Friday 17 May 2013

Julie Plec on Season 4 Finale And Season 5


"The Vampire Diaries" has done it again. 

Going into the Season 4 finale, "Graduation," we knew a few things would happen: The gang would graduate, in a poignant scene that celebrated their history together. Elena would, once again, make a choice between Stefan and Damon. One character who had previously died would return from the dead. And, of course, we knew that someone would take the cure for vampirism and turn into a human. But while we were busy asking who would get the cure and who would spend the summer making out with Elena, we kind of forgot about another season-long mystery: Why won't Silas let anyone see his real face?

The slight of hand gave us one of the most jaw-dropping finale twists ever... and it was just one of many. We spoke with executive producer Julie Plec about what sort of fall-out to expect from some of the most surprising finale reveals when the series returns in Season 5.



1. Silas has a doppelganger -- and it's Stefan. Yes, the Petrova women aren't the only ones with the doppelganger enchantment in their blood. All of the convoluted twists regarding the legend of Silas, his goals, and his abilities came together. Thanks to a loophole, Silas came back to life, revealing that the immortality spell itself had a loophole: doppelgangers. Silas and Stefan share the same face. Stefan is Silas' doppelganger, and now he's trapped in a safe at the bottom of an ocean. 

This is a storyline that has been in the works for about a year. "Last year, when Season 3 was over, we kept a small group of writers and we stayed for five weeks, to try to break the broad strokes of Season 4. Last year, right around this time, we came up with the doppelgänger pitch," executive producer Julie Plec tells us.


There were some complications to introducing another doppelgänger character. In Season 2 and early in Season 3, when Nina Dobrev was playing both Katherine and Elena regularly, she grew worn out, physically. Some of the decision-makers behind "The Vampire Diaries" were concerned that playing two characters could take a similar toll on Paul Wesley.

"We had to convince a lot of different people of how it could work and what could make it work," Julie says. "So that we didn't end up in a similar situation as with Katherine and Elena, where we exhausted Nina to the point of being unable to get out of her bed, because we accidentally overworked her so much. Creatively, everybody was very excited about the Silas doppelganger, it was just a matter of how long it took us to cement it, knowing that's fundamentally what we're going to do."

At the moment, Paul's not concerned about working too hard -- he's just excited to face a new challenge on the show. "He is so happy," Julie laughs. "Playing the straight man hero is not always the most exciting job for an actor, and Stefan, of all our heroes, is the straightest on the show. We get to go deeper into his ripper side sometimes, but for Paul, those moments are just pocket moments of opportunity to dig deeply into his craft, and a lot of other times he feels like he's just grooming his hero hair. So obviously, he's very enthusiastic about this, and has been supportive of it all along. He's been dying for something; to be a jerk, to be evil, to be the bad guy, to be able to stretch his muscles."

And in Season 5, he definitely will.


2. The resurrection of Jeremy Gilbert: 
"Vampire Diaries" fans are used to characters dying -- and occasionally, they pop back up later, whether it's as a vampire or as a ghost. Still, we were (pleasantly!) surprised to learn that Jeremy was coming back from the grave permanently, particularly because his goodbye episode was so heart-wrenching. Didn't the writers worry that resurrecting him would dull the impact of his beautiful, memorable send-off?

"It's something that we talked about a lot," Julie says. "Our intention, originally, was to say goodbye to Jeremy permanently. But then a lot of questions came up about the power of this girl losing her only living relative. It was so important to her journey at that moment. The global, eternally reaching tragedy attached to that is really sad, and really depressing."

Though Jeremy had to die in order to push Elena into the next phase of her life as a vampire, the writers quickly realized that it'd be impossible to bring her back from that dark, desperately tragic point in her life unless they revived Jeremy. Without him, Elena was looking down a long, black tunnel of depression -- and that wouldn't make for a particularly lively Season 5.

"We argued a lot, in the writer's room -- could we successfully bring this character back in a way that wouldn't feel cheap? Ultimately, I think that the way that it plays out, it does feel like the natural gift at the end of the season for this character that has been through so much," she explains.

Now Elena has a chance at some happiness in Season 5. "Getting Jeremy back resets her, in a way, where she can now get on with her life and live like the Elena that we know," Julie says. She is cautious, because she knows that some viewers might not be pleased with the loophole Jeremy steps through to return to the land of the living. "Critically, you can look at something and go, 'Well, that's a take-back, it's not fair,' but emotionally, I think, it's a positive. We might get hammered for it. We'll see. I'm hoping people will be so glad to see our Elena pull her life back together, they'll accept it."


