in “some way, shape or form.”
Some fans of the vampire show will rejoice. The ratings dropped considerably in Season 7 with the loss of her character Elena Gilbert. Just mentioning her now and then was not enough for the fans, and moving the focus on Caroline and Bonnie in her place did not make fans happy. When the show moved to the Friday night slot, The Vampire Diaries fans believed Season 7 would be the last.
Nina Dobrev is returning for #VampireDiaries‘ final season! But for how many episodes? https://t.co/qpFFZUeWMh pic.twitter.com/BRZFe1ucJg
— HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) April 12, 2016
Somerhalder says that getting Season 8 means the show can wrap up story lines and go out with a bang. As The Inquisitr previously reported, he has said that it will be the last season, although the CW has not confirmed this. There is still a chance the show will get a ninth Season, but this will be without Kat Graham and possibly without Somerhalder.
It also gives fans the chance to see Dobrev return, which will likely be in a limited capacity. It is believed that she will only return for two episodes, likely being the final two episodes of The Vampire Diaries Season 8. The source that shared Dobrev is returning said that the two episodes could possibly be a two-part series finale.
– “stop loving me” – “I can’t” https://t.co/b86AYBJhsd
— The Vampire Diaries (@TVDFRA) April 7, 2016
Some of this will depend on scheduling and Dobrev’s availability, while other parts will depend on the need for her character to return. The writers have a lot of time to figure this out.
One option is to kill Bonnie and bring Elena back that way. At the end of Season 6, their life forces were connected. While Bonnie remained alive, Elena would never wake from her Sleeping Beauty-like coma. Once Bonnie dies, Elena will return. It seems like the perfect opportunity to give Graham a big story line in Season 8 and pave the way for Dobrev’s return.
stefan salvatore & elena gilbert || the vampire diaries pic.twitter.com/16vB2us9Ql
— shams¨? (@1864SALVAT0RES) April 3, 2016
What happens if The Vampire Diaries is renewed for Season 9, though? Graham has made it clear that she will walk away after next season, regardless of a renewal or cancellation at the end. If she is killed off and Dobrev comes back, a Season 9 would possibly mean that she would need to come back for that year. If she did not want to return for that, the writers would need to find another way to bring her in and then take her back out.
OMG! Nina Dobrev (aka Elena Gilbert) is coming back to #TVD in the show’s final season! https://t.co/Gpxxmy6P1Q pic.twitter.com/nmAjZAQ72H
— HollywoodLife (@HollywoodLife) April 11, 2016
At the same time, the writers may find a loophole in Bonnie and Elena being connected. Fans have already said there is a way to bring Elena back and keep Bonnie alive, and that the writing to keep them locked in this link has been lazy and bad.
@aingham69 I thought it was stupid and why is Bon still tied to coffin? The heretics can unlink them at anytime. Bad writing.
— IWantBamonEndGame (@dapreyer) March 9, 2016
At least the writers have time to come up with something. For now, The Vampire Diaries Season 8 could see Dobrev return but there is no confirmation of just for how long it will be.
[Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]