‘The Vampire Diaries’ Spoilers: What To Expect From The ‘Originals’ Crossover, Plus A Damon-Focused Midseason Premiere

The Vampire Diaries Season 7 and The Originals Season 3 may now be airing on Fridays instead of Thursdays (starting with their midseason premieres on January 29), but don’t think that means that this could be the beginning of the end for either series. (Remember, Supernatural aired on Fridays at one point and is now on Wednesdays.) In fact, there’s even news out there that should make fans who have been wanting a crossover for some time happy.

The Originals began as a spinoff of The Vampire Diaries, and while a character or two have shown up on the other series now and then, that doesn’t mean that that has satisfied fans who want to see it happen more often. Fortunately, a crossover is coming, but unfortunately, as TVLine reports, according to CW president Mark Pedowitz, it’s not going to be “the size and scope of” the annual Arrow and The Flash crossover.

Instead, The Vampire DiariesEpisode 714 will see Stefan “very much in need of a mystical safe haven,” according to executive producer Julie Plec, and that’s where the crossover element comes into play: The St. James Infirmary bar in The Originals. “No magic can permeate,” she explained, so he goes to New Orleans for refuge. In doing so, it sets up a run-in with Klaus “because, of course, nothing happens in Klaus’ town without Klaus knowing,” the EP continued while previewing what she is calling “the reunion of the Bourbon buddies.” (Fans of TVDwill remember Stefan and Klaus’ twisted history.)

The crossover will continue into The Originals, as Stefan stays in town, Plec previewed, “to help Klaus clear up some business that he’s dealing with at the moment that actually has a direct impact on Stefan himself.” Will that have something to do with the teases that have been offered via the flashforwards to three years from now on The Vampire Diaries, or could it involve a more present problem that may not be tied into the future?

The series both have a few more episodes to air before the crossover. First up is TVD‘s midseason premiere, “Hell Is Other People,” for which the CW has already released a trailer teasing what Damon will be going through after being stabbed with the sword (and stone) that has trapped him in his own personal hell. (Stefan suffered the same fate soon after, at the hands of Nora.) The midseason finale offered a glimpse of what Damon will be experiencing and the trailer might, as well.

In the above promo, Bonnie tells Damon that he’s been dead for three months, but is he really back or is this part of his personal hell? Evidence seems to point to the latter being true.

More evidence seems to come via the interview with executive producer Caroline Dries about and the promotional photo from “Hell Is Other People,” posted by Entertainment Weekly. The photo shows Damon in his days in the Civil War, as briefly glimpsed in “Cold as Ice.” Dries shared that Damon is in “a lot of scenes,” as the focus turns to him for the midseason premiere, a concept episode.

“The episode plunges the audience head first into a not-so-typical Damon mess. It’s a grueling, frustrating, at times even a little hilarious examination of one of our favorite and most damaged characters. Turns out that in the murk of Damon Salvatore’s psyche, redemption isn’t easy to find.”

If the teases from the promo are in fact part of personal hell, could that mean that what’s going on with Stefan is part of the not “easy to find” redemption for Damon?

The Vampire Diaries Season 7 moves to Fridays at 8 p.m. beginning January 29 on the CW.