3. Bonnie will still factor in to the storylines. Jeremy didn't exactly get a free ride back to the land of the living. Bonnie sacrificed herself in order to bring him back for Elena, and now she's trapped beyond the veil -- invisible to everyone, except for Jeremy.

It's certainly a tragic loss, but don't worry, Bonnie fans. Kat Graham will still be a big part of the show. "Here's what I'll say about Bonnie: I haven't personally seen 'Being Human,' but I do know that they have a ghost character that operates pretty successfully on that show," Julie says. "This is not the last we've seen of Bonnie. If anything, she will be right there in the middle of story next season, just with a few new complications."


4. Delena goodness! By giving Jeremy his life back, Bonnie essentially gave Elena her life back, too. Unencumbered by the sire bond, her grief, or a gaping hole where her humanity should be, Elena finally got to evaluate her love life with a clear head -- and she chose to be with Damon. "In death, you're the one that made me feel most alive," Elena told him. Cue the mouth touching! Now, with her vampire boyfriend at her side, she might just be able to enjoy college. 


It's been a rough few years for Damon when it comes to his love life -- but Julie tells us it's finally time for him to have some legitimate joy in his life. "Yes. Absolutely," she says. "We're going to get to see Damon trying to be a good boyfriend, and while it's not going to be easy, he's going to try like hell to make it work, and they're going to have a real opportunity for happiness."


5. And what about Katherine? This season, we've seen a much more vulnerable side of Miss Katerina Petrova. She spent most of the year on the run. When she finally opened up and fell for Elijah, he rejected her in favor of a new beginning with his family. And then, in a moment of weakness, she allowed Elena to get the upper hand in a major showdown in the high school hallways. Elena, driven by very human emotions, shoved the cure down Katherine's throat. The thing that Katherine fears most is mortality. Elena gave it to her. 

Just don't expect Katherine to go all Elena on us now that she doesn't have to drink blood to stay alive. "As a human, she's still very, very bad," Julie laughs. "If anything, she feels silly for letting herself get vulnerable, and she's taking out that frustration of her own vulnerability on Elena. If Elena goes after her, Katherine's still ready to kick that puppy."


Source

4x23 'Graduation' Song List

Bon Jovi "You Give Love A Bad Name"
Delta Rae "Dance In The Graveyards"
Olivia Broadfield "Gone"
Cary Brothers "Belong"
Liz Lawrence "When I Was Younger"
S. Carey "In The Stream"

Thursday 16 May 2013

Spoiler From EW - 16th May 2013


Vampire Diaries finale!!

Last minute juicy scoop! Nina Dobrev tells us that at the end of tonight’s season finale, Elena “finally breathes a sigh of relief.” “It may not seem like a lot right now but it will make sense quite literally what I mean afterwards,” she teases. CAN’T. WAIT.

The Originals 1x01 Webclip

The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Official Description


In the tumultuous fourth season of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, the world of Mystic Falls was turned upside down when the beautiful and compassionate Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) came face-to-face with her worst nightmare – life as a vampire. While Elena struggled to control her new powers and the overwhelming thirst for blood, the astonishing news that a cure for vampirism may actually exist reached Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) Salvatore, the two vampire brothers who love her. Their search for the cure leads the brothers, along with Elena’s brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and her best friends Bonnie (Kat Graham) and Caroline (Candice Accola), to a horrifying confrontation with the ancient and all-powerful immortal, Silas, who has been entombed with the cure for more than 2,000 years. But Elena isn’t the only vampire who longs to return to life as a human, and the question of who will take the cure is resolved in the heart-stopping season finale, along with moments of unexpected joy, unspeakable sorrow, and a confession of true love. The series heads into its fifth season with some characters headed off to college, a newly cured vampire trying to survive as a human, and a shocking Salvatore secret. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. The series was developed by Kevin Williamson (“The Following,” “Scream”) & Julie Plec (“Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), who serve as executive producers along with Leslie Morgenstein (“Gossip Girl,” “Pretty Little Liars”) and Caroline Dries (“Melrose Place,” “Smallville”).

The Originals Season 1 Official Description


Family is power. The Original Vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together, always and forever. Now, centuries have passed and the bonds of family are broken. Time, tragedy and hunger for power have torn the Original Family apart. When Klaus Mikaelson, the original vampire-werewolf hybrid, receives a mysterious tip that a plot is brewing against him in the supernatural melting pot that is the French Quarter of New Orleans, he returns to the city his family helped build. Klaus’ questions lead him to a reunion with his diabolical former protĂ©gĂ©, Marcel, a charismatic vampire who has total control over the human and supernatural inhabitants of New Orleans. Determined to help his brother find redemption, Elijah follows Klaus and soon learns that the werewolf Hayley has also come to the French Quarter searching for clues to her family history, and has fallen into the hands of a powerful witch named Sophie. Tensions between the town’s supernatural factions are nearing a breaking point as Marcel commands his devoted followers and rules with absolute power. For Klaus, the thought of answering to his powerful protĂ©gĂ© is unthinkable, and he vows to reclaim what was once his – the power, the city and his family. While they wait to see if their sister Rebekah will leave Mystic Falls and join them, Klaus and Elijah form an uneasy alliance with the witches to ensure that New Orleans will be ruled by THE ORIGINALS once again. The series stars Joseph Morgan (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Immortals”) as Klaus, Daniel Gillies (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Saving Hope”) as Elijah, Claire Holt (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Pretty Little Liars”) as Rebekah, Phoebe Tonkin (“The Vampire Diaries,” “The Secret Circle”) as Hayley, Charles Michael Davis (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Switched at Birth”) as Marcel, Daniella Pineda (“The Fitzgerald Family Christmas,” “Homeland”) as Sophie, Leah Pipes (“The Deep End,” “Sorority Row”) as Cami and Danielle Campbell (“Starstruck,” “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection”) as Davina. THE ORIGINALS is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. Julie Plec (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), Leslie Morgenstein (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl”) and Gina Girolamo (“The Lying Game”) are executive producers. Plec wrote the pilot episode, which was directed by Chris Grismer (“The Vampire Diaries”).

The Vampire Diaries & The Originals Fall Schedule


Tuesday 8pm - 9pm

The Originals





Thursday 8pm - 9pm

The Vampire Diaries

The Originals Promo 1

This happens to be the same promo as TVD's 4x20 'The Originals' only it's been changed to 'The Originals' rather than TVD so unfortunately we have no new footage.

Vampire Diaries Bite - 15th May 2013

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Julie Plec Teases Season 4 Finale



Elena's Choice, Take Two: While season three's finale also featured Elena making a choice between the Salvatore brothers, Plec previews that our heroine isn't the same human girl who chose Stefan (Paul Wesley) just before dying and coming back as a vamp. "I think that in last year's finale it was very clear that Elena was struggling with feelings for both brothers and needed to make a decision about what she wanted her life to be and who she wanted to share that life with," she explains. "This year, she's had a very traumatic roller coaster of life experience and it's changed her irrevocably—and at the center of it all was the diehard belief that she loved Damon, that she loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone.
She continues, "Her struggle has been with the realization of the sire bond that she couldn't even trust those feelings to be true. So it's more about answering the truth of those feelings and as a result does that mean her distance from Stefan was also not real and not true? She handles that realization pretty well and it's a great, great, great scene."
Doppelgänger Dragout: Fans who have been salivating over the possible Katherine and Elena fight will not want to miss the finale, with Plec teasing, "Ever since we introduced Katherine, we've been waiting to have a knockout, dragout Alexis and Crystal Dynasty-style fight between these two women and it definitely doesn't disappoint. There's no ball gowns and swimming pools, but otherwise I think we do it justice!" Can we get an amen?!
Crossover Lovers?: "There's a moment between them in the finale that basically makes it clear where Klaus stands and where Caroline stands," Plec teases of the fan-favorite couple before  Klaus heads off to New Orleans for The Originals. "Rather than completely shutting any doors, it actually, if anything, opens a new one. We've never wanted to compromise the Klaus-Caroline with the idea that there would be this other show she wouldn't potentially be on, so we're making decisions as though we would continue their journey in perpetuity, for better or for worse, whether she ever cared for him or not, and if we need to cross over between the two shows than we will."
As for Caroline's beau Tyler (Michael Trevino), Plec says his future in Mystic Falls will be addressed. "That is definitely resolved. We'll understand what Klaus' intentions are as they relate to Tyler and we'll get a sense of what we might see in the future," she previews.
Death Can Wait, I Need to Graduate: After her shocking death in last week's episode, Bonnie the ghost is on a mission in the finale, to bring the veil back up...even if it means crossing over to the other side for good. "It's a bittersweet journey for her and she has to prepare to make that sacrifice knowing that it will be the thing that separates her from her friends forever," Plec says. "But in the midst of it all there's graduation. [Laughs.] And there's her friends together and she's going to make damn sure she doesn't miss that!"
Slow Burn: In a departure from the first three seasons, TVD played it slow and steady with season four's big bad, Silas, a conscious choice made by Plec and the writers.
"We definitely knew that we wanted to slow-play the beginning of the mythology this season and rather than instantly set up a bad guy and an agenda, it would be a mystery not only to our characters, but to the audience as well," she explains. "Being able to unfold the mystery of Silas over the course of a season had its pitfalls and also its benefits, and I think ultimately, when the audience sees how it ends in this episode, they may start to understand the choices we made and why we made them."

Spoiler From TV Line - 15th May 2013


Any hints about who takes the cure in the Vampire Diaries finale?

Three, actually. 1) It’s not who I thought it would be. 2) Julie Plec is a genius. 3) Julie Plec is a genius.

Spoiler From TV Guide - 14th May 2013


What's coming up on The Vampire Diaries season finale?

It's no surprise that in The Vampire Diaries finale, many of our heroes will be in mortal peril. Remember the picture above? Well, the wound that Elena is tending is similar to the one that once almost killed Damon. Good thing there's a cure lying around Mystic Falls.

Monday 13 May 2013

4x23 'Graduation' Webclip 1

Will Klaus and Caroline finally get their moment, or is Hayley standing in the way?


When "The Vampire Diaries" launched its spin-off series, "The Originals," with a backdoor pilot, fans were floored to learn that the new show hinged upon Klaus's discovery that he and Hayley, his werewolf one-night-stand, were expecting a child. Though we'd previously thought vampires couldn't conceive, as the Original hybrid, Klaus is an exception to a lot of rules -- so it shouldn't surprise us that he stumbled upon "nature's loophole" when he slept with Hayley.

The reaction to the baby news was certainly mixed. The backdoor pilot fared well enough to merit a green light for the series from The CW, but many "Vampire Diaries" fans found the parenthood story troubling. In particular, fans rooting for Klaus and Caroline to get together were pretty vocal about their dissatisfaction, worried that Klaus having a child with another woman was the death knell for "Klaroline."

But in actuality, the baby isn't as relevant to the Klaus/Caroline romance as one might initially assume. In fact, the pregnancy is such a non-factor, it may not even be addressed with Caroline, as she's far more concerned with Klaus's behavior toward the people she cares about than she is with his sexual dalliances and ties to New Orleans.

Julie Plec, executive producer of both "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals," understands the concerns of the "Klaroline" fandom, but also makes the point that there's a much larger story to tell about Klaus outside of his romance.

"To be fair, there are plenty of people who hate the idea that she would ever look sideways at the guy that murdered her boyfriend's mother and sent him running from town like a chicken -- there's definitely plenty of those people rooting against that twosome," Plec tells us. "It's our second-most controversial love triangle, I suppose. But on behalf of those who love Klaus and Caroline together, they look at this pregnancy storyline and think that means 'Oh, Klaus is going to go away and be a good dad and fall for the baby-mama and forget all about Caroline.' No. Hell no."

For Klaus, the hybrid baby -- whatever sort of supernatural creature it may turn out to be -- is just a means to getting the French Quarter back under his thumb, and a means of leverage with Elijah. It's not about Hayley, for him, and there's not some grand "Klayley" endgame romance brewing in Louisiana. In fact, while Klaus and Hayley both have a degree of investment in the pregnancy, they don't particularly care about each other at all.

"The bottom line is that this baby, as we move forward in 'The Originals,' is just a power pawn for him," Plec says. "Klaus's journey will be to live up to Elijah's hope, which is that this is going to be the thing that can bring their family back together. This is absolutely not Papa Klaus nursing and changing diapers and suddenly being a good guy, nor will it ever be."

In some ways, the baby drawing Klaus to New Orleans is one step toward building him into a man who might be suitable for Caroline to legitimately consider in the future. "This is part of a big picture of taking someone who has been terribly villainous and filled with rage, and hurt as a result of being colossally disappointed by his family, repeatedly -- this is another layer onto the evolution of trying to bring him some sort of inner peace," she says.

In the meantime, look for Klaus and Caroline to share at least one significant moment in the finale, which airs this Thursday, May 16 at 8 p.m. EST on The CW. "We haven't seen the last of Klaus's affection for Caroline, and we certainly haven't seen the last of Caroline's confusion about Klaus," Plec assures us. "That'll take us past the finale and into both series, in small and subtle ways, certainly, and then possibly with crossover opportunity moving forward."

Souce